Chapter 64: Explanation from 3 Villages.

"Our origins make you doubtful, but Namikaze Minato's background can reassure you." "In other words, you're unwilling to let Nagato lead the ninja world from the bottom of your heart, because it might endanger Konoha's interests." "I didn't expect even you, Jiraiya-sensei, to be so narrow-minded. It's understandable for others, but... you're the one who trained the Child of Prophecy!" "Isn't the child of prophecy meant to lead the entire ninja world? Why must he remain fixated on Konoha?" "You raised him with that mindset—do you want him to reshape the ninja world into one dominated by Konoha?" Yahiko looked at Jiraiya with disappointment in his eyes. Looking back, Jiraiya truly hadn't been a responsible teacher. He had failed the role of mentor to the child of prophecy. In the original story, the reason he took in Nagato and the others was because of Nagato's Rinnegan. He believed Nagato might be the child of prophecy, so he taught all three—but it was really Nagato he cared about. Yahiko and Konan were just along for the ride. Yet after training them, he left. Not once, but several times, abandoning them for years. If Pain hadn't emerged, Jiraiya might never have remembered them again. If their relationship was just that of teacher and student, it wouldn't have been so bad. Letting the students grow on their own makes sense. But considering Nagato had the Rinnegan—and was possibly the child of prophecy, the one destined to change the ninja world—Jiraiya's neglect was irresponsible. And what about Namikaze Minato, another disciple Jiraiya valued and believed could be the child of prophecy? What did Jiraiya do? After Minato became the Fourth Hokage, Jiraiya left the village to wander the world. If he had been in Konoha when Uchiha Obito attacked, maybe things would've turned out differently. If he had stood beside Minato when Obito made his move, or been there when others tried to influence Nagato, maybe Nagato wouldn't have lost his way. As the supposed guide of the child of prophecy, Jiraiya failed that role. When you really think about it, Jiraiya acted like he was casting a wide net—constantly searching for whoever might be "the one." Like a womanizer chasing prospects, once he was done, he moved on to the next. And those he left behind? Forgotten. If they died, that only meant they weren't the chosen one. Yahiko spoke slowly, voice filled with bitterness: "Nagato was captured by those two strange individuals. We... we don't have the power to save him." This kind of thinking was dangerous. No wonder even Tsunade looked down on him. --- "The Akatsuki we founded together now feels like a joke. I've decided to leave the Land of Rain for a while." Jiraiya frowned. "Where are you planning to go?" "I'm heading to Kirigakure to find Zenkichi. What he said earlier truly inspired me. Maybe he holds the key to realizing my dream." Jiraiya fell silent, clearly unwilling to let his student seek out a former enemy. But seeing the growing rift between himself and Yahiko, he could only sigh and nod. --- Kirigakure Village Ever since Zenkichi subdued the Kaguya Clan, Kirigakure had grown far more stable and peaceful. Upon his return, Zenkichi headed straight for the Mizukage's office and tossed a scroll onto his desk. "Inside are the bodies of Uchiha Madara, the Third Raikage, and Chiyo from Sunagakure. Have them examined." "The corpse of a powerful shinobi is a treasure trove of secrets. See what you can learn from them." The Third Mizukage caught the scroll midair, puzzled. Just as he was about to ask what it contained, Zenkichi spoke—and the words made his hand tremble. "Whose bodies are you talking about?" "The legend of the shinobi world, the Shura—Uchiha Madara." "The commander of Kumogakure—The Third Raikage." "And the greatest puppet master and poison expert of Sunagakure—Chiyo." Zenkichi's tone was calm, but the names struck the Mizukage like thunderclaps. With shaking hands, the Mizukage unsealed the scroll. Three corpses appeared in his office, their faces unmistakably familiar. His eyes twitched. "Is this... frail old man really Uchiha Madara?" "If we're going by age, it makes sense he'd look like this." "But how did you confirm his identity? Age spots don't prove anything." "I didn't find him," Zenkichi replied coolly. "He found me. He used a forbidden jutsu to restore his youth." "Unfortunately for him, even in his prime, he couldn't defeat me." "As for the Third Raikage and Chiyo..." "They sensed the battle between me and Madara and tried to interfere, hoping we'd weaken each other." "But they misjudged my strength. I killed them both." Zenkichi's tone remained casual. The Third Mizukage could only let out a bitter smile. "The Third Raikage and Chiyo... those two were giants in the shinobi world." "If you killed them, those villages won't let this go." He wasn't wrong—but neither was he overly concerned. With Zenkichi in Kirigakure, they had nothing to fear. "So what if they don't let it go?" "I already defeated Konoha. Why would I be afraid of them?" "If anything, I'm the one who should be demanding answers." "They tried to take advantage of the situation. I was only defending myself." "Send a message to Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure!" "They owe us an explanation." Zenkichi sneered. He clearly didn't take the threat of those villages seriously. "Iwagakure?" the Mizukage asked. "What does this have to do with them?" "Oh, right. Ōnoki's son, Kitsuchi, also showed up and tried to interfere. I didn't kill him, though. Just broke one of his arms and sent him back." Zenkichi spoke like it was nothing, as if describing a sparring match. "You really are..." The Mizukage sighed, helpless. "No more chatter. Send their bodies to the Interrogation Division. See if we can extract any valuable intel." "As for reparations or consequences—we can handle that discussion later." Zenkichi scoffed and cast a glance at the corpses. --- Caught up? There's 70 more chapters on Patreon (≧〈≦) [email protected]/Zphyr_ Change @ to a.