Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha is not motivated.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's me, Hydrangea! I'm Hydrangea! Can you hear me, Lord Hanzo?"

Hanzo's electronic prosthetic eye, glowing with a faint red light, suddenly flickered a few times, followed by the voice of Amegakure's chief scientist.
"I'm here."

"The call communication system is operating normally."

In a makeshift workshop in the rainforest ten kilometers from the battlefield, Hydrangea, wearing headphones, watched the live feed transmitted through her prosthetic eye on the screen and let out a long sigh.

This was Hanzo's first real battle after his modifications. Knowing there were still many areas that needed testing, Hydrangea immediately focused her attention, her hands deftly tapping the keyboard as she began analyzing the combat data.

"Lord Hanzo, the enemies are the fully-formed Four-Tails and Five-Tails. With just Maruta, it will probably be difficult to fight against both tailed beasts at the same time."

Within seconds, seeing the overwhelmingly negative data comparison, Hydrangea frowned.
Maruta is a bio-mechanical beast modeled after Maruta, a former comrade of Hanzo. It stores large amounts of salamander toxins in its body as energy and biological weapons, making it a tireless war behemoth.

Unfortunately, it is still in the experimental stage, and many details, such as the exposed venom channels and the circuits all over the body, have not been polished yet, but Hanzo forcibly conscripted it into the battlefield.

"Don't underestimate the bond between me and Maruta."

Hanzo squatted down expressionlessly, touching the metallic surface of the Maruta-class armor. He tried to force a confident smile, but found that he couldn't muster any facial muscles no matter what he did.

"I almost forgot about me now."

After several attempts, Hanzo slowly stood up and coldly spoke.

"They're no longer human."

"No, Lord Hanzo, no matter what you become, you will always be the guardian deity of the Land of Rain."

Hanzo's voice was devoid of emotion, but Hydrangea, who was intently watching the monitor, sensed the bitterness in his words and quickly offered words of comfort.

A guardian deity, perhaps?

Upon hearing this word, Hanzo's usually calm brainwaves showed a barely perceptible fluctuation. His electronic eye swept over the two enormous tailed beasts before him, and his lips, which should have been incapable of displaying human expression, miraculously curled upwards slightly.
"Old buddy, let's fight side by side once again."

"Eek!"

As if sensing its master's determination, the soul residing inside the cold body activated the steam pipes, emitting a cry similar to that of a salamander.

Meanwhile, among the civilians evacuating under Root's protection, Jiraiya was explaining his identity to the landlady.

He recounted his story, starting from where he was born, when he graduated, and who his mentor was, until he received a mission to come to the Land of Rain.

"That's all I can say, but please believe me, everything else may be fake, but my feelings for you are definitely more real than gold."

After revealing all the details of his identity, Jiraiya took the hand of the still somewhat dizzy landlady and spoke sentimentally to her with outdated, cheesy pick-up lines. Yahiko, who was listening, gritted his teeth and exclaimed that his mother was too naive to have been deceived by such a greasy man.

"Humph!"

Also gritting his teeth was Hiruko, who felt he had been bullied. Looking at the landlady nestled in Jiraiya's arms with a shy look in her eyes, he almost bit through the handkerchief in his hand.

"Yahiko, don't act innocent after getting the benefit. Jiraiya was the Hokage's student. If you round it up, you're practically the Hokage's grand-student!"

Nagato and Konan, who had been eavesdropping, stared speechlessly at Yahiko, who was looking indignant.
In his self-introduction, Jiraiya did not hide his prestigious status as the Hokage's top disciple. The title of disciple of the Kage of a village is a prestigious reputation wherever he goes.

"Keep it down~ Keep it down~ Don't worry, you two, we'll still be friends. This difference in worldly status will never become a chasm between our friendship."

Upon hearing this, Yahiko's expression immediately changed. He waved to Nagato and the other man with a straight face, but the wide grin that stretched almost to his ears betrayed his true feelings.

"By the way, it's fine for us to address each other as brothers in private, but in front of the villagers, please address me as Lord Yahiko."

"what?"

Seeing Yahiko's ugly face, who was arrogant because of his mother, the two friends simultaneously gave him a friendly gesture.

"Jiraiya! Hiruko! Lord Danzo has summoned you, go quickly."

Just then, a dark figure descended, its gaze fixed on Jiraiya, who was entangled in a tender moment with the landlady.

"Honey, be careful, I'll be back soon."

Reluctantly bidding farewell to the landlady, Jiraiya and Hiruko, following the Root ninja, returned to the border checkpoint in a few instants, where they met Danzo surrounded by a group of Root members. Nono, who had just spoken with them, was also present.

"Greetings, Lord Danzo."

After all, this was their boss and their provider, so even if they didn't care about him, they still had to give him face. The two of them bowed in unison.

"You two have been lurking in the Land of Rain for so long, can you explain to me what that thing is?"

Danzo, whose mood was far from pleasant, had no desire to offer any words of condolence. His face was grim as he pointed towards the Land of Rain, his tone exceptionally cold.
"That's... huh?"

Sensing the accusatory tone in Danzo's words, the two, initially confused, looked in the direction he was pointing, and their expressions froze instantly.
"It wasn't like this last time!"

Jiraiya stared at the grotesque steel behemoth in the distance for a long time, his wide eyes filled with utter bewilderment.
Holy crap, when did you unlock the evolution badge? How come you've become the complete form in just a few days?
"You couldn't even find out that Amegakure had unlocked such advanced technology, so what exactly are you doing in the Land of Rain?"

"us."

Jiraiya's expression tightened upon hearing this. It was indeed his mistake; he had failed to discover that Amegakure was secretly manufacturing such a weapon of war, which was a disgrace to his reputation as the "Intelligence Master."

Just then, Nonou, who was behind Danzo, stepped forward.

"Lord Danzo, please don't make things difficult for Jiraiya-senpai. It's not easy for him to be alone in the Land of Rain."

"Uh, that's right."

Seeing Nonou suddenly plead for him, Jiraiya nodded in agreement, completely surprised.

"After all, besides doing missions, he also has to take care of his fiancée and stepson."

"."

"It comes naturally!"

After a brief silence, Danzo, his face ashen, stared intently at Jiraiya, who was dressed as an ostrich with his head covered.

This guy actually neglected an important mission because of his personal feelings for his wife.
“Our organization is too small to accommodate someone as important as you. Go back and handle your resignation procedures yourself.”

"Oh? What about my bonus this year?"

"Not a penny! Oh, and remember to return all the model worker bonuses you received before the new year when you leave."

Danzo is really angry this time. You may lack ability, but you can't disregard the organization's trust in you because of some personal issues.

"Lord Danzo, and Senior Orchid."

Seeing that she had eliminated a potential threat to her position within the organization, Nonou pressed her advantage, turning her attention to the pale-faced Hiruko on the other side.
"Lord Danzo! Ranka must have been deceived by Jiraiya!"

“That’s right, he’s only been gone a short time, he didn’t have a chance to gather such important intelligence.”

"Please, please don't send Xiaolanhua away! How will we live without her?"

No sooner had Nonou finished speaking than a huge wave of emotion surged among the Root members. Countless members who had worked with Hiruko spontaneously stood up and spoke out in his defense, a stark contrast to the awkward silence that had followed Jiraiya's earlier outburst.

"Little Orchid".

Danzo glanced at the enraged crowd, then gave Hiruko a deep look.
"Considering you are a senior member of the Root organization, go back and write a 10,000-word self-criticism by hand. From now on, you will work with Zaemon on recruitment." "Thank you for your mercy, Lord Danzo."

Upon hearing that his position had been saved, Hiruko stood up shakily, bowed respectfully to Danzo, and then bowed to his colleagues who had spoken up for him. His large, watery eyes were filled with heartbreaking tears.

"Thank you all."

"Hey! Little Orchid, as long as you open your mouth, I'll go through fire and water for you."

"Are you free next week? I happen to have two tickets to the fireworks festival."

"Get lost! You little brat, don't even think about monopolizing one of our root flowers!"

"."

"Tsk!"

Seeing Hiruko wiping away tears amidst the adoration of the Root members, Nonou's lips curled into a vicious sneer beneath her mask, her eyes filled with rage.
These overly repressed fools actually dared to ruin her plans for the sake of a girl named Nan Niang.

She currently controls most of the business of the Roots, and she cannot rest easy until she gets rid of this old man from the previous dynasty, Beiliuhu.

"Lord Danzo is here. What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket?"

In a bad mood, Nono spoke up with a cold face, and everyone obediently returned to their positions, waiting for Danzo's next instructions.

"Let them fight like dogs, and gather intelligence on their battle while we're at it."

After squinting and pondering for a moment, Danzo gently shook his head.
Given the level of the Root members, rashly participating in this massive battle would only increase unnecessary casualties; it would be safest to remain on the sidelines and observe.

"Lord Danzo!"

Just then, Minato and the others who had been evacuating arrived. The Root members following behind them all had purple faces, and it was clear that the situation was extremely bad, making everyone present's eyelids twitch.

What's going on with you guys?

"Lord Danzo, we accidentally inhaled poison gas released by the Rain Ninja."

The Root Division captain, who had transformed into an eggplant-shaped man, stepped forward to explain.

"Ah! Then why aren't you going down to treat them?"

Danzo was shocked upon hearing this. Instead of seeking medical treatment, you came to the headquarters. Are you planning to spread the bacteria and cause a massacre?

"Don't worry, Uncle Danzo, they've already drunk the antidote that Grandpa Gin prepared, and the color will fade in a while."

Just as the surrounding Root members were retreating in fear, terrified of being infected by the unknown toxin, Kushina, holding an empty medicine bottle, calmly explained...
Grandpa Silver?
Why is he here?

Upon hearing this incredibly familiar title, Danzo subconsciously clenched his buttocks, and his expression turned strange.

"I forgot to report this to you."

Seeing this, Nonou stepped forward and recounted her encounter with Uchiha Gin and Senju Hisami at the checkpoint.

"That woman came too?"

Compared to the appearance of Uchiha Gin, the arrival of Senju Hisamoto made Danzo more wary.
Could they be here to oversee the progress of the root mission?
But soon he realized that he had only recently joined Senju Hisama's team, and this operation was a pledge of loyalty to demonstrate the value of Root. It was only natural that the other party would come to supervise.

"So what was her assessment of your performance?"

Turning to look at Minato and the others, Danzo asked a question that seemed casual, but the answer to it directly concerned the future of Root.

"Grandpa Yin praised the four of us for our good performance, but he specifically criticized Nine-Lama San-San for dragging us down."

Kushina immediately raised her hand to answer, but Danzo did not readily believe the outsider's one-sided story. Instead, he turned his gaze to Kizaru standing to the side.

"That's absolutely right."

Upon receiving the signal, Kizaru immediately nodded, confirming the truthfulness of Kushina's answer.

"Phew, that's good."

Danzo secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although he didn't know how the two of them had gotten together, the fact that Senju Hisami could bring Uchiha Gin to such a dangerous battlefield showed that their relationship was definitely not as simple as he had imagined.

Could the rumors circulating recently be true?
According to a regular visitor to Byakugan West Street who wished to remain anonymous, he witnessed Uchiha Gin entering a mysterious club with a voluptuous white-haired woman and staying there for as long as ten hours.

Suppressing his inner gossip, Danzo knew that his immediate priority was to prove Root's value to the new leader, rather than gossiping about the new leader or finding fault with him.

and many more,

It doesn't seem like it's entirely wrong to pick on someone's weaknesses. Didn't I often do that when I was under the monkey's command?
Shaking his head to dispel the wicked thoughts in his mind, he turned his gaze back to the several tired-looking children. Although the Root Ace's first battle was not a great victory, it had left a good impression on Senju Hisa.

"You've worked hard, go and rest now."

Danzo, who was furious about Jiraiya's dereliction of duty, immediately softened his expression.

"Yes!"

Minato and his three companions were already exhausted, so they immediately bowed and accepted the order, preparing to go down and get some rest to replenish their energy.
Just as the group turned to leave, they spotted a young, unemployed man hiding in a corner, looking utterly miserable.

"Huh? Uncle Jiraiya, did you lose your wallet?"

Seeing Jiraiya, who seemed completely different from when they parted, Kushina curiously stepped forward and asked him something.
"No, but it's much worse than losing a wallet."

Jiraiya shook his head listlessly, stood up, lightly brushed the dust off his backside, and replied in a flat tone,

"I've been fired."

"what?"

The four children all showed expressions of surprise. They still vividly remembered Jiraiya's heroic performance in facing two tailed beasts alone.
Are the Root members eating so well? They're such powerful ninjas, and you just open them up like that?

"There must be some misunderstanding. Don't panic, Uncle Jiraiya. I'll go find Lord Danzo right now."

The kind-hearted Minato couldn't stand such injustice and immediately wanted to go find Danzo to demand an explanation. The other three children nodded in agreement.
"Thank you, but no need to trouble yourself. I'm not thinking of doing this anymore anyway."

Seeing the righteous children, Jiraiya was deeply moved, but he still raised his hand to stop their overstepping behavior.

"Why? Aren't the benefits at the root level quite good?"

"All my friends who started working with me have left, and there's no point in me staying behind alone."

Jiraiya had already learned of Orochimaru and the others' departure from the Root members, so he didn't have much regret about being dismissed.

Not only that, he even felt much more relaxed, as this gave him ample time to prepare for the wedding and help his future family adjust to the new environment in Konoha.

"As for the benefits and compensation, my assessment is: it's better to write a book."

"Writing a book?"

Seeing the questioning looks in the eyes of the four boys and girls, Jiraiya straightened up and struck what he thought was a cool pose.
He didn't even hide his identity as the Hokage's top disciple; in fact, he was also surrounded by another, even more significant, yellow aura.

"That's right, my true identity is a renowned novelist in the ninja world. I can guarantee that your fathers have all read my masterpieces." (End of Chapter)