Kakashi looked at Jiraiya, who was sitting on the ground with his back leaning against a tree root, for a long time. In the end, he still didn't say the words he had been thinking — "You look really miserable."
He had known Jiraiya for many years, yet this was the first time he had ever seen him in such a battered state.
Even now, he still remembered the first time they met.
He remembered that day, when he followed his father's instructions and handed over the blade to Takeshi.
What happened after that?
It seemed that Obito misunderstood something, and right after that, all of them ended up climbing the mountain closest to Konoha under Takeshi's insistent demand.
There, they ran into Jiraiya, who had been peeping.
Looking at it now, Obito and Jiraiya's predestined and troublesome master-disciple connection also started from that day.
"Heh… Kakashi, you're thinking I actually ended up this miserable, aren't you?"
Jiraiya, still facing away from him, suddenly spoke aloud, directly voicing his thoughts.
But when Kakashi heard that Jiraiya still had the strength to joke, he curled his lips into a small smile beneath his mask.
"Should I say, as expected of Jiraiya-sama?"
If he could still joke, it meant his condition wasn't too bad.
Kakashi took two steps forward and pulled out a book from his cloak.
"No matter how much you flatter me, I won't forget your betrayal."
The external medicine stung on Jiraiya's wounds, making them itch unbearably, and he had to resist the urge to scratch.
Forcing himself to endure it, he raised his head and looked toward Kakashi — only to find that the book in Kakashi's hand wasn't one of those dirty novels, but his one and only proper literary work.
"Gutsy Ninja Scroll? That's not like you at all, Kakashi."
Jiraiya's voice was full of doubt and curiosity.
He always thought only straightforward guys like Minato and Nagato would enjoy that work.
"Well, I don't always read your other stuff, Jiraiya-sama." Kakashi blinked and pointed toward Naruto and the others not far away.
Following Kakashi's finger, Jiraiya saw Naruto talking with Sasuke — and the corpse of Suiko at their feet.
"And besides, the new generation has already risen, hasn't it? I often feel that the kids have shades of the characters in that book. Doesn't that mean they've inherited the Will of Fire?"
Kakashi's words made Jiraiya seriously study Naruto and the others.
Because of Minato, Naruto was like a grandson to Jiraiya.
He had always seen him as a kid rather than a ninja — even when they were attacked, his first command was to protect his subordinates.
Only when he saw Suiko's corpse did Jiraiya finally realize Naruto was already a Chūnin.
At his age, he was showing talent nearly equal to Minato.
Nearly — because Naruto's talent was still a step behind Minato's.
"The Will of Fire? Hmph. In today's Konoha, even the Hokage doesn't have the Will of Fire. Why would the new generation turn out proper?"
The relief flickering in Jiraiya's eyes was immediately hidden as he complained about the current Hokage.
"Fifth Hokage, huh…" Kakashi sighed helplessly.
"Kakashi, have you noticed? Their technology has already surpassed ours."
Just as Kakashi was thinking of how to defend Takeshi, Jiraiya — feeling much better than earlier — braced himself against the tree and slowly stood up.
"You mean…" Hearing his serious tone, Kakashi instantly understood his implication.
"Even though I don't visit Orochimaru's research bureau often, I know they've created many inventions far more advanced than what this group used. Yet until now, almost none of the bureau's inventions have been deployed in actual combat."
Thinking about the multi-barrel machine gun, the arm-guards, the drones, and other scientific ninja tools they had just witnessed, Jiraiya's expression grew stern and worried about what might come next.
"With the strength of an entire village behind us, even we haven't been able to fully militarize such tech. So how did the Akatsuki Organization manage it?"
Kakashi understood exactly what he was implying.
"You mean they have unknown capital supporting them?"
"Capital, a nation, nobles — all of these are possible. Either way, it's a valuable lead that can help us track down where they're hiding."
Jiraiya planned to follow that lead and continue searching for the Akatsuki Organization's traces.
Kakashi fully agreed.
"In that case, let's report this to Hokage-sama."
...
"Several border posts of the Land of Fire have been attacked recently. Five bases have been completely destroyed, with twenty-three ninja killed — including five Jōnin."
In Konoha, Sakumo had already received the latest border report.
Uchiha Itachi was no longer present — in his place stood Minato, who had been summoned in.
After years of exhausting paperwork, Itachi finally had a chance to step away and take on frontline missions again.
"And that's not all. We just received word from Jiraiya-sensei. On their way to the border, they were attacked by a four-man squad from the Akatsuki Organization. Two people were killed."
Minato presented the message from Jiraiya's team.
"Yamanaka Santen and Ichihi… What a shame. Santen had been promoted to Jōnin for less than a month."
Seeing yet another promising young ninja die before him, Sakumo felt a stab of pain.
"And according to Internal Affairs, many villages around Konoha have also been attacked by unknown ninja. Over in Iwagakure, Kitsuchi perished together with one of the enemies. We've already sent emissaries to offer condolences."
"Even Kitsuchi died?"
Sakumo was surprised. As Ōnoki's son, Kitsuchi's strength was unquestionable, and he had earned great merits during the war. In the village, he was known as the "Commander."
"Yes, I didn't expect it either. It's said Kitsuchi's strength was enough to contend with tailed beasts. He participated in suppressing multiple rampages of Iwagakure's beasts."
Minato also felt regret.
As an enemy, Kitsuchi would be a troublesome opponent—but as an ally, he would without a doubt be extremely reliable.
"Something also happened in Kumogakure. The Land of Lightning's daimyō residence and Kumogakure are accusing each other of violating the peace treaty. Things are extremely tense right now."
All the things Minato had just said were detailed in the Internal Affairs Department's report.
Seeing the thoroughness of the documentation Minato handed him, Sakumo's assessment of the department rose even further.
"As expected of an organization built from former Root members. The information is extremely detailed. I've heard Root has Wandering Miko—these must be her work."
At that moment, Yakume, who was peacefully looking after children in the orphanage, suddenly sneezed.
"They say there's a kid even more talented than her."
Minato didn't know much about the Internal Affairs Department. He could only rely on rumors.
This organization was created by the Fifth Hokage to consolidate power, and it was too independent. The minister, Aburame Tatsuma, served only Shimura Danzo and Takeshi.
The feeling it gave people was exactly like Root back then…
Of course, even though everyone felt this way, no one dared say it aloud.
Unlike the Third Hokage, who always hid things behind layers of secrecy, the Fifth Hokage openly displayed this organization. His intentions were clear: whether anyone objected or not didn't matter—he would do things his way.
This attitude reminded many elders of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.
He too created countless organizations and ruled Konoha with a one-voice system. Whether praised or criticized, he accepted it without complaint.
This was why he became the most controversially evaluated Hokage in Konoha's history.
Who knew how future generations of Konoha ninja would judge the current Fifth Hokage?
Just as Minato was wondering how Takeshi would be evaluated someday, Sakumo's voice pulled him back to the present.
"Minato, have you noticed something?"
"What do you mean?"
"All of these villages experiencing unusual incidents—large or small—are members of the Ninja Alliance."
Sakumo pointed to names like Amegakure, Kusagakure, and the Tsuchigumo Village. Without exception, all of them had passed the Alliance's screening and agreed to work together against the threat of the Ōtsutsuki.
"You mean…"
Minato understood instantly.
Seeing his expression, Sakumo felt both relief and a little regret.
He really was suited to be Hokage as well. Too bad the Third had chosen Sakumo because of age.
"It looks like our recent actions have attracted someone's attention. Certain people are starting to get uneasy."
Casting aside unnecessary thoughts, Sakumo voiced his conclusion.
"In that case, we should immediately stop the conflict between the Land of Lightning and Kumogakure."
Realizing he had reached the same conclusion as Sakumo, Minato hurried to speak.
"It's too late." Sakumo shook his head.
"Although the Fifth has made remarkable contributions to the village's growth, he has also triggered new unrest—namely, the distrust between shinobi and the nobility."
He wasn't blaming Takeshi; he simply felt the timing of Takeshi falling out with the daimyō's court had been unfavorable.
"The previous daimyō's collusion with the Akatsuki Organization already proved the nobles' disloyalty to us. With the Land of Fire's example before them, even if the Land of Lightning realizes they've been deceived, they'll still willingly clash with Kumogakure."
Sakumo's expression hardened.
"It's time. Time for shinobi to step onto the stage openly and draw a clear line between ourselves and the so-called nobility."
If you hesitate to cut decisively, chaos only grows.
Although Sakumo seemed gentle, he had lived through countless wars—his nature was forged through decisive, ruthless clarity.
Rather than letting those people cause trouble from the shadows, it was better to sever ties openly and use them as bait to draw out the real masterminds hiding behind the scenes.