Outside Konoha Village, by the riverbank.
The water flowed gently here, the banks were lush with green grass, and giant pebbles were scattered across the riverbed. It was a secluded and suitable place for solitary reflection.
The morning light filtered through the sparse forest leaves, dancing upon the gurgling water and the tips of the green grass, casting dappled golden light.
Hinata chose this place for her morning Cultivation; it was very fitting.
She stood barefoot on a flat boulder submerged in the water, her eyes slightly closed, her aura almost merging with the surrounding flowing water, cool breeze, and vegetation.
Spiritual Energy flowed slowly through her body like a trickling stream, while her Divine Sense, like invisible tentacles, meticulously perceived the trajectories of swimming fish, the rotation of falling leaves in the wind, and even the wriggling of insects in the soil.
This was a realization of all things in nature, a closeness to the "Dao," which was of great benefit to one's practice.
Just as she was immersed in this profound state of communion with heaven and earth, a slightly heavy footstep, somewhat out of sync with the surrounding natural rhythm, approached from a distance, breaking the silence.
Hinata slowly opened her eyes, devoid of any irritation at being disturbed; she had long since sensed who the newcomer was.
Jiraiya's tall figure appeared on the riverbank. Today, he wasn't wearing his iconic red overcoat, but rather a relatively plain, dark Ninja outfit. His face bore the fatigue of a lingering hangover and a trace of lingering worry.
He walked to the river's edge, looked at Hinata standing quietly in the water, and scratched his messy white hair.
"Yo, Hinata, this is quite a nice spot. You certainly know how to find some peace and quiet."
Jiraiya tried to keep his tone as flippant as usual, but he couldn't hide the underlying heaviness.
Hinata nodded slightly as a greeting. She leapt lightly from the water, landing on the grassy bank. With a slight shimmer of Spiritual Energy, the water stains on her toes and the hem of her skirt instantly dried.
"Did you need something from me?"
Jiraiya walked over to a large rock, sat down heavily, and sighed, his gaze somewhat dazed as he watched the flowing river.
"Yeah... something's on my mind. I'm feeling a bit suffocated and wanted someone to talk to. Thinking it over, in all of Konoha, you're probably the only one who might... have a different perspective."
He didn't engage in his usual banter, nor did he mention the heartache of lost royalty fees. Instead, he dove straight into an almost solemn conversational atmosphere.
Hinata sat down not far from him, saying nothing, simply waiting quietly.
"The Old Man... that is, the Third Hokage, is preparing to retire."
Jiraiya's voice was low.
"Naruto and I went to find Tsunade. You've seen the results—it goes without saying that I failed. I got the cold shoulder. That woman's internal barriers are deeper than the deep sea."
He grabbed a pebble and threw it forcefully into the river, stirring up a circle of ripples.
"Now, the position of Hokage is vacant, and undercurrents are surging in the Village. Especially that old fellow Danzo... at yesterday's high-level meeting, he directly revealed his ambition to take the position."
Hinata listened quietly, her eyes calm and unruffled, as if this news regarding the change of Konoha's highest power was no different from the breeze brushing across the river's surface.
Jiraiya turned his head to look at her.
"Even though you're young, you see things with a... clarity that transcends your age. You possess power we can't understand. I want to ask you, if... I mean if, Danzo really becomes the Fifth Hokage, what will... Konoha become?"
He paused, his tone becoming even more weighted.
"You must have heard of the style of his 'Root'—doing whatever it takes to achieve an objective, sacrificing the few to save the many, hiding in the shadows, using fear and rules to bind everything... Would such a Konoha still be the Konoha we know? Would it be the Konoha the First Hokage and the Second Hokage wanted to build, where children can grow up in peace, where leaves dance and the fire burns? This completely goes against Konoha's original intention."
He poured out the greatest worry in his heart. As one of the Sannin, he had traveled to many countries and seen all kinds of dark rule; he was absolutely unwilling to see his own home become like that.
"Hehe... what else could happen? After Danzo takes power, he'll negate the Third's achievements, and then Konoha Village will become a'special' version of Konoha Village."
Hinata's gaze drifted into the distance, as if piercing through the forest to see the prosperous Ninja Village, and the darkness surging beneath it.
Jiraiya fell silent. He believed Danzo was capable of it. He already dared to call the Third weak before even taking power; once he was in charge, he'd surely overstep all boundaries.
She turned her gaze back to Jiraiya, her pure white eyes seemingly able to look directly into one's soul.
"If he takes power, Konoha might show a kind of ironclad stability in the short term. But this stability is built upon suppression, sacrifice, and fear. It's like forcibly pruning a great tree into a fixed shape, stripping away its right to natural growth. Eventually, the tree might not fall, but it will lose its vitality, gradually wither, and no longer be able to nurture new life and hope."
Her metaphor was simple yet profound, making Jiraiya instantly understand the horror of that future. It wouldn't be a vibrant Ninja Village, but a massive, cold barracks or prison.
At this point, Hinata smiled.
"Or perhaps because of such an environment, an extraordinary person will emerge from the villagers in the future, leading Konoha to break the old order and return to the path the Village was meant to walk. However, that will be a long struggle. I don't know if Konoha can hold out that long; other Villages won't be lenient."
Jiraiya clenched his fists, a look of helplessness appearing on his face.
Right now, besides himself, could they really only count on that stubborn woman Tsunade changing her mind?
Seeing the light in Jiraiya's eyes instantly dim, Hinata shifted the topic slightly, her tone remaining calm.
"However, you seem to be overly worried."
"Hmm?" Jiraiya looked up.
"The balance between light and shadow is not static. When the shadow tries to overstep, a stronger light will naturally emerge to provide a check and balance."
Hinata's voice was very soft, yet it carried a certain prophetic certainty.
"The Third is still here, and you are still here. Senior Kakashi, Senior Might Guy, and many other Jonin—what they uphold in their hearts is still the Will of Fire."
"Besides, I'm not a prophet; I can't predict the future. Perhaps there's a 'savior' in this world," Hinata said, her words seemingly implying something.
Naruto!
Jiraiya realized. Yes, wasn't he teaching the child of prophecy for the sake of reforming the Ninja world?
Isn't that exactly the 'savior' of this world?
Hinata stood up, ending the conversation.
She nodded slightly to Jiraiya.
"After the dark night comes the day. The sun rises as usual."
With that, she didn't linger. Her figure vanished silently into the riverside woods, as if merging into the cool breeze.
Jiraiya sat alone on the rock, reflecting on Hinata's words for a long time.
The heaviness and anxiety in his heart didn't seem to have completely dissipated, but a strange sense of stability had been added.
He looked toward Konoha and thought of Naruto's unyielding gaze. Finally, a look of determination returned to his face.
"Yeah... the sun hasn't risen yet."
He muttered to himself, stood up, and patted the dust off his buttocks.
"It seems I'll have to increase the training load for that kid! As for Tsunade... humph, if once doesn't work, then twice. I'm going to wear you down!"
Much of the gloom in his heart was dispelled.
And all of this stemmed from that young girl by the river and her insights that transcended age and worldly views.
He turned and strode toward the Village.
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