Even though Sarutobi Hiruzen seemed dismissive when he received the gift, he still scrutinized it carefully before placing it on a tea tray nearby. It looked like he planned to use it as a teacup in the future.
Once Jiraiya sat down, Sarutobi Hiruzen lit his pipe again and said to him, "It's pretty rare for you to come here. So, what's up?"
"It's inconvenient for me in the village, so I want to ask you, old man, for help."
Jiraiya took a sip of tea and then slowly said, "Today, I went to Mount Myoboku, and I heard something quite incredible from the Great Toad Sage...."
Jiraiya then detailed the matter of the second pair of Rinnegan, and how the Great Toad Sage might have seen the Six Paths Sage, to Sarutobi Hiruzen, leaving out almost nothing, along with his own analysis.
After Sarutobi Hiruzen listened, he felt it was quite fantastical. He twitched his lips and said to Jiraiya, "Jiraiya, you don't really believe in this kind of thing, do you? Six Paths Sage and all that... it's already quite fantastical."
"Besides, the Rinnegan is the result of the fusion evolution of Wood Release and the Sharingan.... According to what that Great Toad Sage said, Uchiha Yoichi should now have the Rinnegan."
Upon hearing this, Jiraiya's expression became serious, and he solemnly said to Sarutobi Hiruzen, "Speaking of which... old man, I've been meaning to ask you, do you know what Uchiha Yoichi's Mangekyo Dojutsu is?"
When the Mangekyo awakens, each eye has two different techniques. Back then, the Second Generation Hokage faced an enemy from the Uchiha Race who had activated the Mangekyo, and he thoroughly researched the Sharingan, knowing that the Mangekyo had two techniques and Susanoo.
"You know about the news of Nawaki's resurrection, right? Is this a Mangekyo Dojutsu or... the ability of the Rinnegan?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, "The Rinnegan... doesn't your student have the Rinnegan? Has he shown any ability to resurrect the dead?"
Jiraiya shook his head, "No, even after two confrontations, I still feel like I haven't grasped the capabilities of the Rinnegan. I always feel like Nagato will have new abilities the next time I see him."
"As for Uchiha Yoichi's abilities... to be honest, I don't know either."
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed, "Probably only those who've fought him would know. Uchiha Fugaku might know, and the Fourth Generation Raikage could possibly know, but as for others, it's uncertain, given his strength...."
Too strong!
Uchiha Yoichi gave Sarutobi Hiruzen the impression of being an even greater genius than Minato, with no one forcing him to use the Mangekyo Dojutsu usually. His battles were too few to gather any intelligence.
"Old man, I need you to help me gather some intelligence. I'll also inquire with Orochimaru. This matter is very important to me....."
"Jiraiya, doing this won't benefit you. If Uchiha Yoichi finds out you're gathering his intelligence and wants to...."
Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't directly say to deal with him, but the consequence would surely be that.
The Mount Myoboku has always stood apart from the Ninja World, if they join Konoha, wear Konoha's headband, and become a Summoning beast of Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen would be willing to take this risk for Jiraiya.
But now, for those toads at Mount Myoboku, it could disrupt his plans.
"Please, old man, this is a very important request of mine, for the sake of your disciple."
Jiraiya pleaded with his hands together, and after a while of persuasion, he finally managed to get Sarutobi Hiruzen to agree.
But merely agreeing to something like this doesn't ensure it can be done, as even Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't confident.
Now Hatake Sakumo was almost about to hand over the next Hokage to Uchiha Yoichi. Although he was not yet the Hokage, collecting intelligence on a Hokage Assistant was giving Sarutobi Hiruzen a headache just thinking about it.
"Jiraiya, I agree to this matter, but you must also agree to one condition of mine."
"What condition? Go ahead, old man, if I can manage it, I'll definitely agree."
Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a puff of smoke, then seriously said to Jiraiya, "Stay in the village and strive to become the Fifth Generation Hokage!"
"What!?"
Jiraiya was taken aback upon hearing this, and then instinctively shook his head quickly, "Old man, I really can't...."
"Even now, do you still want to avoid it?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen, feeling a bit frustrated, said to Jiraiya, "It's not something you can just choose not to do anymore. You must shoulder this responsibility, and stop searching for some Child of Prophecy; Minato has now passed away, and every time you return, you just circle around Minato's place, it's time to carry on Minato's dream and responsibilities."
Upon mentioning Namikaze Minato, Jiraiya lowered his head, always believing that Minato didn't have to die, yet he died saving him.
"But, old man, I really am not suitable...."
"Your strength, reputation, and popularity make you very suitable to be Hokage, if you take up the responsibilities, you have a great chance to be the Fifth; even if your power isn't as great as Uchiha Yoichi's, it's not about who's stronger."
Sarutobi Hiruzen saw Jiraiya's subtle concession and continued, "Starting tomorrow, work hard on missions, strive for prestige and popularity, I will help with the rest as I am your master."
"Old man...."
"If you really don't want to, I won't force you, continue living as you have been."
After Sarutobi Hiruzen said this, he stopped persuading Jiraiya and quietly replaced the tobacco in his pipe.
Jiraiya bowed his head in silence for a while then finally said, "Alright, I'll do my best to become the Fifth Hokage, and I'll take Minato's son as a disciple, and nurture him to become the Sixth!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled upon hearing this, "That's more like it, Jiraiya, I'll support you from now on."
Apart from Jiraiya, there really was no better candidate on his end; his eldest son, though possessing Wood Release, only had slightly enhanced power, not significantly improved by the Wood Release Bloodline.
Upon thoughtful consideration, only Jiraiya seemed most fitting.
——————————
In the afternoon, Uchiha Yoichi was suddenly called to the hospital by Tsunade, who took a bit of his flesh.
Then she let Uchiha Yoichi leave, without even a chance for pleasantries.
However, Uchiha Yoichi knew Tsunade's research might have made a new breakthrough, so he didn't disturb her after leaving his flesh behind.
From Tsunade's previous words, it was apparent she might have discovered some traces of Otsutsuki. The integration of Byakugan and Dead Bone Pulse Bloodlines was quite successful, and there was a complementary tendency between Senju and the Sharingan.
After discovering this, Tsunade asked Uchiha Yoichi if he knew anything, but Uchiha Yoichi only said these were guesses based on some records.
After all, the Hyuga had a good relationship with the Kaguya Clan, which had split from the Kaguya Race long ago.
As for the Senju and Uchiha, Uchiha had a hereditary stone tablet, though it was altered but could just manage to appease Tsunade.
One couldn't possibly say he was a transmigrant, right?
Tsunade didn't over-question it after hearing, merely mentioning that the progress of the clone was quite successful, and they had successfully extracted and initially integrated the genes, with the next step being to attempt making embryos.
Artificial clones don't need to grow naturally for that long, they can be like a three or four-year-old child within a year.
Receiving this good news, Uchiha Yoichi promptly left; but upon returning to the clan district, he suddenly thought about the White Zetsu clones. If the opportunity arose, he definitely planned to give a few to Tsunade.
"I'm back..."
Leaving Konoha Hospital, Uchiha Yoichi knew Yugito had just returned from a mission outside, so he headed home; he was running out of Tailed Beast Chakra and needed to withdraw some more.
Now with three Tailed Beasts available for extracting Chakra, Uchiha Yoichi was quite lavish in its use.
"Yugito, are you at home?"
As soon as Uchiha Yoichi said this, a girl with a single ponytail emerged from the house. Compared to a couple of years ago, Yugito had grown quite a bit, with a graceful and slender appearance, her white socks highlighting the elegance of her dainty feet.
However, her expression remained as before; upon seeing Uchiha Yoichi, she let out a soft snort before asking, "What do you want?"