Chapter 61 - 61: Jiraiya Begs for Mercy


    So ruthless?


    Seeing Tsunade''s cold smile, Jiraiya knew she wasn''t bluffing. Judging by her expression, if he really turned her down this time, there would be no more chances in the future.


    "Tsunade, you see, I''ve been busy training Naruto! You know how poor his education was before. Right now, I''mying the foundation for him! With my guidance, Naruto will definitely be a proper shinobi!"


    Attempting to sidestep the issue, Jiraiya resorted to begging for mercy.


    Tsunade, however, wasn''t cruel enough to push him into a corner and decided to give him a chance.


    "Since you put it that way, then I hope I''ll see results from your training soon." ncing at Naruto, who was staring longingly at the ramen, Tsunade sighed inwardly.


    Such a poor child.


    Her thoughts drifted to the Third Hokage, and a wave of disgust surged in her chest.


    It was those old geezers who treated Naruto, the orphan of the Fourth Hokage, like the Nine-Tails itself, making him the target of the vige''s resentment. If not for Hikari asionally arranging free meals at Ichiraku for Naruto, he might have lost all hope by now.


    Otherwise, with all he''s been through, how could he not have fallen into darkness?


    And speaking of Jiraiya-this bastard too-the Fourth has been gone for so long. As his mentor, how could he not havee back to check on his student''s child?


    The more she thought about it, the angrier she got, and the more dangerous her gaze toward Jiraiya became.


    "You''d better teach Naruto properly. He''s got talent and a high potential ceiling. His fundamentals may be weak now, but I believe he''ll grow into an exceptional shinobi!"


    He was, after all, the son of the "Yellow sh" Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. Even if he inherited only half their talent, he would still surpass most shinobi.


    Add the Nine-Tails sealed inside him, and with proper nurturing, Naruto''s future achievements could very well rival the Sannin.


    "Granny Tsunade, you believe in my dream too?! I''m definitely gonna be Hokage!" Hearing Tsunade say he''d be an excellent shinobi, Naruto rounded


    it up in his mind as her acknowledging his dream of bing Hokage.


    [Tsunade''s got some skills! The thing Naruto wants most is for others to recognize his dream and his talent. Add in his identity as Asura''s reincarnation, he''s practically destined to be the protagonist who''ll save the world. Him bing the Seventh Hokage is just the perfect ending to his journey.]


    Tsunade: What the... this brat bes the Seventh Hokage?


    How does Hikari know about future events like this?


    Is he just fantasizing?


    But that doesn''t make sense. If he were fantasizing, wouldn''t he imagine himself as Hokage instead?


    If Naruto''s the Seventh, then who''s the Sixth?


    That was a serious question.


    Shizune stood silently to the side, though the shock in her eyes was unmistakable.


    Countless shinobi from the Academy dreamed of bing Hokage, only for that dream to shatter once they became genin and faced the brutal realities of the shinobi world.


    Yet here was Naruto, still clinging to that dream-and saying it with such conviction that Shizune couldn''t help but be moved.


    "Brat, you''re a shinobi I acknowledge. If you stick to your path, you''ll definitely be Hokage someday." Even though Tsunade still had doubts about Hikari''s strange thoughts, she couldn''t help but affirm Naruto''s words.


    This was a genin''s dream-a dream of a genin with both ideals and strength.


    As Hokage, she couldn''t crush a child''s dream.


    "Granny Tsunade, you''re the best! You''re the first person to believe in me bing Hokage! I''ll work super hard!" Even Iruka, who was closest to Naruto, hadn''t outright supported his Hokage dream.


    At best, he just hadn''t crushed it.


    Jiraiya sat there, watching the two interact, a flicker of nostalgia in his eyes.


    A long time ago, there had been another fool who dered he''d be Hokage... only to fall in an enemy ambush, dying on the battlefield.


    Come to think of it, these two fools are awfully alike.


    "Naruto, since you want to be Hokage, starting today, your training has to step


    up."


    Now that she knew Naruto might really be the Seventh Hokage, Tsunade decided to give him a push.


    "The Hokage carries the burden of


    the entire vige. When Konoha faces danger, it''s the Hokage''s duty to stand at the frontlines and protect everyone-not the other way around. Do you understand?"


    "Yeah, yeah!" Naruto grinned brightly. "Since Granny Tsunade believes in me, I''ll give it my all!"


    "I''m definitely gonna be Hokage dattebayo!"


    To some, Naruto''s habit of loudly dering his dream might seem foolish.


    But Naruto relied on this constant self-affirmation to eventually be the true savior-the real Naruto Uzumaki.


    His training couldn''t be called anything less than grueling.


    At graduation, all he had was the Shadow Clone Technique. Yet, just three yearster, he had not only ovee his weaknesses but also mastered the Rasengan, reaching a level where he could hold his own against Kakashi.  s?novel


    Such growth was only possible through relentless effort.


    Andter, when he developed the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken-a forbidden technique-he pushed himself to the brink, exhausting his chakra over and over again with shadow clones.


    Most only saw the final result, unaware of just how many times he''d risked his life in the process.


    [Witnessing Naruto''s live deration of his dream... Man, it brings back memories.]


    Tsunade still couldn''t make heads or tails of Hikari''s mysterious inner monologue.


    "Alright, Naruto. Starting today, I''m assigning you a mission-keep an eye on Jiraiya." When she brought up Jiraiya, Tsunade''s face darkened again. "Several hot spring owners in the vige havee to meining. Ever since you showed up, their customer numbers have plummeted. Jiraiya, care to exin?"


    Jiraiya: ???


    ''Am I that influential?''


    ''And I''ve said it before—I''m not peeping! I''m gathering material, material!''


    "Don''t use that book of yours as an excuse again. If writing that crap requires peeping, then I might just have to kick you out of the vige! Tsunade said sharply, her eyes flicking over to Hikari in the O corner-who also wrote books but never needed "material".


    Compared to him, Jiraiya''s excuse was just pathetic.


    Facing Tsunade in a foul mood, what could Jiraiya possibly say?


    He knew his habit was problematic, but he couldn''t help himself.


    It wasn''t that his will was weak-it was simply that the beauties at the bathhouses


    were too alluring.


    His legs would carry him there unconsciously, and his eyes would widen


    instinctively at the sight of... scenes unfit for publishing.


    Truly, it wasn''t his fault. The mey entirely with his traitorous legs and eyes!


    Read 40 advanced Chapters on my P@treon.


    [email protected]/KakuzuTL