Jiraiya's Assertive Stand

"Jiraiya, your student is quite something."

Inside the Hokage's Office in Konoha, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the scene in the crystal ball, his expression grave.

Ye Fan had displayed strength far beyond the level of a Chunin.

The ability to take down several Chunin in an instant put him at Jonin level.

Ye Fan's background was unusual, and he was powerful. The Third Hokage was worried that he might threaten the hard-won peace in Konoha.

After all, Ye Fan was still very young, yet already this strong. No one knew how far he might go in the future.

"Oh? Hahaha..."

"That kid's pretty capable, isn't he?"

"With some proper training, he'll be a great asset to Konoha's peace."

Jiraiya sat casually across from the Third Hokage and laughed.

He had come here to persuade Konoha's leadership to accept Ye Fan's return.

But he had still picked up on the unspoken meaning in the Third Hokage's tone.

It was clear the Third Hokage didn't quite trust Ye Fan.

Still, Jiraiya understood why he felt that way.

After all, no matter how Ye Fan changed his name, he couldn't change the fact that he was descended from the Uchiha Clan.

"Uchiha..."

Shimura Danzō, standing nearby, furrowed his brow, his gaze hostile.

He had already resented the presence of another Uchiha descendant in Konoha. Now another one had shown up, making him even angrier.

Long ago, Danzō had told the Third Hokage that they needed to pull the weeds up by the roots: Sasuke Uchiha had to be killed too, so Konoha could finally know true peace.

But no matter how often he raised the matter, the Third Hokage rejected it. He had even secretly arranged for Sasuke's protection.

Danzō couldn't understand it.

The Third Hokage knew that Danzō had decided to wipe out the entire Uchiha Clan. Though he hadn't reported it to the Third Hokage, the Third Hokage had known.

He couldn't understand how the Third Hokage could turn a blind eye to the extermination of the entire Uchiha Clan,

yet forbid him outright from killing Sasuke!

"Uchiha Ye Fan is practically unmatched among his peers. He's dangerous."

Danzō stared at the crystal ball, murder in his eyes, without the slightest concern for whose student Ye Fan was.

In his eyes, anyone who threatened the village's stability had only one fate.

Death!

If it had been some other Uchiha, Danzō wouldn't have been so worried.

But it was Ye Fan!

Back then, Danzō had deliberately spread the rumor that Ye Fan was a Plague God, causing the Uchiha Clan to drive his parents to their deaths.

Danzō knew that secrets never stayed hidden forever. If Ye Fan learned the truth, he would never let it go!

Even though Danzō knew Ye Fan had no Kekkei Genkai and couldn't gather Chakra to train in ninjutsu, he would never allow even the slightest instability to arise.

Jiraiya's expression darkened. "I know Ye Fan's temperament very well. He would never do anything to threaten the village's stability."

After all these years together, Jiraiya knew Ye Fan inside and out.

Though Ye Fan was descended from the Uchiha Clan, he didn't harbor much hatred toward Konoha, and he had never shown the slightest dissatisfaction with the village.

On the contrary, for a long time, Ye Fan had brought up Naruto with him more than once.

Jiraiya knew Naruto very well. He had even been the one to choose his name!

"He'd never threaten the village? Jiraiya, are you really so sure you know Ye Fan?" Danzō slowly rose to his feet. "You can't see what's in a man's heart. Human nature is the hardest thing in the world to understand."

"I won't tolerate the slightest chance of something going wrong! Ye Fan must die!"

Danzō stared Jiraiya down, making his position clear.

The Third Hokage sat at the head of the room without a word, his expression uncertain.

He had known that Danzō spread the rumor that Ye Fan was a Plague God.

He couldn't guarantee what Ye Fan might do to Konoha if he learned the truth one day.

Jiraiya was his student, and he trusted him without reservation. But Ye Fan was the one who had returned, and that meant he had to consider things carefully.

"Ye Fan must die?"

Jiraiya slammed his palm down on the table. It shattered at once, breaking into pieces.

"Danzō, Ye Fan is my student. I know his character better than anyone!"

"Are you declaring him guilty and sentencing him to death just because he's descended from the Uchiha?"

"Danzō, you're throwing your weight around like a tyrant!"

Jiraiya glared at Danzō, showing no regard for his rank.

As soon as he finished speaking, seven or eight members of Root emerged from behind Danzō, fixing Jiraiya with hostile stares. Their threatening intentions were unmistakable.

The two sides were suddenly at loggerheads, as if a fight could break out at any moment.

Jiraiya wasn't intimidated in the slightest by the seven or eight Root members.

Having endured countless brushes with death, how could a little scene like this frighten him?

"When Konoha was first founded, the First Hokage didn't treat the Uchiha Clan the way they're treated now."

"Ever since the Second Hokage, the Uchiha Clan had lived in misery, right up until it was wiped out."

"I still believe the First Hokage's policies were the right ones."

"But that's all in the past, and there's no need to bring it up now. Still, you can't condemn everyone without distinction."

"Especially when Ye Fan is my student!"

"Jiraiya, do you know what you're saying?!" Danzō exploded in fury.

Everything Jiraiya said was an accusation that his teacher, Second Hokage Tobirama Senju, had been wrong!

As someone who had inherited the Second Hokage's beliefs, Danzō would never let Jiraiya disparage him!

"You have no right to sit in judgment on the Second Hokage's decisions!"

"Seize him! Jiraiya has spent years traveling abroad. I strongly suspect he's betrayed Konoha!"

At Danzō's gesture, the Root members charged at Jiraiya without hesitation.

They paid no attention to the fact that the Third Hokage was standing right there.

In their eyes, Danzō's orders came before everything else—not even the Hokage's orders could override them!

"Stop!"

The Third Hokage's face darkened as he shouted.

But even after Hiruzen Sarutobi gave the order, the Root members didn't stop. They kept charging at Jiraiya.

Faced with seven or eight Root members, Jiraiya remained calm. In just a few moves, he knocked them all down without even using ninjutsu.

The Root members tried to attack again, but Anbu agents blocked them.

The Third Hokage glared at Danzō. "Have you reached the point where even I, the Hokage, can't give you orders?"

"Jiraiya was traveling abroad with my personal approval. You don't get to decide he's a rogue ninja just by saying so!"

"Stand down!"

Only after Danzō gave the order did all the Root members leave.

The Third Hokage watched them go, his mind churning with thoughts, but he didn't dwell on it.

He knew that although Danzō had selfish motives, he would never betray Konoha.

"Hmph!" Jiraiya snorted, flicked his sleeves, and strode toward the door.

As he passed Danzō, he left him with a warning: "Danzō, if I ever find out you've done anything to betray Konoha, I won't go easy on you!"

"And if you want to take Ye Fan's life, go ahead and try!"

Danzō watched Jiraiya walk away, gritting his teeth as he settled on a course of action.

The Third Hokage glanced at Danzō. "We'll need to consider Ye Fan's situation carefully. Don't act without my orders!"

With that, the Third Hokage turned his attention back to the crystal ball and watched the Chunin Ninja Exams.