Fifth Hokage

On the streets of Mist Harbor, shops stood packed tightly along both sides. Their signs appeared and disappeared in the fog like faded ukiyo-e prints.

Every so often, a seagull flew overhead, letting out a sharp cry that echoed through the fog.

Kou and Jiraiya walked in the same direction, keeping a subtle distance between them.

Kou put on an unconcerned air, his hands in his pockets and his stride as casual as if he were out for a stroll.

That signature roguish grin still hung on his lips, but his eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses, were watching Jiraiya out of the corner of his eye.

He thought rapidly:

"Why the hell has this old lecher come to the Land of Water?

"Is he here for research? No, if he were here for research, why not go to the Land of Lightning? Aren't the tall, beautiful women and tan hotties there much more appealing?"

He grumbled to himself, a hint of teasing in his thoughts. Beneath the teasing, though, lay deep unease:

"...Is he here to investigate the Akatsuki's intelligence?"

In the original timeline, Jiraiya had been investigating information about the Akatsuki all along.

At first, he had suspected that the Akatsuki's base was not in the Land of Rain, but in the equally isolated Land of Water, a country with even deeper roots.

"Coming here to investigate the Akatsuki's intelligence would make sense."

A trace of confusion flashed in Kou's eyes:

"But this chance encounter is just too suspicious, almost as if... someone arranged it."

So who knew where this mission's rendezvous point was, had the means to know what Jiraiya was doing in the Land of Water, and could be sure the two of them would cross paths?

This is really hard to guess~~ (gritting his teeth)

Kou quietly looked around, his gaze growing more profound behind his sunglasses.

His eyes swept over the blurred outlines of buildings in the fog.

After awakening the Mangekyo, his strength had surged. Now, he could sense something watching them from the shadows.

"That Nagato guy is probably observing us from somewhere nearby right now."

Kou reached a cold conclusion:

"He can gather information about me from the shadows while distracting Jiraiya, the old lecher.

He's using my presence to mislead Jiraiya into thinking the Akatsuki's base is in the Land of Water, reducing the risk of the Akatsuki being exposed.

What a clever move."

He marveled at it sincerely. A trace of coldness flashed in his dark eyes:

"But... you think you can use your Uncle Kou? You're a hundred years too early."

Kou's lips curved slightly as he schemed furiously to himself:

"I was still worrying about how to slip away under Jiraiya's watchful eye. Now I've got a 'summoning beast' I can use.

If a fight later on is unavoidable, I might as well lure that guy out.

Don't blame me, okay? You're the one who started playing games, 'Leader'..."

As he plotted how to handle what came next, he looked at Jiraiya, who had been silent all this time.

Almost simultaneously, Jiraiya looked at Kou.

Their eyes met. They both froze for a second, then looked away in perfect unison.

Seeing Jiraiya's hesitant expression, Kou sighed inwardly.

To be honest, even now, he still hadn't gotten over Jiraiya standing him up back then.

After all, until then, he had thought he and the old lecher had gotten along pretty well.

They hadn't shared one of the legendary "three bonds between men"—getting drunk together and singing—but he had helped create the first volume of Icha Icha Paradise. He had even drawn the illustrations himself!

Setting aside their never-acknowledged master-and-student relationship, surely that alone showed how close they were, right?

But reality had proven that he had overestimated his relationship with Jiraiya.

Kou looked at Jiraiya, complicated emotions flashing in his dark eyes:

"If I hadn't written that letter back then, and had Minato write to Jiraiya instead, maybe everything would have turned out differently?"

His lips curved slightly, the hint of a smile tinged with self-mockery:

"Whether it was Jiraiya, Minato, or even Obito, whom I'd spent the most time with...

Maybe I was the most arrogant one of all, thinking all along that I was close to them and could influence them..."

"Kou."

Jiraiya's voice suddenly broke the long silence between them.

"Hmm?"

Kou looked at Jiraiya, surprised that he had spoken out of the blue. His brows furrowed slightly, confusion flashing in his dark eyes.

Jiraiya seemed to have sorted out his feelings.

His shoulders were no longer slumped, and the light in his cloudy eyes had grown clear.

He looked at Kou. There was no guilt or hesitation in his gaze, only the resolute seriousness of someone who had given the matter careful thought.

"Are you really not going to reconsider, Kou?"

His voice was heavy, like a boulder sinking into a deep pool:

"Come back to Konoha."

"...Huh? Are you serious?"

Kou stared at Jiraiya in surprise.

He had thought Jiraiya would ask about how he'd been all these years, hoping to draw some information about the Akatsuki out of him.

At the very least, he might ask about Mei Terumi, who was with him.

But... come back to Konoha?

For a moment, Kou's mind went blank, then filled with disbelief.

He looked at Jiraiya, suppressing his displeasure as he asked flatly:

"With your intelligence network, you must already know what happened to the Uchiha Clan recently, right?"

Jiraiya fell silent.

His eyes lowered, and the expression on his rugged face slowly changed from silence to solemnity.

He had no answer.

Kou laughed—not because he found it funny, but because he was furious.

He looked at Jiraiya, his dark eyes full of mockery:

"Don't tell me you can't see that something's wrong here. Do I have to spell out the role Konoha played in this?"

His voice grew colder and colder, the chill cutting through the fog and striking straight at Jiraiya:

"At a time like this, you want me, a rogue ninja, to 'return' to Konoha?

"Do you think the Uchiha Clan wasn't wiped out thoroughly enough, and want to round out the numbers with me?"

Kou's fingers curled slightly. The light in his eyes sharpened, like a blade about to be drawn.

Listening to Kou's scathing words, Jiraiya slowly shook his head.

His gaze remained fixed on Kou, and the light in his eyes stayed clear, undimmed by Kou's sarcasm.

"No, that's not what I meant."

His voice was steady, as if he were stating a conclusion he had thought over for a long time.

"...Then what do you mean?"

Kou replied as if impatient, while turning his hand away from Jiraiya, ready to form Hand Seals at any moment.

Jiraiya looked at him gravely, his expression growing serious:

"I've heard about the Uchiha Clan Massacre. It's hard to believe, but I have to admit... someone in Konoha's High Command deliberately made it happen."

His voice grew heavier, carrying the anger he had suppressed for too long, ready to erupt:

"I intend to return to Konoha, find the Old Man, and investigate the truth behind the Uchiha Clan Massacre. Then I'll bring the mastermind behind it to justice."

His gaze fell on Kou, filled with pleading, hope, and resolve:

"Konoha needs to change now...!!"

"Come back with me, Kou! Trust me this time. I'll make sure you—and the Uchiha—get the justice you deserve!!"

Jiraiya looked at Kou, who was still dumbfounded, and solemnly declared the decision he had spent so long considering:

"As the Fifth Hokage of Konoha."