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Mastermind of the Akatsuki 374
🕑 Added 2025-04-14 16:00:08 +0000 UTCChapter 374: Don’t Forget that Night
The Rasengan was no low-level jutsu, its difficulty level was A-rank.
Not only did it require exceptional chakra control, but it also demanded strong physical endurance and a large chakra reserve. Furthermore, its power scaled with the user's growth.
For someone of Naruto’s age, having just graduated from the Academy, mastering such a technique was already an impressive feat.
But who had taught him? Was it Hiruzen? Kakashi? Or had Naruto developed it himself?
If it was the former, Naruto was merely a genius. But if it was the latter… then his talent was downright monstrous, perhaps even surpassing that of his father, Jiraiya’s prized student, Namikaze Minato.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Jiraiya scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Didn’t expect you to know the Rasengan already... But I can teach you much more than that. Still not considering becoming my apprentice?"
Naruto glanced at him. "And what’s in it for me? Will it make me Hokage? Will it make the whole village acknowledge me?"
Jiraiya fell silent.
Even as one of the Legendary Sannin, despite all his contributions to Konoha, he had never truly won the recognition of every villager. That said, with his strength and reputation, becoming Hokage wouldn’t have been impossible.
After a moment, he sighed. "Becoming Hokage isn’t that hard. But are you sure that’s what you want? It’s a troublesome job, you know, office work every day, running a never-ending cycle of meetings and paperwork…"
Naruto nodded. "In that case, I guess I have no choice but to acknowledge you as my teacher. But Jiraiya-sensei, aren’t you going to give your new student a gift?"
"A gift for taking in a disciple?" Jiraiya ruffled his hair, puzzled.
All his previous students had been overwhelmed with gratitude, treating him like their revered mentor. But Naruto? The first thing he did was ask for a present.
Seeing Jiraiya hesitate, Naruto grinned. "If you’re unwilling, then I guess I’ll have no choice but to tell everyone what you were just doing at the bathhouse."
"Bathhouse? Hmph! I am the Toad Sage, not some pervy old man!"
Jiraiya’s face twitched at Naruto’s nickname for him. Sighing, he finally relented.
"Alright, alright. Come with me to town, just pick something you want, and I’ll buy it for you. But don’t ask for anything too expensive, I’m just a broke middle-aged man with no power or status."
Naruto didn’t believe him for a second.
He’d seen Konoha’s mission contribution rankings at the mission center before, Jiraiya’s name was near the top. Someone like that wouldn’t be short on money.
As for why Jiraiya had sought him out… it probably had something to do with him being the Fourth Hokage’s son and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. Since Kakashi could no longer provide him with advanced guidance, it seemed the Sannin had been sent to take over.
Once they reached the bustling market district, Naruto casually picked out a frog-shaped wallet.
Jiraiya paid for it, then patted Naruto on the shoulder. "Naruto, I see you’re already embracing the path of a Toad Sage, choosing a frog wallet, huh?"
Naruto waved him off. "I just thought the color looked nice. Don’t overthink it, pervy sage. I’m just planning to squeeze more benefits out of you and fill this wallet up."
Jiraiya froze for a moment, then gave Naruto a scrutinizing look.
Naruto’s personality wasn’t like Minato’s at all since Minato had been generous and easygoing. This kid, on the other hand, was a bit calculating… Had he inherited Kushina’s personality instead? That could be troublesome.
After finishing their shopping, Jiraiya led Naruto away from the village center to a large, secluded training ground.
Naruto glanced around at the empty field, then turned to Jiraiya.
"Pervy sage, you brought me all the way out here… Are you planning to train me as a Jinchūriki?"
"Jinchūriki training?" Jiraiya raised an eyebrow.
Naruto knew about the Nine-Tails? Who had told him? Hiruzen?
Noticing Jiraiya’s reaction, Naruto looked down, his tone slightly dejected.
"Jiraiya-sensei, I’m not stupid. After seeing the Nine-Tails inside me, it wasn’t hard to figure out what I am. If I weren’t a Jinchūriki, why would the Third Hokage and you personally come looking for me?"
Jiraiya’s expression darkened slightly. He patted Naruto’s shoulder. "Even if you weren’t a Jinchūriki, I would have still become your teacher."
Naruto didn’t respond.
After a few moments of silence, Jiraiya spoke first. "You said you’ve seen the Nine-Tails. How does he treat you? Has he asked you to undo the seal?"
Naruto nodded. "He’s not very friendly. And yeah, he told me to remove the seal. But I ignored him."
Jiraiya let out a breath of relief. As long as the seal remained intact, everything was fine. The Nine-Tails was the strongest of all tailed beasts. If it broke free, sealing it again would come at an enormous cost.
Just then, Naruto looked up at him. "Pervy sage, do you know how I can get along with the Nine-Tails?"
Jiraiya shook his head. “The relationship between a Jinchūriki and their Tailed Beast is something only they can handle. No one else can truly help. But I believe you can get along with the Nine-Tails, beyond that, there’s not much I can do.”
Naruto nodded, then asked curiously, “Then why did you call me here? The third exam starts in two weeks, and I was planning to use this time to train.”
Jiraiya was becoming more and more convinced that Naruto had inherited Kushina’s personality, perhaps even surpassing Minato in certain ways.
Taking out a scroll, he unrolled it and said, “I have many ways to help you get stronger, but they all require time to build a solid foundation. If you want a quick boost in strength, the best option is Summoning Jutsu.”
“Summoning Jutsu? Like Kiba’s, where I summon ninja dogs to fight?”
Naruto thought about it, Kiba’s dogs, despite their rough personalities, were skilled fighters. This could be a decent power-up.
Jiraiya nodded. “Something like that. But we don’t summon ninja dogs, we summon the mighty toads of Mount Myōboku. Their combat power is on another level.”
With that, he spread open the Summoning Contract and placed it in front of Naruto.
Glancing at the scroll, Naruto immediately recognized several familiar names, Jiraiya’s was there, as was Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage.
Taking a deep breath, he asked, “How do I sign the contract? Just write my name here?”
Jiraiya nodded. “Yes, but you need to use chakra to write it.”
Extending a finger, Naruto gathered chakra at the tip and carefully inscribed his name before handing the scroll back to Jiraiya.
At that moment, far away in the Toad Shrine of Mount Myōboku, an ancient toad stirred from its slumber.
This toad was the Great Toad Sage, the founder of Mount Myōboku, though it also had a lesser-known name, Gamamaru.
Gamamaru gazed into the distance, muttering, “Such familiar chakra… Has a descendant of Hamura signed the summoning contract? It seems the future continues to unfold according to the prophecy. I only hope that in the coming chaos, Mount Myōboku can remain unscathed.”
Nearby, the two elder toads, Shima and Fukasaku, noticed Gamamaru awakening and quickly approached.
“Great Toad Sage, have you seen something in your dreams?” Shima asked.
Gamamaru shook his head. “Someone has signed the contract. If I’m not mistaken, the blue-eyed boy will change the future of the ninja world.”
“Change the ninja world?” Shima pressed further. “How exactly?”
But before she could get an answer, Gamamaru had already fallen back into a deep sleep.
Watching him doze off, Shima huffed in frustration. “That old geezer is always mumbling cryptic nonsense! He never explains his prophecies properly.”
Fukasaku quickly stepped in to pacify her. “Predicting the future is difficult. It’s natural that even the Great Toad Sage can’t see everything clearly. Don’t be too harsh on him.”
“Oh, I know that. That’s why I waited until he fell asleep to complain!”
Hands on her hips, Shima made no effort to hide her irritation. Gamamaru might have been the so-called Great Toad Sage, but for centuries, it was she and Fukasaku who had been tirelessly managing Mount Myōboku.
And all he did was sleep.
Fukasaku sighed. “Let’s not dwell on it. We should check out the new summoner. Little Jiraiya is probably waiting for us.”
---
After the second exam ended, Sasuke returned to the Uchiha district.
The district remained as desolate as ever. The once-proud Uchiha compound had been sealed off since the massacre, and in theory, the entire area now belonged to Sasuke alone, the last of the Uchiha.
But that was old news.
Ever since learning that the surviving Uchiha had gone underground and joined Root, Sasuke no longer felt the district was empty.
The clan hadn’t vanished; they had simply found a new way to exist.
Root had always been assigned to monitor and control the Uchiha. Now, with their relocation, it made sense for them to settle within the clan’s territory. Even if someone had objections, they would have to think twice before challenging Root’s methods.
After finishing a brief warm-up routine, Sasuke was about to start training when he noticed a familiar presence, Shisui, disguised as Danzo.
Seeing him, Sasuke immediately halted his movements and walked over.
“Shisui, what brings you here today? Is it about what happened in the Forest of Death?”
Shisui nodded. “I’ve already heard about the attack. Orochimaru targeted the examinees and tried to kidnap you in the process. Did he leave anything on you?”
Sasuke touched his neck, then stepped closer.
Shisui’s gaze darkened as he examined the mark.
“This is the Cursed Seal of Heaven. I didn’t expect Orochimaru to brand you with this.”
“The Cursed Seal of Heaven? What is it?” Sasuke asked.
“A seal that harnesses natural energy, though it’s a crude imitation of Sage Mode. For us Uchiha, it’s not as efficient as White Zetsu’s methods.”
Realizing he had veered off-topic, Shisui quickly corrected himself.
“In short, it’s a seal that enhances the user’s power. The risk of death is high, but the potential gains are just as significant. With your current strength, activating the seal would boost your speed, power, and chakra reserves, an increase of at least thirty percent.”
“But Orochimaru isn't so kind,” Shisui said calmly. “He left some hidden dangers within that Cursed Seal of Heaven. If you don’t remove them, you might run into serious trouble in the future.”
“What should I do?” Sasuke asked anxiously. “Orochimaru also told me to seek him out.”
Shisui spoke at an unhurried pace.
“No need to rush. The Cursed Seal doesn’t activate that easily. As for whether you should seek out Orochimaru, that’s your decision to make. If you stay in Konoha, the clan will provide you with traditional Uchiha training. But at best, that will take you to the level of a jōnin, nothing more. If you want to go beyond that, you’ll have to seek out Orochimaru.
As for the risks… being a shinobi means facing risks. If you’re unwilling to take a gamble, you’ll never become a true powerhouse.”
Sasuke fell into deep thought. Various possibilities swirled in his mind, leaving him uncertain.
Should he risk everything to seek out Orochimaru? Was he even capable of dealing with someone as dangerous as him?
Then, something occurred to him. He looked at Shisui and asked, “Shisui, how is Root reacting to Orochimaru’s infiltration? What if he causes trouble in the third round?”
Shisui smiled slightly. “Orochimaru will cause trouble. But it has nothing to do with us. He’s here for the Third Hokage. That’s a matter between master and student. Root’s job is simply to protect the civilians. We won’t get involved in their personal battle.”
“Orochimaru is targeting the Third Hokage… That does make sense,” Sasuke murmured.
“If it’s a conflict between master and student, then it’s best if ordinary shinobi don’t get involved.”
Suddenly, Sasuke’s brows furrowed. “Wait a minute. Something doesn’t add up.”
He looked at Shisui and asked, “Shisui, why aren’t you the least bit surprised about Orochimaru infiltrating the village? And how do you already know his plans?
!!!
“Don’t tell me… you…”
Shisui glanced at Sasuke, then gave him a meaningful smile.
“Sasuke, don’t forget the night of the Uchiha massacre. And don’t forget that we are Uchiha.”
Sasuke’s body stiffened. In that instant, he understood everything.
Orochimaru’s attack on the Chūnin Exams wasn’t a whim, it had been planned long ago.
And the shinobi he had allied with was none other than the man standing before him, Root’s leader, his own cousin.
