stonecrandall Page 155
Page 155
The three generations readily agreed: "Yes, yes, yes, we'll have him come to see me as soon as he enters the village."
"Yes!"
The hidden officers quickly retreated.
Once the door closed, only four people remained inside.
The Third Hokage seemed to have gained some confidence due to Jiraiya's return.
"With Jiraiya here, the Uchiha shouldn't dare to make any rash moves."
Danzo knew from Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression that he was planning to back down again.
"Hiruzen! The Uchiha clan is not what it used to be. Do you really expect Jiraiya to stay in the village forever?"
The three generations paced back and forth: "Let's at least get through this hurdle first."
Danzo's heart sank. The Uchiha clan was currently riding high, and the Third Hokage had recently distanced himself from him. Perhaps this was his last chance.
Danzo said somewhat angrily, "What if Itachi and Shisui don't leave?"
"I will have Jiraiya handle it."
The third generation, however, had other ideas swirling in their minds.
Hmph, if the village really goes to war with the Uchiha, do you think we'll expect you to put in the effort?
Jiraiya always seemed to be missing something when he was alone.
Seeing that the Third Hokage had made up his mind, Danzo snorted coldly.
We'll have to find another opportunity.
"However, we can also make arrangements for Kawasaki's previous request, since the Uchiha clan is still a member of our Konoha family."
Danzo was furious when the Third Hokage said those words.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi! Are you planning to use me as a shield!?"
Danzo finally managed to regain his position as an honorary elder.
Unexpectedly, the Third Hokage, who was once close to him, not only gradually became wary of him, but now even wanted to push him out as a scapegoat.
Danzo had already realized that the Third Hokage was going to suppress him.
Now they're trying to drag him out to take the blame, but given the current situation, Danzo is furious but can't bring himself to speak.
The Third Hokage said, "Wasn't it you who initiated that matter back then?"
"You...you guys!"
Danzo did propose this, but it was unanimously approved by all four of them.
"I disagree!"
Danzo's eyes burned with rage!
The third generation was also annoyed at this point:
"What time is it? You're still worried about your reputation?!"
"You'll regret this, Hiruzen!"
"That's enough! I'm the Hokage!"
The Third Hokage slammed his hand on the table.
"Oh dear, why is the old man so angry?"
Just then, someone climbed in through the window.
It was Jiraiya.
Danzo glanced at Jiraiya.
It's all your fault. Why did you have to come back now of all times?
He snorted heavily and left angrily.
"What's going on?"
Jiraiya scratched his head. Had Danzo eaten some kind of explosive?
Koharu and Mitokado, seeing that they had nothing to do, followed them out.
The Third Hokage was initially a bit angry, but upon seeing Jiraiya, his mood immediately improved considerably.
Jiraiya usually seems carefree and unreliable.
But when it really matters, this guy is actually reliable.
The Third Hokage smiled and said, "You've come back just in time. If it weren't for you, Konoha would have been in danger."
Jiraiya's expression also turned serious:
"Could it be because of the Uchiha Kawasaki clan's succession as clan head?"
Although he didn't gather much intelligence along the way, the Uchiha clan's activities were so significant that even ordinary people knew about them.
Jiraiya had obviously heard about it too.
The Third Hokage nodded: "You don't know, the Hidden Sound Village..."
He showed Jiraiya several official documents, indicating that it wouldn't be a problem for the other ninja villages to send people.
Unfortunately, the leader of the Sound Village is coming, and he's bringing back over a hundred Uchiha clan members.
There's also Shisui inside, along with Itachi who secretly returned to the village earlier.
The current Kawasaki clan also has Fugaku from the 903 clan, which means they have four Mangekyou Sharingan.
Although Jiraiya and Kawasaki had fought before, who knows what Kawasaki is planning now?
.....
In Konoha Village.
Hokage's office.
"The leader of the Sound Village? Where would the Sound Village have a leader? They weren't even there when I went there last time."
Jiraiya asked curiously.
The Third Hokage took a drag of his cigarette: "The recent inauguration ceremony makes us one of the few villages outside the Five Great Ninja Villages to publicly declare that we have a leader."
Jiraiya nodded, finding it unsurprising.
"I went there last time..."
Jiraiya then told the Third Hokage everything he had seen and heard about the prosperity of Otogakure.
"The development of Yinyin Village is so rapid that it has almost monopolized all the tasks in the surrounding small countries."
With the addition of the Uchiha clan's restaurant business, Otogakure is no longer a small village.
"I suspect that Otogakure is a puppet supported by the Uchiha clan."
The third generation speculated.
Jiraiya laughed heartily: "Old man, guessing is too much trouble. Why don't you just ask Orochimaru?"
The third generation's expression changed.
He then looked at Jiraiya seriously and asked, "Jiraiya, I'm asking you seriously now, do you really want to be Hokage? Answer me seriously."
For the Third Hokage, if Jiraiya were willing to take over as Hokage...
That would make things much easier for me; Jiraiya's loyalty to the village goes without saying.
He was both a disciple and the master of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, and his strength was top-notch.
Aside from being unreliable.
While I cannot guarantee that I can suppress the Uchiha clan, I can at least ensure the safety of Konoha.
"I?"
Jiraiya was startled, seeing the Third Hokage's serious expression, which didn't seem like a joke.
He slowly frowned and began to think.
He paced back and forth a few times, his gaze sweeping over the mountain of documents piled up on his desk.
A moment later, images of my usual carefree drinking flashed through my mind.
A fleeting image flashed through my mind: myself sitting at my desk reviewing documents.
Then flashed back to the scene of Minato Namikaze sacrificing himself for the village.
Jiraiya sighed, "Sorry, old man."
Although he had expected it, the Third Hokage still felt somewhat upset when he heard Jiraiya's direct rejection.
The power of the Kage of Konoha can be misleading. In his youth, he was also ambitious and wanted to make a difference, to build Konoha into the strongest village.
Later, however, I realized that I had done many wrong things.
I finally realized that being the Hokage was really tiring.
If only I had known...
Many images flashed through the Third Hokage's mind: Nawaki, Kato Dan, Hatake Sakumo, Tsunade, Orochimaru.
The final shot focuses on Orochimaru.
The Third Hokage no longer hesitated.
He said directly, "I have prepared what Orochimaru wants. How do I give it to him? I want to see him."
Jiraiya seemed to have guessed the Third Hokage's thoughts: "Old man, have you thought this through? Perhaps Tsunade isn't so bad."
The Third Hokage shook his head; Jiraiya hadn't fully grasped his intentions either.
Although Orochimaru was recalled in preparation for becoming a candidate for the Fifth Hokage,
But now it is more important to gather more manpower to fight against the Uchiha.
After all, no matter how powerful Jiraiya is, how much can he really handle?