Chapter 19 — The Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku, Jiraiya!
This was way too awesome—yeah, exactly like that, Kaguya!
Naruto Uzumaki's eyes sparkled as if filled with stars, his excitement practically overflowing. Why couldn't she stay with him? Even Kakashi-sensei had already agreed.
At that moment, Naruto's opinion of Hyūga Hiashi dropped straight to the bottom.
"Living together…"
Hinata quietly lifted her head and glanced at Kaguya, only to lower it again almost immediately.
So beautiful…
Even she couldn't help but feel inferior in comparison.
Naruto-kun… living together with Miss Kaguya… the two of them… under the same roof.
Just imagining it made her chest tighten.
After a few more exchanges, Hiashi finally gave up on persuading her. If she refused, what could he do—force her?
Besides, under the pressure of those eyes, whether he could even stand against her was another question entirely.
…
They soon left the Hyūga estate.
Along the way—
"The matter of the Ōtsutsuki on the moon… I should report this to the Hokage," Kakashi said after a moment of thought, having failed to reach any clear conclusion.
"The moon… you mean that big thing that appears at night?" Kaguya suddenly asked.
"Yeah, yeah, that's the one!" Naruto nodded enthusiastically.
"Then what the Hyūga Clan Head said… is that different from the clan you mentioned before?" Kakashi asked.
"No," Kaguya shook her head.
Hearing that, Kakashi nodded, though a quiet sigh escaped him. People living on the moon… it sounded almost absurd.
"Oh!!!"
Naruto suddenly shouted, startling both of them.
"I just remembered! That place didn't have a moon—there wasn't any moon in that world!" he exclaimed excitedly.
With that single remark, both Kakashi and Kaguya paused.
That's right… there had been no moon.
Which meant Kaguya couldn't possibly be from some so-called "moon clan."
But then—what about the Ōtsutsuki Clan that Hiashi had mentioned? And Ōtsutsuki Hamura?
The timeline… it almost fit.
A thousand years ago…
"You two go ahead. I'll report this to the Third Hokage," Kakashi said before vanishing in a Body Flicker.
Naruto and Kaguya exchanged a glance—
Then both of them smiled.
"Come on, I'll show you around Konoha!" Naruto puffed out his chest proudly.
"Alright," Kaguya nodded.
…
Rain Country
Amegakure — Hidden Rain Village
Rain poured endlessly over the land, a relentless curtain of water that cloaked the entire village in a cold, oppressive stillness.
From a cracked drainage pipe, a strange figure slowly emerged.
Its body was split into two halves—one white, one black—intertwined together unnaturally. A black cloak patterned with red clouds covered its form, while jagged wooden spikes extended outward from its head and body.
"That… that can't be… no mistake…"
"That's… Mother's aura!!"
The creature trembled with excitement, its voice quivering.
It could feel it.
That familiar presence.
There was no doubt—it had to be her.
Could it be… that Mother had left behind another contingency?
…
Three days later—
Naruto continued taking Kaguya around the village just like before. He had originally planned to introduce her to his friends, but she didn't seem particularly interested.
During those days, with Sakura's help, Naruto had also taken Kaguya shopping for clothes suited for girls. Otherwise, neither of them would have had the slightest idea what to choose.
After all—
One wasn't a girl.
And the other… wasn't even human.
Sakura, naturally, was more than happy to help this beautiful "big sister."
As they passed by a river and a cascading waterfall, a strange, lewd voice suddenly reached their ears.
Naruto and Kaguya both turned their heads, their gazes locking onto a patch of bushes nearby.
The sound was coming from there.
Curious, they moved closer and peeked inside—
A white-haired man was lying flat on the ground, peering through the bushes at a group of girls bathing beneath the waterfall. His face was flushed, and he let out creepy chuckles.
"The one on the left is nice… the one on the right too…"
"Hehehe… this one's perfect!"
Naruto's face darkened instantly.
Without hesitation, he rushed forward and kicked the man straight out of the bushes.
"Who—who kicked me?!" the man shouted angrily as he tumbled out.
"Ahhh!!! Someone's peeping!"
"It's that pervert again!"
"Sisters, beat him to death!"
The man's expression turned green in an instant.
"Wait, wait—no need to go that far!"
In the blink of an eye, he vanished, escaping at astonishing speed—clearly not his first time in such a situation.
"He disappeared??" Naruto exclaimed in shock.
"Where did that pervy old man go?!"
"Wait—there's another kid here! He must be his accomplice!"
The girls' furious gazes instantly locked onto Naruto.
Naruto's face went pale.
"Hey, wait—it's not me!!"
"Catch him! I'm gouging his eyes out!"
Panicking, Naruto grabbed Kaguya's hand and ran, disappearing just as quickly.
"Why are we running?" Kaguya asked calmly.
"If we don't, they'll gouge my eyes out!" Naruto shouted, his voice filled with panic.
Kaguya nodded.
So that was the situation.
After finally losing their pursuers, Naruto let out a long breath of relief. But just as he turned a corner—
Bang!
He collided head-on with someone.
"Ow! Watch where you're going!" Naruto complained, rubbing his head.
"That's my line, brat!" the other person snapped.
Hearing that voice, Naruto froze.
"You—it's you, you pervy old man!?"
"Pervy? Who are you calling pervy? Oh, now I remember—you're the brat who kicked me earlier!" the man said, his face darkening.
But just as he was about to continue arguing, his gaze shifted—and landed on Kaguya.
He froze.
So beautiful…
"Just who are you supposed to be, you pervy old man!?" Naruto demanded.
"Excellent question!"
Poof!
A cloud of smoke erupted. When it cleared, the man had struck a dramatic pose—his white hair flowing, a red cloak draped over his shoulders, and a massive scroll strapped to his back. Beneath him stood a giant toad.
"I am the Toad Sage of , one of the of Konoha—the great Toad Sage, !"
Naruto and Kaguya stared at him, completely stunned.
In the next instant—
Jiraiya appeared right beside Kaguya, moving with astonishing speed, a shameless grin on his face.
"Miss, how about having a drink with me?" he said, winking.
Kaguya's expression immediately turned cold.
What a disgusting man.
"'Sage'? More like a Pervy Sage!" Naruto snapped without hesitation, pulling Kaguya behind him protectively.