In addition to restructuring various departments and appointing a Hokage advisor, Ito Hirofumi made a bold move by establishing the Hokage Guard Squad—nicknamed the Shadow Guard!
The first members of this elite team? None other than the Konoha 12.
Sure, aside from Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, the rest were mostly Chunin-level for now. But in the future? These twelve were destined to become full-fledged Kage-level powerhouses! A dozen Kage-level ninjas as his personal guard? Talk about extravagant!
Of course, they were guards in name only for now. Their main focus was still training and getting stronger.
Once the orders were issued, the massive machine that was the Hidden Leaf Village roared to life, bustling with activity.
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Jiraiya, however, was not thrilled about being appointed Minister of Education. He had a mission to find the Child of Prophecy, after all!
BOOM!
The door to the Hokage's office flew open.
"Ito, you little—er, Lord Hokage!" Jiraiya corrected himself mid-shout.
"What's up, Master Jiraiya?" Ito Hirofumi asked, looking up from his desk as Jiraiya barged in.
"I can't be the Minister of Education!"
"Why not?"
"Because… ugh! I have a mission! I need to find the legendary Child of Prophecy!"
Hirofumi's expression turned odd. He glanced at the Shadow Guard—aka the Konoha 12—who were casually having a meal in his office. Naruto was practically inhaling leek pancakes.
"Uh… you're saying you need to find the Child of Prophecy?" Hirofumi asked.
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
"Well… go ahead and look, then. But you'll never find them."
"Why not?!"
"Because Naruto Uzumaki is the Child of Prophecy."
"WHAT?!" Jiraiya's jaw dropped as he stared at Naruto.
Naruto, mouth stuffed with leek pancakes, mumbled, "Mmph… ugh… choke! Hirofumi, what'd you call me for? Child of Prophecy? Is that tastier than leek pancakes?"
Jiraiya gaped at the clueless Naruto, unable to believe this was the Child of Prophecy he'd been searching for.
Hirofumi leaned back and said casually, "A golden-haired, blue-eyed boy, laughing as he calls the names of nine beasts…"
Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock. "How… how could you possibly know the Great Toad Sage's prophecy?!"
Ignoring him, Hirofumi called out to Naruto. "Hey, Naruto! Show Master Jiraiya your eyes. Then your hair. Oh, and your Nine-Tails!"
Naruto, still confused, patted his stomach. "Kurama! Hirofumi's calling you out!"
After everything that had happened, the Nine-Tails—Kurama—had come to terms with his fate. Sealed in a kid's stomach? Fine. The ninjas out there were terrifying, and he couldn't beat or outrun them. Might as well chill in the seal.
So, Kurama, embracing his "go with the flow" mindset, fist-bumped Naruto. That's when Naruto learned his true name: Kurama!
A moment later, a mini version of the Nine-Tails appeared in Naruto's hand, strutting with attitude. "Stupid Naruto! What do you want, calling me out like this?! And you, you annoying Ito Hirofumi brat—"
Before Kurama could finish, he dove into Naruto's arms, his nine tails wrapping tightly around his head. Hirofumi was staring at him with a playful smirk, his Mangekyo Sharingan glinting.
"Kurama, what was that?" Hirofumi said, feigning innocence. "I didn't catch what you said, Lord Hokage."
One of Kurama's tails shifted slightly, revealing a tiny eye peeking out. "Heh… haha… just an illusion! I said, 'My esteemed Lord Hokage, what does the great fox need to do for you?'"
Hirofumi turned to Jiraiya with a grin. "See, Master Jiraiya? There's your Child of Prophecy."
Jiraiya's mind was reeling. Golden hair, blue eyes—Naruto fit the bill. Calling the names of the nine beasts? Naruto had just shouted Kurama's name! So, the Child of Prophecy he'd spent half his life searching for was right under his nose this whole time?!
Damn it!
"Naruto Uzumaki!" Jiraiya bellowed.
"Huh? What's up, Pervy Sage?" Naruto replied, picking his nose.
Despite the massive shifts in the timeline, Naruto still called Jiraiya "Pervy Sage." Why? Because the night before, Naruto had caught Jiraiya peeking at the women's bathhouse while out for a stroll. He'd ratted him out to the Anbu, nearly getting Jiraiya thrown in jail.
Later, Jiraiya explained he was Naruto's father's teacher and the Toad Sage. But Naruto only remembered the "sage" part and forgot the "toad," so Toad Sage became Pervy Sage.
"I'm not Pervy Sage! I'm the Toad Sage!" Jiraiya protested.
"Yeah, yeah, got it. So, what's up, Pervy Sage?" Naruto said, still picking his nose.
"You little punk! I said I'm not the Toad Sage—er, I mean, I'm not Pervy Sage! I'm the Toad Sage!"
"Right, you just admitted it!" Naruto grinned.
"Argh! You infuriating kid! Naruto Uzumaki, you're the Child of Prophecy! Be my disciple!"
Naruto flicked his nose and squinted. "Why should I take you as my disciple?"
"Huh?!" Jiraiya blinked, confused.
"Gah! I mean, you should be my disciple!" Jiraiya stammered. "No, wait, I mean I'll take you as my disciple!"
Naruto tilted his head. "Can you beat Uncle Second?"
The Konoha 12 had been training under the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, lately. Though Tobirama hadn't officially taken them as disciples, he taught them everything they wanted to learn without holding back.
Jiraiya froze. "Uncle Second? You mean Lord Second Hokage?"
"Yup!"
Jiraiya straightened up, puffing out his chest with boundless confidence. "Hah! A joke! I'm the gallant Jiraiya, the Toad Sage! The dragon returns to the sea, and the sea welcomes none other than me! The Second Hokage? Pfft, I—"
He paused, then deflated. "Okay, yeah, I can't beat him."
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