Chapter 214 - Mobilizing Against Akatsuki (Part 3)
Hearing Fugaku Uchiha's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression darkened involuntarily. Of course, he was aware of Akatsuki's current strength. But deep down, he still believed that if the ninja villages truly united, they could stand a chance against Akatsuki.
After all, even a dying camel is still bigger than a horse. The Four Great Nations may have fallen on hard times these past years, but their foundation and heritage remained.
Even the weakest of them—Sunagakure—still had veterans like Chiyo and Ebizō alongside their current Kage, Rasa. And let's not forget the long-established powerhouses like Kumogakure and Iwagakure.
Sure, the Hidden Cloud had just been steamrolled by Nagato, but that didn't mean they were weak—Nagato was simply too strong. The Fourth Raikage, once a green youth, had matured, and his former partner in the AB combo surely wasn't a pushover anymore. Plus, the Cloud didn't have just one Tailed Beast. No matter how you looked at it, they still had power.
As for Iwagakure, while recent years had not been kind to them—Ōnoki losing an arm and a leg in a fight against Kazane, their Explosion Release expert defecting, and Han, the Five-Tails' jinchūriki, being killed by rogue ninja—none of that meant they were finished.
Ōnoki had never been a taijutsu type anyway. His strength came from his unique kekkei tōta and the flight-granting Light-Weight Rock Technique. Losing limbs didn't hinder him much—he spent most of his time hovering and launching ninjutsu anyway.
Not to mention Iwa still had a sleeper powerhouse: Akatsuchi, known as the "Shield of the Tsuchikage," famed for his monstrous strength and endurance. He was no easy opponent.
And there was also Roshi, the Four-Tails' jinchūriki—Iwa wasn't as simple as it seemed.
Then there was Kirigakure. Although its Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had been dismantled by Kazane and their strength had declined, the village still possessed many elite jonin. Not all of Akatsuki's members were top-tier fighters, and Mist was more than capable of sweeping aside weaker enemies.
Kirigakure also had a Tailed Beast. And people tend to forget—just tossing a Tailed Beast onto the battlefield was enough to make everyone flinch. Sure, sealing one required specialized fuinjutsu and control, but anyone foolish enough to underestimate a Tailed Beast…
Heh. Their corpses would stack higher than a mountain.
Besides, was Nagato really as godlike as the rumors claimed—capable of wiping out a whole village on his own?
If he were that powerful, would he really have stopped at the Eight-Tails? Kumogakure still had the Two-Tails, didn't it?
And if Nagato were truly on the same level as Hatake Kazane, then Orochimaru wouldn't have made the decision to attack Akatsuki so decisively. Hiruzen knew Orochimaru well—he wasn't someone to act without absolute confidence.
What's more, there was something Hiruzen had long suspected but never voiced.
Was Uchiha Obito's defection even real?
Hiruzen had watched Kazane and his generation grow up. He knew their personalities well. The moment Kakashi and Guy heard about Obito's betrayal, they immediately stormed off to confront Akatsuki. And Kazane? Normally the most aggressive of them all—had done absolutely nothing.
That alone was strange. Unless the entire thing had been orchestrated by Kazane himself, Hiruzen couldn't think of another explanation.
He knew all this but kept silent. Sometimes it was better to play the fool and just watch others put on their performances. After all, he wasn't in charge anymore.
Aging… sometimes it's better to feign senility.
So even though he disliked Fugaku's tone, Hiruzen didn't argue. Instead, he calmly asked, "Then what would Elder Fugaku suggest we do?"
Seeing that Hiruzen hadn't taken the bait and responded calmly, Fugaku felt a flicker of disappointment. Still, he replied with his usual arrogance:
"This Five Kage Summit—Konoha should attend. Not just that—we should take the lead. Now's the perfect time to show the world who's boss. Let the other villages witness our strength firsthand. That way, when it comes time to annex them later, there'll be less resistance. We should…"
As the two elders spoke, Jiraiya—who had remained silent until now—felt a complicated swirl of emotions in his heart.
He had spent years wandering the shinobi world in search of inspiration, chasing artistic dreams, and avoiding politics. Only now did he realize how far his former students had gone.
Most striking of all was the child he had once chosen as the "Child of Prophecy." Far from saving the shinobi world, Nagato had become its greatest threat. Jiraiya, driven by justice and a deep sense of responsibility, couldn't help but feel that it was all his fault.
He drew in a deep breath, then turned to Orochimaru by the window.
"Orochimaru," he said, "let me talk to Nagato. You should know—he was my student."
Even Fugaku was stunned. He forgot what he was about to say and turned to Jiraiya with wide eyes. The most formidable threat they had been discussing… was his student?
Hiruzen, too, was momentarily surprised—but quickly, pride swelled in his chest.
As expected of a student of mine!
And rightly so. All three of his students—Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade—had grown into elite shinobi famed across the world. And their disciples? Even more exceptional.
Orochimaru's pupil, Kazane, needed no introduction—recognized as the strongest in the entire shinobi world.
Jiraiya's second student, Uchiha Itachi, though still young, was already showing signs of greatness.
Hiruzen shot a dismissive glance at Fugaku.
Heh. Compared to Itachi, Fugaku's just a junior.
As for Tsunade—Shizune had only inherited her medical skills. But Jiraiya?
His pupil, Minato, was known as the fastest shinobi alive. Minato's student, Kakashi, had swordsmanship so sharp he was practically another Kazane.
And now, even Akatsuki's leader—Nagato—was one of Jiraiya's disciples.
'Clearly, I taught my students well,' Hiruzen thought proudly.
Though he couldn't help but wonder—why had Asuma turned out to be such a disappointment? He looked older than Hiruzen now and still couldn't win a proper jonin duel…
Seeing the determined look on Jiraiya's face, Orochimaru—who knew him best—knew there was no changing his mind. Even if they forbade it, Jiraiya would just sneak off anyway. Still, he tried to dissuade him:
"Jiraiya, forget it. You won't be able to talk him down. There's someone far more dangerous backing him."
Orochimaru knew Nagato was Jiraiya's student. He had even nearly killed the three kids when he first saw them years ago. But Orochimaru also knew better than anyone that things weren't so simple. The shadows behind the shinobi world ran deep.
For example—Uchiha Madara still hadn't shown himself.
If Jiraiya went now, he might never come back.
They could simply crush Akatsuki with overwhelming force. Instead, he wanted to go offer himself up as a sacrifice?
It was precisely this kind of behavior Orochimaru had never been able to understand.