Mastermind of the Akatsuki

If Jiraiya's words were accurate and Amegakure truly implemented widespread ninja education, then its overall strength would undoubtedly see a significant surge, potentially putting it on par with the Five Great Ninja Villages.

For Konoha, this wouldn't exactly be good news since it would mean another formidable rival emerging to its northwest.

However, the first to feel the pressure of Amegakure's rise would likely be Iwagakure, as Amegakure sits directly on Iwagakure's path of expansion. With this in mind, the Third Hokage realized that Amegakure's development might not be entirely unacceptable. After all, Konoha was used to dealing with multiple fronts—whenever a new Shinobi World War broke out, no matter where it started, the surrounding villages would eventually find a way to drag Konoha into the conflict.

As the Third Hokage frowned in thought, Jiraiya couldn't help but ask, "Old man, do you think Amegakure's approach is something we could adopt here in Konoha? If we could implement something similar, it would surely make the village even stronger."

"You mean reforming Konoha like Yahiko has done with Amegakure?"

The Third Hokage fell into a deep contemplation, envisioning an era where every citizen of Konoha was a trained shinobi. But he quickly shook his head, dismissing the notion.

The population of Konoha and its surrounding lands was well over one hundred thousand. If Konoha truly could train that many ninja, then it would become an unstoppable force in the shinobi world, potentially outmatching all the other villages combined. But training ninja isn't so simple.

Even producing one competent Genin required substantial time and resources. The nearly ten thousand shinobi in Konoha were already pushing the limits of the Land of Fire's budget. If they attempted to train tens of thousands more, the Land of Fire's finances would likely collapse under the strain.

Furthermore, if Konoha were to expand its forces too aggressively, it might also provoke suspicion from the Daimyo's office. Sighing, the Third Hokage told Jiraiya, "The conditions in Amegakure and Konoha are very different. We can't easily undertake such reforms here."

Jiraiya's expression dimmed. He had thought he'd finally come up with a good idea, only for it to be dismissed outright by the old man, without even a proper discussion. He wondered whether the Hokage found the idea too difficult or simply had no interest in any kind of change.

After all, could reforming Konoha truly be harder than what Yahiko and Byakuya had done, starting Amegakure's transformation from scratch? Just the fact that he hadn't encountered Hanzō at all during his visit was telling—Hanzō surely hadn't relinquished his authority willingly. Jiraiya's students must have secretly orchestrated a power shift.

If he ever wanted to undertake similar reforms, would he also need to go down that path?

Jiraiya looked at the portraits of the previous Hokages, then at the Third Hokage himself, and dismissed this absurd notion. If he were to become Hokage someday, he would do it through legitimate means, not by underhanded tactics.

Leaving thoughts of reform aside, Jiraiya remembered Minato's son, Naruto, and asked, "By the way, how's Naruto doing?"

"Naruto?" The Third Hokage thought for a moment and replied, "Naruto's a good kid. He's inherited Minato's sunny disposition. Last I heard, he was busy helping out around the village."

Jiraiya nodded softly, reassured. He trusted the old man to take care of Naruto. Even without considering his status as the son of a hero, Naruto's role as a Jinchūriki was reason enough for the Third Hokage to prioritize his well-being. After all, it was only by ensuring that a Jinchūriki felt loved and accepted that their village could fully harness the power they held.

At this moment, Jiraiya suddenly had a thought and said, "Old man, do you think Naruto has the potential to become Hokage one day? He's bound to inherit Minato's talent, plus he's the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki."

The Third Hokage was slightly taken aback but then chuckled, "Maybe he could. But by the time he's grown, this old body of mine will probably be long gone."

"Don't say that, old man. I think you've got at least another twenty years in you," Jiraiya replied with a grin.

"In twenty years, you'll be an old man too. Haven't you ever thought about taking over?" the Third Hokage asked with a teasing smile.

"I've got other things to do, so I'll be going now. As for picking the Fifth Hokage, you keep thinking on it, but don't count on me," Jiraiya said casually, leaving the Hokage's office and disappearing into the streets.

Watching Jiraiya's retreating figure, the Third Hokage extinguished his pipe, sighing softly. His eyes reflected a sense of loss and complexity. It felt as though there was now a gulf between him and Jiraiya that couldn't be easily bridged.

---

At the Root Organization's Base

Though the Third Hokage had placed some restrictions on Root, it still wielded significant power within Konoha, as long as the village continued to require a covert force to handle its dirty work.

Shortly after Jiraiya's return to the village, Danzo received a report detailing the time Jiraiya entered and left the Hokage's office, along with fragments of their conversation. Because the Hokage's office was well-insulated, the spies from the ANBU division could only make out a few words here and there.

But to Danzo, those fragments were more than enough to start piecing together the Third Hokage's intentions. The report mentioned that Jiraiya and the Third Hokage discussed both Amegakure and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.

The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki was understandable. After all, he was Minato's son, and Jiraiya, as Minato's mentor, would naturally be concerned about him. But why would Jiraiya and the Third Hokage talk about Amegakure?

Amegakure was the village controlled by that kid, Byakuya. Could it be that during Jiraiya's recent journey, he encountered Byakuya's influence or was perhaps even mentally manipulated by him?

However, Jiraiya's mental state appeared stable, showing no signs of control. This led Danzo to another possibility: could it be that Jiraiya's so-called search for Orochimaru was a cover? Perhaps his real purpose was to seek Amegakure's support in his bid for the Fifth Hokage position.

Danzo's eyes narrowed, and his expression grew dark. Jiraiya was indeed a popular candidate for Hokage, but Amegakure's people were notorious for their underhanded tactics. There was a chance that Jiraiya might have adopted some of their methods.

Danzo even began to imagine a potential reason for Jiraiya to launch a coup. Jiraiya had long expressed disdain for the advisory council members. If he ascended to the Hokage position through the normal process, he'd have to contend with the council's influence. Only by staging a coup and purging the current leadership could he freely wield the power of the Hokage and then plunge Konoha into an irreversible abyss.

Yes, Danzo firmly believed Jiraiya lacked the qualities to be Hokage. To him, the Hokage needed to be a decisive figure, someone with a ruthless streak who didn't hesitate when making tough decisions.

Jiraiya, in contrast, was too indecisive—a third-rate ninja who placed his hopes in others rather than taking charge himself.