Ai never would have imagined—even in his wildest dreams—that he would one day suffer defeat at the hands of a brat like Senju Haruto.
This meeting had been a disaster. Not only had they failed to gain anything they wanted, but they had also lost Yugito, their Jinchūriki.
According to Mifune, Sarutobi Hiruzen had already left the Land of Iron. Even if they pursued him now, there was no guarantee they would catch up. And even if they did… in Ai's current condition, reclaiming Yugito from Senju Haruto was out of the question.
Worse, such a reckless move might cost him Cee and Darui as well.
"Konoha…"
Ai's fists tightened unconsciously. There was no way he could pretend nothing had happened today.
"If they want to provoke a war, then we'll meet them head-on."
His voice was low and heavy as he turned toward Cee and Darui.
"Return to Kumogakure with me. This time, we're not only taking Yugito back—we're also seizing the Hyūga clan's secrets… and Konoha's Nine-Tails."
Mifune opened his mouth as if to speak, but in the end, he said nothing.
This conflict was, at its core, a dispute between Konoha and Kumogakure. Whether it was to seek peace and renew their alliance—or to reignite the flames of war—such matters could only be decided by their respective Kage.
As the leader of a neutral nation, all Mifune could do was offer words of persuasion to dissuade them. But neither Konoha nor Kumogakure was willing to compromise or back down.
"Let's return."
Having conveyed what he needed to, Mifune did not linger. He simply assigned a samurai to escort the Raikage out of the Land of Iron.
The Land of Iron's territory, while expansive, was sparsely populated; most of its citizens lived deep in the mountains. In truth, much of its land served merely as a buffer zone for the great nations in times of war.
That was the furthest extent to which Mifune could protect his homeland.
"How I wish the Five Kage could set aside their prejudices and truly reach a consensus for peace…" Mifune looked up at the sky. Yet, deep down, he knew that day might never come—just as only the Land of Iron could remain truly apart from the chaos.
After weighing his options, Ai reached his own conclusion: he would return to Kumogakure with Cee and Darui and go to war with Konoha.
If they were willing to throw away hard-won peace, then he would dedicate himself to utterly destroying them.
Yes—Senju Haruto was strong, his talent undeniable.
But no matter how powerful a shinobi was, once surrounded and hunted, there was only one end—death.
Just like his own father, the Third Raikage.
A body as unyielding as steel, an offense that was unstoppable in battle—he had even been able to halt the rampage of the mighty Eight-Tails. And yet, in the end, that peerless shinobi had fallen to the relentless encirclement of enemy forces, fighting until his strength gave out.
Meanwhile, after leaving the Land of Iron, Senju Haruto's group was making all haste back to the village.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, in particular, was feeling conflicted.
Although he had made his stance clear in the Land of Iron, the thought of the looming war still gnawed at him. Was the decision truly the right one?
If they had compromised with Kumogakure—handing over Hizashi's body—would things have turned out differently?
"Once the decision's made, there's no point in second-guessing," Haruto said bluntly, noticing the shift in Hiruzen's expression.
In Haruto's view, Hiruzen had a tendency to overthink and hesitate.
"Besides, our strength is clearly superior to Kumogakure's—there's nothing to worry about," Haruto continued without hesitation.
If he could unlock the Sharingan or achieve Bankai before war fully broke out, his strength would skyrocket. And Bankai wasn't a mere addition—it was a multiplicative leap in power.
Of course… even Hitsugaya Tōshirō, the so-called prodigy Shinigami, had taken a long time to master it. Only Kurosaki Ichigo, the main protagonist of the Soul Reapers, had managed to pull it off in just three days—thanks to blatant plot armor.
"I wish I could cheat like that…" Haruto muttered inwardly.
Given his own situation, mastering Bankai could take decades. It was better to hope that one of his sign-in rewards would grant it to him outright.
"I understand." Hiruzen nodded. "It's not the war with Kumogakure that worries me… I'm concerned other villages might take advantage of the chaos."
After all that had happened, Hiruzen no longer saw Haruto as just an ordinary youth. In his eyes, Haruto was already an exceptional Konoha shinobi—and this was exactly why he had decided to appoint Haruto as the commander of Root.
Especially now, Hiruzen felt it necessary to share his concerns with him.
"There's nothing to fear from the Land of Earth," Haruto replied. "Our borders don't touch, so if they want to fight us, they'll have to attack the smaller nations first. As long as we set up defensive lines in the Lands of Grass and Waterfall, they'll most likely have to strike through Amegakure."
And if the Land of Earth dragged Amegakure into the fray, they'd be in for suffering unlike anything they'd ever experienced.
Still, this confidence in Amegakure's strength puzzled Hiruzen. Haruto had made similar remarks before, and it was clear he had great faith in the Rain Village. But Hiruzen couldn't fathom where that confidence came from.
"Well…" Haruto thought for a moment. In any case, Hiruzen wouldn't live much longer—by the time Jiraiya returned to the village, it would be about the moment of his self-sacrifice.
"From what I know… Jiraiya is in Amegakure." Haruto decided to spin the tale further.
"Jiraiya?" Hiruzen was taken aback. No one knew Jiraiya better than he did—an exceptionally skilled shinobi, heir to Mount Myōboku's legacy. If Jiraiya hadn't left the village, Hiruzen had even considered passing the Hokage's title to him.
"How do you know that?" Hiruzen asked, eager for details.
"Well… I happened to learn it by chance," Haruto replied casually. "Jiraiya took on a few students in Amegakure and didn't return to the village with Tsunade—you remember that, don't you?"
Hiruzen nodded. That period was vivid in his memory—Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade had become famous across the ninja world during that time, earning the title of the Three Legendary Sannin.
"That's why I believe Jiraiya and his disciples… could hold off the shinobi of the Land of Earth," Haruto said with conviction.
"True…" Hiruzen agreed. "If Jiraiya's involved, they could do it."
"But… Jiraiya's disciples, huh? I'd like to meet them someday." A gentle smile spread across Hiruzen's face, softening his features.