Jiraiya looked utterly dispirited.
He longed to stop them, but he knew he lacked the strength.
As one of Konoha's famed Three Legendary Sannin, he'd always enjoyed certain privileges thanks to his status as Hiruzen Sarutobi's disciple and his own power… but not now!
The clans had resolved to betray the Hokage; they no longer cared about him. Even if war broke out they wouldn't flinch—after all, he was just a single Ninja. No matter how strong, it was meaningless.
Could Konoha even survive a real war?
So… sigh!
With a helpless sigh, Jiraiya could only slink away in dejection, eventually arriving at the Hokage Office.
"Jiraiya, you're back!"
"How did it go? How many clans agreed to return?"
"Don't pressure yourself—if even one comes back, it's a victory for us."
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke with a smile.
He could see the despair on Jiraiya's face, but it didn't worry him; he assumed Jiraiya was simply being too hard on himself.
In truth,
he'd be satisfied if Jiraiya persuaded even a portion of the clans.
The logic was simple:
he was still the Hokage of Konoha, holder of the moral high ground.
As long as some clans accepted his rule, plus the vast numbers of civilian Ninja and the core authority of the Sarutobi and three other clans, he could keep the Village running—barely.
The rest could be handled later!
He trusted his own methods: given time, he could slowly dismantle the Uchiha-led alliance.
And then… humph!
He'd settle accounts with those treacherous clans.
Unfortunately,
Hiruzen, puffing away on his pipe, failed to notice the hopeless despair etched on Jiraiya's face.
"Old Man, I…"
Jiraiya rasped, struggling to speak.
Yet for a moment,
his mouth opened and nothing came out.
Under the dim lamp, seeing Hiruzen's smiling face, his body began to tremble.
Meanwhile,
Hiruzen remained oblivious. However bad things got, how terrible could they be? He'd weathered every storm; could it be worse than when he'd first taken office?
So he smiled calmly. "Speak plainly—I can take it."
After saying this,
he looked at Jiraiya as if he were making a fuss over nothing.
"If that's the case… all right."
Hearing Hiruzen's words, Jiraiya found a sliver of courage.
Good—he's still the Sandaime Hokage; his ability to shoulder pressure far exceeds mine.
With that thought, he no longer hid the truth: "Not a single clan is willing to return. Every clan is dead-set on following the Uchiha to the bitter end."
"And on my way back I saw the other half of the Ino–Shika–Chō led by Nara Shikaku, plus a dozen minor clans, defect to the Uchiha as well."
"At this point, apart from the Hyuga Clan, every family worthy of being called a Ninja Clan has joined the Uchiha."
"Still, there's good news!"
"All the civilians trust you, Old Man—that's a plus."
"Add the four great clans including yours, and we still have the strength to fight the Uchiha. I believe you can handle this."
"I really admire you—when it comes to handling pressure, Old Man, you're the champ!"
"My heart sank when I heard the result, yet you're holding up so well."
"Impressive, truly impressive…"
"Uh…"
"Old Man, what's wrong?"
"Why are you coughing blood? Stay strong!"
"…"
At first Jiraiya spoke quite lightly.
Hiruzen's composure had slashed his own stress by two-thirds.
But damn it—
why was the Old Man suddenly spitting blood before he'd even finished?
Where was that strength? That calm?
Immediately,
he called the Anbu on duty outside and rushed Hiruzen to the hospital.
Fortunately,
the hospital was controlled by Utatane Koharu, so they stabilized Hiruzen in the shortest time possible.
Half an hour later, outside the emergency room,
Utatane Koharu emerged and said to the anxious Jiraiya, "Relax—Hiruzen is stable for now."
"Thank goodness," Jiraiya exhaled.
He was genuinely terrified.
If Hiruzen died at a time like this, the Village would be finished.
"All right, out with it."
"How did Hiruzen end up like this? Did you finish today's mission?"
"How many clans agreed to come back?"
Utatane Koharu asked slowly.
Indeed,
she'd been frightened too; she and Homura Mitokado both relied on Hiruzen. If he suddenly died, her world would collapse.
Hearing this, Jiraiya's expression darkened. "Are you sure you can take it? The Old Man collapsed the moment he heard."
Suspicion filled his eyes.
The last thing he needed was another member of Konoha High Command collapsing.
Utatane Koharu's face was grave.
Even before Jiraiya spoke she knew the news was bad.
Still, she said, "Tell me—I can handle it."
"We didn't win back a single one," Jiraiya replied. "Even the neutral Ino–Shika–Chō and a dozen minor clans defected to the Uchiha tonight."
Utatane Koharu sucked in a cold breath.
For a moment,
she nearly fainted, her face deathly pale.
Yet she knew she mustn't collapse now, so she forced herself to endure it.
Still, panic flooded her features.
"What do we do?"
"All the clans have joined the Uchiwa—can the Village survive?"
"We're finished!"
Utatane Koharu muttered.
Her body trembled; with Hiruzen unconscious she had totally lost her bearings.
Seeing this,
Jiraiya sighed softly.
The old woman clearly couldn't hold things together; he couldn't count on her.
Homura Mitokado?
Forget it.
That geezer was useless too.
After a pause he said grimly, "I'll go bring Tsunade back at once. Only she can handle this. Keep an eye on the Old Man and don't antagonize the Uchiha."
"Buy me some time—I'll get Tsunade back!"