"Is that so? As expected, this mission has no real significance. If you planned to return to the village, you would have gone back long ago, not wandered outside for over two years."
Kaede Tsukasa flicked out a summoning scroll, bringing forth a zombie just outside the Nether Swamp. Then, forming a hand seal with one hand, he activated the Void Technique, escaping the swamp's grasp.
Only an unnamed zombie remained thrashing in the swamp, soon to be submerged.
"This strange space-time ninjutsu… using corpses as spatial coordinates to swap positions… Who were you fighting before?" Jiraiya asked.
"No need to tell you. Reporting my work isn't part of my mission. And you don't need to look at me like that. These expendables are all ninja from hostile villages. I wouldn't use my comrades' bodies for battle," Kaede Tsukasa said, brushing off the mud without raising his head.
"That's true. If I saw a familiar face among those corpses, you would already be a traitor. I would kill you myself," Jiraiya said sternly.
"A traitor? That word carries too much weight. Compared to me, a person who fights using corpses, Jiraiya-sama, your actions seem more traitorous. You disappeared for over two years without a word and couldn't even witness countless comrades die in battle. Do you have the right to accuse me?"
Kaede Tsukasa said calmly, "No matter how flawed my techniques are, I am still contributing to the village, earning some achievements, and preventing some comrades' deaths. What have you, a Hokage disciple, been doing?"
Jiraiya remained silent. He couldn't refute it, nor could he tell Kaede Tsukasa that he was cultivating the Child of Prophecy.
"Your mission is complete. Leave. I don't want to see you in this country."
"Correction—my mission is actually a failure. Because you refuse to return, another defeat is added to my record. How terrible."
Kaede Tsukasa shook his head. He never expected the mission to succeed. In Jiraiya's mind, Nagato's priority outweighed everything. His words were just to make his actions appear more logical.
"Lastly, Jiraiya-sama, I must remind you—your words make it seem as if you have become the master of this country… That's something only Salamander Hanzō could say."
Kaede Tsukasa closed his eyes, sensing the coordinates of the other zombies. "After returning this time, I'll probably head to the frontlines. Victory will ultimately belong to Konoha—but unfortunately, it has nothing to do with you."
He opened his hand, caught the mission scroll Jiraiya tossed back, and left without looking back.
Although he was close enough to Nagato, there was no opportunity to act—and no need to rush.
Kaede Tsukasa knew there was still room to increase his strength, and he needed time.
After obtaining White Zetsu cells, he could begin the next phase of his plan. And if he could get the Hashirama clone that Madara mentioned, it would be even better.
Jiraiya watched Kaede Tsukasa's figure disappear, waited another day to confirm nothing else was happening, then exhaled and released his shadow clone.
When all the memories and fatigue returned to his body, Jiraiya, who had been eating, trembled slightly in his fingers—only Nagato noticed.
"Jiraiya-sensei, have you made your decision?"
"Yeah. Starting tomorrow, we'll look for a new residence. I'll increase the training difficulty, so you'll have to keep up with everything you've got."
Yahiko sensed something vaguely. Konan cheered energetically, unaware of what had happened over the past three days.
...
"What's the rush? Within the Land of Fire, many Konoha patrols and sensory ninjas might detect your presence."
Kaede Tsukasa looked at the pitcher plants growing from the soil nearby.
White Zetsu said, "One of my clones sent back some interesting intelligence about Iwagakure's movements. You're planning to return to the battle, right? You might die. You must be very interested in this information."
"Black Zetsu, you should change the way you interact with White Zetsu. When you get this kind of intelligence, have him report the key points directly to me instead of spouting sarcastic nonsense—so when you act against him, you can be a bit harsher."
"Understood. After returning this time, I'll make him adjust how he talks to you. But don't get your hopes up—he didn't even change for Madara," Black Zetsu replied.
White Zetsu muttered twice, "Iwagakure seems to be planning an attack on the Land of Hot Springs. Kato Dan is leading a force there, but from what I can tell, this looks like a trap."
"Land of Hot Springs… that must be a trap. Even if they open a second front, they wouldn't invade a northern vassal state of the Land of Fire. The front line would be too stretched."
As previously mentioned, Iwagakure and Kumogakure are mortal enemies. Their territories don't directly border each other; most of the land is separated by the sea, with a few small countries in between.
And the Land of Hot Springs is north of the Land of Fire, very close to the Land of Lightning. Iwagakure sending troops there to open a second front?
"How many troops did Iwagakure send to the Land of Hot Springs?"
"About a thousand, but they stopped moving once they reached the border. The force is commanded by the Four-Tails Jinchūriki."
"Roshi…"
Kaede Tsukasa pondered briefly, then pushed the matter aside and returned to Konoha.
There was no need to rush on the return trip—it took nearly five days.
As expected, when Kaede Tsukasa submitted the mission report, noting that Jiraiya refused to return, it immediately drew the village's attention.
The scroll contained Jiraiya's coded message, confirming its authenticity.
This caused no real disturbance; the higher-ups already expected the result, though a few individuals grew more displeased.
"How reckless! Does he even care about the village? If anyone else acted like this, they'd already be labeled a rogue ninja! Hiruzen, you've been too lenient with your disciple," Koharu Utatane fumed.
With the decisive battle against Iwagakure approaching, their high-level forces refusing to fight was outrageous—unthinkable!
The Third Hokage smoked, watching the smoke curl upward, then slowly shifted his gaze to Kaede Tsukasa kneeling on one knee.
"Kaede Tsukasa, your mission is complete. Extremely efficient—thank you. I didn't expect you to move so quickly," the Third Hokage said with a smile, avoiding any discussion about Jiraiya.
Homura Mitokado frowned, ready to explode, but Danzo's single eye opened slightly, signaling him to suppress his anger.
He couldn't assert dominance in front of Danzo; everyone knew Danzo was the Third Hokage's right hand and his 'white glove.'
Danzo handled all the dirty work personally, showing no mercy.
Kaede Tsukasa replied, "I was just doing what I should. Perhaps my techniques work best in a complex place like the Land of Rain. Plus, luck was on my side—I found Jiraiya-sama."
"I want to know—when you found Jiraiya, what was he doing, and why did he refuse to return?" Danzo asked coldly.
"He appeared to block me on his own initiative. Beyond that, I didn't notice anything else," Kaede Tsukasa answered.
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