At the Fire Nation Daimyō's residence, the atmosphere instantly relaxed. Smiles spread across everyone's faces.
After hearing kagero's words, the Fire Nation Daimyō sneered.
"Hoh hoh hoh…"
"That so-called 'handgun' stronger than swords… able to let civilians stand up?"
"Ridiculous!"
"Back then, weren't our war chariots and cavalry just decorations?"
"We even had black powder—and yet all of it was worthless in front of ninja!"
The Daimyō of the Land of Lightning chuckled.
"Ninja are like monkeys!"
"Fast, enduring, and devastating in damage!"
"Armies in front of them are nothing but clumsy boars!"
"If civilians want to take up weapons and rise, they must first get past the ninja. After all, many ninja still support us."
The Daimyō of the Land of Earth waved his folding fan and grinned.
"What I enjoy most is watching them grow a little, thinking they're something… only to be completely crushed in the end."
"Hahahahaha!"
The hall erupted in laughter.
The Fire Nation Daimyō seemed fully at ease now, sipping tea as he spoke.
"The class issues that boy mentioned do exist. Land problems exist too. At first, I was a little worried."
"After all, for someone not in our position to see those key points—that's impressive."
"But expecting civilians to take up arms and start a revolution? That's pure fantasy."
"You must understand—our interests are tied to most ninja."
"Unless civilian weapons can surpass ordinary ninja…"
"Hahahaha! Impossible. Absolutely impossible!"
"Take any random ninja from Konoha—they could easily crush a hundred armed civilians!"
By the end, the Daimyō shook his head repeatedly.
The others burst into laughter once more.
After all—
Ninja were nothing more than their loyal hunting hounds.
After several days of travel, the carriage finally arrived at Konoha.
"Lord Jiraiya!"
A Konoha ninja, Hagane Kotetsu, bowed as he saw Jiraiya driving the carriage.
"Shh… keep your voice down. The person in the carriage is sleeping," Jiraiya whispered, placing a finger to his lips.
Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo immediately fell silent.
They exchanged glances, silently conveying their shock.
Kotetsu: Lord Jiraiya… personally driving a carriage?
Izumo: And there's a 'sir' inside? Which master is this?!
Kotetsu stepped forward and said quietly, "Lady Tsunade and Lord Orochimaru have been waiting for a long time."
"This time, the Land of Rain has declared war. We ask the three of you to strike back against the Rain ninja and avenge our fallen comrades!"
Though spoken softly, the hatred in his voice could not be concealed.
"What if you were asked to let go of your hatred and stop the war?" a voice suddenly asked.
"How is that possible?!"
"Not only must the Hidden Rain pay, but I'll remember the hatred of the Sand, Stone, Cloud, and Mist as well!"
"Every Konoha ninja will never forget!" Kotetsu shouted, frowning deeply.
"And what would it take for you to let go of that hatred?"
kagero stepped out of the carriage.
"Lord Jiraiya!?"
"Answer seriously!"
Kotetsu stiffened. "Yes! If I am to let go of my hatred, then all those ninja who killed my father, my friends, and my comrades must die!"
kagero nodded as he observed Konoha's bustling war preparations.
"It seems impossible for ninja to let go of hatred on their own."
"kagero-sensei!" Jiraiya said in a heavy voice.
That single sentence stunned not only Kotetsu and Izumo, but every ninja nearby.
Because the figure who stepped out of the carriage looked no more than eight years old!
Yet Jiraiya of the Sannin addressed him as "sensei"—a title of immense respect.
Ordinary people were not worthy of it.
Jiraiya's heart grew heavy.
The response from Konoha's ninja had shattered his vision of peace.
Generations of hatred among ninja had accumulated over centuries—so deeply rooted that it had become part of their very blood.
"Hm? What's that over there?" kagero asked, pointing at a building near the gate where people constantly came and went.
Jiraiya glanced at it. "kagero-sensei, that's Konoha's Mission Hall."
kagero nodded and jumped down from the carriage. Jiraiya immediately followed, guarding him closely.
Inside the Mission Hall.
"Can I take a look at the mission logs from the past thirty years? Just pick one from each decade," kagero said after thinking for a moment.
The moment he spoke, the ninjas inside reacted.
"What? You think you can just look at those?"
"Haha! Where did this kid come from? Not even a ninja yet, right?"
"Yeah, go home. Your parents must be looking for you!"
Laughter spread through the hall.
Jiraiya frowned. To him, mission logs didn't seem particularly meaningful—after all, missions were limited in type.
And they weren't something anyone could casually access.
"kagero-sensei, why do you want to see these?" Jiraiya asked softly.
Hiss—!
The ninjas present sucked in cold breaths.
Jiraiya… was asking that child for guidance?!
kagero didn't react to their shock. Instead, he spoke calmly:
"You once asked me—how could ninja be tools of the system, right?"
"After reading the mission logs… I believe you'll find your answer."