Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 68 A Strange Encounter

Jiraiya's investigation was fraught with twists and turns.

Too impatient, he didn't wait at the agreed location, but instead squatted down in front of Naruto's house. However, he was obviously not the only one squatting down for Naruto.

A long, movable cardboard box was moved from the street corner to the bottom of the apartment building, and three small shoes could be seen through the gaps underneath. Jiraiya couldn't quite understand what the kids were doing these days. If you said they were squatting, they crouched down; if you said they were pretending, their pretense was full of flaws—it was truly baffling. Jiraiya, with amusement in mind, squatted downstairs with the kids, but after a short while, the building's only two residents appeared.

The Uchiha descendant, who always tries to maintain a cool and aloof demeanor, walked towards them with his eyes closed. His dazed state made anyone fear he might collapse at any moment. Was he taking advantage of the early morning when there were fewer people to let loose?

However, even though the little guy was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open, he still maintained his vigilance. About two meters away from them, his crimson Sharingan activated, one with two tomoe and the other with three tomoe. Those beautiful yet terrifying eyes met Jiraiya's gaze directly.

For a fleeting moment, Jiraiya absurdly felt that this kid was unfathomable. Then he quickly broke free from the genjutsu, inwardly despising his own carelessness. Even if he's just a child, the Sharingan is still the Sharingan; how could he make direct eye contact? But… that kid is only twelve years old, right? He already has one three-tomoe Sharingan…

"You guys being here means Naruto's home, right?" The genjutsu being easily broken seemed to have no effect on Sasuke's mood. His eyes returned to their pure black, and he strode confidently into the stairwell, like a brat showing off... Oh, he really is still a kid, but why so proud? Just because he's the only one who can openly look for Naruto?! He was just waiting here to avoid disturbing him beforehand!

Jiraiya's assumptions were somewhat off, because Sasuke went upstairs and opened Naruto's front door as if it were his own home. And Naruto? Of course, he was awake.

"I am back!"

"Welcome back. Breakfast is ready, come and have some!"

As we all know, Naruto is a sensory-type ninja with an extremely wide range of perception. How could he not know that four people were waiting outside his house? And Naruto is a warm and considerate person, like a little sun, always mindful of others' feelings. He should have gone downstairs earlier to save those four people from worrying, but he didn't.

Because Sasuke is on his way home.

Jiraiya had witnessed his disciple's entire life from childhood to adulthood. From mutual affection to becoming engaged, to marriage and having children, every step Minato and Kushina took was a model of a perfect couple. Therefore, Jiraiya knew very well what it meant to love someone. Furthermore, he was over fifty years old and had traveled extensively throughout his life, seeing far too much of the world...

...This strong sense of déjà vu...no way...

After breakfast, Naruto went out, while Sasuke hadn't even left his house. Jiraiya was full of questions, but with the child present, he couldn't say anything. He couldn't very well ask Naruto in front of the child who Sasuke was!

"Good morning! Sorry to keep you waiting. I brought you some snacks to tide you over." Naruto brought down a box of sushi. It wasn't a large portion, but it was just enough for the four of them to have a few pieces.

Jiraiya, being in the public eye, naturally ate openly and honestly. After one bite, he suddenly understood Sasuke's obsession with going home despite being exhausted. With a roommate like that, he wouldn't even bother with the hot springs anymore; he'd definitely go home for dinner every day!

The three little ones, believing they hadn't been exposed, remained crouched inside the box, their stomachs growling in protest. Then Naruto gently tapped their cardboard box, and the three whispered amongst themselves before throwing out a smoke grenade. Using the smoke as cover, the three little ones removed their disguise, revealing their true forms with a menacing air.

"Hmph, you actually saw through our disguise. No wonder you're the legendary man." Konohamaru pretended not to be hungry and said with his hands on his hips, "I'm willing to be your underling!"

"...Huh?" This familiar scene struck Naruto, leaving him bewildered as he tried to figure out why Konohamaru had taken a liking to him this time. And... what's with the rumors?

"But... you have to teach me how to beat everyone in the school!"

"..." Was he this ruthless when he was in school?

"Gurgle..." The loud rumbling in his stomach immediately dampened the children's spirits. Naruto almost burst out laughing. He handed over the lunchbox, which was immediately snatched up by the children. They were really going all out, coming to stake out the place so early in the morning without even eating breakfast. This behavior seemed to have started after the exams, but Naruto had been too busy to pay attention to them.

"Young Master Konohamaru! You skipped class again!" A teacher wearing sunglasses suddenly appeared out of nowhere, startling two of the three children so much that they stood at attention and almost choked on their rice balls. Only Konohamaru looked completely unfazed.

The awkward silence between the five people wasn't part of Ebisu's plan. He paused for a moment, his gaze lingering on Naruto for a brief instant. Even with sunglasses on, Naruto's strong aversion was palpable. Then, he precisely targeted Konohamaru, earnestly advising, "Young Master, I've told you many times, you're the Third Hokage's grandson! Don't get involved with people like that! As long as you follow my guidance, you'll definitely become Hokage in the shortest time!"

The only adult among the five changed his expression, staring at the man in sunglasses with slightly hostility. Information is information, but the power of words is far less than that of firsthand experience. He'd seen too many friendly people towards Naruto these past few days, almost forgetting how most people treated him. Indeed…it's very unpleasant.

"Konohamaru, you skipped class to come find me? That's not good." Naruto, a former habitual truant but now a model student, said, "Although a lot of the knowledge in school isn't very useful, you still need to build a solid foundation. Besides, even if you're skipping class, you have to do it without getting caught by the teacher."

The group was taken aback, but Ebisu, the teacher, immediately flew into a rage and said, "What kind of crooked teachings are you giving me! You're not allowed to corrupt the young master!"

"Oh? Aren't you the same?" Naruto said with a smile, "Children mostly imitate adults. When you impart knowledge, you force your own views into them, aren't you also leading them astray? When this child first met me, he kept mentioning that the Third Hokage was his grandfather. Looking at him today, I realize he learned it from you."

"I'm just stating the facts, what's wrong with that! Young Master's future achievements will definitely be much greater than those of a good-for-nothing like you!" Ebisu was as stubborn as ever, completely unaware of his mistake.

Naruto's smile faded, his expression turning solemn. He said, "True strength comes from within, not from being someone else's 'someone else'. You claim to be training Hokage, yet you pass on your bad habits to your juniors. What do you take the Hokage for?!"