Chapter 314: Naked in the Streets, Grief
Swish!
Tonbo Tobitake retrieved a piece of flesh from Jiraiya's body, sufficient for intelligence analysis. This was to serve as a medium for the Reanimation Jutsu. Reanimation required enough physical tissue to parse information and summon the soul back from the Pure Land. One never knew when it might come in handy.
In truth, besides his wife, children, and immediate family, Tonbo didn't care much about the death of others. His perspective differed from the native culture of the ninja world. Since they could be resurrected, dying once wasn't such a big deal—at worst, he'd just bring them back later.
However, people like Jiraiya might not be able to accept such a thing. Even Orochimaru hadn't done it. Orochimaru's parents had died in the war, yet he hadn't resurrected them. It was clear that Orochimaru's philosophy was the same: he didn't want to desecrate the souls of his loved ones.
"The traditional thinking of the ninja world is still quite different from my previous life," Tonbo mused as he returned to Konoha and sealed away the sample of Jiraiya's flesh.
Living in the ninja world all these years, he finally understood why fans in his previous life were so hung up on Naruto and Sasuke letting Orochimaru return to Konoha, calling it a "forced redemption." Orochimaru had killed the Third Hokage; why would Naruto or Tsunade allow his return?
It was simply because the culture of the ninja world was different. In this world, killing one's master was still taboo, but it wasn't viewed the same way as in his previous world. Here, killing a teacher was often hailed as a testament to the student surpassing the master—proof that the "blue surpassed the indigo." Consequently, there was much less resistance to it than there would have been in his previous culture. This was a major reason why Orochimaru, after contributing to the war, was merely kept under surveillance rather than executed.
"Should I summon Jiraiya and ask what he thinks? ...Never mind, let's stop for today."
Tonbo thought about it and decided against it. The man had just died; it would be somewhat immoral to violate his wishes so soon. Moreover, carving a piece out of someone right after they passed away felt a bit awkward.
As for why he didn't bring back the entire corpse, it was for the sake of the future. The clone of Jiraiya in the Boruto era was destined to be Boruto's teacher and was part of the Great Toad Sage's prophecy. He couldn't mess with that. It was to his own benefit.
"A question suddenly occurred to me: If those who can prophesy the future aren't limited to the Great Toad Sage and the future Kashin Koji, am I not just dancing right under their noses?"
"..."
Tonbo felt this was highly likely! If there was a first and a second, there was bound to be a third. Suddenly, he felt as if he were walking down a busy street completely naked. This was a major problem.
Was there any ability in the ninja world to resist prophecy? Would the priestess of the Land of Demons work? Probably not; her power was also prophecy, and not a very accurate one at that.
He felt an urgent sense of unease, like the feeling of realizing there's no toilet paper just as you hear someone walking past the stall.
Konoha Cemetery.
Kabuto's head emerged from the nearby bushes. At this moment, the white scales on the left side of his face were particularly striking. His once handsome features had vanished, replaced by an aura of pure evil.
"Have they discovered me?" Kabuto wondered, slightly confused.
In his perception, many patrol teams had appeared. The security was even tighter than before. It was as if they had discovered a spy infiltrating Konoha.
"Good thing I integrated Tonbo Tobitake's neural tissue." A wicked smile played across Kabuto's face, his snake-like pupils looking incredibly sinister.
After merging Tonbo's tissue, his sensory abilities were stronger than ever. Otherwise, with Konoha's current patrol intensity, he likely would have been caught even with his prior knowledge of the village's defense system.
"Regardless, I have achieved my goal."
Poof!
Kabuto performed a Reverse Summoning Jutsu and vanished. Shortly after he left, a squad of ANBU ninjas appeared at the spot.
"The spatial fluctuation came from here. Everyone, stay alert," the captain ordered.
Mount Myoboku.
Gamamaru stared into the giant crystal ball at Jiraiya, who had been struck down by Pain.
"Little Jiraiya, well done."
He then shifted the view of the crystal ball to Naruto's location.
"Whether the crisis of the ninja world can be resolved depends heavily on Naruto's growth. If fate changes drastically, I will need to consult with the other two Great Sage Regions... even if that old hag, the White Snake, is quite annoying."
What Gamamaru was pondering was unknown to the other toads. After returning to Mount Myoboku, Fukasaku Sage quickly used the "Distant Water" of the mountain to travel to Konoha with Shima Sage. They headed straight for the Hokage's office. Their arrival was detected by the Barrier Team, and they were escorted in.
They quickly delivered the news of Jiraiya's death.
"Dead?"
Tsunade's eyes trembled uncontrollably before she forced her emotions down. "What about the other intelligence?"
"The opponent is Jiraiya's former disciple, Nagato. The leader of the Hidden Rain is also a former disciple, but he is now a puppet controlled by another..." Fukasaku recounted all the details.
"We already knew about the Rinnegan. So there is no main body present? In other words, the abilities of those six puppets are all extensions of the main body's power. One puppet per 'system,' while the main body hides elsewhere to control them."
Tsunade suppressed the chaotic thoughts in her heart, trying her best to maintain her composure as Hokage. However, no matter how hard she tried, her face looked unnatural. Shizune, knowing Tsunade's temperament, didn't dare to speak. Lord Jiraiya... too...
"Yes. Besides that, there is one last thing Jiraiya entrusted to me. I must take Naruto back to Mount Myoboku to learn the power of the Sages." Fukasaku knew that increasing Naruto's strength was now a matter of extreme urgency.
"Sage power... is there enough time?" Tsunade, clearly aware of Sage Mode, asked.
"Little Jiraiya laid the foundation for Naruto over the past two years. It shouldn't take too long," Fukasaku replied.
"Very well. Summon Naruto. He needs to be told about this." Tsunade's tone was beginning to falter. She understood the pain of losing loved ones better than Naruto. She feared Naruto wouldn't be able to accept it...
"ANBU, go and notify Shikaku, Inoichi, Tonbo, and the other high-ranking officials who aren't on vital missions. Prepare for a meeting."
The enemy likely wouldn't give Naruto much time to grow. Tsunade could only do her best to prepare. An enemy capable of killing Jiraiya would be incredibly difficult to deal with. Since the Akatsuki dared to make such a big move, they must have calculated the strength of the Five Great Villages. They were coming prepared.
"Yes." The ANBU vanished.
Leaving behind a few grieving souls, waiting for another person who would likely be even more heartbroken. It didn't take long. Naruto, thinking there was a new mission or news about Sasuke, rushed in excitedly.
"Granny Tsunade! Is there an important mission?"
But he was met only with the heavy, somber expressions of everyone in the room. Recalling his earlier bad premonition, the smile faded from his face.
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