Seeing his tears on the verge of spilling over, Uzumaki Naruto quickly stood up. "I have to go."
"So soon?"
Jiraiya clearly understood that the Naruto in front of him wasn't the one from this world, but there was still a trace of reluctance in his eyes.
"Yeah. I need to go back to my own world… and also…" Naruto paused, his voice tightening, "at the very least, keep watching my back. I want you to see me become Hokage."
By the time he finished, he could no longer hold back his tears as they slid down his face.
The video ended there.
Everyone watching felt a complicated mix of emotions. They had just witnessed Jiraiya's death, seen him stake his life to send back crucial information, and then watched a future Naruto from an IF timeline arrive to save him.
Jiraiya, who should have died in the depths of the sea, had survived in that scenario. It should have been something to celebrate.
And yet, an inexplicable sense of emptiness lingered.
Perhaps they had been affected by Naruto's emotions in the video. No matter how he managed to save Jiraiya there, it didn't change the fate of the Jiraiya in their own world.
Still, the video had revealed a great deal.
For one, Orochimaru and Uchiha Sasuke would return to Konoha.
Sasuke's eventual return wasn't surprising. Kaede Kitahara had mentioned it in his diary more than once, and if Sasuke truly was one of the "saviors," then judging by Six Paths Naruto's strength, his future peak would likely be just as terrifying.
A person like that… who would dare let him wander outside?
So Sasuke's return was almost inevitable. Even setting aside Six Paths Level, whether he reached Super Kage Level or merely Kage Level, his willingness to come back would already represent an enormous boost in strength.
A Kage Level shinobi was a top-tier powerhouse anywhere in the world—except, apparently, in Kaede Kitahara's diary.
But Orochimaru's return, and Konoha's willingness to accept him, was far harder to comprehend.
After all, he had orchestrated the Konoha Crush Plan, caused massive casualties, and even killed the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. The hatred ran deep.
Under those circumstances, would Orochimaru return of his own will… or be forced?
If they were in his position, returning to Konoha to survive might indeed be one of the few viable options.
Jiraiya let out a quiet sigh. He couldn't deny that he felt tempted.
At this point in his life, he had only two wishes left—confessing to Tsunade, and bringing Orochimaru back.
Yet as the years passed, both goals seemed increasingly out of reach. He had never managed to bring Orochimaru back the way Naruto would one day bring Sasuke home, and that thought weighed on him.
His student had surpassed him.
Especially that instant entry into Sage Mode—it made him downright envious. If he could reach that level, he would have been able to withdraw safely from the encirclement of the Six Paths of Pain.
He suddenly remembered what Fukasaku had once suggested: returning to Mount Myoboku to further train in Sage Mode, to shorten the time needed to enter it.
Clearly, that advice carried real weight.
"Six Paths Level…"
Uchiha Itachi, for the first time, truly grasped what Kaede Kitahara had meant in his diary.
His thoughts drifted to the ancient legend of the Sage of Six Paths—the one who had ended the age of chaos, defeated the Rabbit Goddess, and distributed chakra among all people, founding the Ninshū and becoming the ancestor of all shinobi.
He had never paid much attention to such myths before.
But now, with the existence of Six Paths Naruto, he could no longer ignore them.
At last, he understood why Kaede Kitahara, despite possessing such strength, remained so low-key.
More troubling was the implication that, according to Kaede Kitahara's hints, unknown Six Paths Level beings might already exist within the current shinobi world.
The mere thought was enough to rob him of sleep.
No matter how much he analyzed it, the gap was simply too vast. It was the same reason he could never imagine himself falling to a genin.
The true hope of the shinobi world likely rested with those who had the potential to reach that level—Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and even their future children, the ones Kaede Kitahara had emphasized: Uzumaki Boruto… no, Otsutsuki Boruto, and his own niece, Uchiha Sarada.
Only shinobi capable of reaching the peak could safeguard the future.
As for the rest of them, they couldn't even bring peace to the current age of chaos, let alone protect the entire world.
Itachi had a growing sense that Kaede Kitahara viewed things from an entirely different perspective. The conflicts between villages probably didn't even register in his eyes.
Even if, in terms of rank, he was nothing more than a chunin, his vision far surpassed such limitations.
—
Inside the ship's cabin, Kaede Kitahara finished writing his diary, a faint sense of melancholy lingering in his chest. He held genuine respect for Jiraiya, a man he considered the very definition of a true shinobi.
Still, there were several years left before Jiraiya's death. In that time, he might very well reach a level comparable to Super Kage Level.
More importantly, Kaede Kitahara wanted to see if he could use Naruto as a bridge to connect with Jiraiya and gain access to Mount Myoboku to learn Sage Mode himself.
The boost from Sage Mode was undeniable.
If he combined that with the Dragon Vein's chakra, wouldn't that essentially create another version of Sage Tailed Beast Mode?
At the very least, he would reach Super Kage Level, and likely stand among the stronger ones within that tier.
That was his plan.
He had no intention of stealing Naruto's resources. After all, the future still depended on Naruto as a savior. But borrowing a little shouldn't be a problem.
And while he was at it, saving Jiraiya along the way would mean he hadn't taken advantage of Naruto's resources for nothing.
He quickly shook off his lingering thoughts.
Because it was time for the draw again.
"Stop!"
At his command, the translucent wheel in front of him came to a halt, its pointer landing on one of the rewards.
"Congratulations to the host for obtaining a personal storage space."
Kaede Kitahara examined the details, pleasantly surprised. For once, the system had been generous.
The space measured ten meters by ten meters by ten meters, and could be opened at will.
It couldn't hold living things—only inanimate objects—but anything placed inside would remain exactly as it was at the moment it entered.
Which meant he could store food, clothing, supplies, and all kinds of ninja tools inside. From now on, he'd never have to worry about running out of space in his pouch or backpack again.
Still, even as he grinned, he couldn't help but grumble.
Shouldn't this have been given right after he transmigrated? It had taken this long just to get a basic storage space.