25: Chapter 25 Jiraiya's CollapseIn Konoha Village, the atmosphere of daily life had not yet fully recovered from the flames of war, and the air still carried a faint smell of burnt food and herbs.
A tall, white-haired figure, travel-worn, stepped through the village gate.
Jiraiya's face bore an unusual seriousness and weariness, etched with the vicissitudes of returning from a long journey.
He rushed back anxiously upon hearing the devastating news of the attack on Konoha and the death of the Third Hokage.
The scene before him broke his heart.
The familiar streets were now in ruins, and the villagers' faces bore lingering fear and sorrow.
He walked straight toward the Hokage Building, his steps heavy.
However, before he even reached the building, several more shocking pieces of news, like a series of kunai, pelted his face one after another.
First came the routine report from the Anbu members, who solemnly informed them that Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, was forcibly taken away from the village this morning by Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin, and his current whereabouts are pointing towards Tanabata Town.
After emergency consultations and considering multiple factors, the top leadership has temporarily acquiesced to this matter.
"Wh.what?Tsunade?She took Naruto away?To a place like Tanabata Street?"
Jiraiya's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and his voice suddenly rose eight octaves, making the ANBU reporting the news ring in their ears.
He simply couldn't believe his ears!
That Tsunade, who's addicted to gambling, always loses, and is drowning in debt, actually kidnapped the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki—the one he'd finally found, the one entrusted to him by his teacher, and the one who would determine the future of the ninja world?And to a casino?
This was even harder for him to accept than hearing that Orochimaru had destroyed Konoha!
However, before he could recover from this devastating news, another, even more outrageous and devastating piece of news followed.
The two advisors, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, approached him with grave expressions and in a tone that was more.earnest than ever before.
"Jiraiya, you've come back just in time."
Mitokado Homura pushed up his glasses, his tone heavy, "You've seen the current situation in the village.There's no leader, and everyone is in a state of panic.We desperately need a respected and powerful leader to stabilize the situation and lead Konoha out of its predicament."
Koharu Utatane chimed in, looking intently at him: "After unanimous discussion among our higher-ups, we believe you are currently the most suitable candidate to become the Fifth Hokage!Whether it's your strength, reputation, or your master-disciple relationship with the Third Hokage, you are the only one fit!"
"Yes, Jiraiya, now is the time when the village needs you the most!" Mitokado Homura's tone even carried a hint of.pleading?
Jiraiya froze on the spot, his expression as if he had swallowed a hundred live tadpoles at once.
The Fifth.the Fifth Hokage?Me?
What kind of international joke is this?
He could almost see himself trapped behind a desk piled high with documents, dealing with trivial government affairs day and night, surrounded by a group of old-fashioned guys pointing fingers at him.The beautiful hot springs, the pretty older sisters, the freedom to go out and create.all the joys of life would be gone!
Hell!That was absolutely a hellish sight!
"No--!"
Jiraiya let out a piercing scream, like a pig being slaughtered, and jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.He covered his head with his hands, looking like a madman."Absolutely not!Don't even think about it!I'd rather die than do it!"
He screamed and backed away as if the two advisors were some kind of monster.
"Make me Hokage?You might as well just kill me!Is that even humanly work?It's torture!It's torment!It's a desecration of my great artistic life!"
"Look at my handsome, untamed face!Look at my free and romantic soul!Do you think I'm cut out to be trapped in a place like that?"
"Let whoever wants the job do it!Just don't come after me!"
The two advisors were shocked by his overreaction, but they were helpless.
They had expected this to happen, but there was simply no one more suitable at the moment.
"Jiraiya!This is your responsibility!It's the village's trust in you and their need for you!" Koharu Utatane tried to pressure him with a sense of righteousness.
"Trust?Need?" Jiraiya laughed as if he'd heard the biggest joke in the world.Pointing at himself, he said, "Do you need me to go to the casino and bring Tsunade and Naruto back?I might consider that!Becoming Hokage?Forget about it!"
At that moment, only one thought occupied his mind: He had to get there immediately!Right now!Go to Tanabata Street!And bring back that unreliable woman and that even more unreliable brat!As for the Hokage?He'd rather die than let anyone mention him!
"Anyway!You can find someone else to handle the Hokage matter!I'm going to find Naruto!" Jiraiya said, and practically tumbled and crawled away from the Hokage Building, as if thousands of ninja dogs were chasing him.
The two advisors were left standing there, looking at each other, their faces filled with despair and helplessness.
It's over.Even the last hope, "a hope born of desperation," has been shattered.
Jiraiya rushed out of the Hokage Building, feeling as if the air he breathed was filled with the taste of freedom.He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, still shaken.
That was terrifying.He almost.he almost lost his magnificent life as the Toad Sage in that mountain of documents!
"Tsunade.Naruto."
He muttered the two names through gritted teeth: one was the magnificent woman who brought him endless trouble in every sense; the other was the prophetic son on whom he placed high hopes but who always caused even greater trouble.
"You two bastards.just you wait!"
Jiraiya pushed off with his feet, his figure instantly disappearing from the spot, speeding towards the outskirts of Konoha Village, heading towards Tanabata Street!
As he ran, he roared wildly in his mind:
"Once I catch you, I'll make that bastard Tsunade give back all the money she won—if she has any—to treat everyone!And I'll make her massage my back for a hundred years!"
"And that brat Naruto too!""How dare you run away with that gambler!I'll teach you a lesson!You need to increase your training!Train until you're too exhausted to run around anymore!"
Under the setting sun, Jiraiya, his white hair dancing wildly, embarked on a journey to retrieve the "runaway Jinchuriki" and capture the "abductor" Tsunade, filled with grief and rage.
The Hokage position in Konoha?Let whoever wants it be it!
He, the Toad Sage, is destined to be a free man belonging to the stars, the sea, and beautiful women in hot springs!
[Ding!Indirectly caused Jiraiya's breakdown and refusal to serve as the Fifth Hokage, triggering despair among Konoha's higher-ups, gaining Villain Value +800!]
[Ding!Current villain value: 6303 points]
Far away in Tanabata, Naruto, who had just borrowed initial funds from the casino using a little trick, suddenly sneezed.
"Strange, who's insulting me?"
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