Jiraiya

The night passed, and the sun rose in the east.

An unexpected visitor appeared at the Hokage Office.

Or rather, unexpected, yet within the realm of reason.

"Jiraiya?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was somewhat surprised, looking at the tall, white-haired ninja before him—none other than Jiraiya, one of the Sannin.

"Why have you returned..."

Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen's current appearance, Jiraiya was momentarily dazed.

He almost didn't recognize him.

Because Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to appear younger and signal that he was living a new life, he had shaved off the goatee the Third Hokage had worn for years.

Without that aged, wispy beard, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked several years younger; paired with his smooth skin and the deep, sharp lines beneath his eyes, he appeared both dignified and confident.

"Teacher Sarutobi."

Jiraiya steadied himself, confirming that the imposing man before him, who looked barely older than himself, was indeed his teacher, the Third Hokage.

"I heard that Danzo..."

"Is dead?"

Jiraiya spoke with caution, as he knew Danzo had been a close friend of the Third Hokage since their youth; he feared such a death would be a blow to Sarutobi Hiruzen no less severe than Orochimaru's defection.

To his surprise, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked completely calm and indifferent, as if he had merely crushed an ant.

"That's right..."

"Danzo tried to assassinate me to seize the position of Hokage."

"I beat him to death with two strikes of my staff."

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled.

"What, are you worried about my mental state?"

Jiraiya offered an awkward smile.

It was true that Jiraiya had been worried that his teacher, having suffered a series of blows, might be unable to handle the strain in his old age.

But looking at him now, the Third Hokage seemed more youthful than Jiraiya himself, and his aura had regained the bold spirit of the Ninja Hero from his prime; there was no need for concern at all.

As for Danzo, he had no popularity in Konoha to begin with, so his death was of little consequence; furthermore, he had attempted to assassinate the Hokage, which was a capital offense anywhere.

"Have you found any leads on Orochimaru recently?"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to business.

Ever since Orochimaru fled, Jiraiya had been trying to track him down, much like Naruto trying to bring back Sasuke.

But given Orochimaru's ability to hide, it was not easy for Jiraiya to track down that viper.

Jiraiya was slightly taken aback, not expecting Sarutobi Hiruzen to ask about Orochimaru.

"I haven't."

"I've found some traces, but Orochimaru always slipped away beforehand."

Orochimaru clearly understood Jiraiya very well; it was easy for him to evade the pursuit of a lifelong friend.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was not surprised, simply saying calmly, "Then find an opportunity to send him a message. Tell him I will come to talk to him personally..."

"Tell him to come forward on his own..."

Jiraiya was delighted to hear this; it meant there was still room for negotiation with Orochimaru.

Perhaps he could actually convince Orochimaru to return to Konoha.

As a loyal friend to Orochimaru, Jiraiya naturally wanted him to return to the village.

In Jiraiya's view, although Orochimaru's mistakes were significant, given his status and contributions, there was still room for redemption.

Orochimaru's defection had been driven more by his own personal desires.

Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, immediately reading Jiraiya's thoughts.

"Don't get your hopes up too soon."

"If that brat doesn't agree to my terms..."

"I will personally purge the sect..."

"And let him see if my Enma Staff is still as hard as it used to be."

The current Sarutobi Hiruzen naturally had a more flexible bottom line than before. He was well aware of Orochimaru's talent from his previous life; he was arguably the only true scientist in the Ninja World.

Many of the achievements gathered from the Heavens and Myriad Worlds required a researcher to digest them.

But if Orochimaru remained stubborn, the current Sarutobi Hiruzen would not mind cleaning house to avoid being backstabbed by him in the future.

There are plenty of scientists across the heavens; Orochimaru is not the only one.

Sarutobi Hiruzen curled his lip in his mind.

Jiraiya, meanwhile, fell silent for a moment, feeling that his teacher had truly changed.

He had become more decisive and ruthless than he was in his youth, perhaps even to the point of being cold-blooded.

However, Jiraiya did not dwell on it too much, simply attributing it to the series of shocking events that had recently taken a toll on the Third Hokage.

The Nine-Tails rampage, the death of the Fourth Hokage, the defection of Orochimaru, and the assassination attempt by Danzo.

The Third Hokage's own wife, Biwako, had also perished on the night of the Nine-Tails attack.

For an ordinary person, such a continuous string of major disasters would have been impossible to bear.

In Jiraiya's view, Sarutobi Hiruzen's transformation was not necessarily a bad thing; it seemed as though his mindset had opened up significantly.

"I will have a good talk with Orochimaru..."

Jiraiya nodded, indicating he would handle the matter seriously.

Seeing that free labor had arrived, Sarutobi Hiruzen did not stand on ceremony and promptly tossed over a mission scroll.

Given Jiraiya's personality, he could not stay in the village for long, and now that Konoha was under the protection of a Sarutobi Hiruzen who had returned to his peak, there was no shortage of top-tier experts.

"Find these people if you can, and bring them back to the village."

"They must be brought back unharmed..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen had written down the original characters from the story who possessed significant utility and high concentrations of Space-Time Source Energy, ranking them by importance.

He had originally intended to hand this to the Anbu, but Jiraiya was clearly more suitable. With his experience traveling the Ninja World, his intelligence network, and his Sannin-level strength, he was far more likely to complete the mission.

Jiraiya took the scroll, and the very first name made him frown; it was an acquaintance.

Hiruko...

Jiraiya naturally remembered this former friend who had defected before the Third Great Ninja War. The Sannin had even joined forces to pursue him, but Hiruko was slippery, and since the Sannin had not yet reached their peak at the time, he had managed to escape.

The intelligence above indicated that Hiruko was researching a technique to fuse Kekkei Genkai and was likely scouring the Ninja World for powerful bloodlines, meaning his strength had likely improved since they last met.

Sarutobi Hiruzen naturally would not forget the Chimera Technique, which was truly astonishing in the original work.

Even if it was unclear whether the final step could truly be completed to achieve immortality, the ability to perfectly fuse four different Kekkei Genkai was already far beyond the norm.

Sarutobi Hiruzen naturally did not want to let this research genius slip away; in his view, Hiruko's talent was not much inferior to Orochimaru's.

Jiraiya continued to read the mission scroll, but he did not recognize any of the subsequent names, though each came with a relatively detailed description.

Jugo, known by villagers as "Libra," possessed a natural ability to absorb natural Chakra, which often caused him to go berserk. He was pure of heart and kept himself locked away in a cave.

Kaguya Kimimaro, born with the Shikotsumyaku, possessed immense talent for taijutsu and had been kept underground by the Kaguya Clan for years.

Haku, a descendant of the survivors of the Yuki Clan, possessed a powerful talent for Ice Release and was living in seclusion in a village near Kirigakure.

Seeing this, Jiraiya felt a bit strange; he wondered where his teacher had found these candidates, as they all seemed quite extraordinary, yet the intelligence was both detailed and brief.

It was detailed regarding their life stories, but brief in that it lacked any specific locations, as if they were characters created in a novel.

More importantly, these individuals were all possessors of Kekkei Genkai.

However, as a veteran ninja who had undertaken thousands of missions, Jiraiya knew better than to pry too deeply.

As for Kekkei Genkai, they were strategic assets in every village, and it was perfectly normal for ninja villages to target each other's bloodlines.

Although Jiraiya was a pure inheritor of the Will of Fire, he was not naive enough to believe that the village was devoid of darkness.

Even if Konoha didn't engage in such things, the rivalry between ninja villages naturally meant they would stop at nothing.

"Do your best with the others."

Sarutobi Hiruzen emphasized, "You must prioritize capturing the first two alive."

Kimimaro or Haku were merely an extra source of Space-Time Source Energy.

As for Jugo and Hiruko, their abilities were strategic assets, both of which offered a chance for Sarutobi Hiruzen to further his strength.

The former concerned the application of Sage Art, while the latter offered a chance for Sarutobi Hiruzen to ascend to the heavens in one leap, directly fusing the bloodline of the Otsutsuki or even someone stronger.

"Understood."

Jiraiya nodded, signaling his comprehension.

"One more thing."

Jiraiya's expression turned serious.

"The Cloud Ninja seem to have been making moves along the border of the Land of Fire recently."

"I suspect they want to take advantage of the time when Konoha is particularly weak."

"To loot a burning house."

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, feeling no surprise in his heart.

Although the original work did not explain it in detail, there is indeed a period of friction between the Cloud Ninja and Konoha during this timeframe.

This later led to a famous incident: the kidnapping of Hinata Hyuga and the compromise agreement that remains the most criticized decision of the Third Hokage.

Of course, the previous Third Hokage was naturally weakened because of the Nine-Tails incident, which not only caused heavy casualties within Konoha but also wiped out most of its top-tier combat power.

From this perspective, Konoha truly could not afford another war.

But the one facing this situation now is a brand-new Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"I will handle it."

"Those barbarians from the Cloud Ninja may seem simple-minded..."

"But they are actually quite cunning."

A dangerous look flashed in the eyes of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

He is not the Third Hokage of the past; anyone who dares to reach out and touch him will have their hands chopped off!

"They won't pull back until they've tasted bitterness."

"Jiraiya, you don't need to worry about it. Just focus on finding those children."

Jiraiya nodded. Since Sarutobi Hiruzen had already made arrangements, he naturally had no objections.

"There is one more thing."

Jiraiya finally brought up the crucial matter.

"How do you plan to arrange for Naruto?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was taken aback. He had indeed been very busy lately and had momentarily overlooked this.

He had completely forgotten about the Child of Prophecy.

"As for Naruto..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen thought for a moment.

"Why don't you take care of Naruto?"

"You are his grand-teacher; there is no one more suitable..."

Jiraiya's mouth twitched.

You are Naruto's great-grand-teacher, so why don't you go take care of him?

Of course, Jiraiya didn't dare to say that out loud.

"I wander alone outside; how could I possibly take care of an infant..."

"It's inappropriate..."

"Besides, Naruto is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. It is more appropriate for him to grow up within the village..."

Jiraiya signaled his polite refusal.

Sarutobi Hiruzen shrugged. As the Hokage, he had no time to look after an infant.

And leaving him to a random nanny like in the original work didn't seem appropriate, either reasonably or emotionally.

For a moment, Naruto, the Child of Prophecy and the protagonist of the Ninja World, was a bit of a hot potato.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was indeed not very concerned about Naruto. Although he was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, he was simply too young.

The identity of the Child of Prophecy was even more troublesome. If possible, Sarutobi Hiruzen would naturally want to cultivate him into a gloomy schemer to change the most critical Space-Time Node of the Ninja World, thereby obtaining a large amount of Space-Time Source Energy.

But Naruto was not a blank slate of an infant; he was the reincarnation of Asura, born with Asura Chakra.

His personality would be deeply influenced by Asura—a powerful influence stemming from the soul.

Even the environment in the original work couldn't make Naruto's personality gloomy, let alone any guidance Sarutobi Hiruzen could provide.

Sarutobi Hiruzen estimated that unless he possessed the mastery of Yin-Yang Release like the Sage of Six Paths to forcibly twist the nature of the Asura Chakra, he would never succeed in changing Naruto's personality.

But unfortunately, although the kid Naruto looked like an infant, all parties were watching him.

If Sarutobi Hiruzen made any suspicious moves, not only the Sage of Six Paths but also the toads of Mount Myoboku would not let him off.

"Alright, I will make proper arrangements for Naruto."

"You should complete your mission as soon as possible..."

"I have other things to attend to."

Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand, signaling for Jiraiya to leave.

This guy never stayed in Konoha anyway; seeing him every day was annoying. It would be better if Tsunade were here instead.

"I finally came back for a visit, and you're being so heartless, old man."

Jiraiya looked indignant, feeling that his concern for Sarutobi Hiruzen had been wasted.

"One last thing."

Sarutobi Hiruzen looked suspicious. How many "last things" has this kid had?

Jiraiya leaned in closer, his expression somewhat subtle.

"How was the new novel I sent you?"

"Wasn't it brilliant?!"

"I reckon this book of mine is going to be a massive hit!"

As soon as Sarutobi Hiruzen heard this, his brows furrowed immediately, and he criticized it without a shred of politeness.

"A massive hit? Your novel is an absolute disaster!"

"It's the very definition of a flop!"

Jiraiya's eyes widened, feeling rather indignant.

Even if you are my teacher, you can't just talk about my novel like that.

Besides, I only shared it with you because I thought you were a man of culture.

Just as Jiraiya was about to argue his case, he heard Sarutobi Hiruzen begin to critique his newly written Icha Icha Paradise.

"The plot in this book of yours..."

"Sometimes art shouldn't be too explicit."

"It needs to be subtle and suggestive."

"Also, the contrast in character status needs to be greater."

"For example, teacher and student, eldest son and stepmother..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen criticized it with righteous indignation, his mind filled with the information bombardment from his past life; he had seen countless erotic works, and he could recite the names of those "teachers" as fluently as a multiplication table.

In his eyes, Jiraiya's Icha Icha Paradise was truly child's play.

Jiraiya listened, his expression gradually shifting to one of realization.

A teacher is always a teacher; not only is his mastery of Ninjutsu the best in Konoha, but his artistic insight is also this profound.

"Teacher, once this novel is published, I must properly thank you!"

"You shall be the co-author of this book!"

Jiraiya felt as if he had been enlightened, his inspiration suddenly flowing freely.

"Cough, cough, cough."

Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed on his pipe and couldn't help but cough twice.

"It's better for art to remain hidden and anonymous."

"You should just put your own name on it."

I'm planning to change the title to something with more of a hook—any ideas, everyone?