chapter 80 part 6
Not getting involved wasn't an option. Getting involved and helping Danzo kill Jiraiya? Wouldn't that still draw the attention of the Hidden Leaf Village in the end? "Lord Hanzo, you should be well aware of how much credibility the words of the Shadow of the Leaf have, but I am different; I will keep my word. You just need to help me block Danzo, and I will immediately take my disciples and leave this country." Jiraiya seized the opportunity to speak.
Hanzo fell silent. A few more seconds passed, and he sighed, "Alright then, I apologize... Jiraiya!"
He drew his scythe and swung it towards Jiraiya's location.
"Hanzo, you're insane!"
"Yes, I'm insane. Perhaps I shouldn't have gotten involved in this mess. I should have just let you outsiders fight to the death in my country. Then there would be no trouble now."
Hanzo said: "You're right, the words of the Shadow of the Leaf aren't necessarily trustworthy. But the Shadow of the Leaf genuinely has the ability to attack the Land of Rain with a Ninja army and would truly do such a thing. But you don't."
"Danzo isn't the Hokage! My teacher is!"
"Danzo can get things done first and then get the Hokage's approval. Can you?"
"What kind of twisted logic is that?!"
Hearing this, Jiraiya knew there was no more reasoning to be done. His heart was filled with even more helplessness. Who would have thought that the way to make a top-tier powerhouse like Hanzo bow down was an extremely low moral bottom line, and having an excellent relationship with the Hokage?
Indeed, Jiraiya once again genuinely felt that he was not suited to be the Fourth Hokage. Politics was truly troublesome. Getting along well with the top leader was actually more important than justice, stance, or ability? Danzo, with just a few words, blackmailed a powerful Ninja of Hanzo's caliber. Jiraiya didn't even know what to say.
"Nagato, Yahiko, Konan, I'll create an opportunity for you to escape in a bit. Not only is staying here a dead end for you, but you'll also become a burden to me." Jiraiya said slowly, his back to the three of them.
"Teacher..."
The three of them knew Jiraiya intended to fight to the death to hold off these enemies and buy them time to escape.
Immediately, tears welled up. They hated their own weakness, and even more, hated themselves for bringing such great trouble to Teacher Jiraiya! Konan said tremblingly: "Teacher, facing so many enemies, will you... in the end...? How can we abandon you and escape? Even if we die, we'll die together—"
"No, Konan. I'm the Toad Sage. These guys won't be able to finish me off. It's still uncertain who will kill whom." Jiraiya tilted his head, smiling through the heavy rain.
"...Understood, Teacher. Nagato, Konan, remember to stick close to me later. We must find a way to survive." Yahiko was the first to make up his mind. In their current desperate situation, there truly wasn't a better option. If sacrifices had to be made, everyone but Nagato could be sacrificed.
"Ohohohoho!! Now is Lord Jiraiya's glorious moment to display his divine power! Be it the Shadow of the Leaf or a Demigod, all shall fall at my feet! Too bad there aren't enough spectators to witness this scene."
Jiraiya stood on a Toad, tossing his hair and striking a pose.
Everyone watched him. No one spoke. The atmosphere was incredibly heavy and sorrowful. Yahiko and the other two felt utterly heartbroken, their hearts feeling as if they would split.
"In that case, I definitely want to try using that Summoning Jutsu... What exactly will it summon?"
Nagato hadn't spoken until now, but under everyone's gaze, he resolutely began forming Hand Kaedegns.
His actions drew everyone's attention.
Jiraiya asked, puzzled: "Nagato, what are you doing...?"
"Teacher, I want to try. If it succeeds, it will surely turn this situation around. I must believe in my own eyes, and also believe in the power these eyes have granted me." Nagato said loudly.
"Interesting. Could it be the Rinnegan's Dojutsu?"
"But judging by the Hand Kaedegns, is it a Summoning Jutsu? What connection does Rinnegan Dojutsu have with Summoning Jutsu?"
Danzo and Hanzo were also watching closely.
Finally, just as Nagato was about to perform the Jutsu.
Bang! A dark figure suddenly shot out from underground. The violent action caused its already heavily decayed body to further fragment. As it fell, the person formed Hand Kaedegns with its last remaining hand.
Immediately after, this heavily damaged figure instantly vanished.
A figure wearing a Hokage Robe suddenly appeared in its place. His wide robes slowly settled. He stretched out a hand and firmly grasped Nagato's hands, which were forming Hand Kaedegns, stopping Nagato from performing the Jutsu.
"It's not time to use that Jutsu yet, Nagato... I can call you that, right? It's not a desperate situation yet. And you currently have no way to control that Jutsu, do you? If you forcefully use it, you might face a result even more despairing than death."
Nagato stared at the person before him, stunned. He asked bewildered, "Who... are you?"
"Me? Hmm, how should I explain it? Let's just say I sensed something interesting happening here, so I specifically came over."
Tsukasa Kaede looked at everyone present: "It's just that I didn't expect it to be even livelier than I anticipated here."
(end of chapter)