"The task was to negotiate with Hanzō, to get the Rain Village forces to withdraw from the Land of Iron and end the war."
"Danzo already attempted the negotiation but was chased off by Hanzō. We lost several members of both the Anbu and Root," Hokage explained with a sigh. He lit his pipe, taking a deep drag before continuing.
"Everything we've done, it's all for the good of the village. The Land of Iron is a neutral country, and with Hanzō's forces attacking, Konoha can't just stand by. But because we lost the war, Hanzō holds a grudge against Konoha, which is why negotiations broke down."
Shifting the conversation to the well-being of the village was a trick the Hokage often used to calm Jiraiya. It usually worked on both him and Tsunade.
No matter how upset they were, once the village's interests were at stake, they'd back down.
As expected, hearing this made Jiraiya hesitate. His expression soured, and all the arguments he'd been preparing seemed to catch in his throat.
If it was for the sake of the village, how could he keep protesting? The village's well-being was more important than any one individual's problems.
"I remember Tsunade once mentioned that Hanzo's grudge against Konoha stemmed from the peace negotiations after the war. Apparently, the village didn't send anyone of equal status, which fueled his resentment," Orochimaru suddenly chimed in.
"COUGH, COUGH!!"
The Hokage choked on the smoke from his pipe, coughing so hard his eyes watered.
Jiraiya's eyes widened, glaring at the Third Hokage. "Were you trying to trick me?!"
"Tsunade, Jiraiya, and I fought our hearts out on the battlefield in the Land of Rain, only to be insulted with that ridiculous title of 'Legendary Sannin.' Don't bring up Hanzō as an excuse," Orochimaru added coldly.
He didn't mind if the Hokage tried to distract Jiraiya with other matters, but using Hanzō to justify everything was too much.
Nice try, old man. Jiraiya slammed his hands on the desk in frustration.
"Hanzō's grudge is clearly a result of those botched negotiations. Xin forced him into a corner once already! If Danzō couldn't succeed, what makes you think Xin can do any better? Do you plan to force Hanzō to back down again?"
"Aren't you worried this will drive Hanzo straight into the enemy's arms?"
"Didn't Xin already refuse to take this mission?"
"So the previous excuse doesn't hold up anymore!"
Jiraiya wanted to see how the Third Hokage would explain himself. But to his disappointment, the Hokage said nothing, silently puffing on his pipe.
"Heh."
Orochimaru knew this situation wasn't going to play out the way Jiraiya hoped. With a meaningful chuckle, he was the first to leave the Hokage's office.