Chapter 337: All Set: Invite the Three Kage!

Tsunade was direct, and her tone was even more direct.

Yes!

Compared to Minato Namikaze, this cheap apprentice, she knew Jiraiya better as a teammate, since the two of them had grown up together, and thus understood him more than anyone else.

Minato Namikaze was stunned, struggling to comprehend.

After all, in his mind, Jiraiya was a easygoing man, so if he sincerely pleaded and laid out all the evidence…

But unfortunately.

Before he could even speak, Tsunade, as if guessing his thoughts, cut him off outright.

“Minato, give up.”

“I can tell Itachi seriously—your thoughts mean nothing.”

“Don’t be fooled by Jiraiya’s usual kindness and gentleness; he’s an extremely stubborn man.”

“Once he makes a decision, no one can change it!”

“He trusts the Toad Sage Temple more than Konoha.”

“If the toads of the Toad Sage Temple ask him to fight Konoha, Jiraiya will act without hesitation.”

“I’m not exaggerating.”

“Think about the oil-stained forehead protector he wears—then Itachi’ll understand that while he acknowledges his identity as a Konoha ninja, deep down, he still places the Toad Sage Temple first.”

“Still, I understand.”

“After all, Konoha gave him limited training; look at his combat techniques—they’re mostly what he learned from the Toad Sage Temple…”

As she spoke, Tsunade couldn’t help but sigh.

Yes!

Her heart was complicated now, for Jiraiya had once loved her; though she ultimately refused him, she still regarded him as a friend.

Not just any friend—the kind who truly shares your soul.

But unfortunately.

Now Konoha and the Toad Sage Temple stand on opposite sides; soon they will clash in battle—how could this not trouble her?

She had considered changing his mind, even persuading him—but precisely because she understood this old friend so well, she knew she couldn’t.

The reason was simple.

This old friend of hers had been thoroughly brainwashed; the Toad Sage Temple felt too sacred to him, otherwise he wouldn’t have spent years searching for the Child of Destiny.

When Jiraiya pursued her in the past, she refused him for this very reason—the so-called claim that Jiraiya was promiscuous was just an excuse.

After all, if Tsunade had accepted him, Jiraiya wouldn’t have chased after other women.

In truth…

Jiraiya’s seemingly promiscuous behavior was mostly an attempt to numb himself, to temporarily forget.

The real reason Tsunade rejected him in the past? Simply these four words: “incompatible values.”

Just like now, at this very moment!

Tsunade unhesitatingly stands with Konoha, while Jiraiya is firmly committed to the Toad Sage Temple—this conflict is fundamentally irreconcilable.

Likewise…

This is also why he convinced Minato Namikaze: because trying to persuade Jiraiya serves no purpose other than wasting time and alerting the Toad Sage Temple in advance.

Minato Namikaze wore a bitter expression.

After hearing Tsunade’s words, he truly didn’t know what to say.

He had known Jiraiya was close to the Toad Sage Temple, but he never imagined it was this extreme.

He didn’t understand!

He genuinely didn’t understand.

After all, we’re human beings; they’re just a bunch of toads—not even the same species. Surface courtesy and respect are fine…

But when core interests are at stake, shouldn’t everyone stand firmly on the human side?

For a human to side with toads? It made his head ache, and he still couldn’t grasp it.

“Enough. That’s all.”

“Trying to persuade Jiraiya is pointless. The fact that he’s trusted by the Toad Sage Temple, and that Hagoromo treated him as disposable…”

“Proves how unshakable his convictions are. So everyone, prepare for battle at any moment.”

“Tsunade, Itachi’ll handle the daily operations of the Northern Front.”

“Tobirama, Minato!”

The three of Itachi will use the Flying Thunder God Technique to secretly transport all the strong ninja Itachi can gather back to Konoha.

“Time waits for no one—move out!”

Uchiha Jin delivered the final verdict.

After all, they had little time to prepare; since Hashirama Senju had sensed danger, the enemy would strike soon.

Naturally, the three had no objections to his plan.

Then.

With Uchiha Jin’s order issued, the entire Northern Front instantly became a machine wound tight, bursting into frenzied action.

Batch after batch of ninja from the Three Great Villages were swiftly divided, shuffled, and rapidly mobilized…

Often, the first group had barely left two hours before the next was ready to depart.

And yet,

Though the high-ranking leaders of the Three Villages were puzzled, they dared not ask any questions—partly because Konoha had the authority to demand it, but more importantly because Uchiha Jin himself was overseeing everything.

Yes!

In today’s ninja world, Uchiha Jin was unquestionably among the strongest.

After all, the spy networks of the other villages weren’t idle; they knew Uchiha Jin had fought Hashirama Senju, later defeated Six Paths Pain, and even captured Akatsuki’s White Tiger—now his personal secretary…

Even now, when they met Lin Mo, they saw Konan dressed in the Akatsuki’s cloud-patterned black robe—didn’t that prove the reliability of that battle?

So, no objections!

Even if they suspected something was off, since Konoha gave no explanation, they could only wait patiently.

Konoha didn’t make them wait long—only the next afternoon, as the sun set, Tobirama Senju and Minato Namikaze had fully relocated all the strong ninja back to Konoha, and the majority of ninja and their families from the Three Villages were moved to various locations across the Land of Fire…

Uchiha Jin officially spoke: he invited the Kage of the Three Villages for a meeting!

Of course,

Since he didn’t fully trust the three, Uchiha Jin wouldn’t tell them the truth.

“Kage, welcome, all of Itachi!”

“Itachi won’t regret your decision to join Konoha.”

“To put your minds at ease, I’ll give Itachi a guarantee right now.”

“On my Uchiha name, I swear that after the other villages merge into Konoha, none of Itachi will face discrimination.”

“The benefits for ninja, civilians, and leaders from each village will be one tier lower than those of Konoha-born ninja—but still higher than what Itachi currently enjoy!”

“If anyone suffers discrimination, come straight to me, Uchiha Jin!”

“This is my promise as Hokage to Itachi all.”