Jiraiya stepped into the director's office.
Tsunade was kneeling on the floor. Tear tracks still marked her face. Her eyes were no longer empty—something inside them had been lit again.
Shizune was at her side, supporting her. Her own eyes were red as well, clearly from tears she had just barely managed to stop.
In the middle of the office, Shinju simply stood there.
But the shadows of Nawaki and Dan had already vanished.
Jiraiya looked at his old friend, then shifted his gaze to Shinju. He felt his brain struggling to catch up.
He had only gone out for a few hours to look for material for his writing. In that short span, Tsunade's heart sickness—the problem that had tormented him for decades—had… been resolved?
"Tsunade… you…" Jiraiya spoke, testing the waters.
Tsunade didn't look at him. Shizune handed her a handkerchief, and she wiped away the remaining tears on her face before pushing herself up from the floor.
She walked over to Shinju, bent at the waist, and bowed deeply.
"I lost the bet just now," she said solemnly. "From today on, I'll fulfill my promise. I'll take the seat of Fifth Hokage. I'll manage Konoha Hospital properly. As long as… as long as you…"
She didn't finish the sentence. Her eyes were filled entirely with expectation.
"I'll keep my promise," Shinju replied with a nod. "But not now. Bringing the dead back requires an enormous amount of energy, and also the right timing. What you need to do is make yourself worthy of that outcome first."
"And this won't be that inferior kind of resurrection like Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation)," he continued. "I already tested Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation) on Kakuzu—the result wasn't satisfactory. But I can guarantee that when those two return, they won't just be exactly as they were in life—their abilities will be even greater."
"I understand. Thank you… truly," Tsunade said with a fierce nod.
She turned and looked at Shizune. Her gaze was completely different now.
"Shizune! Go summon all the senior medical ninja in the hospital for a meeting immediately! Sort out all the medical records, the full medicine inventory, and the casualty reports for all ninja. Within three days, I want a completely new medical plan on my desk!"
"Yes, Tsunade-sama!" Shizune answered, thrilled to see Tsunade's spirit fully restored.
Tsunade turned and strode out of the office. The aura she carried—the pressure worthy of the First Hokage's granddaughter—had returned.
Only Shinju and Jiraiya remained in the office. Jiraiya still hadn't fully recovered from everything that had just happened.
"Hey… brat…" Jiraiya couldn't hold back any longer. "What did you… do to her just now?"
Shinju glanced at him. He didn't answer directly, but instead asked another question.
"Jiraiya-sama, you've wandered the ninja world for so many years, searching for the child of prophecy. Why?" he asked.
"Of course, to bring peace to the ninja world," Jiraiya answered almost on reflex.
"Then in your opinion, how far is the current Leaf from that peace?" Shinju asked.
Jiraiya was taken aback by the question.
He had never really thought about it. He had just kept wandering, searching for an existence he himself wasn't sure of. Unknowingly, so many years had passed. Though there had been some progress, there was still no true answer.
Without realizing it, Jiraiya walked over to the window and looked outside.
The streets were bustling with people, thriving and lively. There was no worry on the villagers' faces.
The ninja forces were stronger than they had ever been. The conflict between the Uchiha clan and the village had disappeared. The Sand Village had chosen to submit.
Everything he saw pointed to a single fact.
Peace had never been this close before.
And the one who had created all of this… was the boy standing behind him.
Jiraiya fell silent.
The peace theory he had always believed in—that people needed to understand each other—seemed incredibly powerless when faced with the absolute strength and order the boy had displayed.
The answer he had spent half his life searching for outside… might have been in this place he knew best from the very beginning.
"I get it now," Jiraiya exhaled slowly. His expression turned extremely serious.
He took a scroll from inside his robe and handed it to Shinju.
"These are the secret information points I've set up across the entire ninja world over the years," he said. "All of the contact methods and codes are inside. I used them in the past to track Akatsuki and the clues about the child of prophecy. Now, they can serve a far greater purpose."
Shinju accepted the scroll.
This scroll represented more than just an intelligence network.
It represented Jiraiya completely letting go of his former convictions and entrusting everything he had to this new era.
"Excellent," Shinju nodded. "With this, the 'Divine Court' network can cover the entire ninja world."
"But aren't you afraid I'll use this incredibly valuable intelligence to do something that harms the ninja world?" Shinju asked jokingly.
"I believe in your character, Shinju-sama," Jiraiya replied with a smile. "You'd never lower yourself to that, and I doubt you have any desire to do such a thing. Your true intention is still to bring lasting peace to the ninja world—to end the fighting between villages once and for all, eliminate the factors of instability, and give every ninja in this world a reason to hope."
In this way, the three Legendary Sannin all gathered under Shinju's banner.
Orochimaru, previously sealed by the First Hokage, had spent some time imprisoned and then had several rounds of "in-depth" discussions with Shinju. After witnessing the level of biological technology and soul research Shinju controlled, he completely abandoned any thought of resistance.
As a criminal, he became the chief consultant of the Divine Court's secret laboratory. Right now he was frantically studying the knowledge Shinju had given him—knowledge that far surpassed this era.
Tsunade, after personally witnessing the souls of the dead reappear, completely resolved the knot in her heart.
As the Fifth Hokage, she began to pour all of her energy into reforming Konoha's medical system. She also planned to establish a medical security system that would cover every villager.
Jiraiya, after seeing what Konoha had become and everything Shinju had done, made his own choice as well. He integrated the intelligence network he had spread throughout the ninja world into the Divine Court. He became Shinju's most reliable pair of eyes, overseeing every movement in the entire ninja world.
The Leaf Village's power had reached the highest point since its founding.
On the military side, the ninja corps were centered on the Uchiha and Hyuga clans.
In the shadows of the ninja world, the Divine Court's network covered every corner.
Tsunade's new medical system would guarantee Konoha's logistics.
On the technical front, Shinju was at ease, since he had a mad scientist like Orochimaru in the lab conducting all kinds of research.
Commercially, Konoha had a thriving business district and a powerful Resource Development Company.
An era led by Namikaze Shinju had fully begun.
The top priority now was to eliminate all threats lurking in the dark, waiting to destroy everything they had built.
Akatsuki…
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For 20+ Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!] [[email protected]/Draumel]
[Thank You For Your Support!]