Chapter 259

They could not see the slightest hope of defeating Ishihara!

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed, looking at the various clans that had not yet handed over their secret techniques, and said, "Clan secret techniques are yours; you make the choice yourselves."

Inuzuka Tsume, severely wounded, gave a bitter smile: "Do we even have a choice? He can control us into handing over our secret techniques at any moment."

Once these words were spoken, the clan heads who had remained silent also gave bitter smiles.

Hyuga Hizashi sighed, "Accept your fate."

He now regretted it so deeply his intestines turned green, and he hated the elders in his own clan to the point his teeth ached.

If they had reached an agreement with Ishihara earlier, they would not have fallen to this state now.

Since Hyuga Hizashi had accepted his fate, the heads of the other clans exchanged glances and nodded.

There was no way to not accept fate!

Seeing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed, "Let's clean up the battlefield first!"

Looking at the bodies and wounded scattered everywhere, his heart felt incredibly heavy.

"Everyone must prepare for war."

Hyuga Hizashi and the others shuddered, their faces immediately turning grim.

The losses suffered by Konoha this time were extremely severe, not only the sacrifice of the Third Hokage and the disappearance of Danzo.

More importantly, during the Nine-Tails' rampage, those elite Konoha ninja who died were Konoha's greatest loss.

This caused Konoha, which had not yet recovered from the Third Great Ninja War, to enter a period of weakness once again.

The other ninja villages would probably not let this opportunity slip away.

War is inevitable; it is only a matter of scale...

But once Konoha gets drawn into it, it will inevitably bring even more severe losses.

This was something Hyuga Hizashi and the others could not accept.

A group of people, their minds complex, began to clean up the battlefield.

Just then.

Whoosh!

A figure suddenly appeared.

Kakashi and the others immediately turned alertly toward the newcomer, then showed expressions of joy.

"Lord Jiraiya!"

The newcomer was indeed Jiraiya; at this moment, he looked pale and covered in the dust of travel.

Seeing this, Kakashi's expression changed slightly, "Are you injured?"

Jiraiya waved his hand and asked somewhat nervously, "What happened in Konoha? From far away, I saw the First Hokage's secret technique, and also the Susanoo!"

Kakashi and the others exchanged glances, and then Kakashi, who was closest to him, stepped forward to explain the situation.

"Ishihara... developed secret techniques... a user of the Mangekyo Sharingan... controlled the Nine-Tails... defeated the First Hokage... mind reading..."

After listening, Jiraiya's heart sank to the bottom.

As a smart person, he naturally understood what these feats and these abilities represented.

Invincible!

A person who is invincible to Konoha!

A person who can take whatever they want from Konoha!

In short, this is a person Konoha absolutely cannot provoke right now!

Jiraiya instantly made a judgment!

Putting aside the shock in his heart, he looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen and asked:

"What do you think Ishihara's attitude is right now?"

Hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen thought for a moment and said:

"What Ishihara wants is to study secret techniques; at least that is the case for the current stage, so in his eyes, Konoha is more of a repository of secret techniques!"

Immediately after, he added: "Ishihara has already spoken; the various clans are powerless to resist and will soon hand over their respective secret techniques to him."

"However, Ishihara belongs to an irresistible force and can be excluded from our regular plans."

"What we are worried about now are the other four great ninja villages!"

Hearing this, Jiraiya looked at Hyuga Hizashi and the others, immediately understanding that this was probably also the attitude of others in the village.

If they cannot provoke Ishihara and his group, then at least they can hide, right?

He also cannot provoke them.

Jiraiya sighed and said, "Then let's leave it at that for now!"

At this moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped forward, "Lord Jiraiya, please serve as the Fifth Hokage!"

As the words fell, Kakashi also stepped forward, "Please serve as the Fifth Hokage!"

Immediately after was Hyuga Hizashi, "Please serve as the Fifth Hokage!"

"Please serve as the Fifth Hokage!"

One by one, people holding pivotal positions in Konoha voiced their support.

Jiraiya looked at their pleading gazes; the words of refusal reached his mouth but he could never say them.

He knew Konoha was now in crisis and needed someone to manage the overall situation.

Right now, only he was the most suitable.

However, he was naturally free-spirited, had a bold personality, and disliked the position and duties of the Hokage, so he frowned and said:

"Before the Fifth Hokage is selected, I will manage Konoha's work."

With those words from him, Lu Jiu, Kakashi, and the others immediately felt reassured.

Jiraiya immediately began giving orders:

"Have the battlefield cleared and losses counted, and send messengers to contact the Uchiha clan—I want to speak with them."

Kakashi and the others' expressions shifted slightly, but they said nothing.

Right now, Konoha needed every ounce of strength—even the Uchiha were acceptable.

Soon, Kakashi and the others began orderly rescue and calming operations after the Nine-Tails' rampage.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya headed to Myōboku Mountain.

But he hadn't expected that upon entering, he would hear Bunta's voice.

"Jiraiya, you've come just in time—the Great Toad Sage has had another dream; a new prophecy has appeared!"

The 117th Great Toad Sage's prophecy! The world shatters! Naruto! (Requesting full subscription! Auto-subscribe!)

"A new prophecy?"

Jiraiya's expression changed slightly.

He had come to Myōboku Mountain seeking aid, yet he had stumbled upon it just as it occurred.

Senjutsu Master Shinko also stepped out, his expression anxious. "Little Jiraiya, come with me quickly."

Jiraiya's heart sank—he had never seen Shinko look like this before.

Soon, under Shinko's lead, he arrived in the grand hall.

On the high dais ahead, the Great Toad Sage, his skin wrinkled, smoking a large pipe, eyes half-lidded, breathed unevenly.

As if his emotions were violently surging.

The moment he saw Jiraiya, the Great Toad Sage trembled and spoke:

"Little Jiraiya, this prophecy isn't about you, but it may still be connected to you."

Jiraiya took a deep breath, his expression grave as he listened intently.

"In my prophecy, there are two fragments."

"The first fragment: a boy with a tomoe in his eyes brings great change to the ninja world, but this change demands a terrible price!"

"Two boys can stop this change—one has emerald eyes and a furry pet beside him, the other has eyes with ripple patterns."

Jiraiya's pupils shrank sharply, his mind racing.

"The only possible agent of this change is Shi Yuan!"

"But how could someone else possess the Rinnegan?! Didn't Nagato die?"

"And he's Shi Yuan's enemy!"

"Could this change not benefit the ninja world?"

He had once trained Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan, so he remembered it vividly—and understood its terror all the more.