Seeing the Third Hokage confirm the authenticity of the invitation and extend an invitation, Jiraiya breathed a secret sigh of relief.
If Shura truly disregarded everything and started a battle in the center of Konoha, even if they could repel or drive him away, Konoha would pay an extremely heavy price!
It might even surpass the Nine-Tails Attack from back then.
Being able to temporarily stabilize the situation through diplomatic channels was undoubtedly the best option at present.
"Bunta, thanks for your hard work. You can go back now." Jiraiya said to his old partner beneath his feet.
Gamabunta, pipe in mouth, snorted two thick plumes of smoke from his nose. His enormous frog eyes glanced once more at Shura below, and he rumbled, "Hmph, Jiraiya, next time you summon me, make sure it's actually for a fight, not just standing around to scare people."
With that, with a 'poof' and a massive cloud of white smoke, Gamabunta's huge body vanished, returning to Mount Myoboku.
The pressure on the scene lightened, but the atmosphere remained heavy.
Jiraiya, carrying Boruto and supporting the seriously injured, somewhat dazed adult Sasuke, leaped down from the air and landed beside the Third Hokage.
He glanced at the unconscious Adult Sasuke and the shaken Boruto, then said to Hiruzen, "Old man, leave these two suspicious characters to me for custody and questioning."
Although he didn't know why the usually lazy Jiraiya had suddenly taken an interest in outsiders, out of trust for Jiraiya, Hiruzen still nodded and said in a deep voice, "Alright, I'll leave them to you, Jiraiya. Make sure to get to the bottom of their origins and purpose."
"Don't worry." Jiraiya patted his chest.
Hiruzen said no more. Surrounded by Anbu, he turned and made a 'please' gesture to Shura: "Shura-san, please follow me."
Menma nodded slightly, his black figure floating up and silently landing beside Hiruzen, walking shoulder to shoulder with him.
Under the watchful, curious, or fearful gazes of the Anbu and Konoha's Ninja, the two walked slowly towards the Hokage Building.
Along the way, Hiruzen, as if making small talk, spoke casually: "Shura-san, that mask of yours is quite unique. While it's not uncommon in the Ninja World for people to conceal their faces with masks, it's rare for someone to wear the same mask at all times and places like you do. Is there a particular... reason or habit behind it?"
His question was implicit, but in reality, it was a probe.
After all, since Shura had risen to prominence these years, his movements were mysterious, his strength unfathomable, yet no one knew his true face. This had always been a puzzle and a threat lingering in the minds of various countries and Ninja Villages.
Menma's pace didn't falter. His altered voice came through the mask, calm and unruffled, betraying no emotion: "Just a small personal habit. Don't mind it, Third Hokage. As for my true face... when the Joint Chunin Exams officially opens, and the Kage and honored guests from various Ninja Villages gather, I will naturally remove my mask and show my true face. For now, please allow me to retain this little bit of mystery."
Hiruzen took a drag from his pipe, slowly exhaled smoke, nodded, and stopped asking, instead changing the subject: "Regarding the Joint Chunin Exams, Kumogakure has already confirmed its participation. We should receive word from Kirigakure within a day or two."
"The Land of Stars will send two teams. As for Iwagakure, Onoki is sending his personal disciple to lead a team as well." Menma responded simply, his gaze seemingly sweeping casually into the distance behind him.
Jiraiya was supporting the seriously injured Adult Sasuke, leading Boruto and the others away in another direction.
Menma had achieved his initial goal.
Originally, Menma had wanted to find an opportunity to ask Adult Sasuke if the Naruto from his Space-Time was the same Naruto he had met when traveling through time via the Ryumyaku to the parallel world. But time was short... Jiraiya and the Konoha's Ninja had been alerted and arrived quite quickly.
However, during that seemingly casual exchange, at the moment he suppressed Adult Sasuke, Menma had secretly and unknowingly left the Flying Thunder God Technique's mark on him.
This way, no matter when Urashiki, lurking somewhere in this Space-Time, appeared, as long as he tried to make a move on Adult Sasuke and Boruto, Menma could sense it through the mark and instantly teleport there.
As for whether Urashiki would be foolish enough to directly target Naruto?
The corner of Menma's mouth beneath the white three-eyed fox mask curled into a cold arc.
That would be even more suicidal!
…
Jiraiya did not take Adult Sasuke and Boruto back to the Anbu for interrogation, nor did he send them to Konoha Hospital. That would be too conspicuous and might cause unnecessary scrutiny.
Familiar with the area, he led the two through a few relatively quiet streets, turned a couple of corners, and a three-story Japanese-style building appeared before them.
The curtain over the door read [Three-Style Hot Spring Inn]. Warm light shone through the gaps in the door.
Jiraiya lifted the curtain and walked in. A bald, middle-aged man behind the counter looked up, his eyes lighting up when he saw Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya-sama! You're here!"
"Yo, Saburo, long time no see." Jiraiya greeted with a smile, pulling a stack of bills from his pocket and placing them on the counter. "Two rooms, three days. The usual rules, no registration."
The owner named Saburo glanced at Adult Sasuke and Boruto behind Jiraiya, especially noting Adult Sasuke's empty left sleeve and his dusty appearance, but he asked nothing. He just nodded and took two keys from the drawer.
"The two rooms at the very end of the second floor, adjacent. Hot water 24 hours. Let me know if you need meals."
"Thanks." Jiraiya took the keys and signaled to Adult Sasuke and Boruto.
"Let's go."
The three went up to the second floor.
The wooden stairs creaked softly. Dim wall lamps lit the corridor, and the air held a faint scent of sandalwood.
Jiraiya opened the two adjacent doors and gestured for them to enter.
The rooms weren't large, but they were clean.
Tatami mat floors, a low table, two cushions, simple toiletries in the corner.
The window faced the rear garden... moonlight fell on the dry landscape garden, appearing peaceful and solitary.
Jiraiya helped the weak, injured Adult Sasuke lie down on the tatami. Boruto stood anxiously by, fumbling around, wanting to help but not knowing where to start.
"Let me take a look." Jiraiya crouched down, signaling Boruto to move aside.
He reached out, gently pressing and probing Adult Sasuke's chest, abdomen, arms, neck, and other key areas, while focusing his perception on the flow of Chakra within the other's body.
After a moment, Jiraiya's brow furrowed slightly. He withdrew his hand, looked at the worried Boruto, and said with some gravity, "Your teacher's injuries... are more than just physical. His internal organs have been shaken, there are several blockages in his Chakra Pathway, and more importantly, the Chakra in his body..."
Jiraiya chose his words carefully. "Is abnormally depleted, and it seems to have been consumed very 'intensely', as if after a protracted, high-intensity battle, almost at his limit. This doesn't look like it could have been caused by a brief encounter with the Anbu."
Hearing this, Boruto's sky-blue eyes showed even more anxiety. He bit his lower lip and said in a low voice, "Sensei, he... earlier, for my sake... uh, to deal with some trouble, his Chakra Consumption was already high, and he hadn't fully recovered."
He had almost let something slip, quickly glossing over it, but the worry on his face was genuine.
Adult Sasuke lay on the tatami, pale, with fine cold sweat on his forehead.
He had his eyes closed, seemingly meditating quietly. Hearing Jiraiya's words and Boruto's response, he slowly opened his eyes. His black eyes could not hide the fatigue deep within.
He glanced at Boruto, then at Jiraiya, who seemed to be casually sitting nearby but was actually observing them intently. He quickly weighed his options.
"Boruto." Adult Sasuke's voice was a little hoarse.
"Yes, Sensei!" Boruto immediately responded.
"Go out on the street and see if there are any shops selling military ration pills. Buy some and bring them back." Adult Sasuke instructed.
"Ah?" Boruto was stunned, instinctively looking out the window.
Dusk was approaching, and there were fewer pedestrians on the streets.
Although military ration pills were a very common Ninja supply, they might not be easy to find at this time.
But Boruto was much smarter than Naruto. He quickly understood that Adult Sasuke wanted to speak with Jiraiya alone.
Though still worried, Boruto nodded. "Got it, Sensei! I'll go right away!"
He turned to Jiraiya and bowed earnestly. "Jiraiya-sama, please look after my teacher!"
Jiraiya grinned and waved his hand, looking as uninhibited as ever, with an air of 'leave it to me'. "Go on, kid. With this Toad Sage here, I guarantee your teacher won't lose a single hair. Just don't wander too far, and come back early."
Boruto glanced at his teacher once more, and after receiving an almost imperceptible nod from Adult Sasuke, he turned and left, his footsteps quickly fading down the corridor.
The room fell into a brief silence, broken only by the faint sounds of the street outside the window and slightly heavy breathing inside.
The afterglow of the setting sun filtered through the paper window, casting light and shadow on the tatami.
Jiraiya broke the silence first.
He crossed his arms, leaned back against the wall, and looked with keen interest at the one-armed man propped against the headboard, whose face was still pale. His tone sounded like casual chat, yet carried a hint of probing: "To have lasted a couple of moves against that Shura guy, even though he obviously wasn't serious, your skills aren't those of an ordinary wandering performer. In my opinion, even in any of the Five Great Nations' Ninja Villages, you'd qualify as a Jonin. What, really no place to settle? Or is there some... unspoken reason?"
Adult Sasuke slightly propped himself up, making himself more comfortable.
He met Jiraiya's scrutinizing gaze, his black eyes as deep as an ancient well, unruffled: "I'm indeed not a wandering performer, but I don't serve any Ninja Village either. The Ninja World... is too complex. I have no intention of getting involved."
"Oh? Is that so." Jiraiya responded noncommittally, rubbing the short stubble on his chin with his fingers, his gaze lingering on Adult Sasuke's empty left sleeve, his weathered face, and especially his right eye.
For some reason, looking at this one-armed man, he always felt a strange sense of familiarity.
'And the Rasengan that kid had used earlier...'
The clues intertwined, making the mystery in his heart grow larger.
But at least he could confirm one thing: this one-armed man and the blonde-haired boy who had just left were definitely connected to Konoha and himself, and perhaps even to the Fourth Hokage.
And it was a friendly connection.
'Never mind, everyone has their secrets.' Jiraiya shook his head, vaguely forming some guesses.
He changed the subject, his tone becoming slightly more formal: "That Shura guy seemed quite interested in you earlier... but you seemed to know nothing about him?"
Adult Sasuke nodded, his expression calm yet grave. "Indeed, I've never heard of him. And the power he displayed... surprised me too. Who exactly is he?"
Adult Sasuke's tone was confused.
In the timeline he had experienced, he had never heard of this person.
A mysterious Ninja suspected of possessing the Mangekyo Sharingan, with unfathomable strength… how could such a guy be unknown?
Jiraiya took a deep breath. The playfulness on his face faded, replaced by recollection and seriousness.
He organized his words and slowly began:
"Shura... suddenly appeared in the Ninja World about eight or nine years ago. It was as if he emerged out of nowhere, with no clues about his origin or background. And his first appearance was an attack on Konoha's Hyuga Clan."
"Hyuga?" Adult Sasuke's eyes moved slightly.
'The dramatic personality change of this Space-Time's Hinata… could it be related to Shura's attack?'
"Exactly." Jiraiya nodded, his expression growing even more grave. "At that time, a mission from Kumogakure secretly kidnapped the Hyuga main family's eldest daughter. While fleeing, they encountered Shura, and then a battle broke out with the pursuing Hyuga Clan's head and others."
"The Kumogakure 'senvoy was killed on the spot. Several Hyuga branch family's Jonin were injured, even the then Hyuga Clan's head was seriously hurt. But strangely, Shura did not kidnap the Hyuga main family's eldest daughter, nor did he try to steal the Byakugan. It was more like... a demonstration. This matter was strictly sealed within Konoha... few know the details."
He paused, then continued, "After that, every appearance of Shura was accompanied by events that shocked the Ninja World."
"He once single-handedly stormed Kumogakure and clashed with the Fourth Raikage, A, and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer B. No one knows the specifics, but the result... it's said that both the Fourth Raikage and Killer B suffered considerable losses. Kumogakure is tight-lipped about the incident, but the grudge between Shura and Kumogakure was thoroughly sealed."
Adult Sasuke felt a chill in his heart.
He had personally experienced the Fourth Raikage's strength.
Back when he had first awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan, overconfident in his increased power, he had crashed the Five Kage Summit and nearly lost his life to the Fourth Raikage's ferocious speed and power.
Killer B is also a perfect Jinchuriki, a top-tier combatant in the Ninja World.
For Shura to make both of them suffer losses at the same time spoke volumes about his terrifying strength.
This elevated his risk assessment of this mysterious enemy to another level.
Jiraiya watched the subtle change in Adult Sasuke's expression, knowing the other understood the significance, and continued: "If it were just a lone, powerful individual, troublesome though it might be, it wouldn't have changed the structure of the entire Ninja World. The real turning point was the rise of the [Land of Stars]."
"The Land of Stars?"
"Yes, Shura took control of a small Ninja Village called [Hoshigakure] in the Land of Bears. What followed could only be described as thunderous." Jiraiya's tone was complex, as if both admiring and fearing.
"Using Hoshigakure as a base, he developed his own power, swiftly eliminated the old ruling class of the Land of Bears, including the Daimyo and nobles, and then established a... well, a political system completely different from the nations we commonly see. It was astonishingly efficient, and the situation was quickly stabilized."
Adult Sasuke listened silently. This approach sounded somewhat like the style of a certain someone trying to reshape the world with the [Eye of the Moon] plan, but seemed even more radical and efficient.
"While other countries were still shocked by the dramatic changes in the Land of Bears and secretly gathering intelligence on Shura, Shura renamed the Land of Bears to the Land of Stars and began rapid expansion." Jiraiya's voice lowered.
"Through a series of swift and precise military actions, he caused the Land of Stars to annex several surrounding small countries in just a few years."
"It's not just territorial expansion. Shura seems particularly fond of clans with special Kekkei Genkai or secret techniques. During the wars and subsequent integration, he used various means to absorb many scattered or weak Kekkei Genkai Clans, and even Missing-Nin from some Great Ninja Villages, into the Land of Stars. This caused the Land of Stars' Ninja forces to expand dramatically in a short time, leaping to become a powerful force second only to the traditional Five Great Nations."
Adult Sasuke's brow furrowed tighter and tighter.
'Forcibly integrating Kekkei Genkai clans through military force?'
This reminded him of the Akatsuki's collection of Tailed Beasts.
'What exactly was Shura's purpose?'
"The rise of the Land of Stars naturally aroused the vigilance and hostility of the surrounding great nations. About five years ago, the conflict between the Land of Stars and the Land of Wind finally erupted." Jiraiya's narrative reached its most critical part.
"The specific reasons for the conflict are debated. The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, led the main force of Sunagakure to meet the enemy, and the result... a crushing defeat. Sunagakure's main forces were routed within three days. The Fourth Kazekage was severely wounded and captured. The Land of Wind and Sunagakure were also annexed by the Land of Stars."
Adult Sasuke's breath caught slightly.
'Sunagakure, one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, was routed in three days?'
'What kind of military strength was needed for that?'
"And that's not all. At the time, while the Land of Stars was locked in fierce battle with Sunagakure, and everyone thought the Land of Stars' main forces were occupied, the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, that old fox Onoki, tried to take advantage of the situation. He personally led over ten thousand Iwagakure's elite Ninjas, intending to strike while the opponent was vulnerable and sneak attack the Land of Stars' heartland."
Adult Sasuke could imagine the scene. Onoki's Dust Release and over ten thousand Iwagakure's Ninja were definitely a terrifying force capable of toppling a great nation.
Even someone as strong as the Third Raikage had been worn down and killed by ten thousand Iwagakure's Ninja.
Then, a peculiar expression appeared on Jiraiya's face, as if recalling some absurd rumor: "The result... was that a young girl named Uchiha Hikari, alone, beat them all down."
"What?" Adult Sasuke exclaimed involuntarily. This time, he was truly shocked.
'Alone?'
'Beat down over ten thousand Iwagakure's elite Ninjas?'
'Including a Kage-level fighter like Onoki?'
Jiraiya nodded affirmatively, his eyes also filled with incredulity: "Yes, Uchiha Hikari. A name never heard before in the Ninja World. This young girl, alone, stopped Onoki and his ten thousand Iwagakure's Ninjas at the Land of Stars' border."
"The specific details are debated... But the result is unmistakable: Onoki was defeated, the ten thousand Iwagakure troops suffered heavy casualties and were routed. After this battle, the Land of Earth was forced to cede five wealthy provinces to the Land of Stars, and Iwagakure directly declared submission, becoming a 'subordinate Ninja Village' of the Land of Stars."
"And that young girl, Uchiha Hikari, became famous because of this battle."
Adult Sasuke was utterly shocked.
'A thirteen- or fourteen-year-old Uchiha girl, alone, defeated the Third Tsuchikage with Dust Release and over ten thousand Iwagakure's elite troops?'
'This... probably only a prime Uchiha Madara could do!'
'When did the Uchiha Clan produce such a genius?'
'What kind of monster had this Space-Time bred?'
Jiraiya looked at the unconcealable shock on Adult Sasuke's face, smiled wryly, and continued: "After these two battles, the Land of Stars' dominant position could no longer be shaken. Although Shura himself remains mysterious and his whereabouts uncertain, the Land of Stars under his command has become an emerging force capable of influencing the structure of the Ninja World."
"Hosting this Joint Chunin Exams in Konoha and inviting Shura also involves the complex considerations of mutual checks among the great powers and testing the Land of Stars' attitude."
The room fell quiet again, broken only by Jiraiya's long sigh after finishing his narrative.
And Adult Sasuke was even more curious about one thing: 'Where did the Uchiha Clan go?'