"So you're saying this farce in the Land of Rivers was orchestrated entirely by that mysterious man in the mask named Tobi?"
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat with his hands crossed, his expression grave. If that mysterious person could mass-produce those Ghouls, the entire Shinobi World might face a massive upheaval.
To other ninjas, those Ghouls in the Land of Rivers were merely a rebel force of two or three hundred individuals with the strength of Genin or Chunin. The Great Hidden Leaf Village possessed countless powerful shinobi; a rebel force of that level could be easily neutralized by deploying a few Jonin.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been entrenched in politics for years, did not see it that way.
The reason the Shinobi World maintained its current stability was that the Five Great Shinobi Nations shared a tacit understanding to keep Ninjutsu strictly within their grasp, rarely letting it leak out. As for those small hidden villages, they mostly mastered only the most basic techniques. Furthermore, the vast majority of small nations served merely as buffer zones for the Five Great Shinobi Nations or as necessary battlefields.
The core leadership of these small villages usually had intricate ties to the surrounding major powers. While they weren't exactly puppets of the Great Nations, they lacked the power to stir up any significant trouble. When faced with a true Great War, they were destined to merely cheer from the sidelines or act as cannon fodder.
The Five Great Shinobi Nations and their subordinate small countries used this control over "advanced knowledge and resources," combined with the existing noble classes of the Shinobi World, to form a remarkably solid governing system. The civilians at the bottom of this system were doomed to live mediocre lives, constantly at risk of being killed by a "Shinobi Lord" at a moment's notice.
By relying on such a rigid structure, the Shinobi World had been a playground for the Five Great Shinobi Nations and the nobility for years. The poor were not even considered pawns; they were merely parts of the chessboard.
The appearance of that mysterious man, however, could very likely shake and change this status quo. This was Hiruzen Sarutobi's primary concern.
A hundred, two hundred, or even a thousand Genin and Chunin wouldn't cause much of a stir. But what about ten thousand? A hundred thousand? Or even a million? If that happened, the entire Shinobi World would be turned upside down.
Of course, this was merely the worst-case scenario envisioned by Hiruzen Sarutobi. No matter how much power that mysterious man possessed, it was impossible for him to produce such things without limit.
"Furthermore, according to the prophecy of the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku, the entire Shinobi World will be plunged into a massive war because of this mysterious person. Teacher, we must be on our guard," Jiraiya said with significant intent.
The Third Hokage glanced at Jiraiya, speaking thoughtfully, "A prophecy from Mount Myoboku?"
Hiruzen naturally knew and understood that his disciple had inherited the legacy of Mount Myoboku and become a contractor for that sacred land. He also knew the weight of the Great Toad Sage's prophecies. While he wouldn't believe it blindly, it carried enough weight to be carefully considered. Since this prophecy aligned with some of his own thoughts, the Third Hokage became even more cautious.
"Aside from that, did the Great Toad Sage provide any other information?"
Jiraiya nodded. "The Great Toad Sage gave two pieces of information in total. Besides identifying this mysterious man as 'The Bringer of Destruction,' he also stated that the origin of all this lies with 'Jashin.'"
"Jashin?"
The Third Hokage's brow furrowed slightly.
As the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi controlled the entire intelligence network of the Hidden Leaf. He had naturally heard of the Jashin Religion. Initially, it was just a niche cult, but it had gradually gained notoriety following the events in the Land of Rivers. Now that the Jashin followers had directly wiped out the Hidden Steam Village, their reputation was likely to become even more prominent.
Jiraiya observed his teacher's expression and finally couldn't help but make an earnest suggestion. "Teacher, I suggest the Hidden Leaf form a special squad of Jonin to conduct a thorough investigation of the Jashin Religion. We must find that mysterious man's location and destroy him to save the Shinobi World from disaster!"
As an old fox, the Third Hokage could not possibly agree to such a proposal. A look of difficulty appeared on his face. "Jiraiya, you know that ever since the Nine-Tails' rampage and the death of the Fourth Hokage, Minato, the village's resources have been extremely tight."
"Moreover, these events occurred within the borders of the Land of Rivers. Strictly speaking, they have no direct connection to the Land of Fire."
"We have no reason, nor do we have enough energy, to waste on such matters."
He was not joking. As the Hokage, how could Hiruzen Sarutobi expend precious Jonin resources on such an endeavor? Although that mysterious man truly had the potential to cause a disaster, it was only a possibility. Furthermore, was such a disaster targeted solely at the Land of Fire?
The Jashin Religion hadn't attacked the Land of Fire this time, nor had they nearly destroyed the Hidden Leaf. If he pulled several Jonin to investigate this matter, what would happen to the missions originally assigned to them? Every Jonin was a precious resource for the village.
If they were sent to investigate the Jashin Religion, it meant they couldn't complete the tasks of their clients. This would lead those clients to other hidden villages, thereby strengthening the power of rivals. Simply put, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not want to use his own resources to handle a problem concerning the entire Shinobi World.
Despite Jiraiya understanding this logic, his personality dictated that he could not accept it.
"Teacher, do you really not care about the survival of the entire Shinobi World?"
The Third Hokage tapped the table gently and said sternly, "Jiraiya, of course I care about the survival of the Shinobi World. But first, things haven't progressed to that point yet."
"Second, I am the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf. My responsibility is to the villagers of the Hidden Leaf and the Land of Fire first; then comes the rest of the Shinobi World."
Under his teacher's righteous rebuff, Jiraiya was defeated without any surprise. He had never been a man of eloquent words.
However, the Third Hokage was not entirely unyielding. Given the current shortage of high-level combat power in the Hidden Leaf, he still needed this disciple to stay and hold the fort.
"How about this, Jiraiya? I will issue an order prohibiting the spread of the Jashin Religion within the Land of Fire. We will put a bounty on that mysterious man Tobi in the tiger-patterned mask, and I will have the Anbu monitor information regarding the Jashin Religion. If there is any intelligence on Tobi, we will immediately dispatch shinobi to capture him. How does that sound?"
Seeing that his teacher had made a compromise, Jiraiya could only let out a soft sigh. He knew that continuing to argue was pointless. The Hidden Leaf did not belong to one person; even if his teacher agreed, the Council of Elders and that fellow Danzo would absolutely never agree to such an idea.
However, this did not mean Jiraiya would give up his pursuit of Tobi.