Mastermind of the Akatsuki

Does Jiraiya want to return to Konohagakure? The answer is yes.

After being defeated by Byakuya, Jiraiya had a lot of intel he wanted to report to Tsunade and the others, warning the Five Kage to be on high alert against Byakuya, someone even more dangerous and ambitious than any of them.

But if it was Orochimaru bringing him back to Konoha, then the situation was completely different.

Under Orochimaru's watch, he had no chance to pass on any intel, and it was also uncertain whether Orochimaru's trip back to Konoha would turn into another Konoha Crush. The village could no longer withstand another upheaval. However, as a prisoner, Jiraiya didn't have the right to bargain. He could only follow Orochimaru back to Konohagakure.

Before long, the group arrived at the urban area of Konoha.

Unlike the surrounding regions like the Forest of Death, the main district of Konoha had a special sensory barrier. Any ninja attempting to enter or exit would be detected by the barrier team.

But for a ninja of Orochimaru's level, cracking the barrier was only a matter of time.

As Jiraiya pondered how Orochimaru would break through the barrier, an ANBU wearing an animal mask appeared before them and respectfully said, "Orochimaru-sama, my lord has been waiting for you."

Orochimaru nodded slightly, then glanced at Jiraiya and said slowly, "Then let's go together and visit your lord in Konoha."

Jiraiya's expression darkened and brightened in turns. He hadn't expected Orochimaru's infiltration of Konoha to run this deep.

Even after the ANBU's reorganization, Orochimaru still maintained connections, and that contact held a considerable position.

At this moment, Jiraiya seemed to recall something, and his breathing grew slightly rapid.

There were very few jōnin in Konoha who could command the ANBU. Aside from him and Tsunade, only a few elder advisors had that kind of authority.

If these people were colluding with Orochimaru...

Jiraiya didn't dare to think further. He couldn't accept that Konoha had been penetrated to such an extent.

As they walked through Konoha's city center, the group could clearly sense how desolate the village had become.

Most of the combat-capable ninja had been deployed to the front lines, leaving only a third of the village's shinobi behind. And most of those remaining were elderly, infirm, or non-combatants.

Jiraiya was concerned, worried that Orochimaru might strike again. But Orochimaru seemed utterly uninterested in such things. He even helped a few old ladies cross the street with great enthusiasm as they passed.

Seeing this, the corner of Jiraiya's mouth twitched slightly.

Orochimaru had always been cold and distant during their genin days, never one to show concern for others. This kind of do-gooder behavior was an enormous contrast.

Thinking this through, Jiraiya asked warily, "Orochimaru, what exactly are you planning? Why are you acting like this in front of us?"

Orochimaru paused, then revealed a sinister, chilling smile.

"Jiraiya, what do you think would happen if I manipulated you into attacking Konohagakure? If the villagers were to die at the hands of the beloved Jiraiya?"

"That's not funny at all!" Jiraiya's face turned grim in an instant.

Sasuke glanced at Orochimaru and said, "Orochimaru, you'd better not talk about destroying Konoha again. The village is now being protected by Uchiha shinobi. If you make a move against Konoha, I and the others won't just stand by."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. I was just joking with an old friend," Orochimaru said nonchalantly. "I have no interest in those useless weaklings who aren't even qualified as test subjects. I'm not planning to do anything in Konoha. But don't you think my suggestion just now was interesting?"

Sasuke replied, "That didn't sound like your kind of suggestion. Only someone like Byakuya would come up with something so terrifying."

"That guy? You really are a fearless brat, daring to speak about Byakuya behind his back. If he hears about it, you're in for a tough time," Orochimaru said with a half-smile.

Sasuke snorted coldly and said with some dissatisfaction, "Orochimaru, you've already escaped from the Akatsuki. Why are you still defending Byakuya? Shouldn't you be cursing him?"

"I simply wasn't as skilled. There's nothing to complain about."

Orochimaru seemed to fall into reflection and added, "Even launching a surprise attack didn't allow me to get the Rinnegan. So, being hunted by Akatsuki was inevitable. In the end, it's just that I wasn't powerful enough."

As Jiraiya listened to the conversation between Orochimaru and Sasuke, he continued analyzing the information.

From what he gathered, several things became clear: First, Orochimaru had once joined Akatsuki but was later hunted down after a failed assault on Nagato. For him, that was actually a good thing; at least he didn't need to worry about getting caught by Byakuya again.

Second, the relationship between Orochimaru and Sasuke made it clear that Orochimaru had likely stayed in contact with Shisui.

This could be due to Shisui inheriting Danzō's intelligence network and secretly working with Orochimaru. That thought left Jiraiya with a sense of cruel irony.

Did every shinobi who became the leader of Root end up colluding with outsiders? Could it be that even Shisui had plans of rising through a coup?

After leaving Konoha's commercial district, the group arrived at the Root base in the mountains behind the village.

Jiraiya had already suspected that Root was their final destination, so he wasn't surprised.

Soon, they encountered Shisui inside the Root base.

Shisui spotted Orochimaru and Sasuke and frowned slightly when he noticed Jiraiya among them.

"Orochimaru, didn't you say Sasuke was fully trained? Why did you bring Jiraiya here too?"

"It was an accident…" Orochimaru said with a smile. "But as the head of Root, you should know Jiraiya's value, right?"

Shisui replied without changing expression, "If this were a time of peace, he'd be quite the gift. But right now, the village is overwhelmed trying to deal with Madara Uchiha. Even if I have Jiraiya, there's not much I can do with him."

Hearing this, Jiraiya finally confirmed that Shisui and Orochimaru were working together. They had actually treated him as a bargaining chip. This was an unbearable humiliation.

Orochimaru seemed unwilling to continue holding on to Jiraiya and quickly said, "He'll be useful eventually. Let's just hand him over to you along with Sasuke."

"Don't give him to me. I don't want him. You keep him."

Even Shisui didn't want to deal with Jiraiya, and the rejection from one of the Legendary Sannin left Jiraiya feeling strangely conflicted.

After some back and forth, Orochimaru finally lost patience.

"Shisui, I really have nowhere to keep Jiraiya. If it comes down to it, just lock him up with the Third Hokage."

The moment he said that, both Jiraiya and Sasuke were instantly alert.

Sasuke had known that Shisui and Orochimaru had conspired against the Third, but he hadn't expected the two to keep the Third Hokage alive, despite his role in issuing the Uchiha extermination order.

Jiraiya was utterly shocked. He asked in disbelief, "Orochimaru, Shisui, what were you just saying? The Third Hokage isn't dead? Didn't you kill him?"

"No, you must've misheard. That old man's been dealt with long ago," Orochimaru tried to explain.

But Jiraiya seemed certain of what he heard. "Orochimaru! Your expression gave you away. I know you didn't kill him."

Shisui glanced at Jiraiya, then said, "Orochimaru, since Jiraiya's already in our hands, there's no need to hide it from him anymore."

The two exchanged a glance, and Orochimaru nodded slightly. Then he said, "Jiraiya, you're right. The Third Hokage is indeed still alive. He's being held in Root's prison. And we won't kill you either, we're going to keep you alive. You two are incredibly powerful shinobi. Rather than dying now, why not become our test subjects? Do you know how many research materials that old man has provided us?"

"You…" Jiraiya opened his mouth to say something, but due to the curse mark's control, he couldn't speak a word. He could only watch helplessly as he was dragged into the darkness by Root shinobi.

Once Jiraiya was gone, Orochimaru dropped the pretense and got straight to the point. "Shisui, I suspect Jiraiya was sent here by Byakuya-sama. Did he issue any special orders?"

Shisui hesitated, then handed Orochimaru a scroll from Byakuya.

Orochimaru scanned its contents and muttered with a strange look on his face, "Shisui, just what is Byakuya-sama planning? I can't read his intentions at all."

The intel scroll contained detailed records of Jiraiya's involvement with Byakuya.

Byakuya had traveled to Mount Myōboku and successfully brought one of the Three Great Sage Lands under his control. But his attitude toward Jiraiya, the sage of Mount Myōboku, was completely different.

Not only did he actively reveal his collaboration with Madara Uchiha to Jiraiya, but he even exposed his ambitions. After knocking Jiraiya unconscious, Byakuya didn't eliminate him; instead, he had him delivered to Orochimaru's base.

What puzzled Orochimaru the most was Byakuya's follow-up order.

Byakuya actually instructed Shisui and Orochimaru to join the alliance of the Five Great Shinobi Nations and fight against Madara Uchiha, and then, at a critical moment… expose him.

It was completely incomprehensible. But since the command came from Byakuya-sama, it must hold some deeper meaning. As subordinates, they had no choice but to act according to Byakuya's plan. The first step was to regain the trust of Jiraiya and the Third Hokage.

In Root's prison.

Jiraiya was assigned to the second level of the facility. The cell featured a toilet, a small bed, and even a desk with a lamp—a quite luxurious setup for a prison.

In the adjacent cell was none other than the Third Hokage.

After several failed attempts, the Third Hokage had given up on escaping, resigning himself to live out the rest of his days there.

As for why his escape attempts had failed, most of his chakra had been sealed, leaving him with only jōnin-level strength. On top of that, all the guards were Uchiha shinobi.

These guards were all three-tomoe Sharingan users—elite among elites—and some even wielded Wood Release.

The Third Hokage admitted to himself that even in his prime, it would have been difficult to overpower that many elite jōnin. But more importantly, he knew his time as Hokage had been a failure.

Because of his leadership, Konoha had gradually declined from its former glory to its current fragile state. Not only had they lost the vital alliance with the Uzumaki clan, but even the Senju and Uchiha couldn't be protected.

Instead of clinging to power, it was better to trust the younger generation—Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shisui—and see what they could do. As for his earlier escape attempt, it was simply to get a glimpse of today's Konoha.

He sighed softly and reached for a cigarette like usual. In prison, no one had forced him to quit. In fact, the tobacco was plentiful, it was as if they were trying to kill him slowly with nicotine.

At that moment, he noticed the neighboring cell door opening and a familiar figure being locked inside.

"From the back and the build… why does that guy look so much like Jiraiya?" he muttered, shifting his attention back to lighting his cigarette. Since entering prison, no one had bothered to stop him from smoking.

Jiraiya saw the Third Hokage puffing away and called out, somewhat uncertainly, "Old man, is that really you? Are you really alive?"

The Third Hokage froze, then turned to look at Jiraiya, shocked. "Jiraiya? You got caught by Shisui too? Don't tell me they're planning to target Tsunade now?"

Jiraiya scratched his head and replied, "Not exactly. You could say Orochimaru saved my life. But they still brought me here anyway. But none of those matters, what matters is that you're alive! Orochimaru, for all his sins, still had enough conscience not to kill you."

The Third Hokage said awkwardly, "Orochimaru did intend to kill me, but Danzo stopped him. And now that Shisui is in charge, he doesn't plan to kill me either. They think letting me live is the harshest punishment."

"I see…" Jiraiya replied with a strange expression. "So the old man is just letting Shisui and Orochimaru humiliate him now, huh? I thought you'd rather die than accept that…"

The Third Hokage flushed. Truthfully, his endurance was pretty high.

As long as they didn't attack Konoha, he didn't mind staying alive. Who complains about living too long?

He coughed to change the subject. "Right, Jiraiya, you said someone attacked you. Who was it? Don't tell me it was that masked man?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "I fought him before. He doesn't have the strength."

"Then was it the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee? With their power, I can imagine you having to flee, and Orochimaru stepping in to save you."

Jiraiya shook his head again. "Not them either. They're our allies now."

He paused, then said, "It's a long story. Since we've got time, I'll start from the beginning…"