Mastermind of the Akatsuki

"Endlessly pursuing peace means the Akatsuki will never see true peace."

Hearing these words, Byakuya and Nagato exchanged a surprised glance, both taken aback.

The statement itself was unproblematic, but the issue lay in who said it—Yahiko.

Yahiko was the Akatsuki's idealistic leader, someone who would rather sacrifice himself to save Konan and secure cooperation with Amegakure. Yet now, he was displaying a hardline stance that even made Byakuya, who was known for his conservatism, break out in a cold sweat.

Nagato took a step forward, voicing his concern, "Yahiko, have you been pushing yourself too hard recently? You're talking a bit out of character."

"Exactly…" Byakuya nodded and added, "Yahiko, Nagato, you two are not those kind of violent buddies. Bringing the leader of Kusagakure here in this way won't win his true cooperation, nor will it lead to genuine peace."

"Now that sounds like the Yahiko we know," Byakuya teased. "After all, you're the 'Extreme Guy,' right?"

"The 'Extreme Guy'? What even is that?"

Yahiko wiped the sweat off his brow. He had just been deadly serious, sharing his true thoughts, but Byakuya and Nagato had taken it as a joke.

'What's with Byakuya anyway?' Yahiko thought. 'He used to brush off my earnest advice like it was nothing, but now he's mimicking me so accurately, even down to my expressions.'

Clearing his throat, Yahiko regained his composure and spoke seriously, "What you did was effective, but please don't do it this way again. If the plan had failed, we'd have made an enemy out of Kusagakure, undermining the Akatsuki's mission of unity and cooperation."

"Now that's more like it," Byakuya and Nagato nodded, satisfied with Yahiko's tone.

After all, Yahiko was supposed to be the dovish leader. If he started using the language of the hawks, then what could the hawks say? Would they have to argue that these drastic measures were too mild, too conservative?

Seeing Byakuya and Nagato's reactions, Yahiko felt a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. He had thought that, after years together, everyone had changed. But now it seemed they'd changed in some ways and yet, in others, remained exactly the same.

Bringing his wandering thoughts back, Yahiko turned toward his office.

Byakuya and Nagato had completed their mission by bringing the Kusagakure leader to Amegakure, but his work had only just begun. He needed to devise a well-thought-out plan that would benefit both sides.

…

After half a year of wandering, Jiraiya finally set foot on the soil of the Land of Fire.

Seeing the colossal statues at the Valley of the End and the familiar faces on the Hokage Rock, Jiraiya felt a profound sense of relief, and his fatigue seemed to melt away.

No matter how beautiful the landscapes of the shinobi world were, Konoha was the one place he could never leave behind.

Taking a deep breath, Jiraiya walked into Konoha, and within minutes, he arrived at the Hokage's office, where he found the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, smoking as usual.

The Third Hokage could never kick his smoking habit. When he was in a good mood, he'd smoke to celebrate; when he was in a bad mood, he'd smoke to calm his nerves. He could always find an excuse for a cigarette or two.

"Old man, smoking isn't good for your health."

The Third Hokage glanced at Jiraiya and replied, "I know smoking's bad, but writing adult novels isn't exactly a wholesome habit either, is it? It's just as harmful to your health."

Jiraiya quickly defended himself, "Come on, old man, you know me! I'm always upright and well-behaved. Going to those pleasure spots is purely for research—nothing else on my mind."

'If you did have something else on your mind, I'd think you were at least a normal person,' the Third Hokage thought, keeping his retort to himself. Then he asked, "You've been gone for over six months now. Did you find anything useful? Any news about Orochimaru?"

At the mention of Orochimaru, Jiraiya's expression grew more serious. "I've run into him a few times, but no matter how hard I tried to convince him, he has no intention of returning. Frankly, I'm not strong enough to take him down."

Are you really not strong enough to handle Orochimaru…? The Third Hokage decided not to call Jiraiya out. He knew the truth: Jiraiya simply couldn't bring himself to harm Orochimaru. Neither could he, even as Orochimaru's former teacher. His own feelings had prevented him from delivering the final blow to his prized student—otherwise, Orochimaru would never have had the chance to escape.

After a deep breath, the Hokage asked, "Besides news of Orochimaru, did you come across anything else of interest?"

Jiraiya nodded and began to recount his experiences traveling through the different countries.

Listening to Jiraiya's stories of his journey and encounters with shinobi from all over the world, the Third Hokage's eyes showed a hint of envy. He, too, wished he could witness the splendor of the shinobi world firsthand. Unfortunately, he'd never had the luxury.

Before becoming Hokage, he'd worked under Tobirama-sensei, enduring the brutal First Shinobi War. And ever since becoming Hokage, he hadn't been able to leave Konoha. His duties had kept him close to the village and its Daimyo's city, only venturing to the borders during the Second Shinobi War.

In these turbulent times, he could hardly afford to leave the village. Perhaps this was why Jiraiya had always turned down the role of Hokage—he knew how it would restrict him.

After sharing his thoughts on the situation in various lands, Jiraiya then spoke about his time in Amegakure.

Unlike his journeys to other countries, Amegakure had a unique significance; many of its high-ranking officials were Jiraiya's former students. This time, he'd even been invited to explore the inner workings of Amegakure, exchanging insights with its leaders.

When he mentioned that Amegakure's ninja academy ran for seven to nine years, the Third Hokage paused, surprised. The current six-year program in Konoha was already a hard-fought compromise, balancing various factions to ensure graduates left with near-Chunin-level competence. But a seven-to-nine-year program in Amegakure? Were they training their ninja to be Chunin captains straight out of the academy?

Noticing the Hokage's surprise, Jiraiya clarified, "Old man, Amegakure isn't just aiming to train Chunin. They want to develop versatile talents in different areas. Byakuya and Yahiko believe that ninja should have more career options beyond being mercenaries. They're working to introduce chakra education to all Amegakure citizens so that everyone can learn at least a few jutsu."

The Third Hokage fell silent at this. Teaching all villagers ninjutsu? Making everyone a ninja? Even his own teacher, Tobirama, had never dreamed of implementing such an audacious and radical policy. Was Amegakure really bold enough to attempt something like this?