"Have you really made up your mind to stand against the whole world, Sakumo?"
Jiraiya sighed deeply.
"Jiraiya, have you ever wondered who we really live for?
Our village, our clan, or our friends and family?"
Hatake Sakumo returned his short blade to the sheath on his back. The gold-and-red markings around his eyes vanished as he spoke softly, with a faint air of contemplation.
"I was once lost, too. I valued my friends and honor more than my life, but because of that, I overlooked what mattered most.
I left Konoha because the village as it is now no longer deserves to be something I live for.
Of course it is my home, but tolerating it like this isn't necessarily the only way I can make it better.
I can also choose to destroy it and let it be reborn."
At those words, Jiraiya turned and looked at him with a complicated expression, suddenly feeling utterly weary inside.
Once, he could understand the Shinobi World at a glance. Who wanted to do what, and why-it had all been clear. Now, he was completely baffled by what everyone was thinking.
What did this mean?
"Then it seems the next time we meet, we'll truly be enemies, Sakumo. Are you sure you should just let me leave like this?"
Jiraiya smiled bitterly.
"What does it matter? We may be enemies now, but that won't necessarily be true in the future, will it?"
Hatake Sakumo shook his head and said nothing more. He left the ruined battlefield with Naruto and Kakashi, leaving only Jiraiya, still staring blankly, looking forlorn.
By the time Orochimaru arrived with the Anbu, Jiraiya was already leaning against the roots of a tree, contemplating life.
Orochimaru surveyed the wreckage around them, narrowed his eyes, and chuckled.
"It seems