Becoming an Apprentice

"Stop playing dumb, kid."

Jiraiya suddenly interrupted him, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"Your eyes don't say that. Tell me the truth, Naruto Uzumaki."

"Is this your true opinion...?"

The smile on Naruto's face slowly faded, replaced by a cold calm.

"My view on power remains unchanged: power is for protecting my comrades and those who need help."

"As for the Will of Fire you mentioned..."

Instead of answering directly, he pulled Karin from behind him to the front.

He gently rolled up her sleeves.

Her slender arm was covered with layers upon layers of dense teeth marks, old wounds piled on top of new ones.

It looked shocking in the sunlight.

Sakura covered her mouth and gasped, while Sasuke's pupils contracted.

Naruto's voice was very soft, devoid of any warmth:

"That refers to... for so-called diplomatic interests."

Are we just going to stand by and watch the descendants of our former allies be used as expendable resources, and do nothing about it?

Jiraiya was stunned.

As a hero who had traveled the ninja world for many years, he naturally understood what these scars meant.

He opened his mouth,

The grand principles he had prepared were now stuck in his throat, unable to utter a sound.

Naruto gave him no chance to breathe, pressing on relentlessly:

"Were you spying just now? That's a violation of ninja rules."

"But you are one of the Three Legendary Sannin, so you can call it research and laugh it off."

"And who can stop you? Who dares to stop you?"

Naruto spread his hands, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips:

"Look, even the legendary Sannin are trampling on the rules at will. You ask me how I view the rules?"

"So-called rules only bind the powerless and weak."

The so-called Will of Fire is only used to move the sacrificial cannon fodder.

"In short, it's nothing more than a lie woven by the strong for the weak to maintain their rule."

boom.

These words struck Jiraiya's heart like a heavy hammer.

He wanted to refute it, to angrily denounce it as fallacy.

But looking at the scars on Karin's arms and at his own absurd actions just now,

All the explanations seemed weak and feeble.

A silence fell over the room.

The next second, Naruto transformed back into that polite young man.

It was as if he wasn't the one who had just spoken so sharply.

"Sorry, I accidentally said something offensive."

Naruto adjusted his glasses, his expression softening.

"Let's go, Karin."

"etc."

Jiraiya sighed, took a scroll from his pocket, and threw it at Naruto.

"...Here you go, the Uzumaki clan sealing technique you requested."

Naruto caught the scroll steadily, put it away carefully, and bowed respectfully to Jiraiya.

"Thank you, Jiraiya-sama."

Polite, yet distant.

Then, he took Karin and left without looking back.

Jiraiya sat under the shade of a tree, watching Naruto's retreating figure, a bitter, self-deprecating smile playing on his lips:

"Minato, your child... hasn't grown up to be the person you hoped for."

A deep sense of self-reproach flashed in Jiraiya's eyes:

"...It's my fault, it's my fault for not guiding him properly when he was young."

Just then, a light footstep sounded.

A languid silver-haired figure emerged from behind a tree, looking in the direction Naruto had left, a complex expression in his eyes.

"Kakashi...?"

Jiraiya didn't turn back, which didn't seem surprising.

"I'm so sorry, Jiraiya-sama."

Kakashi sighed and bowed slightly to Jiraiya:

"He may not be listening to your advice right now, so leave the rest to me."

Jiraiya remained silent for a moment, then finally waved his hand.

"Alright."

He stood up, dusted himself off, and a hint of melancholy flashed in his eyes:

"Perhaps... a loser like me is really not suited to teaching apprentices."

Kakashi gave Jiraiya a deep look, then vanished in an instant.

Near the bathhouse.

All that remained was Jiraiya, consumed by self-blame; Sakura, at a loss; and...

Sasuke had been frozen in place since just now, as if his soul had been ripped out.

"Sasuke-kun..."

Sakura looked at Sasuke's trembling body and took a step forward with concern.

"go back."

Sasuke's voice was very soft, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

"But now, you..."

"I'm letting you go back!"

Sasuke abruptly turned his head to the side, his eyes unfocused, only empty.

Sakura was terrified.

She bit her lip, her eyes reddening.

Finally, she lowered her head, turned around, and left.

With Sakura gone, the place fell completely silent.

Jiraiya composed himself and slung the enormous scroll back over his shoulder.

Today was a terrible day; I was rendered speechless by a little brat.

All he wants now is to find an izakaya (Japanese pub) and get himself drunk.

Jiraiya didn't even glance at Sasuke before taking a step to leave.

He had never had a good impression of the Uchiha brats.

What's more, that kid's performance just now was really awful.

"...feed."

A low, hoarse call came from behind.

Jiraiya didn't stop walking, nor did he turn his head:

"Leave me alone, kid."

"I'm in a bad mood right now, I don't have time to play ninja games with you."

"Are you stronger than Orochimaru?"

Jiraiya stopped in his tracks.

It wasn't the question itself, but the tone of Sasuke's voice when he asked it.

Like a drowning person grasping at a last straw,

An attempt and a search for proof fraught with despair.

Jiraiya turned around.

Sasuke stood there, gripping his trouser leg tightly with both hands.

He had his head down, so his expression was obscured; only his body was trembling slightly.

"Who knows?"

Jiraiya said calmly:

"Perhaps we're evenly matched, perhaps I'm weaker, or perhaps I'm stronger."

"What's the point of asking this?"

"It makes sense..."

Sasuke's voice trembled as he abruptly raised his head.

Jiraiya finally saw his eyes clearly.

Those Sharingan eyes, which they were once so proud of, were now filled with self-loathing.

"When Naruto faced Orochimaru, he was forming hand seals, thinking about tactics, and even daring to take the initiative to attack."

Sasuke gritted his teeth and said, word by word:

"But... I don't even dare to move."

"I could only watch his back and tremble like a piece of trash."

Sasuke took a few steps toward Jiraiya, his steps faltering slightly.

"That guy has already moved to a place where I can't see him anymore."

"If even he can't be caught up..."

What can I use to kill that man? What can I use to take revenge?

For the proud Uchiha, admitting that they are inferior to others is worse than death.

But at this moment, Sasuke ripped open his bloody wounds and showed them to the powerful stranger before him.

"You are one of the legendary Sannin."

Sasuke stared intently at Jiraiya.

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

"Naruto doesn't need your guidance, because he's strong enough to refuse you."

"But I need it."

Sasuke took a deep breath, and then...

puff.

This arrogant Uchiha boy,

He knelt humbly before Jiraiya, his forehead pressing heavily against the ground.

"Please... give me strength."

"No matter the cost, no matter how painful... I'm willing to do anything to bridge this gap."

Jiraiya quietly looked at the boy kneeling before him.

He didn't see the cold, perfect genius of Orochimaru in Sasuke.

All I saw was an ordinary person, clumsy, suffering, and desperately trying to grasp something.

This reminded him of his past self.

That version of myself who always chased after Orochimaru, always falling behind no matter how hard I tried.

"Naruto is such a perfect rough gem that he doesn't need me to polish him."

"But this Uchiha clan is riddled with cracks, seemingly on the verge of shattering at any moment..."

The indifference in Jiraiya's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a complex expression.

Perhaps this is just a cruel twist of fate.

"call……"

Jiraiya let out a long breath and scratched his messy white hair:

"Stand up, kid."

Sasuke slowly stood up, his knees covered in mud, his eyes still filled with apprehension.

"Don't get me wrong, I don't like your cold eyes, nor do I like the arrogance of the Uchiha clan."

Jiraiya turned around, his back to Sasuke, and his voice drifted on the wind.

"But... I don't want that brat Naruto to get too cocky."

He turned his head, glanced at Sasuke out of the corner of his eye, and a bold smile appeared on his lips:

"Since you want to catch up, then be prepared."

"As a loser left behind by geniuses..."

We'll have to put in ten times the effort to really surprise those bastards.

Sasuke was stunned.

"us……?"

"That's right, follow me."

Jiraiya strode forward, leaving Sasuke behind, and waved his hand:

"Don't die on the way, you Uchiha brat."

Sasuke stared blankly at the tall figure from behind.

He then wiped his eyes hard and quickly followed after them.