Jiraiya finally returned to the gates of Konohagakure with his three disciples.
There used to be two Chunin on guard at the village entrance. Now there were six, standing in a neat row.
Two wore dark green flak jackets, the mark of a Jonin. The other four wore lighter-colored ones, marking them as Chunin.
The six guards recognized him at a glance and greeted him respectfully:
"Lord Jiraiya!"
Jiraiya grunted in acknowledgment without breaking stride, then took off running into the village. Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko hurried after him, jogging along behind their teacher.
Hokage's office.
Hatake Sakumo leaned back in the chair reserved for the Hokage, tapping his fingertips absently against the desk.
An Anbu Ninja knelt on one knee, making a report.
"Lord Jiraiya entered the village with three children. He's on his way here."
Hatake Sakumo's fingers stopped tapping. He raised his eyes. "Oh? Jiraiya's back?"
The ANBU ninja answered, "Yes."
Hatake Sakumo nodded and settled back into his chair. "I see. You can go."
The ANBU ninja bowed and withdrew without a sound.
Silence returned to the office. Hatake Sakumo picked up his teacup and took a sip, looking out the window as he thought:
Jiraiya... he really took his time coming back.
As he was thinking, the office door creaked open. Jiraiya walked in.
Hatake Sakumo looked up, his gaze passing over Jiraiya to the three people following him:
A shy, red-haired boy, a quiet, purple-haired girl, and a lively, orange-haired boy.
Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko.
Hatake Sakumo was surprised. Jiraiya had actually brought the three of them back to the village. He looked away from them and turned to Jiraiya, speaking evenly:
"Jiraiya, you're back."
Jiraiya was in no mood for pleasantries. As soon as he entered, he asked, "Sakumo, have you caught the one who killed my teacher?"
Hatake Sakumo shook his head and lowered his eyes:
"Jiraiya, I'm sorry. The village investigated for a long time, but we didn't find a single clue."
He pulled a document from the bottom of the stack on his desk and handed it to Jiraiya.
Jiraiya took it and began to read, then stopped turning the pages.
It was a report on the Third's murder and the "disaster-like destruction" of the Root Base, including the course of the investigation.
Jiraiya skimmed through it, his eyes growing wider with every page:
"This... how is this possible? My teacher was so powerful. Who could have done it?"
His hand trembled slightly as he held the document.
The three children behind him had never seen their teacher like this before, and they couldn't help worrying.
Hatake Sakumo pondered for a moment before speaking slowly:
"We've been investigating all along. But... Lord Third's remains have already been laid to rest."
He paused, then added:
"To give the village an explanation, we had no choice but to pin the blame on Shimura Danzō. Everyone in the village now believes Danzo coveted the Hokage Position and used Root to assassinate the Third. And before he died, the Third took Danzo down with him."
"Lord Third is buried in the cemetery. You can go see him."
Jiraiya's hand shook again and again around the document. It took him a long time to recover from the shock, and his voice was hoarse when he spoke:
"I understand."
He put the document on the desk and turned to leave, walking so quickly that he was gone in the blink of an eye. The three children hurried after him.
Nagato was last. He glanced back before leaving, only to meet Hatake Sakumo's eyes. Sakumo was looking at him, his gaze lingering on Nagato's face for a moment longer, its meaning unclear.
Young Nagato was shy to begin with and couldn't bear the look. He quickly lowered his head and ran off in a fluster.
He was the last to leave, and he closed the door behind him.
The office fell quiet.
Hatake Sakumo leaned back in his chair. The more he thought about it, the more he regretted it.
It was a shame he'd transmigrated too late. Otherwise, he could have taken those three children as disciples himself. Jiraiya had gotten lucky.
More outlandish ideas began to run through his head:
Wait... what if I told Konan or Yahiko that I was actually their long-lost father?
Hatake Sakumo amused himself with the thought and shook his head:
Konan has blue hair, and Yahiko has orange hair. Neither of them looks anything like me, hahaha.
After his little joke, Hatake Sakumo gave Jiraiya's return no further thought. He picked up his teacup again and looked out the window.
The news from the Land of Fire was growing increasingly troubling. Friction between the four great nations and the Land of Fire was becoming more serious.
When the great ninja villages learned that both the Third and Danzo had died, they all seemed to be fired up. Taking advantage of Konoha's preoccupation with its own internal affairs, they were doing everything they could to make trouble for the Land of Fire along its borders.
Hatake Sakumo took a sip of tea.
As he saw it, the chaos at this stage had sped up the process of his formal "enthronement."
Yesterday, Mitokado Homura had already set out for the Land of Fire to meet the daimyo. Now, all Sakumo needed was the daimyo's written approval, and he could formally become the Fourth Hokage.
At the thought, Hatake Sakumo tightened his grip on the teacup, his knuckles turning white. A ninja, of all people, was actually being held back by a daimyo who was nothing more than an ordinary man.
He needed the daimyo's approval to become Hokage, and afterward, he would have to obey the daimyo's orders.
That old bastard had better know what's good for him, Hatake Sakumo muttered inwardly. Otherwise, I'll pay you a "visit" myself, and then you won't be so comfortable.
Meanwhile.
Jiraiya went first to the Konoha cemetery. The caretaker led him through rows of gravestones, finally stopping in front of a newly erected one: the grave of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Jiraiya lit incense and knelt before the grave for a long time. After paying his respects, he took his three disciples to the Sarutobi residence to see his teacher's wife, Biwako Sarutobi.
He spent some time comforting her and asked her a few questions. What he learned was much the same as what was written in the document Hatake Sakumo had given him.
Biwako Sarutobi looked at the three children behind Jiraiya, her eyes red-rimmed. She forced herself to rally and managed a strained smile as she changed the subject:
"Jiraiya... who are these three children?"
Jiraiya came back to himself and reined in his dejection, answering with an effort:
"Ah, these three are disciples I took in while I was away."
He introduced them to his teacher's wife one by one:
"This is Yahiko, this is Nagato, and this is Konan."
Biwako Sarutobi looked at the three children, her gaze lingering on Nagato's unusual eyes.
Though curious about the strange eyes, she didn't ask such an intrusive question in front of the child. She simply nodded to the three of them.
After leaving the Sarutobi residence, Jiraiya's steps were unusually heavy.
His three disciples followed behind him, none daring to make a sound.
Jiraiya's thoughts were in turmoil. He didn't want to do anything; he just wanted to find somewhere quiet. Even learning from his teacher's wife that Tsunade was also in the village hadn't given him any "motivation."
He thought it wouldn't be too late to find Tsunade after he had worked through his feelings.
But after he had taken just two steps, Tsunade's face suddenly appeared in his mind.
Jiraiya stopped, paced a couple of steps, then stopped again.
"...Ah, forget it." He scratched his head and glanced back at his three disciples.
He might as well go find Tsunade now.
He purely wanted to discuss their teacher with her.
He definitely wasn't coveting her...