When he reached the underground chamber, Sasuke's eyes swept directly toward the opposite wall, and he suddenly widened his eyes.
In front of the wall engraved with the Magatama Pattern, it was actually completely empty.
The stone tablet recording the secret of the Sharingan's awakening had disappeared...
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"Yo, old man."
Jiraiya appeared at the window of the office, rather than coming through the main door, and he greeted the Third Hokage, who was busy dealing with documents, with a smile.
Although there was a smile on his face, it was a forced one.
Upon waking up in a ward in Konoha Hospital not long ago, Jiraiya realized he was in Konoha and heard from Shikaku that the Land of Demons used him to negotiate with Konoha, not only eliminating his Renegade Ninja status but also gaining advantages at the Five Kage Summit with Konoha's assistance and securing a favorable position in dealing with the Uchiha issues.
He was fortunate to escape death, which was worth celebrating, but Jiraiya's mood was extremely complex.
In the prison of the Land of Demons, he seemed optimistic, but the reality was that he was finding joy in suffering.
As a captive, Jiraiya was aware of his situation.
Putting down the documents he was reviewing, the Third Hokage turned to Jiraiya and asked with concern, "How are you feeling? Is your body okay now?"
As the Hokage, Hiruzen was very worried that a Jutsu might have been placed on Jiraiya by the enemies.
When it came to the safety of his disciples, Hiruzen couldn't afford to be careless.
"No problem, the Anbu have already checked, and I myself feel no abnormalities. The opponent didn't do anything to me. Besides, with Chiba Hakushi's prowess, there's no need to tamper with me."
As Jiraiya said this, his eyes darkened involuntarily.
Even his Sage Mode was defeated, and he still only had a vague understanding of the enemy's abilities, unable to systematically analyze them in detail.
The power displayed by the opponent that day was certainly just the tip of the iceberg, not the entirety.
Jiraiya was very clear about this.
He might be a proud member of the Sannin in front of others, but the current Ninja Realm had become so unfamiliar that he couldn't comprehend it.
In the end, he couldn't discern Hakushi's true intentions, but recalling Hakushi's Jutsu, the ruthless massacre of thousands of Sand Ninja from the Hidden Sand Village, with eyes that disregarded life, was completely unnatural.
Such a person will definitely not be content with peace and will again spark the fires of war, raging madly across the Ninja Realm.
The prophecy of the Great Toad Sage was not wrong, as the opponent was indeed the source of chaos for the Ninja Realm.
Jiraiya had this premonition.
But, would he still have the strength to stop it next time?
Or with Konoha's current power, could it even qualify to stop it?
Jiraiya did not know the answer.
The result might be harsh, but he knew he had to stop it.
"Is that so?"
Hiruzen couldn't fully empathize with Jiraiya's despair, but considering the fear and apprehension of his proud disciple, he could imagine the psychological blow delivered by the war in the Land of Wind.
"I'm sorry, old man, this time I have disappointed you, the mission was a complete failure. Moreover, I made the village spend so much to rescue me..."
Jiraiya got down from the window and looked at Hiruzen's wrinkled old face, not knowing how to explain.
"It's alright, it's good that you came back alive. For the village now, your and Tsunade's power is indispensable."
Hiruzen didn't blame Jiraiya.
If anyone was at fault, it was Hiruzen, the Hokage, who was also culpable for this situation.
"Old man, you wouldn't be thinking of..."
"Yes, you guessed right. In fact, all this happened because I couldn't perfectly inherit Tobirama-sensei's will and thus, helplessly allowed Danzo to bear all of the village's darkness alone... This darkness, which could have assisted the village's growth, spiraled out of control because I lacked the ability to manage it, leading to severe internal discord. That's probably where I am inferior to Tobirama-sensei."
Hiruzen bore an expression of self-reproach.
So it was for Sakumo.
So it was for Orochimaru.
So it was for the Uchiha Clan.
These tragedies were things he could have salvaged.
But because of his indecision and continual indulgence of Danzo, it resulted in the current situation.
Where there is light, there are shadows; this is the meaning of Hokage.
The village's light and darkness should have belonged to the Hokage's power alone.
When he couldn't manage the village's darkness and delegated that power to others, the seeds of disaster were sown.
The shadow's backlash was inevitable.
All the causes and effects stemmed from here.
"I am a failed Hokage."
He didn't have the ability to fully carry out Senju Tobirama's policy.
Nor did he fulfill his duties as an elder, causing significant inconvenience when Minato took office.
This was Hiruzen's self-denial.
Jiraiya looked silently at his teacher, not knowing how to comfort him.
"Next, I want to entrust the village's future to you and Tsunade. I'm counting on you."
Hiruzen turned and said solemnly to Jiraiya, his eyes filled with infinite hope and expectation.