Watching the thick stack of documents on the desk, Jiraiya's mouth twitched harder with every second.
This is insane!
He'd been grinding through paperwork all day—how could there still be so much left by nightfall?
He suspected someone was setting him up, but he had zero proof.
After a moment of silence, he let out a soft sigh.
Resigned to his fate, he pulled the top file and started reading, concentrating as seriously as ever. Outwardly he might slack off, but his love for Konoha ran deep.
When a problem stared him in the face, he'd still give it everything he had.
Meanwhile—
Hiruzen Sarutobi, watching Jiraiya pore over the documents, quietly exhaled in relief, then resumed puffing on his pipe while lost in thought.
Jiraiya's reputation was probably ruined for good.
Still, the man could hang on for quite a while. Could he, within that window, mold Asuma into a worthy successor?
Honestly, it looked nearly impossible.
Asuma was simply too rebellious—especially with Uchiha Jin's meteoric rise and the accompanying smear campaign warping his mind, causing the boy to resent his father more each day.
Hiruzen had tried explaining that those were enemy fabrications, but Asuma refused to listen.
What now?
He sorely missed his elder son, Shinnosuke. Had the boy not fallen on a mission, Hiruzen wouldn't now be wracking his brains over Asuma.
But… alas.
With a helpless shake of his head, he resumed planning.
He had to seize the breathing room Jiraiya's tenure offered—push Asuma to Kage level and build him a shining reputation outside the Village.
Once Jiraiya's name was completely tarnished, they could install Asuma as the Sixth.
Boosting Asuma's strength or fame didn't worry him; the boy's attitude did.
Yes.
Much like his teacher Senju Tobirama, he'd let Jiraiya serve as Fifth only as a stopgap. He clung to power now merely to stockpile it for Asuma.
The moment he talked Asuma around, every asset in his grasp would pass to his son.
Time trickled by.
Jiraiya agonized over forms; Hiruzen weighed his own schemes.
Then an Anbu knocked and entered.
"Hokage-sama, Sandaime!"
"Something's happened at the Hyuga compound—Clan Head Hiashi killed Kumogakure's chief envoy."
"Kumo tried to steal the Byakugan bloodline, snatched Hiashi's eldest daughter Hyuga Hinata, and Hiashi-sama struck the kidnapper dead in the fight!"
Gasp!
Jiraiya and Hiruzen blanched at the news.
This was big trouble.
Right or wrong, the incident would be a nightmare to handle.
Jiraiya's face darkened. Before he could speak, Hiruzen rose and headed straight for the Hyuga estate.
Seeing that, Jiraiya abandoned the paperwork and followed at once.
However—
By the time Hiruzen and Jiraiya arrived, Utatane Koharu, Homura Mitokado, and even the Kumo delegation were already present.
"Konoha must answer for this!"
"If not, forget the peace treaty—under the Raikage we'll march on your Village for justice."
"We're leaving."
Without waiting for a reply, the Cloud envoys took their dead and departed the Hyuga grounds.
Silence fell over Konoha's side.
Hiruzen looked awful; his recent blunders had plunged the Village into gloom.
He could dump the mess on Jiraiya, but that wouldn't fix Konoha's instability—especially with thriving New Konoha next door. The pressure on him was crushing.
He had to defuse the crisis or the Village might collapse before Jiraiya ever stepped down.
And today—
the peace negotiation with Kumo had been his best shot at easing tensions.
He could see Kumo's trap, yet how could he blame them?
No.
Konoha was weaker than in canon; war with Kumo would make the Village implode before a single enemy reached its gates.
What to do?
Hiruzen shut his eyes, mind racing.
Meanwhile—
Jiraiya had stayed silent until the envoys left. "Hiashi, what happened?"
Hiashi's face was grim.
He knew the Hyuga had been framed—he hadn't struck with full force.
Of course not.
He wasn't stupid.
Even if the Kumo ninja were scum, with a peace treaty on the line he'd never intentionally kill an envoy—no matter how much he hated the man.
But damn it—
who could've guessed the Cloud envoy would be so pathetically fragile? Thirty percent strength and the guy dropped dead.
If this wasn't a setup,
even dogs wouldn't buy it.
Problem was, the man had died by his hand.
Now he couldn't explain it away.
Seeing Konoha's leadership, Hiashi's expression sank further; any fool could tell the brass had no intention of backing the Hyuga.
What now?
His mind raced but found no answer.
At last,
with a long sigh, he spoke in resignation.
"The filthy Cloud tried to abduct my daughter; I fought the kidnapper to get her back."
"I swear I held back!"
"But he just died—this has to be Kumo's scheme!"
After those words,
he looked to Jiraiya, hoping the Fifth Hokage would stand up for his clan.
Jiraiya wasn't Hiruzen; if he backed them, the storm might pass.
Yet—
Jiraiya opened his mouth several times but nothing came out.
In the past he'd have defended the Hyuga without hesitation—Kumo was clearly at fault.
Not now.
As Fifth Hokage his position had changed; he couldn't blindly shield them.
The Village was too weak—war with Kumo was unthinkable.
While Jiraiya hesitated, eyes still closed, Hiruzen spoke.
"Enough. Return home."
"I know the Hyuga are innocent, but we all know the Village's state."
"The leadership must consider the whole of Konoha."
"Go back and plan. We'll weigh Kumo's demands later."
"Hiashi, watch yourself."