Since the founding of Konoha, this was the greatest crisis the village had ever faced.
The Hokage was killed—murdered in front of everyone.
And in the chaos that followed, the Jinchūriki of the Nine Tails betrayed the village and escaped… only to join forces with the very one who killed the Hokage.
These two events sent shockwaves through the village, nearly breaking the spirit of Konoha's people.
The Tsuchikage, Mizukage, and Raikage left Konoha in haste, fearing they'd be dragged into the looming chaos.
Sunagakure, implicated as the main culprit, claimed that Orochimaru had impersonated the Fourth Kazekage to orchestrate the attack.
But their explanation did little to quell the fury of Konoha, and they were immediately detained.
Fortunately, the two Konoha advisors managed to calm the public's rage.
Only their intervention prevented the outbreak of a Fourth Great Ninja War.
Still, the tension from the outside world—its sharp gaze, ready to pounce—pressed down on the advisors like never before.
Inside the Hokage Tower, the grand meeting hall was filled with Konoha's elite.
The two advisors had summoned every clan leader and the top-ranked jōnin to discuss how to deal with the traitor—Naruto Uzumaki.
"There's no need to debate. This decision is final!"
Mitokado Homura, rarely this forceful, silenced the murmuring higher-ups with a thunderous declaration.
"Uzumaki Naruto is to be classified as an S-rank rogue ninja. If his whereabouts are discovered—no questioning, no hesitation—kill on sight!"
"I agree with Homura," Koharu Utatane said firmly, supporting her old comrade. Her voice was cold and decisive. "A Jinchuriki betraying the village is an unforgivable crime. We must show no mercy."
With the sudden death of the Third Hokage, the power of the Hokage advisors had swelled beyond precedent.
Though Kakashi opposed the decision deep down, he had no authority to refute the will of the two advisors.
All he could do was turn his gaze to Jiraiya.
As the student of the Third Hokage and one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya was the only one with the rank and standing to reject the advisors' command.
But Jiraiya… said nothing.
He didn't react at all. It was as if he silently approved their decision.
"Next… the second matter," Homura continued, taking a deep breath and fixing his gaze on Jiraiya, who looked lost in thought.
"We must elect a new Hokage immediately. Only then can we regain control of this chaotic situation."
Having known Homura for years, Koharu understood his intent and picked up where he left off. "Jiraiya, you're the most suitable person for the position."
This decision came as no surprise.
With the sudden passing of the Third, the only ones truly qualified to inherit the mantle of Hokage were the Legendary Sannin—Jiraiya being the prime candidate.
But Jiraiya scratched his head, a wry smile on his face, full of helplessness.
"Honestly, I'm really not cut out to be Hokage. You both know that better than anyone."
"Jiraiya, now isn't the time to run from responsibility," Homura said sternly.
"Konoha is facing the greatest crisis in its history. As the disciple of the Third Hokage, you have a duty to take up this burden. If not you—then who?"
"Yeah, Jiraiya, don't refuse this."
Koharu Utatane pleaded earnestly, "Konoha needs someone with both experience and strength to take on the duties of Hokage!"
Experience and strength—those two requirements alone were enough to eliminate 99% of the candidates.
Although everyone in this meeting room was either an elite jonin or a clan leader, only one person truly met both criteria: one of the Legendary Sannin—Jiraiya.
"No, there's one more."
Jiraiya shook his head, still reluctant, and said, "You're forgetting. There's someone else more suited than me to be Hokage."
Hearing this, Homura Mitokado was a bit surprised. "Who could possibly be more suitable than you?"
But beside him, Koharu frowned deeply, falling into thought. "You mean... Tsunade?"
As soon as those words were spoken, everyone in the room suddenly came to a realization.
Of course! The Third Hokage didn't have just one disciple. There was also the princess of the Senju clan—Tsunade, the granddaughter of the First Hokage!
"Indeed," Koharu nodded. "Tsunade is the First Hokage's granddaughter. Just that fact alone makes her an even more fitting candidate."
"But the problem is... Tsunade's been gone from the village for so long. No one even knows where she is," Homura shook his head, still hoping Jiraiya would take the position.
"I can go and bring her back."
Jiraiya's thoughts, however, were all focused on the prophecy. He had no intention of staying in Konoha to be Hokage.
Being tied to that chair was nothing short of cruel torture for him.
"Can you really find her?" Mitokado Homura asked skeptically.
"Relax. Give me a month, and I'll definitely bring Tsunade back," Jiraiya said confidently, patting his chest.
"If I fail, I'll accept whatever punishment you decide. How about that?"
Faced with his resolve, Koharu Utatane and Homura exchanged glances, then reluctantly nodded.
"Fine. It's settled then. No matter what, you only have one month. If you can't find Tsunade… you'll bear full responsibility, Jiraiya."
After the meeting ended, Kakashi quickly caught up with Jiraiya.
"Lord Jiraiya, why didn't you stop the advisors from labeling Naruto as an S-class rogue ninja?" Kakashi's voice carried a hint of frustration.
After all, once someone was classified as an S-class criminal, they could be killed on sight by anyone.
No matter what happened, Naruto was still Minato's son. Deep down, Kakashi didn't want anything to happen to him.
"The reason's simple—Naruto is safer with Orochimaru than he is in Konoha."
Jiraiya sighed, helplessness written all over his face.
"I don't know why Orochimaru got involved in all this, but he killed the fake Third Hokage. In a way, he did us a favor. Trust me, Naruto will be fine."
Kakashi finally understood, though his expression remained bitter.
"But he was supposed to be the hope Minato-sensei left for Konoha."
"Hope?" Jiraiya scoffed, shaking his head.
"Look at Konoha now. Where do you see hope?"
"Don't forget… we still don't even know how many people in the village have been quietly replaced."
Someone silently took the place of the Third Hokage. Who knows how many more like him are still hiding in Konoha?
Just as Jiraiya said, keeping the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki in Konoha would only put him in greater danger.
In that case, sending him to Orochimaru might actually be the safest choice.
Because of that, Jiraiya didn't try to stop Naruto's decision to leave the village.
"Don't overthink it. This needs to be handled slowly," Jiraiya said, patting Kakashi's shoulder.
"Now, I'm going to leave the village. You have to be careful. If something feels wrong, don't hesitate—just leave immediately, understand?"
"Lord Jiraiya, there's something I want to ask you," Kakashi said after hesitating for a long time.
"Could you take Uchiha Sasuke with you?"
"Hm?"
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Take her where? I'm not going on a trip."
"Sasuke staying in Konoha is dangerous."
Kakashi sighed. "She's very smart and is good friends with Naruto. After hearing Naruto left the village, she's been really down. So, I want you to train her."
Jiraiya was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Maybe in the future, this kid will play an unexpected role in Naruto's situation."
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