Truly Can Do Whatever One Wants!!!

Jiraiya's mind went blank.

He never imagined that the moment he stepped into Konoha, he would be transformed from one of the revered Sannin into a Konoha rogue ninja in the words of Uchiha Yoru.

Wasn't this a bit too absurd?

"Heh..."

He let out a low, mocking laugh, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Jiraiya was a ninja full of idealism, and he firmly believed in the legend of the Child of Prophecy.

However, idealism often implies a lack of rationality.

Perhaps it was this very purity of belief that created the unique charm of this hero of the ninja world.

But Uchiha Yoru was different.

He knew deep down that in the ninja world, weakness was the original sin.

The law of the jungle applied just as much here.

To Uchiha Yoru, Jiraiya's persistence seemed particularly laughable.

The excuse of "searching for the Child of Prophecy" had kept him wandering the world, away from Konoha for many years.

During the Nine-Tails Incident, when news of his disciple's death arrived, he hadn't even been willing to take a single look.

And now, he suddenly remembered to care about his disciple's son?

But other than the name, Naruto had absolutely nothing to do with him!

Having chosen to stand by and watch back then, only to run back now and hypocritically express concern—wasn't that just purely disgusting?

Even more ridiculous was that, based on nothing more than a few words from a toad, Jiraiya had pinned all his hopes on a vague and ethereal prophecy.

And the result?

In the future of the original story, the so-called "Child of Prophecy" achieved victory in the Great Ninja War, yet failed to bring about true peace.

Strife remained, and hatred never dissipated.

This theatrical play of destiny, upon which so much hope had been placed, was nothing more than a joke.

"Uchiha Yoru, Naruto is the child of the Fourth Hokage; he should not be subjected to such treatment!"

Jiraiya took a deep breath, his words laced with anger.

"Oh? So you know he's the son of a hero, too?"

Uchiha Yoru sneered:

"Then why didn't you come back to announce his identity and protect him when Naruto was being discriminated against and bullied?"

"The Fourth Hokage made Naruto the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, surely wanting the Nine-Tails to contribute to the village!"

"Put away that hypocritical act of yours!"

"Minato would never think of his own child that way..."

Jiraiya frowned, his eyes filled with confusion and rage.

Uchiha Yoru shook his head faintly, a trace of mockery appearing in his eyes.

"Namikaze Minato's Will of Fire was absolutely purer than yours."

"When he decided to make Naruto the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, that conviction was truly moving."

Uchiha Yoru spouted nonsense casually, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly, as if enjoying the struggle within Jiraiya's heart.

As for why Namikaze Minato made Naruto a Jinchuriki, there were many different theories.

Some said he was a born political creature.

By making his own child the Jinchuriki, he not only stabilized the village but also paved the way for Konoha's future interests.

Others said he was just a man deeply in love.

With his wife dead, he had no desire to live on.

Leaving Naruto to the village as a relic was merely placing a hopeless expectation that Konoha would treat his child well.

Of course, it could also just be a daily bug from a certain manga author; there were so many bugs that they could never be fixed.

Uchiha Yoru leaned more toward a combination of the three; one could only say that as expected of a dying man, even his final calculations were airtight.

But unfortunately, he had trusted the wrong people!

"Uchiha Itachi, for the sake of the Will of Fire, personally slaughtered his own clan, not even sparing his own kin."

"And Namikaze Minato, for the sake of the Will of Fire, sacrificed his most beloved people without hesitation—his wife and his son!"

Uchiha Yoru sighed softly and continued: "That is the price of inheriting the Will of Fire!"

He paused, took a deep breath, and his gaze turned sharp as a blade: "Uchiha Itachi followed the orders of the Hokage, while Namikaze Minato was the Hokage himself."

"In other words, the 'Will of Fire' is simply the will of the Hokage!"

Uchiha Yoru did not feel there was anything wrong with what he had said.

What was the Will of Fire that the God of Shinobi once preached?

It was sacrifice, protection, and the inheritance of hope—these originally beautiful words once drove countless shinobi to risk their lives.

But from the moment he pierced through Madara's body from behind, that will had already soured; his Will of Fire began to degenerate into a tool for control.

The current Will of Fire is no longer about protection; this so-called "will" has long been swallowed by the shadows of power and history.

Furthermore, the right to interpret the Will of Fire now belongs to Uchiha Yoru!

"You... I... This..."

Jiraiya's lips trembled with rage, and for a moment, he did not know how to refute.

"That is not what the Will of Fire is! You are twisting the Will of Fire!"

His voice carried anger, and the veins on his forehead throbbed faintly.

Faced with such absurd remarks from Uchiha Yoru, he should have scoffed, yet those words managed to stir a trace of hesitation within his heart.

The Will of Fire, is it just the will of the Hokage?

Eh?

It seems... what this brat opposite me is saying actually makes some sense?

No!!

Jiraiya shook his head violently, casting these ridiculous thoughts out of his mind.

He stared fixedly at Uchiha Yoru, his tone firm:

"Uchiha Yoru! The Will of Fire is not what you think it is!"

"Sacrificing oneself to protect the village is not for anyone's selfish desires! The Will of Fire is about protecting one's family, comrades, and everything one holds dear!"

Jiraiya's gaze was like a torch, attempting to shake the person before him with his words.

However, Uchiha Yoru merely looked at him coldly, his eyes filled with indifference.

To him, a naive idealist like Jiraiya had no utility value.

"Jiraiya..."

Uchiha Yoru's voice was low, carrying an irresistible sense of oppression. "Your existence is a hidden danger to the current Konoha."

"I am a reasonable man, so I will give you one chance—"

Before he could finish, a chilling aura began to permeate the surrounding air.

"Submit to me, and pledge your loyalty to Konoha."

"Otherwise—"

In an instant, the surrounding air seemed to solidify, and killing intent spread like a physical force, weighing heavily upon Jiraiya.

Jiraiya's eyes sharpened, his heart sinking slightly.

Even as a veteran of countless battles, he could clearly feel this heavy pressure.

"It seems the rumors are true..."

He spoke in a deep voice, his tone suppressing anger and unwillingness.

"Were those ninja clans really slaughtered to the last by you?"

Facing Jiraiya's interrogation, Uchiha Yoru remained unconcerned, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly with a hint of indifference in his eyes.

"My apologies."

His voice was low and calm, as if stating the most ordinary of facts.

"When you have the strength, you can naturally do whatever you want."

As his words fell, the air seemed to vibrate as if it were being torn apart.

Two distinct auras collided instantly, stirring up invisible ripples.

Jiraiya felt a tightness in his chest; the opponent's tangible pressure bore down on him like a giant boulder, making even breathing difficult.

This guy's chakra... is too strong!

For a moment, a stormy sea surged in Jiraiya's heart.

As one of the Sannin, a master of Sage Mode, when had he ever felt such overwhelming pressure?

Yet now, the Uchiha Yoru before him had suppressed him completely with nothing but his aura!

Uchiha Yoru narrowed his eyes slightly, a flicker of amusement passing through them.

"Interesting."

As he raised a hand, space distorted, and a phantom of Susanoo gradually emerged, a terrifying surge of chakra sweeping outward.