"So, today is the day you are leaving." Shikamaru mumbled before looking into Naruto's blue eyes seriously.
"Are you sure you can face this challenge?" He asked.
Naruto chuckled as he raised his hand and made a fist. Shikamaru followed his action, and they bumped their fists.
"If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't go." Naruto replied.
Shikamaru nodded his head.
Naruto turned to the side.
Hinata was holding a bento box that she had prepared for him. Her eyes were a bit red. She put the bento in his hands and said.
"Please be safe, okay?"
"Hinata-chan, I promise I will return without any problem." Naruto gave her a big smile as he took the bento.
"Alright, we will see after a week then." Naruto waved his hand and turned around. If he kept staying here, he would find it harder to leave them.
So, he had to leave right now.
While he left, Hinata suddenly caught his hand from behind. Naruto stopped but he didn't turn around. At first, her voice shuttered a bit but she spoke with some confidence.
"L-let's go on a date after you return!"
Naruto's eyes widened. He turned around and raised his hand, giving her a foxy smile and a thumbs-up.
"Alright, Hinata-chan!"
Finally, he turned around and left with Body Flicker.
Hinata looked in the direction with some worries in her eyes. Behind her, Shikamaru patted her shoulder and said.
"Don't worry, Hinata! Naruto will be fine. After all, his dream is much more than this."
Hinata took a deep breath and nodded.
"I will train harder so next time, I won't be left behind."
Hearing her words, Shikamaru was horrified.
"Doesn't that mean I have to work hard too?"
Hinata turned around and saw an absolute horror on his face. The sadness of Naruto's absence slowly faded as she chuckled.
"Shikamaru-kun, you can't back down now."
......….
Soon, Naruto caught up with Mei, Ao, Chojuro, and some of her guards waiting at a certain part of the northern border.
Since Mei was an important part of this rebellion, they decided not to take a normal route. So, they were going to the near border of the Land of Hot Water, and from there, they would choose the sea route to the Land of Water.
"Did you say goodbye to your friends?" Mei smiled and asked when Naruto appeared next to her.
Naruto nodded.
"Then, let's go!"
Mei gave the signal to her team and they started jumping from tree to tree, constantly using Body Flicker.
After nearly three hours, they stopped. They were going at a moderate speed but covered nearly ten kilometers in just three hours. Because Body Flicker consumes quite a lot of Chakra after long use, they had to rest.
"So, do you think you are ready to face Yagura?" Mei put a smile on her lips as she asked.
Naruto nodded.
"I am. It might not go as I planned, but I have to defeat him."
Hearing his tone, Mei couldn't help but frown.
"You said this before. But I don't understand. Why are you so hurrying to gain strength? You know, for years old person, you are stronger than most Jonin even without Kyubi's Chakra."
When she asked this question, Jiraya, who was silently staying on the tree, looked at Naruto with a curious gaze. Ao and Chojuro also stared at him with some curiosity.
Naruto didn't want to reveal them much, but their friendship has grown a lot in this month. So, he didn't want to ignore them either.
After a long sigh, he answered.
"Four Months Ago, Kyubi had a dream about some creatures. He brought me inside my mindscape, where we met for the first time and talked about his dream."
"I also learned some deep secrets of this world, including but not limited to Sage of Six Paths, his mother, Chakra, and some history of humans."
"A long time ago, there was no Chakra, but one day, a rabbit princess visited Earth from Heaven. Well, that is the story known to most people. But, the truth is that she wasn't some princess or god-like being."
"At least, not before she ate a Chakra Fruit that spawned out of the God Tree, which is also known as Ten Tails. Later, Sage of Six Path fought his mother alongside his brother and managed to seal his mother inside the moon."
"He used a broken ability that allowed him to create things out of Chakra. These were nine-tailed beasts. Kyubi saw the creatures of a race that Sage's mothers came from, arriving on earth."
"They absorbed Tailed Beast using Rinnegan in their palms. Whether it was just a dream or a warning, we do not know. But, we do know that there exists a race that can give birth to the likes of the Sage of Six Paths."
"So, I am training hard to become strong enough to face such threats."
For a long time, nobody spoke. Naruto hadn't lied, but he hadn't said all of the truth as well. He learned a lot of things from Kurama, so he knew a lot of things.
But, he wasn't going to reveal it to another nation or even other people in general.
"You know, all of this sounds like a fairytale." Mei opened her mouth. She processed the information but couldn't believe it.
She couldn't comprehend the existence of a race that had Rinnegan on their palms.
"It might be true." Jiraya spoke. He jumped from the tree and sat in front of them.
"Normally, I wouldn't reveal such information in front of other nations. But I have a feeling that we will be good allies. As you know, I am a Toad Sage. And, I deal with Nature Energy a lot."
"Toads from Mount Myoboku can use Nature Energy to do superhuman stuff. And, the most ancient toad of all toads sometimes dreams about the future. They call it a prophecy."
"He once prophesied that I would one day train a Child of Prophecy who would either bring Peace or Destruction to the Ninja World. A long time ago, I took three students to the Land of Rains at the end of the Second Ninja War."
"One of them had a Rinnegan. After I left, I heard that they died during their fight against Hanzo. Later on, I took another student. You might know him as the Fourth Hokage of Konoha."
"He was a prodigy. Once again, I thought I found a Child of Prophecy, and if I could guide him properly, he might bring peace to the ninja world. But he died too early."
When he said that, there was silence and pain in his tone, and tears at the corners of his eyes. He quickly wiped away his tears and continued.
"Anyway, I am still in my search for the Child of Prophecy. I have found Rinnegan. I have found a prodigy. And, now, I am training a Jinchuriki."
He ruffled Naruto's hair and said.
"Kyubi might not be wrong. He might have seen the future in his dreams."
Naruto almost rolled his eyes, but he felt warm when Jiraya showed that gesture.
"Sigh! I don't know what to say. One second, we were talking about Fourth Mizukage, and now, we are talking about creatures that come from outside our world."
Mei rubbed her forehead.
"Anyway, that's why I want Three Tails. I don't want to take any chances and make our enemies stronger." Naruto spoke.
"I said this before. You are not allowed to force Sanbi. If only he agrees on his own, I will allow you to take him." Mei spoke with a stern tone.
Naruto smiled and nodded.
"Don't worry, I won't force him."
"I think it is a good idea to let him get Three Tails, Mei-san," Jiraya spoke with a serious tone. His words made Ao and Chojuro active in battle.
Mei narrowed her eyes and said.
"Is Konoha going to break their promise?"
"No, we are not going to do that." Jiraya quickly answered and continued.
"While I was gathering information for Konoha, I found quite a problematic information, not just for Konoha but for other Four Nations as well."
Mei could see the seriousness on his face. She calmed her nerves and asked.
"What kind of problem is that?"
"There is an organization known for its mercenary actions. But that is just a facade that they are putting in front of the world. In reality, their goal is to get Tailed Beasts from each nation."
"What?" Mei almost stood up.
Naruto also raised his eyebrows in surprise. He didn't expect it would be humans who would go after all the Tailed Beasts.
But, he remembered Obito, who released the Nine-Tails from his mother.
"What kind of organization is that?" Mei asked.
Jiraya had a serious look on his face as he uttered that name.
"Akatsuki."