Chapter 38 - Hiruzen, You’ll Regret This!

The gates of Konoha were finally in sight.

Jiraiya turned back with a smile.
“This time returning home... does it feel any different?”

“I want to become stronger! Next time, I’ll be more useful!”

Yūhi Kurenai’s voice was firm and resolute.

Kakashi remained silent.

He had been through things like this too many times already.

To talk about how he felt…

At the moment, he genuinely couldn’t put it into words.

What he did feel, he couldn’t really say aloud. Like—

He really wanted to find that person and ask:
Why did you act like you were ready to die, but in the end, returned to Konoha alive?

Why didn’t you have the guts to actually die?

But…

Kakashi hadn’t seen that person in a long time.

Maybe they had joined the ANBU, or maybe they’d gone off somewhere else.

As for the rest…

He thought for a moment, then said, “I need to become stronger.”

Stronger, huh?

Jiraiya glanced at Kakashi, a hint of worry in his heart—along with a bit of surprise.

Kakashi had changed a lot.

He no longer acted like a lifeless tool; he resembled a normal human being now.

However—

The mindset he once had seemed to have shifted into an obsession with power.
What Kakashi was truly thinking… only he himself could know.

One misstep…

Jiraiya quietly took it to heart.

Compared to Kyōen, he now felt that Kakashi needed more attention.

After all, what that kid had said and done—his grasp of the Will of Fire—was already incredibly deep.
At his age, there was almost no one who could match him.

If he didn’t know for a fact that Kyōen was a descendant of Senju Tōka,
he might have assumed the boy was a direct descendant of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.

Jiraiya looked at Kyōen.

“And you?”

“Nothing special. Just… feels like coming home.”

Kyōen smiled.

It wasn’t an act.

He truly felt the happiness of returning home.

All the bloodshed outside—none of it could compare to the peace and joy of being a carefree slacker back in the village.
Unfortunately, in the shinobi world, such dreams were doomed to be unrealistic.

Not when there were still two old geezers lurking in the shadows.

Kyōen sighed inwardly.

Jiraiya laughed. “Come on—let’s go home. Dinner’s on me!”

“Barbecue?” Kyōen asked hopefully.

“Ahem… Barbecue’s a no-go. Your teacher is flat broke. I earned a little this time, but not much... Once I cash in those two, I’ll treat you to a proper feast. For now, I’ll buy you…”

Jiraiya coughed and changed the subject.

As he spoke, he led the group through the gates of Konoha.

At the gate—

“Haneda! Tsuchihara!”

“It’s Lord Jiraiya! You’ve finally returned!”

“Lord Jiraiya!”

The two gatekeepers immediately saluted.

Seeing Kyōen and Kurenai, they greeted them warmly. But when it came to Kakashi, their expressions cooled noticeably.

Jiraiya chuckled. “Mission complete. Go ahead and log us in.”

“Yes, sir!”

Once the registration was complete—

Jiraiya originally intended to take them straight to Ichiraku Ramen.

However…

Not long after passing through the gates, Jiraiya sighed.

“Looks like I won’t be able to join you for ramen after all. Just let Teuchi know to put it on my tab. If I don’t make it back in time, go ahead and eat first.”

“Got it.”

Kyōen nodded.

He knew—ANBU must have shown up, and Jiraiya had noticed, hence the sudden change in plans.

The three of them headed off.

Jiraiya disappeared in an instant.

Ichiraku Ramen

After exchanging a few words with Teuchi, bowls of ramen were soon placed before them.

Hokage’s Office

Jiraiya was reporting the situation in the Land of Waves to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Hiruzen stepped forward, a look of surprise on his face.

“Are you certain?”

“I personally investigated everything. The intel should be accurate. Mr. Matsuyama’s judgment also seems sound.
It looks like Gato and the nobles of the Land of Water want to control maritime trade routes.”

Jiraiya spoke seriously.

Hiruzen frowned.

The Land of Waves…

From the perspective of the Land of Water, controlling the seas would definitely make business easier.
They had both the reason and capability to make a move—but Konoha…

He hesitated.

“Sensei.”

“Jiraiya, do you think we should mobilize to compete for the Land of Waves?”

“I think…”

Jiraiya wavered too.

Hiruzen might not have given him the same meticulous guidance in ninjutsu as he had Orochimaru,
but in terms of ideology, he’d had a huge impact on him.

Peace.

In the past, he wouldn’t have hesitated.
Konoha shouldn’t interfere.

An advance into the Land of Waves might shatter the fragile peace between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water—possibly reigniting war.

But…

Kyōen’s words kept echoing in his ears.

“We want peace—but does Kirigakure want it?”

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen, the Hōzuki clan,
and the increasingly disturbing intel from the Land of Water in recent years…

All pointed to one thing—Kirigakure was worse than ever before.

Would a village like that seek peace?

Jiraiya thought about it—and found the notion laughable.

With that, his hesitation vanished.

“Sensei, let’s set aside the Land of Waves for a moment.
Just focusing on the Land of Water and Kirigakure… we can’t afford to let them get their way.
You should know better than I do what the current state of Kirigakure is.”

Jiraiya said.

As someone who oversaw the ANBU, the Hokage definitely had more intel than he did.
He couldn’t believe Hiruzen was completely in the dark.

Hiruzen fell silent.

He understood what Jiraiya was implying.

“Hmph!”

Just then, a cold snort echoed from outside.

Danzo pushed open the door and stepped in.
“Hiruzen—even Jiraiya understands this much, and yet you keep blocking my actions in the Land of Waves.”

Hiruzen’s face darkened.
“Danzo!”

Jiraiya didn’t interrupt.

Though he disapproved of standing by and doing nothing,
he also didn’t believe someone as extreme as Danzo was capable of making the right decisions.

He still hadn’t decided on a course of action, but his goal was clear:
To preserve peace and avoid plunging the Land of Waves into suffering and war.

If Danzo acted, even if the Third Shinobi War didn’t reignite, the Land of Waves would be doomed to turmoil.

“What? Still hesitating?” Danzo scoffed.

“That’s enough! I am the Hokage! I’m discussing this with Jiraiya—not negotiating with you.”

Hiruzen snapped with firm authority.

Danzo’s expression twisted.
After a long pause, he left, voice filled with bitterness:

“Hiruzen, you’ll regret this!”

After he left—

Hiruzen took a deep breath, sat down, lit a pipe, and finally said:

“Jiraiya, I’m surprised to hear this from you. I always thought you understood me best.”

“Sensei, I do understand…
But Kirigakure is too far gone.
They’ll never understand our desire for peace.
You can’t deal with people like that using soft methods.”

As Jiraiya said this, even he was momentarily stunned.

He hadn’t fully sorted out his thoughts before—but now everything suddenly felt clear.

Hiruzen leaned on his pipe, rubbing his temples.

“Even you think we should enter the Land of Waves?”

“Not necessarily.”

Jiraiya blurted it out.

Hiruzen looked at him, puzzled.

Jiraiya paused, scratching his head.

“I don’t have a solution yet…
But I feel like what we need right now is rest. Going to war with Kirigakure wouldn’t be ideal.”

“……”

Hiruzen fell silent.

Lately, this disciple of his had changed quite a lot.

Who had influenced him?

Tsunade?

No… She had already left the village.

One figure after another flashed through his mind, until finally, one image settled.

Ryōmine Kyōen.

That young genin who even Jiraiya and Tsunade had praised.

Did that child really possess such insight?

He’s only… seven, right?

Oh.

Maybe… about to turn eight now.

Hiruzen’s thoughts drifted.

“Sensei?”

“Hm? Oh… Jiraiya, what you said makes sense.
How about this: we both give it some thought.
I’ll also consider how to negotiate with Kirigakure.
Let’s talk again in a few days. Sound good?”

“Sounds good!”