HTP: Ch. 75

Putting aside Hiruzen himself, the current strongest in Konoha was undoubtedly Jiraiya. Though Itachi and Guy had formidable peak combat power, their fighting styles were essentially "perish together with the enemy" tactics, unsustainable and undesirable.

Moreover, while Jiraiya might be innocent by nature, he possessed extremely rich battlefield experience from his years in war. So, this time, the commander appointed by Hiruzen for Konoha wasnaturally Jiraiya.

At this point, he could no longer refuse the mission. The bond between teacher and student from back then now had to be severed by his own hand.

Looking at the photo on the screen, he said gloomily, "Is there really no room left for negotiation?"

Seeing that Jiraiya had accepted the reality, Hiruzen pressed a switch on his desk, and the LED screen turned off.

Jiraiya closed his eyes and pondered in silence. Then something came to his mind, his eyes lit up, and he said, "Don't we still have reinforcements from the other world? If we have excess combat power, capturing Nagato alive might not be impossible. Look, even Orochimaru came back. Nagato and the others were merely misled by villains... And besides..."

It seemed he was still thinking hard, trying to find a way out.

Hiruzen picked up his pipe and pretended to ponder, while Jiraiya attentively leaned in and lit the tobacco for him. Although Jiraiya seemed a bit out of touch with reality right now… how could Hiruzen really criticize him?

On the contrary, he only grew more fond of this disciple, because in many ways, Jiraiya resembled himself.

The bond between teacher and student in the Hokage lineage had always been like that of father and son, even Minato, when he saw Obito on the battlefield, what he wanted to say was: "If you're still alive, I hope you'll become Hokage."

Back then, Hiruzen couldn't bring himself to kill Orochimaru either. He understood Jiraiya's feelings very well. But even with that understanding, what must be done still must be done.

"It's not the same. Nagato is far stronger than Orochimaru. The allies from the other world, they also have enemies of their own to deal with. And over on the Rain battlefield, no one can say with certainty that they could defeat Nagato, let alone capture him alive. If we don't go in with the resolve to kill him, it might be us who end up defeated."

As Hiruzen's words grew more merciless, Jiraiya had no choice but to face the truth, against Nagato, he had no right to show mercy.

He finally said, "You need to accept reality."

Hearing this, Jiraiya sighed and replied, "If it comes to that, I won't hold back."

Hiruzen nodded at his response and said, "As long as it's a threat to Konoha, whether it's my close friend or my—"

Before he could finish the sentence, Jiraiya raised his hand in surrender. "I get it, I get it. Even if it's your disciple, if they threaten Konoha, you won't show mercy."

Then his expression turned serious as he said solemnly, "Same here. The tragedy that happened to Kumo won't happen in Konoha."

This was the legacy of the true Hokage.

At this point, Hiruzen's tone softened slightly. "As long as you go, perhaps there's still a chance to turn things around."

If Nagato surrendered with honor, he could still be granted a noble title.

"I understand."

With the matter settled, Jiraiya left. Since he was about to go on campaign, he needed to prepare thoroughly.

Just then, the subspace chat group pinged.

[Ace]: I'm about to open the gate to send Pops over. You should send Itachi to receive him, the coordinates are a bit off this time.

Whitebeard was coming, he deserved a proper welcome. This wasn't just a powerful warrior, he was a massive warlord ruling over vast seas and countless resources. Even now, he was nearly revered as a retired emperor.

Ahem.

Kitsu and Saru appeared.

"Kitsu, go inform Itachi to receive our ally. Tell Itachi that Konoha is about to enter a wartime state. No need to inform Whitebeard, just let him rest and recover in Konoha without worry. Also, since his physique is different from normal people, assign a squad of ANBU to maintain order while he tours the village. Don't let the villagers disturb him. In short, don't startle our ally."

"Saru, go inform Tsunade to prepare for hosting a VIP."

As for himself, he still had to organize the expedition force. These past couple of days, he hardly even had time to surf. The current temporary Konoha expedition team would consist of Jiraiya, Itachi, and the self-volunteered trio of Yamato, Kakashi, and Guy. Tsunade would stay behind to protect the village, while Orochimaru and the Flying Thunder God team would remain on standby. As for support personnel, just bring a few elite ANBU squads. The other villages have fewer top-tier ninjas, so Konoha could just compensate with superior overall force.

Now that Whitebeard was recuperating in Konoha, though no one expected him to fight for them, if things really fell apart, he would surely lend a hand. Looking at it that way, the advantage was firmly on Konoha's side.

---

Meanwhile, Black Zetsu was feeling uneasy. Nagato had completely rejected both him and Obito. He and Konan no longer trusted them at all. Even though he had brought incredibly valuable intelligence, and hadn't even started telling the new story he'd just made up, Nagato had coldly said things like, "A god is invincible," and "As payment for this information, we'll let you leave alive this time."

Damn it… the pawn had gone rogue.

Honestly, ever since Nagato awakened the Six Paths power, this "pawn," which was originally meant to be a vessel for nurturing the Rinnegan, had been completely out of control. He had grown too powerful, far beyond expectations. Though there were contingency plans left by Madara, they didn't dare activate them lightly.

Obito pretending to be Madara to manipulate Nagato was already a desperate move. The Rinnegan's abilities were beyond imagination. If they tried a failed backstab, and Nagato woke up to the truth, they'd be done for.

It's all Obito's fault. He couldn't even handle Kakashi, and now, in Nagato's eyes, he's completely worthless.

And now I have to baby that idiot? This is exhausting.

Black Zetsu felt mentally drained.

Back at the secret base, he reported everything to Obito.

"The pawn's gone rogue, huh." From within the shadows, Obito said coldly, "Then we should reclaim the Rinnegan. Don't tell me Madara left no failsafe on Nagato."

Oh? He's actually being smart today.

Black Zetsu gave Obito a surprised glance, then admitted, "Indeed he did. But Nagato has fully mastered the Rinnegan. Activating the failsafe comes with considerable risk."

"Then we wait until he and the Konoha coalition wear each other down. There are too many elites involved, Nagato won't get through unscathed."

Obito stepped out from the shadows.

"This time, Konoha's main force is heading to Ame, right?"

Seeing Obito get another idea, Black Zetsu asked, "You're thinking we strike while they're away?"

Obito flashed a sinister smile. "We can't let Konoha continue developing unchecked. It's too dangerous. Let's repeat the Nine-Tails incident."

Black Zetsu immediately understood. Obito's usual half-baked, scattershot plans were starting again. But this time, he decided to go along with it, because he had a good idea too.

"Obito, do you know about the Edo Tensei left behind by the Second Hokage?"

"Wasn't that Orochimaru's jutsu?"