Uchiha Compound
"Toyoma… Toyoma!"
Grand Elder Setsuna held him tightly, trying to keep the half-conscious boy from slipping further away.
Toyoma could hear his grandfather's voice, but it sounded distant—harsh, distorted, as if coming from another world.
His unfocused gaze drifted forward.
Suddenly, golden rifts formed across the ground.
The scattered gold trembled, then slid toward them, vanishing one by one into the glowing fissures.
The elders froze.
Half of the gold that had been violently expelled from the fog moments ago disappeared right before their eyes.
"So… th-that's the… ability I… got…" Toyoma murmured, each word weaker than the last.
His body went limp.
The elders exchanged glances.
No one spoke.
"Elder Setsuna, don't panic," Kohaku said, kneeling beside Toyoma and checking his condition.
"This appears to be a side effect."
He paused.
His fingers lingered a moment too long against Toyoma's pulse.
"Most likely his dōjutsu chakra is completely exhausted."
As he looked at Toyoma lying unconscious in the Grand Elder's arms, even Kohaku couldn't hide the lingering shock in his eyes.
Hearing both elders' explanations, the Grand Elder nodded.
He already knew—that was indeed the case.
"Let him rest," the Grand Elder said gravely.
"And do not let a single word about his ability slip from your mouths."
His gaze hardened as it moved between the two elders.
"If this becomes known, it will bring unnecessary trouble upon the clan—especially from Fugaku. Only the three of us will know the truth."
Elder Kohaku, understanding the weight of the situation, nodded immediately.
"It will be as you say," he replied.
"As for the sales, Elder Kazuto and I will handle everything. You should focus on Toyoma."
"Yes, Grand Elder," Kazuto added without hesitation.
Carefully lifting Toyoma, the Grand Elder gave them one final instruction.
"Do not allow the village—or any clan—to take advantage of us again. Conduct the sales strictly through the Fire Capital merchants, just as Toyoma suggested."
His voice grew firm.
This deal would decide the clan's future.
There would be no second mistake.
The gate opened, and Suki entered with Kagaha close behind her.
"Elder Kazuto," Kageha asked quickly, "is Toyoma here—?"
Her words stopped short.
They both saw it.
The Grand Elder was holding Toyoma's unconscious body.
The Grand Elder turned toward Suki without hesitation.
"Perfect timing," he said.
"Suki, take Toyoma home and protect him until he wakes."
Suki stiffened for a moment, then stepped forward.
"I'll take him."
"I'll go with you," the Grand Elder said, carefully placing Toyoma in her arms.
Both elders nodded and turned away, heading toward the Uchiha shops to handle their own responsibilities.
Standing at the gate, Suki and Kageha looked down at Toyoma's unconscious form.
"Miss Suki…" Kageha asked quietly, worry clear in her voice.
"What happened to Toyoma?"
Suki said nothing.
She tightened her hold on Toyoma and began walking.
Kageha followed silently as they carried him back to the Uzuku house.
Inside the Hokage's Office
"Sensei… what do you mean by this?"
Jiraiya asked, his voice filled with disbelief as he looked at the Third Hokage.
Sitting nearby, Homura chuckled softly, clearly amused.
"We don't have a choice," he said.
"If we want the clans' support, you must act as an elder for now, Jiraiya."
Jiraiya turned sharply toward Homura.
"I'm not cut out for playing an elder role," he said flatly.
He crossed his arms and looked away.
"I can't do this. If you want someone for that, go find Tsunade."
Jiraiya exhaled slowly.
"I already have a grand mission—to find the Child of Prophecy. I don't have the time or patience to sit in meetings."
Across the room, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Koharu exchanged irritated looks.
They had no real options left.
No clan in the village followed their orders wholeheartedly anymore.
Most obeyed only on the surface, quietly avoiding direct involvement with the village leadership.
They had once believed this distrust would fade with time.
It hadn't.
And now, the only leverage they had left—
was the reputation of the Sannin's.
Koharu snapped, her patience finally gone.
"Enough, Jiraiya. Do you still consider yourself a shinobi of Konoha?"
Her eyes hardened as she looked at Jiraiya's carefree attitude.
"Is chasing the so-called Child of Prophecy more important to you than the village itself?"
Jiraiya fell silent, facing her anger—and the equally stern gazes of the Third Hokage.
Hiruzen spoke next, his voice calm—but unyielding.
"What Koharu said was harsh," he admitted.
"But this time, you will stay."
He met Jiraiya's eyes directly.
"Whether you wish to or not."
The pipe in his hand did not tremble.
But his eyes looked tired.
"The village needs you now—more than ever."
This time, he would not allow Jiraiya to walk away as he pleased.
Jiraiya looked at his teacher… then at the elders.
Their expressions were firm.
There was no room left to refuse.
"Sensei… Tsunade would be far better suited for something like this," Jiraiya said, trying once more to shift the burden away from himself.
"You know her reputation."
Homura looked at him calmly.
"Don't worry," he said.
"Tsunade—and Orochimaru—will also be returning to the village to serve as elders. Your reputation alone is no longer enough to secure the clans' support."
Jiraiya's eyes widened slightly.
"Orochimaru… too?"
"Yes," Hiruzen Sarutobi replied, his tone steady as he took a sip from a pipe.
"We have decided that having all three of you here is necessary. For the village… and for unity inside the village."
Jiraiya finally understood.
This wasn't about authority.
It was about symbols.
About names that could still hold the village together.
Symbols were needed—names that carried weight and reputation.
The Sannin's.
He let out a slow sigh.
So that's it, Sensei, he thought.
To hold the village together right now… You need all of us.
And for the first time, Jiraiya didn't argue.
The doors of the Hokage office opened.
Minato Namikaze entered alongside Shinku Yuhi.
Both stopped a few steps inside and bowed respectfully.
"Hokage-sama," they said in unison.
Jiraiya turned and immediately pointed at Minato.
"Hey, Minato! Look at this," he said, half-complaining.
"Your sensei is being forced into becoming an elder. Help me out here."
Hearing that, Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed his forehead in irritation.
"Enough, Jiraiya," he said, then shifted his gaze to Minato and Shinku.
"Minato, Shinku—you are both needed at the Cloud border."
Minato straightened instantly.
"Minato," the Third Hokage continued, "you will take overall command there."
The words settled heavily in the room.
Not everyone present was comfortable with how quickly the torch was being passed.
Minato paused for a fraction of a second, then nodded seriously.
"Understood, Hokage-sama."
Jiraiya blinked, then grinned.
"Well, would you look at that," he said, giving Minato a thumbs-up.
"Battlefield commander already, huh? You're moving up fast."
Jiraiya smirked.
"Don't mess it up."
Minato glanced at his teacher, unsure whether to feel proud—or worried.
Hiruzen Sarutobi turned toward Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya," he said, "you have to go to the Nara clan. Speak with the heads of the three clans and secure reinforcements for the Cloud border. They will support Minato."
He paused briefly.
Hiruzen's gaze lingered a moment.
The Yamanaka would not respond to summons alone.
But they would respond to Jiraiya.
After a short discussion and final instructions, Jiraiya left the office together with Minato Namikaze and Shinku Yuhi.
The door closed behind them.
The office felt quieter than before.
Outside the Village of Konoha
A group of shinobi approached the village gates.
As they looked at the village entrance with a relaxing smile.
"finally we are back," one shinobi said, and he looked back.
"Tsunade-sama," said respectfully, "should we report directly to the Hokage?"
Tsunade's gaze drifted toward the village streets.
She noticed civilians moving hurriedly, voices overlapping — some excited, others uneasy.
"No," she replied after a moment.
"Let's see what's happening in the village first. Sensei doesn't seem to summon me without a reason."
As they entered the streets, fragments of conversation reached her ears.
"I don't know how the Uchiha managed it," a civilian muttered to his friend.
"Every clan is waiting in line for their orders now."
"Yeah," the other replied.
"And those healing pills—I heard they work faster than treatment from medical shinobi."
Tsunade stopped at the words "medical shinobi."
Faster than medical ninjutsu?
Her eyes narrowed as she stepped closer to the two men.
"Hey," she said sharply. "What are you talking about?"
The sudden voice from behind made them flinch as they turned toward her.
When the two civilians turned and saw her face clearly, they froze for a moment—
then straightened in excitement.
"T-Tsunade-sama!" they said hurriedly, bowing in respect.
Tsunade waved a hand lightly.
"What were you talking about just now?" she asked again, her gaze sharp.
'What works better than medical ninjutsu?'
she thought with curiosity.
One of the men swallowed nervously before answering.
"We were talking about the energy-fasting pills and healing pills that the Uchiha clan shops are about to sell. It's the biggest topic in the village right now—everyone's talking about it."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed slightly.
"And what exactly do these pills do?"
The two civilians exchanged glances and began explaining—repeating what they had heard through rumours, and what the Uchiha themselves claimed.
As the details unfolded, Tsunade's expression changed.
Faster recovery.
Chakra restored.
Wounds closing without a medic's hands.
Even the shinobi beside her stopped breathing for a moment.
By the time the civilians finished, Tsunade was silent.
'If this is true'
Something like this could tilt the battlefield, she thought grimly.
It was hard to believe the Uchiha had created something so impactful.
And yet—
Another question surfaced in her mind.
If these pills are truly as powerful as they claim, she wondered, why would the village allow the Uchiha to sell them openly…
instead of placing them under direct control?
The more she thought about it, the more unsettled she became.
"Don't other villages know about this ?" she muttered under her breath.
If they did, this street would not be this calm.
Her fingers curled slightly at her side.
This wasn't just about pills now.
Something was happening inside the village—
something that didn't feel right.
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