Jiraiya had an epiphany!
He suddenly recalled something Orochimaru often said: the Village is rotten; only when the old generation relinquishes power can the great windmill of Konoha turn again.
In the past he hadn't understood—or hadn't wanted to.
Like an ostrich, he'd buried his head and pretended everything was fine.
Now, everything was different.
He could no longer deceive himself: his teacher was the tumor poisoning the Village.
Only by carving out that rot could the Village be reborn!
Yet to accomplish that, his teacher—Hiruzen Sarutobi—would need the resolve to sacrifice everything for Konoha.
Exactly.
Just as Uchiha Itachi in the original story took up the blade to slaughter the Uchiha Clan for the Village's sake, today's Old Konoha would need Hiruzen Sarutobi to show that same resolve.
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "…"
At this moment he looked utterly bewildered.
What nonsense was this?
Sacrifice himself for the Village?
His mind went blank; he gaped at Jiraiya.
He even wondered if the man had come down with a fever.
The entire Village belonged to him, the Sarutobi Clan—Konoha's rightful rulers.
He'd striven his whole life for that goal.
And now Jiraiya wanted him to die for it?
Still…
He couldn't voice such thoughts aloud, so, face darkening, he pulled out his pipe and lit it.
After a long pause he finally spoke.
"Jiraiya, that won't do."
"As the Third Hokage, of course I'm prepared to give my life for the Village."
"But Konoha cannot manage without me right now."
"You've only just returned; you don't yet have the strength to shoulder the Village."
"Still, don't worry."
"The Anbu and the Four Great Ninja Clans are fast. Once our forces arrive we'll round up the traitors in minutes."
"Just wait a little longer…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke slowly.
His words sounded selfless, as though everything he did was for Konoha.
Naturally…
…he had no intention of bearing that sin himself; instead he hoped Jiraiya would take on the bloody burden for the Village,
just as Minato Namikaze had done years before.
But that wish remained unspoken; he could only pray Jiraiya would reach the conclusion on his own.
After all… didn't Jiraiya care deeply for the Village too?
Meanwhile…
Jiraiya had no inkling of his teacher's thoughts. Hearing Hiruzen's speech, he glimpsed a ray of hope in the darkness.
His eyes lit up, energy surging back into him.
"Sensei, do you remember?"
"Where the leaves of Konoha dance, the fire of life burns eternal."
"I swear I'm ready to bear the Village, and I made that resolution long ago."
"As Fifth Hokage, I have the determination!"
"So don't worry, sensei—go ahead and burn yourself away for Konoha."
"As long as you shoulder this sin, I promise the Village will bloom anew."
"There's no other way!"
"In any other matter I'd gladly die for the Village,"
"but right now—I can't!"
"Because besides being Fifth Hokage, I'm also the heir of Mount Myōboku."
"The Great Toad Sage entrusted me with a mission: to seek the Savior who will rescue the entire Ninja World."
"So, sensei, hesitate no longer!"
"For the Will of Fire, this is the moment for you to blaze and illuminate Konoha!"
At that instant Jiraiya was ablaze with fervor.
Yes!
As a Ninja he did not fear death.
For the Village's future he would gladly sacrifice himself.
But he couldn't!
The prophecy of the Great Toad Sage said he must live to become the Savior's teacher.
There was no choice.
The time for his own death had not come; to save the Village, his teacher would have to die instead.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was dumbstruck.
He stared in shock at Jiraiya; if he hadn't known his disciple so well he'd have sworn the man was deliberately sending him to his death.
Yet…
precisely because he knew him, Hiruzen realized Jiraiya was dead serious.
The fool truly would die for Konoha—but he'd been completely duped by Mount Myōboku.
Damn that so-called Savior!
Hiruzen, who believed in no such thing, longed to tell his foolish student that Saviors were a fairy tale the toads had fed him.
So…
there was no need to chase phantoms; just quietly die for the Village and be done with it.
But—damn it—
he couldn't say that aloud!
Thus, for a moment,
his face flushed crimson; he opened his mouth several times but couldn't form a coherent sentence.
"Jiraiya, you—"
And, of course,
Jiraiya, unaware of his teacher's thoughts, assumed Hiruzen only fretted over the Village.
So…
he tried to reassure him: "Sensei, don't worry—go and die for Konoha in peace."
"You know my character; after you sacrifice yourself I won't move against the Sarutobi Clan. The Village is short of Ninja, though from now on they'll no longer monopolize its resources."
"I will make the Village thrive and restore it to its greatest era!"
"And I will find the true Savior and bring lasting peace to the Ninja World!"
At that moment Jiraiya felt a sacred mission filling his heart.
He could already picture Hiruzen dying for Konoha, himself leading the reborn strongest Village, discovering the Savior and uniting the world in peace.
Therefore…
he kept reassuring Hiruzen, begging him to trust in his abilities and calmly sacrifice himself for the Village.
Alas…
Hiruzen heard none of it; trembling, he grew livid with rage.
Unbelievable!
For the sake of some imaginary Savior his disciple could calmly watch him die?
Pfft!
A mouthful of blood sprayed out and he collapsed unconscious.
He had no choice.
Fainting was the only option: he could neither refute Jiraiya nor actually die for the Village.
So—black out.
He believed that when the crucial moment came, Jiraiya would be willing to give his life.
Then…
when he awoke, surely his disciple would already have made that sacrifice.
He would weep for Jiraiya, shoulder the Hokage's duties once more, and lead Konoha back to greatness.