Half a month later.
In the Land of Birds, within the first base of the Yorozuya.
Diarmuid sat in a chair, an intelligence report in his hand, looking somewhat displeased. Nearby, Kakuzu was counting money, his mood seemingly excellent. Sasori sat silently at a table, lost in thought.
"Don't these people know how to give someone a proper title? I used such obvious dark powers; they could have called me the 'King of the Night' or 'Son of Eternal Night.' At the very least, 'Dark Emperor' or something similar would have been decent, right? But what is this crap?"
"'The Outlaw Rodriguez Diarmuid, S-Rank criminal wanted across the shinobi world, bounty: 500 million Ryo'... It's quite good, isn't it?" Kakuzu glanced back at Diarmuid, speaking with a smirk.
Indeed, the Yorozuya had been far from subtle with this mission. When they took down the Daimyo of the Land of Earth, they made no attempt to hide, maintaining an arrogant and aggressive stance as they launched a direct frontal assault.
Consequently, news regarding Diarmuid and the Yorozuya spread like wildfire.
First, he had killed the Third Raikage; then, he took out the Daimyo of the Land of Earth. From his track record, the man was incredibly arrogant. When he killed the Raikage, he had single-handedly forced back the Iwagakure shinobi. When he killed the Daimyo, he was utterly unscrupulous.
Two appearances, two capital crimes, coupled with a reckless style, Diarmuid had certainly made a name for himself in the shinobi world.
However, he hated the name.
Why did others get titles like 'God of Shinobi,' 'Demigod,' 'Yellow Flash,' or 'Shinobi Shinobi'? Why did it have to be 'The Outlaw' when it came to him!?
"Why did you two manage to go unnoticed again!?" Diarmuid asked, annoyed.
Three of them had acted together, yet Kakuzu and Sasori seemed to have zero presence in the reports. Only Diarmuid had been hit with a new bounty. It was absurd.
"Who knows." Kakuzu found it strange as well, but he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he looked at Diarmuid. "By the way, if you ever grow tired of this world because you've lived too long, please make sure to let me send you on your way."
Diarmuid: "???"
"What the hell does that mean?" Diarmuid snapped.
"500 million Ryo," Kakuzu mused, his eyes literally gleaming as he stared at Diarmuid.
Before Diarmuid could give Kakuzu a piece of his mind, Sasori suddenly spoke up. "What's the next move? Our reputation is established..."
Diarmuid fell silent for a moment before replying, "Sasori, you're responsible for keeping an eye on the Land of Rain. Kakuzu, since our fame is at its peak, keep taking missions. If you can handle them yourself, don't bother us."
"And you?" Kakuzu asked. He had no issue with completing missions solo; it was efficient.
"I need to find a few suitable people to join us," Diarmuid said after some thought.
Their numbers were too thin. Even counting Orochimaru, their terrorist organization, the Yorozuya, only had four members. And Orochimaru wasn't exactly a permanent fixture.
"Let's get one thing straight: don't bring any small fry into our ranks," Sasori interjected.
Kakuzu nodded in agreement. "Exactly."
Clearly, both were prideful men who had no time for average trash. Diarmuid nodded; he felt the same. However, he was currently a bit lost, where were the suitable candidates?
Uchiha Obito?
He already knew about the events at Kannabi Bridge. Although there were slight deviations from his memory, the final outcome remained the same. If everything went as expected, Obito had been rescued by Madara and was currently adapting to a new body made of White Zetsu.
While Obito performed like a "dead last" early on, his progress proved he was a genius; he just hadn't manifested his talent before. The first time he awakened his Sharingan, he immediately suppressed the enemy. When he awakened the Mangekyo, he jumped straight from two tomoe to the Mangekyo.
A literal grade-skipper. In terms of performance, that was far more impressive than "Sasuke," who lost his whole family only to awaken a single tomoe.
However, Obito was Madara's target, and the boy was stubborn and self-righteous. Since he hadn't "matured" yet, Diarmuid couldn't be bothered with him.
As for the Akatsuki...
He had already poached the heavy hitters from the early stages: Kakuzu, Sasori, and Orochimaru. The others who would eventually join the Akatsuki were currently just "little brothers."
Perhaps Hoshigaki Kisame was worth considering, but he was currently playing the role of an honest man in Kirigakure... there was no chance of recruiting him yet.
After much thought, Diarmuid realized there were no obvious candidates left, at least, not based on his current knowledge.
"Maybe I should head out and look around? Perhaps a trip to Konoha? See when Orochimaru plans to make his run," Diarmuid pondered, rubbing his chin.
Orochimaru likely had good connections... he might have some proteges to recommend. And then there was Danzō. That old schemer was a piece of work, but Diarmuid actually appreciated him! He was a natural partner!
Besides, he had been in this ninja world for a long time and had yet to visit Konoha. It felt like a missed opportunity.
…
Meanwhile, in the Land of Fire, inside the Hokage Residence in Konoha.
Hiruzen looked solemnly at the group before him.
It was a full house of masters and students. At the top of the pyramid was the Third Hokage himself. Then his disciple, Jiraiya. Then Jiraiya's disciple, Minato. Finally, Minato's disciples, Kakashi and Rin.
The whole family tree was present.
"Let the matter of Obito end here. He wouldn't want you to drown in sorrow. Although we won at Kannabi Bridge, the war isn't over. We cannot slacken now..." Hiruzen said with regret.
He had actually liked the boy, Obito; he was a rare outlier within the Uchiha clan. It was a pity. As Hokage, he unhesitatingly granted Obito the status of a hero and carved his name onto the Memorial Stone.
After a short pause, Hiruzen retracted his thoughts. "Now, let's discuss your situation, Jiraiya. Your sudden return was quite unexpected."
"I happened to be present when the incident at the Land of Earth's Daimyo Castle occurred," Jiraiya stated plainly.
Minato's eyes widened in surprise. "Was it that 'Outlaw' again?"
"Yes," Jiraiya nodded.
"You saw him? Does he match the portraits?" Hiruzen asked seriously.
Jiraiya thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No."
"Oh? How so?" Hiruzen frowned.
Currently, all visual intelligence on Diarmuid came from the Land of Earth and Iwagakure.
"It might be due to subjectivity. The Land of Earth's portraits of Diarmuid are a bit too wild, too rebellious. They don't match his actual aura at all. As for his features, the drawings were a bit... conservative," Jiraiya explained.
"From the way you're talking, it sounds like you had more than just a passing glance?" Hiruzen said, surprised.
Jiraiya scratched his head awkwardly. "Ahem, well... I drank with him at the pleasure quarters for three days. I had no idea who he was at the time. So, if you're asking if I know him, I suppose I do."
Jiraiya continued, "The man's aura is such that you'd never guess he was such a lunatic. When I first saw him, I thought he was a young master from a noble family. His clothes were luxurious, his accessories meticulous, and his bearing was striking. He's generous and bold... he even made an effort to avoid civilian casualties after killing the Daimyo. I don't believe he's a truly evil person. Even after we fought, he had no intention of killing me..."
"Wait, you fought him? What is his strength like?" Hiruzen asked sharply.
Jiraiya fell silent for a long time before shaking his head. "That man is the strongest person I have ever encountered. Without a doubt, even Hanzo the Salamander, who was called a demigod back then, doesn't compare to him in my eyes... Even with Sage Mode, he defeated me with overwhelming dominance... But as I said, his personality is actually quite amiable."
"An 'amiable' person kills a Daimyo?" Hiruzen muttered. He was more shocked by the sheer height of Jiraiya's appraisal.
Currently, the shinobi world's understanding of the Outlaw Diarmuid's strength was vague. They knew he killed the Raikage and forced back thousands of ninja, but many assumed he had simply finished off a weakened Raikage. This assassination of the Daimyo highlighted his audacity, but didn't showcase much of his actual combat power.
Jiraiya's words provided the first clear perspective on Diarmuid's might. Hiruzen had to take it seriously.
The strongest Jiraiya has ever seen? That's terrifying! Where did such a man come from?
Moreover, despite being a notorious outlaw who had fought Jiraiya, Jiraiya seemed to be defending the man, almost as if he were trying to clear Diarmuid's name.
"You cannot go around saying these things outside this room," Hiruzen warned.
Diarmuid's reputation was currently abysmal. If Jiraiya tried to "wash his name," he might get crucified by public opinion.
Jiraiya shrugged and said nothing.
Minato, however, asked with a smile, "Sensei, tell us more about him. He sounds interesting. If his aura doesn't match the 'Outlaw' title, what about his looks? How is he different from the portraits?"
Jiraiya looked at his disciple, Minato. After a brief silence, he spoke: "I always thought you were quite handsome, Minato. But I have to admit... he's even handsomer than you. The main discrepancy between the portrait and the man lies in that word: 'handsome.'"
Minato: "???"
Was I just complimented by my teacher? Why don't I feel happy?
At that moment, Hiruzen reached a conclusion. "Enough. Let the matter of the Outlaw rest for now. To be fair, while he is reckless, the death of the Land of Earth's Daimyo has indirectly relieved our pressure in the war. Since he knew your identity, Jiraiya, yet didn't kill you, perhaps he holds some goodwill toward Konoha. As long as he doesn't provoke us, we won't bother him..."
Jiraiya nodded, then remembered something else. "Oh, he also claimed to be from the Land of Fire, specifically from the Tanzaku Quarters. I don't know if it's true."
"Is that so?" Hiruzen was stunned for a moment. "I'll have the Anbu investigate."