When Jiraiya received intelligence about Konoha being attacked, he simultaneously received intelligence that ninjas from Kusagakure were attacking a nearby defense line.
With both pieces of intelligence in hand at the same time, Jiraiya instantly felt at a loss as to what to do.
Logically speaking, the safety of the village was naturally the most important, but the problem was, the Uzumaki had conjured such a seemingly magical scene right in front of him. Wouldn't the other party have an even greater conspiracy?
Or rather, was the Uzumaki's goal merely to lure him over?
And what was the purpose of them attacking the nearby defense line? Even if they could truly take down that defense line, Konoha could still rush over to reinforce and drive them out, reclaiming the defense line.
If the Uzumaki did this, what benefit could they gain?
Everyone fell into a period of silence. Danzō suddenly spoke up, "The village's intelligence indicates that Iwagakure's units are already approaching our border. Their current position is within the Land of Grass territory, still some distance away, but if they can launch a surprise attack lightly, they can also coordinate with Kusagakure to take down that defense point. By then, Iwagakure's forces might even gain a foothold."
Danzō had experienced the previous Great Ninja War, so he was somewhat perceptive about the actions Iwagakure might take against them.
Aburame Shino frowned slightly and said, "So, Kusagakure and Iwagakure have joined forces?"
Sarutobi Asuma shook his head and said, "Small ninja villages like Kusagakure have no autonomy. They can't stop Iwagakure's forces from entering their country. I think they're more being utilized. And these things aren't important now. The village has been attacked. Should we or should we not spread the news? Everyone's relatives are in the village. Once the news gets out, it will definitely affect their morale. And what should we do next? Go back and protect the village, or stop the potential conspiracy between Iwagakure and Kusagakure? Lord Hokage, please pay attention."
As soon as Asuma finished speaking, everyone's gaze fell upon Jiraiya.
Jiraiya instantly felt his pressure double. He had never imagined encountering such a situation! He had easily criticized the Third Hokage's weaknesses, even his ruthlessness, before. Now, faced with such a decision, he was utterly at a loss.
For instance, the seemingly simplest question at hand: should he inform all Konoha shinobi about the village being attacked?
If it were according to Jiraiya's original intention, he would definitely tell everyone this intelligence, because he felt that concealing it was equivalent to deception!
But if one thought about it carefully, they would know that if everyone in the village learned the news of their relatives suffering unknown fates, their morale and fighting spirit would plummet sharply. If they went back like that, it would be fine, and they wouldn't have to face any dangerous situations.
But if they still needed to go and guard against Iwagakure's sudden attack, then that kind of low morale could very likely lead to greater casualties when they fought against Iwagakure's ninjas! In other words, his 'honesty' was actually killing the village's comrades, and only 'lies' could save more people!
Jiraiya had never imagined he would encounter such a situation!
So, should he lie? But this wasn't the ninja way he had always adhered to! Moreover, whether to rescue the village or to intercept Iwagakure was also a difficult choice for him.
With the village under attack, and most people worried about their families, going back to rescue the village was naturally the best choice.
However, according to the incoming intelligence, the enemy wasn't a ground force; they were a flying assault unit composed of hundreds of ninjas.
But anyone with common sense knew that even if Konoha was weakened, a few hundred assault troops couldn't take it down. What's more, these troops hadn't even broken through Konoha's defense line yet.
The defense lines they had passed through were all still intact, and the personnel drawn from those areas were entirely sufficient to deal with those attackers. Conversely, returning from a more distant border to reinforce would be a foolish choice.
Moreover, if they really did that, and Iwagakure, under Ōnoki's leadership, directly broke through Konoha's border defense line and penetrated deep into the Land of Fire, the damage they would suffer would absolutely increase exponentially!
From this perspective, abandoning the return to the village and intercepting Ōnoki was the best choice. But just as he said before, could he ignore the worries of the public and force them to fight against Iwagakure's ninjas?
And if he gave up returning to Konoha to intercept Ōnoki, would it also mean he had made a choice to sacrifice a small portion of the village's people to save more people?
If so, what was the difference between him and Danzō?
Jiraiya's expression kept changing. Danzō watched him, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. If he had used his own power to forcibly push himself into the position of Hokage before Jiraiya became Hokage, then at most he would only be an acting Hokage, because he couldn't pass the collective vote of the Jonin.
But acting Hokage was always just acting! Afterward, whether it was Jiraiya or Tsunade, as long as a suitable candidate appeared, he would immediately be forced down from the Hokage position and then watch the other party ascend.
But now it was different. Once everyone saw Jiraiya's exhausted performance, as long as he could gain some more merits and reverse the Jonin's impression of him, then when the next opportunity arose, he would become a true Hokage!
Not the kind of acting Hokage who could be replaced at any time. The Uzumaki were indeed very annoying guys, but at least in the matter of tormenting Jiraiya... they did an excellent job!
Danzō chuckled softly and said, "Since Lord Hokage doesn't know what's best, why not split into two paths? Lord Hokage, you go stop Iwagakure's conspiracy. I can take people back to support the village."
Danzō's abacus clattered loudly, but he also knew that such a direct scheme would not succeed, so his goal was not truly to be a savior. He was there to gain prestige by appearing before everyone.
His true goal was simply to say that phrase: "Since Lord Hokage doesn't know what's best..."
He was merely leaving the impression that Jiraiya was incapable of being Hokage, that he didn't know what to do when faced with a choice. For a ruler, a decision made, whether good or bad, was always ten thousand times better than making no decision!
Jiraiya didn't discover Danzō's true motive, but he knew that he absolutely could not let Danzō wield supreme power alone. And the current situation was exactly what Mugen had most anticipated. Konoha, entangled in internal strife, simply couldn't unify its will. Even with powerful forces, they couldn't unleash even half of their original strength when dispersed!
Had Jiraiya and Danzō had conflicts before? Naturally, yes. But it never reached this level of mutual suspicion.
And the one who created this situation was Mugen!
From the very beginning, he had enticed Danzō's ambition, letting him see the possibility of becoming Hokage! And he had also made Danzō see Jiraiya as the biggest obstacle to becoming Hokage!
In this situation, Danzō could not possibly give Jiraiya any support; all his actions would only be for himself! He would even occasionally throw wrenches in Jiraiya's plans to undermine his prestige!
And Jiraiya? He naturally disliked Danzō, but for the sake of the big picture, a brief cooperation with Danzō, suppressing the hatred in his heart, to protect the village was not impossible.
However, during the Sannin's academy days, Mugen had already pointed out what kind of harm Danzō would cause the village after becoming Hokage, and he had subtly hinted at the possibility of his cooperation with Danzō, even that they had already begun to cooperate.
Given this, Jiraiya could not possibly trust Danzō from any perspective! At this point, Konoha's highest authority had already split into two!
Jiraiya, occupying the moral high ground of Hokage but having left the village for over a decade, and Danzō, who had meticulously endured for decades but was unpopular, would inevitably wage a life-or-death struggle against each other.
And Sarutobi Asuma was the "balancer" that Mugen had placed here!
Her presence would prevent Jiraiya and Danzō from determining a victor in a short time. She could oppose Danzō when he was too strong, or she could oppose Jiraiya when he was too strong, or she could stand impartially and fight for her own interests and power.
As long as Konoha could not concentrate its power, they would forever be unable to become that village that simultaneously resisted the four great ninja nations during the Third Great Ninja War—the strongest in the ninja world!
Jiraiya could not possibly let Danzō return alone, so Asuma had to stay by Danzō's side to restrain him. But if both of them returned to the village, Jiraiya was worried that Kusagakure might have used some method to return here, and the defense line here might be breached!
Of course, the consequences of Kusagakure breaking through would be far less than those of Iwagakure breaking through. But even so, he had no reason to take such a gamble!
Therefore, with a heavy heart, Jiraiya finally decided, "I will take two thousand people to intercept Ōnoki and absolutely not let Iwagakure penetrate deep into the Land of Fire's territory! If they truly reach that point, we won't have enough people to drive them out! As for this side, you three should guard it. I will leave five hundred more people to support you. As for the village, send a message to have nearby people rush back for support!"
Jiraiya raised his head, then said with a stern face, "Tell everyone the news of the village being attacked! But also tell them that Konoha is absolutely not a village that can be easily defeated! We endured the Third Great Ninja War, and I believe this time will be the same! The village will not fall! We will not fail! Victory will surely belong to us!"
No one could save everything.
Ultimately, Jiraiya still made a 'choice'.
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