After leaving the Hokage Building, Tsunade and Jiraiya went their separate ways for the time being. Tsunade headed toward the Senju compound.
The brutal ninja wars had drastically reduced the Senju clan's numbers, and they had long since lost the title of the "Forest of Senju." But they hadn't disappeared—far from it. They had merged into Konoha's system, holding key positions in the Ninja Academy and the hospital.
Once the Third Hokage and Danzo were brought down, these people would be essential to stabilizing the village.
As for rallying the ninja clans and gaining support from both clans and civilian shinobi—that was Jiraiya's responsibility. With the reputation he'd built over the years, it wasn't exactly a difficult task.
After thinking it over, Jiraiya headed straight for the Hyuga clan.
At the main house, Hyuga Hiashi personally received him, greeting him with full courtesy. Even though the Hyuga were a prestigious clan, they still fell short compared to one of the Sannin—whether in power or individual strength.
After some polite exchanges, Hiashi asked,
"Jiraiya-sama, what brings you here today? Is there something important from the Third Hokage? The Hyuga clan will fully support any decision from the Hokage."
Jiraiya waved his hand casually.
"The old man didn't send me. I'm the one who needs your help."
Hiashi frowned slightly, confused.
Jiraiya didn't bother beating around the bush.
"Tsunade and I are planning a coup. We're going to take down Danzo, remove the old man from power… and one of us will become the Fifth Hokage."
"???"
Hiashi's expression froze. He instinctively activated his Byakugan, staring at Jiraiya as if trying to confirm he wasn't under some kind of genjutsu.
"…Jiraiya-sama, is this a joke? You and Tsunade-sama don't need a coup to become Hokage."
Jiraiya shook his head, his tone serious.
"Becoming Hokage isn't the main point. I want to uproot Danzo completely. I'm not interested in being a puppet Hokage. That's why this has to be done properly."
Hiashi stared at him, momentarily at a loss for words.
The Uchiha incident had only happened a few years ago. Back then, it was a clan versus the village. Now… it was the Hokage's own faction tearing itself apart.
Was the Hokage seat really that important?
Sensing what Hiashi was thinking, Jiraiya spoke solemnly:
"This isn't about power. It's about the future of the village. You may not be fully aware of the current situation in the ninja world."
"Besides the Five Great Nations, there are now two emerging forces that could threaten the balance. They're undergoing radical reforms. If Konoha falls behind… in a few decades, it might not even be able to hold onto the Land of Fire."
Hiashi's expression turned serious.
He knew about the Land of Waves being annexed, but Uzushiogakure was supposed to be an ally of Konoha. Could it really become a threat? And besides Uzushio… what was the other force?
Still, even if such threats existed, that was something the Hokage should worry about—not him.
Frankly, his own family was already enough of a headache.
Hinata trained like she was possessed, pushing herself to the brink every day. Hanabi kept talking about reforming the clan's main and branch family system once she took over. And Neji… if it weren't for the Caged Bird Seal, Hiashi might've adopted him outright.
Letting out a quiet sigh, Hiashi refocused and said:
"Jiraiya-sama, the Hyuga clan will not support your plan… but we also won't support the Third Hokage. Our loyalty lies with Konoha itself."
Simple and clear.
The Hyuga wanted no part in a master–student power struggle.
Jiraiya nodded, satisfied. Neutrality was already a huge help.
Then he seemed to remember something and asked,
"By the way… how's Hinata doing?"
Hiashi blinked, slightly surprised.
"I didn't expect Jiraiya-sama to remember her name. Hinata has been training… intensely. Her strength is improving quickly, but I'm worried about her mental state. It might be because she hasn't seen Naruto in a long time."
At the mention of Naruto, Jiraiya couldn't help recalling the way Naruto interacted with Karin.
And suddenly… he felt a little annoyed.
Why the hell was that brat so popular with girls, just like his father? Meanwhile, he, the great Jiraiya-sama, was still single and couldn't even win over Tsunade.
Life really wasn't fair.
After a moment, Jiraiya said,
"I know about Naruto. He's doing well. Tell Hinata not to worry… they'll probably meet again someday."
Hiashi nodded. At least now he had something to tell his daughter.
Still… from Jiraiya's tone, Naruto clearly wasn't in the ANBU or the Academy.
Then where was he?
…He hadn't defected, right?
After leaving the Hyuga compound, Jiraiya continued visiting other clans, meeting with the heads of Konoha's major families.
He deliberately chose to visit them during the day.
In a village crawling with surveillance, secrecy was pointless. Even if he tried to be discreet, word would get out. Better to be open about it and force the clan leaders to take a stance.
And as it turned out, most of them chose neutrality.
They didn't want to get dragged into the Hokage faction's internal conflict. Some even suspected this might be a test from the Third Hokage—after all, why would his own disciple suddenly launch a coup?
Still, from their tone, Jiraiya could tell one thing clearly:
The Third Hokage wasn't exactly popular.
No one denied his past contributions. But an old man clinging to power despite declining ability? That rubbed people the wrong way.
Late at night, Jiraiya shook off the ANBU surveillance and slipped into the Hatake residence.
Kakashi was calmly eating a bowl of eggplant rice with grilled saury. Hearing the noise behind him, he turned his head slightly.
"Jiraiya-sama… looks like your trip was successful. You even brought Tsunade-sama back."
Jiraiya puffed up proudly.
"Of course. I'm a legendary hero—it's easy for me to bring someone back."
Then he leaned in slightly and said,
"So, how's the evidence collection going? Tsunade plans to use it to convince the elders and take down Shimura Danzo."
Kakashi set his chopsticks down.
"The evidence has been ready for a while…"
He paused, then looked at Jiraiya seriously.
"But… are you and Tsunade-sama really prepared?"
"It won't be that easy to capture Hokage-sama and Danzo. When they resist… it'll be far more intense than you're imagining."
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