Prophet Master Hiruzen Sarutobi

"Okay, teacher..."

Jiraiya quickly stood up, looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi's serious expression, and swallowed hard.

"Which matter should we discuss first, teacher..." Jiraiya asked hesitantly.

"Let's talk about your disciple and the suspected Rinnegan first."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand. "We'll talk about the prophecy later."

"Around the time the Second Shinobi World War ended, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and I encountered some children."

"They and what we're asking for food are orphans from Amegakure, whose parents were killed by the ninja..."

Jiraiya composed himself and slowly said:

"They've been following us, wanting food, wanting to learn Ninjutsu to protect themselves..."

"You know, orphans are so pitiful. If no one takes care of the orphans left behind after the war, their fate will be miserable. So I told Tsunade and Orochimaru that we should go and stay with them for a while."

"Although we didn't start the Second Shinobi World War, it was still..."

Jiraiya paused, his face ashen. "I still feel saddened seeing the pitiful state of these three children."

Orochimaru frowned. "I remember now, are they the three brats I was supposed to kill?"

It's them.

Jiraiya nodded and sighed:

"I stayed in Amegakure for three years, teaching them Ninjutsu. Among them was a red-haired boy named Nagato, who possessed the bloodline of the Uzumaki Clan. Not only that, his eyes were extremely similar to the legendary Rinnegan, and his talent was also quite outstanding. He could quickly learn both Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, but actually..."

"Actually, he wasn't that special. Overall, Nagato's talent wasn't as good as Orochimaru's, nor Minato's."

"As you know, the Shinobi World has all sorts of people. While Ripple Eye are rare, they do exist..."

"I couldn't be sure if it was the Rinnegan, but considering the Great Toad Sage's Child of Prophecy, I left the children and returned to the village."

"I think if Nagato really is the Child of Prophecy, then he should be able to make a name for himself."

"But when I went to look for them again later, I found out that Nagato and the others were dead."

"I haven't reported this to you yet..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi squinted. "So why are you thinking of saying it now? Aren't they all dead...?"

"Teacher, this brings us to the prophecy of the Great Toad Sage."

Jiraiya said in a deep voice:

"The Great Toad Sage had an extremely long dream that completely overturned the previous prophecies of the ' Child of Prophecy '."

"This time, the Great Toad Sage saw a large tree that was half withered and half thriving..."

"Nourished by the Hiko, it grew rapidly into a towering tree..."

"And within this giant tree, a giant ape was gestating, its body ablaze with astonishing flames, the light of which seemed capable of igniting the entire world..."

Hiruko filled with questions. Did Mount Myoboku also understand business?

This sounds so similar, combining the Will of Fire with the allusion to the Third Hokage...

"After this scene, the Great Toad Sage witnessed multiple visions."

"Sometimes it was the giant apes that tore open thick tree trunks and poured their sap onto the earth, bringing peace."

"Sometimes it was the giant apes that ignited the flames of war, turning the entire world into scorched earth."

"And regardless of the type, Ike was always followed by ninjas of various hair colors and fanatical expressions..."

"The Great Toad Sage said he saw the Rinnegan on the battlefield, sometimes as an opponent of the giant ape, and sometimes as its companion; it couldn't tell the difference."

Jiraiya spoke, he carefully observed Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression and said cautiously:

"The Great Toad Sage said that this giant ape would be the incarnation of my guide, and that he instructed me to find this prophesied 'master,' to cultivate diligently, and to prepare for the changes that are about to occur in the world."

Orochimaru laughed, his laughter filled with mockery.

"Although I don't know exactly what kind of magic the Great Toad Sage is..."

"Towering trees, Hiko, giant apes, fanatical ninjas..."

"Don't you think that layering these elements together is no different from explicit representation?"

"If this prophecy refers to the Hokage in Konoha, and the person who initiated it wasn't Danzo that day, I would have impeached him for incompetence!" Hiruko nodded in deep agreement. "Then I'll impeach Hizashi!"

Orochimaru couldn't help but laugh.

A joke has been circulating in Konoha recently.

It is said that the Uchiha Clan was drinking in a tavern and telling jokes about Hokage.

Everyone laughed when the jokes about the First and Second generations were told, but after a few drinks, the Third was mentioned, and everyone stopped laughing. However, Hizashi's laughter could be heard coming from the ceiling...

"Orochimaru, you're overthinking it."

"The Great Toad Sage probably doesn't know much about Konoha and our teacher, so I won't talk to them about these things..."

Jiraiya said with a troubled expression:

"So, when I think about what the Great Toad Sage said about ninjas with the Rinnegan existing on the battlefield, I wonder if it's possible that Nagato is still alive?"

"Or rather, it was my choice back then that led to Nagato's death and caused the world to go astray."

"Please enlighten me, teacher!"

Jiraiya bowed deeply.

"Don't overthink it, Jiraiya."

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly said, "As far as the world is concerned, your extra wave of your hand won't necessarily cause a hurricane on the next coast; most likely, it will have no effect at all."

Jiraiya was taken aback.

"The Great Toad Sage..."

"Its prophecy should have some merit; it's probably some kind of magic."

"However, the fact that predictions have led to significant changes shows that the so-called future is not predetermined, but rather influenced in real time by various factors."

"Its prophecy may be about things that might happen in the future, but it's also just one of countless possibilities derived from present factors." "Like the giant ape it prophesied about, it could destroy the world, but it could also save it."

"For example, the next Hokage of Konoha might very well be you."

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly said, "But it could also be Orochimaru, Danzo..."

"Or perhaps it's some Konoha Ninja we never expected, like Minato, who might actually become the Fourth in some future..."

Orochimaru nodded slightly.

He suddenly started thinking.

If the teacher hadn't dreamt of the Second and hardened his heart to implement sweeping reforms in the village...

If the master and disciple don't reconcile...

There might actually be a slight chance that he won't become Hokage!

Minato Namikaze, who possesses the Flying Thunder God Namikaze Minato, does seem to have some competitive edge...

However, Orochimaru has already overlooked this future.

"As for the fact that you secretly took on disciples..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled. "There are some things you're afraid to say, aren't there? I'll say them for you..."

"First, the village's ambiguous attitude towards the Uzumaki orphans in the past has been seen by many as a scandal of the higher-ups, and the fact that Nagato's Uzumaki Clan bloodline is that of a descendant of Amegakure is too sensitive."

"Secondly, Danzo's methods back then were rather reckless. You're worried that if my Nagato -disciple named Nagato came to Konoha, even if he didn't possess the Rinnegan, given his Uzumaki Bloodline and status as an outsider, he wouldn't receive good treatment..."

"Third, the people of Konoha were somewhat demoralized at that time. Although you loved Konoha, you couldn't see any possibility of the village achieving peace, so you were immersed in the hope brought by the ' Child of Prophecy '..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the dumbfounded Jiraiya and shook his head. "What I said is all correct, isn't it?"

Jiraiya broke out in a cold sweat.

That's all true, but it's said too bluntly, which makes it sound particularly unpleasant.

In summary, Konoha had begun to decay, and this Hokage's student subconsciously distrusted the Hokage, which led him to do these things.

"Essentially, it's because I, as Hokage, have made some mistakes in the past."

"I failed to gain the trust of the village's ninjas, I didn't establish clear rules and regulations, and even my own apprentices began to question me." In Hiruzen Sarutobi's view, Jiraiya's problem was a legacy of a crisis of trust.

There's no point in focusing on dealing with it, since he wasn't the one in charge of Konoha before.

The important thing is to take this opportunity to clean up this mess and establish proper rules and regulations to ensure that Jiraiya, this confused kid, completely submits to Konoha.

"Teacher, you can't say that! This... this is my own problem!" Jiraiya's face turned red with embarrassment.

He saw it; the teacher had made Konoha increasingly prosperous.

Therefore, Jiraiya felt that Hiruzen Sarutobi had been playing a grand game in the past, but he just hadn't understood it.

A surge of shame welled up in his heart...

"Whether those eyes are the Rinnegan or not, what's done is done."

"There's no point in dwelling on regret; let's do our best with what we can right now..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Hiruko:

"Hiruko, I'll tell you what to say, and you should write it down. Then send it to the Administrative Department to make it a written system, and inform all the Committee Member so that they can implement it step by step, from the Jonin in charge Jonin to the ninjas at all levels."

"Understood, Lord Third!" Hiruko skillfully picked up the pen and paper.

Hiruzen Sarutobi mainly made two points.

The first is the "Supplementary Regulations to the Code of Conduct for Konoha Ninja".

Konoha Ninja establishes a personal relationship with a ninja from another village must report and register this with the Administrative Department immediately, stating the motives of both parties and the origin of the relationship. Those who register in advance will receive a safety net from the village's system.

Those who conceal or fail to report will be deemed to be deliberately evading supervision, and will be subject to double the penalties.

Second, the "Regulations on Reporting Rare Konoha Resource Intelligence".

Any contact with rare resources such as Dōjutsu, secret techniques, or Kekkei Genkai, regardless of whether the target is alive or can be used by Konoha, must be reported to the Intelligence Department for filing immediately, and must not be delayed due to personal judgment.

If a village requisitions land, the reporting ninja will be compensated with an equivalent amount of money or Ninjutsu.

In the past, these two regulations, especially the second one, would likely have generated a lot of opposition.

Because ninjas were poor in the past, rare resources were considered their spoils of war.

Even if they were told they would receive compensation after surrendering the property, the ninjas lacked confidence that the village would actually pay it.

However, in Konoha, where the ninja protection framework was initially established, these problems no longer existed.

Further regulations governing the behavior of Konoha Ninja are essentially based on the administrative logic of "equal rights and responsibilities," Hiruzen Sarutobi only needs to issue the regulations. If the Konoha Committee Member have any objections, they can naturally raise them.

But it's highly unlikely.

"Laws do not apply retroactively..."

"Let bygones be bygones, but if you repeat the same mistake, Jiraiya."

"I'll use you as an example..." Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a smile.

"Don't take this as a joke, teacher. I don't want to clean house."

Jiraiya shuddered and waved his hands repeatedly. "Master, I'll go and file a report right away. I'll report all the women I drank with in Tanzaku Town!"

Orochimaru chuckled.

"I haven't asked you yet, Jiraiya. So, how are you going to deal with the Great Toad Sage's prophecy? Before, you were searching the world for disciples; now, are you going to be searching the world for a teacher?"

"I've never heard of Hokage's disciple going to study under a second teacher..."

"Why don't you sever your master-disciple relationship first?"

Orochimaru appears to be putting Jiraiya.

In reality, it was a warning to this dim-witted Toad not to do anything stupid.

"What did you say, Stinky Snake?"

Jiraiya glared fiercely at Orochimaru and said loudly:

"Don't you understand yet? The teacher is a ' Prophet Master '! I've already found it, why are you still looking?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared blankly at Jiraiya suddenly punched him on the head.

"Still clinging to your prophecy? Let's get down to business!"