"Hokage…"
As Minato waved to the crowd below, Ren's eyes showed a hint of longing.
The Kage of a Village, the representative of the Ninja World's peak combat power, and among them, the Hokage's strength was the greatest of the Five Kage. Every generation of Hokage suppressed the geniuses of their generation without exception.
Now, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had concluded his era, and the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, officially inherited the title of Hokage, beginning his own era.
"Hmm?"
Ren inadvertently turned his head and saw a figure sitting cross-legged on a large water tank in the distance.
This spot had a good view and enough space, yet no one approached it; everyone stood on the surrounding rafters, occasionally casting respectful glances in that direction.
Ren, however, had no such reservations. He was already in a corner, and the next moment, he silently vanished from his original spot.
Yuhi, Rin, and Itachi were completely unaware. Only Kakashi, Ryufeng, and Shisui turned their heads to glance at the distance, then paid it no more mind.
"Yo, Lord Jiraiya, enjoying the breeze here?"
Ren took a few leaps to reach the other person and sat down beside him, grinning.
"So, Lord Jiraiya, how do you feel seeing your disciple become Hokage?"
Jiraiya propped his chin with one hand and said without turning his head,
"What feelings could there be?"
Despite the unusually calm tone, Ren detected an uncommon flavor. He instinctively turned his head and saw Jiraiya looking straight ahead, his eyes glistening with tears, a faint smile on his lips.
"Brat, what's there to look at?"
Seeing Ren lean closer, Jiraiya pushed him away, scolding him with a laugh.
"Tsk, it's quite unexpected that the Fourth Hokage is Minato-nii."
Ren took a Senbon from his Ninja tool pouch and put it in his mouth, muttering.
"You, Tsunade-sensei, Lord Orochimaru, Uncle Sakumo, all had the ability to compete for that position, yet you successively gave up."
Even though the four of them, regardless of who it was, had stronger qualifications and prestige than Minato, they all chose to withdraw, and in the end, Minato succeeded.
Although he had known this outcome for a long time, Ren's feelings were still somewhat complex.
The goal that all Konoha Ninja, including himself, pursued, these few here were pushing it away from each other, which couldn't help but make one sigh.
"We are not suited for that position."
Jiraiya shook his head, wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes while sitting upright, and spoke.
"Orochimaru and I are both unsuited to be Hokage due to our personalities. Tsunade would be suitable, but she voluntarily withdrew from the election. As for Senior Sakumo…"
Jiraiya didn't elaborate, but Ren understood his meaning.
The public opinion storm a few years ago had completely disheartened him. If Ren hadn't successfully persuaded him, today would have been the fifth anniversary of White Fang's passing.
Although the public opinion was later dispelled, and he regained the public's adoration, the rift had already formed.
Jiraiya's personality belonged to someone who wouldn't be bound; his desire for freedom was far greater than being Hokage. As for Orochimaru, eternal life and science were his top priorities.
As for Tsunade, although she was quite suitable, she knew in her heart that Minato was more suited for this position than herself.
"Has the Hidden Cloud Village still not surrendered?"
"Not yet."
Jiraiya shook his head, saying with some emotion,
"These guys are truly stubborn."
The other three great nations had ceased hostilities and begun to recuperate, but these guys from Hidden Cloud Village, who knows what got into them, have been fighting to the death with Iwagakure and Konoha until now.
Kumogakure's spies frequently sent back intelligence that Hidden Cloud Village's material supplies could no longer keep up, and the Kumogakure Ninja of Hidden Cloud Village were utterly miserable.
The other countries had ceased hostilities, allowing their Ninja to return and reunite with their families for a peaceful life, yet their own Raikage showed no intention of stopping the war; it was just fighting and more fighting.
Konoha, however, was not flustered at all. Fighting four might be a bit difficult, but one-on-one, no one was a match.
A unit was dispatched from each of the other battlefields to the Cloud Village Battlefield, led by Ino–Shika–Chō, instantly making the somewhat unstable front line firm.
With a numerical advantage over the enemy and the benefit of fighting on home soil, under the leadership of Nara Shikaku and the other two, they easily suppressed the enemy and gained the upper hand.
Although A didn't want to stop the war, Hidden Cloud Village wouldn't let him cause trouble. The other Hidden Cloud Village elders united, and even if he was unwilling, he had to stop the war.
After speaking, the two fell into a brief silence. Watching the crowd below begin to disperse, Ren pulled a Soldier Ration Pill from his Ninja tool pouch and put it in his mouth, speaking first.
"So, Lord Jiraiya, what are your plans next?"
"Hmm?"
Jiraiya turned to look at Ren, then placed his hands behind him and lay down, a faint smile on his face.
"I might go on a journey sometime, to travel and see various places in the Ninja World."
"To peek at beautiful women all over the Ninja World?"
Ren's ill-timed remark immediately turned the serious atmosphere into something less so. Jiraiya rolled his eyes and retorted,
"Brat, don't talk nonsense. I, Lord Jiraiya, am a true gentleman, and that's not peeking; that's research, providing inspiration for my great new work."
"You're pervert, stop pretending."
Ren muttered as he put away his Senbon, casually asking,
"Oh, by the way, I haven't seen Lord Orochimaru in a long time."
Ever since they returned to the village together last time, Ren hadn't seen him again. Ren guessed that the other party, having been cooped up, must have welded his laboratory door shut and then experimented to his heart's content.
Suddenly, Ren seemed to realize something, his expression immediately changed, and he turned to look at Jiraiya.
Sure enough, the other party's face was exceptionally grim at this moment. After sitting up, his fists were clenched tightly, with veins bulging on them.
"Orochimaru, huh…"
Jiraiya's mood changed incredibly quickly at this moment.
He hadn't yet recovered from the joy of his disciple becoming Hokage, and the matter of his close friend instantly made his mood utterly terrible.
Yesterday, he received a message from Anbu. The information recorded on it and the accompanying pictures made him unable to believe his own eyes.
His good friend, whom he had known for many years, was actually conducting human experiments!
If such a thing were exposed, Orochimaru's reputation accumulated over many years in Konoha would instantly collapse, and the impact would even spread throughout the entire Ninja World, making him scorned by everyone, his reputation completely ruined.
The most crucial thing was that he didn't discover this major incident first; instead, Anbu delivered the already compiled intelligence.
Thinking of this, Jiraiya looked at the old man standing on the top floor, hands hanging at his sides, his face growing even gloomier.
No one knew how terrifying the other party, who was at the peak of his combat power, would be if he made a move.
If the old man truly made up his mind, then Orochimaru would absolutely have no chance of resisting or escaping.