Instead, it was Rōshi, the Four-Tails' jinchūriki, and Han, the Five-Tails' jinchūriki.
Those were extremely dangerous missions.
Even with the combined efforts of Lord Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze, the war remained incredibly difficult.
"Finally, some good news!"
The situation on the Iwagakure battlefield had not yet become clear, so gaining an advantage against the Hidden Cloud Village was a great morale booster.
However, the one who had accomplished all of this was his love rival, Aoyama Ryuyun — which left Jiraiya feeling somewhat helpless.
"Sigh… I, Jiraiya the Toad Sage, am also very handsome!"
Why, then, had Tsunade chosen Aoyama Ryuyun?
"What do you think, Minato?"
"..."
Somewhat speechless, Minato hesitated. Jiraiya was his master, after all — there were some things he simply couldn't say.
"Ahem! Well, Liu Yun-sama's strength is truly formidable!"
Clearing his throat, Minato Namikaze quickly changed the subject.
Naive as he could be, Minato still cared deeply about Konoha.
Naturally, he was pleased that Aoyama Ryuyun had led Konoha to such a significant advantage.
"Hmph!"
Of course, Jiraiya wasn't blind to Minato's attempt to change the topic. He rolled his eyes but chose not to press the matter.
Seeing that his master wasn't dwelling on the issue, Minato felt a bit relieved.
"Lord Jiraiya, the Iwagakure ninja have launched another assault!"
Their expressions immediately darkened, the earlier moment of levity vanishing as they returned to the grim reality of war.
"Damn it, that old fool Ōnoki! After all this time, how is he still not dead?!"
Jiraiya clicked his tongue in frustration. The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki of Both Scales — a man who had existed since the founding of the ninja villages — was still alive and fighting.
"Sensei! Now isn't the time to complain!"
It was Minato who reminded him, snapping him back to focus.
"I know!"
Jiraiya straightened up. Joking was fine during downtime, but on the battlefield, there was no room for such things.
"Assemble the shinobi! Watch how I, Jiraiya the Toad Sage, deal with stubborn old men! Hmph!"
…
On the Hidden Cloud battlefield — the second day after Aoyama Ryuyun's capture of the Two-Tails' jinchūriki.
Aoyama Ryuyun received a message from the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Inside the command tent, Ryuyun held the message scroll, one eyebrow raised as his expression turned subtly strange.
"Uh… Liu Yun-sama, what did Hokage-sama say?"
Aoyama Ryuyun's change in expression left Nara Shikaku and the others around him confused. They were all curious about the contents of the message.
"You can take a look yourselves."
Aoyama Ryuyun said nothing more, simply handing the scroll to Shikaku.
At first, Shikaku's face showed mild confusion. But as he read further, his expression grew more and more peculiar.
"This… this has to be a joke!"
He could hardly believe what he was reading.
"What did Hokage-sama say?"
Several jōnin nearby looked at him curiously.
Letting out a soft sigh, Nara Shikaku spoke slowly, his tone heavy.
"Hokage-sama wants us to return the Two-Tails' jinchūriki to the Hidden Cloud Village — to exchange her for a ceasefire agreement."
He shook his head silently.
As much as he wanted to doubt it, Shikaku knew that given Hokage-sama's nature, such an order was entirely possible.
He didn't need to explain further.
The other jōnin were stunned — then angry.
"How could it be such an order?!"
"Hidden Cloud won't stop the war because of that!"
"Letting the Two-Tails' jinchūriki go is like letting a tiger return to the mountains!"
"We've lost so many shinobi already!"
…
The Third Shinobi World War had barely even begun.
Anyone could see that even if the Two-Tails was returned, Hidden Cloud Village wouldn't truly stop fighting.
At best, they'd rest, regroup — and then strike again.
"It fits perfectly with the thinking of those fools."
Aoyama Ryuyun laughed coldly.
The elders of Konoha had clearly grown too comfortable — they'd forgotten the first rule of survival in the shinobi world.
The victor is king.
Peace isn't traded. It's won through strength.
The others dared not speak ill of the Third Hokage openly as Ryuyun did, but discontent simmered in their silence.
They had fought and bled on the front lines, while the Third Hokage sat safely behind them — not only failing to support them, but now proposing foolish orders like this.
"Then, Liu Yun-sama… what should we do?"
Shikaku asked cautiously.
As the commander of the Hidden Cloud front, the final decision rested with Aoyama Ryuyun.
Whether or not the Two-Tails' jinchūriki was released depended entirely on him.
"Ridiculous! I caught this jinchūriki — and only I decide what happens to her. Tell that Anbu messenger to get lost!"
…
"Yes, sir!"
The jōnin nodded firmly.
As expected, none of them were surprised. They all knew Ryuyun's nature — there was no chance he'd comply with such an absurd command.
And honestly, serving under such a strong, decisive leader was reassuring.
"Damn it! Are you trying to defy Hokage-sama's direct order?!"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke, who had been silent in the corner until now, finally stepped forward, unable to hold back.
Even if he didn't agree with his father's decision, Aoyama Ryuyun openly defying the Hokage's authority made him uneasy.
"…"
Not everyone was like Aoyama Ryuyun.
With Ryuyun's sheer power, he could afford to ignore the Third Hokage's orders.
But the ordinary jōnin present didn't have that kind of security.
Seeing their hesitation, Aoyama Ryuyun said nothing more. He simply waved his hand calmly.
"Whatever orders Hokage-sama gives, I'll take full responsibility."
Was he joking? Aoyama Ryuyun had stopped caring about Sarutobi Hiruzen's authority years ago.
And now? Even less so.
He couldn't care less if Hiruzen was furious about this.
Turning his gaze to the Anbu who had delivered the message, Aoyama Ryuyun narrowed his eyes.
"You."
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