Konohagakure Nearing Its Limit

"What?! Jiraiya actually...!"

Konohagakure.

Inside the Hokage Building office, the Third Hokage abruptly rose to his feet. His aged face was filled with extreme shock and astonishment, utterly disbelieving.

It was not just him. Everyone present, including Danzo, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura, found this information impossible to believe.

Yet they had no choice but to believe it.

Because the one who had provided the intelligence was Sage Fukasaku of Myobokuzan!

"Sage Fukasaku, what exactly..."

"This happened too suddenly. I know it is difficult for you to accept." Sage Fukasaku's expression was grave. "After the Kirigakure army arrived at the front, Kirigakure indeed launched an attack on Tsunan Town. You should receive the detailed battle report before long."

"Kirigakure's combat strength exceeded all expectations. Tsunan Town simply could not withstand their attack. In particular, there was a Hyoton brat named Yuki Yoru. He was the one who killed Little Jiraiya."

"Yuki... Yoru."

That familiar name entered the ears of Konohagakure's four high-ranking officials once again. The last time they had heard it was several days ago, when Jiraiya had requested reinforcements from them.

"Yuki Yoru is only a fourteen-year-old brat. How could he possibly..." Utatane Koharu could not help but say.

Though Jiraiya had perfectly inherited Sarutobi Hiruzen's lecherous nature, often dropped the ball, and occasionally went out to gather material and vanished without a trace—

As Sarutobi's disciple, one of the Ninja World's Sannin, and the Toad Sage Jiraiya, his combat strength was beyond question. The Konohagakure higher-ups knew that very well.

Once he entered Sage Mode, few in all of Konohagakure could match Jiraiya.

Yet now, Jiraiya had died at Yuki Yoru's hands...

Had this intelligence not come from Sage Fukasaku himself, the four people present would probably have taken it as a joke.

"That brat is no ordinary brat, and his Hyoton is no ordinary Hyoton either."

Sage Fukasaku said, "The Hyoton ninjutsu he used carried the aura of Senjutsu Chakra, and the techniques he possessed were exceptionally bizarre and terrifying. Even I had never seen anything like them."

"Little Jiraiya's Senjutsu was restrained by that brat, and combined with the siege of the other Kirigakure Ninja, it ultimately led to Little Jiraiya dying at Yuki Yoru's hands..."

"I can only remind you to be careful. If possible, you had best nip him in the bud while he is still growing. Otherwise, the consequences will be unimaginable."

With that, Sage Fukasaku did not linger in the Hokage Building. He directly turned into white smoke and vanished.

After Sage Fukasaku left, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura both turned their gazes toward Sarutobi Hiruzen. Even Danzo did the same.

Konohagakure's pillar was trembling all over. Though he did not utter a word, the pipe he usually treasured most had already snapped in his hand.

They all knew the place the Sannin held in Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart. To the Third, news of Jiraiya's death did not merely mean that Konohagakure had lost a top-tier combatant or that the Hokage had lost one of his right-hand men. It meant that his own child had died on the battlefield!

"Hiruzen..."

Danzo took out a Scroll from his robes and placed it on the desk. "This contains all the intelligence Root has gathered on Yuki Yoru during this period. According to the information, Yuki Yoru indeed had not awakened Hyoton. Not only had he failed to awaken Hyoton, he possessed only a Water nature. From the moment he was born, he was expelled from the Land of Snow..."

As Danzo spoke of everything they knew about Yuki Yoru, Sarutobi Hiruzen continued to grip the broken pipe tightly, remaining silent.

"Hiruzen. Hiruzen!"

Mitokado Homura's voice suddenly rose. Sarutobi Hiruzen abruptly crushed the pipe in his hand into powder, and the terrifying aura belonging to the Third Hokage burst forth before quickly fading away.

Even so, that Chakra had left the entire Hokage office in a complete mess.

Looking at his somewhat disheveled colleagues, Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath. "My apologies. I lost my composure."

"Our war with Kirigakure has only just begun. Jiraiya's death will have an enormous impact on the front lines. Kushina alone is nowhere near enough to bridge the gap between the two sides, so I was thinking..."

"Hiruzen!"

Danzo sternly interrupted Sarutobi Hiruzen, cutting off his unrealistic idea as well. "Minato has already learned that Kushina went to the Kirigakure Front and is currently requesting permission from Orochimaru to head there himself. So if we need to dispatch reinforcements, either sending Minato or Orochimaru would be a good choice."

"Even the situation in Kumogakure has stabilized. I have handed command over to that boy from the Nara clan. It would not be a problem even if I were sent to the Kirigakure front. My Wind Release happens to counter their Kirigakure Technique, so put away those reckless thoughts of yours!"

"Danzo..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen closed his eyes in pain, his fists clenched tight. Only after a long while did he slowly loosen them.

"Send Minato. He has worked with Kushina for a long time, and they are close. And there is also the Flying Thunder God... With him there, I will feel somewhat more at ease."

"Also, you all heard what Sage Fukasaku said, didn't you? Yuki Yoru... No matter what, we must obtain firsthand intelligence on him, and perhaps find some opportunities."

Opportunities?

Danzo's eyes suddenly lit up. "Don't worry, Hiruzen. Leave it to me!"

"Yes. I'll be counting on you, Danzo."

Because the entire Tsunan Town had been destroyed by Kushina's rampage, Kirigakure's forces withdrew once more to their camp and began to recuperate.

This battle appeared to have produced remarkable results. They had not only completely destroyed Konohagakure's Tsunan Town defensive line, but also killed Konohagakure's major commander, Jiraiya of the Sannin, wiped out a large number of Konohagakure's active forces, and achieved tremendous gains.

But Kirigakure's own situation was actually rather grim as well.

Jiraiya and the rampaging Kushina had turned what should have been a resounding Kirigakure victory into nothing more than a costly one.

Kushina's final rampage in particular had directly cost Kirigakure several hundred ninja—and they had died outright, for absolutely no value.

That was what made top-tier fighters so unreasonable.

Take Yoru's Hyōrinmaru, for example—it had frozen an unknown number of Konohagakure ninja in an instant. Kushina's Tailed Beast Bomb had the same kind of effect.

"I never thought Konohagakure would actually send the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to the front lines. The power of a Tailed Beast..."

Yagura's left arm was bandaged, but his eyes remained fixed on the sand table, whose terrain had already been altered.

Tsunan Town, which had originally been the focus of attention, was now nothing more than a massive crater—the remnant left behind by the Tailed Beast Bomb's eruption.

"Although the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is formidable, this is actually good news."

Yoru shook his head. "There's no need to explain what a Jinchuriki represents. Its deterrent value far exceeds its combat value. Since they've sent a Jinchuriki to the front lines, one can imagine Konohagakure's current situation."

"They no longer have much usable fighting strength left!"