Jiraiya

Naruto did not know Sasuke was saying one thing and meaning another. His mind could not hold that much, and he only thought that since they were going home together anyway, he should chase after Sasuke like a stubborn little pest.

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, somewhat speechless. Who knew what Naruto had just eaten? There was some sauce smeared at the corner of his mouth.

Sasuke, who was a bit of a clean freak, frowned and pulled out a tissue from his pocket. "Wipe your mouth!"

Sasuke ordered.

"Huh?"

Naruto grabbed it and wiped carelessly. Only then did he realize there was sauce on his mouth. He simply stuck out his tongue and ran it around his lips a few times, then smiled happily after tasting the sauce.

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

The sky gradually darkened.

Far away, in the hot spring district of the Land of Hot Water.

News of the Third Hokage of Konoha's death had reached this place as well.

Tsunade had just woken up after gambling through the entire night. She had been about to eat something before heading back to the casino, but she had barely sat down when she heard the news.

Tsunade's expression changed. In a flash, she appeared beside the people gossiping next door and asked coldly, "What did you just say happened to Konoha?"

Tsunade hoped what she had heard was false, that she had merely imagined it.

So she went to confirm it with the people next door.

Yet she received the same definite news from them.

Konoha's Third Hokage was dead! The head of the Uchiha Clan had taken his place!

Tsunade stood there blankly. The day her teacher died was the very day she had won her only gambling match a few days ago!

"I was so stupid. I knew it, I knew something bad must have happened. Otherwise, why would heaven let me win at gambling? Every time I win, something bad happens..."

Tsunade muttered.

Shizuka watched Tsunade worriedly from the side, not knowing how to comfort her.

In the Land of Bears, in a bathhouse in some small town.

In a secluded corner of the women's bath, a man with spiky, hedgehog-like hair hid behind a screen and peeped. Several empty liquor bottles lay beside him.

This white-haired man was Jiraiya.

His mouth split into a grin as flashes of inspiration continuously sprang into his mind. There would be more great material tonight.

Watching the young, beautiful white bodies in the pool, Jiraiya's gaze became more and more entranced.

Just then, he suddenly heard people in the pool begin talking.

"Hey, have you heard?"

"What is it? Did something happen again?"

Several old women chattered away.

A trace of displeasure flashed through Jiraiya's eyes. Could these old women not go outside to talk? Their chatter was affecting his material gathering!

Just as he was about to cover his ears with his hands and continue watching intently, his movements suddenly froze.

"I heard it from my younger sister's brother-in-law's brother. He said that in Konoha, in the Land of Fire, a Hokage died!"

"Oh my heavens, a Hokage died? Is that true?"

"It is absolutely true! My younger sister's brother-in-law's brother would never lie! I heard it clearly. It was, uh, the Third Hokage, I think. He died."

"The Third Hokage? That must have been a huge official. How did he die?"

"I heard he was assassinated. Some Shiba Clan or something rebelled, killed the Hokage, and made themselves Hokage."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. My younger brother's family was planning to move their entire household to Konoha tomorrow. No, when I get back, I have to talk them out of it. Now that some big official in Konoha is dead, who knows how chaotic it is there!"

"That is right, that is right. You really should talk your brother out of it. It would not be worth it if he took his whole family there just to die. The ninja world has only had peace for a few years. Being alive is the best thing."

At that moment, Jiraiya had no mood to look at young women. His eyes were vacant, his mouth hung open, and he felt dazed.

What had he just heard?

The Third Hokage was dead?

His teacher... was dead?

How was that possible? His teacher was old, but when Jiraiya had left the village, his teacher had still been healthy!

When he heard from the old women that it had been an assassination, Jiraiya became even more puzzled. Even if his teacher was old and his strength had declined, he was not someone just any nobody could successfully assassinate.

As his teacher's disciple, Jiraiya had every right to say so.

When he heard the old women mention some Shiba Clan, he understood. It had to be the Uchiha Clan.

So it was the Uchiha Clan that had assassinated his teacher.

Had the conflict between the village and the Uchiha Clan finally erupted?

Although Jiraiya had not been in the village these past few years, he had long known about the conflict between the Uchiha Clan and the village.

Originally, after his disciple Minato Namikaze became the Fourth Hokage, the relationship between the Uchiha Clan and the village had eased somewhat because Minato got along well with Uchiha Fugaku, the head of the Uchiha Clan. But after Minato died during Nine-Tails Night, the conflict between the village and the Uchiha Clan had only grown greater.

In the end, you still failed to resolve this conflict, Teacher. You even died at the hands of the Uchiha...

Jiraiya's expression was complicated.

The one who had been able to assassinate his teacher must have been Fugaku.

In Jiraiya's eyes, the strongest member of the Uchiha Clan was naturally none other than its head, Uchiha Fugaku. During the Third Shinobi World War, Uchiha Fugaku had earned the enemy's recognition through his strength and gained the title of "Fierce Eye."

If Fugaku had made the move, then it was possible that his teacher, whose strength may have declined with age, truly could not have held him off.

No. His teacher could not die just like that.

A cold glint flashed through Jiraiya's eyes. He swiftly vanished from the bathhouse, returned to the inn where he was staying, quickly gathered his luggage, and headed toward the Land of Fire.

He planned to return to the village and see what had happened.

If there was a chance, it would naturally be best if he could avenge his teacher.

Of course, he first had to find out what exactly had happened.

Jiraiya was no fool. After traveling for a full day and night, he entered the Land of Fire. He did not rush straight to Konoha, instead finding an underground black market nearby.

He intended to gather information about Konoha here first.

Then he would make the next plan with intelligence in hand.

He found an information broker in the black market and spent a moderate sum of money to buy intelligence on Konoha.

After reading the information, Jiraiya's face darkened.

He had originally thought that even if Uchiha Fugaku had successfully assassinated his teacher, becoming Hokage would not have been so easy.

After all, there were still quite a few clans in the village. How could they possibly agree to let the Uchiha Clan become Hokage?

Yet the outcome took him by surprise. Konoha had not erupted into internal conflict at all. It was very calm, as though his teacher's death had not caused even the slightest ripple.

This left Jiraiya deeply puzzled.

Had the major clans all submitted to the Uchiha?

If that was the case, then he could not return to the village alone.

He could not take on the entire village by himself.

His teacher's clan had been wiped out, and the clans of Lord Danzo and several other lords had been wiped out as well.

He was his teacher's disciple, so he was naturally marked as belonging to his teacher. He stood on the opposite side of the Uchiha Clan that had assassinated his teacher.