Chapter 44 Become Hokage, Jiraiya!
At this time, most of Jiraiya's upper body was wrapped in bandages, and he looked like he was seriously injured, but he was very energetic when he spoke and moved, so it didn't seem that serious.
Jiraiya patted his chest and laughed:
"I was stabbed twice by Chiyo's puppet, but I won't die.
However, the poison is only temporarily suppressed. It seems difficult to completely remove it.
Those poisons were specially made by the old woman herself. With Tsunade not here, it's too difficult for ordinary medical ninjas to decipher the antidote..."
"Is that so... Hanzo, Onoki, Chiyo, each of you is a force to be reckoned with. Jiraiya, thank you for your hard work these past few days."
"This is really rare, Uncle Homura, you're actually being so nice to me?"
"Hmph, I scold you on weekdays because you really don't do well. If you do well, then I will naturally praise you."
Mitokado then added:
"Souji's medical ninjutsu skills are also very high. In short, let Souji take a look at your injuries first, and then see if we can help with the detoxification..."
"He also knows medical ninjutsu?" Jiraiya asked in surprise.
"Yes, I had Souji treat me. Although I only saw him use the Palm Healing Technique once, his skill level was indeed quite high."
"That's amazing?"
"I will try my best to help Jiraiya-sama."
...
The group went to the medical center in the camp.
After about an hour, Souji used the Minor Ailment Extraction Technique, a medical ninjutsu, to remove the toxins from Jiraiya's body.
"Alright, I have removed most of the toxins from Jiraiya-sama's body, but there are still some residues. I need to prepare an antidote to completely remove them."
Mitokado and Jiraiya were both incredibly surprised to see Souji accomplish all of this.
"Impressive! This is Chiyo's secret poison, and you actually extracted it just like that!
I've only ever seen Tsunade do that, so I think your medical ninjutsu skills are not much worse than hers!"
"You flatter me, Jiraiya-sama."
"Brother Souji, when did you learn such advanced medical ninjutsu?"
Minato was also shocked. After knowing him for so many years, he had never known that Souji could use medical ninjutsu, let alone at such a high level!
"Actually, I learned it a long time ago, but you know, I'm a rather low-key person..."
The Souji was just spouting nonsense, but Minato took it all at face value.
After all, the facts speak for themselves; their skill level is indeed that high, so the only explanation is that they were low-key in the past...
"Thank you for your hard work, Souji. So, can you make the antidote?" Mitokado asked.
"Preparing an antidote is different from administering it. I need time to study and analyze it, but I am still quite confident."
"That's good. Jiraiya is one of our generals and the strongest. We must restore his fighting strength as soon as possible. Just tell me what you need. I'm counting on you!" Mitokado said solemnly.
"Don't worry, consultant, I will do my best."
"Actually, I feel like I'm almost fully recovered now, and it doesn't seem to affect anything?" Jiraiya asked.
"The residual toxins may suddenly affect the onset of the attack from time to time.
If it occurs during a fierce battle with a powerful enemy, even a small effect could put you in danger. So it's better to eliminate them," the Souji said, shaking his head.
"Oh, okay..."
Jiraiya laughed heartily and said to Mitokado:
"Uncle Homura, you heard it too.
It's not that I'm trying to slack off, it's just that there's no other way for now. In any case, we can only rely on you and Minato to hold the fort for the time being!
Anyway, you're so strong, you even drove off Onoki, so it won't be difficult for you to replace me for a while!"
"..."
Mitokado pushed up his glasses with his fingers and said coldly:
"What nonsense are you talking about! How could I possibly defeat Onoki?"
"Hmm? But you guys..."
Jiraiya found it strange that he had been ambushed by Onoki, but instead of fleeing in disarray, the reinforcements must have repelled Onoki on their own.
Mitokado hesitated for a moment before speaking:
"There's no one else here, and I'm not afraid to tell you frankly, I'm no match for Onoki.
I did manage to defeat Onoki back then, but it was only with Souji's help."
"What?"
Jiraiya and Minato were both startled!
"Not only is the Souji highly skilled in medical ninjutsu, but his personal combat strength is also extremely strong.
During the Jonin Exams, he, like Minato, achieved a victory against the Hokage!" Mitokado continued.
"And they even beat the old man!?"
The two were even more surprised!
Minato, being one of only two people to have accomplished this feat, and Jiraiya, who has yet to defeat the Hokage in a competition, both naturally understand the immense difficulty involved.
"Souji is such an outstanding young man; he will surely become a pillar of Konoha, just like Minato..."
At this point, Mitokado glanced at Souji, who understood and smiled:
"Then I'll go and research the antidote formula. Goodbye for now."
The Souji bid farewell and left the room.
Mitokado values him so much now, yet he still gestured for him to leave... What secrets are they going to discuss?
Although the Souji was puzzled, there was nothing he could do since he was not allowed to listen.
Anyway, at his current level and status, even the biggest secrets are usually not kept from him completely; he just finds out later.
After thinking for a moment, Souji found a ninja who was stationed at the medical center and showed him the badge that represented his Jonin status.
"I am Jonin Mochizuki Souji. Go and find me an ANBU squad."
"Yes!"
The ninja loudly agreed, took the order, and left.
The Souji couldn't help but smile slightly.
I've finally made it big. Before, I was always the one taking orders from others, but now that I've become a Jonin, it's finally my turn to give orders to others.
It's really satisfying to be able to summon the secret service just by saying a word!
...
After Souji left, only Mitokado, Jiraiya, and Minato Namikaze remained in the room.
"Uncle Homura, what do you want to talk about?"
"Of course it's a very important matter...the succession of the Hokage!"
"What?"
Jiraiya and Minato both changed their expressions!
Mitokado gently pushed up his glasses and said with a serious expression:
"I won't beat around the bush, Sarutobi intends to step down after this great war, and is currently considering who will succeed him as Hokage!"
"So?"
"The only ones qualified to succeed as Hokage are you, Orochimaru, and Tsunade."
"This isn't the first time we've discussed this.
Akimichi and I are supporting you. Utatane hopes to try to persuade Tsunade to come back first.
If that doesn't work, you will be her second choice. As for Danzo… he's supporting Orochimaru."
"..."
"You should know very well that among the three of you students, Sarutobi has always favored Orochimaru the most.
As for you... because you and Sarutobi are essentially the same kind of person, although he feels close to you, he also thinks that you, like him, are too emotional and may not be suitable to become a calm, rational, and even ruthless Hokage when necessary..."
Mitokado's eyes were sharp as he stared directly at Jiraiya and said:
"But in our view, Orochimaru's personality is extreme and eccentric, and he is too ruthless.
We absolutely cannot let him succeed as Hokage, so... let him become Hokage! Jiraiya!"
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End of this chapter...