Putting aside Sarutobi Hiruzen himself, the strongest shinobi in the Hidden Leaf right now was undoubtedly Jiraiya.
Uchiha Itachi and Might Guy possessed formidable peak combat power, but their techniques ca at the cost of their lives unsustainable, final-gambit styles that could not be relied on regularly.
Jiraiya, on the other hand, despite his playful nature, was a seasoned war veteran with imnse battlefield experience.
Naturally, Hiruzen had chosen Jiraiya to lead the Leaf's military campaign this ti.
At this point, Jiraiya could no longer refuse. The bond of master and student from years past now seed destined to be severed by his own hand.
Staring at the images on the LED screen, Jiraiya spoke with quiet sorrow.
"Sensei… is there truly no other way?"
Hearing the resignation in Jiraiya's voice, Hiruzen pressed a switch on his desk, and the screen went dark.
Jiraiya closed his eyes, deep in thought. For a mont, he said nothing.
Then, as if struck by an idea, he opened his eyes with renewed hope. "Sensei, don't you still have allies from other worlds? If we're not short on manpower, we might be able to capture Nagato alive."
"Look, even Orochimaru turned back. Nagato and Konan were just deceived by a manipulator. There's still a chance to bring them back… right?"
He was still searching for a way out, trying every angle.
Funny how, when he was asking for help, he didn't even call him "old man" anymore.
Hiruzen lifted his pipe, pretending to ponder. Jiraiya leaned over helpfully to light it.
Though it was clear Jiraiya was struggling to accept the situation, Hiruzen couldn't bring himself to bla him.
If anything, it made him love this student more.
Jiraiya reminded him of himself.
In the true legacy of the Hokage, the bond between master and student had always been akin to that of father and son. Even Minato, upon seeing Obito on the battlefield, hadn't voiced resentnt only the hope that he might still beco Hokage if he were alive.
And as for Orochimaru… Hiruzen had hesitated then, too.
So he fully understood how Jiraiya felt.
But understanding didn't an the mission could be avoided.
"It's different now, Jiraiya. Nagato is far stronger than Orochimaru ever was."
"And those off-world allies have their own enemies to deal with."
"On the battlefield of the Hidden Rain, there's no one we can send who has absolute confidence in defeating Nagato. Let alone capturing him alive."
"If we go in without the resolve to kill him, we might be the ones who fall."
As Hiruzen's words grew colder and more resolute, Jiraiya slowly ca to terms with the harsh truth he didn't have the luxury of rcy when facing Nagato.
Finally, Hiruzen said, "Jiraiya, you must accept this reality."
Jiraiya exhaled deeply. "If it truly cos to that… I won't hesitate."
Hearing this, Hiruzen nodded gravely. "Anyone who threatens the Leaf whether they're my closest friend, or…"
Before he could finish, Jiraiya raised a hand in mock surrender. "I get it, I get it. Even if they're your student, if they threaten the village, you won't hold back."
Then his tone turned serious.
"I won't either. What happened to the Cloud Village won't happen here."
This was the will of the true Leaf its unbroken line of Hokage spirit.
At that, Hiruzen's voice softened. "Jiraiya, if you go… there may still be hope."
If Nagato were to surrender with dignity, he might yet be granted a noble title.
"I understand, old man."
With the matter settled, Jiraiya left the office. A mission like this required careful preparation.
Just then, the subspace group chat lit up.
"Hey Third, I'm about to open the gate and send my old man over. The coordinates are a little off, so send Itachi to et him."
Whitebeard was coming.
He wasn't just so powerful fighter he was a warlord who commanded vast ocean territories and imnse resources. Though lately he was being treated more like a retired emperor.
This kind of guest needed a proper welco.
"Ahem."
Two ANBU operatives, Codena A and Codena Shen, appeared silently.
"A, notify Itachi. Tell him to receive our ally."
"Let him know Konoha is entering a warti state, but don't ntion it to Whitebeard. Let the guest rest peacefully."
"And considering his… unusual size, assign a team of ANBU to maintain order during his visit. Make sure the villagers don't cause a scene."
"Above all, don't alarm our allies."
"Shen, inform Tsunade. Tell her to prepare to host a VIP."
As for Hiruzen himself, he had to begin mobilizing the Leaf's strike force. He hadn't even had ti to surf lately.
The current lineup for the mission would include:
Jiraiya, leading the charge
Itachi Uchiha
Team Kakashi: Yamato, Kakashi, and Might Guy, all of whom had volunteered
Tsunade would remain to defend the village. Orochimaru and the Flying Thunder Formation team would remain on standby.
A few elite ANBU squads would accompany the mission. Since the other villages had fewer elite shinobi, they would make up for it with greater numbers.
And with Whitebeard recovering in the Leaf, they wouldn't ask him to fight but if sothing went wrong, he would likely lend a hand.
In short, the advantage was theirs.
anwhile, Black Zetsu was beginning to panic.
Nagato had flat-out rejected both him and Obito. He and Konan no longer trusted them at all.
And this was after he had brought them valuable intelligence! He hadn't even had ti to tell his newly invented backstory before being dismissed with a cold warning:
"A god is invincible. For the value of this intel, we'll let you leave alive."
It was bad. The pawn had gone rogue.
In truth, ever since Nagato had fully awakened the power of the Rinnegan, the plan to use him as a re vessel had completely failed. He'd grown far too powerful. Though Madara had left a backup plan, they didn't dare activate it recklessly.
Obito pretending to be Madara was a desperate move to begin with.
The Rinnegan's abilities were nearly godlike. If their failsafe failed and only served to wake Nagato up further, it would be ga over.
This was all Obito's fault. He couldn't even beat Kakashi. Now, in Nagato's eyes, he was utterly worthless.
And yet Black Zetsu still had to humor that idiot.
He was exhausted.
Back in their hidden base, Black Zetsu relayed the situation to Obito.
"Hmph. So the pawn's gone rogue?" Obito said coldly from the shadows. "Then it's ti to retrieve the Rinnegan. Don't tell Uchiha Madara didn't leave any restrictions on it."
Wow. He was actually thinking clearly for once.
Black Zetsu gave him a sidelong glance and admitted, "He did. But Nagato has mastered the Rinnegan's abilities completely. Using the failsafe is still very risky."
"Then we wait," Obito said. "Let them and the Leaf's forces tear each other apart. Nagato won't have it easy this ti."
He stepped into the light, a twisted smile forming on his face.
"The Leaf has sent its top forces to the Rain Village, right?"
Black Zetsu caught on quickly. "You want to attack while their defenses are down?"
Obito grinned wickedly. "We can't let the Leaf keep growing like this. They're getting too strong. Ti for another Nine-Tails incident."
Black Zetsu instantly understood. Obito was about to start another one of his chaotic, half-baked plans.
But this ti, he agreed.
Because he had a better idea.
"Obito… have you heard of the Second Hokage's forbidden jutsu Reanimation?"
"…Wasn't that Orochimaru's technique?"
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