Third Hokage: Stay, Jiraiya!

As the Third Hokage finished speaking, the cheerful atmosphere in the office suddenly became oppressive.

Jiraiya's smile slowly faded, and he looked intently at the old man behind the desk, tentatively asking:

"Is there a problem, Old Man?"

Kakashi straightened up slightly, looking at the Third Hokage with trepidation.

Minato didn't speak, but Naruto's expression had become somewhat serious at some point.

Three pairs of eyes simultaneously fell upon Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Feeling the three gazes fixed on him, the Third Hokage sighed helplessly.

"If the leader of that force truly aims to change the current state of Mist Village, as you say, then he is undoubtedly standing in opposition to the current power of the Fourth Mizukage."

While they may not have officially broken ties on the surface, the Blood Mist Faction, represented by the Fourth Mizukage Yagura, is fundamentally opposed to the reformist forces.

His wrinkled hand unconsciously moved closer to his pipe, his tone heavy and clear:

In other words, the Mist Village is very likely currently experiencing extremely serious internal conflicts.

At this critical juncture, Konoha's initiative to contact and seek cooperation with the leader of that force is highly likely to be seen by the Mizukage faction, which represents the official government of Mist Village, as an attempt to interfere in Mist Village's internal affairs.

After hearing the Third Hokage's explanation, the three people present fell silent.

Because they fully understood every word spoken by the Third Hokage.

If Konoha were to secretly contact Mizukage forces within Mist Village, this could be interpreted as interference in another country's internal affairs in any diplomatic context.

To put it mildly, it was a diplomatic lapse, an offense by Konoha against the Land of Water.

To put it bluntly, it's interference in the internal affairs of the Mist Village.

In the worst-case scenario... it could even trigger a war.

The current Konoha, having just experienced the devastating Konoha of the Uchiha Clan Massacre, cannot afford another war.

Kakashi's face, hidden behind his mask, crumbled. Suppressing his resentment, he murmured softly:

"Is giving up the only option?"

The Third Hokage shook their head:

"Of course not."

"... well?"

Kakashi was taken aback. His eye, which had just dimmed, snapped open again, looking at the Third Hokage with a puzzled expression as the conversation abruptly changed.

"Alright, Old Man, just say what you have to say, stop beating around the bush!"

Jiraiya yelled at the Third Hokage in an annoyed tone.

His face was full of displeasure, clearly indicating that he was all too familiar with his Teacher's rhetoric.

The Third Hokage, whose faces were exposed in public by their apprentice, looked visibly embarrassed for a moment.

He turned his head and glared fiercely at this rebellious disciple who never gave his master any face.

Jiraiya met his gaze without flinching and retorted confidently:

"But this assumption is based on our full understanding of the current state of Mist Village Concealment, right?"

Don't forget, Old Man, Mist Village is currently in a state of isolation.

It is the Mist Village officialdom that has shut itself off, refusing to engage in formal diplomatic communication with the outside world.

On the surface, Konoha had no way of knowing what was happening inside their village.

"Given the lack of official diplomatic channels, isn't it only natural for us to contact the Mist Village officials we can reach and propose cooperation?"

Minato nodded in agreement, while Naruto's youthful face revealed a calm and serious demeanor befitting an adult.

"Jiraiya -Teacher is right. Jiraiya, neither the leader of the reformist faction nor the Fourth Mizukage himself would want the outside world to know about the internal division within Mist Village."

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, both sides will likely maintain a tacit silence on this matter.

Minato calmly said:

"Our proposed cooperation is limited to investigating intelligence related to the Akatsuki and does not cross the political line of interfering in internal affairs."

From a rational perspective, Mist Village wouldn't react excessively to Konoha for this reason, so we...

As Minato was about to continue speaking, his gaze inadvertently swept across the Third Hokage's face, catching a glimpse of an extremely subtle look in his eyes.

Minato instantly understood, and swallowed the rest of his sentence cleanly.

He wisely kept quiet and returned the power of speech to the Third Hokage.

"... but risks still exist."

The Third Hokage shifted his gesturing gaze from Naruto's face to Jiraiya before him, his aged voice becoming even more solemn:

"The Mist Village might very well use this situation to its advantage, using external conflicts to divert attention from internal ones."

Launch a localized war of limited scale to weaken the voices of resistance within the Mist Village.

This possibility exists, and we must be wary of it.

Jiraiya felt a little uneasy under the Third Hokage Hokage's gaze, which was clouded yet still sharp.

He clearly realized that his Teacher's words had a hidden meaning, so he frowned and said impatiently:

"Old Man, what exactly are you trying to say?"

The Third Hokage took a deep breath, sat up straighter, placed his hands on the table, and solemnly said:

"Jiraiya, you'll stay in Konoha for the time being."

He paused, then added firmly:

"As long as it's confirmed that you'll remain in Konoha for an extended period, Mist Village won't risk a full-scale war with Konoha by provoking conflict!!"

Jiraiya's eyes widened instantly, and he jumped up like an enraged lion.

"You Old Man geezer, I was wondering why you were rambling on and on, going around in circles like that. Turns out you were waiting for me here!!"

The Third Hokage looked up at his furious disciple and promptly dropped his previous composed and mature demeanor.

He shouted loudly at Jiraiya with a righteous indignation:

"Enough with the nonsense! I'm just doing this for Konoha's sake!"

"Just tell me if you agree or not. You don't want the cooperation plan with Mist Village to fall through, Jiraiya?!"

Jiraiya stared, mouth agape, at the Old Man before him, who was both unreasonable and arrogant, and was momentarily speechless.

Although he had no intention of leaving again after coming back, he still felt a deep sense of frustration looking at the old wall lamp that was smugly enjoying his discomfiture.

Minato seized the opportunity and smoothly took over the conversation.

He looked at Jiraiya with sincere eyes and advised him in a gentle and earnest voice:

"Stay, Jiraiya- Teacher. Now, Konoha needs your strength more than ever."

The Third Hokage, seeing Minato join the group, pressed his advantage without hesitation:

"Stay here, Jiraiya!!"

Kakashi stood by the window, his lips moving slightly.

He knew that in this situation, it was inappropriate for him to express his opinion, whether as a junior or a subordinate.

But when it came to finding Kou, he couldn't care less about whether it was appropriate or not.

He looked at Jiraiya, his eyes filled with eager anticipation.

Jiraiya felt the three scorching gazes falling on him simultaneously, and the hand that was scratching the back of his head froze in mid-air.

He suddenly turned his head away, his voice sounding somewhat unnatural:

"... Actually, after coming back, I never intended to leave again."

As soon as the words were spoken, the Third Hokage and Minato's gazes froze instantly.

Jiraiya raised his head and stared directly at the Third Hokage.

All the jest and jeers on his usually carefree face vanished in that moment, leaving only a deep-seated solemnity.

"Old Man... I want to succeed as the Fifth Hokage of Konoha."