Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

"You flatter me. My medical skills are far inferior to those of Lady Tsunade. I still need to study hard at the hospital."

Kirito was completely unmoved by Orochimaru's hints and decisively rejected his invitation.

Go to the battlefield?

Are you kidding me?

He'll be nine years old in a month.

If Konoha really needs a nine-year-old child like him to go to the battlefield, then Konoha is probably about to be destroyed.

The wood show will be destroyed by the forest wind.

He understood this principle. Once he went to the battlefield and lost the protection of Konoha, even if he had the strength of a Jonin, it wouldn't be easy for him to survive safely.

Both external and internal enemies will certainly do everything in their power to target him.

A dead Konoha genius would be in their best interest.

"With great power comes great responsibility, Kirito. Sometimes, there are things you can't refuse just because you want to. There are always times when you have no choice in the matter."

Orochimaru was not surprised by Kirito's rejection, but said something meaningful.

After saying that, he stood up and bid farewell to Kirito: "Then goodbye, Kirito. I hope we can have a pleasant time together like today when we meet again."

"What did he mean by that just now?"

Kirito watched Orochimaru's departing figure, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

A powerful figure like Orochimaru never speaks without reason; he must know something to say those things to him.

"It seems I'm one step closer to the battlefield."

Kirito made a self-deprecating remark, but there wasn't a trace of fear on his face.

In order to survive in this perilous world, he had been secretly accumulating strength and was ready to fight at any time.

If the enemy wants to deal with him, they should be prepared to be killed by him.

To be honest, even he himself didn't know how strong he would be if he went all out.

"For now, let's continue to work hard and build up our strength."

Kirito closed his eyes again and then skillfully condensed his chakra, quickly restoring the chakra he had consumed and continuing to accumulate chakra in a chakra pool created by a sealing technique within his body.

……

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, a heated debate is underway.

"No, I don't agree with this plan. Amegakure is not so easy to deal with. Moreover, the difference in strength between Hattori Masanari and Hanzo is too great. We might support him and then be killed by Hanzo. In that case, we would lose everything. Our resources don't come from thin air."

Xiaochun, with a stern face, spoke loudly as she turned to her new room.

The Amegakure Split Plan—this is the plan that the Third Hokage just gave to the three Hokage advisors, written by Tsunade herself.

The plan was roughly to encourage Konoha to support Hattori Masanari, a powerful Amegakure figure whose ideology differed from Hanzo's, thereby fostering a pro-Konoha force within Amegakure and ultimately causing internal divisions that would prevent Amegakure from taking action against Konoha.

This plan clearly explains the various water-style ninjutsu mastered by Kirito's White Zetsu clone (his Rain Ninja identity), along with case studies and his personal biography. It can clearly demonstrate that Hattori Masanari is a powerful water-style ninja and a pacifist. I personally strongly oppose Hanzo's plan to challenge the Great Powers to become the sixth Great Power.

Judging solely from the contents of the plan, Hattori Masanari is undoubtedly a very suitable candidate for Konoha to support. If the plan succeeds, Amegakure will no longer be a threat, and may even become an asset for Konoha in containing other major powers.

The current point of contention is that investing in Masanari Hattori is too risky.

Hattori Masanari's strength is indeed quite formidable; he was able to hold his own against the Sannin in the Land of Rain, but compared to Hanzo of the Salamander, his strength is somewhat lacking.

If Hattori Masanari incurs Hanzo's displeasure, he will likely die.

Even now, in Amegakure, Hanzo can still wield absolute power.

"Xiaochun is right. The risk is too high. Besides, Amegakure is no longer able to attack Konoha. Such a high-risk investment plan is not worthwhile for Konoha right now."

After Koharu Tsunemi finished speaking, Homura Mito immediately spoke up in support.

Seeing that her two old classmates, Koharu and Homura, were strongly opposed, the Third Hokage, who had originally intended to support Tsunade's plan, began to waver.

But then, Senju Momoka said quietly, "However, even if we don't support Hattori Masanari, there will still be people who want to support him, such as Sunagakure and Iwagakure, and even the far-off Kumogakure and Kirigakure might find an opportunity to contact him. I don't believe that people from other villages besides our Konoha won't notice this person's value."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and the Third Hokage instantly changed.

Chapter 88: Jiraiya

Momoka's words were like a thunderbolt to Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado, and the Third Generation, leaving them terrified.

They hadn't considered the possibility that other ninja villages would send people to contact Hattori Masanari, but now that Momoka had said this, they had to take that possibility into account.

None of the three of them were fools, and they could naturally see Hattori Masanari's value. If the plan could succeed, it would indeed be of great benefit to Konoha by bringing some Amegakure members closer to Konoha. At the very least, the pressure Konoha would face from Amegakure would be much less in the future.

However, if they don't reach out to Hattori Masanari and offer him support, but instead allow other ninja villages to contact him and successfully establish cooperation, it will undoubtedly put a lot of pressure on Konoha.

After all, judging from Hattori Masanari's current attitude towards Konoha, it is not very friendly. It is possible that he might actually cooperate with Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and other ninja villages that have not had conflicts with Amegakure.

Furthermore, Hanzo was also hostile to Konoha.

It's like the high ground of public opinion; if we don't occupy it, the enemy will.

The thought that Hattori Masanari would side with other ninja villages, and that Amegakure would regain its strength with the support of other ninja villages, and that Hattori Masanari would then become hostile to Konoha like Hanzo, and that the two of them would cooperate to deal with Konoha, put the Third Hokage and the others under tremendous pressure.

Hanzo alone was already a major headache for Konoha, and now there's Hattori Masanari, whose strength is no less than that of the Sannin. The pressure they face is not as simple as one plus one.

Once Hanzo eliminates Amegakure as a threat from behind, he can unleash his full potential and exert tremendous pressure on Konoha on the battlefield, far exceeding what he would have done before.

Whether the young Sannin can stop him is unknown.

Of course, other ninja villages would also face huge risks in supporting Hattori Masanari, and their plans would likely fail.

However, neither the Third Generation, Koharu Utatane, nor Homura Mitokado dared to gamble on the possibility of failure.

Because if they lose the bet, then the three of them will be sinners against Konoha.

"Ahem, what Tao Hua said makes sense. Supporting Hattori Masashige should be considered more carefully. I personally think this matter has great potential. Even if it doesn't succeed, we should let Hattori Masashige see the sincerity of Konoha. Moreover, from the current point of view, Hanzo still needs this person very much."

The third generation coughed once and finally voiced his opinion.

"I agree."

Tao Hua immediately echoed.

This plan was proposed by Tsunade, and it's fantastic; she'll definitely give it her full support.

When Koharu Utatane heard that the Third Generation supported the plan, and that Momoka also chose to support it, she knew that it would be futile for her and Mitokado Homura to oppose it.

Moreover, she herself is now wavering on the decision she just made.

Indeed, just as the Third Hokage said, even if this plan fails, Hattori Masanari must see Konoha's sincerity, reduce hostility towards Konoha, and prevent Hattori Masanari from being recruited by other ninja villages.

It's just a matter of spending some money.

Compared to restarting the war and paying a huge price to defeat Amegakure again, spending some money to buy peace is a better choice.

After a moment of silence, Koharu Utatane sighed and said, "Although the success rate of this plan is very low, considering that other ninja villages may also get involved in the power struggle within Amegakure, we in Konoha do need to make contact with this guy named Hattori Masanari."

“That’s right, that’s what I think too. And I must remind you that this matter must be done as quickly as possible. We can’t let other ninja villages get ahead of Konoha.”

When Mitokado saw that Koharu Utatane had expressed her support, he also followed suit and offered a reminder.

“That’s right. We need to act quickly. Before Hattori Masanari returns to Amegakure, we need to find an opportunity to contact him as soon as possible. Once he returns to Amegakure, it will be difficult for us to find another opportunity to contact him.”

The third generation nodded.

"Then who should be sent to contact Hattori Masashige?"

Seeing that everyone had reached a consensus, Xiaochun, who was turning over the dorm, began to raise a rather crucial question.

“Since this plan was proposed by Tsunade, it is natural for her to contact Hattori Masanari.”

Momoka did not hesitate to let Tsunade take over the matter.

This is clearly a lucrative task. As long as we successfully make contact with Hattori Masanari, the task of supporting Hattori Masanari in Konoha will likely fall into the hands of the person who carries it out. There will be many benefits, and if the plan succeeds in the future, it will be another great achievement.

If Tsunade can successfully take over this task, it will definitely be a great help in her future succession to the Hokage position.

“I disagree. Tsunade has just fallen out with Hattori Masashige. If we let her contact Hattori Masashige now, it might backfire.”

Upon hearing this, Xiaochun, who was switching dorms, immediately raised her objection with sound reasoning.

"There are indeed concerns in this regard, and Tsunade has just returned and is about to take over the hospital affairs, so it may be difficult for her to manage both."

After a moment's hesitation, the third generation agreed with Koharu Utatane's point of view.

Upon seeing this, Tao Hua's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. She snorted coldly and said no more.

The Third Hokage's opinion has a great influence on the decision-making process. He has now reached an agreement with Koharu Utatane. She knows that her proposal is unlikely to pass, and now she can only watch helplessly as Tsunade's credit is taken away, which makes her very unhappy.

“What about Jiraiya? He’s currently in the Land of Rain. It’s acceptable for him to contact Hattori Masashige, and it wouldn’t be considered disrespectful to Hattori Masashige.”

Mitokado then revealed his preferred candidate.

“That’s a good suggestion. This brat is currently staying in the Land of Rain and refuses to leave. It’s a good opportunity to have him do something for Konoha in the Land of Rain, which can be considered as making amends for his past mistakes.”

Upon hearing Mitokado Homura's words, the Third Hokage's eyes lit up, and he decisively secured this excellent job for his apprentice.

He was already having a headache over Jiraiya's blatant disregard for his orders, and now that Jiraiya had this job, he could legitimately keep Jiraiya in the Land of Rain for an extended period of time.

"agree."

Koharu, who was switching dorm rooms, also agreed with the suggestion.

Although Jiraiya in her memory wasn't a very reliable lecher, his social skills were the best among the Sannin. Moreover, he was somewhat naive and a peace-loving guy. Letting him come into contact with Hattori Masashige, who also loved peace, might play a huge role.

"Alright, let's choose him."

Momoka then remembered Jiraiya, that white-haired kid, and expressed her agreement.

If it were Jiraiya, she could accept it.

After all, that lecherous white-haired boy isn't interested in the Hokage position, and he's also interested in Tsunade. He'll probably support Tsunade becoming Hokage in the future, so it's like the pot is rotten inside.

Not long after the five people reached a 50% decision, a messenger hawk flew out from Konoha and quickly flew towards the Land of Rain.

Half a day later, a Konoha ANBU ninja arrived in front of a relatively well-preserved house in the Land of Rain.

Just as he reached the door, a man with long, flowing white hair suddenly appeared in front of him; it was none other than Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin.

Jiraiya looked at the Konoha ANBU ninja who had secretly come to visit and sighed, "Didn't I tell the old man before that we would go back when the time came?"

Meanwhile, by the window of the house, three kids with different hair colors were huddled together, nervously peeking through the window at Jiraiya and the Konoha Anbu ninja outside the house.