You're Not Allowed to Go Anywhere!

Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived quickly, practically striding the whole way. The wooden floorboards clattered beneath his feet.

Jiraiya, following behind him, was far more lackadaisical. He yawned as he walked, his right hand sneakily tucked behind his back, hiding a dog-eared novel.

"Old man, how long has it been since I last took part in Konoha's decision-making? Why'd you drag me along too?"

Jiraiya rubbed the back of his head as he walked, complaining with an aggrieved look.

"I was right at the good part! The bookstore owner even let me read a couple more pages!"

"I'm not the one who called you. Your student specifically asked for you to come along."

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't look back. His tone was brusque.

"Just now, that bookstore owner was trying to sell you an adults-only novel. Jiraiya, can't you act a little more like one of the Sannin?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi gritted his teeth inwardly, his words heavy with exasperation at a student who'd failed to live up to his expectations.

Of his three students, Orochimaru had defected, Tsunade had run off to get away from it all, and the one left was busy indulging in romance and writing smut.

He couldn't help wondering whether his old bones would ever live to see some peaceful days.

"Oh? Minato called for me?"

Jiraiya paused in surprise, then dropped his usual playful expression and lengthened his stride. The scroll on his back swayed with each step.

"Then something must really be wrong."

The two of them arrived at the Hokage Office.

Jiraiya casually reached to push the door open, but paused with his hand on the doorknob. He stepped aside to let Hiruzen Sarutobi enter first, then followed him in and shut the door firmly behind them. The lock clicked into place.

"Hey, Minato!"

Jiraiya stepped into the room, his easygoing demeanor returning.

"What's up? Want to hear some wisdom from this great sage?"

Minato Namikaze stood behind his desk. Sunlight slanted in through the window behind him, falling right across the scroll on the desktop.

The dark-red bloodstains stood out starkly in the light, like smudges that wouldn't come off.

"Jiraiya-sensei. Third."

Minato's voice was grave. He tapped the edge of the desk twice with his fingers.

"Let's skip the small talk and take a look."

Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed the scroll and narrowed his eyes, the wrinkles on his face tightening. He grabbed Jiraiya by the shoulder and pulled him over beside Minato's desk.

Jiraiya leaned in for a closer look. His smile froze, and he brought his hand out from behind his back.

Then Hiruzen Sarutobi took his pipe from inside his robes, pinched some tobacco into it, and struck a match with a sharp rasp.

He drew deeply. The embers in his pipe glowed and dimmed as he exhaled a cloud of gray-white smoke. Only then did he speak.

"This scroll... where did it come from?"

"Kakashi just brought it in."

Minato picked up the scroll, his fingertip brushing over the dried blood along its edge.

"A patrol of Anbu intercepted it near Konoha's northeastern border. A group of Iwagakure Ninja were disguised as merchants, heading toward the Land of Lightning. Their chakra signatures gave them away. When the Anbu went to investigate, two of them were left behind. The one who survived brought this scroll back."

"The northeastern border?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes widened.

"That's near the Land of Lightning... What's that old fox Ōnoki thinking?"

"Hey, hey, that's not a good sign."

Jiraiya's brows knitted into a deep frown. He braced both hands on the desk, his shadow covering half of Minato's face.

"How long has it been since the Third Shinobi World War ended? They're already itching to start a fourth? Are they treating human lives like firewood?!"

"I doubt it."

After a moment's thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke gravely, standing with his arms crossed beside the desk. He exhaled a heavy cloud of white smoke.

"This is probably a trap meant specifically for us. Iwagakure and the Cloud Village may not actually dare to make a move, but they're certainly hoping to make us show a weakness so they can take a bite out of us."

He turned to Minato, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Open it. Let's see what this is all about."

"Understood, Third."

Minato took a deep breath and held the scroll in both hands. His chakra swirled lightly at his fingertips, undoing the Sealing Jutsu.

The scroll slowly unfurled with a soft rustle.

The three of them leaned in at once, six eyes fixed intently on the yellowed paper.

[Ai, I've received your message.]

"Although what you described sounds like the ravings of a madman, I know you wouldn't joke around with your own life."

"Meeting is fine. An alliance is fine too. But Iwagakure can only put its own interests first, so you'd better think carefully about how sincere you really are."

"Three days from now, at the border of the Land of Iron. Bring only the person you trust most."

"—Tsuchikage, Ōnoki of the Both-Sides Scale"

"Wow... that's a pretty blunt exchange."

Jiraiya craned his neck to read the writing on the scroll, smacked his lips, and spoke in a dry voice.

"That old fox Ōnoki is as difficult as ever."

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't reply right away. He drew another deep breath, then slowly exhaled gray-white smoke through his nostrils.

"So they must have heard something."

Holding his pipe, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to Jiraiya, his gaze sharp.

"Jiraiya, do you have any idea what it might be?"

Minato Namikaze raised his head too, his bright blue eyes fixed on Jiraiya.

They both remembered that Jiraiya had been carrying a Cloud Village prisoner on his way back. The man was now locked up in Konoha's prison.

Under their simultaneous scrutiny, Jiraiya instinctively hunched his shoulders. His right hand awkwardly scratched the back of his head as his eyes drifted toward the ceiling.

"Well..."

He gave a dry laugh, his voice as thin as a draft coming through a paper window.

"When Orochimaru, Tsunade, and I met in Tanzaku Town, that's when I got the news..."

"What news?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes lit up. He'd caught the crux of the matter.

"Those Cloud Village guys... were trying to take Tsunade back with them."

Jiraiya's voice grew quieter as he spoke, and he scratched his scalp as if he might tear it open.

"They had Ai and Killer B there to oversee things, and then... the three of us teamed up and beat them back."

The office fell silent for a moment.

The next second—

"Jiraiya!!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's roar shook the lamp wick. He swung his pipe and whacked Jiraiya hard on the back of the head!

Thunk!

"Why didn't you tell me something this important sooner?!"

"Ahhhhhh!!"

Jiraiya clutched his head and crouched down, nearly bursting into tears.

"Stop hitting me, old man! As soon as we got back, Orochimaru went to treat Kushina, so there wasn't any time to talk! And when we first got the news, we had a captured ninja too. Didn't we have Team Kakashi bring him back?"

"Couldn't you have sent the news back on a scroll?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was so angry that his mustache trembled. He raised his pipe high again.

"Ha ha ha... Ow! Stop hitting me! It hurts!!"

Jiraiya hunched his shoulders, forcing out an awkward smile more pitiful than a sob, and ran around the office clutching his head.

"Enough."

Minato Namikaze suddenly spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it struck like a rock dropped into boiling water, instantly quieting the two men.

The hem of his Hokage Cloak swayed gently beside the desk. The warmth had vanished from his blue eyes.

"So the Cloud Village were targeting us from the start."

Minato's voice was grave. He tapped the edge of the desk twice.

"And now they're joining forces with Iwagakure because they found out about the two Orochimarus..."

"That must be it."

Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his pipe and put it back in his mouth, his brows drawn together in a deep frown.

"From this reply, it's the only likely explanation. That old fox Ōnoki wouldn't agree to an alliance with the Cloud Village for no reason."

He paused, his eyes sweeping over Jiraiya. His tone left no room for argument.

"Konoha may well have to face two enemies at once now. Jiraiya, make sure you tell Tsunade ahead of time so she can prepare."

"Got it, got it."

Jiraiya rubbed the lump on the back of his head and nodded sheepishly.

"I'll definitely tell Tsunade... It's just..."

He trailed off, his gaze settling on the streets outside the window, still under reconstruction. The tracks left by Yamata no Orochi the night before were still visible there.

"Just what?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked.

"It's just... we're one person short right now..."

Jiraiya's voice faded, his playful expression gone.

"That guy, Orochimaru..."

The office fell silent again.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand, still holding his pipe, stopped in midair. Several seconds passed before he slowly put it back in his mouth and took a deep drag.

"Yeah..."

He spoke softly, a trace of regret in his voice. But he quickly hardened his tone again.

"But now isn't the time to mourn. We just need to wait for the Fourth Hokage's orders."

He turned and fixed his gaze on Jiraiya.

"In the meantime, you have to stay in the village. You're not allowed to go anywhere, understand?"

Jiraiya looked into Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, then at Minato's grave expression. At last, he dropped all pretense of joking.

He straightened up and nodded solemnly.

"Understood, old man."