Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

In the end, Jiraiya could only marvel at the power of the legendary Uchiha clan, which was able to capture the Fourth Mizukage alive. This made him involuntarily think of the night five years ago when Minato apparently sacrificed himself. It was then that someone used the power of the Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails, ultimately forcing Minato and Kushina to perish together.

"Strictly speaking, the Fourth Mizukage was actually just a figurehead. He encountered a mysterious person on the front lines who claimed to be Madara Uchiha. The Fourth Mizukage was manipulated by this person, and this war between the village and the Mist Village was also caused by this person's scheme behind the scenes."

Hiashi Hyuga bluntly revealed the information that was currently classified as top secret in the village.

For this,

Nara Shikaku had no objections.

The so-called top secrets are also selective in who they are given to. For Jiraiya, who could immediately succeed as Hokage and become the true Fifth Hokage of Konoha with just a nod, there was no need to keep these secrets. To put it dramatically, even if Jiraiya wanted to see the list of Anbu members, the Anbu leaders would probably just happily hand over all the lists to the new Hokage.

"Uchiha Madara? The Fourth Mizukage was manipulated? Hiashi, you... this joke is not funny."

Jiraiya was genuinely a bit bewildered at this moment.

Good guy,

He just wanted to find out why Naruto wasn't in the village, and how this involved a dead man whose bones were probably rotten to the core. And the joke about Madara Uchiha being alive was just too cold and not funny at all!

"It's just a claim, and it's uncertain whether he really is Uchiha Madara. However, the only thing that is certain is that this person possesses the Sharingan and carries the Uchiha fan that the Uchiha clan has lost for many years. He has extremely powerful space-time techniques. The Nine-Tails attack five years ago was very likely orchestrated by this person. This person can be said to be the culprit who caused the Fourth Hokage's sacrifice."

Hiashi Hyuga said very solemnly.

Jiraiya remained silent, lost in thought.

The sun was moving in the sky, and the scorching sunlight made the grass and trees wilt. Fortunately, the three of them had moved to the shade of the trees, where the dense green canopy brought them some coolness. Otherwise, even ninjas would not be able to withstand the scorching sun for long!

Hiashi Hyuga and Shikaku Nara watched Jiraiya close his eyes in thought, maintaining a silent stillness as they waited for him to absorb and digest the information.

It didn't take long.

Jiraiya opened his eyes. "I have a general understanding of the situation."

Through this intelligence, he understood why the village's current leaders had sent Naruto away from the village. On one hand, they were worried that the mentally unstable Naruto would lose control and go berserk. On the other hand, they were also worried that the mysterious man who claimed to be Uchiha Madara would use the same tricks he had used five years ago in the village.

So they sent Naruto to Uchiha Sogen's side to ensure Naruto's safety and also to prevent the village from experiencing another Nine-Tails attack.

A reasonable and justifiable choice.

It's so bad that no one can find fault with it. Jiraiya didn't come back to the village to deliberately cause trouble, so they can't find fault with him even in an egg.

"Oh right, I almost forgot, is there something you need from me?"

Jiraiya did not pursue the matter of Naruto any further.

Even though he had many doubts and questions in his heart at this moment, he managed to control his eagerness. You can't rush things. Anyway, he didn't have anything urgent to do for the time being, and he had plenty of time to deal with his doubts.

Before this, there was something I almost forgot: why did Hiashi Hyuga and Shikaku Nara approach him?

Hiashi Hyuga glanced at Shikaku Nara, signaling that it was time for someone else to answer.

"Due to some conflicts and disputes in the past period, as well as some historical issues, the situation in the village is not very good now. Although we won the war against the Mist Ninja, it was thanks to the Uchiha clan leader's hard work. However, the Mist Ninja was just the first wolf to jump out and try to take a piece of our flesh. The Cloud Ninja and the Iwa Ninja are also eager to make a move. Even the Sand Ninja, whose bones were almost broken during the Third Shinobi World War, is somewhat restless."

Nara Shikaku spoke softly, and with just a few words, he peeled away the glittering exterior of Konoha Village, revealing its true, weak and powerless nature.

"In order to cope with the greater crisis that may come, the village is preparing to eliminate some of the past drawbacks and oppressive policies, and restore Konoha's weakened strength. Before that, we need a strong leader that everyone can trust. Lord Jiraiya, please succeed as the Fifth Hokage. This is our common hope."

Nara Shikaku made a sincere request.

He wouldn't be foolish enough to ask Jiraiya, "Lord Jiraiya, do you want to be Hokage?" That would be too crude and low-level.

The Fifth Hokage?

Jiraiya paused for a moment.

He then laughed helplessly; today had truly been a series of frights!

"Wasn't the Fifth Hokage Torifu-senpai?"

“Old Master Torifu is only acting as Hokage, a temporary measure under special circumstances. Besides, he’s not young anymore, and the position of Hokage is not easy for him.” Nara Shikaku sincerely persuaded Jiraiya to agree to become the Fifth Hokage.

For the Ino-Shika-Cho clan, Akimichi Torifu becoming Hokage was undoubtedly a great honor.

However, after talking with Akimichi Torifu, Nara Shikaku, who had regained his senses, felt that it might not be a good thing for Torifu to become Hokage. Even though Torifu was still only an acting Hokage, many members of the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans had already become much more flamboyant in their behavior than before.

Rather than rising to the peak and then declining,

Nara Shikaku felt that it would be best for the Ino-Shika-Cho trio not to try and steal the limelight from the Uchiha and Hyuga clans.

After speaking,

Nara Shikaku held his breath, waiting for Jiraiya's answer.

Then--

"I'm sorry, Shikaku, I can't give you a definite answer right now. I need some time to think about it." Jiraiya didn't agree, but he didn't refuse directly either. Instead, he chose to stall for time. "Please tell Tofu-senpai that I will stay in the village during this time. If you are worried that I will leave without saying goodbye, you can send a few ANBU to protect me."

Nara Shikaku was somewhat surprised.

He originally thought that Jiraiya, who was used to traveling, would refuse decisively, but he didn't expect that he would choose to stall. Could it be that Jiraiya might really become the Fifth Hokage?

"I will truthfully relay every word you said to Lord Jiraiya."

Nara Shikaku responded in a deep voice.

"That's good then. Shikaku, Hiashi, you can go ahead and do what you need to do! I'm going to the village to do some research too. It's been a long time since I've been back. I wonder if the scenery in the village is as beautiful as it used to be." Jiraiya's words were light and casual, but from an angle that Shikaku couldn't see, his face was full of solemnity.

[Chapter 132 The Desolate and Quiet Mist Village]

As Jiraiya walked through the streets of Konoha gathering information on the 'Demon Fox,' the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki followed Sogen onto the streets of Kirigakure. The boy looked at this ninja village, so different from Konoha, with curious eyes.

The misty fog, like a thin veil covering one's eyes, is the most distinctive feature of Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village).

And also—

It was deserted.

Before entering the village, I had looked down from a high point on the mountain. It was a village that was not much smaller than Konoha in terms of area. But I don’t know if it was because martial law was imposed to welcome the Konoha delegation or for some other reason. In any case, the streets of Kirigakure were deserted and there were hardly any people in sight.

"Master, is this really Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village)?"

Following beside Sogen, Yakumo looked at the deserted streets and wondered if they had gone to the wrong place. Or perhaps they had walked into a trap set by the Mist Ninja? As he spoke, he secretly glanced at the female Mist Ninja with long reddish-brown hair and wearing a blue dress who was leading the way for them.

"This is Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village)."

Mei Terumi turned around and glanced at the girl following the Uchiha clan leader.

He learned from the Mizukage that this child was a disciple of the Uchiha clan chief, and his name seemed to be Kurama Yakumo. He came from the Kurama clan of Konoha, a clan that was once glorious and could rival the Uchiha clan at its peak. Now, it was a clan with a somewhat declining bloodline limit. However, the bloodline limit of this clan was extremely unstable, and it often took several generations for someone to inherit the bloodline limit.

Even Yagura Karatachi didn't know what the Kurama clan's bloodline limit was.

perhaps,

I need to consult Master Yuan.

"Then why is there no one on the street? It's still daytime!" Fujika asked as she walked with Yakumo.

"this······"

Mei Terumi opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word; this question was too hurtful.

Why is there no one on the street?

It was all caused by the Mizukage's oppressive rule. Not only were the ninjas suffering, but the ordinary people in the village couldn't bear it either. Every day when they opened their doors, they would see a pool of blood that hadn't yet congealed and turned cold on the street, and sometimes they would even see corpses that hadn't been cleaned up yet.

then,

Those in the village who had the means fled to the Daimyo Prefecture or to the countryside, and Kirigakure became increasingly deserted. If it weren't for the Mizukage issuing a new "travel restriction order" that required village approval for anyone to leave, thus preventing the population loss through forceful measures, perhaps all the ordinary people in the village would have already fled by now.

"Well, maybe everyone's off today!" Mei Terumi forced out a lie that she herself thought was stupid, but seriously discussing such a heart-wrenching question with a child felt even stupider. Between two not-so-good answers, she chose the one that seemed relatively less stupid.

"But today isn't a day off, is it? Or is the schedule different in Kirigakure?"

"..." Mei Terumi's face was a little bitter, but she could only force herself to say, "I don't know either, maybe something's wrong!"

However, this vague answer did not satisfy the two girls.

Fujika and Yakumo exchanged a glance.

It's clear they're preparing to make persistent efforts.

The next second, a hand fell from the sky and tapped them on the head.

"Alright, Yakumo, Fujika, you two quiet down. Don't always think about asking others when you have questions." Zongxian tapped the two troublemaking girls on the forehead with his finger, stopping their endless questions. "You need to learn to think for yourselves. Ninjas aren't just muscle-bound idiots. Brains are also very important. Also, learn from Naruto and stop thinking about causing trouble all the time."

Naruto scratched his head, a bright smile with a hint of embarrassment on his face.

This little guy, who will one day create art on the Hokage Rock to attract attention, is now very well-behaved and sensible. His past life has honed his ability to read people's expressions, which is quite heartbreaking, but it has not yet extinguished his intelligent and clever spirit.

The wisteria pouted, clearly unconvinced.

But she has temporarily calmed down, though seeing her secretly exchanging glances with Yakumo, it can only be said that she has temporarily done so.

But the two girls, though they were making a fuss,

Their questions were obtained somewhat indirectly, revealing a bit of information.

Mei Terumi's unspeakable attitude revealed that the situation in Kirigakure was indeed not optimistic. Combined with what he had seen and heard on the way into Kirigakure, Sogen sincerely lamented that Obito Uchiha, that madman, had really tormented and crippled the Kirigakure ninja.

If not,

Even if Sogen could single-handedly charge into battle, Konoha wouldn't be able to win the war against Kirigakure without paying a sufficient price.

Mei Terumi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

This kind of problem, which is like rubbing salt into someone's wound, is really too painful. To make matters worse, the ones rubbing salt into it are two tiny girls. I had no choice but to keep my anger inside. Fortunately, the Uchiha clan leader was reasonable and did not let his disciple and sister get too entangled.

Mei Terumi quickened her pace without making a sound.

After walking along the long street for half a day and turning two corners, we arrived at a large complex of buildings in the northwest corner of Kirigakure. Unlike the chaotic and unplanned architectural style of Konoha, the buildings in Kirigakure are mostly cylindrical. Along the way, we saw many tall buildings that looked like sticks, with lush green vegetation on their roofs. We didn't know if they were abandoned or if it was a special architectural style.

Mei Terumi stopped here.

Zongxian looked up and realized that they had arrived at their destination.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Southern part of Kirigakure.

In Master Yuan's home, in the tea room.

"Lord Mizukage, have the guests from Konoha arrived yet?" Yuan Shi sat behind the long table, his eyes narrowed into slits as he looked at Yagura, who was kneeling opposite him.

"We entered the village together."

Yagura held a ceramic teacup in his hands, and wisps of steam rose from the emerald green tea inside.