The following day,
Rumors of Naruto's supposed peeping incident spread throughout Konoha.
Despite his denials, no one believed his claims of being framed.
Walking down the street, Naruto resolved to clear his name and apprehend the true culprit.
With renewed determination,
He headed towards the hot spring shop.
At the store's entrance,
Hinata Hyuga emerged from an alleyway, her face flushed, avoiding his gaze.
Naruto stammered,
"Hinata, what are you doing here? I... I didn't come to watch you bathe."
Hinata, her voice barely audible, replied,
"Naruto... Naruto-kun, I believe you."
"You... you wouldn't do such a thing!"
Emboldened by Hinata's unwavering trust, Naruto became even more determined to catch the real perpetrator.
"Thank you, Hinata!" He placed his hands on her shoulders, expressing his gratitude.
The sudden contact startled Hinata, and she quickly evaded his grasp, fleeing in an erratic path.
Watching Hinata's peculiar reaction, Naruto scratched his head, pondering,
"Does Hinata dislike me touching her?"
...
On the Hokage building's rooftop,
A master and his apprentice stood apart, their distance creating an awkward atmosphere.
"Old man, I want to take Naruto," Jiraiya stated casually.
"No, he's the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. The other Konoha elders won't agree," Hiruzen Sarutobi replied, exhaling a plume of smoke.
"But he's also Minato's son," Jiraiya countered, adding, "You've seen the future visions. He's mastered Sage Mode and the Rasengan."
"You can train him within the village."
"You know I dislike staying in this place for too long," Jiraiya murmured.
"Please, stay and help the village through these tough times," Hiruzen pleaded.
Jiraiya remained silent.
His primary reason for returning to Konoha was to escort Naruto out of the village for his protection.
"We'll discuss this later."
With a curt response, Jiraiya departed.
At that moment,
An Anbu operative appeared before Hiruzen, kneeling.
"Third Hokage-sama, the leaders of the other four villages have requested an audience. They await you at the Fire Country's border."
Hiruzen sighed, accepting the inevitable.
"Grant them passage."
"Understood."
Alone on the rooftop,
Hiruzen gazed at the Hokage Rock, wondering, "Is it truly necessary to add another face to the monument?"
His past decisions during the Third Shinobi World War had resulted in significant losses, particularly against Iwagakure. Only Minato's intervention had turned the tide.
Danzo had also resigned, taking responsibility for his actions.
Had Minato survived the Nine-Tails attack, Hiruzen would likely be enjoying his retirement.
Now,
Konoha faced another crisis. If sacrifices were required, he would likely be the first.
After all, he was the Hokage.
"No..."
"I can serve as Hokage for another five years! I won't resign so easily!"
...
In a darkened room within Konoha,
A man with a bandaged right eye and a cane examined a secret letter.
It read:
"Danzo-sama, the Konoha Crush plan is temporarily suspended. We look forward to future collaborations!
Orochimaru."
Danzo clenched his fists in frustration.
Orochimaru was proving unreliable. He had been a contender for Fourth Hokage, but his unethical human experiments had led to his downfall.
Now, their plan to eliminate Hiruzen had been abruptly halted.
Danzo felt a surge of helplessness.
"If he weren't so useful, I'd eliminate him myself!" Danzo seethed.
However, the thought of Hiruzen facing the other Kage provided some solace.
If Hiruzen fell,
He, Danzo, could finally claim the Hokage seat.
"Summon him!"
"Danzo-sama!"
A man with a long, orange ponytail entered.
"Yamanaka Fū, alert all Root members. They are to follow my orders at any time!"
"Yes."
Danzo smiled sinisterly, contemplating his next move.
"Regardless of the outcome, I will benefit."
"Hiruzen will bear the consequences."
"The tables have turned, monkey."
Danzo exited the room, intent on gauging Hiruzen's stance on resolving the Impure World Reincarnation issue.