Returning to Konoha, Jiraiya was left stunned upon hearing about Konoha's recent actions of showing weakness to the other major Hidden Villages.
This is simply too crazy...
First, they took such a tough stance to reprimand the major Hidden Villages, garnering a wave of hatred and anger, only to pull a complete 180-degree turn...
Even the most stringent Second Hokage never did anything like this!
Back in the day, Senju Tobirama, although never spoke soft words externally, always flexed their muscles, warning enemies not to offend the village.
It was about not provoking trouble, but also not fearing it—on the crucial premise of not provoking trouble first!
But now, Konoha is like a war version of a mischievous little girl...
First, using mocking words to provoke every village's ire, then showcasing their own weakness and fragility, isn't this goading others into waging war!?
It's as if they're afraid the world won't fall into chaos, desperately wanting to initiate a war!
Jiraiya simply couldn't understand how the once-stable Sarutobi-sensei, who even Jiraiya couldn't help but respect, could resort to such actions...
"Old man, have you gone mad?"
Jiraiya, face flushed, loudly shouted, "This will invite the whole Ninja World to attack Konoha. How can we possibly withstand that? The consequence of defeat will be the downfall of the village!"
"It would have been fine if you had remained firm before, perhaps even rallying the village's elite to showcase our might to other villages might have avoided war, but why act like this now?"
Namikaze Minato, standing by, was also dumbfounded.
Konoha, which initially worried about war, even gained nothing as the victor of the Second Ninja World War, just to swiftly quell issues, was overall very pacifist.
But the current stance seems scared the war won't break out, demanding everyone in the Ninja World to join the battle, not a single one less will do.
Namikaze Minato found it hard to comment on the village's strategic choices.
Even as a Konoha ninja embodying the Will of Fire, who never questioned the decisions of the higher-ups from a young age, he could not help but start doubting Sarutobi Hiruzen's strategies now...
During the months spent training at Mount Myoboku, Konoha spun such major events, who could handle it?
"Jiraiya, the village has full confidence in this war..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen coughed lightly, speaking solemnly:
"Konoha has already given the Ninja World a chance. Inviting various Hidden Villages to sign peace treaties is our sincerity, but if they choose to breach it, that's on them."
"As I have said, the position of the Fourth Hokage will be decided fairly based on merit during this war."
Jiraiya sighed. Things have come to this, what else can be done?
The village has reached such a critical point, only to find a way to navigate through the difficulties first.
Thoughts flickered through Jiraiya's mind like electricity, contemplating:
"Regardless of whether the old man is prepared, his thinking has become misguided, no longer considering how to avoid war, but instead using extreme measures to ignite the flames of war..."
"This change cannot be separated from that Uchiha Aomi kid."
Jiraiya, Namikaze Minato, and others who witnessed Aomi's rampage, combined with rumors from older villagers and Sarutobi Hiruzen's attitude, gradually pieced together some so-called truths.
After all, ninjas familiar with Senju Tobirama's chakra are not extinct in Konoha, and with careful inquiry, relevant information can still be obtained.
In private research by Namikaze Minato, Jiraiya, and Kushina, this small group came to conclusions similar to Uzumaki Mito.
Aomi is a product created by the Second Hokage to resolve the Uchiha threat to Konoha...
But they hadn't thought too deeply, unlike Sarutobi Hiruzen who witnessed Tobirama's chakra in Aomi firsthand; Jiraiya and the others merely thought Aomi to be special.
"Aomi's existence has profoundly altered the old man's thinking. He is no longer fit to be the Hokage of Konoha..."
"If Uchiha Aomi becomes Hokage, Konoha might become even more extreme!"
Jiraiya took a deep breath, his gaze showing a trace of determination.
If so, then let his beloved disciple, Namikaze Minato, become the new Hokage, making monumental contributions to the village in this crisis, leaving everyone speechless.
During the hard training at Mount Myoboku, Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato had achieved preliminary entrance into Sage Mode.
If strategies are adequate, they can gain an advantage even facing Tailed Beasts and Jinchuriki!
Arranging his thought process and logic, Jiraiya spoke gravely:
"Uchiha Aomi already controls the Root, then for fairness, Watergate and I must be on the same battlefield, old man you can't be biased, you must assign some capable ninja clan's ninjas to Watergate."
Jiraiya pressured Sarutobi Hiruzen.
If Aomi leads Konoha's elite, while Namikaze Minato leads scattered forces, the probabilities of garnering military merits would differ drastically.
Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a cold snort:
"This is war, your act of picking and choosing for merits' sake, what does it look like!"
Jiraiya kept a stern face, refusing to accept the criticism:
"It's not for merit, it's for future Konoha to walk the correct path!"
Namikaze Minato silently watched the scene unfold, not speaking.
Just like Jiraiya, Namikaze Minato couldn't understand the village's strategies and couldn't let go of his Hokage aspirations in his heart.
The position of Hokage was his lifelong dream, and Shimura Danzo's story has already informed all of Konoha, when you don't seize that position at the right time, you'll never have another chance in this lifetime.