"I finally got this mission... I'm kinda nervous," Naruto muttered to himself.
He was supposed to go to a town in the Land of the Moon. Tsunade hadn't revealed much about it.
Naruto entered the bar listed in the mission report.
As soon as he walked in, he heard a familiar boisterous laugh. When his eyes landed on that spiky white hair, he knew right away.
"Wow! Beautiful ladies, slow down — the great Ero-Sennin's got plenty of charm for everyone!"
As always, Jiraiya was surrounded by women hanging on his every word.
Naruto couldn't believe Jiraiya was actually his contact. Without a second glance, he walked straight to the counter.
He took off his hoodie, revealing the Konoha symbol on his forehead protector under the dim lighting, and sighed.
"Sorry kid, we don't serve minors."
Naruto shot him a flat look.
"Then please give me a bottle of sake — just grab whatever you think kids can handle."
The bartender nodded.
"What's a Konoha ninja doing here in the Land of the Moon?"
Naruto smiled.
"Vacation."
While pouring drinks, the man said,
"There ain't no resorts or tourist traps out here, kid."
Their chat was cut short when a hand landed on Naruto's shoulder.
Jiraiya swiped the sake from Naruto's hand and eyed him suspiciously.
"Drinking already, brat?"
Naruto shrugged.
Jiraiya signaled the bartender for another cup and poured some sake.
"So, what have you been up to since we last met?"
"I've been trying to get my jutsu back."
Jiraiya stroked his chin.
"I'll loosen your seal so you can tap into Nine-Tails' chakra quicker and easier."
Naruto stood up.
"Then let's start. Akatsuki won't wait for me to grow stronger."
Jiraiya's expression darkened.
"So you still hate me, huh kid?"
Naruto shook his head. "No. If what I learned in Root taught me anything, it's that Leaf comes first. That's why I can forgive Dad."
Jiraiya's eyes widened.
"You know?"
"Yeah."
Naruto told him everything that had happened.
TWO DAYS LATER
"We've been walking for two days already, Ero-Sennin. Where exactly are we going?"
"Patience, brat. Almost there."
As they continued forward, the sound of splashing water grew louder.
Pushing aside some brush, Jiraiya and Naruto stopped. Naruto gaped.
"Woah... this is awesome."
A river ran through the island with a waterfall beside it. Naruto walked toward the water's edge and looked up at the falls.
"Who builds a bridge through a waterfall?"
Jiraiya proudly answered,
"Built it myself. I discovered this place and decided to bring you here for training."
He continued,
"All right, brat, climb up there and slice through that waterfall."
Naruto ran onto the bridge, reached his hand into the waterfall, and started channeling Wind Chakra. He could feel the waterfall's force suppressing his chakra.
Jiraiya stepped onto the bridge, holding his umbrella.
"This is only the beginning. It may take years before you truly master it."
Jiraiya continued,
"Do you remember when I said I'd remove the Nine-Tails' seal so you could better control its power? Well, I did it while you were asleep. Have you noticed yourself getting more aggressive or easily angered?"
Naruto Uzumaki nodded.
"I figured it was just puberty."
******
## Two Weeks Later ##
Naruto had steadily trained with his Shadow Clones.
They'd finally made some progress—the waterfall now showed a distinct cut—but he still had a long way to go before mastering Wind Chakra.
He told Jiraiya he'd developed an interest in sealing techniques—wanted to learn more, if not for anything else, then at least to understand his own seal better.
Jiraiya started from the basics—first teaching Naruto calligraphy, as every stroke required perfect precision in sealing.
That day, Jiraiya left the training grounds to buy sealing supplies in town.
At night, Naruto sat alone by the waterfall.
"Naruto Uzumaki," a voice called out.
Naruto turned around and saw a boy about his age standing on a tree branch.
The boy had pale skin, short black hair, and dark eyes. He wore a half-open collared shirt.
"Is Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, nearby?"
Naruto chuckled slightly.
"If he were here, there's no way you'd have gotten this close. Who are you?"
"I was sent by Lord Danzo. He has always wished to make contact with you." The boy bowed slightly. "My codename is 'Sai.'"
"Tell him Root needs more girls. A male-only gathering's pretty boring."
Sai said.
"Lord Danzo says you're no longer his asset. You were very useful under his command, but bringing you back now poses too much risk."
Naruto nodded.
"I figured… He's right. I can't return to headquarters now—I've been exposed. Did he send you to kill me?"
Shaking his head, Sai replied.
"I can't defeat you, Naruto. I was only sent to deliver Lord Danzo's message. His teachings are deeply ingrained in you, Naruto. He simply cannot risk meeting you in person anymore. Even without him, your loyalty remains with Konoha. That's why he wants you to grow stronger—to protect Konoha."
Naruto nodded again.
"Yeah, got it... Is there anything else he needs from me?"
Sai remained where he was.
"Lord Danzo does have one final task for you, Naruto. He is certain you will succeed."
Naruto turned his body slightly but stayed seated, carefully observing Sai.
"One last mission? What the hell, why not? For old time's sake. At the very least, I owe that old man something."
Without hesitation, Sai said.
"Lord Danzo wants you to do everything in your power to become Hokage."
Naruto's eyes widened.
"Grandpa Danzo wants me to become Hokage? Huh? I thought that was his own ambition. Why would he want me to do it?"
Sai stared at Naruto expressionlessly.
"He hasn't given up. But Lord Danzo knows he's growing older, Naruto. He witnessed the death of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. He knows his time is running out."
"You were his closest apprentice, Naruto. He passed everything on to you. If you were in that position of power, he would feel secure because Konoha needs a truly strong Kage who can handle everything and make the necessary decisions."
Naruto still couldn't believe it:
"Why me? Couldn't he have chosen someone else to train?"
Sai spoke again:
"Who else is qualified? Even though Danzo supports you, no one knows about it. There are many who distrust you, but you're slowly turning that around. Through your actions, you've earned the support of several key figures in the village, and also gained recognition from the Kazekage's child and the current Raikage. Without realizing it, you're gradually moving closer to this position, Naruto."
"Me, Hokage? That's just a daydream!"
Sai turned to leave:
"I've delivered Danzo's words. He wants you to remember," Sai said, turning to face Naruto firmly, "where there's light, there's shadow. Being a ninja means sacrificing yourself. Close your eyes when facing the sun. That is the true nature of a ninja." Naruto nodded in agreement, and Sai continued, "But that's not your path, Naruto. You are the leaf basking in sunlight… while I… I am the root that grows in darkness."
Naruto looked up at Sai as he turned and walked back into the trees.
Sai turned one last time:
"You have the full backing of Danzo and Root. We'll reach out to you, Naruto. Don't worry—we won't vanish."
With that, Sai left.
Naruto watched his reflection ripple across the moonlit surface of the water. He splashed the water, breaking his reflection, and then looked up at the moon with a sigh:
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