The Gallant Jiraiya

On the second day that Lin Mu continued to focus on his cultivation.

In the midst of a desolate desert Gobi, several figures gathered rapidly.

Judging by their attire and the forehead protectors they wore.

These were ninjas from Sunagakure!

A moment later, the group stopped atop a massive boulder, right next to a giant stone pit.

This pit was surrounded on all sides by towering rocks.

In this barren Gobi, such a sight was common, yet it provided excellent concealment.

Once the teammates had mostly arrived, the ninja who had been waiting on the boulder waved his hand and said:

"It is here..."

The other ninjas followed his gesture, peering down into the deep pit.

But when their eyes took in the situation at the bottom of the pit...

These ninjas trembled in unison, clenching their fists tightly, their faces contorted with uncontrollable rage.

Below in the pit lay three corpses, with countless flies and insects buzzing incessantly over them.

One of the bodies wore a white robe and a blue conical hat, with the character "Wind" inscribed upon it.

This corpse was none other than the Kazekage of Sunagakure in the Land of Wind!

"Death occurred quite some time ago, likely before the Chunin Exams even began!"

The ninja who had been waiting there from the start, despite his own extreme fury, forced himself to remain calm and began to analyze the situation.

"Is that so? So that is how it is..."

The ninja who appeared to be the captain of the squad had a twisted expression, gritting his teeth as he spoke.

"Bastard, Orochimaru... After murdering the Kazekage, Orochimaru or Kabuto must have disguised themselves as the Kazekage... I was too careless!"

Meanwhile, in a dark and hidden room.

"Ah... ah..."

Like the hissing of a wounded viper, low, guttural groans echoed continuously.

Inside the room, Orochimaru, his two arms tightly wrapped in white bandages, sat on a chair with the support of Kabuto, cursing incessantly:

"Bastard, that detestable Sarutobi!"

Kabuto, standing respectfully opposite Orochimaru with his silver hair and glasses, had a faint smile on his face.

His voice was flat, yet he maintained that slight smile:

"It would not have been that simple... After all, the opponent is known as the strongest Hokage among the five great nations. Still, you did quite well. To have taken out two of the five Kage..."

He wanted to continue, but was cut off directly by Orochimaru's voice.

"Do not... do not speak as if you are comforting me. Be careful, or I will kill you!"

Orochimaru's cold, narrow, viper-like eyes flashed with a sharp, chilling light.

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Kabuto's forehead, but his voice remained calm.

"Of course, I meant no such thing... Although the village was not conquered, the other goal of this plan—Sasuke Uchiha—has already been fitted with your collar!"

"Hehehehehe..."

At the mention of Sasuke Uchiha, Orochimaru's mood seemed to lift, and he let out a sinister, chilling laugh.

"It was bought with my own hands and all my ninjutsu... That said, if I could have obtained Itachi Uchiha, there would be no problem... But that is a dream that can never be realized, because he is even stronger than I am! That is why... I left that organization!"

At the mention of Itachi Uchiha, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, the light within his pupils turning even colder.

In his mind, the image of that man with the cold expression and the eerie red glow of the Sharingan surfaced.

This was a person who even made him feel a sense of dread!

In Konoha, atop a building that remained relatively intact.

A tall man with spiky white hair held a telescope, peering down at a place a man should not be looking.

"Oh oh oh oh hehehehehehehe..."

"Has it arrived? Hahahahahaha... Very good, very good!"

"As expected, Konoha Ninja Village... the average level is quite high! Hehe..."

Just as Jiraiya was enjoying the view, a somewhat cold voice rang out.

"Are you still doing such boring things?"

Jiraiya's body jolted, his expression turning sheepish.

"It counts as gathering material, at least... Oh, it is Uncle Homura and Advisor Koharu. What business do the advisors have with me?"

Mitokado Homura remained expressionless as he said flatly:

"What business? You know well enough without me saying it!"

"..."

Jiraiya slowly stood up, turned to face the two high-ranking advisors, crossed his arms, and wore a grave expression.

But a few seconds later, he couldn't help but let a smile break across his face.

He chuckled, "No need to look so grim. Didn't the negotiations with the Sand Ninja conclude successfully?"

However, the two advisors were not swayed by Jiraiya's smile.

Mitokado Homura said in a flat tone:

"The Village Hidden in the Sand has publicly declared that everything was caused by Orochimaru. Besides, once the Village Hidden in the Sand announced their total surrender to our Konoha, the negotiations were no longer that important."

Advisor Utatane Koharu glanced at Jiraiya before picking up where Mitokado Homura left off:

"As for our Konoha, in order to restore our national strength, we have no choice but to accept the proposal."

These two elders had worked together for many years and were perfectly in sync; as soon as Utatane Koharu finished, Mitokado Homura continued:

"However... the strength of the Village Hidden in the Leaf has now fallen to a terrifying low... Under these circumstances, the top priority must be to prepare for an even greater crisis that may occur!"

Utatane Koharu fixed her gaze on Jiraiya and said:

"Therefore, until the village's strength is restored, we have decided to gather several leaders from various units to form an Emergency Executive Committee to handle all situations. But before that, first and foremost, we need a trustworthy and powerful leader..."

"I believe I have already said this before, my heart is not set on this... and I have already recommended Tsunade as the Fifth Hokage..."

Jiraiya understood what the two elders were getting at, but he had no interest in the position of Fifth Hokage and refused immediately.

"Jiraiya!"

The two elders' expressions grew even more solemn, and their tone became somewhat stern.

"But Tsunade is currently missing. If you do not take on the role of Hokage, then who else..."

Jiraiya had a fiery temper, and this conversation had already worn his patience thin.

He raised a hand to cut the two elders off and said:

"Alright, alright! I have a general idea of where Tsunade is. I'll set out to find her in a couple of days!"

With that, he turned and left without looking back.

"You..."

The two elders were furious, yet there was nothing they could do.

Although Jiraiya possessed both the strength and the prestige, his personality was simply too free-spirited.

Perhaps he truly was not suited to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the Fifth Hokage...

Besides, if he didn't want to do it, no one could force him!