For small ninja villages, sending a few representatives to observe the ceremony was a perfect gray-area move, and they could easily claim it was merely "Academic exchange" or "Civil interaction."
It pleased Konoha without giving the other great ninja villages any leverage against them. At least on the surface, they had not publicly taken sides.
After listening, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded lightly and did not immediately respond.
At that moment, Danzo put down the document in his hand and changed the subject.
"Hiruzen, it seems that more and more people are already treating that boy as the future Hokage. From the Daimyo to the surrounding ninja villages, you can't possibly fail to see what these people are calculating."
The pipe in the third Hokage's hand paused slightly before he smiled and brushed the topic aside in a relaxed tone.
"Shinichi is a good child, but he's still young. There's plenty of time ahead of him."
Seeing him dismiss the topic so effortlessly, Danzo felt somewhat dissatisfied, but he also knew that the matter could not be rushed. This was not the time to force Hiruzen to make a statement.
The war had not yet ended, Shinichi was indeed still too young, and for the current Hokage to publicly designate a successor would directly alter Konoha's political landscape and create unnecessary turmoil.
After remaining silent for a moment, he chose not to pursue the matter further and instead raised another topic.
"Besides those small ninja villages, quite a few other forces throughout the Shinobi World have also expressed through various channels that they wish to attend the ceremony. Among them is an organization from the Village Hidden in the Rain that I think will interest you, Hiruzen."
"Oh?"
The third Hokage raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "What is it?"
"An organization called Akatsuki."
Danzo placed a thin intelligence report on the desk and slid it toward the third Hokage.
"Akatsuki?"
The third Hokage froze slightly and searched his memory for a moment, but the name meant nothing to him.
"I looked into it."
Danzo spoke slowly. "It's a small organization established only within the last few years. Its leader is named Yahiko, and its two deputies are Nagato and Konan. It doesn't have many members, but its ideals are clear. It advocates achieving mutual understanding between people through nonviolent means, dialogue, and communication, ultimately eliminating conflict and attaining peace."
He paused before adding meaningfully: "The reason I said you'd definitely be interested, Hiruzen, is that after the last Shinobi World War ended, do you remember how your student, Jiraiya, stayed in the Village Hidden in the Rain for a full three years?"
"You mean..."
The third Hokage's pipe stopped midway to his mouth as realization dawned on him.
"Those three... They're the children Jiraiya took in back then?"
In truth, this was hardly a top-secret matter.
After all, Jiraiya had openly announced in front of Tsunade and Orochimaru that he intended to stay behind and guide the three war orphans he had encountered.
Tsunade and Orochimaru had failed to persuade him otherwise and could only return to Konoha first.
And after they returned to the village, the third Hokage naturally questioned them about Jiraiya's whereabouts, prompting the two to explain the situation in full.
At the time, however, the third Hokage had assumed that with Jiraiya's carefree and restless personality, this was probably just another passing whim.
Once the novelty of taking students wore off, he would naturally return, yet unexpectedly, Jiraiya remained there for a full three years.
"That's right. Those three are indeed Jiraiya's students."
Danzo nodded, his tone indifferent.
"That Yahiko stated in his letter that the ideals promoted by the society, rediscovering the original purpose of chakra as a force that connects hearts and returning to the ninja's original mission, perfectly align with Akatsuki's belief that mutual understanding between people will ultimately lead to peace. Therefore, they hope to send representatives to Konoha and personally witness the birth of this grand event."
"Mutual understanding between people? The same ideals?"
At this point, Danzo suddenly let out a cold laugh, his voice dripping with disdain.
"I specifically had people investigate what this so-called Akatsuki has actually accomplished in the Village Hidden in the Rain. After looking into it, I discovered that they're exactly like that fool Jiraiya, nothing but slogans. The organization has existed for years, yet aside from mediating a few trivial disputes between villages, it has no concrete program of action, no practical guidelines for implementation, and certainly no feasible solutions for the current state of the Shinobi World."
"Communication, peace, bridges of hope, mutual understanding, they keep repeating the same few words over and over. It sounds noble enough, but it's as hollow as a blank sheet of paper pasted onto a wall. I can only say this: they truly are students taught by Jiraiya. They're every bit as naive as their teacher! As expected, the kind of teacher you are determines the kind of students you produce."
Hearing this, the third Hokage coughed lightly and interrupted Danzo's endless stream of cutting remarks.
He was beginning to suspect that Danzo was using the opportunity to take indirect shots at him, considering Jiraiya's teacher was sitting right across from him.
"Although they may lack concrete policies, their original intentions are ultimately good."
The third Hokage set down his pipe and spoke.
"They're young people. Perhaps they don't yet have ready-made answers, and perhaps their ideas are indeed still immature, but as long as they maintain that desire to do good and continue moving forward one step at a time, they'll eventually find a path of their own."
After a moment's thought, he added, "Since there is this connection between us, and they've already reached out first, turning them away would only make Konoha seem petty. Let's do this: since they wish to attend the ceremony, send them a reply afterward and allow them to come. I imagine Jiraiya will be very pleased when he hears about it. If the opportunity presents itself that day, the teacher and students can meet again and catch up."
As for witnessing the society's founding ceremony, Jiraiya had originally been very eager to come in person.
In fact, not only Jiraiya, but also Orochimaru had expressed considerable interest.
However, the war was still ongoing on the southwestern front, and someone had to remain there in command.
After the three of them discussed it, they ultimately decided that Tsunade would attend in person.
After all, Tsunade was Shinichi's supervising Jonin, so it was only natural for her to be present.
As for Jiraiya and Orochimaru, each sealed a Shadow Clone into a sealing scroll and had Tsunade bring them along.
On the day of the founding ceremony, the two Shadow Clones would be released to attend the event.
Once the Shadow Clones returned to their original bodies, their originals would receive all of the memories simultaneously, which could be considered participation throughout the entire process.
Although it could never compare to witnessing it firsthand, under the current pressure of the war, this was already the best arrangement possible.