Jiraiya neither accepted the order nor defied it. He merely gave Neji Hyuga a complicated look before leaving Konoha.
While searching for Orochimaru, he intended to reflect deeply on the Shinobi World and on himself. Could Neji Hyuga's ideas and actions truly bring peace to the Shinobi World?
The Hokage Building had been reduced to flat ground. After the battle, the newly appointed Hokage held his inauguration ceremony in the square before the Hyuga Clan gates. Neji Hyuga donned the Fifth Hokage's ceremonial robe and bamboo hat.
The temporary office was moved into the Hyuga Clan compound. The compound was opened up, and a steady stream of staff hurried about. After receiving Neji Hyuga's orders, they began carrying out sweeping infrastructure changes across Konoha.
That same night, Shikaku Nara led the Jonin Squad and the Sealing Squad to capture the Sand Village ninja who had fled. The next day, Sand Village hurriedly requested negotiations to ransom back their ninja, especially Gaara, but Neji Hyuga suppressed the matter.
He planned to wait until Danzo Shimura had dealt with the Daimyo and nobles of the Land of Wind. If Jiraiya still had not persuaded Orochimaru to surrender or taken action against Sand Village by then, Neji Hyuga would directly send the Steel Colossus to flatten Sand Village.
To the people of the Shinobi World, the desert was barren and held little profit.
Yet deserts actually played an important role in maintaining the planet's biodiversity. Many desert regions contained abundant petroleum and other mineral resources, with considerable value for relatively easy extraction. They absolutely could not be dismissed as useless.
Those who said deserts had nothing simply lacked the knowledge to exploit their value.
Within the Hyuga Clan compound, the largest residence had temporarily been turned into a Hokage office. Inside the Hokage's