"The Hiroki Hyuga in the village is fake—it's an alien creature in disguise."
"The Daimyo and ministers of the Country of Hot Springs are also fake—they're aliens too."
"Hiroki Hyuga can display power beyond Kage-level strength, and Tsunade has awakened [Wood Release]."
"They're all Kaguya's 'spawn.'"
"Tsunade and those alien creatures are jointly controlling the Country of Hot Springs."
...
Hiruzen took a deep breath and reopened the report to read it again.
After a long silence, his expression became complex.
How could each piece of intelligence be more shocking than the last?
But what use were these conclusions without details or evidence?
They couldn't interfere directly in the Country of Hot Springs.
Within their own territory, they could steer public opinion; but in a foreign land, they'd be at the mercy of the other side's version of events—this was common sense.
Just as you could manipulate public opinion, so could they. It was one of the most basic political tactics—known to all.
Therefore, without solid proof, even the most earth-shattering truth would fall on deaf ears, no matter how loudly you shouted it.
Of course, there was always the straightforward approach—assign a crime and attack head-on.
But should Konoha really take such action now?
Konoha had never initiated a war before.
Hiruzen stood up and walked to the window, gazing at the locations of the Uchiha and Hyuga clan compounds.
These two clans were actually neighbors.
He narrowed his eyes, muttering, "Uchiha, Hyuga, Tsunade..."
How should he break this deadlock?
Just handling the Uchiha alone was giving him a massive headache.
Tsunade... So that's why you've been making frequent visits to the Hyuga—you've allied with them...
As Hiruzen pondered anxiously, a ninja rushed inside and reported, "Lord Hokage, the Daimyo urgently requests your presence."
"What for?" Hiruzen asked further.
"I don't know, Lord Daimyo has dispatched several Guardian Ninjas, who are currently waiting outside."
"That urgent, huh?" murmuring to himself, Hiruzen left the Hokage Building.
A Great Nation differed from smaller ones.
Being expansive and rich in resources, it naturally produced outstanding talent.
As one of the Five Great Nations, the Land of Fire's Daimyo naturally maintained his own personal military force—the Guardian Ninjas formed part of it.
However, in terms of elite strength, the Daimyo's forces obviously couldn't rival Konoha, which specialized in training deadly ninja.
You accept money from someone long enough, and you start bending your spine without even realizing it. That's why Hiruzen had no choice but to keep dealing with the Daimyo.
Thinking about the village's income sources reminded him of the Country of Hot Springs.
Currently, Konoha received a portion of its missions from both the Countries of Hot Springs and Frost.
This made him wonder exactly what Jiraiya had asked before.
What exactly were they trying to accomplish by occupying that nation?
Ninja travel is fast—it took just a few hours for Hiruzen, accompanied by two subordinates, to follow the Guardian Ninja to the Daimyo's Temporary Palace.
The attendants from both sides stood guard outside the door as the two met in private.
Hiruzen Sarutobi bowed respectfully, and the daimyo returned the gesture. After some polite conversation, the Fire Country Daimyo invited Hiruzen to sit opposite him.
"Third Hokage, where is Jiraiya?" the daimyo asked.
"Are you looking for Jiraiya, Your Highness?" Hiruzen replied with a question.
"Not just me are searching for him; many others are as well."
The daimyo calmly tossed several letters in front of Hiruzen.
As he began to read through them, the daimyo continued, "A few days ago, Jiraiya led an attack into the Country of Hot Springs. He tried to assassinate the Hot Water Daimyo, but was fortunately stopped—though casualties still occurred."
"Now not only is the Hot Water Daimyo after him, but other daimyo from different countries are also demanding explanations from me."
"Then again, not every nation can be like Konoha, capable of raising someone like Jiraiya. Not every daimyo has a man of his caliber under their command."
"Who wouldn't be afraid of that? Don't you agree, Third Hokage?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent as he flipped through the letters.
He could roughly guess why Jiraiya had done it, but once again—he wondered who would believe that the Hot Water Daimyo had been impersonated?
The daimyo's expression remained calm and indifferent.
"If you ask me," the daimyo went on, "Jiraiya didn't act decisively enough. If he'd already decided to assassinate a daimyo, why not go all the way? If he had simply killed everyone in the palace, there would have been no witnesses. Then I wouldn't need to find excuses for him..."
"Now look at this mess. Inside the palace there are witnesses, outside too, and practically everyone in the capital city knows about the assassination attempt. He sure knows how to make a name for himself..."
Hiruzen managed a faint smile but said nothing.
He wasn't sure whether the daimyo truly believed his own words, but either way, he absolutely couldn't allow himself to follow that line of thinking.
If he did, wouldn't that mean admitting to the daimyo that Konoha thought that way too?
"Your Highness jokes," Hiruzen replied with a dry chuckle.
The daimyo smiled subtly. "By the way, someone also reported seeing a red chakra that day. I've asked Asuma and the others already, and they told me it was a Tailed Beast."
"Something like that—the whole country saw it. It's difficult for me to defend him."
"For now, only a few Small Nations are backing the Country of Hot Springs, but if this news spreads, more countries will pressure Fire Country."
"The Hot Water Daimyo demands Jiraiya's execution as a warning, and even wants Fire Country to pay economic compensation."
"And other daimyos are calling for Jiraiya's death as well."
"Tell me then, Third Hokage—what should we do?" The daimyo smiled thinly. "After all, he's your man from Konoha."
Hiruzen sighed inwardly, gritted his teeth, then spoke solemnly, "Your Highness, Jiraiya has been away from Konoha for over twenty years without ever contacting us. He is no longer one of Konoha's ninja. Whatever actions he takes have nothing to do with Konoha."
I'm sorry, Jiraiya... I'll need you to hang in there just a little longer.
Once I finish dealing with everything else and uncover the truth, I will restore your honor.
First eliminate the Uchiha, then deal with the Hyuga. Hiruzen made his decision firmly.
"Oh?"
"The Hot Water Daimyo showed a surprised expression, 'But I clearly remember seeing him on the battlefield between Konoha and Cloud Village a few years ago.'"
Hiruzen Sarutobi replied, "Your Lordship may also remember that during that war, Cloud Village hired foreign ninja to participate in the battle. Jiraiya was among those contracted by Konoha."
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Hearing this, the Hot Water Daimyo was momentarily stunned before fixing his eyes on Hiruzen Sarutobi and bursting into laughter.
Finally, he returned to his cold demeanor, 'Then leave Jiraiya to the people of the Country of Hot Springs to deal with.'
Upon returning to Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi let out deep sigh after deep sigh.
News of Jiraiya's assassination attempt on the Hot Water Daimyo spread quickly, and the Land of Fire responded by declaring him a rogue ninja—no longer affiliated with Konoha.
Receiving this news, Danzo Shimura from the Root base laughed heartily with great satisfaction.
"Jiraiya... Oh, Jiraiya, you've thrown away any chance of ever becoming Hokage… forever."
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