Jiraiya's face went stiff, but seeing that Tsunade truly had no intention of untying him, he could only lie down on the ground.
"Are all those accusations against the old man true?"
A clear look of disgust crossed Tsunade's face, "I knew you wouldn't give up. Let him explain it to you personally."
She stepped forward and hoisted Jiraiya up with one hand, the hundred-plus pounds of him felt like a bundle of straw in Tsunade's grip.
"Tsunade, what are you doing?", Jiraiya struggled twice, found he couldn't move, and had to give up.
Tsunade snorted, "Taking you to see that old immortal."
Jiraiya already guessed what was coming and shut his mouth.
Tsunade quickly carried Jiraiya from the hospital to Orochimaru's laboratory.
Orochimaru had already prepared the materials.
"Edo Tensei!"
As soon as Jiraiya arrived, Orochimaru didn't hesitate and performed the jutsu to summon.
With a howl of cold wind and the wailing of the sacrifice, Sarutobi Hiruzen was soon summoned forth.
Seeing Hiruzen in that state, Jiraiya's expression grew complicated.
Orochimaru formed hand seals and completely controlled the summoned Hiruzen.
"Jiraiya, are you ready to face your own foolishness?"
He taunted Jiraiya once.
Jiraiya's heart sank to the bottom, Orochimaru's manner made it clear: he'd been deceived by Hiruzen all along.
Orochimaru drew a line through the air and a wind blade shot toward Jiraiya.
Clang!
The chains and ropes binding Jiraiya were cut in an instant.
'Such a powerful wind blade tossed off so casually by Orochimaru?'
Jiraiya stood dumbfounded, "Sage Mode?"
"No, not Sage Mode."
The wind blade clearly carried Sage chakra, but Orochimaru himself had not entered Sage Mode.
"How did you do that?"
Orochimaru smiled self-importantly and didn't directly answer Jiraiya's question, "I'm busy. If you have anything, ask it quickly."
Jiraiya got to his feet and looked at the glazed-eyed Sarutobi Hiruzen with a complicated expression.
"Old man, did you design the deaths of Nawaki and Kato Dan?"
"Yes," Hiruzen answered like a puppet, straightforwardly.
Jiraiya's mouth twitched; his face burned.
He turned his head to Tsunade, "I'm sorry, Tsunade."
Tsunade shot Jiraiya a sideways glance and didn't even bother to reply.
"The experiments on the Senju clan…"
Then Jiraiya asked everything that needed asking. The more he probed, the paler his face became.
What did it mean when someone was cunning with words, Hiruzen had mastered that art.
According to what Hiruzen said:
"A little" selfishness meant wiping out the entire Senju clan.
"A little" selfishness meant eliminating everyone who threatened his power.
"A little" selfishness meant taking the Fourth's and his wife's legacy for the Sarutobi clan and mistreating Naruto.
Jiraiya was stunned beyond measure; only now did he see how thoroughly he had been fooled before.
He had even defended Hiruzen once.
Jiraiya was distraught, wishing he could sink into the ground.
A huge sense of guilt and shame crushed him.
Jiraiya, who was usually so carefree with his words, fell nearly speechless; he stammered, "Tsu… Tsunade…"
Tsunade waved him off in annoyance, "You'd better not stay in the village. Do whatever you want elsewhere."
"I'll have the village cancel your wanted notice, you're no longer one of us."
"Of course, Konoha doesn't welcome you back. You're free now."
Jiraiya's face went deathly white. He, who'd always prided himself as a guardian of Konoha, was finally kicked out by Konoha.
He'd paid the price for his naivete and foolishness.
"I don't want to see you, and Rengoku doesn't want to see you either…"
Jiraiya said bleakly, "Could you tell me if the head of Akatsuki is Yahiko?"
Tsunade replied coldly, "No."
"I want to see Rengoku."
"Rengoku doesn't want to see you," Tsunade refused again.
Not to mention that Rengoku was still lying down injured, even if he weren't, he wouldn't want to see Jiraiya.
Jiraiya's expression drooped, "The shinobi world's situation is bad now. I can stay and help." [T/N: No, thank you.]
He had a bit of a desire to make amends.
But Jiraiya didn't know how strong Konoha had become, they could do without him just fine.
"No need. Go look for your child of prophecy you'll never find," Tsunade said mockingly, Rengoku had told her about it.
She knew the so-called prophesied child meant Naruto. But coming from Rengoku's mouth, Tsunade naturally scoffed at words like "destiny" and "prophecy child."
Jiraiya's face changed, "Tsunade, what do you mean?"
Tsunade glanced at him, "You believe whatever Hiruzen tells you."
"You believe whatever a bunch of toads tell you."
"Don't worry, I was wrong earlier. You'll definitely find this prophecy child of yours."
"Just when someone finally saves the shinobi world, you can slap the title 'prophecy child' on them."
"Hahahaha!"
Hearing Tsunade's mockery, Jiraiya staggered.
Tsunade made a gesture to Orochimaru; Orochimaru immediately released Hiruzen from the Edo Tensei.
"Take him out," Tsunade told Misaki, who was nearby.
Since there were experiments to be done lately, Misaki had been helping here.
"Please, Jiraiya," Misaki held out her hand.
Jiraiya's mind was blank. In a short time, his whole worldview and values had been shattered.
His former beliefs and goals now felt like a joke.
He glanced at Tsunade and Orochimaru.
But neither was interested in him, they left directly.
Jiraiya had no choice but to follow Misaki outside.
He had originally planned to visit Mount Myoboku to ask the Great Toad Sage about things.
Remembering Tsunade's words, that idea vanished.
'Yes, it seems I have always believed whatever others told me.'
———
Rengoku's injury battle had taken place on the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire.
That area was desolate; no one had witnessed the fight.
The information shouldn't have spread.
But related reports recently appeared on the black market.
The info said Akatsuki's leader had been gravely wounded, maybe even killed.
As for the Akatsuki base, at the Rain Hidden Village, Kakuzu had returned and resumed his old trade.
Of course, he was also issuing statements and so on.
Kakuzu's name as a traitor had been removed.
This led many to speculate whether Akatsuki had colluded with the Uchiha to set up Hiruzen.
The Sarutobi clan had been destroyed, but where the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki went was unknown.
Several villages feared Pain's destructive power and dared not move rashly; they all probed at the border.
Konoha simply withdrew everyone and didn't bother with the border line.
Other villages were even more cautious, nobody knew if it was an empty-city tactic.
However, the ghost army that came out of the Land of Demons did catch the attention of several villages.
The Moryo were determined to capture the shrine maiden, so the ghost army's destination was Konoha.
Knowing that, the Iwagakure of the Land of Earth turned a blind eye.
They allowed the ghost army to pass through the Land of Earth's border toward the Land of Fire.
The Earth Country's border was very long and the ghost army was slow.
Thus, almost the entire shinobi world now knew this force was heading to attack Konoha.
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