Naruto's new place was even more impressive than he'd expected, especially after he discovered that one of the rooms was actually a large training hall carved directly into the mountain interior.
This room had originally been Tamako's workshop, but fortunately she had been meticulous in her work, leaving plenty of open space for Naruto to train in—even though he didn't really need such a vast area.
At the moment, Naruto was alone in the training hall, swinging his sword as though battling an unseen group of shadowy foes.
"I feel the same way—I love seeing you in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode..." Jiraiya said from the side, watching Naruto repeatedly activate the Sharingan and slash the air. "But you've been at this for two hours now. Aside from looking kind of scary, it doesn't seem like you're making any progress. What exactly are you practicing?"
"Just like when we trained under the Toad Sage," Naruto replied as he swung his blade again. "I'm trying to detect spatial cracks while slicing through the air, but I can't see anything. I even used Sage Mode and the Sharingan, yet still nothing showed up."
"Are you sure you didn't misinterpret what was written on the stone tablet?" Jiraiya asked.
Seeing Naruto stop mid-motion, turn around, and stare at him blankly, Jiraiya couldn't help but ask, "What's with that look?"
"Even if I misunderstood..." Naruto said slowly, emphasizing every word to make clear he hadn't misread anything, "the tablet is still back in Konoha—I can always go back and double-check it. That blasted stone clearly stated this sword tears through space with every swing, whether I want it to or not. But when I cut things with it, nothing special happens. I can't even infuse wind chakra into it. Maybe I should study it more carefully again?"
Jiraiya wiggled his eyebrows. "So you're telling me you don't even know the sword's secret?"
Naruto shook his head and sheathed his sword.
"There wasn't much written about this sword on the stone tablet. All it said was that it contained Madara Uchiha's chakra, which must be why it has those unusual abilities. I guess Madara's chakra altered the sword's essence, and only someone who meets certain conditions can awaken its true power. But right now, I can't even see the spatial cracks—let alone use any advanced techniques."
"But it should work fine for slicing through people, right?" Jiraiya joked.
"Well of course," Naruto shrugged. "It's a sword, not a twig for lighting fires..."
Naruto looked around the room. It felt like a carefully crafted cave, with faint lights embedded in the walls and ceiling, giving the entire space an enigmatic aura.
"This room feels more and more like the old training grounds—except there aren't any opponents stronger than you lurking about in here."
Jiraiya deadpanned:
"Yeah, I guess you'd think so."
"Don't make me pummel you in this cave like I used to after training. There's no Gamabunta or Shima here to bail you out." Naruto laughed as he playfully threatened him.
Their eyes met, and they both burst into laughter.
Jiraiya even assumed a fighting stance, but the next moment, they both frowned simultaneously.
The Sharingan in Naruto's eyes vanished.
"Forget it—let's just not fight. I'm not sure this room could handle our level of power."
Jiraiya calmed down and said, "Yeah… If we really fought, we'd definitely get injured. If I injure you before the Five Kage Summit, Tsunade will exile me to the borderlands for sure."
After saying that, he walked out of the training hall with Naruto and headed back to the main room.
"Yeah," Naruto replied, hopping onto the balcony outside the window and perching on the railing.
"Later, Ero-Sennin!" Naruto called as he leapt off the railing, disappearing from view after several jumps.
"Don't forget to bring back some sake, kid!" Jiraiya shouted toward the window, confident Naruto could hear him.
After a while, hearing no response, Jiraiya sighed and muttered to himself, "He must really be in a rush…"
"Get those scrolls from the storage room, you idiot! Before we left, I swiped a few crates of sake from Gamabunta!"
Naruto's voice came from far away, immediately lifting Jiraiya's spirits.
"Haha… Seems like he did hear me after all." He smirked slyly. "Since I don't have anything important to do at the Five Kage Summit anyway, might as well take the chance to get completely wasted and then crash somewhere for the night!"
Still chuckling, Jiraiya closed the window and made his way to the kitchen.
Naruto always had a unique way of entering Tsunade's office—jumping in through the ceiling window.
He never grew tired of it, and today was no exception.
He landed steadily in front of Tsunade's desk and turned around, saying, "I'm ready, Lady Tsunade."
"Settle down a bit, kid," Tsunade teased with a playful grin.
She shut the window and continued, "Looks like you've been looking forward to this for a while."
Naruto smiled sheepishly. "Not really—that would be pretty unprofessional. Besides, what's the point of showing off if no one sees it? Nobody saw me jump in except you."
"Well actually, I saw it too, Naruto," a voice came from the corner.
Both Naruto and Tsunade turned their heads simultaneously. Yamato stood there, arms crossed over his chest as he leaned casually against the wall.
He wasn't dressed in Anbu gear, but wore the standard Konoha ninja uniform instead: a black long-sleeve shirt, black pants, and over that, an armor-plated vest.
"So you were showing off."
"Yamato! Long time no see!" Naruto laughed, shaking Yamato's hand. "Glad to see you're still your usual self." During the several months they had spent together carrying out missions, Naruto and Yamato had forged a deep bond.
Though normally quiet and somewhat reserved, Yamato showed a rare liveliness when around Sai.
Being around them made Naruto feel relaxed and happy, just like spending time with close friends.
"I haven't been on any missions outside Konoha lately, so I've been staying safe."
"Also, I'm not here as part of the Anbu this time, so there's no need to call me by my codename. Just call me Yamato." Yamato said to Naruto.
"By the way, are we ready?"
Tsunade nodded, stood up from her chair, put on the Hokage robe, and placed the Hokage hat on her head.
"Let's go."
After adjusting her hat, she said dryly to Naruto,
"Kid, I didn't bring you here just to tag along. If you really want to succeed me as Hokage, then listen carefully and learn well."
"Yeah, yeah," Naruto muttered, following Tsunade and Yamato out of the office toward the meeting room.
"Isn't the Tsuchikage coming?" From what Naruto knew, the Tsuchikage had always been impatient about attending these kinds of meetings.
A slight frown appeared on Tsunade's brow.
"He hasn't sent a reply to my invitation. That stubborn old man thinks that besides losing the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, there's no conflict of interest between Iwagakure and the Akatsuki organization, nor is it possible to recover the stolen One-Tail. He believes that with the loss of the Jinchuriki, the Akatsuki temporarily pose no threat to Iwagakure, so he has zero interest in showing up to this meeting. He wants things to stay the way they are."
Naruto and Yamato exchanged frowns. This so-called "status quo" was nothing more than a fragile balance. If any of the great ninja nations crossed the line, it could spark a war.
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