"Naruto, he's finally here! What are you planning to do?!"
Seeing Jiraiya standing right in front of them, Kurama's voice rang out excitedly from within the seal. The other three tailed beasts wore looks of anticipation as well.
"Calm down," Naruto replied inwardly. "Don't forget—Danzo… no, Yamato was also sent by the Third Hokage. He already talked with Kakashi and the Hokage last night and knows my situation very clearly. He understands that I wouldn't主动 greet anyone like this."
Naruto brushed the dust from his clothes, sent a thought into the seal, then stepped straight past Jiraiya as if he hadn't seen him at all.
"Wait!"
Jiraiya sprang to his feet when Naruto ignored him—but Naruto didn't slow down at all.
"Huh? Why is Naruto ignoring him?"
"You don't get it. This is called playing hard to get. Watch—Jiraiya will follow him soon enough. Ōnoki uses this trick on Roshi, the Four-Tails' jinchūriki, all the time. It never fails."
"And what if Jiraiya doesn't follow?"
"Everyone shut up!"
"…."
Standing at the edge of the cliff, Jiraiya froze. He raised a hand as if to call out again—but Naruto had already descended the next slope. Jiraiya hurried after him, and before long, the two were walking side by side.
"Heh! Told you he'd follow."
Mū's triumphant laughter echoed inside the seal.
Isobu and Chōmei exchanged glances, then quietly shifted toward the corner of the seal space. Kurama sat silently before the gate, radiating a dangerous pressure.
By the time they reached the middle of the mountain, Jiraiya had already tried several times to speak—but seeing Naruto continue to treat him like thin air, he swallowed his words each time.
Finally, when they were almost at the foot of the mountain, Naruto stopped. His eyes flicked sideways, his tone instantly guarded.
"Why are you following me?"
Jiraiya's face lit up. He leapt forward, spun around dramatically, and struck an exaggerated pose.
"I am one of Konoha's Legendary Sannin! Known far and wide as the Toad Sage, Jiraiya-sama! I—"
"I didn't ask who you are."
Naruto cut him off impatiently. "I asked why you're following me."
"Uh… I…"
Jiraiya froze.
Naruto shook his head and stepped past him again.
"Wait!"
Jiraiya snapped out of it and flashed in front of Naruto, blocking his path. "That is—Naruto, right? Didn't the Third Hokage tell you about me? I'm Jiraiya. I'm here to help you train."
"The Third?" Naruto frowned. "You mean the Hokage?"
He scrutinized Jiraiya for a moment, then quickly formed hand seals. Five Shadow Clones appeared, surrounding Jiraiya.
"The Hokage never mentioned anyone named Jiraiya. And you're not even wearing a Konoha forehead protector."
"A forehead protector?"
Jiraiya touched the one on his head, engraved with the kanji for oil, and smiled wryly. "Didn't the old man tell you? Well, never mind. Don't be so tense—I'm not a bad guy. Haven't you heard the legend of the Three Sannin?"
"What legend?"
One of the Narutos stared at him coldly. "Someone already tried this trick on me before. Back then, they pretended to be elite ANBU to get close to me. Compared to them, your acting is terrible—and your intelligence is even worse. You didn't even bother disguising yourself. That's just stupid."
Jiraiya didn't get angry. Instead, his expression turned serious.
"Someone impersonated ANBU… and targeted you?"
Why hadn't the Third Hokage ever told him something this serious?
As Jiraiya resolved to question the Hokage later, he suddenly saw one Naruto leap straight off toward the foot of the mountain. The remaining five Narutos each pulled out an explosive tag and slapped it onto themselves.
"The real body has already gone to see the Hokage. If you move even an inch, we'll detonate."
"I won't run," Jiraiya said gently, raising both hands with a smile. "If you don't believe me, you can tie me up first."
One Naruto behind him hesitated—then actually pulled a coil of rope from his pouch and wrapped it around Jiraiya's wrists without ceremony.
Data collection in progress…
Update complete. Synchronization module upgrading.
Character data iteration upgrading.
Consciousness Extension unlocked.
Authority updated.
Uzumaki Naruto — Level 6 World Lord
Current data completion: 90%. Please complete remaining data.
"So Jiraiya provides significantly less data than Orochimaru… but at least Consciousness Extension is unlocked. That means I can now split off an independent consciousness into the Mirror World. Even if it can only act as a 'guest' without puppet-combat authority, it finally removes the restriction that my body must remain immobile."
After checking the update, Naruto appeared behind Jiraiya.
The Naruto who had "left" earlier was only a Shadow Clone. The one standing here was the real body.
Jiraiya sighed helplessly. Surrounded by clones, he tried several times to speak—but each time, Naruto's cold gaze forced the words back down his throat.
Hokage's Office
At the same time, the Third Hokage received a report from Yamato's clone. When he heard that Naruto suspected Jiraiya of having ulterior motives—just like those who once impersonated ANBU—he rose from his chair and walked to the window, pipe in hand.
"Hayate."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Hayate Gekkō appeared instantly on the balcony.
"Investigate Yakushi Kabuto—the one who voluntarily withdrew before yesterday's preliminaries."
"Yes, sir."
Hayate vanished.
Moments later, the Third Hokage turned to Yamato. "Dispel your clone. Leave the rest to Jiraiya."
Not long after, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in."
Naruto pushed the door open.
The Third Hokage had already returned to his seat. Seeing Naruto, he smiled warmly.
"Hokage-sama!"
Naruto stepped forward and bowed, then looked aside in surprise. "I didn't expect Yamato-senpai to be here. I didn't see you during the Chūnin Exams—I thought you'd been sent on a mission outside the village."
Yamato smiled. "That's right. I just returned."
"Naruto," the Third Hokage asked kindly, "what brings you here? Everyone's preparing for the finals next month—have you been training diligently?"
"I train every day," Naruto replied seriously. "But just now, a very suspicious person approached me and claimed he wanted to help me train."
"Suspicious?"
The Third Hokage mentally replayed Jiraiya's appearance and, combining it with Yamato's report, smiled gently. "What exactly did he say?"
"He said he was one of the Three Sannin—Jiraiya," Naruto frowned. "And that you sent him to find me."
Mirror World — Simultaneously
At the same time, Naruto and the four tailed beasts were already reviewing Jiraiya's memories inside the Mirror World—yet unlike before, Naruto's real body remained fully conscious.
"Is this guy an idiot?! No—he must be insane! He actually believes humans will someday understand one another!"
"I think he's not bad at heart—aside from being a hopeless pervert," another voice said. "Look—he didn't even covet Nagato's Rinnegan. Compare that to Orochimaru—he wanted the eyes the moment he saw Pain."
"Wait—he stalled Deidara in the Land of Hot Water, sealed the Dragon Vein, suppressed Mōryō, received a prophecy from the priestess not to go to the Rain Village, relocated the Tsuchigumo clan to another continent—all of that was arranged by Mount Myōboku?! What are those toads plotting?!"
"…."
Isobu, Mū, and Chōmei debated animatedly. Naruto and Kurama remained silent, their expressions growing darker as the scenes continued.
Finally, when they saw the Great Toad Sage summon Jiraiya back to Konoha and tell him that someone would reveal the full truth about the Rain Village, Kurama spoke.
"Naruto—the Third Hokage and Danzō will never tell Jiraiya the truth about his three students."
"The one the old toad mentioned… is me."
The instant the words left his mouth, Naruto dissolved into light.
At that exact moment, in the real world, the Naruto standing behind Jiraiya stiffened. Coincidentally, the Shadow Clone heading for the Hokage's office dispersed as well.
Naruto's face returned to calm. He stepped in front of Jiraiya. The four surrounding clones vanished in puffs of smoke.
Jiraiya blinked. "So… you never left."
"That's right. I've already confirmed things with the Hokage."
Naruto smiled innocently as he cut the ropes binding Jiraiya's wrists. "So—how does the great Jiraiya-sama plan to help me train?"
"…Huh?"
Jiraiya sensed something odd in Naruto's tone, but didn't dwell on it. After a moment's thought, he replied, "Which area of training do you feel you're weakest in?"
"I feel weak in everything," Naruto answered earnestly. "Especially genjutsu. Once, Kakashi-senpai used genjutsu on me and my teammates. Sasuke wasn't affected, Sakura woke up quickly—and only I and my Shadow Clones collapsed completely. I have no resistance to genjutsu at all."
"Genjutsu, huh…" Jiraiya murmured. "That's not really my specialty—"
Naruto turned and walked away.
"W–wait!" Jiraiya hurried after him. "I said I'm not good at it—not that I can't do it! I'm very skilled at dispelling genjutsu!"
"Then use one on me," Naruto turned back, skepticism clear in his eyes. "If it's worse than Kakashi-senpai's, I'd rather go ask him."
Jiraiya's face darkened. He glanced at the narrow mountain path.
Let the kid suffer a bit, he thought.
If he faints, it'll be even easier to undo the Five Elements Seal the Third placed on him…
He quickly formed hand seals.
"Toad Confrontation Chant!"
The next instant—
A fox's head as large as a mountain loomed in front of him. Crimson slit pupils glared down, jaws gaping wide, rows of snow-white fangs gleaming with savage malice.
"Kid, I really like the name of this technique."
Kurama grinned and sat upright.
"Y–You?!"
Jiraiya stared in shock. Only after a long moment did he notice the other massive figures nearby.
"The Three-Tails… the Five-Tails… the Seven-Tails… and the Nine-Tails?! How is this possible?!"
"Jiraiya-senpai," Naruto said calmly as he stepped forward, "welcome to the Mirror World."
Before Jiraiya, Naruto summoned a translucent interface. He selected World Subordinate, then confirmed.
"Congratulations. From this moment on—your fate has changed."
Mount Myōboku — Deep Within
Three colossal altar-like stone pillars stood side by side.
The Great Toad Sage sat atop the central throne, eyes closed. On the left altar floated an elderly human woman with a pipe—the White Snake Sage. On the right altar lay a massive blue-and-white slug—Katsuyu.
After a while, the old woman drifted closer and exhaled smoke impatiently.
"How much longer before that person arrives?"
The Great Toad Sage opened his eyes slightly. "Be patient, White Snake. You've waited a thousand years already—what's a little longer? Jiraiya will summon Bunta soon."
Katsuyu's antennae swayed gently. A soft female voice filled the hall.
"Gamamaru… will that guest truly accept our terms?"
"Of course," Gamamaru said confidently. "My prophecy has never been wrong."
As his words fell—
Boom!
Gamabunta landed heavily in the hall.
"Boss," he grunted, "Father said you wanted to see me?"
Back in Konoha
Naruto and Jiraiya walked back up the mountain, chatting and laughing. But inside the Mirror World, the scene was utterly different.
A massive translucent interface hovered before them. Naruto and the four tailed beasts watched silently. Jiraiya's face was ashen.
The interface displayed Danzō's memories from the Rain Village.
Jiraiya saw Danzō, upon discovering Nagato's Rinnegan, incite Hanzō to move against the Akatsuki founded by his three students.
Even more horrifying—
After learning of Danzō's actions, the Third Hokage had chosen to conceal the truth, ordering that word be sent that Jiraiya's three disciples had died in the war.
That alone shattered him.
Then Naruto pulled up the Third Hokage's memories—jumping directly to the period after Naruto's birth.
This time, Jiraiya's rage was indescribable.
He watched how, the day after the Nine-Tails' attack, several jōnin who had lost their entire families redirected their hatred onto the newborn Naruto. Along with grieving civilians and shinobi, they spread the rumor that Naruto was the incarnation of the Nine-Tails.
These were the very jōnin who had stood beside the Third Hokage outside the barrier and personally witnessed the Fourth Hokage seal the Nine-Tails into Naruto.
The rumor spread at terrifying speed. After the disaster, most villagers were gathered in shelters, and the Hokage was consumed with reconstruction. By the time he realized what had happened, the belief that Naruto was the demon fox had already permeated the village.
In the end, the Third Hokage punished only the few jōnin who had started the rumors. The rest—grieving civilians and shinobi with powerful clan backing—could not be dealt with. All he issued was a gag order that meant nothing.
Most shinobi knew Naruto wasn't the Nine-Tails. They understood jinchūriki. But when tragedy strikes and the true object of hatred is unreachable, people naturally project their hatred onto the vessel.
The shinobi world accepted this as truth.
The Third Hokage, himself a shinobi, accepted it too—and allowed things to continue.
Jiraiya tried several times to close his eyes—especially during the Uchiha massacre—but his body refused to obey. He was forced to watch.
Only when Naruto showed the memory of the Third Hokage secretly ordering Yamato to monitor Naruto—fearing Jiraiya might reveal the truth—was Jiraiya finally released.
He closed his eyes.
After a long silence, he asked bitterly, "What… don't I know?"
Naruto adjusted the interface, noting that in the real world they had already entered a dense forest.
"There's plenty you don't know," Naruto said calmly. "But right now, you need to take me to meet the inscrutable Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku."
"So that's what the prophecy meant…" Jiraiya murmured. "How ridiculous. I thought the one who'd tell me the truth would be Orochimaru."
He opened his eyes, hollow and exhausted. "Release me. I'll take you to Mount Myōboku. I have questions I need to ask the Great Toad Sage myself."
"Hahahaha!"
The four tailed beasts burst into laughter.
"No need to trouble yourself."
Naruto smiled, raising the interface again and glancing back at the beasts. "Which of you wants to handle this?"
"Of course I will!"
Kurama rose, extending a claw toward the interface, baring his teeth. "My key—I'll take it myself."
Naruto nodded. "Then make him summon the toads."
"Summon the toads?!"
Jiraiya's expression changed—but he found himself unable to move. Naruto vanished from beside him.
Kurama enlarged the interface and issued a command using World Subordinate Authority.
Jiraiya watched in horror as the interface replayed a scene:
He saw himself bite his finger and summon Gamabunta. Bunta, unusually polite, greeted Naruto. Then Naruto created a Shadow Clone and jumped straight into Bunta's mouth.
The image froze as Bunta vanished in smoke.
Elsewhere
Smoke exploded.
Gamabunta's massive body appeared in the grand hall.
When the smoke cleared, he opened his mouth.
"I didn't expect the founders of the Three Great Sage Lands to gather in one place."
Naruto stepped to Bunta's lips, leapt lightly, and soared into the air. Snowflakes drifted through the hall. Within breaths, a crystal-clear throne formed midair.
Naruto landed in it, smiling.
"Looks like you've been waiting a long time."
Author's Note:
This story does not excuse Danzō, nor does it further vilify the Third Hokage. These settings are based on personal interpretation of canon.
Danzō, though ruthless, would never publicly spread jinchūriki information. As Hokage advisor, doing so would contradict his own ambition to become Hokage.
Likewise, the Third Hokage would never allow others to interfere with a jinchūriki under his authority.
On the night the Fourth Hokage died, only the Third arrived at the scene. The rumors could only have come from those who witnessed the sealing firsthand.
I originally planned to make them Sarutobi clan members, but later revised them to civilian shinobi, which aligns better with canon hostility toward Naruto.
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