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Uchiha Hikaru exposed Jiraiya's intentions in a single sentence, and Jiraiya instantly realized that the young man before him was no ordinary Genin.
After all, he had only returned to Konoha yesterday afternoon. He'd made the decision to carry out this "test" just last night, after receiving a request from the Third Hokage. Yet Uchiha Hikaru had seen through his objective with one glance.
It was clear now—tonight's plan was bound to fail. He'd have to figure out how to explain that to the old man later.
Jiraiya stepped into the courtyard. At first glance, it looked newly built—fresh stone, clean walls, and an orderly layout. But in the middle of the yard stood a single old tree. It looked completely out of place. Its leaves had all fallen, its trunk scarred with fire damage, and its remaining branches were brittle and gray, decayed with age.
Hikaru led Jiraiya toward the tree. They each sat on a stone block beneath its dying limbs.
Jiraiya was the first to speak.
"I didn't expect you to know why I came. I'm curious—how'd you figure it out? What if I was just dropping in to see the famous Uchiha prodigy?"
Hikaru shook his head calmly.
"Lord Jiraiya, you've been traveling outside the village for years. For you to return at such a sensitive time—only one person has the authority to summon you. The Hokage. No one else."
Jiraiya's expression hardened. He realized now: the moment he was chosen to come, his cover was already blown.
Since Hikaru had already laid things bare, Jiraiya didn't feel the need to beat around the bush anymore.
"Well then. Since you already know why I'm here, how do you plan to respond? Are you going to come clean about the Uchiha's intentions—or just pretend to play along?"
He gave a half-smile, eyes sharp. "But if you're just stalling, the Uchiha won't be able to get past the old man."
Jiraiya watched Hikaru's face carefully, looking for a crack in his expression.
"What intentions?" Hikaru said, his voice even, his lips curling into a faint smile. "What 'plans' could the Uchiha possibly have? All we want is to live peacefully in the village. Are you accusing us of treason?"
Jiraiya didn't buy it.
"On the surface, sure—the Uchiha clan seems much more cooperative than before. But the old man is still wary. After all, the night of the Nine-Tails attack… the Sharingan was clearly reflected in the fox's eyes."
The air between them grew heavier, and Hikaru's smile vanished.
"The Uchiha of Konoha weren't behind the Nine-Tails attack. You weren't in the village that night, Lord Jiraiya, so you wouldn't know—we were under surveillance. Root operatives sent by the Hokage's advisor were watching our every move. We weren't even allowed to assist in the rescue efforts."
"Wait... Root?" Jiraiya's brow furrowed. That part had never been mentioned. The Third had never told him about the surveillance—or that the Uchiha were kept from helping.
Why would Root surround the Uchiha district instead of joining the fight?
Jiraiya suddenly felt as though he were caught in a much deeper conspiracy.
"The old man never told me any of that," he muttered. "Tell me everything. If your clan truly wasn't involved, I'll go to the Hokage myself and clear your name."
The tension began to ease slightly.
Hikaru gestured to the dead tree beside them.
"See this tree?"
Jiraiya gave it a glance. "What about it?"
"Compared to the rest of the yard, don't you think it stands out? Everything's been rebuilt, but this tree—scarred, dying, forgotten—still stands. Doesn't it seem like it's time for it to go?"
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. Slowly, his mind caught on to the metaphor. His brow furrowed.
"You're saying… the old man should step down?"
"Why?" Jiraiya snapped, his voice rising. "Sure, he's cautious when it comes to the Uchiha, but that doesn't mean he deserves to be pushed out! He's still a good Hokage!"
If Hiruzen were forced to resign, it would shake the very foundations of the ninja world. In history, no Kage had ever been made to step down by force.
But Hikaru wasn't finished.
He pointed to the tree's roots, buried in cracked soil.
"Sarutobi Hiruzen might be a competent Hokage. But what about Danzo? And what about Root?"
Jiraiya's jaw tightened. "I came here to ask about the Nine-Tails incident, not Root's operations. Stay on topic, Hikaru. I'm running out of patience."
Hikaru sighed.
"I'm not trying to dodge your questions. But since you're not following my meaning, I'll spell it out. Whether you believe me or not is up to you."
He looked Jiraiya squarely in the eyes.
"That night, when the Nine-Tails appeared in the village, Clan Head Fugaku immediately rallied our forces to help. But Danzo showed up with Root operatives and ordered us to stay in our district. We weren't allowed to leave."
"I don't know how he managed to mobilize Root so fast, or why they surrounded our clan specifically. At that time, Fugaku had only gathered a few dozen of us."
"Everything—Danzo's actions, the timing of the attack—felt planned in advance. The Nine-Tails and Root moved in perfect sync."
"That… that was the reality of the Uchiha Clan's situation that night."
Hikaru's words echoed through Jiraiya's mind like a storm.
Naruto's birth. The masked man with the Sharingan controlling the Nine-Tails. Root's sudden deployment. The Uchiha clan pinned in their own territory. Minato and Kushina's deaths. The Hokage's injury.
Minato's final message. The Third's explanation. Hikaru's testimony.
One after another, the pieces snapped into place. What had seemed like random events now connected with terrifying clarity.
And the truth—if it was true—was worse than the Nine-Tails attack itself.
Jiraiya's pupils trembled. His face turned pale.
That was exactly what Hikaru wanted. He'd led Jiraiya here step by step, drawing out his suspicions, stirring his emotions—just as he had done with Kakashi before.
Now it was time for the final blow.
"By the way," Hikaru added casually, "Kakashi came to see me the other night too. Our conversation was cut short by an unexpected visitor."
Jiraiya shook his head, still lost in his thoughts. He'd already formed an idea of who the masked man was—but he lacked concrete proof.
"Not Kakashi," Hikaru clarified. "I mean the uninvited guest."
That got Jiraiya's attention.
"Who?"
"Uchiha Obito. Your student Minato's former teammate."
"What? Obito? That's impossible! He died during the Kannabi Bridge mission! He gave Kakashi his Sharingan—he's dead!"
Hikaru raised his hand to stop the interruption.
"Your memory is accurate. But Obito didn't die. That night, he wore a tiger mask and ambushed Kakashi and me. We saw through him, but he escaped using a time-space jutsu."
"Time-space jutsu!?" Jiraiya's eyes widened.
That was the same detail Minato had passed on to him.
The masked man with a Mangekyō Sharingan… capable of space-time ninjutsu…
Everything matched.
But why Obito? Why would he attack Konoha?
If Obito was the mastermind, that was bad—but not as devastating as the conclusion Jiraiya had feared earlier.
He let out a breath of relief—until Hikaru continued.
"Obito also used Wood Release."
!!!
"Successfully copied Mount MyĹŤboku's Sage Mode."
Jiraiya stiffened. He knew what that meant.
Wood Release. Sage Mode. Hikaru had obtained both.
It was impossible unless—
Unless he had been part of Root's human experimentation program.
Jiraiya knew that only one subject had ever survived those experiments: a child, now in the Hokage's ANBU, codenamed "A".
"I get it now," Jiraiya whispered, horror creeping into his voice. "Danzo… He used Wood Release to keep Obito alive, trained him in secret, helped him awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan… and staged the Nine-Tails attack to assassinate Minato and Hiruzen… and to suppress the Uchiha Clan… so he could become Hokage!"
He'd said it aloud.
And once spoken, it couldn't be unsaid.
Hikaru looked at him quietly, impressed by the conclusion.
His logic wasn't wrong. But one detail remained.
Hikaru explained how Obito's true motivation was revenge—fueled by the death of Rin.
Only then did Jiraiya truly understand.
"You're right," he said finally. "Maybe Danzo didn't save Obito himself… but he definitely worked with him."
"The Nine-Tails Rebellion… Danzo wasn't innocent."
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