From start to finish, it had been less than a month.
If he had known things would turn out this way, he would not have had to make so many compromises with the Uchiha clan.
The Third Hokage was filled with regret.
But what was done was done. There was nothing he could do now. After all, he had never anticipated the Hidden Mist could secure such a powerful ally.
The Third Hokage repeatedly reviewed the intelligence report, scrutinizing it inside and out. His gaze lingered on the detailed description of the Akatsuki leader's peculiar eyes.
A knot formed in his stomach. Could this be the Rinnegan that Jiraiya had mentioned?
Such a treasure could not possibly appear out of nowhere.
Could that person be Nagato?
Given the importance of the intelligence, the Konoha spy had even included a portrait.
The Third Hokage summoned an Anbu. "Where is Jiraiya?"
The Anbu replied quietly, "Lord Jiraiya went to the entertainment district yesterday. He should still be there."
A flash of anger sparked within the Third. He was wearing himself out for the sake of the village, not even having a moment to spare for his Telescoping Jutsu. And what was Jiraiya doing? He had asked him to share some of the workload, but Jiraiya would do the bare minimum before slipping away, complaining that he disliked such tasks.
The Third's tone was sharp with displeasure. "Go and get him."
Just as the Anbu was about to leave, the Third called out again.
"Wait. Don't go to Jiraiya just yet."
The Third gathered the documents on his desk and handed them to the Anbu.
"Make a copy of these and deliver them to Orochimaru. Have him inform Jiraiya."
"Also, schedule a meeting for this afternoon. Inform all the other elders."
The Anbu, accustomed to not questioning such matters, simply followed the Hokage's orders. He took the documents and departed without a word.
This seemingly redundant order—having Orochimaru fetch Jiraiya—was actually a test. The Third wanted to observe Orochimaru's reaction to the news.
The war between the Hidden Cloud and the Hidden Mist had ended as suddenly as it began.
It was time to implement some countermeasures against the Uchiha.
Inside Orochimaru's laboratory.
Orochimaru had poured immense effort into cloning Fugaku's eyes, conducting daily compatibility experiments. In the process, he had already disposed of two eyeballs that failed to meet his standards.
The fusion of Itachi's eyes was also ongoing, a stable process that only required daily monitoring.
Today, Orochimaru had just received a message from Kawasaki when the Third's Anbu arrived. The operative brought news of the situation in the Land of Water and the order for Orochimaru to inform Jiraiya.
Orochimaru was already curious about the Rinnegan. After reading the report from the Third, his interest grew even more intense.
However, Kawasaki had already informed him that there would be a chance to study the Rinnegan in the future. So, Orochimaru calmly continued with his work.
As for notifying Jiraiya.
"I've received the message," he told the Anbu. "Go back and tell the old man I'm too busy here to attend the meeting. Just give me the summary after it's over."
"I'll have someone notify Jiraiya. You can go."
The Anbu acknowledged the order and left to report back.
A myriad of thoughts flashed through Orochimaru's mind.
He summoned Minato.
"Lord Orochimaru."
Minato was still in his Anbu attire, his face hidden behind a mask. Lately, in addition to his training, he had been busy placing Flying Raijin seals on important individuals. In Kawasaki's words, it was better to be safe than sorry; at a critical moment, it could save a life. Orochimaru had Minato mark everyone with a Flying Raijin seal, knowing it would undoubtedly prove useful in the future.
Orochimaru held no personal grudge against Minato. Even after losing the election for Fourth Hokage, he harbored no resentment toward him.
His true animosity was reserved for the Third Hokage.
At first, Orochimaru relished the feeling of ordering Minato around. But over time, as Minato's exceptional qualities became apparent, Orochimaru found himself enjoying it even more.
The Third would often casually delegate political tasks to Orochimaru. Though Orochimaru could handle them, they consumed a great deal of his time. So, he simply dumped them all on Minato, who always handled them flawlessly.
Calm, intelligent, responsible—who would not appreciate someone so reliable?
Orochimaru shoved the entire stack of materials from the Third Hokage into Minato's hands.
"Take a look at this, then go find Jiraiya. Give him the news and tell him to go have a talk with the old man."
Minato took the documents and began to flip through them, page by page.
As Minato read, Orochimaru looked him up and down. To conceal his true identity, Minato was wrapped up from head to toe. He looked like he was sweltering.
"Minato, you should start preparing some disguise tools. You may need to operate in the open soon."
Having finished the report, Minato understood why Jiraiya needed to be notified. He listened to Orochimaru's instructions and nodded. "Understood, Lord Orochimaru. I will make the preparations. I'll go find Master Jiraiya now."
...
In the pleasure district of Konoha.
Jiraiya was sleeping soundly in one of the establishments. The great war between the Cloud and the Mist had threatened to spark another Great Ninja War. As a result, Jiraiya had been forced to stay cooped up in the village.
Worse, the Hyuga clan was monitoring him so closely he could barely breathe. This made it impossible for him to go out and "gather material" for his creative works. All he could do was sneak out occasionally for some fun, drinking to pass the time.
Although Jiraiya was dozing, his battlefield instincts were sharp. He would awaken instantly if anyone approached. Unless, of course, the person was someone he knew extremely well.
At that moment, Jiraiya was dreaming of having a beauty on each arm, laughing with glee. Suddenly, his whole world seemed to shake. It felt as if a hand had been placed on his shoulder.
Someone was here!
Jiraiya's eyes shot open. He found himself looking at the man known as "Number One," Orochimaru's personal guard.
Jiraiya wondered why he had not woken up sooner. "Number One, what are you doing here?" he asked.
Looking at the lipstick marks all over his teacher's face, Minato sighed inwardly. Master is still so unreliable. No wonder Lady Tsunade does not like you.
Minato handed the Third Hokage's documents to Jiraiya, speaking in a deliberately altered voice. "Lord Orochimaru was instructed by the Hokage to pass this on to you."
Though Jiraiya was still a little puzzled by his delayed reaction, his attention was quickly captured by the documents in his hand.
"This...!"
"How is this possible?!"
Jiraiya shot to his feet, about to search for his clothes. A pair of hands offered them to him, as if it had been rehearsed.
But Jiraiya was completely focused on the intelligence report. He paid it no mind, simply muttering a "thanks" as he threw on his clothes and rushed out the door.
Minato watched his teacher's retreating back and smiled.
...
Elsewhere in Konoha.
Jiraiya rushed to the Hokage's office. As usual, he entered through the window.
The Third Hokage was already waiting for him. This time, seeing Jiraiya climb through the window again, the Third did not have the energy to reprimand him. His mind was completely consumed by the identity of the Akatsuki's leader.
"Old man, did this report just arrive?"
The Third huffed. "It was delivered last night."
Jiraiya's expression faltered. He knew the Third was displeased about his drinking, but he never expected the matter would involve him directly.
However, Jiraiya was thick-skinned and did not dwell on the Third's dissatisfaction. He offered no explanation, instead pointing to the portrait in the report. "Old man, that's the Rinnegan."
The Third Hokage took a long drag from his pipe.
"Does that mean this person is Nagato?"
Jiraiya looked at the portrait again, a hint of confusion on his face.
"No, that's not Nagato. That's Yahiko."