Inside the Hokage Residence in Konoha, Land of Fire, specifically within the office of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Uchiha Fugaku stood silently before Hiruzen's desk. The Hokage wasn't attending to any paperwork; instead, he looked at Fugaku's somber, shadowed expression with a slightly troubled gaze. The atmosphere between the two was strained.
Fugaku was still quite young, especially compared to the much older Hiruzen. However, Fugaku's lineage gave him significant standing; he shared a brotherly bond with Kagami. Though they weren't blood brothers, in terms of generational hierarchy, he stood as an equal to Hiruzen. Furthermore, as the Head of the Uchiha Clan, Fugaku carried himself with a natural, commanding presence.
"It really wasn't me," Hiruzen suddenly spoke.
Upon hearing this, the gloom on Fugaku's face lifted slightly, replaced by a touch of helplessness. He nodded. "I am well aware that the Hokage would not stoop to such actions. However..." Fugaku paused before adding, "However, I cannot give my clansmen a satisfactory explanation with just that."
Hiruzen sighed, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness. That damn Orochimaru... I shouldn't have been soft-hearted. I should have captured him and handed him over to the Uchiha immediately. Then this storm would have passed quickly.
But he only thought these things in hindsight. When he had faced Orochimaru, all Hiruzen could see was the small child his student had once been...
Perhaps it is because I became Hokage and didn't have enough time to teach him proper morals that he strayed onto such an evil path...
Reflecting on it now, Hiruzen realized he should have noticed something was wrong with Orochimaru long ago. The moment his student started associating with Danzō, Hiruzen should have intervened. But one crisis followed another, keeping him constantly occupied, and in the end, he failed to give Orochimaru the "help" he needed, allowing the situation to spiral to this point.
He felt profound guilt. Coupled with a myriad of complex emotions, he had ultimately been unable to strike Orochimaru down. And Orochimaru, as if he had calculated exactly that, had made a calm departure.
As for Fugaku, Hiruzen's relationship with him had been decent, at least until now. Fugaku wasn't naturally a rebel; as the Uchiha Clan Head, he never truly "toughened up" even by the night of the clan's eventual massacre. Given his strength with the Mangekyō Sharingan, he possessed at least some power to resist. Yet, he would eventually choose to accept death.
In truth, Fugaku was an indecisive man, and Hiruzen shared that trait. Neither could escape responsibility for the tragedy that was brewing.
After a period of silence, Hiruzen said, "I will give your clan an accounting. Once I have finished handling the final aftermath of the war, I will step down as the Third..."
Before Hiruzen could finish his sentence, the office door was swung open. A tall figure rushed in, looking hurried and anxious. The man had long white hair and wore a headband with the kanji for "Oil" (油). It was Jiraiya.
Jiraiya had been living his best life as a best-selling author, searching for the Child of Prophecy, drinking at various establishments, and engaging in "research" for his books. Life was a joy, until he suddenly heard that Orochimaru had defected from Konoha.
And that he had murdered numerous members of the Uchiha Clan?
His first reaction was utter disbelief. He immediately chose to return to Konoha to find out what was really happening. Orochimaru was his best friend!
"Leaving Konoha" and "defecting from Konoha" were two entirely different concepts. Someone like him or Tsunade might no longer serve as "Konoha Shinobi" on the surface, but they were effectively "reservists" or "retired." If Konoha truly faced a crisis, they wouldn't just stand by. But Orochimaru was different; he hadn't just retired, he was a rogue ninja! He had become an enemy of the Leaf!
"Old man, what the hell happened with Orochimaru?" Jiraiya demanded the moment he stepped through the door. His expression made it clear he was far from happy.
Although Hiruzen hadn't finished his sentence, Fugaku had already received the answer he wanted. As mentioned, Fugaku was an indecisive man, much like Hiruzen. Even though the situation had reached this point and the Uchiha clan was incensed, Fugaku still harbored certain fantasies and expectations for Konoha and the future. He still hoped that these conflicts could be resolved properly.
People like them usually only realize the truth when they are truly in the depths of despair. But by then, even if they realize it, it's too late to save the situation, isn't it?
"Third Hokage, I won't disturb you further. I hope you remember the answer you just gave. We, the Uchiha, are waiting," Fugaku said softly. With a nod to Hiruzen, he turned and left.
Hiruzen watched Fugaku close the door before turning his gaze toward Jiraiya. "What have you heard?"
"I heard Orochimaru defected. That he killed over ten members of the Uchiha Police Force and is now an S-Rank rogue ninja..." Jiraiya said quickly. He then added, "Just now... was there some hidden truth to this?"
Hiruzen shook his head and explained, "There is no hidden truth. However, the Uchiha believe I was the mastermind behind Orochimaru's actions... The news you heard is correct. Orochimaru defected, and he indeed did those things."
"It really wasn't you?" Jiraiya asked in surprise. On his way back, he had considered the possibility. After all, the friction between the Hokage's line and the Uchiha was common knowledge. And after becoming Hokage, Hiruzen had indeed changed...
Power and conspiracy, these things are always accompanied by darkness. Jiraiya wasn't ignorant of this; he just couldn't be bothered to participate, which was one reason he spent so much time away from Konoha. Otherwise, given his status, he could have vied for the position of Hokage himself.
In the original timeline, after the "Konoha Crush" and Hiruzen's death, the village elders wanted Jiraiya to become Hokage. But Jiraiya had pushed Tsunade forward to take the "blame" instead.
A flash of irritation crossed Hiruzen's eyes. "Even you doubt me?"
Realizing he had misspoke, Jiraiya quickly said, "No, I'm just a bit worked up..."
"No matter how flawed I, Sarutobi Hiruzen, may be, I would never order my own disciple to do such a thing!" Hiruzen snapped.
Jiraiya apologized again and then asked, "So what happened next?"
"Next? There is no 'next.' Orochimaru escaped," Hiruzen said.
"Where did he go? I'm going to find him and demand an explanation!" Jiraiya stated.
"I don't know. He should have left the Land of Fire by now," Hiruzen shook his head. After a pause, he continued, "But I suspect he's joined up with that bastard Diarmuid. I should have seen it coming when they were associating before, but I was too busy to have a proper talk with Orochimaru..."
At this point, Hiruzen glanced at Jiraiya and said solemnly, "You don't have the same plan, do you?"
Jiraiya was taken aback. "How could I? At most, Diarmuid and I are friends based on our 'hobbies.' Our goals and ideals are completely different. If it were otherwise, would I have sent word and intelligence about him back to the village?"
Hiruzen had only asked the question in passing and didn't truly suspect him. He knew very well that Jiraiya and Orochimaru were fundamentally different.
Without waiting for a prompt, Jiraiya asked, "Have you found the Yorozuya base?"
"No. We haven't looked for it before, as doing so might have provoked that guy," Hiruzen shook his head.
"Well, we need to start looking now. I need to find Orochimaru and hear the truth from him myself," Jiraiya said firmly.
Hiruzen nodded. Previously, they hadn't wanted to provoke Diarmuid, and there was no real need to find them. But now, with Orochimaru joining them and becoming an S-Rank rogue ninja, it was only right to track down the Yorozuya base.
The two were silent for a while before Jiraiya asked, "When I came in, I thought I heard something significant?"
"It's nothing major. According to plan, I was already preparing to step down as the Third Hokage once the war ended," Hiruzen said directly, hiding nothing.
Jiraiya was silent for a long time. After thinking it through, he realized there was no reason to stop it, nor was there a better way.
"And then? Have you made a deal with the Uchiha? Is the next Hokage going to be one of theirs?" Jiraiya asked after some thought. Although he felt such a thing was too far-fetched to happen, Fugaku and the old man clearly had some sort of "transaction" going on.
Hiruzen shook his head. "Personally, I would have liked a peaceful transfer of power to the Uchiha to better integrate them into the village. But unfortunately, even as Hokage, I cannot make that happen. The position of Fourth Hokage will go to Minato, as originally planned."
Jiraiya nodded; that was more in line with the village's current reality. Sensing the atmosphere was too heavy, he made a deliberate joke. "Hahaha! Then wouldn't that make me the Hokage's Sensei? I feel even more impressive now, from the Hokage's student to the Hokage's Sensei! Hahaha!"
Hiruzen knew Jiraiya was trying to lighten the mood, so he didn't ruin it and forced a couple of chuckles. But after those two laughs, the atmosphere turned awkward again. For a moment, neither knew what to say.
After a long while, Jiraiya said, "Forget it, I've got nothing left to say. Now that things have reached this point... sigh. I'm off. I'm going to find Orochimaru and that bastard Diarmuid to see what they're up to!"
Hiruzen didn't try to stop him. He knew he couldn't, nor could he talk him out of it. He only managed a warning: "Be careful."
"Don't worry. Even if Orochimaru has lost his mind, he wouldn't kill me. As for Diarmuid... we're on pretty good terms," Jiraiya said confidently.
And there was truth to that. Orochimaru only ever had the intent to kill Jiraiya once, during the Second Shinobi World War when Jiraiya was heavily wounded, and Orochimaru wanted to "end his suffering." But Jiraiya had confidently given him a "peace sign," and at that moment, Orochimaru abandoned the idea.
That was the only time Orochimaru had ever wanted to kill Jiraiya, and his motive was actually to help him avoid further pain. From then on, it was impossible for Orochimaru to ever "kill" Jiraiya. Whether it was him, Tsunade, or Jiraiya, even if they had been split for years, at the end of the day, none of them could truly bring themselves to kill one another. Furthermore, in terms of raw strength, Jiraiya was indeed stronger than Orochimaru.
As for Diarmuid, Jiraiya felt as long as he didn't provoke him... it should be fine. I'm just going to ask a few questions; surely he won't beat me to death?
Soon, Jiraiya left Konoha as quickly as he had arrived. A few days later, a shift in power occurred in the Leaf. The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, officially announced his resignation. In his place, the war hero known as the "Yellow Flash," Namikaze Minato, was inaugurated as the Fourth Hokage!