Ryuji didn't explicitly say the person was Madara, but his words pointed directly toward a certain Uchiha mastermind, letting Konoha draw its own conclusions about the clan.
He didn't directly claim everything was orchestrated by that person behind the scenes. He merely presented the suspicious points, letting Jiraiya connect the dots himself.
After all, he was from Sunagakure.
If he voiced his conjecture outright, they might suspect it was his scheme.
But simply presenting clues, letting them deduce the conclusion themselves, was different.
People tend to believe their own conclusions.
He had two purposes in doing this.
First, to increase the difficulty of Konoha's war situation. Second, to let Jiraiya step on the traps Madara left behind.
While Ryuji wasn't purely profit-driven, towards people he wasn't close to, he certainly operated with a mindset of 'exploit if possible'.
The reason he let Jiraiya's attack go so easily wasn't due to magnanimity, but because it was the optimal choice.
Over the past week, Konoha's war situation had clarified.
First, Kusagakure announced peace talks with Konoha three days ago, formally withdrawing from the war. Then, Iwagakure's main forces began retreating, turtling up at the Land of Earth's border, focusing on defense.
Whether to pursue and expand their victory or reduce casualties by negotiating with Iwagakure depended entirely on Konoha's decision.
In this situation, Ryuji attempting to extort Konoha using Jiraiya's attack on the delegation would likely fail.
Konoha could simply ease terms, make peace with Iwagakure, then turn around to fight Sunagakure.
The study delegation, the three duels that humiliated Konoha, the extortion using assassination attempts as pretext... In this Shinobi World War, Sunagakure gained many benefits from Konoha without paying any price.
Konoha deeply resented Sunagakure's actions… perhaps more than they hated Kumogakure, Kusagakure, or even Iwagakure.
At least the others paid a heavy price, while Sunagakure was purely taking advantage.
Given this, if Ryuji tried to exploit the situation further, the probability of Konoha abandoning their impending victory to attack Sunagakure, aiming to take a bite out of them, would exceed eighty percent.
Therefore, with Tsunade taking the lead in apologizing, Ryuji went along with it, giving them the respect.
However,
This incident made Ryuji realize something: Konoha was having it too easy in this Great Shinobi War.
Yes, too easy.
Although Konoha once faced enemies double their size, their situation was incomparably better than in the original work.
In the original, Sunagakure first declared war on Konoha, followed by Kumogakure, Kusagakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure attacking Konoha successively.
In the original work, Konoha fought three of the other Five Great Shinobi Villages simultaneously. The fighting was so brutal that even newly-graduated Genin were sent to war. High-mobility Shinobi like Minato were constantly firefighting across three battlefields.
But now, they faced at most two great villages and Kusagakure simultaneously. Though still a hellish difficulty, it was like comparing the hell difficulty of Dark Souls, Sekiro, and The Witcher 3… not on the same level.
If the current situation continued, Konoha would soon end the war with Iwagakure.
Then, even if Kirigakure joined later, it would be one-on-one.
With a robust Shinobi Training System and the Daimyo's full financial support, even without a recovery period, Konoha could easily win against Kirigakure.
The Third Shinobi World War would then end early.
This wasn't good for Sunagakure.
The Infinite Water Circulation System wasn't yet installed in all Land of Wind cities. The Mechanical City's follow-up work wasn't complete.
If the Third Shinobi World War ended early, the other villages would have resources to consider Sunagakure as a potential threat.
Sunagakure might then face a Shinobi World Alliance.
To prevent this, Ryuji needed to increase Konoha's difficulty.
Thus, he told Jiraiya about Nagato being alive and the Uchiha mastermind.
'Whether he will destroy the world or bring it peace all depends on how you guide him.'
Combined with the current situation, this ambiguous prophecy made it highly likely Jiraiya would abandon the improving war to seek Nagato in the Land of Rain. Konoha would also increase suspicion towards the Uchiha Clan.
They might not necessarily act against the Uchiha, but they certainly wouldn't trust Uchiha's elite Shinobi in the war as before.
They might even allocate forces to guard against the Uchiha within the village.
This would undoubtedly add uncertainty to the already favorable war situation.
While unlikely to let Iwagakure turn defeat into victory, it could at least make Iwagakure hold out longer. If they held out until Kirigakure entered the war, with two great villages attacking Konoha from different directions, forcing them to fight on two fronts, the war could be prolonged.
And Sunagakure could continue developing peacefully.
Ryuji elaborated extensively, nine parts truth to one part fabrication, reasoned and convincing.
Jiraiya, expression serious, asked detailed questions, including probes.
Ryuji answered fluently, saying what should be said, feigning ignorance where appropriate.
About ten minutes later.
Jiraiya took a deep breath, bowing ninety degrees to Ryuji.
"Thank you immensely for this information!"
Seeing this, Ryuji's lips curved slightly, a half-smile on his face. "Jiraiya, do you now feel the subtlety of life's twists?"
Hearing this, Jiraiya's face showed a flicker of embarrassment.
But he was also an easygoing (shameless) person, unfazed by Ryuji's sarcastic tone. He laughed heartily, "Indeed, life's twists are subtle. I owe you one. I'll repay this favor when I have the chance."
"I look forward to that repayment."
"It will come." Jiraiya then looked at Orochimaru and Tsunade. "Nagato's matter is crucial. I might not participate in the later stages of the war. You two, don't die on the battlefield!"
"Is it that important?"
Tsunade frowned deeply, unconvinced.
If Nagato was alive, there would be chances to find him later. But now, at a critical juncture in the war affecting all of Konoha, losing a top-tier fighter like Jiraiya was hard to accept.
Orochimaru also watched with keen interest.
"More important than you think." Jiraiya nodded gravely. "Anyway, be careful. I don't want to return only to find you gone."
"Get lost! You're the one who needs to be careful."
Tsunade kicked him irritably.
Jiraiya jumped back with the motion, waving at them. "Take care."
Without looking back, he left.
He needed to prepare supplies and explain things to the Third Hokage. No time for lengthy farewells with comrades.
Watching Jiraiya's back disappear from view, everyone turned their attention elsewhere.
Ryuji looked at Tsunade and Orochimaru, asking playfully, "Care to come in for a while?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "Sure, let's sit."
Hearing this, Orochimaru, who had planned to leave, also nodded and followed inside.
Reception Room.
Ryuji, Tsunade, and Orochimaru sat around a low table.
Aka brought tea and snacks.
Tsunade and Orochimaru's gazes lingered on Aka until she left the room.
"You're quite something," Tsunade's golden eyes sparkled with amusement. "Having the powerhouse who killed Hanzo on the battlefield at your beck and call as a maid. At such a young age, you have quite the way with women. Do you have some special technique?"
Ryuji pretended not to hear, slowly sipping his tea.
"Tch, so boring."
Tsunade's expression fell. She picked up a pastry and ate it.
Orochimaru glanced at Tsunade, then looked at Ryuji, chuckling lightly. "That Aka... she wouldn't happen to be a puppet you created too, would she?"
Hearing this, Ryuji's hand holding the teacup paused almost imperceptibly, then resumed.
But both Tsunade and Orochimaru were top-tier Shinobi.
This subtle anomaly didn't escape them. Their hearts skipped a beat.
"Hey, hey, don't tell me it's true!"
Tsunade looked up at Ryuji, disbelief on her face.
Orochimaru's eyes widened slightly.
He opened his mouth, wanting to confirm, but ultimately lacked the courage to ask.
He feared that if the answer was yes, he might be so devastated he'd give up.
Orochimaru had long researched life, believing himself unparalleled in the study of living beings.
Even learning Ryuji developed soul creation technology didn't discourage him.
After all, soul and body were separate. Even as parts of life, they were different fields.
He didn't think Ryuji could surpass him in the study of life itself.
But now… if Aka was truly his creation, then his own research would seem like childish scribbles in comparison.
Because Konoha had already confirmed Aka's condition. She wasn't a mechanical construct like Gin made from biomimetic materials, but a genuine human. If Ryuji could create humans, even powerhouses like her, what level was he operating at?
"You're overthinking it." Ryuji glanced at them coolly, taking a sip of fragrant tea before continuing. "If I had that ability, the Five Great Nations, even the entire Shinobi World, would already be under my rule."
'That's true.'
Tsunade and Orochimaru inwardly sighed in relief, smiles returning to their faces.
Tsunade continued eating pastries, asking between bites, "Ryuji, have you considered my request from last time?"
"Last time?"
Ryuji looked at her, puzzled.
"About helping me resurrect two people."
"I already said I don't have that ability." Ryuji couldn't help rolling his eyes. "If their souls were still around, I might try. But for the dead whose souls have returned to the Pure Land, I have no means at all."
"If it's about recalling souls, I have a method."
Orochimaru suddenly spoke.