You Who Guide My Direction Are Also the One I Wish to Protect

"Hayato, I promise you that the secret of Kotoamatsukami will never be leaked to anyone but you."

Shisui extended his hand, holding a fist in mid-air, a warm smile flashing in his eyes as he looked at Hayato. "But if one day, you encounter a predicament where even you cannot find a way out..."

"Please remember to tell me, because... you, who guide my path, are also someone I wish to protect."

Hayato watched Shisui's fist hanging in the air in silence, only moving once Shisui's inner anxiety began to mount.

Thwack!

A crisp sound of fists colliding rang out.

There were no grand, boastful words—only the relentless patter of falling rain and the never-ending rumble of the storm.

The two did not stop their pace, heading in the direction of Konoha.

However, having tracked for so long, they were now too far from the village, and since both had just awakened their Mangekyo, they felt exhausted after only a short while.

"Let's find a place to rest and regroup."

Hayato spoke, and Shisui nodded. They found a nearby spot and prepared to take a break.

The echoes of the battle were hard to hear here. Shisui gathered some wood, used Fire Style to ignite a bonfire, and then sat down beside Hayato.

Both closed their eyes to rest; the battle against Orochimaru had drained not just their bodies, but their spirits as well.

This was their first time facing a Kage-level powerhouse. To have survived completely intact was already a stroke of immense luck.

"Hayato."

Just as Hayato was closing his eyes to understand his Mangekyo abilities, Shisui's voice reached him.

Opening his eyes, he saw that Shisui had already straightened up to look at him.

"What is it?" Hayato asked softly.

"Do you think Lord Jiraiya can win this fight?" Shisui's face was clouded with worry.

If Orochimaru's defection could not be prevented, Konoha's future situation would not be easy.

The apparent disintegration of the Sannin was enough to stir the ambitions of other great nations once more.

While it might not lead to an immediate outbreak of war, small-scale harassment would only become more frequent.

And when Konoha proved unable to stop these provocations, that would be the moment those great nations bared their fangs.

Hayato did not respond immediately. This battle would only have one outcome: Jiraiya would be injured, and Orochimaru would successfully defect.

After all, given their respective strengths, unless both sides went all out with their trump cards, this was the inevitable result.

It had to be this result; if one of them were to truly die, Konoha's situation would only become more dire. Perhaps that was why the Third Hokage did not want to make a massive scene.

Moreover, Orochimaru was far too resilient. It was unlikely that even if Jiraiya used Sage Mode, he would be able to keep him there.

"Most likely... Lord Jiraiya will be injured."

Hayato did not say who would win, only cryptically suggesting that Jiraiya might sustain injuries.

Shisui was stunned upon hearing this, then fell into a heavy silence.

After a long while, the downpour outside ceased, and Shisui stood up. "Hayato, let's go take a look."

Hayato felt no surprise; from the moment Shisui asked that question, he had guessed that Shisui would want to go back and check.

"Let's go."

The two remained silent, moving at high speed through the trees.

They only stopped when they approached an area billowing with black smoke.

Hayato scanned his surroundings, and soon, he spotted a figure leaning against the base of a tree.

With a light leap, the two arrived directly in front of the figure.

At this moment, Jiraiya looked exceptionally disheveled, but aside from a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, there were almost no visible wounds.

As expected...

Neither of them had used their full strength; the intensity had been mostly for show.

"Lord Jiraiya."

Shisui spoke softly, and just as he was about to say something more, Hayato pulled him back and shook his head.

Asking anything at this moment would be inappropriate, and given Jiraiya's state, it was unlikely he would respond to them anyway.

"Lord Jiraiya, let us help you back."

Hayato stepped to Jiraiya's side, and seeing this, Shisui quickly followed suit.

"Thanks. I didn't expect you two to see me in such a sorry state," Jiraiya said with a self-deprecating laugh.

Shisui shook his head repeatedly. "Lord Jiraiya, you have always been my role model."

This was no lie; Shisui truly looked up to Jiraiya—after all, the man before him was the former mentor of the Fourth Hokage.

Hearing this, Jiraiya only smiled and did not respond.

Throughout the journey back, the three remained silent. Shisui had intended to let Jiraiya rest, but Jiraiya refused.

It was not until they were nearing the gates of Konoha that they spotted a pair of figures dressed in Anbu attire appearing in the distance.

Just as Uchiha Shisui thought to step forward, Uchiha Hayato reached out and pressed a hand onto his shoulder. Seeing Shisui's gaze turn toward him, Hayato said nothing, merely giving a subtle shake of his head.

These were not Anbu; they were Root.

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, standing his ground as he waited for the group to approach.

"Lord Jiraiya, by order of the Third Hokage, Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Hayato are required to accompany us."

The leader of the Root members bowed slightly in greeting before shifting his gaze toward Shisui and Hayato.

Though Hayato remained motionless behind Jiraiya, the chakra within his body was already highly condensed; should the men before him make a move, he would strike immediately.

"Go back and tell Danzo not to overreach himself."

Jiraiya's expression had turned stern. Ignoring the Root members before him, he addressed Shisui and Hayato behind him, "Let's go. Come with me to the Hokage Building to report on this mission."

Hayato lowered his eyelids, his gaze flickering.

He had not expected Jiraiya to openly expose the identities of these men.

Shisui was stunned for a moment before he realized the truth, casting a slight glance toward Hayato at his side.

So, Hayato had known from the very beginning?

"Lord Jiraiya, please do not make this difficult for us." How could the leader of the Root members allow these two Uchihas, who had just returned from Orochimaru, to simply walk away?

"Then tell Danzo to come find me himself!"

Jiraiya was already in a foul mood due to Orochimaru's defection from the village, and seeing the Root daring to pull such stunts now, he was even less inclined to show them any courtesy.

"Let's go."

With that, Jiraiya ignored the men entirely and led Hayato and Shisui toward the gates of Konoha.

"What do we do?" one of them asked the leader of the Root.

"Return and report to Lord Danzo." Having said this, the leader vanished from the spot using a Body Flicker technique.

Following behind Jiraiya, Shisui glanced back at the vanished Root ninjas, his heart set on asking Hayato what was going on.

However, he noticed Hayato's fingers moving slightly.

This was a specific secret signal used by their Uchiha clan. Seeing this, Shisui had no choice but to suppress his inner doubts and walk slowly behind Jiraiya toward the Hokage Building.