"The evidence has already been collected… but are you and Tsunade-sama really ready?"
Kakashi looked at Jiraiya seriously.
"The Third Hokage and Danzo are both veterans of ANBU. Behind them stand the Sarutobi clan and the Ino–Shika–Cho alliance."
He wasn't just doubting for the sake of it—he knew what he was talking about.
Having served in ANBU himself, Kakashi understood just how terrifying that organization was. Officially, ANBU only had sixty-four members, but if you included reserves and support personnel, the number easily climbed into the hundreds.
Jiraiya might have dealt with ANBU before, but he didn't fully grasp just how deep that system ran.
This wasn't a small force—it was larger than most ninja clans. Only the Uchiha clan, at its peak, could compare.
And more importantly, both ANBU and Root were firmly under the control of the Hokage and Danzo. No one else could command them—not even during Minato-sensei's time as Hokage. Back then, the Third Hokage and Danzo still held influence over those forces.
After a moment of silence, Jiraiya glanced toward the Hokage Tower.
It wasn't like he hadn't considered all this.
But infiltrating ANBU and Root slowly? That wasn't an option.
Civil war was taboo in the village—the longer it dragged on, the worse the damage. If they were going to do this, it had to be fast and decisive.
Seeing Jiraiya's resolve, Kakashi let out a quiet sigh.
"…Jiraiya-sama, then I wish you and Tsunade-sama success."
"Let the winds of change sweep through Konoha as soon as possible."
With that, he handed over the prepared scroll.
Jiraiya took it, hesitated for a brief moment as he looked at Kakashi… then turned and left the Hatake residence.
...
The next morning, Konoha looked as peaceful as ever.
But beneath that calm surface, everything had already begun to move.
After gathering their old allies and trusted subordinates, Jiraiya and Tsunade led their forces under the banner of "purging the corrupt and protecting the village." Together, they surrounded the Hokage Tower and the ANBU headquarters.
When the guard at the entrance saw Jiraiya, he greeted him as usual.
"Jiraiya-sama, you're—"
Before he could finish, Jiraiya gave a subtle signal.
Two chunin appeared behind the guard and instantly restrained him.
The guard struggled, completely confused.
"Jiraiya-sama! I've been doing my job honestly! At most I accepted a few gifts—I've never betrayed Lord Hokage!"
Yeah… I'm the one betraying him today.
Jiraiya said nothing.
He simply led his forces to cut off all communication between the Hokage Tower and the outside world, then headed inside alone.
From the first floor to the Hokage's office on the third floor—it was only a short distance.
A few steps, normally.
But today… each step felt unbearably heavy.
Jiraiya had seen Konoha's problems years ago, but he had always avoided them—burying himself in missions, pretending not to notice.
Now, he had no choice.
He had to face everything head-on.
Even if it meant tearing the village apart to rebuild it.
Finally, he reached the office.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open.
Inside, the Third Hokage sat calmly, wearing a slightly faded robe.
As a veteran Kage-level ninja, he had already sensed everything outside—the encirclement, the tension… and the fact that the ones leading the coup were his own students.
He looked at Jiraiya and spoke gently.
"You're finally here."
"Since you've come this far… why don't we sit down and talk properly, as master and disciple?"
Jiraiya didn't refuse.
He sat down across from him, as if nothing had changed.
As if they weren't standing on opposite sides of a coup.
"Jiraiya… why go this far?" the Third Hokage asked.
"And you even dragged Tsunade into it."
"With your reputation, either of you could become the Fifth Hokage through a proper election. There's no need for war—no need to make the entire village a joke."
Jiraiya stared at him quietly.
"…You already know the reason, sensei."
The Third Hokage sighed.
"Is this about Danzo?"
"Every village has someone like him. Yes, he's ruthless… but he does the things the Hokage cannot."
"If you want to push policies that benefit the village, but certain ninja oppose them… what do you do?"
"As Hokage, you can't act directly against your own people. That would violate the Will of Fire."
"So you let someone like Danzo handle it in the shadows."
"And afterward, you punish him publicly to ease everyone's anger."
Jiraiya frowned.
"Even if it goes against the Will of Fire?"
The Third Hokage nodded slowly, his gaze distant.
"Even then."
"It's the only way to keep the village united… to survive crisis after crisis."
"I don't have Hashirama's strength… or Tobirama's genius for building systems."
"All I can do… is use these dirty methods to hold everything together."
Jiraiya wasn't moved.
Instead, his voice turned colder.
"So that's why you allowed the Cloud Village delegation to target the Hyuga clan?"
"And why you let Danzo move against the Uchiha?"
"Because they weren't obedient enough? Because they threatened the Hokage's authority?"
"And Naruto?"
"Did you also plan his suffering?"
"Let the village treat him like a monster… just so you could step in as his 'only light'?"
"Quite the noble methods, Third Hokage-sama."
The Third Hokage's expression changed slightly.
His confidence faltered.
It was true—he hadn't personally spread the rumor that Naruto was the Nine-Tails.
But he had allowed it.
And deep down… his intentions weren't much different from what Jiraiya accused.
Controlling a jinchūriki was every Hokage's responsibility.
The First and Second Hokage had married jinchūriki.
He, on the other hand, could only play the role of a kind old man.
If Naruto ever turned against him…
Even the Hokage's position would be at risk.
In that sense… Minato had left him with a very difficult problem.
After a long silence, the Third Hokage spoke again.
"I won't stop you from taking over Konoha."
"If you want to become the Fifth Hokage… go ahead."
"But I'm curious."
"What will you do afterward?"
"How will you deal with the crisis this village is facing?"
Jiraiya smiled faintly.
"The plan is simple."
"First—take control of the Hokage Tower."
"Second—disband ANBU."
"Third—capture Danzo and expose all his crimes to the public."
"…I see."
The Third Hokage looked at him deeply.
"So this is about stripping us old men of our power."
He sighed.
"You weren't like this before."
"These ideas… Naruto told you, didn't he?"
"That child… he's practically a monster."
Then his gaze sharpened slightly.
"But under your leadership… the village might end up even worse."
Jiraiya shook his head calmly.
"Tsunade and I will handle things."
"Konoha won't get worse than it already is."
He paused, then added quietly:
"Maybe you haven't noticed… but most of the village has already lost faith in you."
"They haven't made a move until now."
"And they're not even worried about the Hokage's safety."
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