Chapter 34: Jiraiya
Three days later, thanks to Tsunade's meticulous care, Araki's injuries had finally stabilized. On that same day, the daimyō of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind convened for an official summit—and jointly signed the Fire-Wind Non-Aggression Pact.
And with that, the war involving Konoha had officially come to an end.
Although Iwagakure and Kumogakure were still skirmishing, Hatake Kyūjō had a feeling that once the conflict between Konoha and Sunagakure ended, those two scheming villages wouldn't be far behind.
Sure enough, Kyūjō's instincts proved right—just a week after Konoha and Sunagakure announced a ceasefire, both Iwagakure and Kumogakure quietly withdrew their forces.
Thus, the Second Shinobi World War came to an end—several years earlier than it had in the original timeline.
Currently, Hatake Kyūjō and his older brother, Hatake Sakumo, had been summoned back to the Hidden Leaf by the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Upon their return, Kyūjō received his long-awaited promotion. At just eleven years old, he officially became a Chūnin of the Hidden Leaf Village.
With the war behind them, Kyūjō's life gradually returned to how it was before the conflict. He resumed his studies on chakra nature transformations and combat training, occasionally taking on low-rank missions with a Genin named Namikaze Minato.
During his downtime, he either hung out with Kakashi at home or gathered with friends to eat, chat, and exchange ideas about chakra conversion and ninjutsu theories.
Even though he had once unleashed a mountain-cleaving flying slash during the war, it hadn't caused any noticeable shift in his daily life.
Still, something didn't sit right with him. Deep down, Kyūjō had his suspicions—he had a hunch that old man Sarutobi might have figured something out. But he wasn't certain.
After all, why hadn't Hiruzen asked them a single question after recalling them to the village?
No inquiry at all about what had truly happened on the frontlines? Not even a mention of how an entire Sunagakure division—over five hundred shinobi, including a war-hardened kunoichi like Chiyo—was wiped out in one strike?
Shouldn't Hatake Sakumo have submitted a detailed mission report if they had truly been ambushed by Sunagakure?
And surely someone from Konoha's frontlines would've noticed something off?
It made no sense.
Especially since the battlefield still bore a glaring scar—a massive, mountain-splitting slash left as undeniable evidence of overwhelming power.
If Sakumo didn't notice that anomaly… then that would be even stranger.
— — —
After returning to the village, Kyūjō also noticed that the ANBU detail that had secretly been watching over him was no longer around. It seemed the Third Hokage had called them off.
No more shadows following him. No more watchers in the dark.
What was Sarutobi Hiruzen planning?
Was this a gesture of trust? Or did he think Kyūjō no longer needed surveillance now that he was a Chūnin?
Kyūjō just shook his head.
He wasn't interested in deciphering the old man's intentions. Let him think whatever he wanted.
As far as Kyūjō was concerned, he was just a regular Chūnin now. If the Hokage expected him to throw his life away for the village… yeah, not gonna happen.
Not everyone was like his older brother, Hatake Sakumo.
The Hatake clan seemed cursed with lives of sacrifice. Even in this altered timeline, Kyūjō's parents had already died in service to the village.
And now Sakumo, though far stronger than his canon counterpart, still possessed that same unwavering loyalty and sense of duty to Konoha.
If it weren't for Kyūjō being there—his very presence acting as a reason for Sakumo to keep living—he feared his brother might've still ended up walking that same tragic path.
— — —
Four years later...
Hatake Kyūjō was now fifteen.
Over the past four years, he and Namikaze Minato had completed nearly a hundred missions of varying difficulty.
And yet… Minato remained a Chūnin.
Meanwhile, Kyūjō had just been officially promoted to Jōnin two days ago by none other than the Third Hokage himself.
The promotion had caught him off guard—but he wasn't about to complain. Now he had something to gloat about to that blond-haired Chūnin.
On the very day of his promotion, the Third Hokage summoned him once again—this time with a formal request.
He wanted Kyūjō to join the ANBU.
Interestingly, the request wasn't delivered as a command, but as an invitation.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's tone had been unusually polite and respectful—as though he were addressing an equal, not a subordinate.
From that alone, Kyūjō could tell something had changed.
The old man definitely knew something.
And after giving it some thought, Kyūjō quickly figured out the source.
Sarutobi Chikawa.
That man—Kyūjō's former teammate and fellow member of the Sarutobi clan—had likely cracked under emotional pressure… or perhaps persuasion.
So that's why he hasn't come to see me lately... Kyūjō thought. Figures.
— — —
On the other side, Sarutobi Hiruzen was a mess of complicated emotions.
For years, he'd pursued rumors of a powerful anomaly—one he now knew had been right under his nose.
And instead of feeling pride or excitement… all he felt was unease.
A prodigy of that caliber should be a boon to the village, right?
But power—true power—needed to be manageable. Controllable.
And Hatake Kyūjō? He was far from that.
He was fifteen now. And based on the data gathered—and Chikawa's firsthand account—Kyūjō had already been on par with him four years ago.
Which meant… now?
Now that Hiruzen was aging, and Kyūjō was still in his prime…
Could he even match the boy anymore?
The old Hokage exhaled deeply, lost in thought.
Still, having such a powerful shinobi in the village was a blessing… wasn't it?
He still didn't fully understand the nature of Kyūjō's powers, but he suspected it stemmed from a unique kekkei genkai known as the Lightning Eyes.
And if it truly rivaled the Uchiha's Sharingan, then…
Could it be inherited?
If so… wouldn't it be ideal to have that bloodline merged into the Sarutobi clan?
There were a few eligible Sarutobi girls around Kyūjō's age...
Hehehe...
The old man chuckled, letting his imagination drift to less-than-professional places.
Too bad he seemed to forget the Sarutobi clan's… unique physical traits.
Bulky frames. Overdeveloped physiques. Excess body hair.
If those traits showed up in the women too… well, no wonder Kyūjō wasn't interested.
— — —
While Sarutobi Hiruzen daydreamed about pairing Kyūjō with Sarutobi daughters, elsewhere in the world, a white-haired man was making his return to the Leaf.
After spending the last four years in the Land of Rain, Jiraiya had finally come home.
Some villagers whispered behind his back, casting judgmental stares.
Yes, it was true—he hadn't returned during the war, even when Konoha needed every hand on deck.
But Jiraiya had his own reasons.
And he didn't feel obligated to explain them to people who didn't understand.
His first priority upon returning was to visit Orochimaru and Tsunade—to share everything he'd seen and done over the years.
But when he saw the exhaustion on both their faces… his enthusiasm dimmed.
They'd each gone their separate ways.
The old team? That was a thing of the past.
Still, when Jiraiya finished recounting part of his journey, Orochimaru—who had been eerily silent—finally stirred.
Pale as ever, his snake-like tongue flicked out and licked his upper lip. He gave Tsunade a look of disdain, then turned to Jiraiya.
"You've had it rough, Jiraiya," he said. "But I'm glad… that you lived life on your terms."
Jiraiya's heart warmed.
So at least someone understood.
Though, strangely, he hadn't shared all that much yet.
Maybe… this is what true friendship feels like?
As Jiraiya's eyes glistened, Orochimaru suddenly leaned forward.
"By the way… I need a favor."
"Huh?" Jiraiya blinked. "Sure. What do you need?"
Orochimaru's eyes lit up. His tongue flicked out again—this time almost touching his nose.
Then he leaned back, a sly grin curling his lips.
"Do you remember your former student? Hatake Kyūjō?"
"Of course. Why?"
From the side, Tsunade frowned. Orochimaru's interested in Kyūjō too...?
Orochimaru didn't hide his intentions.
"I want a sample—blood, hair, skin tissue. His bloodline is incredibly unique. I want to study it."
"…Seriously?" Jiraiya scratched his head. "I mean, I'll ask. But if Kyūjō refuses…"
Orochimaru nodded. "That's fine."
Suddenly, Tsunade—who'd been silent the whole time—spoke up.
"Jiraiya. Can I ask you something, too?"
His face instantly brightened. "Of course, Tsunade! Anything!"
Her golden eyes sparkled.
"Can you ask him to teach me one of his medical ninjutsu techniques? If he agrees, I'm willing to offer one of mine in exchange."
"Eh?!"
Jiraiya froze.
First Orochimaru. Now Tsunade?
Everyone was suddenly interested in his former student.
But would Kyūjō even agree?
They hadn't seen each other in years.
Still… a promise was a promise.
Even if it meant cashing in all the goodwill he had left, he'd do it.
Besides—he wasn't empty-handed.
If it came down to it, he'd trade his latest technique.
As he thought about it, Jiraiya smiled smugly to himself.
I've mastered Sage Mode now. I doubt Tsunade or Orochimaru could keep up with me anymore.
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