Because of Hagoromo's utterly merciless interruption, Jiraiya's joyful "research activities" were forcibly brought to an end.
And so, the naked girls of Konoha's hot spring district—saravā…
"So you're saying… Orochimaru really did return to Konoha?"
Dusk had already fallen. The village was gradually sinking into night, illuminated only by scattered lights. Inside a noisy izakaya, Jiraiya was already a little drunk.
That, however, did not affect his thinking in the slightest—if anything, it confirmed that the direction he had been pursuing was correct.
That said… what exactly did this man think the Three Shinobi Prohibitions were for?
Well, to be fair, Jiraiya's current identity was that of a novelist—and a bestselling one at that.
Seeing that Jiraiya's sake cup was empty, Hagoromo poured him another round before replying.
"Yes. Because of the Uchiha incident, Orochimaru did return to the village. In fact… I came into contact with him."
At those words, Jiraiya's chopsticks paused briefly in midair. Then, without changing his expression, he asked,
"The Uchiha… Did Orochimaru set his sights on the Sharingan? Does the Third know about this?"
Hagoromo shook his head.
"Orochimaru still has contacts within the village. Objectively speaking, his return this time caused no harm."
Jiraiya immediately understood who Hagoromo meant by that contact.
In the end, Orochimaru hadn't been treated like an ordinary missing-nin. So Jiraiya didn't question why Hagoromo hadn't tried to kill him—or even attack him—after encountering him.
Because Jiraiya himself didn't want Orochimaru dead.
There was also another concern: if Orochimaru had clashed with Konoha inside the village during the Uchiha incident, the destruction and danger would have been immeasurable. The Uchiha might very well have taken advantage of the chaos and joined in.
And besides—
"The Third is old…" Jiraiya voiced the core issue.
After passing sixty, the Third Hokage's chakra had undeniably begun to weaken.
"No matter what, Orochimaru is acting of his own free will," Hagoromo said.
"Trying to persuade him to return is impossible. Changing a person's heart is already difficult enough—let alone someone like Orochimaru."
"Rather than obsessing over bringing him back, it would be far more meaningful to retrieve Lady Tsunade."
"Tsunade?" Jiraiya didn't immediately understand why Hagoromo suddenly brought her up.
"Yes. Tsunade. Bringing her back matters far more… as a candidate for the next Hokage."
"The next Hokage…" Jiraiya finally understood.
Truth be told, he did want to pursue Tsunade—for other reasons—but that was a mission far more difficult than any S-rank assignment.
Still, Hagoromo was right. Perhaps it really was time for Tsunade to return to the village. After all these years, she had probably wandered enough.
"What about you?" Jiraiya suddenly asked.
"Don't you have any interest in the Hokage position, Hagoromo? With your strength, in a few years you'd qualify as a candidate too."
"I?" Hagoromo blinked, then laughed.
"I have no interest in the Hokage's 'throne,' nor the ability to sit on it. And honestly—there's no one more suitable than Tsunade."
Conviction aside, logic mattered.
Hagoromo didn't believe someone who lacked deep attachment to the village should ever become Hokage. Not that he didn't care about Konoha—he was one of its people, after all.
But in Hagoromo's view, there were moments when the village itself could be abandoned.
And that mindset alone disqualified him.
No one would ever want someone like that as Hokage.
"Jiraiya-uncle, you're actually the one in danger," Hagoromo continued.
"After this return, the Third probably won't let you leave the village anymore."
"If Tsunade doesn't come back, he'll forcefully 'correct' your personality and treat you as the successor—eventually making you the Fifth."
Painfully enough, Hagoromo was right.
Jiraiya had already received orders forbidding him from leaving the village for the time being.
Still… a student becoming the Fourth, and the teacher becoming the Fifth? That was a bit strange.
Succession was critically urgent for the Third Hokage. And among everyone in Konoha, who else could inherit his will besides Jiraiya?
"…There really is no one more suitable than Tsunade," Jiraiya finally said.
He neither acknowledged nor denied his own qualification—but he had no desire to become Hokage anyway. So he steered the conversation back to Tsunade.
When he'd mentioned Hagoromo earlier, it was half a joke. No matter how strong Hagoromo was, he couldn't compare to Tsunade in terms of suitability.
This was a village where the primary profession had an absurdly high mortality rate. The question wasn't about combat strength—it was about whether the top leader should be a DPS or a healer.
Putting someone like Tsunade—a top-tier medical-nin—in the Hokage's seat was infinitely more reassuring than putting a pure killing machine there.
Cough.
Correction—more approachable, and far better at stabilizing rule.
Her identity as the First Hokage's granddaughter granted her unquestionable legitimacy.
But what truly made her the best candidate was her title:
"Princess Slug."
Tsunade possessed overwhelming capacity.
One healer surpassed countless others.
To give an extreme example—if someone secretly infiltrated Konoha and unleashed something like a super-scale Shinra Tensei—
The only person capable of preventing mass casualties would be Tsunade, through her medical ninjutsu + Strength of a Hundred Seal + Katsuyu summoning system.
Combat power was combat power—but Tsunade's true value lay elsewhere.
Exaggerated as it might sound, in wartime, Tsunade alone could double Konoha's effective combat strength.
As for Hagoromo?
Other than charging in and punching people, what use was he?
The moment Tsunade returned, if the Third Hokage announced, "Tsunade will become the Fifth Hokage," the result would be unquestionable—just like Minato's succession, or even more so.
Some people were simply suited for a position. Others never would be.
Danzo could struggle for a lifetime and never receive that kind of support. When Tsunade eventually became Hokage, his resistance would be far weaker than it had been during Minato's time—because every senior leader would stand firmly on Tsunade's side.
Danzo's tragedy was that what he desired was unattainable—while others could grasp it effortlessly and yet scorn it.
The pain of an old man's heart—who could truly understand it?
Although the Third Hokage hadn't yet formally raised the issue of succession, Jiraiya began seriously considering Tsunade after hearing Hagoromo's words.
Still, he had concerns.
"The problem is Orochimaru's current state," Jiraiya said.
"He's made contact with a mysterious organization. And I suspect…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
He suspected that organization was connected to the Nine-Tails incident—but that was only intuition, without proof.
Akatsuki wasn't an invisible group. In fact, quite the opposite—they openly accepted commissions from villages, taking on tasks others couldn't handle.
Whether to earn funds or to conceal their true intentions, no one could say.
But Hagoromo immediately confirmed Jiraiya's suspicion.
"It's only a matter of order," Hagoromo said.
"If you still want to pursue Orochimaru, there's no need to rush. And… I think he'll soon leave that organization."
Jiraiya fell silent.
From Hagoromo's tone, he suddenly felt that Hagoromo understood that organization far better than he did.
Hagoromo raised two fingers and gestured toward his eyes.
"Some things feel like they're hidden in fog to you—but I've already seen them. That organization is extremely dangerous."
"Jiraiya-uncle, don't investigate them."
"Even you—without sufficient intelligence—would die."
"And more importantly…"
"They are an organization that possesses the Eyes of the Sage of Six Paths."
Despite the casual atmosphere, Hagoromo dropped a bombshell.
Jiraiya sprang to his feet, knocking over bowls and plates without noticing.
But Hagoromo clearly had no intention of saying more—not yet.
"Alright. Small talk's over," he said calmly.
"Let's talk about something important."
"Jiraiya-uncle—I'm going to Mount Myōboku."
"Mount… Myōboku?" Jiraiya echoed mechanically, his mind still racing from the revelation.
"Yes," Hagoromo replied.
"There's something I need to ask the Great Toad Sage."
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