That day, another heavyweight figure appeared outside the gates of Konoha.
The newcomer was tall and burly, with a wild mane of long white hair and two bold red streaks of oil paint on his face.
The two guards at the gate immediately lit up when they saw him and shouted in delight,
"Jiraiya-sama!"
Jiraiya nodded with a smile, though a trace of worry lingered in his eyes.
This time, he had gone out to investigate Akatsuki. But the information he managed to gather was limited. Originally, he hadn't intended to return to Konoha so soon—until he heard the startling news outside: Konoha had a new Hokage. And that Hokage was none other than Uchiha Kaito—the one who was supposed to be dead!
Jiraiya was no stranger to Kaito. Because of Minato, he had spent quite a bit of time with him.
In his impression, Kaito was a genius ninja, strong and devoted to the village. But because he was an Uchiha, he had always been shunned by certain higher-ups in Konoha.
Jiraiya still remembered how, back then, even when Minato wanted Kaito to serve as an ANBU captain, the higher-ups strongly opposed it. Yet now that same man had suddenly become Hokage? Something about that reeked of foul play.
Which was why Jiraiya had no choice but to halt his mission and rush back to Konoha overnight to see things for himself.
After exchanging a few words with the gatekeepers, Jiraiya walked straight into the village.
As he strolled through Konoha's streets, he kept a careful eye on his surroundings, trying to observe what had changed in the village under the new Hokage.
But after making a full circuit, his conclusion was… nothing had really changed at all. Life carried on as before. People didn't seem to care about the switch in Hokage.
Jiraiya made his way to the Hokage Building. Standing before it, he turned to look at the Hokage Rock, letting his gaze linger on Kaito's newly carved face for a long time.
Just then, Itachi appeared, bowing respectfully.
"Jiraiya-sama!"
Jiraiya snapped out of his thoughts. The moment his eyes landed on Itachi, his entire body tensed up. He exclaimed in shock,
"Uchiha Itachi?! Why the hell are you here!?"
Itachi had already expected this reaction. He kept his head lowered as he replied,
"My mission has been completed. Hokage-sama allowed me to return to Konoha and appointed me as the head of ANBU."
"Nani? The mission… what mission are you talking about?"
"It's a long story. Jiraiya-sama, you should speak with Hokage-sama directly."
Jiraiya hesitated, then gave a slow nod. He followed Itachi to Kaito's office.
But the moment he stepped inside, Jiraiya rubbed his eyes in disbelief—because not only was Kaito there, but Minato as well!
It was like seeing a ghost. Minato, however, greeted him warmly.
"Jiraiya-sensei, it's been a long time!"
"A… a long time… wait! Minato!?!"
Jiraiya's eyes widened to their limits. He couldn't help but question his own sanity. First Itachi returning as ANBU captain was already absurd—but now Minato, who had died long ago, was standing before him alive?!
Minato knew how shocking his revival was. Jiraiya's reaction was completely understandable.
He spread his arms and smiled.
"Jiraiya-sensei, as you can see… I've been revived!"
Jiraiya stepped forward slowly, reaching out to pinch Minato's face. Minato didn't resist, letting him tug and pull.
Only after confirming beyond doubt that this was indeed the Minato he remembered did Jiraiya finally speak, voice trembling.
"You're really alive again… How the hell is this possible?!"
Minato smiled gently.
"This is all thanks to Kaito. Not just me—Kushina has been revived too."
"Kushina as well…"
Jiraiya turned sharply toward Kaito. Kaito met his gaze calmly and said,
"Jiraiya, it's been a while."
Jiraiya stiffly nodded and asked,
"Kaito… you too? Were you revived?"
"Heh. I was never dead to begin with. So what's there to revive?"
With a snap of his fingers, Kaito suddenly teleported Tsunade and Orochimaru into the office. Both looked confused by the sudden shift.
When Jiraiya saw Orochimaru, he shouted instinctively,
"Orochimaru!?"
Orochimaru blinked in surprise.
"Jiraiya?"
Though he spoke Jiraiya's name, Orochimaru moved to stand beside Kaito.
Tsunade, on the other hand, walked up to Jiraiya and said softly,
"You finally came back."
Jiraiya nodded.
"I heard Konoha had a new Hokage, so I rushed back immediately."
Tsunade gave a bitter smile.
"Yes… a new Hokage. But even if we didn't change Hokage, what choice did we really have?"
She remembered the overwhelming power Kaito had displayed that day. Against such strength, resistance was meaningless.
Even with Jiraiya back, she wasn't naïve enough to think his presence would tip the scales.
In fact, she believed Kaito's power was already on par with Uchiha Madara of old. But back then, her grandfather—the First Hokage—had been there to counterbalance Madara. And now?
So Tsunade had long abandoned the thought of opposing Kaito. Instead, she dutifully carried out her responsibilities as head of the Medical Corps.
Jiraiya, however, pressed further.
"Tsunade, did you willingly give up the Hokage's seat?"
"Yes. Kaito is far more suited to be Hokage than I am."
Her tone was steady and sincere—because she truly meant it.
Just the fact that he had revived Minato was enough to silence any argument from her.
Jiraiya turned to Minato instead.
"Minato… how is Naruto doing?"
At the mention of Naruto, Minato's face lit up with happiness.
"Jiraiya-sensei, Naruto is doing very well. I should be thanking you for looking after him!"
"There's no need. Taking care of Naruto was my duty. Besides… he might very well be the Child of Prophecy the Great Toad Sage spoke of."
"Child of Prophecy?"
"Yes. The one destined to change the entire shinobi world."
"Pfft!"
Kaito suddenly burst out laughing. Another prophecy, another destined savior—first Joy Boy, now the Child of Prophecy. Would it never end?
He looked at Jiraiya and said,
"Why place your hopes on some vague Child of Prophecy to change the shinobi world?"
Jiraiya frowned.
"What are you getting at?"
Kaito rose from his chair and stepped up to him.
Even though his eyes were still their usual black, an inexplicable pressure radiated from him. Jiraiya swallowed hard.
Locking eyes with him, Kaito spoke slowly,
"This laughable fate and prophecy nonsense… To change the shinobi world, you don't need all that!"
Buzz!
A domineering aura erupted from Kaito's body. Jiraiya trembled, cold sweat breaking across his forehead.
Tsunade stood aside, her face grim.
"It's this again… Just what is this pressure?!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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