Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

Page 350

"To be honest... as a teacher, I feel more guilty."

"If only I had been more perceptive back then, if only I had noticed Hanzo and Danzo's conspiracy sooner, if only I had been stronger..."

"Perhaps... that tragedy could have been prevented, and Yahiko might not have been..."

He didn't say anything more, but just shook his head, burying that regret deep inside.

For him, the bitterness of his disciples going astray and even turning against him was far heavier than the physical pain he suffered.

Therefore, he felt more relief than resentment towards Nagato's eventual awakening.

Naruto listened quietly; he understood Jiraiya's feelings.

He nodded and said, "I think the same as you, the lustful immortal."

“We can understand their past, but we are not qualified to forgive Nagato on behalf of those who were hurt by Pain and lost their loved ones and friends.”

"The path he chose... is destined to be long and difficult."

Jiraiya gave Naruto an approving look: "Yes... atonement can't be solved with just an apology."

"That requires him to prove it with his actions and the rest of his life. However..."

He abruptly changed the subject, a familiar, slightly lewd smile returning to his face: "Seeing you little rascals grow up so well, and think so much more clearly than us old folks, makes all these injuries worthwhile! Hahaha... hiss..."

He laughed so hard that he accidentally aggravated his wound, making him wince in pain.

Naruto couldn't help but laugh when he saw him like this.

The somewhat somber atmosphere in the ward immediately lightened considerably.

With Jiraiya's injuries stabilizing and him gradually recovering, Konoha seemed to have returned to its former rhythm.

Although Nagato and Konan left the Akatsuki organization, the threat posed by Akatsuki in terms of strength has not been completely eliminated.

After all, according to the information provided by Nagato, they had been cooperating with a masked man who called himself Uchiha Madara.

They had no idea who that person was or what he looked like.

Furthermore, with that eerie Shennong lurking in the shadows, Konoha Village remained on high alert.

Naruto returned to his familiar life.

As the Jonin who mentors Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon, his "Naruto Team" is reunited.

"Listen up! Today's objective is a D-level mission—find Wangcai!"

Naruto, wearing the Konoha Jonin vest that he had finally received, stood with his hands on his hips, trying to make himself look more dignified.

Although his baby face and bright smile were hardly intimidating.

"Yes! Naruto-sensei!" Konohamaru replied enthusiastically, mimicking Naruto's posture.

Moegi and Udon echoed loudly, though their eyes held a hint of helplessness, as if to say, "Looking for the cat again."

As a result, the four figures began to frequently appear jumping around on the streets of Konoha again.

Naruto's teaching methods may not be as philosophical and challenging as Kakashi's.

But he was more direct and energetic, leading by example and inspiring them with boundless patience and optimism.

Teach them the importance of teamwork and never giving up.

However, this feeling vanished when faced with the task reports to be written at the C level or above.

Although he hated the guy who invented the mission report, Naruto reluctantly accepted some missions in order to help Konohamaru and the others grow.

However, when night falls and the noise subsides, Naruto's own "training" truly begins.

Lying on my apartment bed, I closed my eyes and let my consciousness sink into that familiar mental space.

It was spacious and quiet, with shallow water beneath my feet.

On the other side, the man wearing ancient red layered armor, with spiky black hair and arrogant, disdainful eyes, had been waiting for a long time.

"too slow."

Madara Uchiha crossed his arms, his tone as oppressive as ever: "You managed to beat the Rinnegan into that pathetic state?"

Naruto took a deep breath, his eyes sharpening, and golden chakra began to emanate from his body: "Watch out, Dad! Tonight, I promise I won't let you defeat me so easily again!"

"Hmph, you've said plenty of naive things!"

Ban snorted coldly, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Then let's begin! Let's see how long you can last today!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already disappeared!

In the next instant, an immense sense of crisis swept over us from all directions!

Naruto didn’t even have time to fully enter Kurama Mode, and could only rely on his instincts and the reflexes he had developed from being tortured these past few days to desperately dodge!

boom! boom! boom!

The battle, which is entirely composed of consciousness, is far more intense than reality.

Terrifying clashes of ninjutsu, exquisite battles of taijutsu, and the eerie interference of Sharingan genjutsu...

Madara's attacks were like a storm, completely unpredictable, and each one contained deadly intent and honed combat wisdom.

Flying Thunder God Technique, various Madara-style ninjutsu, various variations of Rasengan, Sage Mode, Tailed Beast Chakra Mode...

He used all his abilities to the fullest extent, trying to find a chance to fight back against Ban's devastatingly powerful offensive.

However, the result is often still the same—

"The flaw is too big!"

"Too slow!"

"I saw right through all their predictions!"

"Your Flying Thunder God technique's trajectory is too easy to track!"

Bang! Thud! Boom!

Naruto's consciousness was mercilessly blasted away time and time again.

"Uh-huh...!"

Once again swept by Susanoo's arm, Naruto fell to the ground, panting heavily.

"So? Do you want to spar with me one-on-one, or will you and Sasuke face me and Hashirama together?"

Ban's figure lingered not far away, a hint of approval in his eyes.

Naruto gave a wry smile: "Forget it, I can't even beat you, Dad."

Ban said, "But you were really strong before. Let's stop here for today. Hurry up and finish your report and rest."

After saying that, his figure slowly blended into the darkness and disappeared.

Naruto's consciousness returned to reality, and he abruptly sat up in bed, his entire body drenched in cold sweat, his temples throbbing, and his brain throbbing as if being pricked with needles.

"Change... still can't keep up with Dad's speed at all... those combinations of techniques are simply impossible to defend against..."

Naruto rubbed his throbbing forehead, muttering to himself with some resentment.

Every night, he was subjected to various forms of "fancy beatings" by Ban here.

Madara seems to be proficient in all elemental ninjutsu, his use of the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan is masterful, and his combat experience is so rich that it is despair-inducing.

Naruto's progress was already astonishingly fast, but he still seemed immature compared to Madara.

But this did not discourage Naruto.

He shook his head, dispelling the fatigue and dizziness in his mind, and his eyes regained their firmness.

"Just you wait, Dad... One day, I'll force you to use your full strength!"

Chapter 370 Danger Beneath the Calm

As time slowly rolled forward, Konoha Village, after a brief period of turmoil, seemed to have returned to its former tranquility and peace.

Under the bright sunshine, the streets were bustling with people, and children were laughing and playing, creating a scene of peace and contentment.

However, beneath this tranquility lurks an increasingly unsettling undercurrent.

This undercurrent did not originate from within Konoha, but from a series of terrible news coming from other corners of the ninja world.

The first message came from the distant Hidden Cloud Village through emergency communication channels—

Yugito Nii, the Jinchūriki of the Two-Tails, is attacked by an unknown powerful figure!

The intelligence report was quite brief, yet it was enough to send chills down one's spine:

The scene was a mess, filled with the marks of the two-tailed Matatabi's distinctive blue chakra flames.

It was clear that they had gone through an extremely fierce battle.

But in the end, Yugito was defeated and captured, and his fate remains unknown.

The attacker... is said to be a mysterious man wearing a vortex mask with only one eye showing, whose strength is unfathomable and whose methods are bizarre.

When the news reached Konoha, Tsunade's expression instantly became extremely solemn.

The vortex mask... This feature perfectly matches the man mentioned in Naruto's report who claimed to be the true leader of the Akatsuki!

He struck again so quickly, and his target was the Tailed Beast!

This is just the beginning.

Immediately afterward, the Kirigakure ANBU squad responsible for monitoring the Three-Tailed Isobu in the wild sent back a last, intermittent distress signal before losing all contact.

When the support troops arrived, they found only a scene of utter devastation, as if the battlefield had been turned over by a giant plow.

And a bottomless, enormous puddle of water, still teeming with immense chakra fluctuations.

The massive, mountain-like figure of the Three-Tailed Isobu has vanished without a trace.

Almost simultaneously, urgent intelligence also arrived from Iwagakure.

Their Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Rōshi, is stubborn and spends most of his time away from the village training.

Not long ago, his regular contact with the village was completely cut off.

Iwagakure immediately dispatched an elite tracking team.