"It was all that old man's fault. At the critical moment, he went softhearted again. He couldn't bring himself to kill his former disciple... Sigh..."
Jiraiya let out another sigh as he spoke.
Although Jiraiya had placed all the blame on the Third Hokage, he himself had also failed to make up his mind to eliminate Orochimaru during the final stage of their battle.
After all, they had grown up together. The bond between Jiraiya and Orochimaru was like the one between Naruto and Sasuke. How could such a bond possibly be severed so easily?
"Now that Orochimaru has escaped, he will likely cause enormous turmoil in the future. Zhi Ge, you need to make the most of your time and train hard."
As he spoke, Jiraiya patted Zhi Ge on the shoulder.
"Don't worry. I'll improve as quickly as I can! During my fight with Gaara, I learned a new technique. I just can't use it proficiently yet."
Zhi Ge nodded.
"Good! Once you and Naruto have fully recovered, I'll take you on an important mission."
Jiraiya nodded.
"An important mission? What kind of mission?!"
Zhi Ge could not help asking curiously.
Jiraiya gave a mysterious smile. "To find the Fifth Hokage!"
"What?!"
Zhi Ge was stunned by Jiraiya's words.
"Has the Third Hokage already fallen?!"
Zhi Ge was utterly shocked.
"No, no, no! Don't talk nonsense! The old man is still alive and well!"
Jiraiya immediately denied Zhi Ge's guess.
"Then what do you mean by finding the Fifth Hokage?"
Zhi Ge asked in confusion.
"The mastermind behind the Konoha Crush Plan was none other than the old man's most prized disciple, Orochimaru. It was because the old man spared Orochimaru years ago that Konoha Village suffered this disaster. And since he failed to capture Orochimaru again this