Uchiha Patriarch !

Time flies like an arrow, and in the blink of an eye, three days have passed since Sougen Uchiha returned to Konoha. In the meantime, the frontline in the northern Land of Hot Water had sent back the latest intelligence. Uchiha Shisui, Aburame Zhihei, and Might Guy had arrived in time to rescue Hiashi Hyuga and Aburame Shibi, successfully pushing back the Two-Tails Jinchuriki. This news was now before the village's higher-ups. 

The report highlighted Shisui's solo effort in defeating the fully transformed Two-Tails and Might Guy's opening Sixth Gate of Eight Gates. These detailed accounts provided Konoha's leaders with a clear understanding of the extraordinary strength these two displayed. 

The high-ranking officials, concerned about northern conflict, breathed a sigh of relief. While this strength might not be enough to decisively repel the entirety of the Cloud ninjas, it gave them much more confidence in holding them off. When Uchiha Sougen heads north, they might even be able to push the Cloud ninjas back to the Land of Lightning. 

"Shouldn't we do something? That person is definitely spying, right?" 

On the rooftop terrace… 

Two rookies from the police force were patrolling when they noticed a suspicious person. 

"The police force's jurisdiction is limited," one said. 

"Is that old man someone important?" asked the other. 

"Kimimaro, I heard you were saved by Orochimaru, so you want to go back to him?" Uchiha Itachi asked, glancing at Kimimaro Kaguya, who shorter than him. Both were rookies in police force, wearing department's standard uniform. 

Although called the police force's standard uniform, it was just a slight modification of typical Konoha ninja outfit, with police force' emblem — a fan embedded in a shuriken — symbolizing close connection between the Uchiha clan and police force. 

Luckily, Uchiha clan had no shortage of young talents joining force, so they found suitable uniforms for both Itachi and Kimimaro without needing custom orders. 

"I will definitely return to Lord Orochimaru's side," Kimimaro said confidently. 

He spoke so boldly, unconcerned that it might get him into trouble. He was smart enough to know that, as long as he didn't cross any major lines, no one would severely punish him before he outlived his usefulness. 

With this knowledge, he became increasingly bold — at least as long as he didn't provoke Uchiha Sougen. 

"Is that so?" 

Itachi wasn't too concerned. He was only tasked with keeping an eye on Kimimaro, not babysitting him. As long as Kimimaro didn't intentionally harm others, his occasional admiration for rogue ninjas wasn't a big deal. 

After all, he wasn't Itachi's brother, so Itachi wasn't about to waste time lecturing him. 

"That old man, along with Orochimaru and another person, are known as 'Legendary Sannin,'" Itachi explained, referring to the white-haired man spying on the bathhouse with a telescope. 

"Sannin?" 

Kimimaro's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the man sitting on a toad, wearing a flamboyant outfit and peeking into the bathhouse with a grin. It was hard to believe that this guy was on the same level as Lord Orochimaru. 

"So, we can't do anything to him?" Kimimaro asked, still finding it hard to respect the old man, even knowing his status. 

"It's fine to give him a reminder," Itachi replied softly. 

They couldn't really interfere. Even clan leader couldn't punish him for such a minor offense. Peeping wasn't exactly serious crime, after all. 

Just then, something unexpected happened. 

"PERVERT!!!" 

A girl's scream pierced the air. 

A group of kids, skipping school, had stumbled upon the man perched on the toad, spying on the bathhouse. Outraged, Touka commanded only follower by her side. 

"Naruto, let's go! We'll teach this dirty old pervert a lesson!" 

"Huh? Are we really doing this?" 

"Of course! Our Uchiha clan is responsible for maintaining village's law and order. Pervs like this need to be... What's the phrase?" 

"Brought to justice?" 

"Exactly! We need to give him a serious lesson so he won't do this again." 

The two kids bantered casually, not taking the peeper seriously. However, they'd already flanked Toad Sage from both sides. The white-haired man, sitting on the toad, frowned as he heard footsteps quickly approaching from bathhouse. 

Time to run! 

He tapped the toad under him, and the huge amphibian — clearly not an ordinary toad — leaped high into the air, easily evading two kids and disappearing into nearby park's woods. As a repeat offender, the man had already scoped out the area, planning his escape route in advance. 

"Naruto, let's chase him!" 

Seeing the toad leap into the distance, Touka refused to give up. 

"Do we really have to? That old guy seems pretty strong!" Naruto complained, noting the size of the toad and suspecting that the man riding it wasn't an easy opponent. 

"Don't be so negative! This is Konoha! Since we caught him in the act, we have to teach him a lesson!" 

Full of righteous indignation — and looking for some fun — Touka pivoted and sprinted after the toad. Naruto sighed but quickly followed. 

By the time the women from the bathhouse rushed out with buckets and benches, the peeper had already vanished. Frustrated, they glared at the male passersby before heading back inside. 

On the rooftop… 

Kimimaro scratched his head. "What about Touka and Naruto... Should we intervene?" 

He was currently staying at Sougen's house, though Sougen's grandfather wasn't thrilled about his granddaughter having any contact with Kimimaro, a dangerous individual. 

"Don't worry," Itachi said, watching the two kids disappear into the distance. "But, we should follow them just in case." 

It was worth paying attention to both clan leader's sister and Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. 

Glancing toward a nearby shadow, Itachi noted, "ANBU protecting Nine-Tails aren't doing a great job concealing themselves, either." 

In the forest park… 

Jiraiya hadn't gone far. As long as he didn't get caught by the bathhouse women, he was fine. He had also noticed the two persistent brats chasing him. 

His emotions were complicated. Over the past few days, he had thought of many ways to meet Naruto but couldn't decide how to approach him. Frustrated, he had come to the bathhouse to relax and gather inspiration, never expecting to run into Naruto like this. 

It wasn't how he had planned it, but perhaps this spontaneous encounter was better. 

"Caught you, pervert!" The energetic girl caught up first. 

"No, no!" Jiraiya waved his hands, denying the accusation. Striking a theatrical pose, he announced, "I am the great sage of Mount Myoboku, the Toad Sage, revered as the Toad Hermit!" 

"Sage?" 

Naruto, now catching up, blinked in confusion and instinctively blurted, "A Perverted Sage?" 

"Good one, Naruto!" Touka proudly patted Naruto on the shoulder. "You may be clueless most of the time, but this was a moment of brilliance. 'Perverted Sage' fits him perfectly!" 

"Hey, hey, kids! Listen carefully, it's 'Toad Sage,'" Jiraiya corrected, trying to clear up the misunderstanding. 

Unfortunately, his correction fell on deaf ears. Touka shouted back, "We saw you peeking at women's bathhouse with our own eyes! Surrender, Perverted Sage! This is Konoha — you can't escape!" 

Jiraiya protested, "Peeking? I'm a writer! I was gathering material for my work. You wouldn't understand." 

"A writer?" Naruto and Touka exchanged skeptical glances. 

Sure, they didn't fully understand why peeking was wrong, but they knew it wasn't allowed. 

"Even if you're a writer, you must be a shady one," Touka declared. "My brother says peeping is a crime. Right, Naruto?" 

"Yep, that's right!" Naruto nodded in agreement. 

Jiraiya sighed. "Dealing with kids is such a hassle!" 

Touka wasn't buying it. "Excuse`s! You're just trying to escape! Naruto, let's get him this time. No way we're letting him go." 

With that, Touka charged at Jiraiya, fists clenched. Naruto followed reluctantly, though he doubted they could win. 

However, Naruto sensed no malice from the old man. Instead, he felt a warm kindness, like the sun on a spring day. There was no danger, he instinctively knew, so he played along with Touka game, feeling secure in Konoha. 

"Oh, coming at me already?" Jiraiya mused with interest, jumping down from the toad to personally evaluate the two kids' skills, especially Naruto's. 

"Nope, your footwork is sloppy, kid... Your punches lack strength... Little girl, don't put all your force into one punch..." Jiraiya called out corrections as he effortlessly dodged and deflected their attacks. 

"Perverted Sage, you're so annoying!" Fujika shouted, frustrated by his constant advice. 

She already had enough people at home telling her what to do, and now, even after finally catching a criminal, someone still had to lecture her. Frustrated, Touka swung her fists in a flurry of punches and shouted, "Naruto, I'll hold him down. Get ready to use that move!" 

"That move?" 

Jiraiya was curious. 

He allowed Touka chaotic punches to tangle him up, wondering what kind of secret move Naruto had in store. 

"I got it." 

Without hesitation, Naruto broke away from his fight with Jiraiya, took out a blank scroll and an ink-filled brush from his ninja tools pouch, and began to draw. Jiraiya watched this with growing interest. He had been secretly observing Naruto for a few days and had noticed him drawing several times. At first, Jiraiya thought it was just a hobby, but now it seemed there was something more to it. 

Ninja Art: Super Beast Imitation Drawing! 

After months of hard work, Naruto's drawing skills were still far from expert level, but he had grasped the basics. It appeared Naruto had some real talent in artistic creation, as the lively snakes he drew leaped off the scroll and darted toward Jiraiya under Naruto's control. 

"Is this... a secret technique?" 

Jiraiya looked at the ink-black snakes slithering rapidly toward him, and though he didn't resist, he allowed them to coil around his legs and attempt to bind him. Other snakes also made their way toward his arms, aiming to wrap him up completely. 

Feeling the considerable strength in the snakes' pull, Jiraiya gathered a small amount of chakra and then explosively released it. 

Having spent so much time with Tsunade, both as a classmate and a comrade, he had learned a bit of her superhuman strength technique. Although nowhere near her level of raw power—capable of splitting the earth barehanded—breaking free from Naruto's ink snakes was no problem. 

The ink snakes shattered under the force, and the black ink splattered across the ground. 

"Darn it! How is he this strong?!" 

Touka hopes of cheering were dashed as she pouted and loosened her clenched fists. She couldn't believe that this so-called pervy sage was this powerful! 

"Touka, that's not gonna work!" 

Naruto walked over with the scroll in hand, scratching his head as he stared at the ink on the ground. Clearly, he still had a long way to go. 

"Haha! If you want to beat a sage, you two little brats will need at least another ten years of hard training!" Jiraiya crossed his arms and laughed boisterously, though he added, "But still, for your age, you're both doing great! That's praise from a sage!" 

"Che! Acting all high and mighty, even though you're just a pervy sage!" Touka made -_- face. 

"..." 

Jiraiya's face twitched. Was this nickname ever going to go away? 

"Hey kid, where did you learn that move?" Jiraiya asked, turning his attention to Naruto. 

"Why do you want to know, pervy sage?" Naruto eyed him cautiously. Even though Jiraiya didn't seem malicious, to Naruto, he was still just a stranger he'd met for the first time, far from being someone he could trust. 

"Oh, your guard's up, huh?" 

Jiraiya chuckled and stroked his chin before shifting his gaze to the nearby trees. "Come on out! You've been watching long enough, haven't you?" Two seconds after his words, Uchiha Itachi and Kaguya Kimimaro revealed themselves. 

"Jiraiya-sama." 

Itachi stepped forward and bowed respectfully. 

"An Uchiha, huh? But... since when did the Uchiha have a white-haired kid?" Jiraiya looked at both Itachi and Kimimaro, who were wearing Konoha Police Force uniforms. The sight of Kimimaro's white hair and green eyes left him puzzled. Was the Uchiha bloodline that easy to dilute? 

"Kaguya Kimimaro, currently residing in Konoha." 

Kimimaro introduced himself simply. 

"Kaguya?" 

Jiraiya felt like he'd heard that name before, but he didn't think too much of it. The affairs of the Uchiha and Kaguya weren't his concern. He kept his focus on the distance. "Come on, do I have to say it twice? The show's over, so come out now, or do you want me to drag you out?" 

Itachi and Kimimaro exchanged surprised looks. Someone else had been tailing them? 

"I thought I was hiding pretty well." 

Uchiha Sōgen emerged slowly from behind a tree. 

"Uchiha Sōgen?" Strictly speaking, this was Jiraiya's first time meeting him in person. But having seen Sōgen walking alongside Sarutobi Hiruzen earlier, he recognized young Uchiha clan leader right away. A flicker of surprise crossed Jiraiya's face as he smiled, "Excuse my manners, I should say Uchiha clan leader!" 

"Just call me by my name, Jiraiya-senpai. In front of a senior like you, I can't put on airs as the clan leader," Sōgen said with a pleasant smile. 

"Brother?" 

Touka eyes widened in surprise. It was clear from her expression that she hadn't expected her brother to show up. 

"Touka, if I'm not mistaken, it's not yet time for ninja school to let out, right?" Sōgen sighed at his little sister and the grinning Naruto beside her. "You've already taken an extended leave, which was pushing it. If you keep skipping class like this, you might get expelled from the academy." 

"Hmph! Who are you trying to scare?" 

Touka wasn't intimidated in the least. "Getting expelled sounds great! I could study at home like Yakumo. The academy's so boring! The shuriken in practice drills aren't even sharpened. It's no fun at all." 

Sōgen was speechless. 

It seemed like teaching Touka to use sharpened shuriken for practice had backfired. Now, she found the academy's lessons boring. Well, if she graduated early, that wouldn't be too bad either. 

"Touka, Naruto, are you two heading to see Yakumo? If you are, go on ahead. I have some things to discuss with Jiraiya-senpai." 

Touka grumbled a bit, complained about her brother, and then sped off with Naruto like the wind. 

Jiraiya watched Naruto leave, his eyelids twitching. After some hesitation, he chose to stay silent. Some things didn't need to be rushed. Naruto seemed to be living a good life, so there was no need to force any changes. Better to let things happen naturally. 

"Jiraiya-senpai, were you planning to say something to Naruto?" 

"Did you notice?" 

"Yeah, anyone with working eyes and a decent brain can tell you care about Naruto." 

"If I'm not mistaken, Sōgen, you're not even old enough to drink yet, right?" 

"Haha! Allow me to shamelessly boast that I'm no ordinary person." Sōgen's lighthearted smile was matched by Jiraiya's growing fondness for this young man. For a first conversation, talking with him was surprisingly easy. 

"You're right, Sōgen, you're definitely no ordinary person!" 

Jiraiya shifted to a more familiar tone with Sōgen, eyeing him carefully. "With someone like you leading the Uchiha clan, I can't say Sarutobi-sensei lost unfairly... But enough chit-chat. What brings the head of the Police Force to see me? Are you here to throw me in jail for my, uh, 'field research'?" 

Finally, Jiraiya got to the point, making a joke of it as he asked why Sōgen had come to find him. 

Meanwhile, Uchiha Itachi, standing nearby, felt incredibly awkward. He could tell there was something important between his clan leader and Jiraiya, and according to protocol, he should leave. But Itachi couldn't find a moment to excuse himself, and leaving without saying anything wasn't an option either. Stuck in place, he regretted coming along. 

Ugh! If I had known the clan leader would be here, I wouldn't have followed. 

"Since you're asking so directly, Jiraiya-senpai, I won't beat around the bush. My reason for coming is simple: Are you interested in becoming Fifth Hokage? If possible, I'd like a clear answer now. We've delayed this long enough. I think it's time Konoha had a proper Hokage instead of an acting one who's in no rush to step down." 

Sōgen didn't bother acknowledging Itachi and Kimimaro's presence as he got straight to the point. 

After all, it wasn't a secret matter. 

"The Fifth, huh?" 

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, unsurprised. 

This was a question he had expected. When Nara Shikaku and Hyūga Hiashi had asked him before, he'd dodged it, as he had been focused on investigating Naruto. But after so much time had passed, he knew someone would ask again. With Hiashi off on the northern front, he had thought Shikaku might be the one to follow up. 

"I thought it would be Shikaku Nara coming, but I didn't expect the head of the Uchiha clan to personally come and ask questions. Does that mean relationship between Uchiha clan and Hokage is actually pretty good now? 

But that's not important. Jiraiya didn't care who came; what mattered was the information they brought. 

'I'm sorry, Sougen, but my ambitions don't lie within the village,' Jiraiya shook his head slowly, declining the offer. 'I'm really sorry for wasting so much time, but I truly can't stay to succeed as Fifth Hokage. There are probably still quite a few suitable candidates in the village who would be a better fit than me.' 

'Is that so? What a pity!' 

Though Sougen spoke with regret, Jiraiya could clearly see there was no sign of disappointment on young Uchiha clan leader's face. In fact, it seemed like he had already anticipated this outcome before even asking. 

'But with this, there are even fewer people in the village who could succeed as the Fifth Hokage. Lady Tsunade would have been the best candidate, but it seems she has no intention of returning to the village. The Anbu we sent couldn't even catch a glimpse of her… Looks like Acting Hokage will have to continue working hard for a while longer.' 

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