Tomoki's tricking Jiraiya into agreeing first was procedurally sound.
While mission participants do have a right to know, the information they receive before fully accepting a mission is usually sparse and vague.
Therefore, even if the entire Konoha knew that an operation against the Land of Earth and Iwagakure was imminent,
it was reasonable for Tomoki not to tell Jiraiya beforehand, as Jiraiya was unaware.
After Jiraiya accepted the mission, Tomoki did provide him with a complete set of intelligence, which was even more detailed and comprehensive than what other Konoha personnel knew.
After all, he was the commander; he couldn't remain completely in the dark.
Jiraiya, completely unaware, followed Gengetsu to the Military Police Force.
Even in Jiraiya's eyes, Root seemed incredibly mysterious, so it was understandable that his first choice, given the opportunity, was Root's files.
Root, now a part of history, had no recent intelligence; it was all outdated stuff.
With a curious mind, Jiraiya unrolled scroll after scroll from the former Root.
This truly showed Jiraiya what darkness was; Danzo's title as the Ninja of Darkness was not for show.
To be honest, everything Danzo had ever done, whether it was the Wood Release experiments, the White Fang mission, or instigating wars,
Danzo had recorded each action, albeit with deletions.
Firstly, it was at Hiruzen Sarutobi's request; after all, Danzo operated in the shadows, and holding leverage over him was one aspect, while the other was to supervise Danzo.
Secondly, Danzo genuinely didn't feel he had done anything wrong; he merely recorded his contributions to Konoha and the darkness he bore.
Furthermore, Danzo's recorded version and the version given to Hiruzen Sarutobi differed slightly, always adding "[Approved by: Hiruzen Sarutobi]" at the end.
Whether Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed or not, not stopping it was tantamount to approval, as Hiruzen Sarutobi was aware of everything.
Jiraiya even saw records of the operation in the Land of Rain, which detailed Yahiko's death and the origins of the Akatsuki Organization.
It turned out that the Akatsuki Organization, which he had been desperately searching for, had long been documented by Konoha.
Jiraiya recalled his first meeting with Tomoki, thinking that Tomoki must have already known something back then.
At the same time, because the files did not record the deaths of Nagato and Konan, Jiraiya had a vague, uneasy premonition.
A troubled Jiraiya directly pulled out the last scroll, found that the time recorded on it was several years ago, and then got up and left the room.
"Jiraiya-sama, have you finished reviewing?"
"No, not yet. Where is the most comprehensive recent intelligence recorded?"
After answering Gengetsu's question, Jiraiya, disgusted by the Root intelligence, decided to get down to business.
"That would naturally be the Military Police Force. The Military Police Force has complete records of every ripple in the Ninja World, as well as all major and minor events in Konoha."
Jiraiya, returning to the Military Police Force's intelligence storage room, didn't start from the beginning but instead pulled out the most recent intelligence to read.
As Jiraiya took out the first piece of intelligence, he was stunned by its contents.
Iwagakure?
Land of Earth!
Realizing something, Jiraiya immediately pulled out the envelope Tomoki had given him, quickly tore it open, and froze on the spot when he saw the large characters written on the cover.
[Land of Earth and Iwagakure Salvation Operation]
After quickly scanning the document, Jiraiya fully understood.
What salvation operation?
It was clearly blatant aggression and plunder!
No wonder so many Ninja villages could suddenly forget their hatred and unite.
The document recorded the establishment of the Shinobi Alliance and many more details than Tomoki had provided.
From those high-sounding words, Jiraiya only saw a monster attempting to engulf the Ninja World with war and death.
And the day it was established was the same day the Great Toad Sage made his prophecy.
Jiraiya saw no salvation operation, only a war that would sweep across the entire Ninja World.
Without any hesitation, Jiraiya left the Military Police Force.
Half an hour later.
"Smack!"
Inside the Hokage Office, an enraged Jiraiya slammed a document onto Tomoki's desk.
"Fifth Generation, is this what you call an action to maintain peace in the Ninja World?"
Looking at Jiraiya, who seemed ready to defect from Konoha if he didn't get an explanation, Tomoki did not answer Jiraiya's question.
"Commander Jiraiya, I assume you've finished reading, but you seem to have forgotten something."
After Tomoki finished speaking, a flash of fire incinerated the document on the desk.
Seeing that Tomoki's focus was completely off the point, Jiraiya knew that Tomoki hadn't misunderstood, but simply didn't want to answer.
Jiraiya, believing he had found the reason, immediately began to act recalcitrant.
"Don't call me commander. If I had known beforehand that it was to start a war, I would never have accepted. I am now resigning from the position of commander."
Tomoki, however, responded calmly.
"Jiraiya, whether you admit it or not, you are already the commander. Don't forget the agreement you signed, and this isn't starting a war; this is maintaining peace!"
"I have found the cause of the Ninja's demise in the Great Toad Sage's prophecy. The war triggered by the existence of the Shinobi Alliance will not end in the Land of Earth; it will eventually engulf all Ninja until Ninja completely disappear!"
Jiraiya declared his conjecture with conviction, adding at the end,
"I will stop all of this! Ninja should not perish because of ambitious people like you!"
Tomoki shook his head slightly, smiling as he said,
"No, you can't stop it. If you're unwilling to serve as commander, you won't even leave this room, and the operation to save the Land of Earth will still proceed, under the leadership of Commander Jiraiya!"
"Fifth Generation! You..."
Jiraiya wanted to take action, but found that not only could he not channel Chakra, but his body also became incredibly heavy.
Meanwhile, within the office, the intricate sealing jutsu covering all space glowed.
"Jiraiya, if you truly believe the Shinobi Alliance is the cause of the Ninja's disappearance, then you should even more so take on this commander role to prevent the future you speak of from happening, instead of abandoning your responsibilities here!"
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right nobut who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/TripleCrown
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"