Twenty-Five Days Later
Hokage Office
"Old man, I'm back."
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been working through a pile of documents, paused. The window behind him suddenly opened, and a white-haired man entered, striking what he believed to be a cool pose.
"Jiraiya… you're BACK.
It's good to be back, it's good to be back."
Jiraiya looked at Hiruzen and sighed. The Hokage appeared even older than before, as if he had lost the last traces of his vitality and was merely enduring the days.
"Hahaha, what could possibly happen to this Toad Sage Jiraiya? Old man, you've managed to calm down the protests, huh? You may look old, but you still have what that brat called… right, YOUTH."
Jiraiya tried to lighten the atmosphere. And it was indeed true—the protests in Konoha had subsided. Though the village felt quieter than before, Jiraiya understood that nothing was permanent. There were always highs and lows, even for a village.
"Sigh. I've only suppressed them. The root of the problem remains unsolved. Those matters will fall to the next Hokage. Tell me about your situation—and about Tsunade."
At the mention of her name, Jiraiya's expression grew serious as he took a seat opposite Hiruzen.
"Two months ago, as you know, I met Tsunade at Tanzaku Street. But our conversation didn't go well because of a brat who interfered.
After Tsunade left, I traced that brat and tried to gather information. But, he was quite strong—I wasn't confident I could defeat him—so I let it go.
While I was gathering Sage chakra, Tsunade had already begun fighting him. Then he used despicable means—he injured himself to show Tsunade blood who later became paralysed.
After that, he used the Uzumaki Clan's Adamantine Sealing Chains to capture her. I rushed forward to save Tsunade, but in the middle of my run, the moment I blinked— both Tsunade and that brat had disappeared.
When I questioned the people nearby, I learned that two months had passed in what felt like an instant.
Afterward, I went to Mount Myoboku to examine myself. I'm completely unchanged.
It might be some kind of new space-time ninjutsu."
Hiruzen fell silent.
Until now, he had suspected that Itachi Uchiha was involved. But hearing that the Uzumaki Clan's Adamantine Sealing Chains had been used, he realized his earlier assumption had likely been wrong.
" Jiraiya let's leave these matters for the future. Now you have to become the next Hokage. Tsunade has also refused and she has even left the Land of Fire and we don't know where she is hiding. "
"Old man, absolutely not.
I've already said this before—I'm not suitable to become Hokage."
"Jiraiya!!!
If you refuse, and Tsunade refuses, then who will become the next Hokage? The Uchiha?"
At that, Jiraiya fell silent.
If someone had asked him that question a few years ago, he wouldn't have minded. To him, the Uchiha were no different from the other ninja clans—each devoted to Konoha in their own way.
But after recent incidents, his view had changed.
The release of classified documents, the exposure of village secrets to outsiders—regardless of the intent behind it, the method had crossed a line.
Jiraiya understood that the Uchiha might have sought to expose corruption. But Konoha had laws.
If corruption was discovered, the proper procedure was clear—submit the evidence to the Hokage and the Elders' Council. After their approval, convene a Jōnin assembly. Then invite the Daimyō. Only after the final deliberation would a decision be made.
By ignoring this process, the Uchiha had shown disregard for Konoha's legal structure.
And that made them unfit to lead it.
"Old man… have you realized your mistake?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked confused at the sudden question but slowly nodded.
Seeing that, Jiraiya smiled faintly.
"Then it's settled. You remain Hokage. During this time, smooth things over with the Daimyō. At the end of the year, explain the situation—that there are currently no suitable successors.
Request a few more years until Kakashi's generation fully matures. Then you can retire properly."
Hiruzen closed his eyes to think. Anyone close enough could sense the subtle increase in his heartbeat.
The current Hiruzen Sarutobi was like a high school student who had failed an important exam. After seeing the poor results, he would regret his negligence, blame himself, and vow to work harder next time—only to stumble again despite those promises.
Now, standing at yet another turning point, he had been given one more chance. And once again, he was making the same silent oath—to truly correct his mistakes and do better this time.
"Jiraiya," Hiruzen Sarutobi said slowly, "this time, I will correct my mistakes. Before the next Hokage takes the seat, I will ensure that Konoha becomes prosperous once again."
"That's the spirit, old man.
I trust you.
Now that we've reached a solution, I'll take my leave."
"Jiraiya, the village is only temporarily stable. The Uchiha clan is still causing trouble. You cannot leave until this matter is resolved."
"Sorry, old man, but I still have to go. The Kumogakure has increased its movements near the Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Hot Water. I need to investigate. If we ignore it now, we may suffer losses later."
Hiruzen sighed. He knew Jiraiya was right. And at the very least, in the past few months, the Uchiha clan had not taken any drastic action while Jiraiya was away.
"Come back soon."
Jiraiya gave no reply. He simply leapt out of the window once again.
Watching him go, Hiruzen smiled faintly. Even in such tense times, Jiraiya still insisted on leaving through the window.
"Kakashi… Asuma… grow up quickly."
With that, Hiruzen returned to the mountain of documents on his desk.
---
Three Days Later
Konoha Street
"Big brother, can you teach me your new jutsu?"
Sasuke held his brother's hand, looking up at him with anticipation.
Itachi smiled faintly and shook his head.
"Sasuke, that's an S-rank technique. You can't learn it yet. You'll need sufficient chakra, advanced knowledge of Fūinjutsu, and a high level of chakra shape transformation to even begin practicing it.
How about this—I'll teach it to you on your twelfth birthday."
Instead of disappointment, Sasuke's eyes shone even brighter. If he couldn't learn it yet, then the jutsu his brother had created must be even more powerful than he had imagined.
" Okay, that's what you have promised.
Then hurry up, big brother. Big Brother Shisui is still waiting for us."
"Alright, alright. I'm coming."
The two brothers continued down the street together.
---
Death Forest — Secluded Area
CRUNCH CRUNCH
Itachi moved swiftly from tree to tree with Sasuke on his shoulders. Despite carrying Sasuke, his speed did not seem hindered in the slightest.
A few minutes later, Itachi arrived at their designated spot—only to find more people present than expected.
SWOOSH
He landed lightly and saw that, besides Shisui Uchiha, the others present included his father, several clan elders, and elite jōnin of the Uchiha clan.
"Itachi, Shisui mentioned that the two of you would be sparring today, so we elders decided to join in the fun. Are we troubling you?"
For a brief moment, Itachi considered refusing, just to see their reactions. But as a dutiful grandson, he dismissed the thought.
Besides, this might also be beneficial. If they witnessed his strength firsthand, it would strengthen the clan's confidence in him—and perhaps their unity as well. Maybe Shisui had invited them for this very reason.
"No, Grandfather. Not at all. We would appreciate your guidance. Please point out our mistakes."
Setsuna smiled in satisfaction.
As expected of my grandson.
"Itachi," Shisui asked with a confident smile, "do you want to rest for a while, or shall we begin?"
"There's no need to rest, Brother Shisui. Let's start."
The next moment, Itachi and Shisui stepped away from each other. The others cleared a wide space for the spar.
Sasuke moved to stand beside Fugaku Uchiha and the elders, watching the anticipated battle with shining eyes.
And in a hidden corner another person looked at the distance with anticipation and some mysterious feeling.
---