At the moment when Jiraiya was drowning his sorrows in drink, sitting speechless and at a loss together with the two Toad Sages, Fukasaku and Shima—
[Plop.]
A faint sound of something landing lightly was heard.
A small, entirely emerald-green messenger toad, agile and quick, leapt into the slightly noisy tavern from who knew where.
Ignoring the surrounding diners, it kicked off with its hind legs, sprang lightly, and landed precisely upon the table crowded with bottles before Jiraiya.
"Croak! Croak!"
It croaked in a rapid, urgent rhythm toward Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima.
Jiraiya immediately noticed that on the wrinkled old faces of Fukasaku and Shima flashed, at the same time, a trace of unmistakable astonishment.
After the small toad finished delivering its message and once again hopped away into the shadows, the expressions on the two sages' faces became even more complicated.
That made Jiraiya's muddled head considerably clearer.
He exhaled a heavy breath reeking of alcohol and could not help leaning closer, lowering his voice to ask urgently, "Did some new intelligence arrive from Mount Myōboku? Could it be new instructions from the Great Toad Sage?"
Sage Fukasaku coughed lightly, as if sorting out his thoughts, then nodded. "Mm, it's a messenger sent by the Great Sage."
Jiraiya's eyes brightened at once, and he immediately pressed on, "What directive did the Great Toad Sage give? Is it… a new arrangement concerning the Child of Prophecy?"
"This…" A look of awkward hesitation surfaced on Fukasaku's face, as though he did not know how to begin.
Beside him, Sage Shima sighed, her expression complex as she took over the words. Her voice was much lower than usual. "The Great Sage told us… that during this period, we are to suspend all actions involving contact with the Child of Prophecy."
"And moreover, to avoid as much as possible any direct conflict with Uchiha Keizumi and the Slug Sage."
Jiraiya was stunned for a moment, unable to react. "This… this is the entire directive from the Great Toad Sage?"
"Not only that…"
Sage Shima shook her head and went on, "The Great Sage also had the messenger convey to us the reason it made this decision—it said… it wishes to quietly observe how 'Absolute Justice' will ultimately change the shinobi world."
Jiraiya was completely dumbfounded.
Sage Fukasaku added in explanation, "This is most likely a strategic compromise the Great Sage made personally after going to negotiate with the Slug Sage. The Great Sage probably does not wish to, at such a critical juncture, break into direct conflict with the Shikkotsu Forest, which, like Mount Myōboku, is one of the Three Great Sage Regions. That would bring no benefit to either side and would only make Mount Myōboku gain an unnecessary enemy—and a very powerful one at that."
He exhaled and continued, "However… the Great Sage did not clearly tell us, if the changes that 'Absolute Justice' ultimately brings to the shinobi world truly turn out to be positive, then what should be our next response?"
Hearing this, Sage Shima shook her head firmly and said, "That kind of 'justice' maintained through extreme slaughter—how could it possibly bring true positive transformation to the shinobi world? I think it will only make the shinobi world overflow with endless killing, fall into perpetual internal strife, and continuously consume its own living strength!"
"Even we must admit that the evil hidden within the shinobi world can never be completely eradicated! As long as greed, selfishness, and desire remain within human nature, new villains will endlessly be born."
"I truly cannot imagine—just how many people would have to die to supposedly 'kill off' all the evildoers? By that time, how many living people would even remain in the shinobi world?"
"Even if Uchiha Keizumi truly possesses the ability to kill off all existing evildoers, to forcibly suppress every sin, is such an order maintained by terror and violence really the kind of transformation people want?"
"That's true as well…" Sage Fukasaku nodded in agreement and gave an example. "Take Konohagakure, for instance—those whom Uchiha Keizumi has dealt with, both openly and secretly, must already number in the thousands, right?"
"And even so, that still hasn't cleansed Konohagakure of its 'sins'… If he were to cleanse the sins of the entire shinobi world, what kind of terrifying number would that be? That wouldn't be reform—that would be a massacre!"
Jiraiya hesitated for a moment, unable to hold back from interjecting in defense. "Keizumi… isn't necessarily that extreme, is he? From what I've observed, when it comes to smaller misdeeds, he doesn't seem to kill outright."
"For example, those members of the Hyūga Main Family were merely imprisoned in Konohagakure's prison. That shows his 'Absolute Justice' still targets those truly guilty of heinous crimes—such people should still be the minority in proportion."
Sage Shima frowned and looked earnestly at Jiraiya, saying, "Little Jiraiya, you're being far too naïve. People with extreme temperaments often go farther and farther down that path—they don't stay the same forever."
"Can you truly guarantee that Uchiha Keizumi will always maintain this so-called 'restraint' of yours, and not carry his extremity through to the very end?"
Jiraiya was rendered speechless. His understanding of Uchiha Keizumi was indeed not deep; most of it was based on observation and rumor.
The human heart changes easily—especially for one who possesses great power and extreme conviction. Who could truly guarantee what path such a person's future would take?
He fell into silence.
"But…" After a few seconds, Jiraiya finally lifted his head and said with a hint of helplessness, "The Great Toad Sage has already ordered that we are not to contact the Child of Prophecy for now. Under such circumstances, it seems there's nothing we can do?"
Sage Fukasaku: "…"
Sage Shima: "…"
This time, it was the two of them who were left speechless.
No matter how strongly they disapproved of "Absolute Justice" in their hearts, or how worried they were about the risks it posed for the future, they could not defy the highest decision made by the Great Toad Sage.
"Wait!"
Suddenly, Jiraiya slapped the table hard and sprang to his feet like a coiled spring.
The sudden motion made the bottles on the table clatter and sway, startling both Fukasaku and Shima.
A gleam of sudden excitement shone across Jiraiya's face. "I just thought of a way to satisfy both sides! It won't go against the Great Toad Sage's order, it won't anger Tsunade, and it won't directly provoke Uchiha Keizumi either!"
Sage Shima and Sage Fukasaku both froze, asking in unison, "What way?"
Light flickered in Jiraiya's eyes as he said, word by word, "The Ninja Academy!"
…
Meanwhile, throughout the streets and alleys of Konohagakure, the villagers were all fervently discussing an important event that would determine the future direction of the village—the upcoming election for the Fifth Hokage, to be held in a few days!
There were two candidates: one was Tsunade, one of the legendary "Sannin of Konoha"; the other was the current Third Hokage, "Hero of Konoha" Sarutobi Hiruzen.
To many ordinary villagers in the village, both were figures of great renown.
As for whom to choose, they had no clear preference in their hearts.
Thus, most people could not help but turn their gazes toward the ninja of the village.
They wanted to catch some indication of the general mood from the attitudes and remarks of these shinobi.
Soon after, they heard from quite a few Konohagakure ninja a rather common, prevailing viewpoint.
"You're asking me who I want to choose as the Fifth Hokage, huh…"
A seemingly ordinary Konoha chūnin was surrounded by several curious villagers. He first looked around deliberately in a show of mystery, making sure there were no ANBU or other spies nearby, before lowering his voice and saying, "If it were up to me, I definitely wouldn't choose the Third Hokage again."
He explained, "After all… Lord Third is already quite old, and his vigor is likely no longer what it used to be. More importantly, on the Police Force's side… he has no authority whatsoever! He simply cannot command those Uchiha ninja."
Then he shifted the direction of his words. "In contrast… Tsunade-sama is different. Although she has been half in seclusion these past few years, her reputation among the Police Force is very good. It's said she has quite a good personal relationship with that Uchiha Keizumi, the Chief Commander. If she becomes Hokage, she'll be able to mobilize and restrain the power of the Police Force."
He concluded with a tone of sincere conviction, as though speaking for the good of the village. "In other words… Lord Third can no longer control that powerful Uchiha force, while only Tsunade-sama can unite the powers within the village."
"In this situation, for the stability of the village, I'd naturally choose the person who can make things steadier to become Hokage."
Looking at the villagers before him who appeared to have reached some sudden understanding, he added one final remark. "As for who should become Hokage—who can make our days more peaceful and secure—I think… I don't need to say any more, do I? You should all have an idea in your hearts."
After finishing these seemingly heartfelt words, the chūnin waved his hand, squeezed through the crowd, and quickly left.
However, before long…
He deliberately went around to another crowded street and took the initiative to raise the topic of the Hokage election again.
Facing a new group of listeners, he slightly modified his previous remarks.
Then he repeated them once more.
When yet another group of villagers showed expressions of sudden realization, he once again slipped deftly into the crowd and vanished.
Clearly…
This chūnin was no ordinary idle talker. He came from a ninja clan that had long since placed its bet on supporting Tsunade.
Since they had already taken a side, they naturally had to spare no effort in shaping public opinion, winning over the people's support for the one they backed.