Jiraiya only assumed that perhaps he had not explained himself clearly enough earlier.
He once again carefully explained to Sarutobi Hiruzen the Great Toad Sage's prophecy in detail.
After all, this was no longer much of a secret—at least, quite a few people on Uchiha Keizumi's side already knew about it.
And this, too, was Jiraiya's excuse for refusing Sarutobi Hiruzen's offer.
He had no desire to become Hokage, nor any wish to compete with Tsunade.
Of course, Jiraiya certainly hoped that his sensei, Sarutobi Hiruzen, could understand his actions; otherwise, he would not have gone through the trouble of explaining them again.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's brows had already knitted so tightly that they could crush a mosquito.
He had not expected that all these years Jiraiya had been busy outside the village with this matter.
He had thought Jiraiya had been pursuing Orochimaru's whereabouts all along, but to his surprise, the latter had also been searching for the so-called Child of Prophecy—and in the process had discovered that the Child of Prophecy was none other than Uzumaki Naruto.
Sarutobi Hiruzen could tell that Jiraiya longed for his understanding.
But just as he could not comprehend the ideals and actions of Keizumi and Tsunade, now Sarutobi Hiruzen also could not comprehend Jiraiya's way of thinking.
To entrust the future transformation of the ninja world to a Child of Prophecy foretold by a Great Toad Sage—was that not a bit too frivolous?
"Jiraiya, must the fate of whether the ninja world improves or not really be entrusted solely to this Child of Prophecy?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, somewhat hesitantly, in an ambiguous tone. "Have all the efforts that others have made for peace amounted to nothing at all?"
Jiraiya sighed softly and nodded. "Though it sounds cruel to say, that's the truth. If those efforts had worked, the Great Toad Sage would not have declared that only by finding the Child of Prophecy could the ninja world achieve true change."
"Old man… the only thing people like us can do is raise the Child of Prophecy well and help him become a true savior. When the ninja world reaches its brink, only the Child of Prophecy can save it."
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "…"
For a brief moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a sense of bewilderment—wondering whether his disciple had started believing in some strange, forbidden cult.
There were plenty of people in the ninja world who went around using the name of this god or that god to deceive others, brainwashing ordinary people into fervent believers.
And Jiraiya's current appearance was far too similar to those who had been deceived.
Sarutobi Hiruzen opened his mouth, yet did not know what to say.
He had thought that as long as Jiraiya nodded, he could fully support him in becoming the Fifth Hokage of Konohagakure. When that time came, this old body of his could finally retire and rest.
But now…
Letting Jiraiya become the Fifth Hokage would be an act of irresponsibility toward the village!
A man like Jiraiya, who placed all hope upon the Child of Prophecy, possessed no sense of duty or obligation at all.
Such a person would never devote himself wholeheartedly to the village's affairs.
If Jiraiya were to become the Fifth Hokage, he might very well use the village's entire resources to cultivate this so-called Child of Prophecy.
Hmm…
Sarutobi Hiruzen did admit that Naruto was indeed a very gifted child, and that pouring great resources into training him was not wrong in itself.
But the biggest problem was—
What about everyone else?
Had Jiraiya ever thought about what would become of the others in the village?
He was probably filled with nothing but thoughts of his so-called Child of Prophecy.
The only supposed savior who could bring a new transformation to the ninja world.
"…" After a long silence of over ten seconds, looking at Jiraiya, who seemed to wear a faint expression of expectation and sought his understanding, Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed inwardly and said, "Forget it. Pretend I never said anything."
With that, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned and left directly.
Jiraiya was left standing there in a daze.
Only when Sarutobi Hiruzen's back grew more and more distant did Jiraiya mutter in astonishment, "What's wrong with the old man? He was just talking so much about matters concerning the Hokage, but the moment it was my turn to speak… he listened for a bit, then turned around and left?"
Fukasaku spoke up. "Little Jiraiya… this Third Hokage does not approve of our approach. His thinking is probably somewhat similar to Uchiha Keizumi's and Tsunade's—he believes that the Child of Prophecy spoken of by the Great Sage cannot truly bring change to the ninja world."
Jiraiya froze slightly.
On the other side, Shima comforted him. "It is precisely because others do not understand that your greatness, Little Jiraiya, shines all the more. They only care about the conflicts within the ninja world, so only we who stand apart from those conflicts can think for the future of the ninja world."
Jiraiya: "…"
Jiraiya was, after all, an adult; naturally, he could tell that these two sages of Mount Myōboku were forcibly comforting him.
He felt lost again.
Uchiha Keizumi did not understand him because the latter believed that only absolute justice could bring transformation to the ninja world.
Tsunade did not understand him, likely because she and Uchiha Keizumi stood on the same side.
But the problem was…
The old man stood opposed to both Uchiha Keizumi and Tsunade, didn't he? Wasn't it said that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend"?
Shouldn't the old man understand him, acknowledge him?
How could it be like this?
Had the Great Toad Sage's prophecy already become something that no one in the ninja world believed anymore?
…
"Nagato has already ordered most of the core members of Akatsuki to rush to the Land of Water to hunt Uchiha Keizumi."
Uchiha Obito toyed with a kunai in his hand and asked expressionlessly, "Are we really not going to meddle in this?"
"No."
Black Zetsu shook his head, eyes filled with deep wariness, and said slowly, "If Uchiha Keizumi discovers us, he's very likely to fight to the death to kill us. Because he knows too many of our secrets, and in his mind we're definitely on his kill list—quite possibly even at the very top."
"When dealing with others in the ninja world, even the tailed beasts, we can afford to be a little careless. But when it comes to Uchiha Keizumi, we must act with utmost caution. We cannot give him any chance—especially not the chance to hunt us down."
"...Tch." Uchiha Obito felt somewhat displeased, because this made him seem like a rat hiding in a sewer.
It felt as if he were being chased everywhere by Uchiha Keizumi, not daring to even show his face, forced to resort to petty tricks from the shadows.
Yet the cruel fact before him made Uchiha Obito have to admit—
If he truly faced Uchiha Keizumi head-on, he really wasn't his match. Because the other possessed complete knowledge of his abilities and information, it would be far too easy for Uchiha Keizumi to target him.
Perhaps the next time he ran into Uchiha Keizumi face-to-face, Uchiha Obito would have no chance to escape.
At that moment, Black Zetsu continued, "What we should be worrying about right now is… whether Nagato and the others can succeed in their hunt."
Uchiha Obito frowned. "His Six Paths puppets should be heading to the Land of Water as well. And besides, even the weakest among Akatsuki's members would at least be jōnin-level in any other hidden village. Are you saying they still might fail to hunt down Uchiha Keizumi? Don't forget—Konoha's Root organization has also defected and joined them this time."
Black Zetsu said slowly, "If Uchiha Keizumi could be killed that easily, he wouldn't have survived until now. Obito, we still need to make use of Kirigakure's strength."
"Only by combining the forces of Kirigakure, Akatsuki, and Konoha's Root can there be a real chance of successfully hunting down Uchiha Keizumi."
Uchiha Obito's brows furrowed again.
Black Zetsu went on, "Don't you want revenge against Kirigakure? Isn't this the perfect chance? Let Kirigakure wear down Uchiha Keizumi first—stall him until Akatsuki arrives."
These words from Black Zetsu persuaded Obito.
"…Fine."