Chapter 537 Meeting

On the way to Konoha Hospital.

Jiraiya and Shikaku were walking side by side. Judging from the expressions on their faces, they were talking about important matters.

"Now that the village is leaderless, I still hope that Master Jiraiya can act as soon as possible to bring Master Tsunade back and stabilize the turbulent people in the village. Of course, if Jiraiya assumes the position of the Fifth Hokage, I will not

I don’t mind.”

While walking forward, Shikaku smiled at Jiraiya.

"Spare me, I can't become a qualified Hokage. Even that guy Danzo might be a little more suitable than me."

Jiraiya mocked himself in a self-deprecating tone.

Jiraiya was very clear about the extent of his political acumen. In the past, when his mentor Hiruzen Sarutobi was still alive, he had discussed this issue more than once, but in the end he simply rejected it.

His wandering mind is not suitable for staying in one place.

For him to succeed as Hokage will only make Konoha more chaotic.

"But just in case...if Tsunade-sama refuses, I can only do that."

Shikaku said.

"Don't worry, I will bring Tsunade back, then there will be no problem."

Although he received Jiraiya's assurance, Shikaku still couldn't let go.

At any time, as a policy maker, he must prepare for the worst. There are some things that cannot be overly optimistic.

"In that case, when does Jiraiya-sama plan to set off?"

Shikaku paused and continued to ask.

"We'll leave early tomorrow morning. You can't solve anything by being anxious now, right?"

"Yes, it is better to stabilize the current situation."

"So, how are the negotiations with the consultant going?"

Jiraiya asked with great interest.

"It's still like that. They still conceal certain things. I really don't know what kind of bombs are hidden in this peaceful village."

When Lu Jiu said this, his eyes narrowed slightly, showing dissatisfaction in his eyes.

"You just get used to this kind of thing." Jiraiya patted Shikaku's shoulder comfortingly and said with a smile: "However, in the future, please limit the power of those two people. They are only suitable for logistics and transportation.

As for other aspects, it's better not to have confidence in them. In the past, Mr. Sarutobi was too spoiled to them and gave them too much say, which was why so many things happened in the village. There were many things that should have happened.

It could have been avoided, but it ended up like this."

Jiraiya was clear about this from the beginning.

But with his ability, he is unable to change all this.

In terms of relationship, those two consultants were his seniors and peers of his teachers.

In terms of origin, they were disciples of the Second Hokage. Before he became famous and gained a certain status in Konoha, they were already the most prominent figures in the village.

If you want to bring them down, you can only rely on the power of Naruto.

Once the Hokage also covers up their actions, even the Sannin can only look back and sigh.

He has been wandering outside these years, partly to find the son of the prophecy, and partly to avoid the political struggles in the village, not wanting to get involved in these messy things and allowing himself some peace and quiet.

It is better now, it is indeed much quieter, and Danzo, who has always been at odds with him, has also ended his political career, but the sacrifices Konoha has made can be said to be extremely tragic.

Shikaku agreed with Jiraiya's words.

The Hokage passed away and Danzo was imprisoned, so now he, the Jonin squad leader, has to bear the brunt of facing these two high-level advisors.

Shikaku understands their difficulties very well.

"By the way, how is the situation with Uchiha Sasuke? Have you investigated his whereabouts?"

Jiraiya asked this question.

Shikaku nodded and replied: "Not long ago, a piece of information was urgently transmitted back from the border. Someone witnessed Uchiha Sasuke and Kakashi together, and then disappeared in Tian Country."

"Kakashi?"

Jiraiya's expression was extremely complicated.

If the evidence wasn't conclusive, it would be hard for him to believe that the ANBU minister, who he regarded as an outstanding junior and served as Hokage's deputy, could be Orochimaru's spy with roots in Konoha.

Over the years, how much information has Kakashi used his identity to convey to Orochimaru?

This kind of loss was unimaginable for Jiraiya.

"So, the person behind the scenes who encouraged Uchiha Sasuke to leave the village was Orochimaru?"

"That's 80% true. I heard that during the Chunin Exam, Orochimaru had been eyeing Sasuke early. Now that Uchiha Sasuke has suddenly left, I'm afraid his instructions are indispensable behind this. And Kakashi is probably one of them

contact person."

"Is it to get the Sharingan? That guy Orochimaru seems to have not given up on that unrealistic idea. It would be terrible if he gets the power of the Sharingan."

Jiraiya's expression became serious.

"Having said that, there is nothing we can do here. Let's stabilize the village first, and let's talk about Orochimaru's matter after that. I just don't know what action the Oni Country will take when they learn this news."

Shikaku thought about this question.

"Are you planning to use the Kingdom of Demons to deal with Orochimaru?"

Jiraiya heard what Shikaku said and understood what he meant.

He looked thoughtful, as if he was also thinking about the feasibility of it.

"Ah, yes, it must be difficult for the Uchiha clan in the Kingdom of Demons to tolerate their own clan's blood being stolen by others. It would be great if they could instigate them and let the Kingdom of Demons eliminate Orochimaru.

."

Although this idea is a bit taken for granted, Shikaku does not completely deny the feasibility of this method.

The Uchiha clan is a ninja clan that attaches great importance to family honor.

In order to prevent the family's bloodline from being stolen by others, after learning this news, they will definitely not sit idly by and ignore it.

Even if he sits idly by, Konoha can secretly guide public opinion and point the finger of the Demon Country at Orochimaru.

In this way, it can not only solve Orochimaru's serious problem, but also consume the energy of the Demon Country and divert its attention.

Of course, the premise of all this is to attract enough attention from the Kingdom of Ghosts.

If the Kingdom of Demons does not pay enough attention to this aspect, then no matter how it guides, it will not be able to sow discord between the Kingdom of Demons and Orochimaru.

"It is not that simple to let the Kingdom of Demons fall into a trap. Moreover, since they did not take Uchiha Sasuke away with them when they visited Konoha four years ago, I am afraid that Uchiha Sasuke will not care about the people over there.

As far as the Uchiha clan is concerned, it is not a very important existence."

What's more, they belong to two camps. The Uchiha clan on both sides cannot be said to be completely frictionless, but the relationship may not be as friendly as they imagined.

When Konoha Uchiha suffered genocide, the Uchiha clan in the Kingdom of Demons did not react excessively. They only took away the heritage belonging to Konoha Uchiha in the name of a visit. Other than that, they did not raise any

The request did not mention the orphan Uchiha Sasuke.

Just like the Hyuga clan today, although they all inherited the Hyuga name, they are essentially two families, not one whole.

"That's true, but let's talk about this later. In that case, Naruto will ask Lord Jiraiya. Although the security personnel have been reorganized, the current situation in the village..."

Shikaku sighed.

Nowadays, the village is in dire straits, and many ninjas are busy, including ANBU, so there is also a shortage of personnel to protect the Jinchūriki.

Without a ninja of the Sannin level personally taking charge, Shikaku would really not be able to feel at ease.

In the absence of Hokage, the power of the Nine-Tails is an indispensable deterrent to Konoha.

"Naruto, I'm here to protect you personally. Your job is to stabilize the village... If those two consultants cause trouble, you can use force to solve the problem if necessary."

"Hopefully it won't come to that."

"If the two of them were really courageous, they wouldn't have been sitting on the wall in high-level meetings. But just in case, we can't take them lightly. They may have various shortcomings, but they can learn from them.

The students who stood out in that era and became the Second Hokage, their strength cannot be underestimated."

Jiraiya smiled slightly, patted Shikaku's shoulder, and walked towards Konoha Hospital.

◎

Since waking up, Naruto has been lying quietly on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling above his head.

Although the smell of disinfectant in the ward had a calming effect, Naruto felt irritable.

Medical bandages were wrapped around the abdomen, chest, arms, and neck.

The ribs in my chest are still aching.

Perhaps because he felt stiff, Naruto reluctantly gritted his teeth and slowly sat up from the hospital bed.

The bones creaked, and although it hurt, Naruto persisted, at least it wasn't as painful as it was at the beginning.
To be continued...