"I truly didn't expect you to grow this much stronger, Jiraiya."
Hanzo's voice was calm, yet complicated.
He was already standing again, his wounds completely healed by Seisui's medical ninjutsu, but the weight in his words carried more than physical exhaustion—it carried disbelief.
"It has only been a little over a year since our last meeting," Hanzo continued, his eyes fixed on Jiraiya. "And yet now… you have already reached this level."
Jiraiya scratched the back of his head, his expression relaxed but sincere.
"That's not just my strength," he replied honestly. "It's because I have reliable comrades."
Those words were not modesty.
They were fact.
Without Seisui, Jiraiya knew exactly how the battle would have ended. He might have held Hanzo back for a while with Sage Mode, but once that power faded, defeat would have been inevitable.
Seisui had been the key variable—the one who created openings, supplied information, countered poison, and ensured Jiraiya could fight without restraint.
Though Jiraiya was the one who landed the final blow, the victory belonged to all of them.
Hanzo understood this as well.
He turned his gaze toward Seisui, studying him carefully, his eyes filled with emotion that was difficult to put into words.
"Indeed," Hanzo said slowly. "Your Leaf Village truly seems to possess an endless stream of geniuses. It is… enviable."
If Hanzo had known how dangerous Seisui was from the start, he would never have allowed Mikoto and Seisui to stall for time in the first place.
But reality did not allow second chances.
Regret, at this point, was meaningless.
Hanzo of the Salamander was not the kind of man who repaid kindness with hostility.
"Hanzō," Jiraiya said seriously, "there must be a third party manipulating this incident. I have never met the Sōnosuke you mentioned."
The two sides—who had been locked in a deadly battle just moments ago—were now sitting together, discussing the truth calmly.
Hanzo listened in silence.
Originally, he had been suspicious.
But now, after being healed by Seisui himself, those doubts were fading rapidly.
If Jiraiya truly had killed Sōnosuke, there would have been no reason to save Hanzo's life.
Under those circumstances, simply leaving him to die would have been the safest and most rational choice.
Yet Seisui had healed him.
That alone proved Jiraiya's sincerity.
"I interrogated the jōnin who led the attack on us," Mikoto added calmly. "He admitted they were acting under Sōnosuke's orders—to kill us at all costs."
She paused briefly, her expression darkening.
"But before we could extract any further information, he was killed right in front of the five of us."
Hanzo's eyes sharpened.
"Killed?" he repeated.
"Yes," Mikoto nodded. "And the most important point is this—we detected no trace of the attacker. None at all."
At this moment, even Mikoto fully realized that the Rain Shinobi's earlier actions were not part of an official Amegakure scheme.
In truth, Amegakure itself had been used.
What she did not know—what she could not know—was that the true target of this entire incident had been her.
Seisui, however, already understood.
White Zetsu… Madara.
This was not an operation meant to start a war.
It was a test.
And she was the bait.
"There truly is a hidden faction within the Land of Rain," Hanzo said slowly, his expression turning cold. "One that even I was unaware of."
In that moment, Hanzo made a decision.
Upon returning to Amegakure, he would personally launch a full investigation.
No matter who was involved—
No matter how deep it went—
He would eradicate it completely.
Of course…
That investigation was destined to fail.
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere…
"Jiraiya-sensei has been gone for so long," Yahiko muttered anxiously. "Even his shadow clone has already dispersed. I wonder what's happening."
Yahiko could no longer sit still.
On one side was the teacher who had taught him ninjutsu.
On the other was Hanzo—the "Demigod" he had admired since childhood.
As a native of the Land of Rain, Yahiko knew better than anyone that Hanzo's existence was the reason Amegakure was not trampled by the great nations.
Konan noticed Yahiko's distress and gently comforted him.
"Yahiko, I believe Jiraiya-sensei will be fine."
Just then—
Knock, knock.
A sudden knock echoed at the door.
Immediately afterward, Jiraiya's familiar voice sounded.
"We're back. Open the door."
Relief surged through the room.
Yahiko rushed forward instinctively—
But Minato stopped him.
"Wait."
His voice was calm, but firm.
"There's something wrong."
Yahiko froze.
Minato's expression was serious.
"There's only one person outside."
As a sensory ninja, Minato could clearly perceive chakra signatures.
And although the chakra outside felt identical to Jiraiya's…
There was only one presence.
That alone was enough to raise alarms.
Without hesitation, Minato drew a kunai with an explosive tag attached and hurled it at the door.
BOOM!
The explosion shattered the doorway instantly.
Wood and debris flew everywhere.
But—
There was no body.
Before anyone could react, a scream rang out.
"Ayame—!"
Everyone turned.
A figure identical to Jiraiya burst up from the ground, grabbing Ayame Sasaki and restraining her instantly.
But the moment they saw his actions, they knew—
This was not Jiraiya.
"Let her go!"
Tomoki Mukai roared and charged forward—
Only to be kicked away effortlessly.
At the same time, Minato flashed behind the fake Jiraiya using the Body Flicker Technique and thrust his kunai forward.
A strike that should have been unavoidable—
Yet the fake Jiraiya dodged it.
Cleanly.
He released Ayame and sank back into the ground, vanishing completely.
His presence disappeared so thoroughly that even Minato's sensory abilities could no longer detect him.
"Everyone—back-to-back!"
Minato ordered immediately.
They obeyed without hesitation.
This formation eliminated blind spots and prevented further ambushes.
"Who are you?" Minato demanded coldly.
At the same time, his hand subtly moved to the Fūma Shuriken strapped to his back—the one Seisui's shadow clone had given him earlier.
The fake Jiraiya emerged again, grinning strangely.
"If you can tell me what it feels like to need to take a dump," he said cheerfully, "I'll tell you who I am."
The absurd answer stunned everyone.
Minato did not hesitate.
He threw the Fūma Shuriken.
The massive weapon spun through the air, capable of slicing a human body in half.
"It's useless," the fake Jiraiya said casually as he sidestepped it.
But—
In the next instant—
The Fūma Shuriken transformed midair.
Bang.
Seisui appeared.
His shadow clone struck without mercy.
The White Zetsu disguised as Jiraiya was killed instantly.
The white, humanoid creature reverted to its original form—pale skin, green hair, inhuman features.
Yahiko stared in shock.
"Huh? Why did the Fūma Shuriken turn into Brother Seisui?"
Minato explained calmly.
"The moment I received it, I noticed the weight was wrong."
Seisui had never been careless.
Knowing Madara was involved, he had planned ahead.
Once the attempt on Hanzo failed, White Zetsu was guaranteed to target them.
And Minato had been ready.
"Wow… just as expected of Brother Seisui," Yahiko said with shining eyes.
Konan ran over and hugged Seisui's arm tightly.
Minato stared at the corpse.
"What exactly is this thing?" he asked quietly. "Why was its chakra identical to Jiraiya-sensei's?"
Seisui remained silent.
Some truths could not be explained.
"Let's wait for Lord Jiraiya to return," he finally said. "Then we'll talk."
Far away—
Madara Uchiha opened his eyes.
"So…"
"Seisui Hirakawa."
His lips curled into a faint smile.
"The game just became interesting."
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)