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Land of Waves.
Past the bridge and through the trees lay the country's largest island.
As they walked, more and more homes came into view.
On the island itself, the crowds thickened, the streets bustling with life.
Up ahead, the noisy chatter of a lively tavern spilled out onto the street, followed by bursts of cheerful laughter.
Inside were not only samurai, but plenty of ordinary folks as well.
And in every other entertainment spot along the street, customers packed the place. Jiraiya's eyes practically bulged—he almost forgot how to walk.
The Land of Waves in this era really was nothing like the future.
Which made sense.
Right now, Wave hadn't been completely strangled by Gato's monopoly on sea trade. Ships still came and went freely, docking here to rest.
And sailors, once ashore, naturally spent money like water.
This kind of prosperity wasn't strange at all. But once Gato took over the entire shipping business, the country's wealth would be sucked dry in an instant.
Leo couldn't help thinking.
Was the Land of Waves profitable?
Not for himself, of course.
The country looked peaceful on the surface, but the waters beneath were churning. Every faction had its own hand in the shadows. For a low-ranking genin like him to profit from that would be nearly impossible.
However…
As the owner of the "Hokage System," if he could somehow link Konoha's interests with the Land of Waves, maybe he could earn a reward from it.
He thought through it several times, then glanced at Jiraiya.
If he wanted to change the village's general direction, he obviously couldn't do it alone—he'd have to work through Jiraiya.
But…
No rush yet.
Inside the building, a still-young Gato greeted them with a smile.
But the moment he saw Kisame and the other Mist ninja behind Jiraiya, his expression froze. The smile stiffened instantly.
"These two are…?"
Gato pointed at Kisame and his companion.
Matsuyama Ichirō sneered inside.
Still pretending?
"They're Mist-nin. Tried to ambush us on the way here. If not for Lord Jiraiya, I might not be standing here at all."
Ichirō spoke with a cold edge, practically accusing him on the spot.
Gato's gaze flicked toward Jiraiya, and his eyelid twitched.
J-Jiraiya?
He didn't mishear, right?
One of the Legendary Sannin—he'd never seen him in person, but sailors talked about him plenty.
What kind of pull did Matsuyama Ichirō have to hire one of the Sannin?
No wonder the Mist ninja failed.
This… could Konoha be interested in the Land of Waves too?
Gato's heart started pounding.
"A-are you Jiraiya?"
"Yeah."
Jiraiya nodded.
His impression of Gato wasn't great.
The man's reaction just confirmed it—those Mist ninja definitely had something to do with him.
This guy's business wasn't clean.
Matsuyama Ichirō's expression darkened.
"Gato, don't tell me these people were yours."
"How could they be? I, Gato, always do business with integrity. This must be sabotage from a rival!" Gato cried out dramatically. No way he'd admit it.
Ichirō snorted."You'd better hope so. The Matsuyama clan might be small, but if something like this really happened, you wouldn't get a speck of benefit out of it."
"Yes, yes of course! I'd never do such a thing!"
Gato swore repeatedly.
Still…
His eyes kept darting to Jiraiya, Leo, Kakashi, and Kurenai.
Three kids.
Didn't look like Konoha involvement—more like Jiraiya personally took the Matsuyama contract.
He breathed a little easier.
Even so, he didn't dare push his luck. From that moment on, every part of Ichirō's transaction went unbelievably smoothly.
"Lord Jiraiya, thank you for everything."
Once they left Gato's place, Ichirō finally exhaled in relief.
Without Jiraiya, he'd likely have died on the road, or even if he reached Gato, the deal would never have gone so smoothly.
And on top of that—
"That man is crazy. Gato's not here to do business at all," Ichirō muttered angrily.
Jiraiya didn't respond.
He understood what Ichirō actually wanted: he was hoping Jiraiya would wipe out Gato's entire operation.
But even Jiraiya was lost these days.
Peace, war…
Conflicting ideas tangled in his head, and none of the answers satisfied him.
Like with the Land of Waves.
If Konoha intervened, would that spark new conflict? Would Wave end up destroyed—just like Uzushio years ago?
"So, Mr. Matsuyama, now that you've finished trading with Gato, are you heading back or do you have other deals?" Leo asked, seeing Jiraiya getting lost in his thoughts.
The mission was still the priority.
"I've still got a few trades left. Please continue protecting me—I'll increase the payment according to the difficulty."
"That's fine," Jiraiya nodded.
By evening, thanks to Matsuyama Ichirō's wealth, they were staying in the most luxurious inn in the Land of Waves.
Built on the hillside, the view overlooked the entire island.
Jiraiya stood on the balcony, staring into the wind, when a voice suddenly spoke beside him.
"Sensei, are you thinking about Wave and Gato?"
"Hm?"
Jiraiya turned.
Leo.
Sitting at the edge of the rooftop, Leo seemed deep in thought himself.
After a moment, Jiraiya spoke honestly.
"The Land of Waves looks prosperous, but under all that shine is an undercurrent most people never see. Mr. Matsuyama keeps hoping we'll intervene, but all I can think is—would our intervention help or make things worse?"
"You're afraid stepping in will start another war?"
Leo understood immediately.
Right now, Wave hadn't erupted into conflict. Every faction was holding back, maintaining a fragile sort of peace.
If Konoha interfered, it could easily ignite something bigger.
Jiraiya nodded, sighing.
"Yeah. The shinobi world is in a delicate balance right now—that's the only reason peace exists at all. Any spark can change everything."
But a few seconds later, he gave a helpless laugh.
He'd gotten so caught up in the conversation, he'd forgotten the kid beside him wasn't even eight.
Talking about these things with a child…
No matter how smart Leo was, how much could he really grasp?
Jiraiya patted his shoulder, about to change the topic, when Leo suddenly said:
"I don't think Gato's a good person."
"…Huh?"
Jiraiya blinked.
Where did that come from?
He stared at Leo, then couldn't help laughing.
Right. Kids judge based on who they like or dislike—not on political interest.
Jiraiya smiled. "You're right. Gato's not a good person. But this is the Land of Waves' internal problem."
"But the Land of Water and the Mist Village are getting involved," Leo said, voice childlike but firm. "I don't understand your whole 'balance and conflict' thing, but I do know this: the more the enemy wants something, the less we should let them get it."
Jiraiya froze.
Enemy?
"In your eyes, the Mist Village is the enemy?"
"Isn't it? Even if we want peace, they clearly don't. If we're the only ones putting in the effort, they won't appreciate it—they'll just think we're weak and easy to bully."
Jiraiya stared at him.
The kid's idea of peace was… very different.
Peace had to be mutual.
And yet…
Jiraiya found himself unable to refute him.
He thought for a long time.
"I don't know."
"What?"
Leo blinked.
"I might be your teacher," Jiraiya said quietly, "but even I'm still searching—trying to figure out what peace and war really mean, and how to move forward."
"Sensei, the peace of the whole shinobi world rests on people like you. You've gotta step up."
Leo said it with absolute seriousness.
Jiraiya almost cracked up.
He ruffled the boy's hair, smiling brightly.
"Our generation may never find the answer. Peace will depend on your generation's efforts."
The two joked back and forth for a moment.
Then Leo said, "Sensei, let's talk about Gato again."
"I'm planning to investigate what he's actually trying to do, and then decide our next move," Jiraiya said, expression turning serious.
"I'll send shadow clones to watch him. Since we captured those Mist ninja, we don't know how their village will react. You all need to stay alert."
"Yes, sir!"
Leo stood up.
Then he added, "I'm going to talk to Kakashi. He seems troubled about something."
"With you around, I can finally free up some time," Jiraiya said with a big laugh.
Leo rolled his eyes. "Just don't use that free time to 'gather intel' in the entertainment district."
"Ahem—places like that are where information flows fastest! And hey, you're only seven or eight—how do you even know about that stuff?"
Jiraiya shot back, "You're no innocent kid either!"
The rooftop filled with bickering voices as the sun went down.
"....."