Chapter 63: Jiraiya, Do You Still See Me as Your Teacher?

Words : 1261 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Somewhere in the Land of Fire. Namikaze Minato was rushing back to Konoha. Suddenly, a toad leaped out of the air and landed on his shoulder. Minato was momentarily stunned. Then, he stopped. "Ribbit!" The toad held a scroll in its mouth and spat it into Minato’s hand. A scroll from his teacher? But. Wasn’t his teacher in Takigakure? Minato glanced back at Aburame Shibi and the others, hesitated for a moment, then opened the scroll. Soon, an expression of joy appeared on his face. A member of the Uzumaki clan! There was actually a wandering Uzumaki in the Grass Village, and she had a special healing ability. He was overjoyed, but quickly understood why Jiraiya had sent the message so urgently. Healing... In a small village like the Grass Village, which lacked a proper medical system, some injuries were hard to treat. The fate of someone with such a special ability was easy to imagine. Moreover, the Grass Village didn’t yet know that the information had leaked, so they could take advantage of the timing to sneak in and retrieve her. The only problem was how to escape. He wasn’t traveling alone to Iwagakure. Besides him, there were Aburame Shibi, Akimichi Choza, and Inuzuka Tsume. How to convince them... Minato pondered for a moment, then came up with a plan. He slowed down and approached Aburame Shibi and Akimichi Choza. His actions immediately put Shibi and the others on alert. Tsume quickly stood beside her ninja dog, looking around warily. "Minato, is there trouble?" "My teacher sent me some information and hopes we can assist. So, I’d like to ask for your help." Minato chose to be honest, hoping to enlist the help of his three teammates. He trusted their judgment. Aburame Shibi took the scroll, read it, and remained silent, then passed it to the next person. After the three of them had read it, they all hesitated. This... Had Konoha approved this? Acting against the Grass Village without authorization could easily lead to criticism. Akimichi Choza glanced around, then said, "Minato, this information comes from Jiraiya-sama. I trust his judgment. Tell us what to do, and I’ll follow your lead." They were all jōnin, with their own clans to consider. Choza’s meaning was clear— Who would take responsibility? Minato said, "I’ll be the one to retrieve her. You just need to help with the extraction." With that, he bowed. "Please, I need your help!" "No problem. Let’s go." ... In the Grass Village, the leader’s office. "Leader, we must hand her over. If other villages find out, our Grass Village will be in trouble." A young man said. The Grass Village leader shook his head, "Takemori, this woman is very important to us. Her healing ability can save our ninja. Do you understand what that means?" "But she’s an Uzumaki. Do you know how much Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and others want the remaining Uzumaki? And Konoha—they were once allies." Takemori frowned. "If we don’t let them know, it’ll be fine. I’ll make sure she can’t leave her residence. In a few years, when she’s older, we’ll arrange a family for her. Once she has children, she’ll be one of us, and even Konoha won’t be able to say anything." The Grass Village leader sneered, "Besides, does Konoha really care about them?" Takemori had no response. He sighed, "Antagonizing Konoha isn’t wise. Iwagakure has recovered quickly in recent years, but they’re no match for Konoha." "Takemori, I know you have good relations with Konoha, but this is the village’s decision. I hope you’ll keep quiet and not say anything... all for the future of the Grass Village!" The leader spoke sternly. Takemori turned away. "While I don’t agree, I’ll keep your secret. But your subordinates had better keep their mouths shut too." With that, he vanished. However. As he left the village, heading north along the stream back to his Demon Desert Prison, a commotion erupted in the village. Then came the shouts— "An intruder!" "Don’t let him escape!" "After him—" He immediately turned back toward the village. But. Before he could get far, he saw a figure flash by in the distance, moving at an incredible speed. The figure was carrying a girl. Who was that? He glanced over, then quickly moved to intercept. However. As he approached, the ground beneath him suddenly collapsed, a large section of it splitting open. He quickly slapped the ground, leaping backward, just as a deafening explosion rang out. Boom! The ground erupted, flames shooting into the sky. It was impossible to tell how many explosive tags had been set off. Takemori looked again, but the figure had already split into two, heading in different directions. Both were shadow clones, indistinguishable from the real thing, and both were moving fast. In the blink of an eye, they were gone. ... In the Hokage’s office, Konoha. Two days later, Jiraiya returned to the village with his six-man team. At the same time, Sarutobi Hiruzen learned that Minato had not yet returned. As the ANBU’s report arrived, Hiruzen began to understand the situation. He immediately summoned Jiraiya, who had just arrived in the village. "Jiraiya, you’ve got some nerve! How dare you act without consulting me? Do you still see me as your teacher, as the Hokage?" Hiruzen was both angry and amused. He had always advocated for peace, aiming to maintain good relations with other villages. Jiraiya used to be so reliable! He was always on the same page, taking on many responsibilities for Hiruzen. Back then, Hiruzen had thought Jiraiya was the most dependable of his three students— Even though he had favored Orochimaru the most. But now, that student had gone astray, running further and further down a dark path until he was out of sight. Hiruzen was heartbroken. He coughed repeatedly, sitting down with a red face. Jiraiya, concerned, quickly poured him a glass of water. "Old man, don’t get so worked up. Have some water." "Hmph!" Hiruzen took the glass. He glared at Jiraiya. "Was this your student’s idea?" "How could it be Minato’s? It was my idea. Minato didn’t even know about it at first." Jiraiya took the blame. Hiruzen said, "I’m not talking about that student." He knew Minato’s character well. The kid was pure-hearted. "Oh, you mean Kyohiko? He did perform exceptionally well in the Chunin Exams. By the way, Kumogakure even sent a jinchūriki to the exam, but Kyohiko defeated her." Jiraiya began to boast, completely avoiding Hiruzen’s question. Hiruzen glanced at him, then sighed. What was done was done. There was no point in arguing. He took a puff of his pipe and said, "What’s your plan?" "The Uzumaki clan was once our ally. Their destruction was tragic. Someone with her abilities would have a terrible fate in the Grass Village. Besides, she doesn’t trust our village much..." Jiraiya shared the feedback he’d received from Minato. Hiruzen smoked quietly, listening as Jiraiya rambled on. Finally, he tapped his pipe and said softly, "So, you’re saying we can’t hand her over to Danzo?" "Sensei, you’re as wise as ever!" Jiraiya nodded. Hiruzen didn’t respond immediately. He thought for a moment, then waved his hand, "Go out through the window." "Huh? Alright." Jiraiya was momentarily confused, but he quickly left through the window. Not long after, there was a knock at the door. "Come in." "Hiruzen, was Jiraiya just here? I heard he got his hands on an Uzumaki with a special ability. Hand her over to me. I can turn her into a weapon to control jinchūriki!"

Chapter 63: Jiraiya, Do You Still See Me as Your Teacher?

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