Being a rogue ninja is worse than being Hokage.

Once the young people leave, all that's left are the adults' tedious world of problems, which are solved only to be met with a constant stream of new troubles.

"Lord Hokage, what happened during the time Kakashi and I were hospitalized?"

Asma also asked in a serious tone.

Through his previous battles with the Akatsuki's immortal duo, he gradually came to understand the undercurrents in the ninja world that Jiraiya had once mentioned that needed to be guarded against.

The peace that followed the Third Shinobi World War seemed to have been breached by someone unseen, creating a new crisis that was about to be torn open and unleashed a new storm of bloodshed.

"...Is it the Akatsuki organization again?"

Asma shared his guess.

Kakashi returned to silence, but his expression revealed that his guess was largely the same as Asuma's.

It wasn't Tsunade who responded to Kakashi and Asuma; Jiraiya took over the conversation.

This powerful ninja first let out his signature hearty laugh to soothe people's emotions.

Unfortunately, no one could cheer up again. Although Jiraiya's laughter did lighten the atmosphere in the ward somewhat, it wasn't much.

Everyone remained focused and awaited an answer.

"The recent events, while said to be related to the Akatsuki organization, are not entirely..."

Jiraiya pondered the words, mentally drafting a whole bunch of them.

But in the end, he only said a short sentence... After all, when a person dies in vain, having longed to return to the right path after straying from the right path, no matter how calm he appears on the surface, deep down he will still occasionally reveal a strong sadness.

Orochimaru is dead. Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha killed him.

Chapter 41 Konoha's Decision

"That Orochimaru actually..."

In the hospital room, Asuma and Kakashi, who were hearing the news of Orochimaru's death for the first time, both showed expressions of shock and uncertainty.

Orochimaru, who fought alongside Tsunade and Jiraiya to establish the "Sannin" title in the Fourth Shinobi World War in order to protect Konoha.

Orochimaru, who defected from Konoha and infiltrated the village three years ago to kill the Third Hokage.

Orochimaru's strength is evident to all the ninjas in Konoha.

Even though Orochimaru had long been on the opposite side of Konoha, the people of Konoha would not deny his strength.

And the next time we heard news of this man was that he had died.

It was Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki who killed him...

"My intelligence sources are very accurate. Although some details are a little vague, the results of the intelligence are not false."

Jiraiya's attitude was also extremely solemn: "Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, in just three years, have grown to a level that ordinary ninjas can hardly reach."

"But what does Orochimaru's death have to do with Akatsuki?"

Asma didn't immediately grasp the connection between them.

As the leader of these two Jonin who defected from Team 7 from Konoha, Kakashi Hatake, who was also involved in the matter, was well aware of the connection between them.

"Naruto is the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails, while Itachi serves the Akatsuki organization."

Naruto and Sasuke's motives were not difficult for Kakashi to guess.

Three years ago, Jiraiya brought back information about the Akatsuki organization, a notorious mercenary group that had an unusual interest in the nine tailed beasts possessed by the five great nations.

As the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, Naruto is naturally in an opposing relationship with the Akatsuki organization.

Three years ago, Jiraiya stopped the prophecy given to him by the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku and ended his journey through the ninja world in order to protect Naruto closely and help him control the power of the Nine-Tails.

However, things didn't go as planned. Before Jiraiya could form a deep bond with Naruto, Naruto defected from Konoha during the Chunin Selection Exams.

Whether Naruto chooses to sit and wait for his fate or to take the initiative, he will encounter the Akatsuki organization in the upcoming battles.

Judging from the fact that Naruto intruded into Konoha to target Kakuzu and Hidan, the two immortal duo from the Akatsuki organization, and teamed up with Sasuke to kill them, it seems that...

Naruto undoubtedly chose to take the initiative against the Akatsuki organization.

This is consistent with Naruto's character. If he were truly someone who passively accepts everything, he wouldn't have been able to devise such a terrifying defection plan three years ago.

As for Sasuke...

Unlike Naruto, who was clearly classified as a rogue ninja and wanted by Konoha throughout the entire ninja world.

Rather than "defection," Sasuke's actions were more of a "departure."

Compared to Naruto, who actually brought destruction and pain to Konoha, Sasuke only chose to leave Konoha to seek the power of revenge from Orochimaru in an extreme way in order to avenge Itachi, who wiped out the Uchiha clan.

With Kakashi and Sakura's mediation, Tsunade, as the Fifth Hokage, temporarily suppressed her recognition of Sasuke's "rogue ninja" status.

If we mention Orochimaru, Sasuke is undoubtedly a rogue ninja of Konoha in connection with him.

However, Sasuke's identity is actually rather ambiguous to the Hokage faction.

Sasuke is consumed by revenge, but if he succeeds in his revenge, he is very likely to return to Konoha as a former ninja.

Before any actual conflict of interest arises, the Konoha authorities will not be in a hurry to define Sasuke's identity.

"Kakashi's judgment was correct; their next target will undoubtedly be the Akatsuki organization!"

Tsunade and Kakashi shared similar thoughts. Since Kakashi had already explained things to everyone, she didn't need to waste any more words and only needed to state her own views and position.

Naruto did this to preemptively strike and prevent the Akatsuki organization from finally besieging him as a Jinchuriki of a Tailed Beast.

Sasuke's motivation was revenge, but the target of his revenge happened to be a member of the Akatsuki organization.

"However, can Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha really take on the Akatsuki organization?"

Kurenai Yuhi, standing nearby, asked curiously. Of all the people present, apart from Tsunade, she didn't know much about Naruto and Sasuke themselves.

Tsunade, being the Fifth Hokage, had the authority to learn enough secrets and obtain information gathered by Konoha's ninjas in a timely manner.

Kurenai Yuhi's information about Naruto and Sasuke was mostly hearsay.

After all, the identities of these two individuals are too sensitive, and the higher-ups in Konoha have a subtle attitude of isolating their information from non-central figures.

Although they were both elite Jonin of Konoha, Kurenai Yuhi happened to be the most marginalized person among everyone in the ward when it came to Naruto and Sasuke's issues.

"Leaving Sasuke aside, his growth is based on Orochimaru's assistance. Judging from the information brought back by Kakashi and Asuma, apart from the use of the Sharingan, he is good at Orochimaru's Orochimaru style ninjutsu and a series of 'Chidori Style' ninjutsu derived from the Chidori form taught to him by Kakashi."

Jiraiya spoke up to explain.

Although Sasuke hid with Orochimaru for three years, even Jiraiya found it difficult to find any clues.

However, Sasuke's growth is still traceable. In the Konoha ninja mission that recently took place involving the Akatsuki organization's Kakuzu and Hidan, the immortal duo, Sasuke's ninjutsu and fighting style further validated this growth logic.

However, three years later, Naruto's growth seemed to lack any underlying logic.

The power he displayed was quite unpredictable.

Jiraiya's gaze was fixed on Kakashi's tightly closed left eye: "The ability to freely open and close the Tailed Beast Cloak, the Flying Thunder God Technique, and the perfected Rasengan, which even the Fourth Hokage failed to inject with chakra nature transformation..."

Jiraiya said seriously, "These are not things that can be done by oneself. Even the most talented person needs guidance."

He originally intended to become that kind of character in Naruto's life, so he was well aware of the strangeness of Naruto's growth in strength.

His two former disciples, Nagato, who possessed the Rinnegan, and Minato Namikaze, who had extremely high ninjutsu talent, could not achieve "from nothing to something" on their own; they still needed Jiraiya's guidance during the initial learning stages.

But the strange feeling about Naruto's growth made Jiraiya feel as if Naruto was born with some understanding of these things.

It's not even a vague understanding, but knowing the exact answer directly, without even needing to try and fail.

If that's true...

Without his master's guidance, and with his status as a rogue ninja preventing him from having a peaceful environment to grow up in, Naruto also had to constantly deal with the raging Nine-Tails within him... It's astonishing that he still managed to achieve such success.

Naruto was perhaps the most talented ninja Jiraiya had ever seen.

"The control of the Nine-Tails' chakra may be related to the red-haired girl next to Naruto."

Kakashi gave Jiraiya a proper reminder.

"Diamond Seal..."

Everyone present understood the origin of the chakra chains that Karin had used.

The trend of Jinchuriki, the tailed beasts, originated from Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage who founded Konoha, and spread to the other four great nations.

Of all the sealing techniques related to sealing the Jinchuriki of the Tailed Beasts among the Five Great Nations, the most powerful is naturally the sealing technique inherited by the Uzumaki clan from Konoha.

Mito Uzumaki, the wife of the First Hokage who mastered the Adamantine Sealing Chains, possessed the bloodline of the Uzumaki clan. In the entire ninja world, Mito Uzumaki was an unparalleled figure in terms of Jinchuriki's control over Tailed Beasts.

This is why, even though they couldn't prevent the destruction of Uzumaki Village, founded by the Uzumaki clan, when Mito Uzumaki was about to die and Konoha needed a second Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, they still brought Naruto's mother, Kushina Uzumaki, into Konoha.

The Uzumaki clan is undoubtedly the bloodline most suited to becoming a Jinchūriki.

The Vajra Sealing Technique, mastered by the Uzumaki clan, provides a powerful safeguard in addition to the Tailed Beast Sealing Technique.

Naruto, who also has the bloodline of the Uzumaki clan, does indeed seem to lack the ability to use the Adamantine Sealing Chains.

But unexpectedly, he was able to win over the scattered remnants of the Uzumaki clan, who had long since fallen from power in the ninja world, and use their Adamantine Sealing Technique to control the Nine-Tails within his body.

"Sixteen years ago, before he died, Minato entrusted me with the scroll Gamabunta to give me the key to unleash the Nine-Tails, hoping that I would give the key to Naruto on the day he could fully master the power of the Nine-Tails."

For the first time, Jiraiya spoke to everyone about the dying wish that the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had entrusted to him.

"Unexpectedly, Naruto found a way to control the Nine-Tails without relying on the toad."

“Sakura once said that she saw that girl named Karin in the second exam of the Chunin Selection Exams three years ago in the Forest of Death. I checked the records of that exam and there was indeed such a child, from Kusagakure... from the same village that Orochimaru chose to infiltrate.”

Tsunade also added details to the intelligence.

After the Uzumaki clan was destroyed, the survivors scattered throughout the ninja world, and it is not surprising that they were assimilated into the ninja communities of other countries.

The first disciple of Jiraiya, Nagato, was a member of the Uzumaki clan who had been exiled and settled in Amegakure during the Ninja World War that made the "Three Legendary Sannin" famous.

While the Uzumaki clan was close to Konoha before their country's demise, their interactions were primarily based on their friendship with the Senju clan.

Konoha's tacit acceptance of the Uzumaki clan's assimilation by another country was also due to various political considerations.

The internal crises simmering within Konoha at the time, coupled with the still intense external threats of war, forced Konoha to abandon the Uzumaki clan.

"So, Naruto Uzumaki had already begun preparing to defect from Konoha a long time ago?"

Matt Kay frowned, his thick, dark eyebrows furrowing.

"That's one way to think about it, or rather, that's the only way to think about it..."