Flying Thunder God Scroll
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stared at Jiraiya for a long moment before retracting his hand from the Sannin's shoulder. His tone was cautious as he spoke:
"Jiraiya, I know you have your own way of doing things, but are you sure this is the right time to leave? The village could use your presence now."
Jiraiya shook his head, his expression firm. "The village's internal conflicts don't need my interference. Anbu's work is more critical, and I refuse to be a weapon against my own people."
Hearing this, Hiruzen returned to his desk without a word, opened a drawer, and retrieved a mission scroll stamped with the Hokage's seal. With an impassive expression, he tossed it to Jiraiya.
"This is an S-rank long-term mission. Go wherever you want, return whenever you choose."
Jiraiya caught the scroll with one hand and left the Hokage's office without looking back.
As the door shut behind him, Hiruzen took out his tobacco pipe, inhaled deeply, and exhaled a long plume of smoke, his gaze fixed on the portraits of the past Hokage.
Ever since Tsunade had left and Orochimaru had defected, he had now lost the trust of yet another apprentice.
And yet, he could not move against Danzo. Removing Danzo would expose too many uncomfortable truths—truths that would stain the Hokage's reputation. A Hokage had to be untarnished, a symbol of unwavering strength. If doubts arose about the village's leader, the entire system would begin to crack.
Just a little longer. Once the next generation of shinobi fully matured, Konoha could reclaim its former glory.
After leaving the Hokage Building, Jiraiya moved unhindered. Anbu surveillance meant little to him—his experience as one of the Legendary Sannin rendered their tracking methods meaningless. Within moments, he arrived at a secluded forest clearing.
Kakashi Hatake was already waiting, leaning casually against a tree. He glanced up at Jiraiya's approach and smirked.
"Jiraiya-sama, I assume the Third didn't change his mind?"
Jiraiya said nothing, but his silence spoke volumes.
Kakashi sighed internally. He had never expected Hiruzen to take direct action against Danzo, but he had still hoped. Had the Hokage confronted Danzo, their plans would have encountered far fewer obstacles.
But reality had played out differently.
Hiruzen's reluctance was more than just sentimentality—it was a refusal to abandon the past. And if the village was to truly change, then perhaps its leader had to change as well.
But was Jiraiya truly the right person to become the Fifth Hokage? Once, Kakashi had believed so. Now, he wasn't so sure.
Sensing Kakashi's doubts, Jiraiya exhaled and said, "The old man won't act against Danzo, and he won't name me as his successor either. He's afraid that if I become Hokage, I'll eliminate Danzo outright."
"Kakashi, was I wrong to make my stance so clear?"
Kakashi shook his head and smiled slightly. "If nothing else, at least now you know where you stand. The dream of persuading the Third is over—now you have a clear goal. That's enough for now."
"You still have an advantage, Jiraiya-sama. You're younger than the Third. Time is on your side."
Jiraiya scoffed. "You make me sound like some washed-up relic."
Kakashi's gaze, however, had turned sharper. His disillusionment with Konoha's leadership had deepened over the years. There was a time when Jiraiya might have corrected that cynicism. But now? Now, he understood.
Neither Hiruzen nor Danzo was Konoha. They were simply men who had shaped it. And one day, others would take their place.
After a brief pause, Jiraiya asked, "What's our next step? Do we keep gathering evidence on Danzo, or do we shift focus?"
Instead of answering directly, Kakashi changed the subject. "Have you heard about the recent battle in the Land of Waves? One side was Naruto. The other—was the leader of the Akatsuki."
Jiraiya's breath hitched.
The Akatsuki.
An organization that had begun with Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan. He had believed his three students were long dead, but lately, whispers of the Akatsuki had been surfacing again.
"I've heard the name before. But if they fought Naruto and held their ground, then they must be formidable."
Kakashi's expression darkened. "You're underestimating them."
"A few years ago, the masked man who attacked Konoha was an Akatsuki member. The rogue Suna ninja Sasori and even Orochimaru were part of their ranks. And whoever leads them now—he's strong enough to command those missing-nin."
Pausing, Kakashi continued, "And according to our intelligence… the leader of the Akatsuki possesses the Rinnegan."
Jiraiya froze.
"The Rinnegan?" His voice was low, dangerous. "That's impossible. The Rinnegan belonged to Nagato. How could someone else have it? Unless… unless Nagato isn't dead."
"We don't have definitive proof yet," Kakashi admitted. "But if the Akatsuki's leader is your former student, this situation might be far more complicated than we thought."
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. "And where did you get this information, Kakashi? You've been stationed in Konoha. There's no way you could have uncovered something this critical on your own."
Kakashi's smirk returned. "Jiraiya-sama, this intelligence isn't hidden. It exists within Konoha's upper ranks. But they never told you."
Jiraiya clenched his fists. The Third had known. He had known, and yet, he had never informed him.
If Nagato was truly alive… why had he attacked Naruto? What did he stand to gain?
Was this the same Nagato he had once trained? Or had something changed him?
Exhaling deeply, Jiraiya made his decision. "I need to leave the village. I have to find out the truth. If this leader is truly Nagato, then things are worse than I imagined."
Kakashi nodded. "I'll hold things down here. Just don't get yourself killed, Jiraiya-sama."
Jiraiya smirked. "I'm not that easy to take down."
As Jiraiya vanished into the distance, Kakashi turned back toward Konoha's streets.
After making a few casual stops, he returned home, carrying a fresh copy of Icha Icha Paradise and a bag of grilled saury.
The house was unchanged—silent, orderly, familiar.
Lying on his tatami mat, he absentmindedly flipped through the pages of his book. But his gaze kept drifting toward a three-pronged kunai resting in the center of the room.
Beside it lay a scroll—one he hadn't placed there himself.
A Flying Thunder God Scroll.
Sealed with Konoha's signature barrier formula, it contained the very intelligence he had just shared with Jiraiya.
With a slow sigh, Kakashi closed his book and leaned back, lost in thought.
The more things changed, the more they stayed the same.
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