The Sea Welcomes Me, Jiraiya X God of Shinobi

Jiraiya detested war. He couldn't understand why humans would abandon the beautiful things in life and instead fight to the death.

Why not just enjoy the scenery?

Wouldn't it be bad to travel around the ninja world?

Isn't it nice to write novels?

If all else fails, find a lesbian bathhouse and admire women's beautiful bodies... wouldn't that be more exciting?

Okay, wonderful, comfortable, and exciting... But Jiraiya knew that it was only him, his own desire and pursuit, and not anyone else's... Moreover, he couldn't represent anyone else.

Just like Orochimaru's betrayal of Konoha was something Jiraiya couldn't have imagined, even... it was so unexpected that it made him question his existence. He often asked himself, was the Orochimaru who defected the same Orochimaru he knew, or was he Jiraiya longer himself...? In his confusion, Jiraiya would often drift off into thought, even when he was on the front lines in the Land of Grass, facing pressure from both Kumogakure and Iwagakure...

"Jiraiya..."

"Jiraiya..."

Two calls interrupted the man's thoughts, bringing him back from his reverie. Jiraiya his white hair flowing down his back like a lion's mane, wearing an oil-patterned headband, a brown Ninja outfit, and a red outer jacket, saw that it was Shikaku. The man coughed twice to cover his embarrassment, saying, "It's Shikaku."

In the makeshift wartime command post at the Konoha main force's base, the curtain was lifted, and a slender man with slanted eyes and a scar near his right jawline walked in Nara Shikaku, his brow furrowed, slowly handed a scroll to Jiraiya, saying, "Latest intelligence from the sensory unit: Raikage's son, A, and that Killer B, ambushed another Chunin squad of ours last night. All the squad members, including the squad leader, are... dead!"

Jiraiya's hand paused Jiraiya received the scroll. Its weight felt like a mountain pressing down on him, almost suffocating him... This was already the seventh Chunin squad lost by Konoha...

Since the Third Raikage took advantage of the Kazekage's death and the internal strife in Sand Village to invade the Land of Wind, the Raikage successor who inherited the title of [A] has been acting like a madman, ignoring nationality and relationships, and targeting Konoha and Iwagakure, turning the battlefield upside down. This has brought enormous pressure to him and the Iwagakure group as well!

Jiraiya sighed silently in his heart, his disgust for war rising even further. Unable to sit still any longer, he rose, slipped on his wooden clogs, and went to the window. Looking through the windowpane, he saw sunlight filtering through the lush green forest, casting dappled patterns of light. After a long silence, he asked Shikaku with frustration, "Shikaku, tell me, how can we end this damned war?"

The lives of Konoha Ninja are lives, the lives of Sand Village are lives, the lives of Iwagakure Kumogakure are lives, and even the lives of Kumogakure Ninja are lives... The war has dragged on for so long, with tens of thousands of deaths, that Jiraiya is truly fed up with and has had enough!

But in the current state of Konoha, Orochimaru has defected, Tsunade is doing nothing, and the old man has to hold down the fort in the rear. Only he, and only he, has to stubbornly hold the line on the front lines and maintain the basic stability. It's laughable.

The once Land of Fire, the greatest village in the ninja world, has fallen to the point where it has no one left to rely on. Is this a tragedy for Konoha or for Jiraiya?

It's true... a dragon should return to the sea, but the sea won't welcome me...

"Whoosh~" A gust of wind blew, carrying a few green leaves into the tent.

Nara Shikaku frowned, pondering the question carefully. Comparing the current battlefield situation with the intelligence gathered by the sensory units, he glanced at Jiraiya and asked, "How long is the estimated arrival time for reinforcements?"

"I've already sent someone to urge the old man," Jiraiya, catching a fallen leaf. He didn't dare guarantee Shikaku a specific date yet; everything had to wait until Fukasaku returned with the old man's message. Nara Shikaku rested his chin on his hand, pondering for a long while. "Well, if the team is led by Lord White Fang and your disciple Namikaze Minato, at least with the two of them there, we won't have to face so much pressure."

Both Jiraiya and Nara Shikaku understood that fighting on two fronts was not a viable strategy, but who could blame them when... everyone wanted to take a piece of Konoha's flesh?

Jiraiya Shikaku knew very well that the war had gone on for so long that it couldn't be ended by anyone's wishful thinking. Perhaps... in the end, it wouldn't even be clear who would win or lose. It was possible that Konoha, Sand Village, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure would all be "completely defeated," just like Kumogakure wanted to block Iwagakure's supply lines at Kannabi Bridge, Sand Village wanted to block Iwagakure's supply lines at Kannabi Bridge.

Konoha also wanted to block Iwagakure's supply lines at Kannabi Bridge, but they all failed miserably... It's both laughable and inexplicably saddening.

"That's not what I meant," Jiraiya said Jiraiya the green leaf and letting it drift away in the wind. He turned his head and looked intently at Shikaku, saying, "I want to prevent any more damned wars from happening in the ninja world. How can I do that?!"

Nara Shikaku was taken aback. His exceptional intelligence allowed him to keenly sense the deep disgust and hatred in Jiraiya's tone. He instinctively wanted to blurt out... "That's impossible..." Wherever there are people, there will be conflicts of interest, and there will be war. But, meeting Jiraiya's unusually serious gaze, Nara Shikaku swallowed hard, furrowed his brow, and pondered for a long, long time before finally considering a possibility—

"Unless the First Hokage is resurrected..."

Nara Shikaku looked up at Jiraiya, took a deep breath, and said, "Only when an individual's martial prowess reaches the level of Hashirama can the Five Great Villages be made wary and forced to behave themselves!"

The First Hokage... the God of Shinobi... Senju Hashirama!

Jiraiya paused slightly, Jiraiya listened as Nara Shikaku analyzed, "Since the Warring States period, the ninja world has experienced the First World War, the Second World War, and now the Third World War. Only the period when Hashirama founded Konoha and was still alive was one of the few peaceful times in the ninja world without war."

As for what happened after his death...

Nara Shikaku looked intently at Jiraiya and said, "Jiraiya should know better than I do."

Amegakure the Hanzo the Salamander begins to expand!

That battle was also the battle that Jiraiya, Tsunade, Orochimaru, famous as the "Sannin"!

Jiraiya smiled wryly, "You're right, but you also said that was the First Hokage, the God of Shinobi."

"You're not naive enough to think that anyone can surpass him, are you?"

Nara Shikaku shrugged. "That's my answer. Besides this... I can't think of any other way to end the war..."

The world is bustling, all for profit; the world is in turmoil, all for gain... The way of chess lies in strategy, and strategy... exists only in --

Amidst the fighting and clashes of war!

Nara Shikaku was well-versed in shogi and had played a few games with Jiraiya in his spare time to relieve each other's stress. Naturally, he knew that the man in front of him couldn't be unaware of this.

But is it possible that someone will surpass... the First Hokage in the future?

All Lu Jiu can say is that the God of Shinobi will forever be an insurmountable monument in the ninja world!

There has never been one before, and there will never be another like him!

"Never mind," Jiraiya waved his hand dismissively, returning to his seat with a listless expression. Jiraiya rested his chin on his hand and said, "Let's call Hizashi, Akimichi Clan, and Yamanaka Clan in for a meeting."

Unexpectedly, the moment the man's buttocks touched the chair, a Youyou, aged voice suddenly entered his ears, carrying within it a familiar aura—[Sage Chakra]!

"Hmm... After a thousand years, the prophesied child... has finally... appeared..."

So familiar... that Chakra... that voice... it's the Great Toad Sage!

Jiraiya abruptly pushed back his chair and stood up!

The man's expression shifted rapidly, his face becoming partly frog-like, startling Nara Shikaku in an instant!

Nara Shikaku, who was about to leave to inform them, instantly became alert. His right hand unconsciously reached for the Kunai at his waist. He turned around at the right moment Jiraiya's suddenly piercing gaze. He heard Jiraiya say, "Shikaku, you were right..."

Nara Shikaku: "?"

He opened his mouth, about to ask, "What do you mean?"

But then, Jiraiya's lips curled into a smirk. "Go and call for help."

She waved her hand and pushed him out...

With a "whoosh," the curtain was lifted, and in the command tent, Jiraiya remained. He slowly sat back in the main seat. The red line of his birthmark, which ran from his eyelid to his jaw, shone brightly in the sunlight streaming in through the window. Lost in thought, he murmured to himself, "Child of Prophecy... who... could you be?"

A series of young faces flashed through his mind: his disciple Namikaze Minato, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki Uzumaki Clan Kushina, and men and women, young and old, whom he had met on his journey... As his thoughts wandered, they... drifted away...

"Achoo~ It must be Little Jiraiya urging me too..."

In the study of the small courtyard of the Hokage's residence, after a brief moment of astonishment, Hiruzen sneezed, waved his hand to indicate to Namikaze Minato that he was alright, and then, following Roy, asked Sarutobi Hiruzen directly, "The Fukasaku at the front is critical. Jiraiya asked us to inquire when Konoha's reinforcements will arrive."

Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at Namikaze Minato: "Minato, you're fast. We'll prepare tomorrow and set off the day after. First, we'll hold off Kumogakure while we wait for Sakumo's reinforcements."

Namikaze Minato smiled and said, "Uncle White Fang isn't necessarily slower than me."

Namikaze Minato, his blond hair flowing down his back, glanced at Roy, reminiscing about the day the Sun-Earring Boy displayed his giant-like form, piercing through the Perception Barrier his chance encounter with Sakumo Hatake in the Southern Forest, the latter's lightning-fast speed... almost comparable to the Sun-Earring Boy's [Light Release]. Who was faster, who White Fang of the Leaf. "Fukasaku, hearing this name, pondered: Could he be... the child of prophecy?

Above the Sannin, the White Fang of the Leaf! Sakumo Hatake's name is renowned not only throughout the Five Great Nations, but also in Mount Myoboku, and even... Ryuchi Cave and Shikkotsu Forest. At least, Fukasaku has heard Jiraiya speak highly of Jiraiya more than once. However, considering his age and past achievements, if he truly is... the Ancestor shouldn't have waited until now to make his prophecy. In other words... he isn't the Child of Prophecy. The true Child of Prophecy should have just appeared, or perhaps only recently revealed a glimpse of his brilliance.

Fukasaku was lost in thought, he suddenly heard a calm voice say, "If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."

Looking up, he saw... that inherently evil Uchiha brat. Fukasaku forgot about him and completely ignored Roy...

With the [Edo Tensei] technique in hand, plus a [Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu] and a [Rashomon], the trip was worthwhile; he had finally gained something. Roy immediately stopped lingering, glanced at Sarutobi Hiruzen, and before the old man could nod, was about to leave... when someone put their arm around his shoulder...

The Sun-Earring Boy turned his head to look, Namikaze Minato smiled and leaned closer, "Wait, let's go together."

Namikaze Minato Namikaze's blue eyes curved into crescent moons. "Kushina wants to eat Mikoto's cooking. Let's have lunch together today."

He's off to war again, and this time he doesn't know how long he'll be gone from the front lines. So, Namikaze Minato doesn't want to disappoint Kushina. He'll do everything in his power to fulfill any request she has.

This is guilt, helplessness, and also... an attempt to make amends to the other person...

Roy stopped in his tracks, thinking about the relationship between the Uzumaki Clan Kushina and his mother. In the original story, during their pregnancies, Kushina often visited their home and they even made a promise that their unborn children (Sasuke and Naruto) would become friends in the future...

Silently nodding, after Namikaze Minato and Sarutobi Hiruzen discussed the details of the expedition, the Sun-Earring Boy, with his Fukasaku black hair, ignored Fukasaku, treating him like air. With a thought, he summoned [Swamp Space], slowly sinking into the ground with Namikaze Minato. When they reappeared, they were already outside the courtyard, vanished without a trace. "Croak—" The old frog's eyes widened as it watched the Sun-Earring Boy flash between the ground and the surface, moving as if nothing was there. It exclaimed in surprise, "This kid has learned a good [Earth Release] technique!"

He looked up again, then leaped onto Sarutobi Hiruzen's desk with a powerful kick. "Sarutobi Clan brat, when did you become so close to the Uchiha brat?"

As Jiraiya's trusted Contract summoning beast, Sarutobi Hiruzen already knew a Fukasaku deal about Hiruzen Sarutobi through Jiraiya's perspective... Let alone opening his private residence to invite the Uchiha in for a chat, it would be a good thing if he secretly Danzo with Danzo and the others to suppress the Uchiha!

"Is there something wrong?" Sarutobi Hizaru chuckled, took out his pipe again, lit it, and puffed out a few times. "The Uchiha are also part of Konoha. As the Hokage, I have a responsibility to care for and look after every Konoha villager..."

You're such a sly one!

Fukasaku:

His eyes widened in suspicion, filled with deep doubt... that the Sarutobi Hiruzen standing before him... was a fake!

Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a smoke ring, pretending not to see Fukasaku's astonished expression, and calmly asked, "Tell me, what did you mean when you said the ninja world was about to change?"

Fukasaku snapped out of his daze. He had no intention of hiding it from Sarutobi Hiruzen. Even if he wanted to, given Sarutobi Hiruzen Jiraiya his big mouth, Sarutobi Hiruzen would probably find out eventually, no matter what. So he simply said, "The Ancestor prophesied in a dream and sent down a revelation, saying that..."

"The Child of Prophecy has appeared!"

"Plop~" Sarutobi Hiruzen took a sharp drag on his pipe.