"What? Jiraiya… is dead?!"
Konoha.
Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi shot to his feet, the shock and disbelief plain on his aged face.
He wasn't alone—Danzo, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado all sat in stunned silence, unable to believe what they had just heard.
And yet, they had no choice but to believe it.
The source of the intel... was none other than Fukasaku, the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku.
"Fukasaku-sama, this... what exactly happened—"
Fukasaku's voice was heavy.
"It happened too quickly. I know it's hard to accept."
"After Kirigakure's main forces arrived at the front, they launched a full assault on Tinnan Town. You'll receive the detailed battle reports soon enough."
"But make no mistake—their combat strength far exceeded expectations. Tinnan couldn't hold. Especially that boy with the Ice Release... Yuki Yoru. He was the one who killed Jiraiya."
"Yu… ki…Yoru."
That name echoed once more through the chamber, and all four Konoha councilors froze.
They had heard it not long ago—when Jiraiya sent his urgent request for reinforcements.
"That brat? He's only fourteen," Koharu muttered incredulously.
"How could he possibly…"
Jiraiya might've inherited Hiruzen's worst habits—his perversion, his irresponsibility, his tendency to vanish without warning—but when it came to combat, they all knew better.
As one of the Legendary Sannin and a master of Sage Mode, few in Konoha could match Jiraiya when he went all-out.
And yet… now he was dead.
Slain on the battlefield… by a boy?
Had Fukasaku himself not been the one to say it, they would've thought it a cruel joke.
"That kid's no ordinary kid," Fukasaku said solemnly.
"And his Ice Release isn't normal either."
"The jutsu he used… they carried traces of senjutsu chakra. His abilities were strange and terrifying—ones even I had never seen before."
"Jiraiya's Sage Mode was disrupted by him. And with the rest of Kiri's elites dogpiling him... he didn't make it out."
"All I can tell you is this: If you can, kill that boy while he's still growing. If you don't, you'll regret it."
With those final words, the Toad Sage disappeared in a puff of smoke.
The office fell into suffocating silence.
Then, as one, Koharu, Homura, and even Danzo turned their gazes toward Hiruzen.
The old man trembled from head to toe. He said nothing… but the smoking pipe he always kept in hand had already snapped in two.
They knew how much Jiraiya meant to him. This wasn't just the loss of a key battlefield commander—it was like watching his own child die.
"Hiruzen…"
Danzo placed a scroll on the desk.
"This is everything Root has gathered so far on Yuki Yoru. According to our findings, he never awakened Ice Release. In fact, his chakra nature is purely water. From birth, he was exiled by the Yuki Clan…"
Danzo began detailing every shred of information they'd uncovered. Hiruzen still said nothing—his hand clenched around the broken pipe.
"Hiruzen! Hiruzen!"
Homura's voice snapped, and the pressure in the room erupted. Hiruzen's chakra surged like a typhoon, scattering papers, knocking over furniture, and cracking walls.
The air fell still once more.
Then he exhaled deeply.
"Forgive me. I lost my composure."
"Our war with Kirigakure has only just begun. Jiraiya's death will shake morale on the front. Kushina alone cannot make up the difference. That's why I propose—"
"Hiruzen!"
Danzo's voice cut him off sharply, as if reading his mind.
"Minato already knows Kushina was deployed to the Kiri front. He's been begging Orochimaru for permission to head out himself."
"If we're sending reinforcements, either Minato or Orochimaru will do. Hell, I can go too. The situation in Kumo is stable—I've passed command to a Nara boy. My Wind Release is perfect for countering Kiri's hidden mist tactics."
"So stop entertaining such reckless thoughts."
Hiruzen flinched.
He clenched his fists… then let them go.
"Very well. Send Minato. He and Kushina work well together, and with Flying Thunder God on his side, I'll be more at ease."
"As for Fukasaku's warning… I'm sure you all heard it."
"Yuki Yoru—whatever it takes, we need to acquire firsthand intel on him… and find the right moment."
"Consider it done," Danzo said with gleaming eyes.
"Leave that part to me."
Meanwhile, back on the Kiri frontlines—
Because Tinnan Town had been obliterated by Kushina's rampage, the Mist forces had withdrawn to regroup.
By all accounts, this battle had been a major win:
They'd crushed the Tinnan line.
They'd killed Jiraiya, one of Konoha's Sannin.
And they'd slaughtered scores of Konoha's frontline fighters.
But for Kirigakure… it was a pyrrhic victory.
Jiraiya's resistance—and Kushina's transformation—had turned a complete victory into a blood-soaked mess.
Especially the final rampage.
Kushina's Tailed Beast Bomb alone had killed hundreds of Kiri shinobi in one blow—pure, senseless carnage.
Such was the terror of high-level combat.
Yoru's Hyōrinmaru had frozen swathes of enemy troops in seconds.
Kushina's Nine-Tails Chakra Cloak did the same—on a much larger scale.
"I never imagined Konoha would send the Nine-Tails jinchūriki to the front..."
Yagura's left arm was bandaged tight as he stared at the battlefield map.
The once-crucial stronghold of Tinnan Town was now a crater.
Nothing but a gaping hole remained on the war map.
"It's troubling… but also revealing."
Yoru shook his head.
"A jinchūriki's true power lies not in their combat value, but in the threat they represent. The fact that they've resorted to deploying Kushina tells us everything we need to know."
"Konoha… is running out of options."
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