"So, does this mean Naruto is okay?" Sakura asked Jiraiya and Kakashi with some surprise.
Sasuke’s eyes lit up and he instinctively asked Naruto, "How long will it take for you to fully heal?"
Naruto scratched the back of his head: "For this kind of injury to fully heal, it will take about... five years."
Sakura and Sasuke were both stunned. Five years isn’t too long, but it’s not short either. They’re twelve now, and in five years, they’ll be seventeen. It doesn’t seem like a big deal when you think about it that way.
But when you think about it carefully, if Naruto only recovers after five years, it means they’ll be missing a teammate during that time. How is that different from Naruto not being a ninja?
"That’s too long," Sakura said, feeling a bit discouraged.
"You can’t say that," Sasuke shook his head. "It’s a miracle that Naruto survived his injuries. The hospital said he couldn’t be a ninja, but now not only did he survive, he can continue being a ninja in five years. If you think about it that way..."
Sasuke sighed after saying that.
Even though he said that, Sasuke still felt a bit uneasy. He had come to accept Naruto and truly saw him as a friend and rival. He had just started wanting to compete with Naruto, but now he found out that Naruto wouldn’t be able to continue being a ninja for another five years.
He wasn’t feeling uneasy for himself but for Naruto. Naruto had such strong power but was held back by his injuries, making him an ordinary person for five years. Sasuke subconsciously compared it in his mind: was five years of stability in Konohagakure worth it?
Naruto didn’t think that much. He just scratched the back of his head and laughed: "Granny Tsunade can shorten my recovery time. According to Kurama’s calculations, with Granny Tsunade’s help, I can regain my fighting strength in at most three months, and maybe even in less than a month."
Of course, Kurama meant that Naruto would regain his original fighting strength. It would take longer to use Kurama’s chakra again. The damage Kurama’s chakra did to Naruto’s body this time was too strong, and even Tsunade would have to work hard to fix it.
Hearing this, Sasuke’s eyes lit up:
"I understand. I’ll wait for the day you recover, and then we’ll finish the fight we didn’t complete in the Chunin exams."
Naruto’s eyes lit up, and he looked at Sasuke with determination: "I won’t hold back!"
It was as if lightning flashed in their eyes, clashing in the air. Their competitive spirit made Sakura feel like an outsider.
She looked at their powerful presence and smiled, but her face darkened: "If I don’t work hard, I might not even have the right to see your backs..."
She didn’t say this out loud.
Kakashi looked at the three of them and smiled with relief. He pulled down his forehead protector to cover his Sharingan: "Jiraiya-sama, I agree with Naruto going with you to find Tsunade-sama because I also hope Naruto can recover soon."
Jiraiya thought silently for a while, about half a minute, then looked at the four of them and smiled helplessly: "I understand. I agree, Naruto, you can come with me."
"Alright!" Naruto cheered excitedly.
"But!" Before Naruto could finish celebrating, Jiraiya continued, "You must follow my orders on the way. I’ll be responsible for protecting you, and I’ll supervise you. If your injuries show any signs of worsening, I’ll send you back immediately."
"Don’t worry, Pervy Sage, I’m very responsible," Naruto said, patting his chest.
Yeah, right. Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura all rolled their eyes at the same time. If Naruto was responsible, then there wouldn’t be anyone reckless in this world. This guy always gets himself hurt in every battle.
But... whatever. Seeing him get hurt to protect Konohagakure, they decided not to argue with him.
But since they were talking about it, Naruto had one more thing to ask the Pervy Sage: "Pervy Sage, before we leave, can I talk to Gaara from Sunagakure Village? They haven’t taken him back yet, right?"
"They haven’t," Jiraiya nodded. "But why do you want to see him?"
In the Konohagakure destruction plan, all Sunagakure and Otogakure ninjas were captured except for those who were killed. Now Konohagakure is negotiating with Sunagakure Village and Otogakure. After all, they are the victors and lost a Kage, so Konohagakure will make these two villages pay.
Otogakure has already given in, paying what they owe with an attitude of "this is how it is, if you don’t like it, come and fight us, we don’t care if our village is destroyed," which made Konohagakure very angry.
And Sunagakure Village, in one word, is poor.
They don’t have money, so they don’t care. Even if they don’t want the tailed beast, Konohagakure wouldn’t dare keep it, since they already have the strongest tailed beast, the Nine-Tails. Having another tailed beast would make other big countries unhappy. If Konohagakure doesn’t want to be attacked by the four big countries, they better return the tailed beast.
They can pay for the other ninjas, but they are poor, so they set the price. If Konohagakure doesn’t agree, they will drag it out and see who can hold out longer.
To be honest, Jiraiya really wanted to send troops to fight Sunagakure Village and had even prepared Anbu to infiltrate the Land of Wind. But the two Hokage advisors, who had connections with the Daimyo, wouldn’t allow it, saying things like "patience brings peace" and "take a step back and the sea is wide." Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn’t want to see the peace he worked so hard to build destroyed.
This made Jiraiya very frustrated. In the end, nothing happened, and the war didn’t start. Jiraiya even wondered if these two old guys were really from Konohagakure. Could they be spies?
Konohagakure’s current state is definitely related to these two Hokage advisors.
And they want him to be Hokage? No way. Whoever wants to be Hokage can be it, but Jiraiya couldn’t stand it. Besides, he wasn’t suitable for the role, being too emotional. Tsunade would be better. With her reputation in Konohagakure, those two old guys wouldn’t dare cause trouble.
After all, she created Konohagakure’s medical system, which allows them to win every battle. Plus, with the First Hokage as her grandfather, the Second Hokage as her granduncle, and the Third Hokage as her teacher, Tsunade’s reputation in Konohagakure is sky-high.
Anyway, I’m first, and you can do whatever you want after that.
Back to the point, the Sunagakure Village ninjas are being taken back bit by bit, and the only ones left are some big fish and the Jinchuriki Gaara. Naruto wanting to see Gaara is no big deal, Jiraiya just wanted to know the reason.
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