Half a month later, inside the Forest of Death.
"What the hell! A snake that huge slithered right past you, and you didn't even notice?"
"Didn't see it?"
"Then can you see my One Thousand Years of Death?"
"Eat this—One Thousand Years of Death!"
Furious shouts echoed endlessly through the forest.
Ever since Danzō escaped, Kazuyama Gekkō had decided the ANBU needed harsher training!
A man of that stature had slipped out of the village unnoticed—unacceptable!
So, for the past half-month, the ANBU had been split into batches, each undergoing his training. The regimen was simple: sharpen your observation and awareness! No enemy must ever be overlooked.
"Sensei, Lord Hokage is asking for you."
Kazuyama Gekkō, in the middle of drills, was stopped by his student Kakashi, who delivered Minato's summons.
"What is it? News about Danzō?"
"No. Looks like envoys from Amegakure and Takigakure have arrived."
"Oh, I see."
Not about Danzō. Kazuyama Gekkō's mood soured immediately.
He had been darting around nonstop with Flying Thunder God, hunting for Danzō's whereabouts, but the bastard had vanished as if the entire ninja world had swallowed him.
He had even gone all the way to Ryūchi Cave to question the White Snake Sage, only to be met with a puff of smoke and a mocking remark.
The White Snake Sage had said:
"Kazuyama, just because you practice senjutsu from Ryūchi Cave doesn't mean I must help you, you know?"
"If it's something you want done, then do it yourself."
"After all, many things lose their meaning if they aren't done with your own hands."
Tch! If you didn't want to tell me, just say so! Why drag philosophy into it? Kazuyama had been left utterly speechless.
As for Amegakure and Takigakure coming to Konoha—that had been his suggestion.
With Danzō gone, it was the perfect chance for them to align with Konoha.
Thus, the three-village alliance was secured. Adding in the Land of Iron, where Kazuyama had strong ties, he now had the quiet support of four nations—enough to feel at ease.
"Kakashi, what about the Daimyō's Manor? That bastard Kazuma still not cooperating?"
The Daimyō's Manor had flatly refused to investigate the late Daimyō's death, burying the matter entirely.
Kazuyama had heard relations between Konoha and the Daimyō's Manor were stretched to the breaking point.
He usually didn't get involved, but with Fugaku handling the matter, he'd had to endure endless complaints.
"Yeah, no cooperation at all. In fact, the Daimyō's Manor has cut off ties with us completely."
"Even funding now comes through outside moneylenders, and the amounts are shrinking."
The Daimyō's Manor had been completely swayed by the Guardian Ninja. No one knew what kind of spell Kazuma had cast on the Daimyō, but the trust was absolute—just like Minato's trust in Kazuyama himself.
"Fine. Let's go meet the envoys from Amegakure and Takigakure."
He grabbed Kakashi's shoulder and used Flying Thunder God.
They landed outside the Hokage Building, arriving just as the two delegations approached.
Familiar faces—Konan of Amegakure and Yahiko of Takigakure.
"Well, if it isn't Mayor Konan and Mayor Yahiko."
"Sa-shi-bu-ri da ne~"
Kazuyama grinned at the pair.
Konan and Yahiko smiled in return. They had met plenty of times before—greetings came easy.
Together, they stepped into the Hokage Building, where Minato Namikaze and the others had been waiting.
Konoha had always stood alone, rarely allied with other villages.
In times of war, it was almost always the target of joint assaults.
But now, with Amegakure's new leadership and Takigakure's emergence, Konoha finally had a chance to break the cycle.
So Minato placed great importance on this meeting.
"Welcome, representatives of Amegakure and Takigakure."
Minato greeted them with a smile. Behind him stood Konoha's senior leaders: the three counsellors, Nara Shikaku, Uchiha Fugaku, and others.
And at the very back—two more figures.
"Jiraiya, your disciples have really made names for themselves."
"One's the leader of Amegakure, the other of Takigakure."
"Tch, too bad there's one missing. That Rinnegan bearer has already turned against us."
Jiraiya said nothing, his eyes lingering on his former students. A glimmer of pride flickered in his gaze.
Beside him, Tsunade sighed softly.
"Tsunade, I just got back, and you're already needling me."
"Still, I never imagined they'd become the heads of Amegakure and Takigakure."
"Life's unpredictable."
"As for Nagato... I've found some leads. He went to the Land of Water. I suspect Kirigakure's lockdown has something to do with him."
Jiraiya had accepted Minato's mission to investigate Nagato and Akatsuki. The deeper he dug, the more the trail led toward Kirigakure—and the more resistance he encountered.
"Tsunade, by that logic, doesn't that make Minato and those two fellow disciples?"
"Hahaha, you're right. But your three students still don't compare to Kazuyama Gekkō."
"Look at that little rascal—he's doing better than anyone."
The conversation started to stall, so Tsunade quickly shifted the topic to the younger generation.
Jiraiya spotted Kazuyama Gekkō across the crowd and couldn't help but smile.
"Him? Yeah, he's doing fine. The Twin Stars of Konoha—they're far stronger than we three ever were back in the day."
"Hahahaha!"
Amid the laughter, Minato led Konan, Yahiko, and the others into the conference room.
Kazuyama Gekkō, as always, ignored the formalities. He pushed through the crowd straight toward Jiraiya.
"Lord Jiraiya, long time no see."
"Oh, and Tsunade's here too? Perfect. How about it—we go grab a drink? My treat!"
Jiraiya and Tsunade exchanged looks, surprise flickering in their eyes.
Kazuyama Gekkō offering to pay?
Did the sun rise in the south today?
Something wasn't right—definitely not right.
"Alright, let's go! Drinks it is!"
"Good! Let's roll, you two."
While the Hokage Building hosted its grand assembly, Kazuyama Gekkō pulled Jiraiya and Tsunade away for their own private meeting.
You had to admit, the Twin Stars of Konoha were something else—even their meetings fell on the same day.
///
Chapter 604: The Invisible Boy Has Grown Up
Hokage Building, conference room.
Minato Namikaze sat at the head of the table, with Yahiko and Konan seated on either side. No one else was present.
"Years ago, Jiraiya-sensei saved three children in Amegakure and took them in as disciples. I never thought our first meeting would be under these circumstances. In a way, that makes us fellow disciples."
"Yahiko, Konan—welcome to Konoha."
As host, Minato's words naturally helped ease the atmosphere.
Yahiko and Konan nodded. No matter what had happened since, they had both received Jiraiya's teachings and were his students.
"I don't know what happened that led you to leave Amegakure for Takigakure," Minato continued, "but from the looks of it, you've found a stage that suits you."
Hearing that, Yahiko laughed, while Konan smiled and shook her head.
"Enough with the pleasantries, Hokage-sama," Yahiko said. "We came here to form an alliance with Konoha. This was a decision Konan and I made together."
"The ninja world may look calm right now, but beneath the surface, the currents are violent."
"Our former village head was killed by the rogue ninja Kakuzu. According to our intelligence, he has since joined an organization known as Akatsuki."
"I imagine you're familiar with this group."
Before arriving in Konoha, Yahiko and Konan had already discussed matters with Kazuyama Gekkō.
A sudden alliance would naturally raise suspicion. Takigakure's reemergence had made enough noise as it was—after all, they had moved directly against Amegakure, and won. Now, with both villages united, their combined strength was enough to make the Five Great Shinobi Villages take notice.
So they needed a reason—and Akatsuki was the perfect one. After all, Konoha had already suffered an attack from them.
"Of course," Minato said. "Konoha has its own history with them."
"So you're suggesting that after forming this alliance, we deal with them together?"
Had Minato not known Akatsuki's true nature, he might have dismissed the idea outright.
But he had fought them himself. A man resembling Uchiha Madara and another with the Rinnegan—just the two of them were enough to warrant caution.
Each one possessed power capable of devastating the world.
Especially the former, who once threw the entire ninja world into chaos alone. That was an enemy no one could afford to ignore.
"Our former leader cannot die in vain," Yahiko said firmly. "Kakuzu will be erased by Takigakure. The alliance will be forged. I believe that matches your village's intentions as well?"
Minato nodded. With a common enemy, an alliance was the natural path.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. And Takigakure had always carried a good reputation. While he had initially questioned why they had attacked Amegakure, that doubt disappeared once he learned who Yahiko and Konan were.
Originally from Amegakure, they had likely gone to Takigakure to wait for the chance to return and change their homeland. Now, that opportunity had come, and Hanzō of the Salamander had been reduced to their stepping stone.
The negotiations went smoothly. Truthfully, the outcome had been decided before the meeting even began.
...
Meanwhile, Kazuyama Gekkō's meeting was far livelier.
At a yakiniku restaurant—the perfect place to talk. After all, how could there be a proper conversation without food and sake?
"Oi, oi, Jiraiya, what's with you?"
"Raising fish?"
"Just a little sake, and you're sipping it like that?"
"Look at Tsunade—drink up, drink up!"
Kazuyama drained his cup in one go, the heat of the sake rushing through him with satisfying intensity.
Ever since marrying Pakura, he hadn't been drinking as much. But honestly, how many men could resist alcohol altogether?
They had called it a meeting, but the talking hadn't even started yet. Instead, the three of them were happily drinking away.
If Jiraiya slowed down for even a moment, Kazuyama would badger him relentlessly. Tsunade, on the other hand, was in high spirits—someone else was footing the bill, and she was drinking to her heart's content.
"Enough, Kazuyama," Jiraiya muttered. "Stop pushing. How much have I already had?"
"Just tell me what you want."
He tipped back another mouthful. His face was flushed, but his focus sharp.
He was one of the Sannin—if drinking alone could throw him off, he'd never have made it this far.
Kazuyama gave a small smile, downed another cup, and finally set his glass down.
"I've seen Nagato."
"More than once."
Jiraiya fell silent at the mention of the name.
Tsunade kept drinking. This wasn't her concern.
"Minato must have told you about Akatsuki," Kazuyama went on.
"Their leader isn't Nagato. It's someone who appears to be Uchiha Madara."
"Jiraiya-sensei, I know the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku has prophetic powers. I'm curious—what exactly did he foretell?"
That was the real reason Kazuyama had sought him out.
The birth of Michihito Gekkō, Jiraiya's sudden visit, the gift he'd given—everything made Kazuyama certain that the prophecy of Mount Myōboku had already shifted.
But into what? He wanted to know.
"How do you know about Mount Myōboku?" Jiraiya asked.
"Oh, right. You're also heir to one of the Three Great Sage Regions. Ryūchi Cave and Mount Myōboku may not be on the best of terms, but each knows the other's secrets well enough."
"The Great Toad Sage did make a prophecy. But I'm sorry—I can't tell you."
Jiraiya refused him flatly. The Great Toad Sage had warned him never to reveal the prophecy. It had to be experienced firsthand.
"Alright, I was just curious."
"But Jiraiya-senpai, I know you're chasing after them. Don't act recklessly. Their strength isn't something to underestimate."
Jiraiya nodded. His eyes cleared as he looked at Kazuyama, the Great Toad Sage's prophecy echoing in his mind.
"The future has become uncertain. The hidden boy has grown into a man. To protect his family, he will finally become a force indispensable to safeguarding this world."
The hidden boy—Kazuyama Gekkō...
He had to admit, the kid's growth had been astonishing. Recent events proved that Kazuyama's strength had already surpassed the old generation.
The Twin Stars of Konoha—truly no exaggeration.