"Retreating isn't out of the question. But that brat Kamikawa Aoba must be handed over to us—as compensation for insulting us."
When Aoba heard this, his emotions were… complicated. Though he was part of Konoha now, in his original world, he'd read about similar events in history.
It was the kind of absurd demand that seemed outrageous—yet somehow kept happening across worlds.
And now, finding himself at the center of such an event, Aoba didn't know how to feel.
In this life, he'd reincarnated as a Konoha shinobi. Konoha was his home now. But when something like this happened to his home, it was hard to feel any pride in the village.
The truly sickening part wasn't whether Konoha would accept the terms—it was the fact that despite being one of the Five Great Villages, and nominally the strongest, Konoha was being disrespected like this.
Thankfully, this was a world without mass media. If this had happened in his past life's internet era, social platforms would've crashed from the outrage.
Though he doubted Jiraiya would agree, Aoba immediately drew his sword and distanced himself from the other Konoha shinobi.The movement left the others stunned. For most civilian ninjas, how could such a thing be agreed to? Thus, they couldn't understand Aoba's actions.
Yet some still remembered Hyuga Hizashi from back in the day. A few had already begun speculating whether that scene would replay itself.
At this moment, someone who had been hiding for a long time suddenly jumped out—Danzo Shimura.
When Aoba was risking his life against the Raikage, this guy had been nowhere to be found. Now, he abruptly reappeared.
"Don't worry, Kamikawa Aoba. My Root will protect you. Today, no one will be allowed to hand you over."
Hearing this, Aoba immediately understood. Previously, Danzo had shown little interest in him, mainly because he had no heritage or bloodline—Danzo simply didn't see much value in him.
But now, after witnessing his formidable combat prowess, Danzo had changed his mind and wanted to recruit him into Root.
The key point was that Aoba knew full well in his heart: even if he defected, he would never join Root.
To Aoba, Root had nothing to do with Konoha. Hadn't they all seen how, when Pain invaded, Root remained hidden underground without lifting a finger?
The entire organization existed solely to serve Danzo's ambitions.
Aoba didn't respond to Danzo. Instead, he looked up at Jiraiya, who stood at a higher vantage point. Earlier, he had secretly taken a Soldier Pill, and now his Chakra had partially recovered.
But this Chakra wasn't meant for fighting. He had gathered all of it beneath his feet, ready to flee at any moment.
Fortunately, Jiraiya at least wasn't as spineless as Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Gamabunta took a step forward beneath him, displaying an unyielding stance.
The Raikage frowned, still somewhat unwilling to concede. But at that moment, the sound of numerous footsteps echoed from the distance—more Konoha ninjas had arrived.
The Raikage sighed inwardly. This time, he had lost completely.
The original plan had been to cripple Konoha's elite forces in this battle and then declare war outright. But now, it seemed this war wouldn't happen.
"Let's go."
All the Konoha ninjas were watching Jiraiya. Their thoughts aligned with Aoba's—why not take advantage of their numbers and finish off the Raikage and his elite entourage?
In truth, whether from a standpoint of interest or morality, Konoha's approach held no flaws.
Illegally crossing borders and attacking their military—what was wrong with killing them on the spot?
If this were Iwagakure, Ōnoki would probably have mobilized tens of thousands to crush the Raikage right here.
But Aoba guessed Konoha most likely wouldn't do that.
Sure enough, after a brief hesitation, Jiraiya took a step back, signaling a concession.
"Hmph." After killing over twenty Konoha ninjas on their own turf, the Raikage and his group prepared to leave with their heads held high.
At that moment, Aoba suddenly stepped forward and spoke.
"May I ask, Lord Jiraiya—was the order to let these illegal invaders go yours, or the Third Hokage's?"
Aoba's words immediately sparked debate among the crowd. Even the departing Raikage and his men slowed their steps, curious to see how this farce would end.
Jiraiya whirled around. The target of Aoba's question was all too obvious.Jiraiya instinctively wanted to say it was his own decision. But then he noticed Aoba had somehow already positioned himself beside Danzo.
This immediately made Jiraiya hesitate, as it touched upon a rather awkward issue.
That was because, despite Jiraiya's high status, he held no actual official position in Konoha. Everyone knew he was the Third Hokage's disciple and generally represented the Third's will. Thus, in most cases, people would ultimately follow his orders.
Unfortunately, today's scene also included Shimura Danzo.
No matter how despicable or shady Danzo might be, he was a Konoha elder of the same generation as Sarutobi Hiruzen. He served as a high-ranking advisor to Konoha and was also the leader of Root.
In other words, in terms of official status, Danzo actually outranked Jiraiya. Moreover, Danzo himself was the commander of today's reinforcements.
If Jiraiya claimed this was the Third's order, Danzo naturally wouldn't say much—after all, the Third was still the leader of Konoha. But doing so would make all the present ninja directly perceive the Third's weakness.
Though Jiraiya could provide numerous explanations for this decision, he couldn't explain the reasoning to everyone at this moment.
Thus, saying this would undoubtedly tarnish the Third's reputation, dealing a massive blow to his prestige.
But if Jiraiya said it was his own decision, Danzo could directly refute it. As the commander, he could forcibly issue orders to besiege the Raikage.
Based on Jiraiya's understanding of Danzo, this man would absolutely do such a thing. After all, with the immense prestige that came with killing a Kage, Danzo's personality made it nearly impossible for him to pass up such an opportunity.
However, that would inevitably lead to all-out war—something Jiraiya couldn't accept either.
In the end, Jiraiya still spoke.
"This is the Third Hokage's order."
The surrounding Konoha ninja fell silent. But Jiraiya could clearly see the disappointment in many of their eyes.
The Raikage's group wore mocking expressions before openly leading their departure.
Watching the Raikage's group leave, Aoba casually called out to Anko.
"Let's go, Anko. The mission's over. Why are we still here? To see the Raikage off?"