"Whew..."
Exhaling heavily, Jiraiya rubbed his aching head and waved dismissively. "Forget it. You're the Hokage, after all, so it's your call. I can't convince you. You'll have to talk it over with Tsunade when she gets back."
"You've already told Tsunade?"
The Third Hokage shot up from his seat, alarmed.
Is Tsunade really the one who'll fix all this?
Jiraiya smirked bitterly. "Orochimaru sent the message, not me. Anyway, if there's nothing else, I'm leaving. I've got a headache and need to rest before heading back to the front lines."
The Third Hokage felt like he'd been stabbed in the back by Orochimaru.
"Oh, by the way..."
Jiraiya turned back at the door, scratching his head sheepishly. "Old man, if anyone tries to target me, can you watch my back a little? I am your student, after all. Don't just leave me hanging."
Jiraiya was frustrated, which is why he was using this sarcastic tone. But what good was sarcasm? He couldn't change the Third Hokage's mind. Maybe Tsunade could.
Forget it. Let her raise hell for a change. It might do some good.
Orochimaru was right-things were getting out of hand.
The Third Hokage had practically distanced himself, making it clear to Jiraiya and Orochimaru that the whole mess was someone else's idea-likely Danzō or the Elder Council-and that he was merely going along with it.
Since I can't deal with this or persuade you otherwise, Tsunade will have to handle it. Hopefully, she doesn't blow a fuse.
Meanwhile, Danzō, Koharu, and Homura were blissfully unaware that the Third Hokage had thrown them under the bus.
When Tsunade stormed back to the village, they'd be caught completely off guard.
The news spread quickly, and soon, nearly everyone knew about Xin's decision to retire. Many were shocked by it.
Xin was widely regarded as one of Konoha's most promising talents-a strong shinobi with solid connections. His future was bright.
But now, he was being forced into early retirement.
What could have driven him to such a decision?
Suddenly, many eyes turned toward the Uchiha clan.
The elderly Uchiha patriarch, already frail and near the end of his life, nearly had a heart attack when he heard that his clan had been dragged into this mess.
People were speculating about what had gone down in the Hokage's office to make Xin so angry-so angry that he was willing to quit being a shinobi and live a normal life rather than deal with the constant pressure.
"Hiruzen, what's going on with all these rumors? Are you just going to let people keep talking like this?"
...
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