Chapter 68

Moments later.

After taking a deep breath and opening his eyes again, Jiraiya froze in place.

The shadows of Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji remained, Kakashi was still there, and he could even hear Might Guy’s booming shouts of “Youth!” during training.

Jiraiya looked utterly bewildered.

At that moment, he lost his composure and immediately approached Kakashi.

“Kakashi!”

“What’s going on with Itachi and the Ino-Shika-Chō? Why are Itachi all here in the Uchiha compound?”

“Do Itachi have some special mission?”

Jiraiya asked, clearly still struggling to believe what he saw.

Yes!

Whether it was the Ino-Shika-Chō or Kakashi, they were all absolute Hokage loyalists—how could they possibly defect to the Uchiha?

And yet,

Kakashi, on duty, paused in surprise upon seeing Jiraiya before him.

Clearly,

He hadn’t expected Jiraiya to return to the village.

But,

In response to Jiraiya’s question, Kakashi replied calmly and coolly: “No special mission. We’ve all pledged allegiance to the Uchiha.”

“Why?” Jiraiya snapped, his composure shattered.

Even after being berated by Uchiha Jin, he hadn’t been truly angry.

After all,

He knew well that Uchiha Jin was a smart man—not some muscle-headed fool.

Such men were more dangerous, but they wouldn’t lightly start a war.

Unless they had absolute certainty of victory—or were truly backed into a corner.

But the problem was,

Kakashi and the Ino-Shika-Chō here had just shattered his last hope.

If even loyalists like Kakashi and the Ino-Shika-Chō were defecting one after another to the Uchiha, then his faith in the village’s future was utterly destroyed.

And yet,

Kakashi fell silent for a long time before calmly saying: “I assassinated Elder Danzo. Guy got dragged in too. Only the Uchiha can protect us.”

He offered no explanation, too tired to elaborate on the difficulties.

He simply stated the facts plainly, with no intention of convincing Jiraiya.

But,

Jiraiya understood.

Though he disapproved of his master’s actions, he wasn’t a fool—he’d commanded frontline forces during the Third Shinobi War for a reason.

He knew well the truth behind many of the village’s affairs.

He just always hoped someone else would fix them, while he himself acted like an ostrich, staying far from the village and leaving everything to time—or some future savior.

So,

He understood Kakashi.

Though Kakashi seemed apathetic, he was fundamentally a smart man.

Especially after years in the Anbu, he’d seen plenty of the village’s darkness and knew his master better than anyone.

If forced to choose between Danzo and Kakashi, Hiruzen Sarutobi would have chosen Danzo.

Then…

The only ones who could protect Kakashi after assassinating Danzo were the Uchiha.

As for himself?

Hah!

Not even Kakashi believed in him—how could he expect others to?

He was a wanderer who’d long abandoned the village—what right did he have to protect Kakashi? Could he really drag Kakashi across the entire shinobi world?

After a long pause, he sighed: “Why suddenly assassinate Danzo?”

“To avenge my father,” Kakashi replied lazily, as if it were nothing.

Hearing this, Jiraiya fell silent.

Kakashi Hatake

So that’s it.

Even though Jiraiya had been away from Konoha for years, he was still part of its inner circle—if he hadn’t refused to compromise, his status would’ve rivaled Danzo’s.

So,

The truth behind the suicide of Hatake Sakumo was no secret to this Legendary Sannin.

Even Tsunade and Orochimaru back then had known the full story.

Jiraiya still remembered how Tsunade had said in a tavern after Sakumo’s death:

“The old man messed up!”

“Hmph. Serves him right!”

“Too bad about Hatake Sakumo—a great ninja.”

Yes.

All three of them knew Hiruzen hadn’t wanted Sakumo dead—he’d only needed to ruin his reputation since Sakumo had threatened the Hokage’s authority.

If Sakumo had swallowed the bitter pill and fully embraced the darkness, Hiruzen would’ve kept using him.

But unfortunately,

Hatake Sakumo was a man who’d rather break than bend—and he proved it with his suicide.

For a moment,

Looking at the lethargic Kakashi before him, Jiraiya had nothing to say.

He couldn’t understand why Kakashi, who’d long buried this pain, had suddenly decided to seek revenge—but what could he say to someone avenging his father?

Talk about the Will of Fire?

He could speak of it to strangers like Uchiha Jin, but to someone close like Kakashi, he just couldn’t bring himself to say it.

So, sigh…

With a helpless sigh, he patted Kakashi’s shoulder and walked away.

And yet,

Kakashi merely glanced at Jiraiya briefly, then turned back to his duties.

Yes.

He had to admit Jiraiya was a good man.

But unfortunately,

He wasn’t a reliable elder, nor a leader worth following—he couldn’t even protect his own people, so how could he earn loyalty?

So,

Best to just stick with the Uchiha. Uchiha Jin had decent character, and his chances of winning looked high.

…

Jiraiya moved with a certain leisure.

He wandered through the Uchiha compound, and no one drove him away—after all, the Uchiha had no rule forbidding outsiders from visiting their lands.

In fact, no clan had such a rule.

It was merely an unspoken understanding among commoners and other clans.

But fundamentally,

As long as one didn’t enter classified Uchiha areas, the rest of the clan wouldn’t interfere.

Not just Jiraiya—even commoners could come, as long as they followed the rules, and the Uchiha wouldn’t expel them.

Not long after,

The more Jiraiya wandered, the heavier his expression became.

The Uchiha’s defenses were overwhelming—dense layers of visible and hidden sentries, patrol teams everywhere, all composed entirely of Jonin.

Where were the Chunin and Genin?

Unable to resist, he grabbed a Nara clansman at random and asked his burning question.

And yet,

The Nara clansman, recognizing Jiraiya, replied cautiously: “Almost all Uchiha Chunin and Genin have been assigned to the Police Force.”

Jiraiya’s lip twitched.

The village’s security—entrusted entirely to Chunin and Genin, while all Jonin stayed within the compound?

But,

He shook his head and said nothing more.

He knew perfectly well—this was preparation for war against the village.

Suddenly.

Jiraiya's eyes lit up.

He immediately caught up to the figure ahead and clamped his hand on its neck.

"Lu Yi?"

"I never thought Itachi'd join the Uchiha."

"Come, let's talk?"