Jiraiya now fully understood what the two elders meant.
They wanted him to become Hokage.
If he accepted the position, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado would immediately back him. Their proposal was nothing more than political pressure — using Danzo as a threat to force Jiraiya's hand.
Their intent was clear:
If Jiraiya became Hokage, then Konoha would have no trouble negotiating with the Hidden Mist to rescue Tsunade.
Whether or not she had truly been captured didn't even matter.
As long as Hokage Jiraiya made the demand, the Mist would have to comply.
The two elders' eyes were filled with expectation. They were waiting for his answer.
But instead of replying, Jiraiya suddenly laughed.
"Hah! You old fossils really are something," he said, shaking his head. "You've lived this long and still play these games so well."
Danzo was a dangerous man, but the two in front of him were no less calculating. It was precisely because of people like them that Konoha's political balance had survived this long — the delicate equilibrium between the Hokage's authority and Root's shadow operations.
Root handled the missions no one else could — the dirty, unspeakable work that kept the village clean on the surface.
Jiraiya despised such methods. He knew that even if he became Hokage, he'd still have to face the same hypocrisy.
Koharu and Homura, for their part, only supported Danzo because they needed him to maintain that balance. If Danzo became Hokage, his influence would grow. To keep that power in check, they'd work closely with him, pretending to oppose him — but in truth, it was all part of the same game.
And Jiraiya wanted no part of it.
"I refuse," he said firmly. "I won't become Hokage."
Both elders froze in disbelief.
"You… don't want to save Tsunade?" Koharu asked, genuinely shocked. She had thought there was no way Jiraiya would turn them down. His love for Tsunade was well known. How could he possibly refuse now?
"Of course I'm going to save Tsunade," Jiraiya said, his expression calm but his tone cold. "But I'll do it my way."
He turned toward them, eyes sharp.
"Since you insist, then let it be as you wish. Let Danzo become the next Hokage of Konoha. You already know what kind of village he'll turn it into."
"If you're not afraid of that future, why should I be?"
He gave a bitter smile. "I'm just a wandering ninja. What happens to Konoha isn't really my concern anymore."
With that, Jiraiya stood up and left.
Homura and Koharu exchanged a long sigh as the door shut behind him.
They hadn't expected Jiraiya, at his age, to still be this stubborn — the same reckless idealist he'd always been.
They had planned to negotiate, maybe even offer him favorable terms. If they could have persuaded him into taking the Hokage's seat, things would have gone smoothly.
But Jiraiya gave them no chance.
He simply walked away.
Outside the Hokage Building, Jiraiya stepped into the courtyard — only to see Danzo Shimura approaching.
The old warhawk's sharp eyes studied him carefully. He must have already guessed that Jiraiya had gone to meet the elders.
Danzo probably thought Jiraiya had gone there to secure their support and take the Hokage position for himself.
So Danzo had rushed to intercept him.
"Jiraiya," Danzo said flatly, stepping closer.
But before he could say anything more, Jiraiya brushed past him without a word — not even sparing him a glance.
Danzo's expression darkened.
"Tch. So he failed to bring Tsunade back…"
One of the Root operatives behind him stepped forward and whispered, "That's correct, Lord Danzo. According to our intelligence, Tsunade has been captured by shinobi from the Hidden Mist."
Danzo's single visible eye narrowed.
"The Hidden Mist… captured Tsunade?" he repeated. "For what purpose?"
"It appears," the Root ninja continued, "that they did it to exchange her for someone — to save one of their own."
Danzo's brows furrowed. Capturing Tsunade to save someone? The Mist Village dares such a move?
This was Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin — not some random jōnin. To capture her so easily was unthinkable.
But then, a thought crept into his mind.
Could it be… Shigure?
He quickly dismissed it. Impossible.
No matter how gifted that boy was, there was no way he'd already grown strong enough to stand against one of the Sannin.
And yet… the idea lingered in his mind like a shadow he couldn't ignore.
"Absolutely impossible."
After leaving the Hokage Building, Jiraiya immediately went in search of Kakashi Hatake, who had just returned from a mission outside the village.
"Kakashi!"
"Jiraiya-sama!" Kakashi was taken aback. Seeing one of the Legendary Sannin back in Konoha could only mean one thing—Lady Tsunade must have returned as well.
"Kakashi, I need your help!"
"Help?" Kakashi blinked in surprise. The man before him was one of the Three Legendary Ninja, yet he was asking for his help?
"What kind of help?"
"I need an elite team to accompany me to the Hidden Mist Village," Jiraiya said gravely. "We have to rescue Tsunade—she's been captured by the Mist-nin."
"Tsunade… captured?" Kakashi's mind reeled.
The Hidden Mist Village had just signed an alliance with Konoha—how could they possibly take Tsunade hostage? But since it came from Jiraiya himself, there could be no mistake.
"Understood. I'll get Might Guy and Asuma Sarutobi. Will that be enough?"
Jiraiya paused, considering. Asuma Sarutobi, Kakashi Hatake, and Might Guy—three of Konoha's top Jōnin. Their combined strength was nearly Kage-level.
That should be enough to infiltrate the Hidden Mist.
Besides, once they arrived, the Mizukage might not act rashly. Starting a direct conflict with Konoha would mean total war.
"Good. Move quickly. We leave immediately—every moment counts!"
Hidden Mist Village
On a remote island just beyond the village, Mei Terumī had found Shigure's new training ground.
At the moment, Shigure was practicing Wood Release.
He was experimenting with Wood Release techniques derived from the calculations of the Great Sage.
When Mei arrived, Shigure immediately dispelled the technique and shifted to Ice Release.
In the center of the island's lake, he stood atop a frozen surface, controlling individual snowflakes as they danced in the air.
Mei watched quietly for a moment before speaking.
"I didn't expect you to actually convince Tsunade to help."
Shigure responded with a noncommittal hum.
"What's even more surprising," Mei continued, "is that the hatred in her eyes is gone."
She tilted her head, curious. "How did you do it? You kidnapped her, forced her to work with you, and after all that—she bears no resentment?"
Shigure couldn't explain it. Tsunade's change was partly due to the Wood Release… but not entirely. Something else had happened—something he couldn't identify.
"Whatever the reason," Mei said lightly, "this outcome isn't bad, is it? Ringo has recovered, and our village has gained another talented ninja with great potential."
Shigure nodded. That much was true.
When he had first mentioned reviving the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Mei thought he was just picking names for show.
But now, it was clear—Shigure intended to create a new generation of Seven Swordsmen stronger than the originals.
"Little Shigure," Mei said with a teasing smile, "you're talking about re-establishing the Seven Swordsmen, but most of the swords haven't even been retrieved yet."
"You healed Ringo. Which blade do you plan to assign to him?"
Shigure smiled faintly. "The Thunder Swords—Kiba."
Mei nodded approvingly, then frowned. "But the Kiba blades aren't in the village right now."
"Then we'll bring them back," Shigure replied calmly. "Besides Kiba, even the Samehada isn't in the Hidden Mist, right? The rest of the swords, though—they're still here."
...
TN:
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