Politics was a deeply complex and profound matter. Even Naruto, for all his wisdom, had to approach it with care.
But how could a nest of vermin ever govern well? The first step in politics had to be clearing out the vermin.
After hearing Naruto's two proposals, Jiraiya took a few sips of wine and sighed. "A seasoned, village-minded approach."
There were plenty of things happening in Konoha that he wasn't blind to—he simply couldn't be bothered to look. The two advisors had been exploiting the chaos for years, while Danzo had always been ambitious.
But in the past, his teacher Hiruzen Sarutobi had said, "No one is truly wise. Sometimes, whether someone is wise or not is beyond their control.
"Clear water can be drunk, and muddy water can still irrigate fields. We can't favor water just because it's clear, nor abandon it just because it's muddy.
"As long as they're useful to Konoha, then they're loyal. They're wise people who have inherited the Will of Fire."
Jiraiya lifted his wine in remembrance. "When my teacher was alive, the great tree that was Konoha might have had branches growing every which way, but at least its trunk was straight."
Naruto nodded. "The Third devoted himself to the village. That's an undeniable fact."
Jiraiya's carefree expression slowly turned cold. "Now, two of them are doing nothing, and one wants to make a big move. Looks like there's no choice but to get rid of them."
Naruto smiled.
He'd been planning to talk Jiraiya around, but it seemed there was no need.
"Konoha's future will be bright without them. It's time for a few rotting corpses from the old era to become fertilizer for the new growth—all for the sake of Konoha."
Jiraiya sat on the windowsill, sipping his wine as