26: Chapter 26 Each Person's ChoiceThe hustle and bustle of Tanabata Street seemed to be shut out by an invisible barrier.
The secluded backyard of the hot spring inn was so heavy with an atmosphere that it was almost palpable.
The playful and exasperated expressions on Jiraiya's face had vanished, replaced by an unusual seriousness and exhaustion.
He looked at Tsunade, who had an indifferent expression, and then at Naruto, who seemed unconcerned, and felt a throbbing pain in his temples.
"Tsunade, I'm not joking."
Jiraiya's voice was low and hoarse, "The old man is dead, and Konoha is in chaos.Someone needs to step forward.You are the First Hokage's granddaughter, and you are the most qualified."
"Qualifications?" Tsunade scoffed, interrupting him.Her amber eyes were devoid of any emotion, only a desolate emptiness."Those things were buried in the ground long ago, along with the corpses of Broken Tree and Rope Tree.What does the life or death of Konoha have to do with me?"
Her words were icy cold, carrying a numb despair born from experiencing too much loss.
"You!" Jiraiya was speechless with anger, yet he couldn't truly accuse her.Those wounds were real, a burden he couldn't truly empathize with.
He took a deep breath, turned to Naruto, and tried to change his perspective: "Naruto!What about you?You're the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki!You're a Konoha ninja!How can you run around with this gambler?Come back with me right now!"
Naruto was idly poking at the ants on the ground with a small twig when he heard this.He looked up, blinked his blue eyes, and said innocently, "Go back?Go back for what?To continue being my street urchin?Or wait for kunai and explosive tags to fly in from who-knows-where?"
His words were like a needle, precisely piercing the serious facade that Jiraiya had been trying so hard to maintain.
Jiraiya's face stiffened: "You.you know?" He was referring to the Root's siege.
"I know a lot of things."
Naruto tossed aside the branch, dusted off his hands, stood up, and met Jiraiya's gaze.His eyes were no longer innocent as before, but calm and distant."What did that village give me?Rejection, surveillance, and.murderous intent."
He paused, his tone tinged with a hint of sarcasm: "Following Granny Tsunade, I can learn some useful things.At least.no one wants to kill me for now."
"You brat!Who's your mother-in-law!" Tsunade muttered unhappily from the side, but did not refute Naruto's words.
Jiraiya looked at the two figures before him, one big and one small, one heartbroken and refusing responsibility, the other alienated and refusing to return.A huge sense of powerlessness and frustration welled up in his heart.
He practically roared, "Do you even understand?Konoha needs you!It needs Tsunade's power and prestige to stabilize the people's hearts!It needs Naruto's power as a Jinchūriki to protect the village!This is not the time to be willful!"
"Need?" Tsunade glared at him, a flicker of anger finally igniting in her eyes—a cold, icy rage."You only think of us when you need us?Where was Konoha's need when Nawaki and Dan died?When I was drowning in my grief, who ever needed me?"
"Now that the village is in trouble, you want to impose this heavy 'need' on me?Jiraiya, tell me, on what grounds?"
Her question was like a heavy hammer, leaving Jiraiya speechless and his face ashen.
Naruto replied casually, "Perverted Sage, what you call need is more like being used to me.And I don't like being used."
His words were direct and cruel, tearing away the last veneer of tenderness.
Jiraiya looked at them, opened his mouth, but found that all reason and persuasion seemed so pale and powerless in the face of their cold reality.He took a step back dejectedly, as if he had aged a lot in an instant.
He knew he couldn't take them with him.
Whether he relied on responsibility, emotion, or force, he wasn't confident of victory against Tsunade, especially with Naruto standing nearby, whose condition was unclear and who seemed to be on Tsunade's side.
"…In that case," Jiraiya's voice was filled with weariness and disappointment, "you'd better take care of yourselves."
He gave the two of them a deep look, especially at Naruto, his eyes filled with a complex and unfathomable expression.Finally, he turned around, his back looking somewhat forlorn, and disappeared at the courtyard gate.
He needed to return to Konoha immediately.Since he couldn't bring Tsunade and Naruto back, he had to prevent something even worse from happening.
Konoha Village, Hokage's office.
The atmosphere was even more oppressive than before.
Jiraiya's rejection and escape, along with Tsunade and Naruto's clear statements, were like a final, devastating blow, completely shattering Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado's last hope.
The two advisors were pale-faced and speechless, a sense of despair filling the air.
Just then, the office door was pushed open.
Danzo Shimura walked in step by step, leaning on his cane.His face was still covered by bandages, but in his single exposed eye, there was an undisguised ambition and a cold sneer of "I knew it."
"It seems that our last 'hope' has also been shattered."
Danzo's voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of barely perceptible smugness, "That good-for-nothing Jiraiya is indeed incapable of shouldering great responsibilities.Tsunade has long since abandoned the Will of Fire."
He walked to the center of the office, slamming his cane heavily on the ground with a dull thud.
"Konoha is currently beset by internal and external troubles, and is leaderless.Every moment of delay increases the danger!"
His voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable force: "We can't hesitate any longer!"
"We must immediately elect a new, strong leader to consolidate our forces with an iron fist, eliminate all internal destabilizing factors, and reunite Konoha!"
His single eye swept sharply over the two advisors: "At this moment, who is more qualified and capable than me, Shimura Danzo, to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the Fifth Hokage and lead Konoha out of its predicament?""
The true intentions are revealed when the truth is finally revealed!
He finally revealed his ambition!
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were shocked and stared at Danzo in horror.
They knew, of course, that Danzo had always coveted the Hokage position, but they never expected him to launch such a direct attack at this most vulnerable moment!
Should Danzo be made Hokage?
Thinking of his extremely ruthless methods, his absolute control over "Root," and the countless secrets hidden in the darkness.the two felt a chill run from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads.
That would lead Konoha in a completely unknown and potentially darker direction!
"Danzo!You…" Koharu Utatane wanted to retort.
But Danzo didn't give them a chance, forcefully interrupting: "Do you have a better choice?Or would you rather watch Konoha continue to descend into chaos until it is annexed by a covetous neighboring country?"
His words, like cold kunai, pressed against the throats of the two advisors.
The air in the office seemed to freeze.
Danzo's single eye, like that of a hawk, was fixed on the two hesitant advisors, awaiting their final answer.
The Hokage's straw hat seemed to be just a step away from him.
Just then, the office door was suddenly pushed open again!
"I object!"
Jiraiya returned and stood at the door, panting, his face showing an unprecedented determination as he stared intently at Danzo.
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