"I want to stay."
Jiraiya suddenly dropped his joking expression and spoke to the three of them in a serious tone.
Orochimaru shot him a strange look and frowned slightly.
He truly could not understand why Jiraiya would give up returning to Konoha with them for the sake of three war orphans he had never met.
After all, they had already seen countless displaced children along the way.
If this was really some kind of saint-like compassion, then the number of babies he would have taken in would be impossible to count.
"Jiraiya? You're really staying in this dump?"
Tsunade's eyes widened as she stared at him like he was an idiot.
She did not consider herself cold-hearted, but even if she felt sympathy, she would only send the children to Konoha's orphanage. There was no way she would stay behind and become their teacher herself.
"Yeah, I've made up my mind."
Jiraiya turned around and looked at the three small figures hiding behind the ruins. He grinned, showing a row of white teeth.
"I just feel like I have some kind of strange connection with these kids. Don't worry, I won't stay long."
Arisu's eyes moved slightly.
He had already sensed the special aura of the Rinnegan from Nagato.
However, he had no intention of taking the eyes.
Instead, he was happy to watch Uchiha Madara's plan unfold and see just how much chaos this highly valued chess piece would cause in the future.
Orochimaru glanced at him and said one word, "Idiot."
Tsunade shrugged helplessly, "Fine, do whatever you want."
"Once the war is completely over, we'll head back to Konoha."
After speaking, she grabbed Arisu's hand and walked away, her departure clean and direct.
Orochimaru gave Jiraiya one last look. His voice remained as flat as ever.
"If anything comes up, you can contact me. Of course, don't bother me with trivial things. Take care of yourself."
"Hehe, got it, Orochimaru."
Jiraiya nodded hard and watched their figures disappear into the smoke-filled distance.
Then Jiraiya looked at the three children behind him and smiled.
"Hello. My name is Jiraiya."
———
Meanwhile, after returning to Konoha, Arisu spent a few more days with Tsunade and taught his students for a few days before immediately heading back to the battlefield in the Land of Wind.
This mission was to support Sakumo Hatake.
He had heard that the opponent in this mission was no ordinary person, the son of Chiyo.
Arisu paused slightly.
'Chiyo's son?'
'Wouldn't that be Sasori's father?'
In the original story, Sakumo Hatake had indeed killed Sasori's parents, but it was never mentioned during which mission it happened.
The approximate time was near the end of the Second Great Ninja War, before the Third.
"If I get there before Sakumo kills Sasori's parents, then I'll protect them..."
Arisu subconsciously opened a portal, then immediately closed it.
Not long afterward, he stepped into the yellow sands of the Land of Wind.
When he arrived, he happened to see Sakumo Hatake slowly sheathing his bloodstained short blade.
"Arisu's here?", Sakumo wiped the blood splashed on his cheek and spoke calmly.
Arisu frowned slightly and scanned the area before his gaze landed on Sakumo.
"Chiyo's son?"
Sakumo paused briefly, then pointed at two tightly wrapped body bags beside him.
"Over there. Just finished them off."
He patted Arisu on the shoulder and spoke calmly.
"Don't worry. For the children of enemy leaders, we leave the bodies intact."
Arisu nodded lightly.
At this point, there was no use saying more.
'May you rest well in the Pure Land.'
In the end, everyone in the ninja world would meet again in that Pure Land.
"Got it. The war is almost over. Time to wrap things up.", Arisu spoke in a low voice.
Sakumo froze for a moment, then joy immediately burst into his eyes.
"Really? The war is really ending?"
Arisu nodded, "Yeah."
Hearing this, Sakumo became so excited that he could not speak for a moment.
The war was ending.
He could finally marry the woman he loved.
Back when war was raging, no one knew whether they would survive tomorrow.
He had never dared make lifelong promises because nobody knew if they would be sent to the battlefield the day after their wedding and never return.
Now, the burden hanging over his heart could finally be lifted.
"Alright, I'm leaving first. I'll leave the cleanup to you."
Arisu smiled and turned to leave.
Sakumo opened his mouth and asked helplessly, "Where are you going this time?"
"Checking the other battlefields. Better not leave any future problems behind."
Before he even finished speaking, his figure had already vanished into the endless yellow sands.
After quickly inspecting various battle lines, Arisu's attention was suddenly caught by a battered squad in the distance.
He immediately changed direction and rushed over at full speed.
Once he got close, he recognized Kato Dan's squad.
The squad was already in a desperate situation.
Several enemies were attacking relentlessly. Kato Dan lay on the ground, barely breathing and hovering between life and death. Only Kunugi Mokume remained standing, covered in blood and desperately holding the line.
Seeing this, Arisu did not hesitate.
In the original story, Kato Dan should have died here, and Tsunade should have been by his side.
But because of the butterfly effect he had caused, Tsunade and Kato Dan were now nothing more than acquaintances. She only knew him as a ninja who used the Spirit Transformation Technique.
Naturally, she was not here.
The moment Arisu appeared, everyone's attention immediately turned toward him.
The tense expression on Kunugi Mokume's face instantly became one of wild joy.
"Great! It's one of Konoha's Twin Pillars! Kato Dan, hang on! We're saved!"
The enemy side, however, immediately lost all color from their faces. Terror filled their expressions.
"Damn it! It's one of Konoha's Twin Pillars! Retreat!"
Without waiting for orders, everyone immediately gave up the attack and fled in panic.
On the battlefield, if you encountered one of Konoha's Twin Pillars, you were allowed to abandon the mission and run.
Just like that, the crisis was resolved, and Kato Dan managed to keep his life.
"Thank you, senior, for saving us!"
Kato Dan pressed a hand against his wound and thanked him weakly.
Kunugi Mokume also quickly bowed, his voice full of lingering fear and gratitude, "If you hadn't arrived in time, Kato Dan and I would probably have died here today."
Arisu waved his hand.
"It was nothing."
"Come on. Return to Konoha with me."
———
Iwagakure proposed a ceasefire with Konoha.
Amegakure proposed a ceasefire with Konoha.
Sunagakure proposed a ceasefire with Konoha.
The Second Great Ninja War finally came to an end with the signing of a ceasefire agreement.
It was also at this moment that Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzo developed a disagreement.
Looking at the devastated village and the densely packed casualty lists, Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was filled with exhaustion and reluctance.
"We can't keep fighting. If this continues, Konoha will have no choice but to send children who haven't even held a kunai onto the battlefield."
Danzo scoffed at this.
His eyes were gloomy, and his tone carried unquestionable firmness.
"If we stop now, every sacrifice made so far will have been meaningless!"
"Konoha's Twin Pillars are still feared. The Three Sannin are at their peak. If we gather all our elites and focus our attack on a single target, destroying one enemy ninja village would be easy."
"Even wiping out one village would bring enormous benefits!"
But his proposal was firmly rejected by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
What followed was the usual cycle of regret and conflict between the two.
After the war ended, Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to reward Konoha's Twin Pillars by granting them the highest honor in Konoha apart from becoming Hokage.
The Hokage Half-Sleeve.
One for Sakumo Hatake.
One for Arisu.
The two of them had already stepped into the Half-Hokage realm.