In the original story, Jiraiya was killed, gang-beaten by the Six Paths of Pain.
He'd gone all-out—firmly beyond Kage level—but lost due to lack of intel. Not knowing the properties of the Six Paths cost him the fight.
That doesn't mean Jiraiya was weak. Who could have guessed a full-power Sage Art: Super Big Ball Rasengan would do nothing? The Preta Path was absurd.
Jiraiya's loss wasn't a "you should've tried harder" failure; it actually added a new meme to the legend of the ninja world: "Intel Jiraiya."
Uchiha Yorin didn't know how many of the Six Paths had assembled this time. Since they hadn't yet killed Hanzo and taken Amegakure, they probably weren't all together.
He also didn't know how this round would end—whether Jiraiya would win or get kneeled by the Six Paths again.
Yorin thought Jiraiya might not die—since Nagato hadn't started collecting Tailed Beasts yet, Jiraiya might not be determined to fight to the bitter end.
Then again, both he and Tsunade are classic "won't stop until it breaks" types.
When Jiraiya went to Ame to gather intel, Pain actually said, "Jiraiya-sensei, please leave." Jiraiya refused and had to push it—boom, a disaster.
When Pain attacked Konoha, his target was the Nine-Tails, not the village. After learning Naruto wasn't there, he was ready to leave.
Then Tsunade had to say, "The great nations have suffered from war too; you're not the only victims," which made Pain so furious he dropped Super Shinra Tensei and wiped out half of Konoha.
To Yorin, these two had grown old and foggy—just like the Third—edging into senility. They shouldn't be shinobi anymore; they should retire.
Jiraiya should retire to write novels. Tsunade should be locked in her basement to "battle roar."
…
Of course Yorin only thought this—he'd never say it out loud.
With the Pain-vs-Jiraiya fight happening years early, it was impossible to say how it would end.
Yorin wasn't so hardheaded he had to "try it and see."
Snarking that Jiraiya's going senile is one thing; sending him to die is another.
Emotionally and ethically, the guilt wasn't much—but Jiraiya's death would be bad for Konoha's interests.
Until the next generation of elites rises, veterans like Jiraiya should live as long as possible. Who ever complains about having too many strong ninja?
Uchiha Yorin: "That guy has very low favorability toward Konoha—even you might have to fight him. That's fine, right?"
Jiraiya: "Of course."
Yorin: "You're fine—I'm not. If Make-Out Paradise goes on hiatus, I'll be distraught. Right, Minato?"
Minato: "Eh—ah, yes, Jiraiya-sensei."
Yorin: "So to be safe… the three Legendary Sannin should regroup and hit Ame together. That would lock it down."
Minato: "If that's the plan… can we do it, Jiraiya-sensei?"
…
Jiraiya felt Yorin was underestimating them. Amegakure—what is it, a hard-mode dungeon?
To him, Yorin's intel sounded a bit inflated. In Ame, the only real concern was Hanzo—and even then, only "worth noting."
Yes, back then the three Sannin went 3-on-1 and got clowned by Hanzo.
But that was back then.
Back then they were scrubs and Hanzo was in his prime. Now he's the old scrub, and Jiraiya's the mid-boss.
If Hanzo were an Ōnoki/Sarutobi-level old monster, fine. But rumor has it he'd turned dull—years of salamander poison exposure made him senile and numb, leaving a tenth of his former strength.
Jiraiya, on the other hand, felt terrifyingly strong now. Forget the senile Hanzo—he could beat the Hanzo of old at full power.
Now was the time to settle the score.
As for Nagato and Konan—talented, promising—but "the future," nothing more.
Even hearing Yorin say his golden student Nagato had crushed Hanzo + Danzō and a pile of ANBU, Jiraiya was unmoved.
He could do that too.
Uchiha Yorin: "Anyway, cool your head, Jiraiya-sensei. If you die, who's going to keep Danzō from hassling Minato again? The Third? Yeah, right."
Then Yorin dropped a line that made everyone wince: "A kid without parents has it hard enough. If you die, who does Minato have left?"
Hearing that, Minato looked embarrassed but didn't object; Jiraiya scratched his head and said, "What a pain," but didn't refuse either:
"So, Uchiha brat—what's your plan?"
Yorin: "In a raid, more is more. I still think reuniting the Sannin is best."
Jiraiya's headache got worse.
"Tsunade and Orochimaru… neither is easy." He said, "I kind of know how to find Tsunade. Orochimaru, though…"
These days Orochimaru had drifted far from Jiraiya. Once a Naruto–Sasuke stand-in pair, now calling them "strangers" would be harsh, but how much of that old bond remained was a real question.
"I'll handle Orochimaru."
"…"
That line surprised Jiraiya.
It implied Yorin had more pull with Orochimaru than he did.
That stung. Even if their "Naruto–Sasuke" days were over, they had decades of history. How did it come to this?
Brothers turned, the woman he loved didn't love him, the disciple he adored had left… No marriage, no children—his so-called legend was a mess. A failure of a life.
The thought hit him, and then—comfort.
For all his failures, he still had one solace:
Namikaze Minato.
Seeing his most accomplished student—young and steady—filled him with peace.
The goals he'd never reach, the encounters he'd never have—Minato could fulfill them in his stead.
So strong, so righteous, so good.
As long as Minato lived, Jiraiya's legend would continue. He could die without regret.
Jiraiya couldn't help but feel deeply satisfied.
"Then it's settled, Minato, Yorin. I'll rest up in the village for a bit, then go find Tsunade.
But let me be clear: I can only promise to find her—I can't promise she'll come back with us, let alone join our plan."
Uchiha Yorin: "No problem. That's enough. Leave persuading Tsunade to me."
~~~
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