On the rooftop of the women's bathhouse, Jiraiya was caught red-handed peeping on girls taking a bath—by none other than Shizune.
As a result, what followed was a barrage of flying objects from below—washbasins, soap, slippers, and stools—crashing into him.
His left eye was blackened, and he fled in total embarrassment.
"Shizune, what are you doing?!"
Jiraiya clutched his bruised eye socket and stared at her with a face full of grievance.
"Who told you to peek into the women's bathhouse, Lord Jiraiya?" Shizune huffed, hugging Ton-Ton tightly. "You're one of the Legendary Sannin, and yet you're doing something like this!"
"You don't understand! I'm gathering material! Research!" Jiraiya tried to defend himself. "I'm a writer. As a bestselling novelist, I need inspiration, right? This is all part of the creative process!"
"I'm not talking to you about this anymore."
Knowing she couldn't win the argument, Shizune quickly changed her tone and said seriously, "Lord Jiraiya, the Hokage has summoned you for an urgent matter."
"Tsunade?" Jiraiya frowned slightly, looking reluctant. "Don't tell me it's another troublesome thing? I'm warning you now, I've got important matters to handle!"
"You mean peeking into the women's bathhouse?" Shizune exposed him without mercy.
"Of course not."
Jiraiya glared at her and said with annoyance, "It's something about Mount Myoboku. Even if I explained, you wouldn't understand."
"This is serious, Lord Jiraiya."
Shizune's heart tightened. Of course she had heard of Mount Myoboku—one of the Three Big Unexplored 'Sage' Regions.
If something was happening there, it most likely wasn't a small matter.
Seeing the heavy concern in Shizune's eyes, Jiraiya finally stopped joking around.
Realizing this might actually be serious, he furrowed his brows. "Alright. I'll go see Tsunade right away."
Shizune finally let out a sigh of relief.
Though Jiraiya acted unreliable most of the time…
When it came to critical moments, he was the one person Tsunade could truly rely on.
Before long, Jiraiya followed Shizune straight into the Hokage's office.
Tsunade handed over the scorching-hot mission report to Jiraiya, following the same procedure as before.
"Don't say anything yet. Read it first. Then tell me what you think."
"Hiss—!"
Jiraiya sucked in a sharp breath, his expression instantly twisting like he had just swallowed a swarm of flies.
"You're sure this intel is real?!"
Even someone like him, who had weathered countless storms, was utterly shaken by what he saw.
His mind turned into a mess of tangled thoughts.
"The First and Second Hokage are being controlled by the Aurora Order? And Iwagakure, under Ōnoki's leadership, is planning to declare war on the ninja world? Has that old man lost his mind?"
"I don't know whether Ōnoki's gone mad or not."
Tsunade let out a soft sigh, rubbing her furrowed brows as a bitter expression appeared on her face.
"But according to the intelligence from Uchiha Sasuke... Ōnoki is dead serious."
"What do you plan to do?"
Jiraiya looked over at Tsunade, seeking her opinion.
But Tsunade threw the question back at him with a gentle smile.
"I wanted to ask what you think."
"I want to see if your thinking matches mine."
Jiraiya fell silent, brows knitted tightly as he thought deeply.
After a while, something seemed to click in his mind.
He slowly opened his mouth.
"With the Aurora Order's current power, and now that they have both the First and Second Hokage… It would be nearly impossible for any one ninja village to fight them alone."
"So we need to unite more forces—"
"To stand against both Iwagakure and the Aurora Order."
Tsunade's eyes lit up.
She smiled faintly.
"Go on. I'm listening."
It was clear that Jiraiya's proposal matched her own thoughts perfectly.
"Call a Five Kage Summit!"
Jiraiya's voice dropped, growing solemn and serious.
"The Kazekage, Raikage, Mizukage, Amekage... and you."
"Only by uniting all of us can we possibly stand a chance against the Aurora Order!"
Shizune, who had been quietly standing nearby, was stunned by the suggestion.
"Summon... all five Kage? Is that even possible?"
Leaving aside the newly rising Amegakure for now...
The remaining villages—Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure—all had deep blood feuds with Konohagakure.
How could they possibly agree to come together just like that?
And even if they somehow did agree to join forces, who would take command of the united force?
There were just too many questions.
Too many complications.
No wonder Lady Tsunade hadn't informed the two advisors yet.
She must've anticipated the chaos this plan could trigger.
Given the stubbornness of Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, the chances of them agreeing to this proposal were close to zero.
Not to mention convincing the other clan heads in the village.
Especially for Kumogakure.
They had invaded Konoha more than a decade ago, indirectly causing the death of the Fourth Hokage and thousands of civilian casualties.
It was a grudge that could never be resolved.
"I feel the same way as you, but…"
Clearly, Tsunade had already considered this.
She sighed and said, "The hatred between the Five Great Shinobi Villages runs too deep. It's nearly impossible to resolve. Even if we propose an alliance, no one will believe us."
"That's why you called me alone, isn't it?"
Jiraiya, having been Tsunade's teammate for decades, understood her thoughts perfectly.
"You want me to act as the middleman and reach out to the other villages, don't you?"
"I don't have anyone else I can trust. Except for you."
Tsunade rarely looked so worn out.
She leaned back in her chair, her voice bitter.
"Sitting in this position means I have too many things to worry about. Right now, only you can help me, Jiraiya."
"Lady Tsunade…"
Shizune bit her lip, eyes full of worry as she looked at her.
Since taking up the role of Fifth Hokage, Tsunade had to constantly watch out for the two advisors, while also dealing carefully with the many clans in the village, each with their own hidden agendas.
To make things worse, she had taken over right after the death of the Third Hokage, at a time when Konoha was in chaos.
Over the past two years, she had poured her heart into the village, barely managing to keep things together.
Just when things were finally starting to improve, something like this had to happen.
Looking at Tsunade's exhausted face, Jiraiya suddenly felt a pang of heartache.
"Jiraiya, I'm really tired."
Her eyes were slightly sunken, and she looked as if she had aged a lot.
"Please… help me. You're the only one I can trust now."
"…Alright. I'll do it."
Jiraiya let out a sigh.
Tsunade, who had always been proud and unyielding, was actually willing to lower her head and ask for help.
How could he possibly refuse?
"Thank you, Jiraiya."
A rare trace of relief flashed in Tsunade's eyes.
The truth was, she really had no one else to rely on.
Ever since the incident where the Third Hokage had been impersonated by White Zetsu, she had grown suspicious of everyone in the village.
She no longer dared to easily trust anyone.
Even her personal attendant, Shizune, was regularly checked—just to make sure she hadn't been quietly "replaced."
Now that Jiraiya was willing to help, at least some of the weight on her shoulders could finally be lifted.
*******
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