After settling the matter with the exchange station, Sora had no intention of letting Jiraiya slip away. The more high-level combat power they had, the better.
If the Hokage had been anyone else, Sora wouldn't have bothered. If things annoyed him, he'd have defected on the spot.
Wouldn't it be tempting to join the Akatsuki instead and make a big debut?
But the problem was—Minato was the Hokage. And now that Naruto was a few months old, Kushina's impending crisis wasn't far off.
Even though Sora had already changed many events, he didn't want to risk even a one-in-ten-thousand chance of tragedy happening.
"Jiraiya, Tsunade, Orochimaru, Minato—four Kage-level powerhouses. And if I count Hiruzen Sarutobi, that makes five!"
Sora counted on his fingers, finally relaxing with a deep sigh.
Based on his assessment, Uchiha Madara should already be dead. Even if Nagato and Obito came to Konoha together, the village now had the strength to teach them a lesson.
No matter how Sora coaxed or persuaded, Jiraiya remained unmoved—until Tsunade's mighty fist made its debut.
After one earth-shaking punch, Jiraiya immediately surrendered and agreed to return to Konoha with them.
To accommodate Shizune's pace, the group slowed their travel speed a bit. Still, it only took them three days to arrive.
"This... where are we? Did we take the wrong path?"
Staring at the unfamiliar towering buildings before him, Jiraiya stammered in disbelief.
"Nope, this is the right spot. This is where Konoha is."
As he spoke, Sora looked around again to confirm—they were indeed in the correct place.
Tsunade wasn't much better off than Jiraiya. The only reason she wasn't completely stunned was because Sora had already told her a little about it.
What she didn't know, however, was that Sora had been completely bluffing at the time.
In his mind, even if Konoha developed at full speed, it would've taken a few years to reach this level.
He had severely underestimated the productivity of ninja. If one jutsu wasn't enough to solve a problem, two would do the trick.
Looking around now, even Sora felt like he had returned to his previous life. The scene before him left him speechless with awe.
"Lord Jiraiya, Lady Tsunade!" Just then, two familiar figures emerged from a building even more luxurious than the old Hokage office.
Sora and the others immediately recognized them—it was the eternal gatekeeping duo of Konoha.
"Good grief—even you two live this well now?" Jiraiya couldn't hold it in anymore and blurted out.
The two were stunned for a second, then chuckled. "You two haven't been back in a long time. This area is actually considered one of the poorer districts."
Poorer district.
Lesser area.
Worse part of town.
Of town.
Town…
Own…
The phrase echoed endlessly in Jiraiya's mind. If this was considered the poor part of town, then what did the rich areas look like?
He was about to ask more, but Tsunade's impatience got the better of her. She marched straight into the village.
What was the point in asking—just go see for yourself!
Seeing her lead the way, Jiraiya gave a brief nod to the gatekeepers and followed behind.
And with that, the group officially entered the new Konoha.
…
As they walked, they passed countless shops, smooth asphalt roads, and rows of neatly lined street lamps.
Everything around them piqued their curiosity.
After wandering for several hours, the group—except Sora—finally came to terms with what they were seeing.
"Sora, take us to the Hokage Tower."
Once the excitement wore off, Tsunade and Jiraiya awkwardly realized… they were lost.
Lost in the very village they had grown up in.
They exchanged a subtle glance, and Tsunade calmly said to Sora, "Take us there."
"I..." Sora glanced around in confusion, then sighed and admitted, "I'm lost too."
"Huh?"
Tsunade and Jiraiya both stared, mouths agape. Even little Shizune looked completely baffled.
Didn't you say you already knew what Konoha looked like now? How are you lost? Were you lying to us?
The more they thought about it, the more suspicious and annoyed Tsunade and Jiraiya became as they looked at Sora.
"Heh... I'll figure it out." With a sheepish laugh, Sora leapt onto the roof of a nearby three-story building.
Before he could even shout for help, four or five ANBU suddenly appeared in front of him.
"No unauthorized climbing in Konoha. Stay on the road!" barked one of them, wearing a fox mask with a distinctive head of white hair.
In the next instant, both recognized each other.
"Kakashi?"
"Sora?"
The moment he saw that white hair, Sora knew it was Kakashi. And Kakashi also recognized him immediately.
"Perfect timing! We're lost—take us to see Big Bro Minato!"
Sora used Body Flicker to appear beside Kakashi, slinging his arm over his shoulder in a friendly gesture. Kakashi was left dumbfounded.
Didn't you help design Konoha? How did you get lost here? What a talent…
Just as he was about to start roasting Sora, his eyes suddenly landed on Tsunade and Jiraiya.
"Lady Tsunade, Lord Jiraiya! I'll escort you to the Hokage right away!"
After greeting them respectfully, Kakashi dismissed the other ANBU and took the lead himself.
He was now a squad captain among the ANBU, with some real authority.
Watching Kakashi's respectful demeanor, Sora silently made a mental note.
"Today I returned to Konoha and got lost. Kakashi not only scolded me but refused to help! Fine. But then he enthusiastically escorted Tsunade and Jiraiya! I, Sora, never forget a grudge!"
He engraved the grievance in his heart, then followed along with a big smile.
In truth, what he really wanted to do was go home and take a nice nap. Unfortunately—he couldn't find his own house.
If he ever got a second chance, he would definitely say:
"I once lived in a humble little village, but I dreamed of changing the world. If I could do it all over again—please, just build my house in the most obvious place!"
Muttering to himself, he followed the group. Soon, they arrived at the Hokage Tower—and this time, it truly was a tower.
The old two-story office wouldn't even qualify as a storage room compared to this!
This one was a full ten stories tall, with massive floor-to-ceiling windows gleaming in the sunlight.
The reflected light was so bright, they had to squint just to look at it—utterly dazzling.
Setting aside their amazement, they followed Kakashi up to the top floor, which housed the Hokage's office.
As they stood before the door, Tsunade was overwhelmed with emotion. She had sworn never to return—yet here she was again.
And after Hiruzen stepped down, Konoha had changed so fast—it felt like a completely different place.
Sora and Jiraiya understood her feelings. No one urged her forward. They just stood quietly… waiting.