Naruto: Uchiha Rejects Konoha

"Old man, are you looking for me to agree to help Naruto clear his name? If not, I'll be on my way..." 

Jiraiya, summoned by the Third Hokage, spoke with resentment and an uncooperative attitude. His investigation had revealed too much. The more he learned, the deeper his disappointment grew.

Jiraiya now had complicated feelings toward the Third Hokage. He could understand the need to shield Danzo for certain matters—after all, as Hokage, sometimes dirty work was necessary to protect the village. But the Third Hokage's treatment of Naruto left him disillusioned. Compared to other orphans, Naruto received no special care. Under Danzo's slander, his life was made even harder.

He had been branded a "fox demon" and ostracized by the villagers. Even when he tried to buy necessities, no one would sell them to him. 

Naruto was the child of a hero! The only son of Jiraiya's disciple, whose name Jiraiya had personally given him.

Yet, the Third Hokage had failed to keep his promise, and Naruto led a miserable life in the village.

"Jiraiya! Do you realize what you're saying? I know you're resentful, but some things are beyond my control. Right now, the village is in dire straits. Do you want to see Konoha fall into decline?"

The Third Hokage's expression darkened, his tone serious. Internally, he cursed Danzo once again.

"I've been following Naruto around these days, reflecting on my own actions over the years.

I didn't find Orochimaru, I wasn't there when Minato died, and I didn't even return to check on Naruto.

I don't know... Old man, I do blame you for not telling me about Naruto's situation, but I blame myself even more. Even now, I don't have the courage to face him..."

Jiraiya's tone softened while the Third Hokage fell silent. Although the incident had long since passed, he, too, felt remorse when he thought of Minato and Kushina, who had perished under the Nine Tails' claws.

"Jiraiya, things aren't as simple as you think.

As the son of a Hokage and a Jinchūriki of the Nine Tails, Naruto's true identity can't be revealed. Otherwise, he wouldn't just face hardship—he'd be in real danger.

Danzo's labelling him a 'fox demon' has become deeply rooted in the villagers' minds, and Naruto himself has caused some trouble. His reputation is difficult to change."

The Third Hokage sighed. Danzo's actions had not been in good faith. Concealing Naruto's identity was one thing, but such a label was unnecessary.

Rectifying Naruto's name might not be difficult, but erasing the "fox demon" title without revealing his identity was practically impossible.

An announcement from the Hokage's office might be authoritative, but simply stating that Naruto isn't a "fox demon" without explaining the whole truth would have little impact.

"Human effort can still make a difference. Even if the villagers can't accept Naruto all at once, improving his living situation would be a start."

Jiraiya sighed inwardly, knowing how challenging the task was, but he couldn't ignore it simply because it was hard.

"Fine! I'll see what I can do to clear Naruto's name. And if you want to spend time with him here in the village, I have no objections. But taking him out of Konoha is non-negotiable. He's still Konoha's Jinchūriki."

To fully calm the daimyo's concerns, Tsunade's return was necessary, so the Third Hokage felt compelled to compromise. Allowing Jiraiya to grow closer to Naruto was better than risking Naruto being swayed by the Uchiha.

"Alright, old man, then why did you really call me here?"

Jiraiya knew taking Naruto out of Konoha was unrealistic, so he was satisfied with the first two outcomes.

"Because of Danzo's actions, the daimyo now has serious concerns about Konoha. To mend the relationship, Tsunade must step forward. I need you to find her and convince her to return."

After the master-disciple quarrel settled down, the Third Hokage exhaled quietly and turned to business matters.

"Didn't the daimyo's issue already get resolved? The daimyo hasn't been giving Konoha any trouble lately, so why is it necessary for Tsunade to step in?"

Hearing this, Jiraiya asked with suspicion. The daimyo's office and Konoha had released a joint statement, so he couldn't understand why the old man was still so concerned.

"The appropriation from the daimyo arrived not long ago, but it's more than half of what it usually is. You know, to compensate the Uchiha, the village allocated 500 million ryo." Right now, the village's finances are not looking good."

So, the funding was slashed! Jiraiya rolled his eyes. He was aware of the assassination incident. Everyone knew it was a fact that Konoha's shinobi had attacked the Fire Country's daimyo.

It was only natural that the daimyo held resentment. Giving Konoha any support at all was just to avoid pushing things to the brink. Thinking this would simply blow over wasn't realistic.

However, would bringing Tsunade back even solve this? If they wanted the daimyo to completely overlook the incident, it might require the old man to step down as Hokage and bring in new leadership for Konoha.

"Fine, I'll go find Tsunade. But you know as well as I do, old man, that Tsunade has been avoiding the village. Even if I find her, she might refuse to come back."

Jiraiya scratched his head, withholding some thoughts out of respect for his teacher.

"Tell her about the village's struggles, and she'll come back…" 

The Third Hokage took a long drag from his pipe. Tsunade's bond with the village was hard to sever. She had left out of frustration, but she wouldn't just watch Konoha decay.

"I'll give it a shot! But if she still won't come back, there's nothing I can do. You should think of other ways to handle the village's financial problems! If you're desperate, you don't need to rely on the daimyo alone. You could consider trusting the Uchiha."

Before leaving, Jiraiya left him with a final thought.

Unlike the Third Hokage, Jiraiya had no deep-seated prejudice against the Uchiha and didn't blame them for the Nine Tails attack.

In his view, the Uchiha could be prideful, but once you fought alongside them, they were reliable teammates.

Meanwhile, Yagami also set off to find Tsunade. He wouldn't travel with a giant scroll like Jiraiya—too impractical. With the Uchiha clan's businesses spread across the Fire Country, it was only a matter of time before they found her general location. If she was outside the Fire Country, that would be another matter.

Fortunately, though she had been avoiding Konoha, Tsunade remained active in the Fire Country, and news would soon reach the clan.

"Yagami, Lady Tsunade has a love for gambling, just like the First Hokage. It's said she's racked up a lot of debt since leaving the village. Once you find her, try leveraging that to convince her. Make sure she returns!"

Fugaku gripped Yagami's hand, speaking earnestly. This was about his son's health, and if not for his clan duties, he would've preferred to handle it personally.

Money wasn't an issue; the Uchiha had plenty of it. If money could bring Tsunade back, then Yagami was certain it wouldn't be a problem.

"I got it, I got it, Clan Head. Don't go losing the clan's fortune! We've only just gotten Uchiha's development on track..."

If anyone understood Tsunade, it would be Jiraiya, Orochimaru, or the Third Hokage. 

Without the Uchiha network, Jiraiya relied on his personal knowledge of Tsunade. Following leads on her titles as the "female gambler" and the "big fat sheep," he soon tracked down her location.

"Lady Tsunade, we shouldn't gamble anymore. We don't even have money to cover our meals and lodging today…"

Inside Crown Casino, one of the Uchiha clan's first successful ventures, they prided themselves on transparency and fair play, which helped them stand out. Of course, they didn't avoid using some tactics to ensure profits.

"Shizune, you have to believe me! I won both times before this! This time, I'm definitely going to win big!"

Ignoring Shizune's pleas, the blonde Tsunade quickly took the purse Shizune was clutching.

"Ugh… Lady Tsunade, please don't!"

Jiraiya, who had just walked in, stopped in his tracks as he saw the scene unfold.

If Tsunade was out of money, would she try to take his too? And maybe even rough him up a bit after?

"Master Jiraiya!"

Just as Jiraiya hesitated, Shizune spotted him and called out, blocking his chance to retreat.

"Ahaha… Tsunade, long time no see."

Jiraiya waved sheepishly, but Tsunade ignored him, her eyes glued to the soon-to-be-revealed gambling results.

"Lady Tsunade, Master Jiraiya is here, and you…"

"Jiraiya? What are you doing here… Open! Three points… small… I lost… again…"

Tsunade, who had barely glanced at Jiraiya, immediately soured when she saw she'd lost the game, her mood turning to irritation.

"Jiraiya! You showing up suddenly distracted me, and now I've lost!"

...

Damn it! What does that have to do with me? Why'd you lose?

"Tsunade, stop fooling around. The old man asked me to come find you. Right now, Konoha… we need you."

Jiraiya had wanted to catch up before bringing this up, but after spoiling her game, it felt awkward to start with pleasantries.

Yet before he could fully explain, Tsunade's fist flew toward him.

Her punch, backed by her raw strength, was no joke. Even Jiraiya, a Sannin, was sent flying, smashing tables before crashing through the casino wall.

"Don't bother me with that place. I don't care anymore…"

Tsunade muttered darkly as gamblers around her scattered in fear.

Outside the casino, Yagami happened to arrive just in time to witness the casino wall collapse and half the building fall apart.

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