"Jiraiya, I need an explanation."
After hearing the words of the Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya sighed inwardly, feeling a trace of disappointment toward his teacher.
Yes, it was wrong for Naruto Uzumaki to leave the village and establish a new ninja village in the Land of Uzumaki.
But the root cause… was the Third Hokage's negligence. He had allowed the villagers to slander and ostracize Naruto, step by step pushing him toward defection.
Naruto building a ninja village now felt less like rebellion—and more like him trying to create the "ideal home" he never had.
Wasn't that the clearest sign of disappointment in Konoha?
Yet the old man still hadn't realized it.
After a brief silence, Jiraiya spoke:
"I tried to persuade Naruto, but his attitude was extremely firm. He even threatened me to stay out of his way… Compared to being a Jinchūriki in Konoha, he'd rather be the leader of Uzushiogakure."
He paused, then added:
"Old man… maybe it would be better if you went there in person. Some things… can't be handled by me."
"Leave the village…?"
The Third Hokage hesitated, then slowly shook his head.
He couldn't leave Konoha—not before choosing a successor. If anything happened to him outside, the village could fall into chaos.
Seeing this, Jiraiya gave up trying to persuade him further.
He then brought up the matter of the Uchiha in the Land of Uzumaki and suggested abandoning the pursuit of those Uchiha survivors.
On this matter, the Third Hokage neither agreed nor refused.
That vague, half-assed attitude made Jiraiya feel irritated as hell.
It felt like everything he had promised Naruto had gone down the drain. The old man kept hesitating at every critical moment, unable to make a decisive call.
Changing the subject, Jiraiya brought up Orochimaru.
He also mentioned the puppet of the Third Kazekage and the involvement of Sasori.
Based on his analysis, the puppet master was most likely the genius from Sunagakure who had disappeared years ago—Sasori of the Red Sand.
This time, the Third Hokage's expression finally turned serious.
After hearing about the Kazekage puppet and Sasori, he regained some of his decisiveness and began asking detailed questions. When he learned that Orochimaru might have joined a mysterious organization, he let out a deep sigh.
...
The report lasted for half an hour.
Jiraiya left the Hokage's office with mixed emotions.
He had returned to the village several times before. Back then, the Third Hokage only seemed a bit tired—but his judgment was still sharp.
This time, however…
Jiraiya felt it clearly.
The old man was aging. Weakening.
Hell, in some ways… he even seemed a little unstable.
Can someone like this still sit in the position of Hokage?
Can he really steer Konoha forward?
Or… is it time for a new Hokage?
The comparison was almost ironic.
Even Naruto had more guts than him.
Naruto dared to threaten Jiraiya for the sake of building Uzushiogakure.
But the Third Hokage?
He didn't even dare to step out of the village, always hiding behind excuses.
After walking out of the Hokage Building, Jiraiya felt lost.
What should he do next?
Continue carrying out the endless missions assigned by his teacher?
Or leave the village and continue searching for the Child of Prophecy?
The missions would never end.
No matter how many he completed, his teacher wouldn't regain his youth.
And as for the Child of Prophecy…
He had already found him.
If nothing unexpected happened, it was Naruto.
But Naruto no longer needed his guidance.
And more importantly—
The Child of Prophecy no longer belonged to Konoha.
When Naruto fully matured…
Would Konoha become nothing more than an obstacle in his path?
That thought sent a chill down Jiraiya's spine.
He suddenly had the urge to go to Mount Myōboku and consult the Great Toad Sage. Only that old toad could guide him toward the future.
Just then—
A figure wrapped in bandages entered his sight.
It was Danzo Shimura.
Danzo stopped in front of Jiraiya and spoke coldly:
"The mission to bring back the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki failed?"
Jiraiya glanced at him and gave a slight nod.
Danzo snorted.
"It's not your fault. It's Sarutobi's weakness—he indulged the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki too much."
"If Naruto had been handed over to Root, he would've already become a perfect weapon to protect the village."
"You ninja should understand your role as tools."
Those words made Jiraiya's expression turn ugly.
He had always despised this bastard who lurked in the shadows.
The Root had carried out countless actions that went against the Will of Fire. Yet the Third Hokage kept protecting them.
If Root hadn't been somewhat useful to the village… Jiraiya would've told Danzo to cut the crap—or his damn "cut cock" ideology—long ago.
After brushing past Jiraiya, Danzo headed straight to the Hokage's office and pushed the door open.
The thick smell of smoke made him frown.
"I've heard Jiraiya located the Uchiha remnants," Danzo said coldly. "They've rebuilt a village in the Land of Uzumaki—and are even following an Uzumaki as their leader?"
Hearing this, the Third Hokage narrowed his eyes.
"Did Jiraiya tell you that?"
Danzo shook his head.
"Of course not. My men gathered information from the black market. Those Uchiha still need supplies—it's not hard to track them."
He paused, then added:
"Although… Jiraiya didn't seem in a good mood just now. Didn't he find the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?"
The Third Hokage stared at him for a moment before asking:
"Did your men discover the identity of Uzushiogakure's leader? Or did this information come from someone else?"
Danzo frowned slightly.
"The leader? Is his identity special? Who is it?"
He clearly didn't know.
Seeing this, the Third Hokage quietly let out a breath of relief.
"You don't need to know," he said firmly.
"For now, we will not act against the Uchiha in the Land of Uzumaki. ANBU has more important matters to deal with."
"Ignore them?" Danzo's expression darkened.
But he knew the truth—the village didn't have the resources to hunt down the Uchiha right now.
The Third Hokage nodded and handed him the section of Jiraiya's report concerning Orochimaru and Sasori.
After seeing the puppet of the Third Kazekage, Danzo's face turned ugly.
"Orochimaru and Sasori working together… Do you think they've joined that masked man's faction?"
"It's not a guess," the Third Hokage said coldly. "It's almost certain."
He then fixed Danzo with a sharp gaze.
"Compared to the Uchiha remnants, this mysterious organization is a far greater threat."
"Root should be capable of handling this task."
Danzo narrowed his eyes slightly before replying:
"Root is currently understaffed… we'll need more funding."
"I'll increase your budget," the Third Hokage said.
"If you lack manpower, recruit from the Chūnin ranks."
He paused, his tone turning colder.
"But you are no longer allowed to interfere in village affairs."
"You've already gone too far with the Uchiha."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
I upload 2 chapters daily on Patreon!
There are 100+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
📢 Check out my new Naruto fanfic!
[One Piece: Pirate Chat Group]