In Leaf Village: Starting Out by Slapping White Fang

"The person who loved playing power games most ended up stumbling in the field he was most proud of."

"But what I admire most is your strategy, brother-in-law. The Land of Rain was continuously fighting the three major nations—the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth. Corpses were everywhere. One more Konohamaru wouldn't raise any suspicion. Flawless."

The more Nawaki spoke, the redder his face became.

Not from alcohol like Tsunade, but from excessive excitement.

"No. It was precisely because we acted in the Land of Rain that a flaw appeared—one even I hadn't anticipated."

Genetsu raised his wine cup and took a light sip. Then, from the corner of his eye, he glanced toward the gate and said with a faint smile:

"And that flaw has already arrived."

"Jiraiya, want something to eat?"

The moment Genetsu spoke those words,

Nawaki and Tsunade, who had both been somewhat drunk, instantly sobered considerably.

They looked toward the main entrance.

Jiraiya walked into the courtyard, his face filled with a complex mix of shock, panic, fury, sorrow, and countless other emotions.

"Genetsu, so it really... was you."

Jiraiya barely managed to force the words through clenched teeth.

Genetsu's report to Hiruzen Sarutobi had been that he and Konohamaru had departed together from the Land of Rivers, then encountered Jiraiya in the Land of Rain.

Afterward, the three of them had infiltrated Sunagakure together to assassinate the Second Kazekage.

In the end, Konohamaru had died at the hands of the Second Kazekage.

But the truth Jiraiya had personally experienced was that

Konohamaru had never participated in the assassination of the Kazekage from beginning to end.

Jiraiya had even met him from the very start.

Jiraiya had already harbored suspicions.

Then, just now, he had heard what Nawaki said.

The truth was now laid bare before him, beyond any doubt.

"Ah~ To be honest, man proposes, heaven disposes. Who could have guessed that I'd run into you in the Land of Rain, of all places?"

Genetsu chuckled and took out another bowl and pair of chopsticks.

"Let's talk while we eat."

How could Jiraiya possibly have the appetite to eat or drink now?

Not only him—even Tsunade and Nawaki had tacitly set down their wine cups the instant he appeared.

Facing the faint but unmistakable hostility emanating from the Senju siblings, Jiraiya furrowed his white brows and asked with some apprehension:

"Tsunade, Nawaki, did you... know from the beginning?"

"We guessed it when he proposed going with Konohamaru to kill the Kazekage."

Tsunade picked up her wine cup again with an unfriendly expression, drained it in one gulp, and said coldly:

"But it really was too much of a coincidence that he ran into you."

"Senior Jiraiya, are you going to report this to Hiruzen Sarutobi?"

Nawaki was even less polite, with the word "hostility" practically written across his face.

Ever since the Senju Clan suffered its calamity last year, he had never again called Hiruzen Sarutobi "Lord Hokage," at least never behind his back.

In his eyes, Hiruzen Sarutobi was utterly unworthy of sharing the same title as his two grandfathers.

"Nawaki, I..."

Jiraiya did not know how to answer for a moment.

"You saw the Senju Clan's current state on your way here, didn't you?"

The hatred on Nawaki's face grew even stronger as he continued:

"Almost all the men are dead. Compared to us, Hiruzen Sarutobi only lost a son. They can't even be mentioned in the same breath!"

Jiraiya was left speechless.

Last year, the Senju Clan had been lured into an enemy trap due to faulty intelligence provided by the Intelligence Department, resulting in their complete annihilation.

That included Tsunade and Nawaki's parents.

And the highest-ranking person in charge of the Intelligence Department was the Shimura Clan.

Even though Jiraiya had been in the Land of Rain at the time, teaching the future Akatsuki trio,

he could vaguely sense that there was more to this matter than met the eye.

Nawaki was even more direct, laying it all out plainly—

This had been ordered by the upper echelon's decision-making council!

The Senju and Uchiha were the two great clans most dissatisfied with Hiruzen Sarutobi serving as Hokage.

The Senju Clan, having already produced two Hokage,

opposed him even more fiercely.

And after last year's incident,

the Uchiha became obedient once they saw what had happened to the Senju.

After all, the Uchiha's situation was no better than the Senju's now. In fact, before the Senju disaster, they had been worse off.

At least the Senju still had Tsunade.

The Uchiha, however, had yet to produce a Kage-level powerhouse.

The chain of hatred.

Looking into Nawaki's hate-filled eyes, Jiraiya suddenly recalled what the Great Toad Sage had once told him.

The Child of Prophecy would sever this world's chain of hatred and bring true peace through mutual understanding between people.

And he himself would become the Child of Prophecy's guide.

At that thought, Jiraiya's expression grew more resolute.

As if he had made some decision, he said, "I'll be leaving first," then turned and departed.

"Brother-in-law, Senior Jiraiya is the only person who knows the truth. Do you think he'll..."

Watching Jiraiya's solitary departing figure, Nawaki asked Genetsu with a worried expression.

"He won't."

Genetsu fished out a piece of beef from the stone pot, placing one piece into his own bowl and bringing another to Tsunade's lips.

Tsunade pouted angrily for several seconds, but in the end, she still parted her red lips and bit down on the meat.

"Jiraiya values his bonds deeply. That's why I don't dislike him, but it's also his greatest weakness."

Genetsu said this with complete confidence.

For no other reason than that, when Orochimaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi fought a life-or-death battle in the future, Jiraiya chose to remain neutral.

That alone explained a great deal.

"What's wrong, Jiraiya? That lost, dispirited look doesn't suit an idiot like you~"

Just as Jiraiya left the Senju Clan Grounds, he happened to run into Orochimaru, who had returned to Leaf Village with a small group of guards.

Seeing Jiraiya's grim expression and tightly furrowed brows, Orochimaru could not help teasing him.

"Orochimaru..."

Jiraiya raised his eyes and stared fixedly at his close friend, whose aura had grown increasingly sinister. After several seconds, he asked:

"That matter with Genetsu and Konohamaru... you knew about it?"

"That matter?"

Orochimaru rolled his snake-like eyes in thought for half a second before realizing.

"Oh~ You mean how Genetsu got rid of Konohamaru—"

"Hey!!"

Before Orochimaru could finish, Jiraiya shouted him down.

The other Leaf Ninja nearby were so startled that they jumped.

The next moment, Jiraiya grabbed Orochimaru hard by the shoulder and pulled him aside, lowering his voice as much as possible.

"You bastard, are you insane?! Talking about something like that in public!"

Orochimaru shrugged with a smile. "What's the big deal? I'm not on Teacher Sarutobi's side, nor am I on Genetsu's side. I'm simply neutral."

Neutral?

Hearing those words from Orochimaru, Jiraiya's expression changed again.

They were all Leaf Ninja, yet had they unknowingly split into several different factions?

"As far as I'm concerned, they're merely fragile creatures who could die at any time. I have no interest whatsoever in their conflicts."

Orochimaru maintained his faint smile from beginning to end, appearing utterly indifferent to everything.

In his eyes, all he pursued was eternal life and endless ninjutsu.

And for someone who could attain immortality,

the struggles of outsiders—or rather, people destined to die sooner or later—

were meaningless.

"What about you, Jiraiya? Which side are you on?"

That said, Orochimaru was still quite interested in which side would win if Genetsu and Teacher Sarutobi turned against each other.

"What... do you mean?"

Jiraiya became increasingly uneasy.

"You and I both know that Genetsu killed Konohamaru. Although Teacher Sarutobi has no proof, he has definitely placed Genetsu on the Elder Council's blacklist. Sooner or later, they'll turn against each other."

Orochimaru smiled. "Behind Genetsu are Tsunade, Nawaki, White Fang, and the others. Behind Teacher Sarutobi are the Elder Council and even all of Leaf Village."

"Teacher Sarutobi's side may seem to hold an overwhelming advantage, but due to their age, his and Danzo's strength has inevitably begun to decline.

"And the great clans—the Uchiha, Hyuga, Ino-Shika-Cho, and the rest—may not be as loyal to Teacher Sarutobi as they appear, in my view."

At this point, Orochimaru could not help laughing.

"In such a situation, the choice of a Kage-level fighter like you will become a crucial weight that determines the balance of this scale."

Jiraiya's brows twitched hard twice.

Before he could answer,

an Anbu wearing a mask suddenly appeared beside them with the Body Flicker Technique.

"Lord Orochimaru, Lord Jiraiya, Lord Hokage summons you both."

"Hm?"

Jiraiya noticed the conspicuous blond hair behind the Anbu's mask.