Hokage Building.
When Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado arrived again and gazed at this core structure of Konoha, they couldn't help but sense a whiff of decay.
However,
once the two reached the Hokage Office and saw the unconscious Hiruzen Sarutobi, as well as the elders of the Sarutobi and Shimura clans present, their brows knitted instinctively.
"Where's the Hokage?"
"Where the hell did that guy Jiraiya go?"
Utatane Koharu asked with a frown.
Yet no one in the room knew how to answer.
Finally,
it was Asuma who shook his head. "After we got to the Hokage Building, we never saw Jiraiya again; nobody knows where he went."
"Have you looked?" Homura Mitokado asked.
Asuma nodded. "Men were sent, but he hasn't been found."
Utatane Koharu was taken aback. "You mean Jiraiya ran off?"
"Hard to say," Homura Mitokado sighed. "Jiraiya isn't like us."
"He may not surrender to New Konoha, but besides loyalty to the Village, he's also loyal to Mount Myōboku."
"That fool's been duped by the toads; he's made chasing the Savior his life's creed. Once he sensed the Village couldn't be saved, he probably decided to keep himself alive and keep scouring the world for the Savior."
His tone was calm, without anger or rancor.
Clearly,
with the Village in its current state, Jiraiya's staying would have made little difference.
So, whatever.
After all, those who held power in the Village had already lost hope in it.
Hadn't they?
Utatane Koharu also sighed at his words.
Finally,
she turned to the unconscious Hiruzen, then began stimulating his brain with professional technique until he snapped awake.
"Koharu, Homura, Asuma!"
"Why are you all here? Where's Jiraiya?"
"Could he have…"
Still groggy, Hiruzen hadn't grasped the gravity of the situation.
In fact, he thought his scheme had worked; the thought that Jiraiya would bear the guilt while he himself had lost a pawn even stirred a flicker of remorse.
But, sadly,
Utatane Koharu shattered his illusion: "Jiraiya's gone—probably fled."
"And the Village is finished: all civilians have fled. Only our four Ninja Clans remain, and outside the Village the New Konoha army has us surrounded and sealed off…"
"Do you have any last card in hand?"
"If you do, play it now, or we're all dead!"
Gasp!
Her words left Hiruzen dumbstruck.
What?
What did you say?
His mind went blank; he rushed to the window, and his heart sank.
Around the Hokage Building stood Ninjas of the four clans, elders and children alike.
Farther out, everything was dead silent.
Ruins lay everywhere; he couldn't spot a single civilian.
Why?
How did it come to this?
Where was Jiraiya?
Hadn't he sacrificed himself for the Village?
What—had—happened?
Countless questions tangled in his mind; his face turned ever paler.
Jiraiya… He recalled their last talk before he'd blacked out.
The Savior—damn it!
That bastard thought hunting the Savior mattered more than saving the Village?
Regret suddenly seized him.
Had he known how heavily the Savior quest weighed on Jiraiya, he'd never have feigned that collapse.
But it was too late.
Who could've guessed the fool would cling so stubbornly to Mount Myōboku?
What now?
Any ace left?
None.
He had considered Edo Tensei, but the jutsu was incomplete; Senju Tobirama had never finished it. Even if he summoned the First and Second, they couldn't stand against New Konoha.
Beg the two former Hokage to plead with Tsunade for mercy?
But the problem was,
Tsunade was only one of New Konoha's leaders; unless Uchiha Jin agreed, it meant nothing.
As he racked his brain, a snake slithered through the doorway.
With a puff of smoke, Orochimaru appeared.
"Orochimaru?"
Everyone in the room started.
Yet
Orochimaru merely smiled, contempt in his eyes.
Finally,
he looked at his teacher—Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Taking in the stooped, aged figure, he spoke at last.
"How ugly, sensei."
"I told you long ago: you old men are the Village's burden."
"You should let go and hand power to the next generation; only when the wind moves can the Village's windmill turn."
"But, alas!"
"Power blinded you, and you let every chance slip."
"Tell me, are you sorry now?"
Orochimaru's voice was soft.
Though self-taught, he had pinpointed the Village's fatal flaw.
Only when the old fully relinquished authority and let the new rise could the Village's strata flow.
But, sadly,
these elders clung to power, hounding one prodigy after another to death.
And now?
They kept their grip, yet the Village was ruined.
At that,
Hiruzen, seeing his student's intent, told everyone, "Leave us; I need to speak with Orochimaru alone."
The others objected.
Asuma even stepped between them. "Orochimaru, you—"
"Asuma, out," Hiruzen cut him off.
"Father, you…" Asuma stared.
"Trust me. Go."
Meanwhile,
Utatane Koharu and Homura Mitokado read the situation at once.
Orochimaru… was likely no foe.
Hope flared; they ushered Asuma and the rest out.
Soon
the Hokage Office fell silent once more.