The sheer number of reinforcements the Land of Earth had sent into the Land of Wind was far beyond Jiraiya's expectations.
This also made one thing abundantly clear— the Land of Earth was deeply wary of the Land of Fire.
"The fact that the Kazekage has brought such powerful allies with him proves that the other great nations see us as a growing threat. If we kill the Kazekage and wipe out the Iwagakure forces, their fear of us will only intensify. There's a real chance they'll form an alliance to take down the Land of Fire."
"We should reconsider our approach. Instead of forcing a confrontation, we can negotiate with the Kazekage and use this opportunity to extract as many resources as possible from the Land of Wind. A gradual weakening of their forces would be a much safer strategy than all-out war."
Hiruzen Sarutobi had no desire to provoke a large-scale conflict with the Land of Wind. Seeing the Kazekage arrive with such a strong force, he thought this was his chance to persuade Jiraiya.
What he didn't realize was that Jiraiya had deliberately humiliated Akita Kazuno during negotiations, pushing Sunagakure into a corner and forcing their hand against Konoha.
Now that the Kazekage had arrived with substantial reinforcements, Jiraiya saw an opportunity—not just to deal with Sunagakure but to cripple the Land of Earth as well.
This was a golden chance.
If he could wipe out every last one of the Kazekage's reinforcements, both the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth would suffer devastating losses. Their military strength would be severely weakened.
Hearing Hiruzen's words, Jiraiya's brow furrowed slightly. He hadn't expected the old Hokage to still be hesitating at this point.
"What about the rest of you?"
Ignoring Hiruzen, Jiraiya turned to the heads of Konoha's major clans, who had been steadily arriving at the Hokage's office.
If he wanted to completely annihilate the Kazekage's forces, he needed the full support of Konoha's clans. If they were unwilling to fight, it would be nearly impossible to eliminate every enemy combatant.
After all, their opponents weren't weak.
The Kazekage himself was a Kage-level fighter. He was accompanied by the perfect Jinchūriki, Rōshi, nearly ten elite jōnin, a personal guard force, and close to a hundred highly trained shinobi.
The Kazekage was well aware that Jiraiya's invitation to Konoha wasn't a gesture of goodwill—it was a trap.
Anticipating treachery, he had brought along formidable protection.
While this force wasn't enough to threaten Jiraiya's life, wiping them out completely would still be a challenge.
It wasn't about defeating them—it was about making sure none of them escaped.
"The Hyūga Clan stands with you, Jiraiya-sama. Now is the time to expand our territory. My clan and I await your orders."
The Hyūga clan head was the first to step forward.
Known for their careful and calculated approach, the Hyūga were fully aware that Konoha's future was in Jiraiya's hands. Aligning with him now would secure their clan's position in the village's new order.
Jiraiya had only recently taken full control of Konoha. He hadn't yet established a loyal inner circle.
This was the perfect time for the major clans to pledge allegiance and cement themselves as his trusted allies.
"The Nara Clan will follow your lead as well," said the head of the Nara Clan.
As soon as the Nara made their stance clear, the Akimichi and Yamanaka clans followed suit without hesitation.
These three clans had always stuck together, and they had a simple rule: support whoever held the Hokage's seat.
And right now, that was Jiraiya.
Once the major clans had spoken, the smaller clans had no choice but to follow. Even if some had reservations, they kept their concerns to themselves.
Any shinobi with half a brain could see that Jiraiya was Konoha's future. If they wanted to thrive in the village, they had to stand with him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a quiet sigh as he watched the room rally around Jiraiya.
The tide had turned.
There was no stopping Jiraiya's ambitions now.
At that moment, Hiruzen made his decision.
If Jiraiya failed, Konoha would be doomed.
But if he succeeded, Konoha would rise to unparalleled heights.
Since there was no turning back, Hiruzen would do everything in his power to help Jiraiya accomplish his goal.
"Then let's go meet the Kazekage," Jiraiya said, satisfied with their unanimous support.
Within moments, Konoha's elite shinobi were assembled, and even the village's Anbu forces had gathered.
Just as Jiraiya was about to lead his forces out of the village—
"I'm coming as well."
A firm voice rang out.
Uzumaki Mito, accompanied by members of the Senju Clan, stepped forward.
Jiraiya blinked in surprise.
He hadn't expected her to show up.
Over the past few days, Jiraiya had been living in the Senju Clan's compound, spending most of his time "training" with Tsunade.
During his rare moments of leisure, he had spoken with Uzumaki Mito about his vision for a unified shinobi world.
To his surprise, Mito had fully supported the idea.
After the destruction of Uzushiogakure, she had come to realize that Hashirama Senju's dream of a peaceful, multi-nation shinobi world was flawed.
As long as the world was divided into separate nations, war would always be inevitable.
Resources were finite.
And when a country ran out of resources, it would inevitably turn to war to claim what it needed.
Uzushiogakure had been wiped out for this very reason—too many nations had wanted their sealing techniques.
If a unified shinobi world could be achieved, the endless cycle of war could finally be broken.
Now, seeing the strength of the forces the Kazekage had brought with him, Mito had decided to lend her power to Jiraiya's cause.
"You can't."
Hiruzen's voice was firm.
"You're in no condition to fight. If something happens and the Kyūbi breaks free, the consequences would be disastrous."
Mito's body was old and frail. The seal holding the Kyūbi at bay had been weakening for some time.
If she exerted herself too much in battle, there was a very real risk that the beast could break free.
"You worry too much, Hiruzen."
Mito's voice was calm and unwavering.
"I know my own body better than anyone. I wouldn't be here if I weren't certain I could still be of use to the village."
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
Fanfic is finished on Patreon (245 chapters in total.)
Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)