Chapter 86: Sage of Six Paths: What's with This White-haired Kid?

Under Naruto's intense training, Konohamaru and Sakura truly experienced what it means to brush against death. If Naruto hadn't used healing items at the last moment, they might have really ended up in the hospital for a good ten days or more.

However, due to the rampage caused by Naruto and his summoned beast around the village, the ANBU had once again hauled both him and Jiraiya into the Hokage's office. Naturally, as Naruto's teacher, Jiraiya couldn't escape blame, and the Third Hokage reluctantly summoned him for a talk.

As punishment, the Third ordered the two of them to restore the damaged training grounds. And, to add a bit of humiliation, he commanded master and disciple to clean all the men's bathhouses in the village—without using Shadow Clones.

"You ungrateful disciple!"

"I was only gone for half a day…"

"Look at the mess you've caused!"

Jiraiya angrily threw down the mop in his hand and began scolding Naruto. Although he was fond of bathhouses, that didn't mean he enjoyed cleaning them—especially the men's bathhouse! He felt wronged. All he had done that afternoon was find a quiet spot to nap without even pulling out his crystal ball, only to be dragged into the office and reprimanded by the Third Hokage.

"I was giving special training to Sakura and Konohamaru!" Naruto replied, looking completely self-righteous, a hint of smugness in his serious expression. In truth, he was in a pretty good mood after settling a few old scores. Cleaning the bathhouse? He figured he could treat it as routine training; after all, it was way easier than climbing trees.

"You… you still have the nerve to talk!" Jiraiya fumed, barely able to stay upright as he slumped against the wall. "Why did you make Gamabunta draw his blade? Do you even know how many buildings were knocked down?!"

Jiraiya looked at Naruto, a headache pounding in his temples. If he didn't keep an eye on this kid, he was sure Naruto would end up causing more trouble and dragging him down along with him. He couldn't help but wonder what the late Minato and Kushina would say—why on earth was Naruto's personality even wilder than Kushina's?

"It's just a few houses… Besides, I'm paying out of my own pocket to rebuild them," Naruto said, hands on his hips, not showing the slightest hint of remorse. Jiraiya's blood pressure surged as he stared, speechless.

"You…"

For a long moment, Jiraiya opened and closed his mouth, failing to utter a single word. At this point, he really wanted to give Kakashi and the Third a piece of his mind—especially Kakashi, who was hiding from him just like the old man.

After rubbing his temples and taking a deep breath, Jiraiya finally said, "Alright, let's leave it at that. I'm enduring this punishment with you, so take this as a lesson. Don't pull a stunt like this again. And no summoning creatures inside the village, got it?"

"Oh, for sure. Definitely won't happen again," Naruto nodded obediently, even though he clearly planned to do as he pleased.

"Good. Let's finish this quickly and wrap up by tonight," Jiraiya said with a satisfied smile, starting to think maybe Naruto could be saved after all. At least he still listened when it mattered.

As the evening wore on, the two shadows of master and disciple moved under the dim lights of the bathhouse, their laughter echoing from within.

---

"Grandpa! Grandpa!"

The Third Hokage had just returned home late at night when Konohamaru ran up to him, bursting with excitement.

"Grandpa, can you summon creatures too? I want to learn!"

Just hearing the words "summoning technique" made the Third Hokage's vision go black for a second. Ever since Naruto had learned the summoning technique, he had demolished half the village forest, eight homes, and seven shops. Thankfully, no one was hurt, mostly because people had been quick to react or weren't home at the time. Otherwise, he had no idea how he'd even begin to clean up after Naruto's chaos.

And now, Konohamaru wanted to learn summoning…

The Third's blood pressure spiked again. Trembling slightly, he took out his leftover blood pressure pills and downed them with a sigh. Then he looked at Konohamaru, and, in a heartfelt tone, said, "Konohamaru… Summoning techniques are a bit advanced for you at your age. I'm an old man who probably doesn't have many years left, so when the time comes, I'll leave the summoning techniques and the family's ninjutsu to you."

"Thanks, Grandpa! I knew you were the best!" Konohamaru wiped his nose in delight, hopping around the Third in excitement.

The Third stroked his beard with a loving smile, feeling deeply sentimental. Konohamaru was indeed a thoughtful child. But just as he was feeling moved, he heard his grandson innocently ask, "So, Grandpa, when are you going to die?"

"You little brat!" The Third burst into laughter, exasperated yet amused as he gave Konohamaru a light tap on the head. Then, hands clasped behind his back, he strolled into the house, with Konohamaru bouncing along at his side.

"Grandpa, guess what?" Konohamaru said, looking up as they walked. "Big Bro Naruto is amazing. Thanks to his training, I've gotten so much stronger recently…"

---

Late into the night at the bathhouse, Naruto and Jiraiya finally finished cleaning every men's bathhouse in the village. Exhausted, Jiraiya got up, resting his hands on his knees, and glanced over at Naruto, who sat beside him.

"Hey, Naruto. Want an ice pop?"

"Huh?"

"Just wait here," Jiraiya said with a grin, patting Naruto's shoulder before stepping out in his wooden clogs, strutting off confidently.

Naruto watched Jiraiya's retreating back, a slight smile creeping onto his face.

"Naruto…"

Suddenly, a familiar voice called to him from the shadows. Naruto turned to the corner of the wall, his face deadpan.

"Kakashi, what are you doing skulking around?"

White-haired Kakashi peeked out from behind the wall, cautiously glancing left and right as if making sure a certain someone wasn't nearby.

"Naruto… is Jiraiya-sama here?"

"He's off to buy something. Why're you sneaking around so late?" Naruto asked, giving Kakashi a knowing look. He could tell right away that Kakashi was trying to avoid Jiraiya, to the point that he'd rather crawl along the wall just to talk to him.

"Well…" Kakashi scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "The meat pies… and the totem…"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, giving Kakashi a curious look. He still wasn't sure if he should tell Kakashi the truth. After all, it seemed that Kakashi was just about addicted to that experience.

Man… he wondered how the Sage of Six Paths felt about a certain white-haired ninja popping in and out of the afterlife on a whim.

"Sigh… Kakashi-sensei, you might want to take it easy on those things," Naruto muttered, handing Kakashi another meat pie and the totem.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Kakashi accepted the items, gave Naruto a casual wave goodbye, and quickly vanished into the night, clutching the totem tightly.