Hokage Tower.
Gama Bunta lay down beside the Hokage Tower.
Sage Fukasaku adjusted the robe on his body, sitting in the Hokage Office with a somewhat sorrowful expression, softly speaking to Tsunade about something that pained him.
"First..."
"Little Jiraiya has died in battle."
"..."
Tsunade's mind immediately went blank.
As Konoha's Hokage, Tsunade's emotions just started to feel sorrowful, even her mind was still reflecting on her conversations with Jiraiya, she couldn't help but repress her inner grief, keeping up an appearance of calm.
"Lady Tsunade!"
Shizune noticed Tsunade's body trembling slightly!
"It's okay."
Tsunade shook her head, lowered her head slowly, hoping to suppress her emotions, and continued on her own: "Sage Fukasaku, please tell me what exactly happened..."
"I'm sorry..."
Sage Fukasaku closed his eyes, continuing calmly: "What I'm about to say may shock you greatly..."
"It won't."
Tsunade shook her head firmly, her voice still trembling as she continued to ask: "In this world, nothing could shock me more than Jiraiya's death..."
"Compared to what I'm about to say..."
Sage Fukasaku sighed, about to bring up an even more troublesome issue.
"Lady Tsunade!"
A member of the Dark Department suddenly interrupted their conversation, speaking loudly: "Lord Jiraiya has returned, along with Salamander Hanzo, the leader of the Hidden Rain Village..."
"..."
Upon hearing the first part, Tsunade quickly stood up, anyone could see how excited the Fifth Hokage was at the moment!
"Little Jiraiya is still alive!"
Sage Fukasaku showed no awareness of having sent the wrong information, but his face revealed a bit of joy: "I thought he had died at the hands of Akihara Kagura!"
"Wait... who?"
Tsunade's advancing steps abruptly halted, as if she had just experienced an auditory hallucination, a wave of dizziness quickly surfacing in her mind: "You just said, who was trying to kill Jiraiya?"
"Akihara Kagura."
Sage Fukasaku had to reveal this cruel fact, even adding: "That's Jiraiya's disciple, Konoha's Hokage Assistant..."
"..."
It was as if a taut string in Tsunade's brain snapped the moment she clearly heard that name!
"Sage Fukasaku!"
"That joke isn't funny!"
Tsunade angrily punched and broke the office door. She had to go see Jiraiya first, confirm Jiraiya's safety, and then ask him for the truth!
A minute later.
Tsunade saw Jiraiya.
Tsunade also saw Konan and Nagato arriving together.
And...
A man wearing a gas mask.
"Salamander Hanzo!"
Tsunade's nerves immediately tightened.
Even though her current strength was vastly different from her younger days, she never forgot how terrifying the power of the Hidden Rain Village's leader was back then!
"Don't be nervous, young lady."
Salamander Hanzo was gracious and magnanimous, he regarded Tsunade still as if she were a junior, yet did not lack respect for the Hokage: "You are now the Hokage..."
After many years.
Their identities had changed.
The female ninja who had survived on the battlefield had become Konoha's Fifth Hokage, while the proud Ninja Demigod of the battlefield had long since aged...
"I must thank Lord Hanzo this time..."
Jiraiya, lying weakly on the sickbed, spoke: "If it weren't for Lord Hanzo, I would likely have died at Kagura's hands..."
"Was it really Akihara Kagura?"
The Fifth Hokage had no choice but to accept the harsh reality that Jiraiya was indeed injured by Akihara Kagura and nearly died in the Land of Rain.
"We've all been fooled by the young ones..."
Jiraiya held his head with his palm, his face no longer showing past cheerfulness, but instead a trace of self-mocking bitter smile: "About ten years ago, when Uchiha Obito first revealed his identity and appeared in Konoha, Akihara Kagura was already colluding with Uchiha Obito..."
"Wait..."
Tsunade interrupted Jiraiya, posing a question: "Even though none of us were in Konoha at that time, I've reviewed the village's records regarding Uchiha Obito..."
Tsunade's expression turned somewhat peculiar: "If I remember correctly, the first person to discover Uchiha Obito's identity and report it to the village seemed to be Akihara Kagura..."
"Indeed..."
Jiraiya looked at Tsunade, his face showing a touch of helplessness: "So, no one in the village ever suspected Uchiha Obito was colluding with Akihara Kagura, right?"
Such a matter was so obvious.
Uchiha Obito had always been active under the guise of the mysterious masked man and Uchiha Madara's identity, even earning the respect of Konan and Nagato with this identity.
But...
Suddenly, Uchiha Obito's identity was exposed.
This caused quite a bit of trouble for Uchiha Obito, nearly causing a rift in his cooperation with the Akatsuki Organization.
The identities of Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito were worlds apart.
Uchiha Obito relied on his Mangekyo Sharingan abilities to barely navigate through this crisis, and the cost of exposing his name was considerable.
Yet...
The gains were equally significant.
Because Akihara Kagura exposed Uchiha Obito's identity, Konoha never suspected any collusion between Akihara Kagura and the Akatsuki Organization.