Seeing his stubborn expression, Tsunade merely sneered again. She could no longer be bothered to argue and turned away in silence.
She knew Jiraiya's obsession all too well, and she understood just how absurd the destiny behind it was. No amount of persuasion would bring him to his senses.
He had become hopelessly enthralled by the guidance of a bunch of toads!
A brief silence fell over the office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a deep sigh. His eyes held the weariness and clarity of someone weathered by life as he slowly spoke his mind.
"Taking all the world's suffering, all its responsibilities, and every path forward onto your own shoulders, believing you can save everyone and guide the world-that is a very foolish thing to do."
"At its heart, it means you don't trust the people of this world. You don't believe others can find their own way."
"Always believing people are ignorant, that without guidance they will descend into depravity and chaos, meddling in everything and controlling it all-that is the greatest arrogance of all."
"And refusing to trust others will inevitably breed darkness."
At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes dimmed with a trace of self-mockery.
"Am I not an obvious example of that very mistake?"
Throughout his decades leading Konoha, he had handled everything himself, keeping a tight grip on all the village's affairs. He had always wanted to protect everything in Konoha through his own strength, never feeling comfortable leaving it to the younger generation.
In the end, that only robbed his successors of opportunities to grow and allowed darkness to breed in the shadows, quietly spreading.
After collecting himself, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the still-stubborn Jiraiya and continued in a grave voice.
"What's even more laughable is that when you can no longer bear the burden,