The inauguration ceremony of Senju Mori, the Third Hokage, along with the speech he gave during it, sent shockwaves throughout the entire village of Konoha.
Although the First Hokage had once spoken of the Will of Fire, what he passed down was only a vague ideal — "to protect everything, no matter the cost."
From Konoha's founding to the present day, twenty full years had passed. Yet this was the first time anyone had clearly and comprehensively articulated the true meaning of the Will of Fire — explaining to the people what its essence really was.
...
Senju Mori, however, did not pay excessive attention to the commotion he had caused. Besides continuing his study of the Second Hokage's Water Release techniques, he spent his spare time contemplating another matter.
That was—taking on disciples.
For many shinobi, taking a disciple was a matter no less significant than marriage or having children. Unlike the relationship between a typical jōnininstructor and their team members, accepting a personal student was a formal affair.
Although, in a way, Mori's ascension had prematurely ended the budding special succession system known as the "Hokage Master–Disciple Succession System," even if it didn't directly equate to "qualification to inherit the next Hokage position," the title of "Hokage's Disciple" still held immense value and carried profound political significance.
The first and most obvious candidate was little Tsunade.
With the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, long deceased, and the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, having died without heirs—
and with Tsunade's parents having moved to the capital of the Land of Fire—
she alone remained in Konoha, becoming something of a symbolic figure for the Senju clan.
Taking her as his disciple would be nothing but advantageous for Senju Mori.
In addition, the Ninja Academy founded by Tobirama Senju was now thriving. Before long, a new generation of elite shinobi from civilian backgrounds would inevitably rise through the ranks.
Each jōnin within the village already represented significant influence—and a new wave of them, unbound by clan lineage, would soon enter the political landscape.
That meant a new faction was forming, one that would inevitably claim a share of the village's power.
To show his respect for and recognition of the civilian-born shinobi, Senju Mori knew he would also need to take on a disciple from among their ranks.
At this time, there were very few children from ordinary families who could truly be called "promising." Fewer still were worthy of catching Senju Mori's eye.
In the end, only two names made it into his consideration—Orochimaru and Jiraiya.
After brief deliberation, he chose Orochimaru.
While Jiraiya, one of the future Legendary Sannin, was certainly not weak,
unlike Orochimaru, who bore the name of a genius from childhood and was fervently dedicated to learning and researching all manner of ninjutsu, the true turning point in Jiraiya's life was his first arrival at Mount Myōboku.
Jiraiya even referred to himself as the "Toad Sage."
It could be said that more than half of Jiraiya's strength came from his training at Mount Myōboku, and from the generous teachings of the toads who lived there.
Jiraiya's life, in many ways, resembled that of the wandering heroes in old tales.
A civilian-born shinobi of average talent, he had been clumsy and unremarkable both at the Ninja Academy and later in his first team — always the one trailing behind, the so-called "dead last."
The brightest moment of that early life came when, through sheer luck, he ended up under the tutelage of an excellent teacher.
Under the patient guidance of Sarutobi Hiruzen, and through a stroke of chance, Jiraiya one day attempted a summoning technique — recklessly, without having signed any summoning contract.
It was a dangerous act that could have easily sent him to some unknown corner of the shinobi world.
But instead, it transported him straight to one of the Three Big Unexplored 'Sage' Regions — Mount Myōboku.
And just as the confused Jiraiya tried to make sense of his surroundings, the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku — the highest authority among the toads — awoke from his long slumber and personally received the bewildered, "ordinary" shinobi.
Before Jiraiya's very eyes, the Great Toad Sage himself made a prophecy — declaring that Jiraiya was the one destined for a special mission, a man fated to live a life of grandeur and turmoil, and to one day teach a "child of prophecy" who would change the fate of the entire world.
In short, whether by divine design or sheer coincidence, a series of extraordinary, almost unbelievable encounters unfolded for Jiraiya.
Once the clumsy underachiever of his team, he managed—after just a few years of training at Mount Myōboku—to not only catch up to, but in some ways even surpass, his two prodigious teammates: Tsunade and Orochimaru.
From that moment on, Jiraiya placed his unwavering faith in the toads' prophecy.
Of course, such blessings did not come without cost. The price Jiraiya paid was steep — he would spend the rest of his life acting according to the guidance (or "prophecies," as they preferred to call them) of Mount Myōboku's toads, wandering the world in search of the so-called Child of Prophecy.
In Senju Mori's eyes, however, Mount Myōboku's intentions were far less mystical.
They weren't looking for any "child of prophecy" — they were tracking the reincarnations of Asura and Indra.
Their true goal was to ensure Mount Myōboku's continued influence and to once again, as in ancient times, align themselves with the winning side — securing the greatest benefit for themselves.
Naturally, Jiraiya was completely unaware of any of this.
But even just the fact that he was bound by Mount Myōboku's will made his value, in Mori's estimation, considerably smaller.
Sure, Senju Mori could interfere with Jiraiya's fate if he wanted to.
But setting aside the possibility that the prophetic toads might have other ways to intervene — if Jiraiya were to lose their support, could he truly grow to the same level of strength on his own?
Rather than taking that uncertain gamble, Mori thought it wiser to let events unfold as they originally would — to let Mount Myōboku nurture a powerful shinobi who, at least at crucial moments, would return to Konoha and fight for the village.
Even if that shinobi's life's purpose was, ironically, "to help the toads of Mount Myōboku find the prophesied Child of Prophecy."
By contrast, Orochimaru's ambitions were far more straightforward.
His ultimate goal was—
"To learn every jutsu in existence and to understand all truths of the world."
In his own words:
"The first person who mixed blue and yellow called the new color he saw 'green.' I'm merely doing the same thing."
Only by mastering everything in this world, he believed, could he become the "ultimate being."
From that desire stemmed a secondary goal — the acquisition of enough time to achieve it all. In other words, immortality.
This pursuit, rather than conflicting with Senju Mori's own ideals, actually aligned quite well. On the contrary, Mori was more than willing to encourage Orochimaru to explore his genius — even to support him in conducting all manner of experiments and research.
As this thought crossed his mind, Senju Mori couldn't help but smile — because it reminded him of his own ambition.
It was the very thing that had driven him to accomplish everything he had so far.
He wished to forever rule over all things — to make the entire world move according to his will, forever and without deviation.
In that pursuit, both power and authority were merely convenient tools — nothing more.
To make such a dream possible, he too had to live forever.
Because any "will" carried out by others, no matter how faithfully or in whose name, ultimately ceased to be his own.
The moment he left this world, that will would already have transformed into something entirely different.