Chapter 40 - Reversed Stars I'm Kyōen's Student?

Outside the ANBU headquarters, Jiraiya had a hard time locating the place.

Even before he arrived, his voice came first.

"Orochimaru! Orochimaru! Last time during the Academy situation, you said you didn't want to get involved. But this time, you have to help me!"

Although not everyone could casually come and go in the ANBU quarters, Jiraiya was clearly not bound by those restrictions.

He barged in aggressively, asking only for Orochimaru by name.

Even Danzo’s subordinates didn’t dare stop him easily.

Orochimaru sighed, reluctantly setting aside his experiment.

He exited the lab, carefully closing the door behind him, and spoke seriously:
"Jiraiya, this had better be something important."

"It is important."

Jiraiya replied.

He gestured for Orochimaru to sit down and began explaining the situation in the Land of Waves.

Orochimaru’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Now this… was interesting.

But what intrigued him more wasn't the issue itself — it was the fact that Jiraiya would even consider using such a strategy to undermine the Land of Water and Kirigakure’s influence.

That was totally out of character for Jiraiya.

Suppressing his irritation, Orochimaru chuckled.
"Jiraiya, this is actually a simple matter. Didn’t the person who’s been advising you give you any suggestions?"

"Ad-advising me?"
Jiraiya stammered.

He…

He’d become Kyōen’s student?

What the hell?!

He was dumbfounded. But the more he thought about it, the harder it became to refute.

Truth be told, the entire idea was thanks to Kyōen’s input.

However—

Even so, for Jiraiya to admit that in front of Orochimaru?
He just couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Jiraiya’s expression froze.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru smirked faintly, clearly enjoying the moment.

"Enough, Jiraiya. Regardless of what your teacher told you, this matter is simple. It’s the relevant parties who need to take action — we’re just here to assist."

"The relevant parties… you mean the Fire Daimyō and the Land of Waves?"

Jiraiya thought aloud.

"They may not be ninja, but they’ve got money. They can hire shinobi from other nations to handle Gato and seize control of the shipping lanes. What, were we supposed to do everything and let them sit back and enjoy the fruits of success?"

"This…"

Jiraiya hesitated.

Foreign ninja…

If shinobi from other countries got involved, the Land of Waves might end up like the Land of Rain — a new battlefield.

"Foolish. That look on your face says it all."

Orochimaru scoffed.
"Why should we care if they live or die? Do you think if we don’t intervene, the Land of Waves will magically get better under the thumb of Gato, the Land of Water, and Kirigakure?"

"But—"

"You came to me, so be prepared for the answer. Don’t bother me again. Go ask your teacher for help."

With that, Orochimaru shot an annoyed glance outside.
"And that guy — he’s not ANBU, is he? Since when can just anyone walk into ANBU territory?"

The masked ANBU outside remained completely still.

Jiraiya sighed and left ANBU headquarters.

Next…

Don’t tell me I really have to go ask Kyōen?

Training Nagato and Minato had been manageable. But this kid…

Being a teacher who needs advice from his student—

How humiliating.

"Come on, Jiraiya, don’t you have a brain? You can definitely come up with a better, more perfect plan on your own!"

Knock knock knock!

Early in the morning, someone rapped on the window.

Kyōen got up, rubbing his eyes. Dawn was just breaking outside.

Who the heck is that?

He climbed out of bed — and saw Jiraiya sitting outside his window.

Jiraiya looked completely dejected.

Clearly, he hadn’t gotten the answer he was hoping for.

Kyōen washed up, went downstairs, and opened the door to let Jiraiya in.

"Sensei? Didn’t you say you were going to consult an expert? Didn’t they help you solve the problem?"

"They did… sort of. But not in the way I wanted."

Jiraiya handed Kyōen an onigiri as he sat and began eating.

Kyōen listened quietly.

After a while, he grasped the gist of it.

Jiraiya was trying to have it both ways.

But real life didn’t work like that.

"You don’t agree with me either?"
Jiraiya could tell from his face.

Kyōen chose his words carefully.

In the end, he decided to speak plainly.
"You're too naive."

Jiraiya sighed deeply.

True.

Even they couldn’t think of a perfect solution. Expecting a kid to do it was unreasonable.

He’d been too blinded.

"Maybe… the Land of Lightning and the Land of Hot Water wouldn’t want the Land of Waves falling under either side’s influence. If we’re not trying to take it for ourselves, they could be useful allies."

"The Land of Lightning and the Land of Hot Water? You're right!"

Jiraiya's eyes lit up with realization.

If all he wanted was for the Land of Waves to remain neutral, reinforcements didn’t have to come from Konoha or mercenaries. There were other options.

The Hokage’s office was filled with smoke.

Hiruzen Sarutobi smacked his lips as he puffed on his pipe, gazing out the window while Jiraiya explained his plan behind him.

He listened for a long time before he finally sighed.

"This approach—"

"Otherwise," Jiraiya interrupted, "if Gato’s company and the Land of Water get a foothold, they’ll turn the Land of Waves into a stepping stone. From there, Kirigakure could sneak into the Land of Fire anytime."

Jiraiya wasn’t foolish — he’d just been holding onto a sliver of false hope.

But Kyōen’s and Orochimaru’s words had laid bare what he already knew deep down.

They couldn't afford to back down.

If they did, given the nature of Kirigakure and the Land of Water, both the Land of Waves and the Land of Fire could be next.

Hiruzen furrowed his brow.

"Jiraiya…"

"Sensei, there’s no better solution."

Jiraiya said firmly.

Hiruzen fell silent.

Jiraiya grew anxious.

"Sensei!"

"I’ll think it over some more."

Hiruzen’s brow remained furrowed.

The Land of Lightning… the Land of Hot Water…

Both of those nations sat north of the Land of Waves. They would be directly impacted by disruptions to maritime trade.

Whether the Land of Waves was controlled by the Land of Water or the Land of Fire — neither scenario was favorable to them.

If neutrality was the goal, they were valid allies.

After a long moment, Hiruzen finally spoke.
"Jiraiya, in theory, I think your idea has merit. But in practice, we’ll need to consider carefully how to proceed."

"This... sigh."

At that moment, Jiraiya felt a disheartening thought surface.

His teacher really had grown old.

Forcing the Land of Waves into neutrality was already the best they could do.

His former teacher would have made the decision quickly — not still hesitating after an entire day, without even calling others for a council.

Maybe Kyōen was right.

To carry out real decisions, one must have real authority.

And right now...

Jiraiya’s expression turned solemn as he made his way toward another part of Konoha.

A thought had quietly taken root.

Kyōen was right.

In any real fight, there’s no such thing as going it alone.

The upheaval in the Land of Waves would affect many — including Konoha’s clans that did business there.

The Nara clan among them.

They could all be allies.

But still...

Jiraiya let out a long sigh.

Not long ago, he never would’ve imagined that one day...

He’d be the one pushing a plan that could trigger a war.

But then again—

War and peace…

That line was too blurry to define.

He remained silent.

Once, he believed that mutual understanding and love could bring about peace.

But at least for now—

That idea seemed far too naïve.