"Wait... don't tell me the Child of Prophecy is some old man?"
Jiraiya chuckled at his own ridiculous thought. Standing inside the Hokage's office, he watched as Hiruzen Sarutobi Third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf energetically signed documents while issuing orders to the waiting ANBU with practiced ease.
"No compromises on the ninja academy construction standards."
"Assassination mission? Konoha is a just village. We don't accept dirty work like that."
"Our security surpasses those lawless rogue villages."
"Have the secretary revise my speech for the school entrance ceremony."
"Ōnoki's protest? Tell him to shove it."
"The Sand Village's compensation is too low. Reject it. Playing victim won't work. Have Chiyo renegotiate. Gaara must come to learn the Will of Fire."
Once upon a time, the advisors Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane were always by the Hokage's side, but now they were nowhere to be seen. When Jiraiya asked about them, the answer had been, "They can't keep up with Hiruzen Sarutobi's youthful pace."
He really had become a ruler of resurgence.
"Jiraiya, you're here," Hiruzen finally said, setting aside his paperwork. "I called you because I want you to bring Tsunade back."
Jiraiya had already suspected as much. "Old man, Tsunade might not agree to return."
In the original timeline, Jiraiya had gone to find her because he refused the Hokage position and because Hiruzen had died, leaving Konoha leaderless. In such dire straits, he had confidence that Tsunade would return to take the helm.
But now, the village was flourishing. The old man looked like he could govern for years. Under these circumstances, Tsunade might very well choose to keep running.
Truth be told, if it weren't for the upcoming "Cultural Victory: Academy City Project" that aligned so well with his own tastes, Jiraiya would've happily finished off Orochimaru and gone back to his wandering writer's life.
After all, Jiraiya was also an educator at heart.
Hiruzen took a puff from his pipe and exhaled a slow ring of smoke. "Only you have a chance of convincing her. Tensions are high. Kumogakure and Iwagakure are probing our borders. We need more top-tier strength holding the line."
"Old man, at the state you're in now, you're not exactly someone they'd want to mess with," Jiraiya said with a teasing grin.
"In their eyes, I'm an old relic. Perhaps all this is just posturing," Hiruzen sighed, a note of resignation in his voice.
"I'm not afraid of war. I'm afraid that if it breaks out now, it could disrupt all the reforms I've been implementing. If I can intimidate Ōnoki and A with minimal bloodshed, that would be ideal. Konoha has broader horizons now. We can't afford to be dragged into the mud of war."
Jiraiya nodded solemnly, then stepped forward and placed both hands on the desk. His eyes locked with his teacher's. "So what's really going on with you, old man? Don't tell me what Orochimaru said was true."
The room fell silent.
This was a serious moment. If he didn't get a straight answer, Jiraiya just might walk out the door.
That hit Hiruzen right in his pride. Being strong in secret was a lonely path. All the glory, and no one to brag to.
The younger version of Hiruzen wasn't much different from Jiraiya perverted, flamboyant, and showy. Keeping such a huge secret bottled up had been eating at him for a while.
Now, in front of his closest student, it wouldn't hurt to let a little slip.
As for the danger of exposure? Please. He was still the Hokage, leader of the most powerful ninja village in the world.
Hiruzen chuckled smugly. "Jiraiya, your teacher might just be the Child of Prophecy after all."
He began to explain the intelligence from another world in detail, and how their top agent, Uchiha Itachi, would soon embark on his first cross-world mission.
Konoha's skies were no longer bound to the small world of shinobi.
Also "Your Make-Out Paradise? I've moved beyond that now. I have a whole new universe, and you think you can still call yourself a leading romance author?"
Jiraiya listened, increasingly incredulous, occasionally interrupting with questions until finally, he couldn't hold back anymore.
"Impossible! I, Jiraiya the great, have Make-Out Paradise praised across nations!"
Hiruzen scoffed and shook his head. "Croaking frogs in a well, Jiraiya. Croaking frogs."
The window beside the hospital bed was open, white curtains fluttering in the breeze.
It was a double ward. On the cabinet between the two beds was a bouquet of flowers and a folded newspaper evidence that someone had visited recently.
Uchiha Sasuke glanced at the bed beside his. Kakashi lay there, flipping through Make-Out Paradise, cheeks slightly flushed either from the book or from Sasuke's biting words.
"Kakashi, don't tell me you're the weakest of the Jonin."
"Well… I wouldn't say that," Kakashi replied, thinking for a moment. "I was just caught off guard, that's all."
"But we're the only ones who ended up in the hospital," Sasuke said, pointing to the newspaper on the nightstand. He already knew about Itachi and Kisame being defeated and that Kisame had been captured alive.
"After we passed out, Bushy Brow's teacher and Asuma took over. They won. It's a shame that bastard Itachi got away, but that's fine. I should be the one to finish him."
Kakashi, who had already pieced together most of what happened, didn't seem bothered. He turned a page in his novel. "Guy's always been strong. Arguably the strongest in the village. I could ask him to train you."
The strongest in the village… train me? For a moment, Sasuke was tempted.
But then he remembered Guy and Lee's vibe, and wavered. His soul battled between pride and practicality.
"Kakashi-sensei! Sasuke! We came to visit!" Naruto Uzumaki burst into the room, followed closely by Sakura.
"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said, setting a fresh bouquet beside Sasuke. "Sasuke, are you feeling okay?"
"Instant noodles, Naruto? Really? Sakura's the only thoughtful one here," Kakashi commented, eyeing the cup noodles Naruto placed on the cabinet.
"This is the limited edition kind! Plus, you won't be seeing the handsome me for a while."
With a grin, Naruto adjusted his headband. "Old Man Hokage gave me and Pervy Sage an S-rank mission. We're heading out soon!"
S-rank mission… Sasuke's eyes filled with envy again.
"What? Then Team 7 will be separated again?" Sakura muttered, dissatisfied. "The Hokage assigned a new Jonin with a really scary stare to temporarily replace Kakashi."
"Must be Yamato. He does have an intense gaze, but he's actually a gentle guy," Kakashi nodded.
"But you look fine, Kakashi-sensei. You don't seem like someone who can't lead a team."
Kakashi kept reading. "It's worse than it looks. Genjutsu affects the mind more than the body. I'll need some time to recover."
"Oh, I see. Then I hope you get better soon." Sakura smiled kindly.
Then why are you still reading that dirty book?! she screamed silently in her heart.
Kakashi didn't mention the truth: when Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan triggered, he had discovered that his "gift from a friend" was more than just a regular Sharingan. He needed time to explore it fully.
"That new team captain, Yamato how strong is he?" Sasuke asked, frowning.
"He used to be my subordinate. I'd say we're about evenly matched." Kakashi took the apple Naruto had peeled for him. "Thanks, Naruto. You're finally growing up."
"Kakashi, you're not just bluffing again, are you?"
The sound of Kakashi munching on an apple filled the room.
Sasuke clicked his tongue. A former subordinate… evenly matched...
He was getting anxious. The need to grow stronger was gnawing at him.
Even if it meant wearing that ridiculous green jumpsuit… No. Damn it, no. My hatred still isn't enough...
Uchiha Itachi had two days left before his "Paramount War Participation" mission.
Quietly, he placed a scroll of training notes, Uchiha clan secrets, and a summoning scroll in the Uchiha compound. The next time Sasuke went digging through the archives, he would stumble upon them.
There was no longer a need to push Sasuke forward with hatred. That had been a desperate measure. Now, without Danzo's interference, Konoha could allow Sasuke to grow in peace.
With his talent, even without awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan, Sasuke would still become an exceptional ninja. Itachi firmly believed that.
The Mangekyo was merely a shortcut to power and one with a terrible price.
Besides, which of the Hokage in history had relied on the Sharingan to rise to power? If they could do it, then Sasuke, given time, could too.
The Uchiha clan has never been weaker than anyone.
As Itachi followed the familiar routes of Sasuke's daily life, he came across his brother's written exam from the Chunin Exams. He couldn't help but murmur with admiration
My little brother has the qualities of a Hokage.
He, a sinner, could never dream of such a future but Sasuke? He might just become the next Hokage.
If not the Fifth, then the Sixth.
Let me, a man steeped in sin, clear the path ahead for you.
That was Uchiha Itachi's silent vow.