Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

Page 155

He looked up at the third generation: "Old man, are you playing me? It's so close, why don't you just send someone there yourself?"

The third generation exhaled a smoke ring and said with a smile, "Send someone else? Who can persuade her? Only you, her old teammate, have any influence. Besides..."

He paused, his tone meaningful: "Some things, some matters, can only be clearly explained and handled by you going there. Tsunade... needs someone to enlighten her."

Jiraiya put down the scroll, scratched his wild white hair, and sighed, "Fine, fine, what can I say? I'm destined to be a busybody. I can go, but..."

He abruptly changed the subject, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes: "I need to take two people with me."

The third generation raised an eyebrow: "Who?"

"Of course, it's my two newly accepted precious disciples!"

Jiraiya declared confidently, "Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha! What a great opportunity to broaden their horizons and gain experience!"

The Third Hokage frowned slightly, his pipe resting on his lips: "He is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, a special case. Leaving the village would be quite risky."

"Alright, alright!"

Jiraiya patted his chest and assured him, "With me, the 'Toad Sage,' protecting you closely, what could possibly happen?"

"Besides, that kid's slippery now, it's not easy for an ordinary person to mess with him! Just treat it as a high-level escort mission plus a training session! I guarantee not a single hair will be lost!"

The Third Hokage looked at Jiraiya's confident yet somewhat roguish demeanor and pondered for a moment.

He understood Jiraiya's strength and was also aware of Naruto's recent growth.

Perhaps, letting Naruto leave the village and, under Jiraiya's guidance, experience a wider world.

Seeing the legendary Sannin might not be a bad thing for his future growth.

The Third Hokage finally nodded, his expression serious as he instructed, "But you must guarantee Naruto's absolute safety! That's the prerequisite!"

"Alright! Don't worry, old man!"

Jiraiya's face immediately lit up with a smile, and he turned to leave, but in his mind he was frantically complaining: Protect him? With that big shot inside Naruto's body, if something really happens, who knows who will be protecting whom!

"Wait!" the Third Hokage called out to him. "The mission is more important. Bring Tsunade back as soon as possible."

"Understood! Promise to complete the task!"

Jiraiya waved his hand, slung his large scroll over his shoulder, hummed an off-key tune, and strode into the village.

He was already plotting how to "abduct" those two brats.

Chapter 174 Jiraiya: The Plan Goes Well!

On a swing at the edge of the training ground in Konoha Village.

Naruto wandered aimlessly, his golden head drooping like a wilted sunflower.

"Ah... so boring..."

He wailed in a drawn-out tone, "Why is everyone so busy! Kakashi-sensei has gone off somewhere to read his erotic novels again, Sakura is learning medical ninjutsu from the medical team seniors, and even Kiba and Shino have missions to go out on!"

"It's just the two of us who's bored out of our minds! Sasuke, don't you think it's incredibly boring?"

Uchiha Sasuke leaned against a large tree, his hands in his pockets, and closed his eyes to rest.

Hearing Naruto's complaint, he didn't even lift his eyelids, his cold voice carrying a hint of disdain: "If you're bored, can you stop dragging me out here to daydream? You'd be better off training."

Within the sealed space.

Madara sat cross-legged on the Nine-Tails' massive head, his crimson Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan peering through Naruto's eyes at the mundane scene outside.

He let out a cold snort: "Hmph, only the weak complain about being bored. Since you're idle anyway, Naruto, go and strap on the 'Thousand Pounds' weight I made for you again, and run a hundred laps around Konoha!"

"No!!!"

Naruto's consciousness emitted a pitiful wail within the sealed space.

It was as if I had heard the most terrifying thing in the world: "After that thing was tied on, I felt like my legs weren't even mine! I practiced for two hours this morning, and now walking feels like walking on cotton! Dad, please have mercy on me! Let me rest for a while!"

In the real world, Naruto's body also jolted violently.

He almost fell off the swing, and his face showed a genuine expression of pain.

Just then, a familiar voice, tinged with mockery, rang out:

"Hey! You two little devils, drying salted fish here?"

Naruto and Sasuke looked up at the same time.

Suddenly, Jiraiya appeared at the entrance of the training ground, carrying a huge scroll on his back and sporting his signature, slightly lewd, cheerful smile.

"Lustful fairy!"

Naruto instantly perked up, jumping off the swing and rushing over with sparkling eyes: "Where have you been? I haven't seen you in ages! Were you slacking off again?"

Jiraiya flicked a strand of white hair from his forehead and struck what he thought was a very cool pose: "Me? Of course, I'm going to gather material for a great artistic creation!"

Sasuke mercilessly exposed him, arms crossed, eyes filled with disdain: "You went to the women's bathhouse or brothel to 'gather material' again, didn't you?"

He deeply resented Jiraiya's methods of "source material".

"Hey! You brat! Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand!"

Jiraiya blushed, stubbornly defending himself: "What I did was immerse myself in life, experience the hardships of ordinary people, and gather inspiration for my creations! It was noble! Serious! It was about gathering material!"

Naruto ignored their bickering and rushed to Jiraiya, his face full of anticipation: "Alright, alright! Perverted Sage, you've come at the perfect time! Any exciting missions? Like the super S-rank ones? We're so bored!"

Jiraiya looked at Naruto's energetic appearance, his eyes darting around, and a cunning smile appeared on his face: "The mission... will remain a secret for now."

He deliberately kept Naruto in suspense, and only after seeing Naruto's face fall instantly did he slowly say, "However, I do need a helper... no, two. I need you two to come with me out of the village."

"Leave the village?!"

Naruto's eyes lit up instantly, but then he narrowed them suspiciously, looking Jiraiya up and down: "Huh? You're not thinking of kidnapping a child, are you? I heard human traffickers are rampant lately..."

He deliberately dragged out the tone.

"Pah! Pah! You little brat! Do you think your master is that kind of person?!"

Jiraiya was so angry he jumped up and down: "I, Jiraiya the Toad Sage, am upright and honest, standing tall and proud! Kidnapping children? How could you even think of that!"

Naruto immediately retorted, hands on his hips: "Bullshit! You hid me twice in a row and stole all the food you had prepared—three whole cases of instant noodles! You didn't even leave me a drop of soup! And you still have the nerve to call yourself a pillar of strength!"

He recalled that "tragedy" and was still filled with righteous indignation.

Jiraiya's imposing manner immediately diminished, and an awkward yet polite smile appeared on his face as he rubbed his hands together: "Oh dear, this... um... didn't I treat you to Ichiraku Ramen later? A super big bowl! I evened out with three extra servings of chashu! We're even now, we're even!"

He tried to get away with it.

Sasuke walked over at this moment and calmly interrupted their "debt collection" session: "Leaving the village is fine, but what is the mission? We need to know the details, and I must go home first, report to my father, and get his permission."

According to the rules of the Uchiha clan, one must report to the authorities before leaving the village.

Seeing Sasuke become serious, Jiraiya also dropped his joking expression and said solemnly, "Alright, I'll tell you. This time, I'm leaving the village to find my former teammate, one of the legendary 'Sannin,' Tsunade."

Naruto and Sasuke both showed expressions of surprise.

Tsunade's name is renowned throughout Konoha. She is a medical genius, possesses unparalleled strength, and is the granddaughter of the First Hokage.

"What do you want with her?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Please ask her to come back and become Hokage."

Jiraiya said, "The Third Hokage felt that he was getting old and his energy was failing, so he didn't want to work anymore. He dragged me, the laborer, out to find someone to take over his job all over the world."

"Huh? Grandpa's quitting?"

Naruto was somewhat surprised, then suddenly realized: "Oh! So you want to slack off and drag us along as laborers? And you can even spy on us on the way?"

"What do you mean by voyeurism! It's gathering material! Gathering material!"

Jiraiya reiterated this point, but seeing Naruto's "I don't believe you" expression, he knew this tactic wouldn't be very effective.

His eyes darted around, an idea forming in his mind. His face instantly donned an expression of utter dejection, as if the whole world had abandoned him, and he sighed repeatedly.

"Sigh... Since you don't trust me and don't want to go... then forget it."

He made a move to turn and leave, his back view filled with desolation: "I was thinking that with the long and arduous journey ahead and plenty of time, I could teach some diligent and eager-to-learn kid my most treasured, super-powerful ninjutsu... Now it seems I'll have to travel alone..."

As he spoke, he secretly glanced at Naruto out of the corner of his eye.

"A super ninjutsu?!"

These four words were like a curse, instantly striking Naruto's vitals!

His eyes suddenly became brighter than a 100-watt light bulb!

Boredom and voyeurism were completely forgotten!

"I'm going! I'm going!"

Naruto rushed to Jiraiya like a small cannonball, so excited that he was incoherent. He grabbed Sasuke's shoulder and shook him vigorously.

"Sasuke! Let's go together! We have to go! It's an incredibly powerful ninjutsu! You'll regret it for the rest of your life if you miss it!"

He was afraid Sasuke would refuse, so he shook him violently, making Sasuke dizzy.

Sasuke frowned as Naruto shook him, but when he heard "super ninjutsu," a hint of interest flashed in his cold eyes.

Becoming stronger is his eternal pursuit.

Moreover, being able to meet the legendary Sannin Tsunade is a rare opportunity to witness her power.

He broke free from Naruto's clutches, straightened his disheveled collar, and coolly nodded to Jiraiya: "Okay. I'll explain to Father."

Seeing Naruto's excited expression as if he'd taken the bait and the expectation hidden in Sasuke's eyes, Jiraiya's disappointed expression vanished instantly.

Instead, he gave a smug, extremely irritating grin that seemed to say, "Plan worked!"

However, when he turned around, his expression returned to normal: "Hehe! It's settled then! We'll meet at the main gate of Konoha first thing tomorrow morning! Anyone who's late will have to carry the luggage!"

After saying that, he slung the large scroll over his shoulder, humming an even more off-key tune, and slipped away with light steps.

Naruto was left behind in excitement, while Sasuke wore an expression that said, "I've been tricked by that old pervert again."

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the training ground, casting a warm golden hue over the journey that was about to begin.

The journey to find Tsunade, one of the Three Legendary Sannin, begins with an enticing promise of powerful ninjutsu.

Chapter 175 Prerequisites for Sage Mode