The wind around the grave,
Seemed to have become quite tumultuous.
With the arrival of night, the air appeared to condense even further.
Jiraiya remained silent, his expression complicated and grave.
To be honest,
When he first returned to the village,
Upon learning that his teacher had been killed by his former comrade, his heart was filled with complex emotions and deep grief.
But now,
The intervention of an external force,
Instantly added a thick layer of doubt to the complexity in his heart.
Why...
Why did this seemingly unrelated event involving Amegakure,
Contain such a strange figure?
Who exactly is he...
To Amegakure...?
"..."
After silently pondering for a long time,
Jiraiya slightly raised his eyes, gazing intently at Shikaku, and said in a low voice:
"Then... what about those intelligence squads sent to investigate Amegakure?"
"Regarding this mysterious Amegakure teacher, did they gain anything this time?"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Shikaku still slowly shook his head, somewhat disappointedly saying:
"In their inquiries, the Shinobi over in Amegakure did confirm that this Kyo is indeed a teacher from their Shinobi Academy."
"And they also stated that he did indeed participate in the Chunin Exams this time."
"But, when our Shinobi requested to meet the leader of Amegakure, Hanzo the Salamander, the other party... refused without mercy."
"In the end, they were forcibly expelled before even stepping foot into Amegakure's territory."
"So the information obtained was also ambiguous."
"..."
Shikaku finished speaking unhurriedly.
Jiraiya still had a complicated look in his eyes, nodding and saying:
"It seems..."
"Just as Shikaku-san said,"
"In this Chunin Exam, besides Orochimaru, Amegakure and this Kyo indeed have some issues."
Having said this,
Jiraiya again looked at Shikaku, and after a moment of consideration, said solemnly:
"Shikaku-san, since you came to tell me this,"
"Is it because you're afraid that Konoha might be affected by these unknown factors from Amegakure in the future...?"
"...That's right."
Shikaku suddenly sighed lightly and said:
"Sigh..."
"Amegakure, after all, has always been a major enemy of Konoha."
"Although we have coexisted peacefully for many years, Amegakure and its leader seem to have always harbored ambitions for territorial expansion."
"I'm afraid that this Chunin Exams War... might just be one of their probing methods."
"However, I also said these words,"
"I also mentioned this to the two advisors in the village, hoping they would take it seriously."
"But, they thought it was just groundless speculation on my part."
"And they rejected my reconnaissance plan."
"...Hmm?"
Hearing this, Jiraiya was momentarily stunned,
"You said... reconnaissance?"
"That's right."
Shikaku slightly raised his head and said seriously:
"In fact,"
"When Hiruzen-sama was alive, he once mentioned to me,"
"If we couldn't obtain information on this Kyo this time, we could try... to send someone to infiltrate and conduct reconnaissance."
"After all, so many years have passed..."
"The internal situation of Amegakure has long become a complete mystery to us."
"Perhaps even..."
"We can't even confirm whether the leader of Amegakure is still Hanzo the Salamander."
"...?"
Hearing this, Jiraiya's heart stirred.
However,
Before he could think further, Shikaku gravely spoke again:
"You just heard it too."
"When our Shinobi asked Amegakure if they could meet Hanzo, the Shinobi over there... seemed as if they had touched upon some secret, and couldn't wait to expel them."
"From this, I suspect..."
"The true ruler of Amegakure has long since changed."
"--!?"
Hearing this,
It was like another thunderclap, exploding in Jiraiya's mind!
The leader of Amegakure might have changed...?!
This...
This short series of deductions instantly stunned Jiraiya again.
He never imagined he would hear such a bold speculation from Shikaku's mouth...
The key was,
It sounded quite reasonable, had to be convincing...
As expected of Konoha's chief strategist...
This kind of thinking,
Was indeed far beyond the average person...
"..."
Jiraiya gazed at Shikaku for a moment, then exhaled deeply,
His gaze suddenly became determined, as if he had made a decision, and he said in a deep voice:
"Then... let me do it."
"...Hmm?"
At these words, this time it was Shikaku's turn to be stunned.
"Wh-what?"
Jiraiya's expression remained unchanged, instead he slightly raised his eyes and said solemnly:
"Since Hiruzen-sensei had the idea of infiltrating Amegakure before he died,"
"Coupled with Shikaku-san's assessment of the situation,"
"Both logically and emotionally,"
"I should go to Amegakure myself and see the true situation inside."
"This is also for the sake of Konoha."
"...!!"
At these words, Shikaku was shocked.
He never imagined,
Jiraiya would so decisively decide to go personally!
Without any hesitation!
What kind of... courage and bravery was this...
In fact,
The reason he came to discuss this with Jiraiya was just wanted to figure out the most reasonable plan...
After all, a long time ago, Hiruzen had hoped Jiraiya would succeed him as Hokage.
Therefore, after his death,
Countless people in Konoha, including Shikaku, had already considered Jiraiya the designated candidate for the Fifth Hokage.
But,
He never expected Jiraiya to plan to go personally.
After being shocked for a long time,
His expression suddenly became grave.
However,
Before he could speak, an old voice suddenly came from behind --
"Absolutely not!!"
"?"
At these words, Jiraiya and Shikaku were simultaneously stunned, looking to the side.
There,
From the darkness, a white-haired old man leaning on a cane walked out.
Behind him were several Shinobi Guards.
The moment they saw him,
Jiraiya and Shikaku almost simultaneously spoke.
"Advisor-sama!?"
That's right.
The one who spoke to stop them,
Was the senior advisor of Konoha, the current supreme leader of Konoha, Mitokado Homura.
At this moment, his expression was extremely serious, and he said in a deep voice:
"Absolutely not!"
"Jiraiya, you are the only and most suitable candidate to succeed as Hokage in Konoha right now!"
"You are the cornerstone of Konoha now!"
"Allowing you to infiltrate another Shinobi Village alone, how can that be reasonable?!"
"..."
As his words fell,
Jiraiya and Shikaku's expressions helplessly turned into wry smiles.
And then, as Jiraiya prepared to argue,
Homura gave him no chance and directly spoke solemnly:
"Enough, please don't be willful."
"Hiruzen always had high hopes for you. Here before his grave, do you want to disappoint him?"
"..."
At these words, Jiraiya was instantly speechless.
For a moment,
He didn't know what expression to use in response.
This advisor,
Had even brought up the deceased Hiruzen...
Now,
Continuing the discussion did seem somewhat inappropriate...
Shikaku beside him also looked at Jiraiya, not speaking, but slowly shaking his head, fully indicating his stance.
It was only after a long time,
That Jiraiya very helplessly looked at Homura opposite him and said with a wry smile:
"Alright... I understand."
"I'll temporarily stay in the village and come up with a better plan."
"Hmm... that's good."
Homura Mitokado nodded with slight satisfaction.
Although he was stubborn,
He wasn't stupid.
He naturally knew that under the current circumstances,
Only by keeping Jiraiya in the village could Konoha have a chance to rise again...
...
Time passed quietly.
In the blink of an eye, two days had gone by.
On the other side.
In Amegakure.
Today,
It happened to be another rainless Sunday, with sunny weather.
And on this day,
Akatsuki's members gathered once again.
Kakuzu, who had been far away in the Land of Lightning, and Itachi and Kisame, who had been out on missions, all successfully returned to Amegakure today.
And the new member Deidara, under Zetsu's guidance, had returned yesterday.
Kyo leisurely strolled down the street, preparing to head to the meeting place.
But in fact,
He had already learned from Konan in advance.
Now,
Akatsuki had two plans,
That they were preparing... to carry out simultaneously.