Kakashi's face instantly turned pale. He sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead in frustration.
Jiraiya, on the other hand, was furious.
"You complete idiot!"
"How could you make a promise like that to a Tailed Beast?"
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"Go back to Kurama right now and cancel that ridiculous bet!"
It was rare to see Jiraiya this angry. His voice echoed through the room as he scolded Naruto without holding back.
Surprisingly, Naruto wasn't upset.
Instead, he felt a warmth in his heart.
He knew the Perverted Sage was only so angry because he genuinely cared about him.
Naruto had never met his parents, but at that moment, he couldn't help thinking...
If Mom and Dad were here... they would probably react the same way.
And if Iruka-sensei had been present, he would have undoubtedly scolded him just as fiercely.
Naruto could almost picture Iruka's expression, hear his tone of voice, and imagine his exaggerated gestures.
The thought made him chuckle.
Jiraiya's face darkened even further.
"What are you laughing at, you fool?!"
Naruto waved his hand.
"Nothing... I just remembered something funny."
"This isn't the time for jokes, Naruto!"
"I know, Perverted Sage."
"That's exactly why I'm not joking."
"Then go cancel that bet!"
Naruto shook his head.
"Cancel it? We're humans. We can't break our word in front of a Tailed Beast, can we?"
"Compared to your life, what does keeping your word even matter?"
Naruto's heart trembled.
He knew Jiraiya was worried about him.
But that only strengthened his resolve.
He had no intention of backing down.
Just then, another familiar voice interrupted.
"I don't think it's such a bad thing."
Everyone turned toward the speaker.
It was none other than the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade.
Jiraiya sighed helplessly.
"Tsunade... I knew you'd say something like that."
Tsunade walked over, placed her hands on her hips, and smiled confidently.
"Naruto, you've really inherited my style."
Standing behind her while holding Tonton, Shizune couldn't help complaining.
"Naruto, is gambling really the only thing you learned from Lady Tsunade?"
"Couldn't you have picked up one of her better qualities instead?"
Tsunade shot Shizune an annoyed glare.
"What exactly do you mean by that?"
Naruto laughed.
"I knew Granny Tsunade would understand."
Tsunade nodded.
"If you're unwilling to stake everything, you'll never have the determination to become stronger."
Jiraiya immediately objected.
"But you didn't need to risk your life!"
Naruto looked at him seriously.
"No... I did."
"If I don't do this, I'll never truly solve my problem with Kurama."
Jiraiya hesitated.
"...We could still think of another way."
Naruto smiled bitterly.
"I've asked you that question many times before."
"And every time, you told me there wasn't any better solution."
Jiraiya fell silent.
Naruto continued with a grin.
"Let's look on the bright side."
"If I succeed, Kurama will become my ally."
"And the Perverted Sage will teach me his ultimate technique."
"Wouldn't becoming Hokage—or even defeating Itachi—be much easier then?"
Sasuke's eyes flickered.
"Naruto..."
"Are you really doing all this... for me?"
Naruto waved dismissively.
"Don't flatter yourself."
"Helping you get revenge is only a small part of it."
"I'm doing this for myself."
"I'm doing it to become Hokage."
Sasuke said nothing.
However, his tightly clenched fists betrayed his emotions.
Nearby, Fū suddenly burst into tears.
Naruto blinked in surprise.
"Fū? What's wrong?"
She wiped her eyes and smiled through her tears.
"Because..."
"I just witnessed something incredible."
Naruto scratched his head awkwardly.
"It wasn't that amazing."
"Actually, I should be thanking you."
"If you hadn't come here, Chōmei wouldn't have spoken with Kurama."
"And this bet would never have happened."
"Chōmei?"
Fū's eyes lit up.
"So... that's his name?"
She smiled brightly.
"Chōmei."
"I'll call you that from now on."
Jiraiya still wore a gloomy expression.
Kakashi stepped forward.
"Jiraiya-sama."
"Since things have already reached this point, we should support Naruto."
"If everyone works together, perhaps we really can save the Three-Tails."
Jiraiya sighed heavily.
"It won't be that easy."
"First, nobody knows exactly when or where the Three-Tails will be reborn."
"And the Akatsuki will certainly be watching for it."
"Even if Chōmei says it should happen within six months to a year near the Hidden Mist Village..."
"That's still an enormous area to search."
"This isn't simply a matter of strength."
"It's largely a matter of luck."
Naruto grinned confidently.
"My luck has always been pretty good."
"Did you forget?"
"When we were searching for Granny Tsunade in Tanzaku Town, I bought a lottery ticket and won the jackpot."
Jiraiya rolled his eyes.
"That's not even remotely the same thing!"
Tsunade chuckled.
"Jiraiya, stop worrying so much."
"The Hidden Mist Village still owes us a favor after Naruto's last mission there."
"As Hokage, I'll request that they monitor any signs of the Three-Tails' rebirth."
"The moment they discover anything, they'll notify Konoha."
"If that happens, our chances of success will be quite high."
Jiraiya looked utterly helpless.
"Tsunade..."
"You really shouldn't be saying things like that."
"Whenever you gamble..."
"You always lose."
Tsunade folded her arms proudly.
"When I gamble with money, yes."
"But whenever I gamble with my life..."
"I always win."
Naruto's eyes sparkled.
"That's so cool, Granny Tsunade!"
Jiraiya could only sigh.
Shizune buried her face in her hands.
In the end, Jiraiya reluctantly accepted the plan.
"Naruto."
"I may accept this decision..."
"But that doesn't mean I approve of it."
"Never forget."
"Your life is more valuable than anything else."
"If you lose your life, your dreams, your promises, and every bond you've built will disappear."
"The only thing left behind will be the grief of those who care about you."
Naruto nodded seriously.
"I understand."
"Making this bet doesn't mean I want to die."
"It simply means I'll do everything I can to win."
Jiraiya finally relaxed a little.
"Good."
"Then until the Three-Tails is reborn..."
"Your training will become even harsher."
"There will be absolutely no room for laziness."
Naruto grinned.
"Of course!"
"And not just me."
"I'll personally supervise everyone on Team Naruto."
Fū timidly raised her hand.
"Um..."
"I'm not a Konoha ninja..."
"But... can I join Team Naruto too?"
Naruto immediately looked toward Tsunade.
She smiled warmly.
"I have no objections."
"It's your decision, Naruto."
Naruto beamed.
"Great!"
"From today onward, Fū is officially a member of Team Naruto!"
Fū jumped excitedly.
"Yay!"
"Long live Naruto-sensei!"
Watching the lively scene, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Kakashi couldn't help smiling.
The enthusiasm of youth was truly contagious.
Sasuke silently tightened his fists once more.
If Naruto is willing to risk his life...
Then as someone seeking revenge...
I have no excuse to fall behind.
After explaining everything, Naruto's teammates were left completely stunned.
Hinata looked especially worried.
"Naruto..."
"This is far too dangerous."
"What if something goes wrong?"
Naruto flashed his trademark smile.
"Don't worry."
"I won't lose."
"Now then..."
"That's enough talking."
"Today, Team Naruto welcomes its newest member, Fū from Takigakure."
"But let me warn everyone in advance."
"Starting today..."
"Our training will become even more brutal."
The group instantly looked miserable.
Naruto laughed.
"Hey!"
"Cheer up!"
"Take a look at Sasuke!"
Everyone turned to see Sasuke in the distance.
He was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, yet he continued practicing ninjutsu without stopping.
"It looks like he trained all night without sleeping," Naruto said.
Sakura and Ino exchanged helpless glances before nodding.
"We tried to stop him."
"But he completely ignored us."
"If he keeps this up..."
"He'll collapse before he ever gets his revenge."
Naruto looked at Sasuke with genuine admiration.
He had absolutely no intention of stopping him.
Instead, he laughed.
"Excellent!"
"We should all learn from Sasuke."
"No..."
"We should train even harder than he does!"
The group cried out in despair.
"Huh?!"
Naruto clapped his hands together.
"Enough complaining!"
"Training starts now!"
Thus, under the ruthless guidance of Naruto-sensei, Konoha's rookie generation officially began another grueling round of intensive training.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)