Naruto: Reborn in His Younger Self

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Naruto : I Aspire to become Hokage man

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As the force of Naruto's Wind Release: Rasenshuriken dissipated, the four remaining Paths of Pain collapsed onto the water. The Naraka Path placed its hand on the surface, then stood up and shook its head.

Deva Path tilted its head slightly and stated expressionlessly, "Because the Asura Path is a mechanized puppet, it was completely destroyed by the Rasengan. Its remains spiraled into the sea, sank, and can no longer be detected."

It turned out that the Asura Path had been utterly annihilated by a Rasengan launched by one of Naruto's shadow clones. The remains had sunk into the depths of the ocean, making them impossible to recover or restore.

Meanwhile, Naruto had caught Jiraiya himself.

The Sage Art: Wind Release Rasenshuriken had been thrown by two of his shadow clones from a distance.

The kunai that had flown past earlier bore the Flying Thunder God Formula, a technique passed down from his father, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.

In his previous life, Naruto had become Hokage. After losing Kurama and his ability to use Flying Raijin through the Nine-Tails' chakra mode, he had trained to master his father's Flying Thunder God Technique to make up for his lost speed.

On his way to rescue Jiraiya, he had already prepared for this.

Unexpectedly, it had come in handy.

Naruto gently lowered Jiraiya onto solid ground and asked with concern, "Can you still move, Pervy Sage?"

Before Jiraiya could respond, Fukasaku suddenly interrupted, his eyes narrowing in shock. He looked at the orange pigmentation around Naruto's eyes, sniffed the air, and exclaimed, "Kid, who are you?! How do you know Sage Mode?!"

Naruto turned to the elder toad and was about to greet him, but then he realized—Master Fukasaku hasn't met me yet at this point.

Jiraiya, still catching his breath, noticed the changes in Naruto as well.

The orange pigmentation around his eyes…

That was the mark of Sage Mode!

And Naruto's appearance hadn't changed much, which meant—

He had completely mastered Sage Mode.

More than that, the kunai on the ground bore the Flying Thunder God seal, a technique belonging to the Fourth Hokage.

This kid… When did he even learn his father's jutsu?

And Sage Mode on top of that?!

Who the hell taught him all this?!

Despite his injuries, Jiraiya couldn't suppress his shock.

He turned to Fukasaku and said weakly, "Fukasaku, this is my other apprentice… His name is Naruto."

Fukasaku's eyes widened. "What?! Another disciple?!"

Tendo Pain—the leader of the Six Paths—focused his Rinnegan on Naruto and stated coldly, "You are the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, Uzumaki Naruto."

Unlike Fukasaku, who was unfamiliar with Naruto, the Akatsuki had been collecting Jinchūriki for years. Naturally, they had gathered intel on him.

Naruto clenched his fists, his blue eyes locking onto Pain—then shifting to Jiraiya's broken arm.

Seeing his sensei in this condition…

Even though he had forgiven Pain in his previous life…

At this moment, Naruto wanted nothing more than to destroy him with his own hands.

His chakra flared violently. "I've already forgiven you before… But seeing my teacher like this with my own eyes? I swear, if we meet again, I'll crush you with my own hands."

A heavy killing intent surged from Naruto.

Jiraiya quickly stepped in, his voice strained. "Naruto, don't lose yourself in revenge. Leave now! These bodies… They aren't the real Pain. They're just corpses being controlled. The real Pain is—"

"I know." Naruto's voice was calm but firm.

Jiraiya froze.

Naruto stepped beside him, supporting his weight. He turned back to Tendo Pain, his expression unreadable. "Nagato… I'll be coming for you soon. Once I ensure my sensei's safety, I'll settle this personally. I'll remind you of everything you abandoned… and prove to you that your beliefs are meaningless."

With that, Naruto activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and vanished with Jiraiya.

Konan appeared beside Tendo Pain, her paper wings shifting as she landed. "You're letting them go?"

Pain gazed at the kunai on the ground. "Two Paths have been destroyed. The power of the Six Paths is incomplete. Tracking someone using space-time ninjutsu is difficult. And we don't know if more reinforcements are coming. We'll reorganize first. Then… I will personally go to Konoha and capture the Nine-Tails."

He turned, leading the remaining Paths of Pain back to their hideout.

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Mount Myōboku

Shima, the elder female toad, applied medicine to Jiraiya's severed arm. "Brace yourself, boy. This is going to sting."

Jiraiya gritted his teeth, sweat pouring from his forehead as the salve burned against his wound.

Fukasaku turned toward Naruto. "If this kid hadn't shown up in time, Jiraiya would've died for sure."

Shima clicked her tongue. "I told you not to go, Jiraiya! You're lucky to have made it back alive."

Jiraiya let out a shaky breath. The physical damage from the battle had taken a heavy toll on him.

But despite that…

Despite everything…

The thing that shook him the most wasn't Pain's true identity.

It was Naruto.

His Sage Mode, his Flying Thunder God Technique, his combat awareness—

He was fighting at a level far beyond what Jiraiya had ever expected.

In fact…

His Sage Mode was superior to Jiraiya's.

Even his combination of jutsu was more fluid than Minato's.

Jiraiya couldn't help but feel proud.

But he needed answers.

He turned to Naruto. "Kid… How did you even get here? And when the hell did you learn Sage Mode and the Flying Thunder God Technique?!"

Shima looked between them, confused. "Wait, this brat knows Sage Mode?"

Fukasaku nodded seriously. "Yeah. And not just that—his Sage Mode is even better than Jiraiya's. Look, barely any toad features appeared on him. Only the orange pigmentation around his eyes."

Shima was stunned. "Who taught you, kid? Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya shook his head.

Fukasaku and Shima turned to Naruto expectantly.

Naruto hesitated. He looked at Jiraiya, eyes serious. "Sensei… I'm sorry. I can't tell you yet. But one day, I'll explain everything. I promise."

Jiraiya studied his apprentice carefully.

A few seconds passed. Then, he chuckled.

"It's fine. A student's allowed to have his secrets. Just make sure you're always walking the right path."

His expression darkened slightly as he recalled something.

He had confirmed the true mastermind behind Pain.

It was Nagato.

His former student… now his enemy.

Jiraiya swallowed the painful thought.

Naruto met his gaze, unwavering. "Don't worry, Pervy Sage. I will protect Konoha, my friends, and this entire world—even if it costs me my life Believe it."

Jiraiya was momentarily stunned by the sheer conviction in Naruto's voice.

Then, his lips curled into a smile.

"Maybe…" Jiraiya murmured. "Maybe you really are the child of prophecy, just like the Great Toad Sage said."

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Naruto : I Aspire to become Hokage man