Seeing how desperately Kiyosuke was trying to avoid it, Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and didn't push further.
"In that case, call Jiraiya over. And I'll leave the cleanup to you."
"Don't worry."
Kiyosuke suddenly remembered that Gaara was still holding on. He rushed straight for the outskirts.
...
When the Sunagakure jōnin in charge, Baki, saw Kiyosuke arrive, he let out a breath of relief. With his hoarse, gravelly voice, he said:
"Kiyosuke-sama, we need your help."
Gaara had already transformed into a smaller version of Shukaku. He was roaring, still struggling against the beast's consciousness. His older siblings, Kankurō and Temari, stood to the side, watching anxiously.
To them, Gaara was still their little brother—even if he had never gone on a rampage or killed anyone in Sunagakure, they feared his power and dared not approach.
"Let me take a look. The One-Tail is a bit tricky... but first, let's wash away this outer layer with a Water Release jutsu."
Opening his mouth, Kiyosuke sprayed water that blasted off the hard shell covering Gaara.
Unlike the other Tailed Beasts, Shukaku's Tailed Beast Cloak wasn't made of chakra—it was made of sand. That made it far easier to strip away. These sand layers were a result of Shukaku's chakra leaking out. Once removed, Gaara actually improved a little.
Shukaku's entire body was composed of sand. The vast desert of the Land of Wind was undoubtedly the most suitable environment for it. With its arid conditions and lack of water, there was almost nothing capable of restraining it. Even Rasa could only suppress it with gold dust.
Kiyosuke picked up the dazed Gaara and leapt toward a nearby stream, tossing him in.
"Gaara! Kiyosuke-sama…" Baki followed, puzzled as he watched Gaara flailing around in the water.
"Kiyosuke-sama, what are you doing?"
"If Shukaku wants to take over Gaara's body, it needs to cover him in sand. But sand loses its cohesion in water. In the water, Gaara is safe."
Kiyosuke explained calmly.
"But he's drowning! Gaara doesn't know how to swim!"
"…"
"Then why are you just standing there?! Move him to the shallows, quickly!"
"Yes, sir!"
Once Gaara was soaking in the stream, resting, Kiyosuke said:
"Once he's recovered, take him to Konoha to rest for a few days. The Chūnin Exams are a bust, but Konoha won't mistreat its guests. You'll all be well taken care of."
"I have other matters to attend to. See you."
With that, he returned to Konoha to help clean up the aftermath.
...
With Orochimaru and Hanzō of the Salamander having retreated, the Otogakure and Amegakure shinobi were no match for the Konoha forces—they were soon subdued. But the damage had been done. Many ninja lost their lives in the battle.
Still, this war served to temper Konoha's new generation, pulling them out of their idyllic dreams and forcing them to confront the harsh reality.
The Land of Fire possessed the richest lands on the continent. Compared to the harsh environments of the other four great nations, Konoha had been living far too comfortably. The long peace had caused them to stagnate, and the quality of their shinobi had begun to decline. Hiruzen could see it—but he was powerless to stop it.
Then came Orochimaru's Konoha Crush plan.
The old man seized the opportunity. He intended to use this war to eliminate a former student who posed a threat to Konoha and reignite the flame within the younger generation.
He was fully prepared to sacrifice himself.
But thanks to Kiyosuke, he survived. While they hadn't managed to kill Orochimaru, the goal of tempering the new generation had been achieved, and Hiruzen didn't ask for more.
As for Otogakure—they wouldn't be getting off easy.
Offending the abbot meant you'd better not think of leaving!
Even if you did escape, you'd lose a layer of skin!
As for Amegakure, since Hanzō was backing them, Hiruzen refrained from taking harsh action. He couldn't play the villain—it would ruin his image. In such moments, that's what Danzō was for.
Danzō...
Huh?
Where was Danzō?
A whole Hokage Advisor, gone just like that?!!
His subordinates soon reported that Danzō had been assassinated by Otogakure shinobi and died taking the enemy down with him.
Uh...
That didn't sound like the Danzō he remembered. Since when was he so... heroic?
But it was a fact—Danzō had died in battle.
For a moment, tears welled in Hiruzen's eyes. The man who had always stood behind him, bearing the darkness on his behalf, was gone.
Now who was going to be his scapegoat?!
What? He can still be a scapegoat even in death?
Oh, then it's fine!
After having Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu send a massive bill to the Land of Rain, Hiruzen officially announced his retirement.
As for Kiyosuke's knowledge of the Edo Tensei technique... Hiruzen chose to turn a blind eye. He didn't question it.
Instead, he accepted Kiyosuke's advice and called back his seasoned, wandering student, hoping he would take the Hokage's seat.
Jiraiya flatly refused.
Just like Kiyosuke, he had no interest in sitting in an office signing paperwork.
To Hiruzen, Jiraiya was the best candidate—his background, strength, resourcefulness, and wisdom were all top-tier. Unfortunately, he was a wanderer, unwilling to become Hokage.
"Count me out," Jiraiya said. "If even that brat Kiyosuke isn't willing to do it, there's no way I will."
Hiruzen rubbed his aching temples.
"He won't do it, and now you won't either... Honestly, sometimes I think Kiyosuke is your disciple. Right now, the only one left in the village who's even remotely suitable is Kakashi—but he still lacks the strength and needs more experience."
"Well, he is Orochimaru's disciple, hahaha! I still can't wrap my head around how Orochimaru managed to raise such a weirdo."
"But, old man—aren't there still three of us Sannin? One left."
"You mean Tsunade? She's off who-knows-where, gambling her life away. We can't even find her, let alone make her Hokage."
Hiruzen had long given up on his headstrong student. Of the Sannin, Orochimaru was the most dangerous, but Tsunade was the most willful. When she made up her mind, no one could stop her.
After Nawaki and Dan's deaths, she had left Konoha and hadn't returned since.
"Old man, hold down the fort for a few more days. I'll go find Tsunade. And take Kiyosuke with me."
Jiraiya grinned.
"Take him? Don't tell me you plan to kidnap her back?" Hiruzen saw right through him.
Jiraiya chuckled.
"It's the only option. Right now, Tsunade is the most suitable person for the position. If Konoha were left to me and Kiyosuke, the village would be in ruins within ten years. Better to give it to Tsunade."
"With Kiyosuke's strength, dragging her back won't be a problem."
Start with a civil conversation. If it doesn't work—then use force.
Courtesy before violence. With their combined strength, bringing Tsunade back by force wouldn't be difficult at all.
As for what came after—they'd figure that out later.
"Alright. Take your people and go. I'll hold out a few more days."
After some thought, Hiruzen agreed to send Kiyosuke and Jiraiya to find Tsunade.
"Good. I'll go gather the team."
With that, Jiraiya leapt out the window and rushed off.
He arrived in a hot spring town and found Kiyosuke in the middle of repairing a building.