Ryuji glanced toward Orochimaru standing in the distance.
Orochimaru spread his hands, indicating it had nothing to do with him.
But despite this attitude, since he came here, if an irreconcilable conflict truly erupted, he would undoubtedly side with Tsunade and Jiraiya.
Shifting his gaze back, Ryuji looked at Tsunade and Jiraiya again.
This woman, usually overwhelmingly strong-willed, now shamelessly held Jiraiya in a ninety-degree bow of apology. He couldn't help but sigh.
"Since you've taken this stance, if I continue to nitpick, I'd seem petty."
"Thank you so much."
Tsunade bowed deeply to Ryuji again, then stood up with a beaming smile, no trace of her earlier anger visible.
This lightning-fast change of expression left the Sunagakure's delegation feeling somewhat played.
'So her earlier expression was all an act for us!'
Tsunade seemed to realize her face-changing was too abrupt. Grabbing Jiraiya's head as he tried to rise, she pressed him down again. "You haven't thanked Ryuji-dono for his magnanimity yet. Thank him properly!"
"Impo... mmmph..."
Jiraiya started to say 'Impossible', but after two syllables, Tsunade's monstrous strength squeezed the arteries on both sides of his neck, forcing the rest back.
But Jiraiya absolutely refused to bow to Ryuji, struggling desperately, making Tsunade look increasingly anxious.
"What's wrong with you!?"
"I... won't... bow..."
The words were mumbled and indistinct, incomprehensible to outsiders. But how could Tsunade, having fought alongside him for years, not understand?
Anxiously, she clenched her fist, ready to threaten him. But then Ryuji's voice came.
"Since I've decided not to pursue this, I don't care about your attitude. An insincere apology can be skipped."
Their movements froze.
Jiraiya seized the chance to break free from Tsunade's grip, snorted coldly, and turned away in displeasure.
Tsunade wanted to explode in anger, but remembering Ryuji behind her, she stiffly turned her head back, offering an embarrassed smile and another bow. "We truly apologize."
"I won't repeat myself. Since I've decided not to pursue it, your attitude doesn't matter. However..." Ryuji turned to look at Jiraiya's back, smiling lightly. "Jiraiya, life's twists are subtle. You hate me desperately now, but soon you'll be so grateful you could cry."
"What nonsense are you... I..."
Jiraiya whirled around, instinctively about to curse, but met Tsunade's murderous glare.
Ultimately, he swallowed his words, turning back resentfully.
Unfazed, Ryuji ignored Tsunade's continued apologetic glances, saying softly, "Nagato isn't dead."
"..."
A brief silence. Jiraiya spun around again, staring at Ryuji incredulously. "What did you say!?"
"I said Nagato isn't dead."
Jiraiya blinked, looking at Ryuji again, asking once more, "What did you say?"
"Na. Ga. To. Is. Not. Dead!"
Concerned Jiraiya still might not believe it, he enunciated each word clearly.
But Jiraiya still wore an unbelieving expression, pressing, "What did you just say!?"
Ryuji frowned, annoyed. "Nagato is dead."
"You just said Nagato isn't dead!"
The different answer confirmed Jiraiya hadn't misheard. He whooped with joy like a child, jumping up and down.
The onlookers were speechless.
Tsunade's earlier shamelessness had already shattered their perceptions. Now Jiraiya acted like a child too. That left one...
Everyone instinctively looked at Orochimaru standing in the distance… robes flowing, face cold as frost, standing proudly.
'Yes, this is the demeanor of a legendary Sannin!'
"Not only is Nagato not dead, but I didn't kill Konan either."
Ryuji's words pulled Jiraiya from his excitement.
He strode up to Ryuji, looking him up and down.
This rude behavior made Gin and Aka nearby frown, wanting to teach Jiraiya a lesson.
Tsunade sensed trouble and prepared to scold loudly again.
But Jiraiya spoke first.
His expression serious, he asked, "Can you tell me exactly what happened?"
Ryuji nodded slightly. "As Nagato's teacher, you must know about his extraordinary power, right?"
Jiraiya's pupils contracted slightly. Seeing Ryuji didn't say it outright, he understood Ryuji didn't want more people to know. He played along with the riddle.
"Correct. It was precisely discovering Nagato's extraordinary power that I stayed in the Land of Rain to teach them Ninjutsu."
"That makes it easier to explain." Ryuji nodded. "At the time, the unit I led encountered Konan and Nagato's team, and a fight ensued. I detected Nagato's special power early on, worried his outburst would cause heavy losses to my troops, so I captured his companion to force him to take his own life."
Hearing this, aside from Gin and Aka, everyone present frowned to varying degrees.
Though Shinobi emphasized achieving goals by any means, despicable methods were still looked down upon.
While no one would say anything to his face, they instinctively resisted such behavior and felt ashamed to associate with such people.
Jiraiya, Tsunade, and even many Sunagakure's Shinobi behind them felt such methods were dishonorable. Orochimaru and a few others were surprised Ryuji would openly admit to behavior that made people ashamed to associate with him.
Only Aka and Gin remained expressionless, completely unfazed.
Ryuji ignored their reactions, continuing, "But just as Nagato picked up a kunai, ready to die for his companion, one of my subordinates killed Konan without warning, triggering Nagato's rampage."
Everyone looked shocked.
'What?'
'The strategy was about to succeed, then someone suddenly ruined it?'
'Was that subordinate a joke?'
Orochimaru frowned. "Was that subordinate a spy from another village?"
Hearing this, others' eyes lit up, looking over.
"No." Ryuji shook his head lightly. "The selection process for Sunagakure's elite puppeteer corps is extremely strict. If even that unit had enemy spies, then Sunagakure would be completely infiltrated."
"If selection is strict, competency shouldn't be an issue either. So it couldn't be a mistake like nervous trembling," Tsunade analyzed meticulously.
"Correct. There was no mistake." Ryuji gave her an appreciative glance, not dragging it out. "That subordinate was under a Genjutsu, controlled by someone to kill Konan."
"What!?"
Facing their shock, Ryuji explained, "At the time, Nagato stayed behind to cover his companions' escape. I sent others to pursue Konan and the rest, while I stayed with Aka to deal with Nagato. The Genjutsu was likely cast during the pursuit."
"But Sunagakure's puppeteer corps..."
"Are all elite, right?"
Seeing the youth voice his thoughts, Jiraiya nodded dumbly.
"Right, the elite puppeteer corps members are all experts. But the enemy was an expert among experts." Ryuji explained, "My subordinate was under a Sharingan's Genjutsu."
"Impossible!"
Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru spoke in unison.
After speaking, they exchanged glances, nodding. Orochimaru stepped closer to explain, "The Uchiha Clan is responsible for the village's Police Force. They normally don't leave the village for missions. Even during tense wartime, only a few powerful individuals participate. At that time, we were executing a plan against Kumo. It was impossible to send anyone to target Suna and Ame."
"I never said the enemy was Konoha's Uchiha."
Not Konoha's Uchiha, but an Uchiha outside.
Ryuji didn't reveal Madara's existence, wanting to accelerate the suspicion between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan.
"Frankly, that enemy was frighteningly powerful." Ryuji continued, "Because of Konan's death, Nagato erupted with unprecedented power, far surpassing even you three Sannin."
Tsunade and Orochimaru frowned deeply.
They were unconvinced.
But seeing Jiraiya, who usually had the biggest reactions, remaining silent and looking as if this were obvious, they remembered the 'special power' the two had mentioned earlier.
Doubt crept in: 'Could Nagato truly possess power far exceeding the three of us?'
"But even that Nagato was no match for me."
'After talking so much, you're just boasting about being stronger than us three Sannin, right?'
Hearing this next sentence, Tsunade's eyebrow twitched, forcibly suppressing the urge to charge forward and fight.
"But just as I was about to kill Nagato, that enemy rescued him."
"He rescued Nagato!?"
Hearing this, Tsunade's displeasure vanished, replaced by a grave expression.
If that person were Nagato's ally, they wouldn't have used Genjutsu to manipulate someone to kill Konan.
But if an enemy, they genuinely saved Nagato.
Thinking deeper, considering Nagato's special power, their eyes widened.
"That person is coveting Nagato's special power!"
Jiraiya voiced everyone's thought, then stared intently at Ryuji, awaiting confirmation.
"Correct, that's what I think too." Ryuji said, "After erupting, Nagato possessed power far exceeding the three Sannin, but that person was even stronger than the erupted Nagato."
"He wore a mask, so I don't know who he was, but I could see a three-tomoe Sharingan through the mask's eyeholes."
"He was too powerful. Even with Aka's help, we could only barely fight him to a standstill before he escaped."
"At the time, I was puzzled. With his strength, if he wanted to rescue someone, he could have done so openly, saving everyone. But he didn't. Instead, he used Sunagakure's hand to kill Konan before Nagato, as if deliberately triggering his rampage. His tone, like a puppet master behind the scenes, made me think deeply."