svetikya Page 181
Page 181
Jiraiya's expression turned serious: "This is Uchiha territory, and he is a Jinchuriki."
Tsunade crossed her arms: "Don't try to fool me with that old man's nonsense. The Uchiha clan is like this because you forced them to."
"The Uchiha clan currently has three pairs of Mangekyou Sharingan. If Shisui returns soon, they will have four pairs."
"It's too dangerous for Naruto to stay here."
Tsunade scoffed: "He's a Jinchūriki, but he's also Minato's son. He can stay wherever he likes."
"I'm not your slave."
Upon hearing the mention of Minato, Jiraiya's expression softened considerably.
Tsunade held up a finger and shook it: "You don't know about Naruto's childhood, do you?"
Jiraiya asked curiously, "Is there any difference?"
When Jiraiya returned last time, Naruto had already been rescued by Kawasaki, while Naruto himself had been disgraced because of Kawasaki's scheme.
Therefore, he left quickly and naturally did not know about Naruto's childhood suffering.
When Naruto returned this time, his family had everything they needed, and he ate with Sasuke every day. He also had friends at school.
Therefore, Jiraiya felt that the Third Hokage treated Naruto quite well.
Tsunade gave a sarcastic smile: "Naruto when he was a child..."
"It wasn't until he was five years old, with Kawasaki's help, that Naruto's life slowly started to improve."
Jiraiya's expression was not good. After all, Minato was his disciple, and he found it hard to believe that Naruto had lived such a life when he was a child.
He drank expired milk, ate bento boxes full of sand, and no shopkeeper would sell him anything. They treated him coldly and would beat or scold him.
Nobody wanted to play with him; all the other kids bullied him.
Jiraiya was skeptical after hearing this, but it was actually quite simple to verify.
Tsunade wouldn't lie like that.
Jiraiya truly had no idea how Naruto had survived his childhood.
Jiraiya fell silent. It seems Naruto had his reasons for disliking the Third Hokage.
"Besides, with me here, are you worried that Naruto will have any problems?"
Seeing that Jiraiya's attitude had softened, Tsunade added another sentence.
She didn't want to fall out with Jiraiya either.
It wasn't that he was afraid of Jiraiya, but Jiraiya was Minato's teacher after all, so he had to give him some face.
Jiraiya nodded: "Alright then, Naruto's safety here depends entirely on you."
Tsunade said, "Don't worry, Naruto is just like his father, Minato."
"As smart as Minato?" Jiraiya said with satisfaction.
Tsunade looked Jiraiya up and down: "No, he's as upright as Minato."
Jiraiya was instantly embarrassed.
"From now on, you are not allowed to follow Naruto home after school. The Anbu will pick him up and drop him off instead."
Tsunade's tone left no room for negotiation.
Before Jiraiya could object, Tsunade clenched her fist, the threat clear.
He glanced sideways at Jiraiya: "It's a good thing Naruto doesn't like you."
Otherwise, if you corrupt him, how will you explain it to Minato and Kushina?
Jiraiya was extremely embarrassed, but dared not refute anything.
After all, Tsunade had broken several of his ribs and injured several of his internal organs because of his peeping, and he almost lost his life.
Now, Jiraiya feels intimidated at the mere sight of Tsunade's fist.
Jiraiya smiled awkwardly: "Alright then, I'll head back now. I'll have Naruto go home early tonight."
Tsunade waved her hand and walked away without looking back.
...
Konoha Village, Hokage's office.
Jiraiya is communicating with Orochimaru through the communication frog.
"Orochimaru, Danzo has been locked up in the dungeon by the old man, and the entire 'Root' organization has been eradicated."
"Your innocence has been cleared up by the old man, and now the villagers all know that you were wronged."
"Tsunade has returned to the village too, aren't you going to come and see her?"
Jiraiya contacted Orochimaru again. This time, the Third Hokage didn't interrupt; Jiraiya and Orochimaru spoke directly to each other.
Jiraiya recounted the Third Hokage's actions over this period to Orochimaru in detail.
Orochimaru responded, "I owed the old man a favor last time, so I planned to come back and visit. We'll discuss the rest later."
Then, the communication frog indicated that Orochimaru had hung up.
After Jiraiya sent the communication frog back, he asked the Third Hokage, "Old man, Orochimaru only said he wanted to come back and visit. What should we do?"
The Third Hokage said calmly, "It's alright. If he really comes back, he'll find that the village can offer him even more convenience."
Jiraiya shrugged; the Third Hokage's recent behavior made him feel somewhat unfamiliar.
But it's still pretty nice to not have to worry about it yourself.
Where did Naruto go?
Sandai asked.
"He went to the Uchiha clan."
Jiraiya scratched his head. The Third Hokage instructed him to keep an eye on Naruto and try to get closer to him so that he could better monitor the Nine-Tails.
It also allows the Will of Fire to be passed on to Naruto.
As a result, Naruto now has a strong aversion to Jiraiya, making it extremely difficult for them to even be friends, let alone become master and disciple.
"Tsunade protected Naruto and wouldn't let me go to him. She even treated Naruto like her younger brother."
When the Third Hokage learned that Tsunade had actually recognized Naruto as her younger brother, a subtle change flashed in his eyes, as if he had just remembered something.
The Third Hokage took a drag of his cigarette: "That's settled then. With Tsunade looking after things, I can rest easy."
"As for Tsunade being able to get closer to Naruto, it wouldn't be a bad thing."
"dong dong dong..."
There was a knock on the door.
"Lord Hokage, Mitarashi Anko requests an audience."
The Third Hokage thought for a moment and then nodded: "Let her in."
Hongdou pushed open the door and hurriedly asked, "Third Generation Lord, I saw the village notice as soon as I returned to the village."
"Orochimaru-sensei, is what happened about Orochimaru... true?"
Hongdou wore a khaki trench coat and a short skirt, with a fishnet top underneath, and a pendant around her neck.
His face turned completely red with excitement.
The Third Hokage nodded:
"That's right, the Orochimaru incident was indeed a malicious frame-up by Danzo. Danzo has now been arrested and is being held in the dungeon."
"As for Orochimaru, he will return to the village when Kawasaki Uchiha takes over as clan leader."
"Orochimaru...is he going back to the village?"
Hongdou staggered and walked outside in a daze.
The Third Hokage took a drag of his cigarette, not taking offense at Anko's rudeness.
Over the years, Anko has suffered a lot because of Orochimaru's defection.
Orochimaru had distinguished himself on the battlefield, so he was certainly not alone.
Orochimaru has a considerable number of followers.
When Orochimaru defected, some of his followers chose to leave Konoha with him.
The other group chose to stay and serve the village.
Those who remained didn't actually have an easy time.
Those with strong abilities are subject to daily surveillance by the secret service; those with average abilities must also report to the secret service regularly.
To them, this was a personal insult.
But there was nothing they could do; they had all followed Orochimaru in the past.
Anko is a special case; she followed Orochimaru for a long time and was even his disciple.
However, Orochimaru did not take Anko with him when he defected.
Anko even lost part of her memory, believing that Orochimaru had abandoned her.
Therefore, she had mixed feelings of love and hate towards Orochimaru.
It's no wonder that after Orochimaru was exonerated, Anko immediately went to the Third Hokage to verify the information.
It can be said that Anko is just one representative of Orochimaru's former subordinates. What are the feelings of the other people who once followed Orochimaru now towards him?
After all, some of them were abandoned by Orochimaru, while others abandoned Orochimaru and chose the village.
Now that Orochimaru has been exonerated, these people are caught in the middle, pleasing neither side.
Red Bean's thoughts were in turmoil. Suddenly hearing the news that Orochimaru had returned to the village, she didn't know how to face him.
Is it longing for the teacher? Resentment at being abandoned? Or something else entirely?
Having lost her memory, she didn't even know that staying in Konoha was her own choice, not Orochimaru's abandonment.
She wasn't sure how to approach Orochimaru, but she had a feeling he would definitely come looking for her.