Uchiha Kai wore a faint smile.
He was exceedingly courteous toward the man before him.
Yes.
Just as he had said—this was someone worthy of respect.
The only thing truly hard to praise was Jiraiya's blind, almost stubborn devotion to Mount Myōboku.
On the other side—
After hearing Kai's assessment of him, Jiraiya felt a chill crawl over his skin.
Goosebumps rose across his arms.
It was as if he were standing naked before Kai, every thought and emotion laid bare under the light.
How could this be?
The true reason he wandered the ninja world had never been told to anyone.
To outsiders, he was merely seeking inspiration for his writing.
So how could an Uchiha possibly know?
At the thought, Jiraiya shuddered, his body tensing as he blurted out instinctively:
"How do you know all this?"
"It's very simple," Kai replied calmly. "Reasoning."
"As one of Konoha's Sannin, much of your life is already public knowledge."
"Your origins, experiences, growth, relationships…"
"If someone is willing, they can dig up most of it without even needing special authority."
"Combine that with the overall situation, Sarutobi Hiruzen's personality, your choices over the years, and then reason backward from the outcome."
"It's not complicated."
"Just use your brain."
Kai wasn't lying.
Though he knew everything about Jiraiya from his previous life, that wasn't something he could reveal.
More importantly, with war approaching and tensions between the Uchiha and Konoha's leadership reaching a breaking point, analyzing every major figure tied to the Hokage faction was simply necessary.
Only by understanding their weaknesses could they be dealt with properly.
These conclusions, in fact, had been deduced by Nara Kazama.
In his words—
With enough information, this level of reasoning was trivial for anyone in the Nara clan.
Even an eight-year-old could do it.
And Jiraiya?
As one of Konoha's Legendary Sannin, nearly everything about him was openly documented.
Which meant—
To the Uchiha, Jiraiya was completely transparent.
In truth, even Sarutobi Hiruzen likely understood this deep down.
Jiraiya: "..."
He was speechless.
Staring at Kai, his expression was nothing short of stunned.
Yes.
He was dumbfounded.
Completely.
Damn it—how was anyone supposed to deal with this?
At this moment, he finally understood Minato's evaluation.
If this man didn't have the Sharingan, Jiraiya would have sworn he was a Nara.
After a long silence, Jiraiya spoke again, his tone heavy.
"…Alright."
"Let's stop with the small talk and get to the point."
"I believe you understand why I came to see you."
"What if I ask you to give up the idea of seizing power—or else become an enemy of Konoha?"
His expression was grave.
It was clear—Jiraiya was completely serious.
Yes.
No matter how shaken he was by Kai's insight, Jiraiya was still an adult with his own convictions.
On the other side—
Hearing those words, Kai's expression didn't change.
He still smiled.
But his voice turned cold.
"The Uchiha under my leadership will neither provoke trouble—nor fear it."
"Personal feelings do not interfere with official matters."
"Anyone who dares provoke the Uchiha will be met with force."
"Even if it means sending them to the Pure Land to cool their heads."
"Those who provoke us must be prepared to die."
"As for the so-called position of Hokage,"
"The Uchiha don't care."
"But there is one thing."
"If the Uchiha cannot hold power—"
"Then no one at the top of Konoha, starting with Sarutobi Hiruzen, is qualified to hold power either."
Kai's gaze sharpened.
"Let me be clear."
"Sarutobi Hiruzen."
"Mitokado Homura."
"Utatane Koharu."
"And Shimura Danzo."
"The Uchiha do not need to become Hokage."
"But these four must be stripped of their authority."
"They inherited Senju Tobirama's philosophy and have suppressed the Uchiha in every way imaginable."
"We have no reason—no obligation—to trust such leadership."
"Since Hiruzen took office, from the Second War to the Third…"
"How many Uchiha have died?"
"Other clans make a single sacrifice and earn praise."
"The Uchiha bleed the most, yet gain nothing but suspicion and infamy."
"Don't give me official platitudes."
"You're not a fool. Don't tell me you can't see this."
"So—do you understand?"
"Even if you're one of Konoha's Sannin,"
"I, Uchiha Kai, will still say this."
"What the Uchiha want is fairness."
"If you won't give it to us—"
"Then we'll take it."
"This is our bottom line."
"No matter who becomes the Fourth Hokage, these four people must not remain in power."
"Otherwise—"
"Then we fight to the end."
"Whoever backs down becomes the coward."
"Don't lecture me about the village, about peace."
"My principles are simple."
"If the Uchiha don't exist—"
"Then Konoha has no reason to exist either."
Kai's presence was overwhelmingly domineering.
In a private setting like this, facing Jiraiya, he had no intention of hiding behind polite words.
You came to test me?
No need.
Here's my answer.
War or peace—
Choose.
Jiraiya was shaken.
He never imagined that this seemingly lazy Uchiha would be more aggressive than any radical he had ever seen.
To say such things—to his face.
He fell silent.
After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice hoarse.
"Kai… you've gone too far."
"I admit my teacher has made mistakes."
"But your methods are far too extreme."
"I cannot allow this."
Kai laughed softly, a trace of mockery in his eyes.
He didn't hide anything.
Calm, composed, he took a sip of tea before speaking.
"Jiraiya, do you know something?"
"I reviewed countless clan records and discovered a truth."
"Peace is not something you beg for."
"Compromise never brings peace."
"It only brings endless escalation."
"When Konoha was founded, Madara chose to leave, while the remaining Uchiha chose patience and cooperation."
"What did they receive in return?"
"Senju Tobirama took power and declared the Uchiha inherently evil."
"Persecution followed."
"After Hiruzen came to power, the Uchiha still chose obedience."
"Uchiha Kagami served Konoha faithfully—willing even to be Hiruzen's hound."
"And what did he get?"
"He died under mysterious circumstances."
"His Mangekyō vanished without a trace."
"And after that?"
"The Uchiha were targeted even more."
"They died in greater numbers on the battlefield."
"Yet not even a shred of respect was given."
"Later on, Anbu and Root conducted reckless investigations."
"They even dared to spy on you in your own bed."
"From all this, I understood one thing."
"Peace through compromise leads only to the end of peace."
"Peace through war creates a peaceful village."
"If compromise cannot bring peace—"
"Then war it is."
"For the sake of equal treatment for the Uchiha, I will not hesitate to tear Konoha apart."
Kai's gaze locked onto Jiraiya.
"So tell me."
"Jiraiya…"
"Do you want to start a war?"
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