Hayate Gekko's murder set off alarm bells for Hiruzen Sarutobi.
As the second official exam drew closer, his sense of foreboding deepened.
At this critical moment, Hayate's death forced Hiruzen to confront troubling possibilities.
Though Hayate was only a tokubetsu jonin, his abilities were well-rounded, and he was especially proficient in Konoha's Katana Techniques. He was essentially the equal of a full jonin.
In their battle, he hadn't even been able to cry out for help…
After thinking for a moment, Hiruzen ordered, "Send a message to the Anbu Commander. I want the exam grounds under tight watch the moment the second test starts."
"Yes!"
After the Anbu ninja left, Hiruzen assigned other shinobi to patrol every part of Konoha thoroughly.
Konoha was wide open to visitors right now—anyone could walk right in. For now, they had no choice but to focus on prevention.
Days slipped by quickly. Only three days remained before the second exam began.
Naruto Uzumaki was now undergoing intensive joint training from Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya.
Of course, Naruto didn't refuse this opportunity.
He had already mastered the Rasengan and Summoning Technique, and could now summon toads from Mount Myoboku.
Yet things weren't as straightforward as they seemed…
Jiraiya had been troubled ever since returning from Mount Myoboku a few days ago.
This was because the Great Toad Sage had experienced a new dream.
The Great Toad Sage gains fragmented visions of the future through dreams, although these insights remain unclear and disjointed.
But this time, the dream completely overturned all previous prophecies.
"Jiraiya, the future has changed entirely. I can no longer see it clearly. A unique presence has altered events that were destined to happen—but not completely."
Confused, Jiraiya asked, "What do you mean, 'changed but not completely'?"
"Some things will still occur, but how they begin and end is uncertain. We also don't know if those endings might lead to new problems. One vision caught my attention before I lost sight of the future completely… It involved Konoha."
Hearing that Konoha was involved, Jiraiya urgently asked what exactly the Great Toad Sage had seen.
"Konoha is about to undergo a transformation… and eventually tear itself apart."
When he heard Konoha was going to split apart, Jiraiya froze in disbelief.
With both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze present—two Hokage-level leaders—how could Konoha possibly fall apart?
Wanting clarification, Jiraiya pressed further, but the Great Toad Sage simply said, "This vision came after the future changed, so even I can't say for sure if it's accurate. You'll have to judge it yourself."
Ever since returning from Mount Myoboku, Jiraiya had been deeply troubled.
Minato Namikaze looked at Jiraiya's solemn expression and asked with concern, "Jiraiya-sensei? What's wrong?"
"Ever since you came back from Mount Myoboku, you've looked troubled," Jiraiya said with a forced smile.
"It's nothing serious. I'm just thinking about how to write my new book."
"Really?"
Minato Namikaze felt puzzled. Did he really have to look like he was out thousands of ryō every time he thought about his new book? And wasn't Jiraiya supposed to be the one writing that kind of book? Would he even need to stop and think about it?
Minato continued supervising Naruto Uzumaki's cultivation.
After a brief silence, Jiraiya spoke up, "Minato..."
Minato turned his head toward Jiraiya. "What is it, teacher?"
Looking at Minato with a complicated expression, Jiraiya asked, "If... if Konoha did something unforgivable to you, would you forgive Konoha?"
Minato couldn't quite understand why Jiraiya was asking such a strange question, but he still answered seriously, "Of course I would forgive them. After all, I am the Fourth Hokage. How could the Hokage harbor resentment against his own village? Teacher, you seem a bit odd today. Did something happen?"
"No, nothing at all." Jiraiya patted Minato's shoulder. "Minato, I believe you'll definitely become a qualified and great Hokage!"
Minato gave a warm smile. "Thank you for your trust, teacher."
Naruto had been quietly listening in on Minato and Jiraiya's conversation.
Since earlier, Naruto had sensed that Jiraiya definitely knew something about what happened years ago.
Now Jiraiya was asking Minato these types of questions—was it because he felt guilty?
Naruto had never thought much of Jiraiya to begin with, and now his opinion got even worse.
As Minato's teacher, he colluded with others to hide information from Minato, and now asked roundabout questions about whether Minato would forgive them.
Minato was basically as clueless as an innocent fool who didn't know anything. When asked if he would forgive them, of course he would say yes. Could he actually say no?
In Naruto's view, this was nothing more than Jiraiya trying to ease his guilty conscience.
Inside the training field.
Kakashi frowned while watching Uchiha Sasuke practice.
Uchiha Sasuke had previously learned several Sword Forms from Thunder Breathing that Chinya had taught to Konoha, but they consumed too much energy and lacked power, so Sasuke abandoned them.
Therefore, Kakashi didn't need to teach Sasuke the Sword Forms in detail. He only needed to teach the breathing technique, then let Sasuke combine the breathing method with sword forms.
There was no doubt about Sasuke's genius. In just over ten days, he had initially mastered the breathing technique and could use the Second Form and Third Form. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't master the first form—Thunder Flash, which left Kakashi completely baffled.
Was the first form—Thunder Flash that difficult? When he learned it himself, the first move he mastered was precisely Thunder Flash!
Sasuke was also deeply frustrated. The first form—Thunder Flash, part of Thunder Breathing that Chinya had introduced to Konoha, seemed clearly the simplest. All you needed to do was channel your strength into one foot, then explode forward all at once.
Yet this move that seemed simplest to master was one that Sasuke simply couldn't grasp.
Sasuke Uchiha asked with a puzzled expression, "Kakashi-sensei, which part did I do wrong? Every time I try to use [Thunder Flash], the power becomes uncontrollable mid-way. Instead of moving forward in a straight line, it ends up zigzagging wildly and eventually spiraling out of control."
Kakashi tapped his chin thoughtfully while slightly furrowing his brow. "Hmm, I'm actually not sure about this one. Your form and breathing seem correct, and your power should be more than enough to successfully execute [Thunder Flash]. How about this—I'll go ask around later, and you can work on practicing other forms for now."
Sasuke immediately knew exactly who Kakashi would seek out for answers. Without a word, he gave a sharp nod. "Alright then. Thanks for going through the trouble, Kakashi-sensei."
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