It's normal to get a kaleidoscope as a first deposit of six yuan, right?

After carefully placing a childhood photo of Zhishui and herself, which had been buried in the sand, on the table, Zhixue also thoroughly cleaned the area.

Under the cool moonlight, a girl in a black trench coat gently waved her broom, transforming the place into the way she remembered it.

When Konoha began rebuilding the next day, Shisui returned home and was somewhat surprised to see how clean the place seemed to have been.

It seems someone has already been here. Could it be Zhixue?

After searching the entire mansion several times, Shisui still couldn't find Shisui. Looking at the photo in his hand and recalling what Pain had said, he felt a little dejected.

"Zhixue...why didn't you come to see me after you came back?"

……

In the afternoon, a light drizzle began to fall over Konoha. At the mausoleum on the back mountain of Konoha, countless tombstones stood there. In the solemn and dignified scene, everyone felt the pain that Pain had spoken of.

Seeing Konohamaru kneeling and weeping before the tombstone, Ebisu, leaning on his cane, also took a few steps back and bowed to the deceased ninja along with the other ninjas.

The losses suffered by Konoha this time were extremely heavy. More than a thousand people died under that blinding white light, and even the Hokage died on this land in the subsequent battle because he used a forbidden technique.

When Naruto and Jiraiya arrived, they noticed something when they saw the piles of ruins nearby.

When Naruto crossed the gates of Konoha and saw the village, which had been transformed into a basin, his pupils widened in shock.

"here it is…"

Jiraiya was also shocked when he saw the terrible state of Konoha.

Is this really the once bustling and vibrant Konoha Village?

"How did it turn out like this?"

Having located the gathering place of the Konoha ninja, Nara Shikaku explained the situation to Jiraiya from inside a tent.

"Jiraiya-senpai, the Third Hokage has already sacrificed himself, and the two elders of Konoha have also died because they lived in the central area. Now Konoha needs someone to step up and take charge."

Hearing what Nara Shikaku said, Jiraiya also calmed down.

It wasn't that he didn't love the village, but his personality wasn't really suited to be Hokage.

"I won't take the Hokage position. The new generation of outstanding ninjas in the village are all far stronger than me," Jiraiya said with his eyes closed.

Upon hearing Jiraiya's refusal, Nara Shikaku's expression changed.

Of course he knew who Jiraiya was referring to. The famous Body Flicker was also the hero who was able to defeat the enemy in the end during this disaster—Uchiha Shisui. Whether it was his qualifications, talent, or popular support, he was an impeccable choice. But the key was his surname.

The Uchiha clan, judging from the way the Hokage lineage has been passed down, is not a very friendly surname. If Uchiha Shisui were to be elected Hokage, it would be a historic first.

"Well, I'm not suited to be Hokage, but I'm returning to Konoha this time not just because I'm concerned about the village's situation, but also because I have important news to tell you, which might even be indirectly related to this matter." As he said this, Jiraiya crossed his hands and his expression became serious.

Now that Konoha is facing such a disaster, and the old man has died here, it's probably closely related to the war to come. It seems he can no longer take Naruto to wander the ninja world for further training...

"News?" Nara Shikaku felt a weight lift from his heart as he looked at Jiraiya's unpleasant expression.

"Ah, that's right, it's news about the Great Toad's prophecy. This ninja world... is about to be plunged into a new wave of unprecedented disaster." Jiraiya sat down in his chair and told Shikaku about the prophecy spoken by the Toad Sage.

The Great Toad Sage usually doesn't care about the wars in the ninja world, but this prophecy seems a bit special. The extraterrestrials who started the war brought despair and flames to the ninja world, which made Jiraiya worry about the future of this ninja world.

The destruction of Konoha is perhaps a harbinger of the prophecy, and it remains to be seen whether something even more terrifying will happen next.

"The first ferocious beast of antiquity will awaken. What does that mean?" Nara Shikaku was speechless upon hearing these vague words.

Could the ferocious beasts refer to the nine tailed beasts? But is the first one really that important?

"Well, actually I don't quite understand either, but there should be quite a few historical documents in Konoha that we can refer to."

Upon hearing Jiraiya's words, Nara Shikaku nodded.

Although Konoha was destroyed, the ancient records were not severely damaged because many of them were sealed away, so perhaps some useful information can be found in them.

Chapter 248, Jiraiya's Decision

After sealing this wave of tailed beasts, the Akatsuki quickly launched a second wave of capture operations.

Meanwhile, in the ninja world, the capture of the Jinchuriki, the Tailed Beast, was gradually discovered, and the Hidden Cloud Village mobilized a large-scale ninja force to search the surrounding area.

When the various villages learned that the Jinchuriki of the Tailed Beast on the other side had also perished, they were all quite shocked.

In the Land of Lightning, a figure climbed up from the sea. Because the Eight-Tails had left Killer Bee with a tail, Killer Bee faked his death after extracting the tailed beast and leaked information about the Akatsuki organization and the Land of Rivers.

Upon hearing of the Akatsuki's atrocities, the Raikage was enraged and issued a joint call for talks with the other villages to eradicate the Akatsuki.

What exactly is Xiao thinking?

In Iwagakure, Onoki frowned as he looked at the documents mixed in with the intelligence.

It seems that the Jinchuriki of the other villages have also encountered trouble. As one of the first to discover this, the Raikage proposed a Five Kage Summit in the Land of Iron at the beginning of next month to defeat the Akatsuki organization.

As someone who had been in contact with the Akatsuki organization on missions for many years, Onoki was now finding the organization somewhat unfathomable.

What use would a group of rogue ninja have for the Tailed Beasts? Are they going to seal them all inside their own bodies? With such a huge appetite, can they even handle it all?

Within Konoha, the higher-ups also received an invitation from the Raikage to convene a Five Kage Summit, but the problem was that their Hokage had not yet been selected.

"Since Jiraiya-sama is unwilling, why not let Shisui-senpai become Hokage instead?"

At the conference table, a Jonin offered his opinion, which was met with a lot of approval. However, the head of the Shimura clan immediately jumped out and slammed his fist on the table in rebuttal.

"Uchiha Shisui has the qualifications, but he is still too young and too kind-hearted. He is not suitable to be Hokage!"

Seeing the excited state of the Shimura clan chief, the Sarutobi clan chief quickly pulled him down.

“What Clan Chief Shimura said makes sense. Shisui may seem too merciful to his own people, but he would never show mercy to his enemies. Please, Clan Chief Shimura, don’t just look at the surface.” Fugaku Uchiha, still injured, said.

After Fugaku voiced his rebuttal, most of the people present agreed, after all, there was a precedent of the Fourth Hokage, who, although gentle, was not lacking in skill and ability.

"Hmph, the Uchiha clan is already powerful enough with its control over the security forces. The position of Hokage is passed down through generations, so it would be more appropriate to give it to Tsunade, who has been living abroad. Moreover, given her relationship with the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, she might even be able to secure a lot of economic aid for us if she becomes Hokage," said Shimura, the clan head, sitting on the table, to Fugaku with a disgruntled expression.

"Tsunade? Her status and qualifications are acceptable, but she seems to be traveling abroad. If we want to find her, why don't we send someone to bring her back now?"

"But I heard that Tsunade herself didn't want to inherit the Hokage position?"

"Are you a mind reader? How do you know he's unwilling? Konoha has already become like this, and it's a place teeming with talented people. She'll definitely prioritize the bigger picture."

During the meeting, a debate broke out over the position of Hokage. The conservatives, led by Clan Chief Shimura, believed that Tsunade was more suitable for the position, as her seniority and military achievements were second to none in Konoha, making her the most appropriate candidate.

The reformist faction, led by Fugaku Uchiha, felt that things should be approached from a new perspective. They believed that Shisui Uchiha's contributions in the Third Shinobi World War and his two rescues of Konoha from peril were in no way inferior to Tsunade's, and that his reputation and strength were fully qualified to serve as Hokage.

Just as the two factions were arguing fiercely, Jiraiya walked in from outside the tent.

Upon seeing Jiraiya enter, the debate between the two sides ceased, and everyone turned their attention to this veteran figure, wanting to know his opinion. Of course, if he were elected Hokage, it would be the best choice, and both sides could accept it.

"Oh dear, it seems I came in at the wrong time." Jiraiya scratched his head in annoyance as he looked at all the eyes on him.

I really shouldn't have come in at this time.

"Lord Jiraiya, you've finally arrived! As the beloved student of the Third Hokage, you must have many solutions to deal with the crisis in Konoha, right?" Upon seeing Jiraiya arrive, Nara Shikaku, as if afraid that he would run away, blocked the doorway and hurriedly pushed him towards the main seat, saying.

Jiraiya:......

Sitting in the main seat, Jiraiya coughed as he looked at the hopeful gazes cast upon him from both sides.

"I've heard about your argument inside the tent, but as for the Hokage position, it seems unlikely that Tsunade will be able to take over."

As one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya had a very good understanding of Tsunade's personality. When there was a suitable candidate in Konoha, the probability of letting her succeed as Hokage was probably about the same as winning the lottery. Even if someone was found, she would most likely be turned down, and he might even strongly support Shisui to become Hokage.

(Tsunade: Only a dog would want to be the Hokage, something so tiring. Wouldn't it be better to gamble a couple of times during the day and have a few drinks at night?)

"Lord Jiraiya, you can't just rely on one side of the story!" Seeing that Jiraiya seemed to be biased towards Fugaku's faction, the clan head Shimura's eyes widened instantly.

Tsunade is your old friend! If she became Hokage, wouldn't all sorts of benefits come your way? And what good would it do you if that brat Uchiha Shisui became Hokage?

"Ah, what I said is true. If you don't believe me, you can go find her yourselves. After the old man died, she'll probably come back to visit. You can ask her then. But I didn't come here this time because of the Hokage selection..."

Recalling the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, Jiraiya's eyes hardened.

Upon hearing what Jiraiya said, both sides fell silent.

"You should have received the Raikage's invitation to the meeting, right? It clearly names an organization called Akatsuki that is carrying out a plan to capture tailed beasts all over the world. Pain may be a member of it, so I plan to go to the Land of Rivers to investigate the intelligence myself."

Upon hearing Jiraiya's words, everyone present unsurprisingly voted against them.

They finally have a leader, and the Akatsuki organization is so dangerous. If Jiraiya falls into it, Konoha will suffer a huge loss.

Seeing everyone's opposition, Jiraiya burst into laughter.

"Ah, it seems the people of Konoha really care about this old lecher, hahaha..." Jiraiya laughed heartily a few times, but then his laughter gradually faded away.

"Unfortunately... this is just a notification, not a discussion." With that, Jiraiya's figure instantly turned into white smoke and disappeared, startling everyone in the meeting.

"Lord Jiraiya shouldn't have gone far. Quickly stop him and bring him back! Hurry, hurry!"

Nara Shikaku was also troubled as he watched Jiraiya's shadow clone disappear.

The three legendary Sannin of Konoha are all incredibly stubborn.

Chapter 249, Jiraiya Infiltrates the Land of Rivers

"Sass, I'm so glad you're alright!"

Naruto, who was completely unaware that Jiraiya had gone to the Land of Rivers alone, excitedly ran into the tent, and then patted Sasuke on the shoulder as he saw him sitting on the bed.

The sudden greeting alerted Erzhuzi, who quickly grabbed Naruto by the shoulder and pinned him down on the edge of the bed.

Naruto: ?

"Naruto, it seems your reaction time is much slower than before," Sasuke said to Naruto after releasing his hand.

"Hey, what's with that arrogant look on your face?" Looking at Sasuke's face, which seemed to say, "I'm stronger than ever," Naruto felt an itch to punch him.

"Hmph, this is the confidence that comes from the power hidden in my eyes. Although Konoha has been destroyed, if I can master the power of these eyes, the next time I encounter that enemy who attacked the village, I will make him tremble before these eyes and apologize to the spirits of the Uchiha clan who died!" Sasuke opened his six-pointed Mangekyou Sharingan and showed it to Naruto.

Naruto stared blankly at Sasuke's Mangekyou Sharingan. Then, in the sealed space, Kurama, seeing the eye power similar to that of Madara Uchiha, scratched at the seal with a ferocious expression.

"That's the Mangekyou Sharingan! I hate those Uchiha brats the most!"

"Naruto? Are you even listening to me?"

"Ah, ah? Yes, yes, yes, but my stomach felt a little painful just now. Maybe it's because I'm not used to the water I drank from the toad." Naruto rubbed his stomach and said with a grin.

Seeing that Naruto didn't seem too shocked, Sasuke wanted to demonstrate the initial form of Susanoo to him, but as soon as the chakra was formed, Fugaku Uchiha, who had just returned from the meeting, grabbed him by the back of the collar and led him outside.

"Hey, Father, I haven't finished my performance yet!"

"You only learned a half-baked Susanoo, and you dare to show it to others? First, figure out the Mangekyou Sharingan's abilities..."