Uchiha's personal opinion

"Even if we have to search every mountain and sea, exhaust every ninja realm, we must find him, bring him back to the village to be punished, and make him a Konoha ninja from now on!"

Orochimaru spoke with a resolute expression and a firm tone.

They definitely picked up the wrong script.

Uchiha Tokumitsu looked out the window again to make sure it wasn't snowing.

“It’s not impossible for you to leave the village to search for Jiraiya… but the scientific research experiments cannot be abandoned.”

After calculating for a while, Uchiha Tokugawa replied: "Your position in the lab will be retained, but you still need to report your basic research progress and results..."

"I don't care how you arrange your time; all I care about is the result."

Although the progress of the Uzumaki Research Institute is not bad, it still lacks some foresight in certain chakra research areas. Compared with Orochimaru's experiments, it is too conservative. Therefore, even though Orochimaru is making excuses to leave the village, Uchiha Tokumitsu still intends to continue to exploit him.

As for how the experiment was conducted during the search for Jiraiya... that's none of Uchiha Tokumitsu's business.

Orochimaru opened his mouth to speak, but Uchiha Tokumitsu waved his hand to interrupt him, "In exchange, I will have the Internal Affairs Department give Jiraiya a chance to reform when they catch up with him."

"Thank you for your support, Lord Deguang!"

Orochimaru bowed deeply.

"Furthermore, to facilitate your actions, I'll arrange an identity for you..."

Uchiha Tokumitsu stroked his chin. "How about becoming an inspector for the Ministry of Internal Affairs? That way, you can receive confidential intelligence from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Intelligence Department."

"I have no objection. Thank you for your support, Lord Deguang!"

Orochimaru bowed again.

The excessive formality made Uchiha Tokumitsu very uncomfortable.

"There's no need for such formalities. We're all Konoha ninjas, and I hope that Jonin Jiraiya can turn over a new leaf and start afresh..."

If you can't change, then be a good person again in eighteen years...

Therefore, Uchiha Tokumitsu wasn't entirely deceiving Orochimaru.

"Then thank you, Lord Deguang... I'll take my leave now!"

Orochimaru bowed and left.

Uchiha Tokumitsu leaned back in his chair, lost in thought.

In their brief conversation, Orochimaru used so many honorifics that Uchiha Tokumitsu couldn't even remember them all; his only impression was the stark contrast.

It's like a songstress suddenly transforming into a beautiful maiden; it's truly unbelievable.

Returning to the point, as an outsider, he naturally had no way of knowing the true extent of the bond between Orochimaru and Jiraiya.

However, judging from common sense, Orochimaru's actions were highly unusual.

It didn't seem like he was looking for a misguided companion; it seemed more like he was using the opportunity to leave the village and find a chance to open a branch mining base for himself.

Thinking of this, Uchiha Tokumitsu shook the bell on the table.

"Lord!"

A ninja guard instantly entered and knelt on one knee.

"Notify the Internal Affairs Department and the Intelligence Department to transfer some of Jiraiya's information to Orochimaru, and convey the Internal Affairs Department's work system to him."

Uchiha Tokumitsu instructed, "Make him submit things like daily reports and monthly reports on time, and tell him that otherwise he might be listed as a ninja with questionable loyalty."

Using systems to torment people is the most justifiable thing to do.

Now that Orochimaru has obtained the identity of the Internal Affairs Department and the confidential information of the Intelligence Department, he must accept the working methods and requirements of both departments. If he really cannot accept them, he can choose to give up wandering the ninja world. Uchiha Tokumitsu's laboratory will always welcome him.

"Also, has the police department recently discovered any strange summoning beasts or ninja beasts in the village?"

"The police department reported that there were unusual chakra fluctuations in the underground sewers, resembling the characteristics of a summoning jutsu. Therefore, a large-scale cleanup operation will be carried out soon to prevent unforeseen events from occurring."

The knowledgeable and prodigious attendant ninja immediately racked his brains and dug out the relevant daily reports.

"...That's fine then."

Uchiha Tokumitsu nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

As long as Konoha remains stable, the two behemoths, the Tokugawa Shogunate and the United Company, will continue to expand at an extremely rapid pace, eventually swallowing up the ninja world and merging with the universe.

Anyway, it's all a matter of waiting and seeing—even if Jiraiya colludes with the so-called outcasts of the three holy lands, Uchiha Tokumitsu is confident he can handle it.

only……

An extremely ridiculous thought suddenly popped into Uchiha Tokumitsu's mind.

in case……

Suppose that Jiraiya, in a moment of despair, were pursued by the Internal Affairs Department, the Intelligence Department, and Orochimaru, who had unknown motives, and in a fit of anger, planned and promoted an action similar to the "Konoha Crush Plan"... But what would happen to that old toad of Mount Myōboku who claimed to be able to foresee the future?

Uchiha Tokumitsu found himself increasingly amused, and finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Chapter 304 Akatsuki!

The shadow of the rogue ninja Jiraiya incident quickly dissipated, and what took over the attention of all the villagers of Konoha was the Chunin Exams, which everyone had been eagerly anticipating.

Moreover, all the ninja clans, especially those from the original Hokage lineage, breathed a sigh of relief.

After the Chunin Exams are over, our esteemed Lord Tokumitsu should be returning to his loyal shogunate base, Fubuki Castle, by now. Then everyone can finally breathe a sigh of relief!

It must be said that as a ninja village ruler who subdued people with force, Uchiha Tokumitsu put immense pressure on Konoha ninjas, especially those from outside his faction.

After the candidates from various ninja villages who arrived in Konoha ahead of time made due contributions to boosting the economy of Konoha villagers, they also staged many full-blown fight scenes in the streets due to conflicts between different ninja villages, which made the onlookers in Konoha cheer with delight.

After the genin from the most remote snow village arrived in Konoha, the Konoha Chunin Exams officially began.

Uchiha Tokumitsu did not interfere much with the setting of the examination system and procedures, but simply let Hatake Sakumo do as he pleased. Therefore, the examination setup still followed the old three-stage process of written test, survival trial, and genin battle.

Uchiha Tokumitsu didn't really care about the Chunin Exams themselves. With his current strength, watching a bunch of weaklings fight would only be an eyesore and he wouldn't gain anything from it, so there was really no need to waste his time on it.

So after Sakumo Hatake arranged the exam content for the written test and the survival trial, he began to focus his energy on tracking down Jiraiya.

Although he had promised Orochimaru that he would give Jiraiya some chances, it didn't mean that Uchiha Tokumitsu would really hold back. At most, he would just say a few words before capturing him, which would be more than enough.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered to spend so much effort scheming against a mere Jonin, a remnant of the former Hokage's faction.

In order to obtain information about Jiraiya's movements in the ninja world as soon as possible, Uchiha Tokumitsu specifically instructed the Internal Affairs Department ninjas who were dispatched to search various parts of the ninja world to pay special attention to entertainment venues in various places, so as to intercept Jiraiya who could not suppress his lustful desires.

……

"Two immortals... I've committed a terrible disaster..."

After using the Reverse Summoning Technique to escape Konoha in front of a group of police ninjas, Jiraiya spoke to the two sages of Mount Myōboku.

"……I know."

Fukasaku nodded calmly. "It's not your fault. If we're talking about it in human terms... this would be considered political persecution, wouldn't it?"

"...What you said is actually not wrong."

Jiraiya paused for a moment, then a wry smile appeared on his face. "But I did do something inappropriate in dealing with this matter."

"Jiraiya, are you alright?!"

Upon hearing the news, Shima rushed over in a panic, carrying a frying pan. He excitedly checked you over, exclaiming, "Those people from Konoha are really something! Why did they attack you? Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine..."

Jiraiya sniffed slightly, then forced a bright smile. "Don't worry about me, I'm not a child anymore~"

"You're not even a tenth of my age, what else could you be but a child!"

Master Shima mocked him without any politeness: "You! All you do is overestimate your abilities and show off all day long. Sooner or later you'll end up with a miserable end because of it!"

"It would be better for you to live a peaceful life on Mount Myōboku from now on. At worst, I can use more toad oil to transform you into a member of the Mount Myōboku clan. Then I can find you a suitable female frog to have a bunch of tadpoles. That's much better than you wandering around the ninja world aimlessly!"

"Master Shima... I still have my mission..."

Jiraiya said with a wry smile.

As for what Shima-sensei said about turning him into a frog and having a bunch of tadpoles, he didn't take it to heart, just thinking it was a kind gesture from an elder.

"You just won't listen to reason! Stop bothering us old folks!"

Shima was so angry that he wanted to jump up and smash Jiraiya's head with a frying pan.

"...I think I've completely fallen out with Konoha."

After a moment of silence, Jiraiya said softly, "I wonder what kind of punishment they will issue next..."

"Let's take a break..."

Fukasaku the Hermit also sighed, "The Great Hermit wants to see you later..."

"Ok."

Upon hearing that he was to meet the Toad Sage, Jiraiya's expression immediately turned serious.

"Then you chat with the old man first, I'll prepare lunch for you!"

Master Shima left in a flurry of activity again.

"...Aren't you going to rest for a bit?"

He asked the immortal about the profound matters.

"No... let's wait until after we meet the great immortal."

Jiraiya sighed.

"Come with me..."

The immortal, Fukasaku, strolled slowly with his hands behind his back.

Jiraiya followed closely behind.

"...You should know that I didn't really believe in the so-called prophecies of the great immortal."

After the two had walked for a while, Fukasaku the Hermit finally spoke.

Jiraiya nodded without saying a word.

"But now I believe in the destiny the great sage spoke of..."

Fukasaku said to himself, "The ninja world today truly needs a savior to save this tragic world, and only in this way can we prevent things like what happened to you from happening again..."