Chapter 40-Winds of Change!

Chapter 40:

Jiraiya - The Toad Sage

Given the situation in the village, Minato had opted to return quickly from the capital. The new daimyo had given their blessing to the new Kage, and now Konohagakure prepared to welcome its Fourth Hokage.

Being a Hokage had been his dream once – taking the hat, leading the village, and changing the world. Jiraiya had once thought a Hokage was the ultimate existence, the one entity who could single-handedly change the world, change it for the better, bring about peace.

Yet he had been naive then. A Hokage was just that – a Kage, a leader of a village, a cog in the great war machine that encapsulated the world as they knew it. He was powerful, indeed, yet a Hokage wouldn't be able to change the world. No, the change would be brought by a revolutionary, a visionary, one who might become a Kage.

Jiraiya might never be that revolutionary figure. The Toad Sage had told him that all those years ago. No, Jiraiya would only ever be a helping hand to the man who would change the shinobi world, and he believed this child of the prophecy sat right in front of him.

"So, what do you think of our new daimyo?" he questioned, wishing to know Minato's opinion of the young man.

Tsunade was fond of him, an interesting point, for she was rarely ever fond of anyone – even him, despite all his various qualities. The Impunity!

"He is ambitious," Minato added, and Jiraiya was surprised by the choice of words and the quick answer he had received.

"Though, he is pragmatic enough to make concrete efforts to achieve his ambitions," he added, and Jiraiya smiled as he saw his student reach nearly the same conclusion as him.

Akihito Shirahoshi was an enigma to those who only saw the present. His actions, when looked at individually, didn't reveal much. But if one stepped back and saw his actions as part of a collective whole, that's when his true nature and prowess began to show up.

His actions in Shino were a perfect indicator of that pragmatism. His family were recently ennobled, and so the connection between him and his people was weaker than that held by nobles who had ruled over their fiefs for generations. And so, he had first gained the loyalty of his people by giving them a better life when the whole continent was struggling. He established peace and order in his lands, nurturing in them a sense of belonging and privilege, that gained him immense loyalty in a few years as the people felt safe and secure in his lands.

And then he prepared for war, slowly gathering resources while remaining outside scrutinizing gazes by never touting himself or making bold declarations. He hid in silence, like a snake, until he realized the appropriate moment had arrived, and he struck, surprising everyone with his prowess.

"And what of Danzo's actions? What was his reaction?" he questioned.

"He was somewhat angry, though he assured us that he wouldn't put blame on the village. But he wants full accountability for the extent of Danzo's treason and what the village plans to do to remedy that," Minato answered, and Jiraiya was impressed once more.

Danzo's actions were dangerous and could have caused a major headache for the village. Of course, there were ways to counteract this. Had the new daimyo tried to make a very big deal out of it, Jiraiya was prepared to leverage all the information he had on the young noble to dampen his influence. Though now they wouldn't have to resort to such excessive means.

And that was good, for while he could handle shinobi and even regular nobles to some extent, Akihito Shirahoshi was a man mysterious and powerful enough that he did not wish to make an enemy out of him unless absolutely necessary.

"That is reasonable of him," he added, and Minato nodded as they both sat in their training yard as they would once when times had been simpler and their bodies younger, even though his student was still relatively young.

"Yes, he was angry over Orochimaru's defection and his getaway," Minato added, as he looked him in the eye, a sharp glint in them as he questioned, "Do you have any information on him?"

He smiled. Minato was much like their new daimyo. They were dreamers, ambitious yet pragmatic and ruthless enough to slay a thousand men.

"Not yet," he answered, and it was both frustrating and worrisome.

"I have scoured his labs and any other hideouts that he could use, but there is simply no trace of him," he told Minato.

That was worrisome, for that meant Either Orochimaru had been planning this for quite some time, which highlighted their incompetence in that they had never caught a whiff of this treason, or he was working with someone who would open a whole other Pandora's box.

"We have his apprentice in T&I, but she claims to know nothing about it all," he told Minato, who shook his head.

"I don't think he was the kind to divulge anything, plus she is a chunin. She wouldn't have been able to tell even if something was wrong," he said, and Jiraiya nodded.

He had reasoned the same, but their sensei was not listening to him over this and blaming the little chunin for his failures.

"There is also the seal he placed on her. We do not know what it is. They are trying to decipher it but have come up with nothing," he said as he passed on a scroll with the seal schematics to Minato.

"I will take a look and ask Kushina to do the same," he said, and that was a relief.

"I was also able to look into the whereabouts of your little student," he added as he leaned forward as Minato perked up at those words.

"He wasn't lying. Nohara Rin is a guest of the Water Daimyo and is currently residing in his castle. She has not been harmed and is being treated quite well, I have confirmed this through multiple sources."

Minato had asked him to look into the whereabouts of his precious student and to ascertain the truth behind the daimyo's words, and it seemed as if the young man was not lying.

From all the reports he had gathered, she was fine and afforded all the luxuries a guest would have.

"That is good. I have sent a message to her through our daimyo as well. Let us see how she responds," Minato added, and Jiraiya raised a brow.

"I have enough men that we could attempt a rescue," he offered, and Minato shook his head.

"Not yet. As long as she is fine, I do not wish to override the intentions of our new daimyo," he said, and that was pragmatic thinking.

"He has assured me of her safety and has been generous to Konohagakure despite our failures. I must also give him some trust and hold off on any action until we feel that her life is threatened. Otherwise, we shall wait until the mess in Kirigakure resolves itself," Minato said, and Jiraiya shrugged.

"So be it then," he then narrowed his eyes as he asked another question that had been plaguing him.

"Why do you think the daimyo wished to see Kushina?" he questioned, and Minato shook his head.

"I do not know, but she should be reaching the capital soon. So, we will know soon enough."

0000

In a castle touching the skies in another part of the continent, a portly old man stood on a balcony looking down at his country as clouds lofted beneath him. He was dressed in a white kimono made of the finest silks, and he wore a ceremonial hat atop his head.

"My lord, word has come from the Fire Country. They have a new daimyo," the voice of an attendant from behind came, informing the esteemed lord of the Lightning Country of the shift in the political environment.

"Is it the young lord from Shino?" he questioned.

"Yes, my lord, it is the very same one. He was enthroned yesterday, and there are rumors that he met with the Senju Princess and the Yellow Flash today, which gives credence to the rumors that the Sandaime Hokage may be retiring."

"Hmmm… a new daimyo and a new Kage. Interesting," spoke the old man as a gust of wind blew, cool and rustled the calmer clouds.

'An omen,' he thought.

"I can feel it, Samui," he began slowly as he looked into the distance.

"Change is coming, and we must prepare for it," he said as he looked up into the sky.

"Establish a communication channel with the daimyo of Stone Country and have Ay come to meet me. We must prepare, or we shall all be swept away by this whirlwind of change."

0000

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