"With this, the capture is complete."
Hakushi looked at the purple cubic barrier surrounding him, his face contemplative, then his gaze shifted to Jiraiya, who wore a confident smile.
"So that's it, planning to use this method? It seems a bit more troublesome than I imagined, wanting to break this barrier."
After saying this, Hakushi looked up at the sky.
A meteor shot into the sky and exploded, the sound of the explosion spreading far away.
Hakushi knew it was the signal flare used to assemble personnel.
At this rate, the Hidden Sand's main force would soon be arriving.
"Long time no see, kid Hakushi. How's this way of greeting? Isn't there a sense of unexpected surprise?"
Jiraiya spread his hands at this time, teasingly asking Hakushi's thoughts.
"To be regarded so highly by Lord Jiraiya, I feel somewhat flattered. How should I put it, if Lord Jiraiya wants me to show a surprised expression at this moment, that's possible too."
Hakushi wore a faint smile and gave a fair assessment.
As if he already knew how the script would play out, thinking carefully, it wasn't something worth being shocked about.
"Is that so? You wouldn't have said something like that in the past."
Jiraiya's smile faded as he recalled something.
"Don't act like you know me well, Lord Jiraiya. Saying things like that makes you seem quite arrogant. Even Sakumo-sensei only understood a fraction of me."
Hakushi closed his eyes and gently sighed.
"What, you don't like listening to the teachings of your elders? But as it stands now, it seems you have no retreat. So, how about it, if you surrender, we're willing to accept you."
Jiraiya said with a smile.
"I'm afraid not, Lord Jiraiya, I have no such intention."
Hakushi reopened his eyes and said to Jiraiya.
"That's truly a pity."
"A pity? Indeed a bit of a pity, because I don't like things going beyond the plan. I just want to ask, does Konoha really intend to intervene in the Land of Wind's battlefield?"
Jiraiya was slightly silent, clearly acknowledging this outcome.
Seeing Jiraiya acknowledge it, Hakushi continued:
"It seems peaceful negotiation is impossible. In that case, I have no choice but to regard you as enemies to be eliminated."
Hakushi said regretfully.
"Having attempted to assassinate the Fourth Hokage twice, you really dare speak so boastfully here. On what basis do you assume that Konoha wouldn't join this battlefield and choose to let you go? Konoha will not make any compromises with Renegade Ninja."
Before Jiraiya could speak, Sarutobi Ryu had already snorted coldly.
The sacrifice of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato during the Kyuubi Rampage, had always been a hidden pain for Konoha.
Now, letting the mastermind behind the plot against the Fourth Hokage go is simply impossible for Konoha at this moment.
Moreover, with Konoha having the advantage now, it's even more impossible to let it go.
"Is that so? It seems words are useless, then let's prove our respective paths are correct with our own strength."
Hakushi had already anticipated that Konoha wouldn't drop their actions because of his words, yet he still held a sliver of hope in his heart that these Konoha Ninja might let go, not participate in this battle.
No matter what, blood dyed with 'colleague' is something perhaps he couldn't quite bear in his heart.
But since they are the enemies, he can only mercilessly eliminate them here.
After saying this, Sarutobi Ryu and Sarutobi Linko stepped forward, ready to act, but Jiraiya reached out to stop them, looking at Hakushi seriously and asked, "Before the war begins, I want to ask you one question."
"A question? Is it about the reason for defecting? There probably isn't a need for negotiation on this matter."
"No, the question I want to ask is unrelated. I want to know your reason for starting this war."
"To seek justice from the Land of Wind, that's the answer."
Hakushi gave a light smile and directly answered.
"That's not right. If it's merely to seek so-called repayment, it could be solved through peaceful diplomacy, it's not to the point of necessitating war. You must have a bigger scheme."
"That's just your wishful thinking, Lord Jiraiya. The Land of Wind acted first, and it was the Land of Demons forced to retaliate. Regardless of the complex reasons behind it, these are the facts."
"We all understand the facts; there's no need to hoodwink outsiders here. Dragging a Neutral Country into the quagmire of war for one's own selfish desires cannot be called an act of justice."
Jiraiya's tone was already filled with solemnity.
Because he understood the cruelty of war, he would try everything to prevent the continuation of war.
What Hakushi was doing would only drag the Neutral Country, the Land of Demons, deeply into the quagmire of war, irretrievably, causing countless innocent civilians to lose their families, to be torn apart.
He believed that Hakushi, once a member of the Konoha Ninja, was one of those who should most understand the bitterness of war because Hakushi must have seen the suffering and misfortune of those who lost their homes in the past.
They, as ninja, should logically prevent such things from happening, sever such chains of evil, rather than inciting from the background, igniting fires of war everywhere.
"What of it?"
Hakushi replied.