I'M NARUTO UZUMAKI

Talented, but Not Much

Jiraiya frowned. He sensed something deeper in Kakashi's words and asked, "What exactly do you mean? Can these details help Naruto return to the village? His current situation is… complicated."

"I can't guarantee that," Kakashi replied, his tone unreadable. "But these details concern the Third Hokage."

At the mention of Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya's expression darkened, and his voice dropped. "Are you saying it wasn't the villagers who pushed Naruto away, but sensei himself?"

"Hiruzen-sama bears the greatest responsibility. His inaction allowed the situation to spiral out of control."

After a brief pause, Kakashi continued, "My investigation shows that Naruto learned to respond to malice with malice from a young age. If it were just the villagers' scorn, it wouldn't have driven him to leave. There's a deeper reason."

Kakashi's cryptic tone irritated Jiraiya, and he pressed, "You've hinted at this before. Naruto always knew he was the Fourth Hokage's son, and he was attacked by Minato's former allies. That was enough to destroy his faith in the village, leading to his departure."

"That was my initial assumption," Kakashi admitted. "But after researching Konoha's past, I have a new theory."

Jiraiya's sharp gaze locked onto Kakashi. "You investigated old village records? How does that connect to Naruto?"

A flicker of understanding crossed Jiraiya's face. Kakashi wasn't just concerned about Naruto—he had another motive.

Kakashi ignored the shift in Jiraiya's demeanor and continued, "A few months ago, I made a mistake—I saw Naruto only as a child. But he isn't just a student; he's a ninja with elite Jōnin-level strength."

"Jōnin-level power, combined with a child's perceived innocence, makes it easier for him to conduct investigations we can't. He may know secrets we've overlooked."

"For instance, the real reason Itachi wiped out the Uchiha clan. Why Shisui Uchiha, once believed dead, suddenly returned. Why both Minato-sensei and Kushina-san truly perished that night."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes at Kakashi's words.

Since Naruto's departure, Kakashi's mindset had clearly changed.

Or perhaps, this was the real Kakashi—cynical, withdrawn, distrustful of the Will of Fire. That kind of thinking could lead to disaster.

Kakashi, sensing Jiraiya's suspicion, dropped another bombshell:

"Jiraiya-sama, on your journey to find Naruto, you must have encountered Uchiha remnants. They're likely with him."

Jiraiya hesitated for a moment before sighing. "Naruto is indeed staying with an Uchiha… but you're overthinking this."

Kakashi scoffed. "Maybe. But my time in Anbu taught me not to trust what's written in official records. That's why I verify things myself."

Jiraiya's expression grew serious. "Kakashi, you aren't investigating this just for Naruto, are you? You're also looking into your own past—the suicide of Sakumo Hatake."

Kakashi didn't deny it. His investigation had started with his father's death, but the more he uncovered, the more he realized Konoha's history was riddled with secrets.

Concerned by Kakashi's growing disillusionment, Jiraiya finally asked, "What exactly are you trying to do?"

Kakashi's gaze burned with conviction. "Uncover the truth behind these incidents. Then, overthrow Danzo and the Hokage system—and ensure that the next Hokage is someone who truly upholds the Will of Fire."

Jiraiya's expression grew grim. He never expected Kakashi to openly suggest toppling the Third Hokage and Danzo.

After a long silence, Jiraiya finally said, "Kakashi… I'll pretend I didn't hear this. But I advise you to abandon this reckless plan. You can't do this alone."

"That's why I came to you, Jiraiya-sama."

Kakashi stared intently at Jiraiya, unwilling to let go. Then, as if sensing Jiraiya's hesitation, he pressed further:

"Do you really want to watch the village crumble from within?"

Jiraiya hesitated. He had long been aware of the darkness within Konoha, but he had chosen to ignore it—believing that a shinobi village required shadows to maintain stability.

Yet, despite those sacrifices, Konoha had only weakened.

Now, the very problems he had tried to avoid were confronting him head-on.

Would he watch his home rot away under his sensei's leadership? Or would he take a stand, even if it meant turning against his teacher?

---

Meanwhile, Naruto and Minato

While Jiraiya struggled with his decision, Naruto was training under Minato, refining the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Their relationship had improved since their time in the Land of Water, and Minato had offered to personally teach Naruto the Hiraishin no Jutsu.

Naruto, of course, wasn't about to refuse a lesson from the master of space-time ninjutsu.

Unlike most techniques, the Flying Thunder God couldn't be mastered quickly with shadow clones. It required innate talent. If one lacked the aptitude, no amount of training would help.

Naruto's talent in space-time jutsu was… average at best.

After half a month of training, he could barely execute Hiraishin, and his speed and range were nowhere near Minato's.

Kyuubi, observing this, scoffed. "Honestly, this feels weaker than a Body Flicker Technique."

The tailed beast wasn't entirely wrong—Naruto's teleportation wasn't instantaneous, and he could only jump about twenty meters at a time. For a high-level shinobi, that distance was negligible.

After another failed attempt, Kyuubi turned to Minato and bluntly asked, "Fourth Hokage, are you holding back? Because Naruto's Hiraishin isn't even close to yours."

Minato scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Maybe he just needs more practice…"

Kyuubi snorted. "How long did it take you to master this? Your Hiraishin was powerful enough to redirect my Tailed Beast Bomb, but Naruto clearly can't do that. You must be hiding something."

Minato fell silent. Truthfully, mastering Hiraishin had come naturally to him. He had never struggled the way Naruto did.

Naruto, listening to their conversation, stepped into his mindscape and met Kyuubi's and Minato's gazes. "Enough. The reason I can't master Hiraishin has nothing to do with talent. It's because of you, Kurama."

Kyuubi frowned. "What does this have to do with me? I don't interfere with your chakra."

Naruto shook his head. "It's not about chakra interference. It's about being a Jinchūriki. It's easy to teleport myself—but transferring a tailed beast is much harder."

Then, turning to Minato, he asked, "Back then, how much chakra did it take for you to teleport the Kyuubi and its Tailed Beast Bomb?"

Minato's expression turned thoughtful. "A significant amount. That night, I used Hiraishin multiple times, redirecting attacks and moving Kurama—it drained almost all my chakra. That's why I had to use the Reaper Death Seal in the end."

Naruto fell silent, lost in thought.

His father, despite his genius, had been pushed to his limit. If even Minato struggled with teleporting a tailed beast, then Naruto's difficulties weren't due to lack of skill—it was a fundamental issue of chakra expenditure.

If he wanted to use Hiraishin properly, he had to find a way to compensate for that overwhelming energy cost.

And that meant reinventing the technique itself.

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