Tayuya chuckled and elbowed Naruto playfully.
"So, what's up? Did you take out that Uchiha bastard?"
"You could say that."
Her eyes widened in shock, and Neji looked equally stunned.
They didn't know the details of Naruto's fight against the two Uchiha—they only knew he was still alive.
Usually, when powerful ninja fought each other, unless one side was clearly stronger than the other, it was rare for them to actually try killing each other.
Death is part of war, but hearing that someone familiar—even a friend—is dead always hits hard.
"You killed him?" Tayuya asked, disbelief in her voice. "You really killed your old friend?"
"He wasn't exactly my friend," Naruto replied firmly. "He used to be, but he betrayed the village, joined Akatsuki, and nearly killed Gai-sensei. You guys are my friends, and I've got others too—but not Sasuke."
He sighed before continuing, "After Kisame was defeated, Maki and Sai saw the bodies of Itachi and Sasuke. The final blow was incredibly powerful—my body was tough enough to survive, but theirs weren't. I guess that's what did them in."
Neji couldn't help but wish he'd been there—even just to watch from the sidelines.
"You actually took down both of them."
In his mind, Sasuke had already been powerful even before training under Orochimaru. Throwing Itachi into the equation made it seem impossible. "That's incredible."
Tayuya studied Naruto closely, searching for something in his expression.
Through his open collar and sleeveless jacket, she could glimpse faint sealing marks across his skin, though she couldn't get a clear view.
On Naruto's exposed arms, she noticed many new seals. One arm was marked with several storage seals, while the other was covered in seals running from elbow to forearm, looking strange.
"You've gone through a lot, huh?" Tayuya finally spoke. No one would willingly carve so many seals into themselves unless they had no choice, and judging by Naruto's current situation, clearly these seals were essential to him.
"You can't even imagine, Tayuya," Naruto thought inwardly but merely nodded as he continued writing his report. "I want to tell everyone myself—about Sasuke. If anyone has a problem with it, I'll take full responsibility—I was the one who accepted the mission from the Mizukage to find Sasuke and recover the stolen Legendary Swords of the Mist."
Among these young ninjas, no one blamed Naruto for fighting Sasuke.
After all, everyone makes their own choices. Sasuke publicly renounced Konoha, joined the village's deadliest enemy, and seriously injured their teammates while escaping. Naruto had no reason to show him mercy.
At this moment, there was someone else who realized this too—quietly sitting in a corner of the training ground, listening to their conversation.
He was Kakashi. He had always kept a watchful eye on Naruto, but he never showed himself because he didn't know how to face his former student.
"You did it at last, Naruto," Kakashi thought to himself. "If I were in your shoes, I don't know if I would've been able to do the same."
He wished things could've ended differently, but now it was too late to change anything.
As Kakashi fell into deep thought, Naruto had already finished his report. Rising from his seat, he asked,
"Are you guys coming with me? I want to tell the others about Sasuke. Judging from your reactions, this matter hasn't gone public yet."
## Hokage Tower - Tsunade's Office ##
After hearing the news Tsunade brought, Jiraiya let out a whistle and said,
"A meeting among the leaders of the Five Great Ninja Villages—this is truly rare, Princess Tsunade."
"That's true," Tsunade replied while sitting behind her desk. Jiraiya sat on the windowsill, gazing out at the village.
"At least better than fighting separately and tripping over each other. Just look at our current situation."
Of the original nine tailed beasts, only four remained, one of which was still the Nine-Tails, held captive by the Akatsuki organization.
Akatsuki members could infiltrate any nation—even the most secretive villages.
Pain, leader of the Akatsuki organization, exerted significant influence over a powerful ninja village. And according to intelligence gathered by Tsunade, Madara Uchiha was still alive—he was the true mastermind behind everything.
Who knew what would happen next?
So they decided to devise a comprehensive strategy to counter the Akatsuki threat.
This had become a war that would determine the survival of the entire ninja world.
Although the Country of Rain was small, Amegakure's strength should not be underestimated.
Even during Hanzo's rule, people believed that Hanzo alone had the power to topple the entire country if needed. In the Rain Country, where the daimyo was merely a puppet, Hanzo was the real ruler.
Reflecting on his own experiences, Jiraiya decided to pull himself together. Instead of dwelling on things he couldn't change, he chose to focus on constructive action instead.
"So then, what's the plan for the meeting? You'll let me in on it, right?"
Tsunade turned toward Jiraiya and answered,
"The meeting will be held in the Hokage Tower's conference room. To prevent enemies from exploiting the event, the entire village will be on high alert. Each attending Kage may bring a team of guards, but as a gesture of goodwill—and given that Konoha is hosting the meeting—I'll bring only two guards into the conference room."
Jiraiya realized from Tsunade's tone that he hadn't been chosen.
"What? You're trying to cut me out of your life, Princess Tsunade? How could you do me like this?"
He overacted, nearly tumbling off the windowsill.
"I always forget I'm missing an arm—it's tough keeping my balance in a spot like this..." he mumbled quietly.
Tsunade barely suppressed her smile and seriously explained,
"I'll fill you in after the meeting, so don't sweat it. I'm bringing Naruto and Yamato with me."
"Yamato?" Jiraiya asked, puzzled. "You mean the Anbu who carried out a mission to infiltrate Otogakure's base half a year ago? Why him?"
"If I bring you with me, the other Kage will feel uneasy due to our history, or think Konoha has no capable ninja left if we have to bring along a 'crippled individual' as a guard."
Upon hearing Tsunade's words, Jiraiya's expression immediately turned sour.
"Come on, you're Lord Jiraiya-sama! Even with one arm missing, you're still stronger than 90 percent of ninja in the world!"
Jiraiya quickly regained his spirit and declared loudly,
"You're absolutely right! I'm one of the Legendary Sannin! Even with just one arm, I can beat 90 percent of the ninja in this village! I'm the baddest one-armed ninja!"
Noticing the playful smirk on Tsunade's face, Jiraiya coughed awkwardly and asked,
"Seriously though, why Naruto and Yamato?"
Tsunade had expected this question and replied,
"The ninjas who participated in the mission to infiltrate Orochimaru's base six months ago all said that Naruto and Yamato functioned as a single unit. Plus, Naruto has quite the reputation; all the current Kage have at least some kind of connection with him. If he's there, they'll at least give me a serious hearing."
"I'll go track him down and let him know," Jiraiya said.
Tsunade nodded and continued,
"You know he's still upset about Danzo, right?"
"Yeah," Jiraiya sighed, causing Tsunade to frown slightly. "No matter how you see it, that kid held Danzo in high regard. Perhaps even more than he did Sarutobi-sensei..."
Tsunade arched her brow, caught off guard, and asked,
"You aren't saying he already got over it? He never mentioned this to me."
Tsunade sighed, shaking her head as she spoke,
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