Jiraiya held his forehead. Although his sensei was very troublesome and caused a big mess, it didn't make things difficult for him and Minato.
Jiraiya thought about trying hard to find a way to help Konoha get through this difficult time, and then let Minato take over as the Fourth Hokage. Everything will get better after that...
'Who will be the forbidden child of prophecy in the prophecy of the Great Toad Sage?'
'This prophecy is so accurate, and the Great Sage Toad's attitude is so firm... It must mean that the situation is extremely urgent!'
While Jiraiya was lost in his thoughts, Hiruzen spoke in a serious tone: "Jiraiya, you and Namikaze Minato will be responsible for Iwagakure in this war."
"Kazuki will be responsible for Kirigakure, I will be responsible for Sunagakure, Tsunade and Orochimaru will be responsible for Kumogakure, Hatake Sakumo will be responsible for Amegakure..."
"But remember, in general, you must obey the transfer orders, even I, the Hokage, must obey the orders of the commander-in-chief. This war will adopt new tactics, and Konoha will let all the shinobi villages know our strength."
Jiraiya's heart tightened. "Who is the commander-in-chief?"
"It's Kazuki." Hiruzen said slowly: "If the war is won, Kazuki will be the well-deserved Fourth Hokage."
"At present, the deployment of the war and the use of new ninja tools are all in the charge of Kazuki. You and Minato must remember not to go against the overall command because of personal thoughts."
Jiraiya's face turned pale. If the war failed, where would Konoha be?
So even though Hiruzen handed him and Minato some of the Uchiha elite, he still bet Konoha's future completely on Uchiha Kazuki!
A chill ran through Jiraiya's body as he asked in a trembling voice: "Kazuki made the declaration of war on the various shinobi villages, so the plan of showing weakness to the enemy was also his idea?"
Hiruzen silently took out his pipe, exhaled a puff of smoke, and did not answer.
Jiraiya felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck through him. This war that would engulf the shinobi world in flames had been started entirely by Kazuki!
The next moment, the prophecy of the Great Toad Sage also emerged in his mind...
Possessing multiple powers, bringing wars but thinking of peace...
The description fit Kazuki perfectly.
The only problem was: where was the master-disciple bond with him?
Jiraiya recalled the past and muttered to himself: "Old man, I remember you asked me to accept Kazuki as my apprentice..."
"Don't talk nonsense, Jiraiya!" Hiruzen frowned tightly when he heard Jiraiya's words.
Are you crazy?
You are my disciple, and now you want to accept my sensei as your disciple.
Indeed, Hiruzen actually remembered that he had found Jiraiya and asked him to accept Kazuki as his disciple...
But after seeing Senju Tobirama, Sarutobi Hiruzen flexibly eliminated the wrong memory in his mind and told himself that this thing did not happen.
"Kazuki is Tsunade's apprentice, and I never asked you to accept him as your apprentice..." Hiruzen stared at Jiraiya's pale face and emphasized word by word. "Looking at you like this, is it related to that prophecy?"
"I don't care what those toads said or what they asked you to do. Now that we are facing a great enemy, can you and Minato serve Konoha and focus your goals on the enemy instead of the so-called prophecy?"
"And if you can't do it," he continued, his gaze hardening. "Say it right now in front of me, as Hokage."
Jiraiya nodded with difficulty, before bidding farewell to Hiruzen, his mind still hovering around Kazuki.
'It all fits together… absolutely everything fits together.' He thought. 'Kazuki is, without a doubt, the forbidden child of prophecy, destined to bring war to the shinobi world…'
Minato walked beside Jiraiya, his face grim. In a low voice, he said, "Jiraiya-sensei, a few days ago Kazuki visited Kushina. He asked her to pretend to lose control as a Jinchuriki."
"The Kyubi opined that Kazuki is carrying secrets capable of shaking the foundations of the shinobi world," Minato added, worried. "That seems to match exactly with the Great Toad Sage's prophecy."
Jiraiya exhaled slowly.
Even the Kyubi confirmed the prophecy…
"Minato, you believe in the prediction of Mount Myoboku, right?" Jiraiya said in a deep voice: "At this point, we can only help Konoha overcome the difficulties first, and then talk to Kazuki to change his extreme thinking about war!"
"Let's get to work, Minato!"
Minato nodded slowly.
If Minato was half-believing and half-doubting the prophecy of Mount Myoboku before, he now believes it for the most part.
The Kyubi's judgment on Kazuki and the Great Toad Sage's words matched perfectly.
"I believe it, Jiraiya-sensei." Minato said softly: "Please help me, I will work hard to become the fourth Hokage and let the village embark on the road of peace..."
Jiraiya patted Minato's shoulder and said with emotion: "I always believe in you, Minato."
"Now, the future of the shinobi world depends on the two of us!"
...
After Jiraiya left, Hiruzen arrived at the base of the root.
He intended to discuss the details of the war with Kazuki, but what he found left him completely stunned.
Kazuki smiled as he held a clay bomb, inserting a black flame inside it. He carefully used a sealing technique to complete the artifact before handing it over to a root ninja who was waiting respectfully beside him.
Immediately, he repeated this action.
Although it was a manual method, the speed of production was very fast.
"Kazuki, what kind of new weapon is this?" Hiruzen looked at the black flame in Kazuki's hand in surprise.
Even with his vast experience, he could see that those flames were more than just a simple fire jutsu. Their temperature and destructive power were terrifying.
"Clay Bomb - Amaterasu Limited Edition..." Kazuki replied with a smile, pointing to his eyes. "General Explosion Clay Bomb will be restrained by Lightning Release. When the enemy is familiar with it, the effect will be discounted."
"Conventional clay bombs are vulnerable to Lightning Release. But these are different. Combining Amaterasu's eternal fire with the explosion of clay creates a weapon of unparalleled synergy."
"It doesn't take much," he continued. "A single spark is enough to start a combustion that can last indefinitely. Even a jonin-level shinobi would have serious difficulty dealing with this without a proper strategy."
"While I'm at it, I'm taking the opportunity to practice my dojutsu and sealing jutsu techniques."
Hiruzen watched in amazement as Kazuki sealed another black flame into a clay bomb with terrifying precision. A cold sensation ran down his spine.
If this thing were to explode near me..., Hiruzen thought, gulping. He couldn't help but feel a chill at the possibility.
And it wasn't just Hiruzen who was shocked.
Even Tobirama was surprised by the lethality and versatility of those bombs.
"Kazuki, how did you come up with the idea of doing something like that?" Tobirama asked in disbelief, as he watched his Kazuki's actions. His eyes showed concern. "Are your eyes really okay? Don't push yourself too hard…"
"How did I come up with that?" Kazuki replied as he continued to work skillfully. "Ever since I learned Amaterasu, I have been researching it…"
"Although it is a powerful technique of the Mangekyo Sharingan, it also has many limitations."
"Amaterasu requires focusing one's vision and utilizing pupil power to cast. This makes it ineffective against extremely fast enemies or those with advanced sensory abilities. It also disrupts the user's rhythm."
Tobirama nodded silently.
"But these problems only arise when facing strong people..."
Kazuki chuckled. "When Amaterasu's fire is unleashed upon shinobi below the Jonin level, its true power will be exerted to the fullest."
"A single flame from Amaterasu is enough to turn an enemy into fuel, spreading relentlessly. In their desperation to extinguish it, they can cause side effects by spreading the fire to their comrades."
"Even if they endure the pain, traditional methods cannot extinguish Amaterasu. Rolling around on the ground will only fan the flames further."
"What do you think, Tobirama? Don't you think this idea makes the most of Amaterasu's potential?" Kazuki asked with a smile.
Without stopping, Kazuki had produced an entire row of bombs as they spoke.
"Reasonable, it is quite reasonable..." Tobirama muttered, though internally he was musing: Isn't this too inhumane?
Luckily, he thought Kazuki had not been born during the Sengoku Period. He imagined the scene of the battle between Senju and Uchiha, interrupted by a rain of these bombs from the sky. It was unthinkable how anyone could resist something like that.
Furthermore, the bomb was not easy to replicate. The combination of the Mangekyo Sharingan, Explosion Release, and the Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques could currently only be executed by someone like Kazuki.
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