Jiraiya had sharp perception, and it didn't take long for him to notice the mysterious figure standing on the second floor of the izakaya.
The familiar outfit and chakra made him recognize Naruto instantly.
But doubt followed just as quickly.
Wasn't Naruto supposed to be the leader of Uzushiogakure? What the hell was he doing in Grass Village?
Could it be… that the monster rampaging through the village had something to do with him?
Tsunade stopped and followed Jiraiya's gaze, frowning.
"Jiraiya… is that guy the one behind all this mess?"
Jiraiya shook his head slightly and used the Body Flicker Technique, rushing straight toward the izakaya.
Tsunade, though confused, followed immediately. Her instincts told her one thing—
That masked man was dangerous… and he definitely knew something.
A moment later, both of them arrived on the second floor.
Naruto glanced at them and smiled casually.
"Well, well… what luck. Running into the legendary Konoha Sannin in a place like this. Have you two eaten yet? Want me to order a few more dishes?"
Tsunade frowned, staring at him sharply.
Jiraiya, knowing her temper, quickly stepped in.
"We've already eaten. Let's skip the small talk… Why are you here?"
His tone turned serious, and a faint killing intent filled the air.
That kind of pressure could scare off most chunin and genin instantly.
But Naruto?
Yeah… not even worth mentioning.
Still, he had no interest in starting a pointless fight, so he simply smiled.
"Tourism."
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow.
"Tourism?"
Naruto shrugged lazily.
"I got bored of island scenery. Thought I'd check out forests and grasslands for a change."
Yeah… totally believable.
Leader of Uzushiogakure shows up, and suddenly a monster starts wrecking the place?
What a coincidence.
At that moment, Tsunade's eyes shifted to the girl behind Naruto—
Bright red hair.
Uzumaki blood.
"Little girl… you're from the Uzumaki clan, aren't you?"
Karin glanced at Tsunade, then at Naruto, before nodding.
"I'm Karin. What do you want?"
The moment they heard the Uzumaki name, Jiraiya and Tsunade understood.
So that's it.
Naruto wasn't here for Grass Village—
He came for her.
Jiraiya quietly let out a breath, pulled up a chair, and sat down.
"Naru—… Mianma," he corrected himself, "what do you know about that monster flying around outside?"
Naruto took a sip of juice and answered calmly,
"Ever heard of the Box of Ultimate Bliss? That thing came out of it."
He continued,
"It used to be a human—a jōnin's son from Grass Village. Name's Muku… or rather, what's left of him."
"Besides having tailed beast–level chakra, it can read minds. Any malicious intent? It'll sense it instantly."
"I see…"
Jiraiya nodded slowly, then hesitated before speaking again.
"If you know all this… why aren't you dealing with it?"
Halfway through, he stopped himself.
Naruto looked at him and smiled faintly.
"Grass Village didn't hire me."
"…So why should I clean up their mess?"
He leaned back slightly.
"They released that monster themselves. And what they did to the Uzumaki clan—especially to her…"
His eyes flicked toward Karin.
"…I haven't settled that score yet."
Jiraiya fell silent.
Tsunade walked over to Karin and crouched slightly, her voice softening.
"Karin… can you tell me what happened to you here?"
Karin hesitated—but eventually spoke.
She told them everything.
Her life. Her mother. The endless exploitation.
The truth.
After hearing it, Tsunade went quiet.
What Grass Village did… was beyond disgusting.
No wonder Naruto didn't give a damn about them.
After a long sigh, Tsunade stood up.
"Jiraiya. Let's stop wasting time here. We need to deal with that monster."
Jiraiya nodded.
They had their own reasons to act.
They couldn't just stand by and watch innocent people die—that wasn't the ninja way they believed in.
In an instant, both of them disappeared.
After they left, Karin looked confused.
"Mianma-sama… you're clearly strong enough to protect everyone. Why didn't you tell them?"
Naruto stared into the distance where Jiraiya and Tsunade had gone.
"Some things…"
"…are better left unsaid."
He paused slightly.
"I'm not the same person I used to be."
Karin didn't fully understand.
So she just sat there quietly, watching the chaos unfold like a spectator.
Some pasts… weren't meant to be dug into.
Meanwhile—
Jiraiya and Tsunade chased Satori all the way to the central building of Grass Village.
A large number of Grass ninjas had already gathered, attacking the monster together.
Under their combined ninjutsu, Satori was taking damage—
But its wounds healed almost instantly.
Below, the leader of Grass Village stood with his arms crossed, staring at the monster with an uncertain expression.
He never expected the weapon from the Box of Ultimate Bliss to turn on them.
And worse—
It didn't even look that strong.
How the hell did something like this almost help unify the ninja world in the past?
At that moment, a jōnin noticed Jiraiya and Tsunade and quickly reported it.
The village leader immediately ran over.
"Lord Jiraiya! Lady Tsunade! Please help us deal with this monster. Once this is over, I'll personally go to Konoha and thank the Hokage!"
Jiraiya waved his hand.
"No need for that. Konoha and Grass Village are allies."
He paused.
"Dealing with the monster is easy. But first—we want to know everything about it. Its origin. Its weaknesses."
The leader hesitated, then spoke,
"We don't know exactly where it came from. It might be Iwagakure… or maybe Amegakure…"
"But it's extremely dangerous—and it seems to read minds."
"I see…"
Jiraiya gave him a long, meaningful look.
Either this guy… or Naruto…
…was lying.
And honestly?
Jiraiya trusted Naruto's version more.
Which meant—
Grass Village was hiding something.
Not exactly the kind of ally you'd bet your life on.
The thought of becoming the Fifth Hokage made Jiraiya consider things more carefully.
Diplomacy… mattered just as much as strength.
Meanwhile, the Grass Village leader felt a chill under Jiraiya's gaze.
Did he already know the truth?
Well… it didn't matter.
Right now, they needed these two monsters—no, Sannin—to survive.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
There are 150+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
📢 Check out my new Naruto fanfic!
[One Piece: Pirate Chat Group]