Chapter 69: Jiraiya

Jiraiya was extremely pleased.

Kakashi was just an ordinary ninja, and his knowledge was extremely limited, so he didn’t ask any questions.

Perfect timing now!

The man before him, Nara Shikazu, he was quite familiar with.

During the Third Shinobi War, in the front-line camp, this man had been his strategist and chief logistics officer, so their personal relationship was actually quite good.

And yet,

Upon seeing Jiraiya before him, Nara Shikazu was deeply displeased.

He was already annoyed at being dragged out by his clan chief to do this work, and now he had to encounter Jiraiya—someone even more annoying—so after thinking it over, he couldn’t help but say: “I’m with the Uchiha faction now; we shouldn’t be getting too close.”

“Go find my elder brother—he’s the one aligned with the village faction!”

But unfortunately,

Jiraiya paid no attention and forcibly pulled Lu Yi away.

Nara Shikazu: “...”

His inner feelings, naturally, were deeply displeased.

Yes!

He had clearly stated that he had joined the Uchiha and shouldn’t associate too closely with Jiraiya.

But he hadn’t expected

That Jiraiya didn’t care about his situation at all, didn’t give a damn about how he’d explain himself to the Uchiha afterward—this caused his opinion of Jiraiya to plummet.

However,

Even though his heart was furious, he showed no sign of it on his face.

As someone chosen by Nara Shikaku to lead a new faction, his intellect was certainly no lesser than Nara Shikaku’s.

So,

He maintained his lazy posture and “invited” Jiraiya to his residence.

After brewing him a simple cup of tea, he offered no pleasantries: “Lord Jiraiya, please get to the point quickly—I have other matters to attend to.”

He was extremely direct.

First, the man was Jiraiya; Nara Shikazu certainly didn’t want to offend him.

But likewise,

Considering his current position, he couldn’t afford to get too close to Jiraiya either.

Thus, as a clan leader, he could offer a certain degree of surface respect—but he must also maintain sufficient distance, and quickly get rid of Jiraiya.

On the contrary,

What he now needed to consider was how to explain this to the Uchiha!

Meanwhile,

Jiraiya’s perception was sharp; he naturally sensed Lu Yi’s displeasure, but he simply didn’t care.

After all…

In his view, someone who had betrayed the Will of Fire deserved to be killed outright; the fact that he hadn’t already done so was mercy enough. Had it not been for the massive impact such an act would have on the situation, he would have killed him long ago.

This was precisely why he was acting so forcefully, completely disregarding Nara Shikazu’s feelings!

“Hmm, fine.”

“Tell me briefly—what exactly has happened in the village?”

“Why did the Pig, Deer, and Butterfly clans choose to defect to the Uchiha? And how is the Uchiha faring lately?”

“Tell me these things, and I’ll leave immediately!”

Jiraiya was extremely direct.

First, he didn’t trust what his own master had said, and he trusted Uchiha Jin even less.

So,

Even though Nara Shikazu had already defected to the Uchiha, Jiraiya still believed the Nara clan were clever people—and he had personally interacted with this one.

Therefore, he judged:

Even if this man had sided with the Uchiha, he still wouldn’t dare lie to Jiraiya.

After all…

Not everyone in Konoha was as brazen as Uchiha Jin, who dared to directly defy Jiraiya!

Come on!

He was one of the Legendary Sannin—the very title granted by the legendary “Half-God of the Shinobi World,” Samui Hanzo.

Yes.

This was not the later era where everyone casually opened giant robots; in this era, before the Akatsuki had begun its operations, Samui Hanzo still held immense prestige in the shinobi world.

The evidence proved it true.

Despite his inner displeasure, Nara Shikazu eventually began to explain.

He started with how Uchiha Jin’s parents were captured by the Root, triggering Uchiha Jin’s Mangekyo Sharingan, after which he immediately launched a covert assassination campaign against the Root.

Today Itachi kill one Uchiha, tonight I kill two Root members.

And so…

Uchiha Jin carved his path with slaughter and his Mangekyo Sharingan, completely conquering the radical faction of the Uchiha.

Afterwards,

His confrontation with the village leadership—no one knew why—but the village leadership ultimately backed down.

The Anbu and Root forces surrounding the Uchiha were withdrawn, and Uchiha Jin gained even more support because of this.

Then,

Uchiha Jin’s assassination war with Danzo escalated; the radicals had prepared in advance, so almost no one was killed—but Fugaku trusted Hiruzen Sarutobi, resulting in the moderate and centrist factions suffering devastating losses at Danzo’s hands.

And precisely because of this,

Most people sided with the radicals; Fugaku became a complete figurehead.

After seizing full control of the Uchiha, Uchiha Jin used the Police Department as a springboard, fought a brutal battle with the village leadership, and ultimately forced them to surrender.

Uchiha Jin, having reclaimed the Uchiha compound, naturally saw his prestige rise even higher.

As for the village now?

Due to the Police Department’s negligence, the Anbu had no choice but to accept it—and now the Anbu’s reputation was ruined.

The Konoha leadership had no solution!

Apparently, a major battle had occurred in the Death Forest a few days ago, but since Nara Shikazu’s rank was too low, he didn’t know the specifics.

In short…

Nara Shikazu offered no evaluation—he simply told Jiraiya what he “should” know.

Anything else? He didn’t know!

If Itachi want to know, investigate it yourself.

Meanwhile,

Jiraiya grew increasingly grave as he listened, his expression darkening—he sensed how formidable Uchiha Jin was.

His own master might be a monster, but his methods were far from weak.

To force his master into such a corner without using any direct force revealed Uchiha Jin’s extraordinary nature.

After a moment of silence: “I have a few more questions.”

“Go ahead,” Nara Shikazu nodded.

Jiraiya spoke: “If the Police Department is doing nothing, why is the Hokage tolerating it?”

“The Police Department has its own explanation,” Nara Shikazu said slowly. “They cite too many complaints, so they’re strictly following procedure—which naturally takes a long time.”

“For example, if someone beats Itachi up and Itachi file a complaint, the Police Department must investigate, right?”

“Are there witnesses? Physical evidence? How severe was the injury?”

“Witnesses need to give statements, but ordinary civilians don’t want trouble—they fear retaliation after the accused is released.”

“Physical evidence? Even harder!”

“Where would an ordinary civilian even find physical evidence? Itachi’d have to go to the Konoha Hospital for a medical report.”

“The whole process is extremely cumbersome—it’s easy to drag it out for a year or two.”

“After all, the Police Department isn’t just handling this one case; if Itachi want them to act, Itachi’ll wait—probably until Itachi’re dead before they finish.”

“But it’s legal!”

Jiraiya sat there, stunned, mouth agape.

Holy hell!

This—actually works?

Afterwards,

He asked several more detailed questions, and Nara Shikazu answered them all.

But…

Jiraiya found himself unable to bear listening further.

Because he heard the propaganda war between both sides—and the rumors spread by the Uchiha.

That Hiruzen Sarutobi seized power illegitimately; conspiracy theories about Shintsu, Katō Dan, and Shippū’s deaths; that he deliberately murdered Minato Namikaze to reclaim his position; that the Senju and Uzumaki clans were schemed into annihilation…

Hearing this, Jiraiya’s heart nearly leapt out of his chest!

Immediately following was an bone-chilling cold.

He had thought his master was a monster, but now, after careful thought, if these rumors were true, then Hiruzen Sarutobi was truly a bastard.

Of course.

What terrified Jiraiya even more was that Uchiha Jin had not yet played all his cards.

He had only spread rumors about cases that had already happened, where the victims were already dead—yet Uchiha Jin still held in his hands the truth that those victims were still alive, waiting to strike!

For example—

Naruto Uzumaki’s true origins, the village’s dark experiments…

Thinking of this, Jiraiya couldn’t help but feel his scalp go numb.

Beyond that.

He had finally understood Kakashi Hatake’s motive for revenge; the Uchiha’s rumors were outright soul-destroying.

Any normal person would rather die than let it go unpunished.

Otherwise,

Even if he appeared alive, he was effectively dead.

Kakashi Hatake’s actions were understandable to Jiraiya.

But the problem was…

What should he do?

Even though he knew exactly what Uchiha Jin was doing, he could not think of any way to stop him.

So,

At this moment, Jiraiya was even more troubled than before.