Reborn in the Shinobi World with an Arceus Inside

On the riverbank, Orochimaru stared fixedly at Kaito, his expression cold.

It was Jiraiya who broke the silence, shouting, "Hey, Orochimaru, why'd you come out on your own? I thought your strategy was working."

He turned to Jiraiya and said, "The fight is over. I can't find a weakness in him. Continuing to fight would just be a waste of time."

"So what does that mean? Is it a draw?"

"I have no objection to a draw," Kaito said, his eyes crinkling into a smile. He looked as if he had everything under control, but inwardly, he was panicking. He truly had very little energy left.

"Let's call it a draw," Tsunade said, glaring at Kaito. "I can't believe it. We couldn't even take down a kid."

"First, we nearly died on that vanguard mission. Now we come back after recovering, only to lose to a kid. The old man is probably going to laugh himself to death over this," Jiraiya said with a brilliant smile. "But this also shows that our skills are still far from enough. We have to keep working hard!"

"Heh, you don't have to tell me that. I already know."

"Tsunade, why don't we train together!"

"No!"

"Hey, where'd Orochimaru go?"

"No need. I will train by myself."

"Even Orochimaru's like this... so heartless..."

Watching the three of them joke and bicker, Kaito slowly let out a breath.

On the surface, it seemed Kaito had fought Konoha's three elite jonin to a standstill, but he knew they had held back. The most obvious sign was that none of them had used their summoning jutsu. Besides, they were still far from their peak strength. Jiraiya most likely hadn't mastered Sage Mode yet, or at least couldn't use it in actual combat; otherwise, Hanzō couldn't have defeated the Sannin so easily. Tsunade didn't have the diamond mark on her forehead, meaning she hadn't yet mastered the Yin Seal, let alone the Strength of a Hundred Seal. Orochimaru had held back the most, using only a handful of ninjutsu and conserving a great deal of his stamina.

But then again, Kaito hadn't used his full strength, either. He had barely used any of his powerful Ice and Fire Release techniques, and he hadn't revealed the Electric and Dark-type moves he had recently learned. He estimated that if this had been a fight to the death, he could have killed one of them and seriously injured another, at the cost of his own life from exhaustion.

But there was no need for them to fight to the death.

Ultimately, they had no deep-seated hatred for each other. Kaito couldn't kill the Sannin at this juncture and invite Konoha's crazed retaliation; he just wanted to flex his muscles a bit to make Konoha think twice about encroaching on his territory. The Sannin, for their part, were also just testing the waters. If they could have defeated Kaito with little effort, they would have tried to recruit him for Konoha's use or simply eliminated him to make an example.

But now, after their probing attacks, the Sannin understood that a death match would likely result in mutual destruction, which wasn't worth the cost. So they set aside their killing intent and switched to a more moderate sparring match, a seed of recruitment now planted in their minds.

But I digress. In short, Kaito now had the strength of an elite jonin. With Extreme Speed, he wasn't afraid of being swarmed by average numbers. But he was still a long way from being truly Kage-level.

When he came back to his senses, the three Sannin were standing before him.

Tsunade tilted her head up slightly to look at Kaito and said, "Hey, Little Brother Kaito, it's time we had a proper talk about how to deal with Yamabiko Yuto."

"Alright."

"Listen up. Konoha will absolutely not tolerate a rogue ninja. We will not let Yamabiko Yuto go!"

"Tsunade, the issue with Yamabiko Yuto isn't that serious, is it? After all, he just joined a neutral organization."

"Ha? Is that the issue here? What if others follow his example and run away during a mission? If we don't punish this kind of behavior severely, it's the same as condoning it!"

"Well… But Yamabiko Yuto is with Kaito. Are we supposed to go back and call for more people to force a war with him? The Rain and Sand villages would love to see us waste our forces like that."

"..."

In a cave they had taken shelter in from the rain, Tsunade and Jiraiya argued endlessly. Orochimaru leaned against the wall without a word, watching the show along with Kaito.

Tsunade pondered for a moment, then turned her head sharply to Kaito. "This problem is simple. We just need Kaito to give up Yamabiko Yuto."

"Give up my comrade?" Kaito shook his head. "That's impossible. When you're out in the world, you have to have a code of honor."

"Tch. You've only known each other for a few days, right? And you're already life-and-death companions?" Tsunade clearly didn't believe him. "How about this? I can make the decision myself. I'll trade you two hundred kilograms of grain for him. Your little village must be in dire need of food, right?"

"Yamabiko Yuto is my dearest friend, my brother in arms. A mere two hundred kilograms of grain… ahem, no amount of grain is enough to trade for him." Kaito still refused, his attitude firm.

"Are you determined to oppose Konoha? Don't you know there are plenty of ninja in the Leaf who are stronger than us? You don't stand a chance. Even if we can't deal with you now, we will definitely come for you after the war is over. Don't you understand?!" Tsunade said, her tone earnest.

"I understand. I understand everything." Kaito saw that the time was right and offered his own solution. "Yamabiko Yuto is a minor figure. If it weren't for his desertion, he probably would have remained unknown forever. In other words, whether he lives or dies isn't important. What's important is letting others know the consequences of deserting the village, right? So…"

"So you want us to fake Yamabiko Yuto's execution," Orochimaru finished his sentence.

"Exactly. Aren't you ninja the best at faking things?"

"What benefit does Konoha get out of this?"

"Making a new friend opens up new paths, doesn't it?"

"I don't think so," Tsunade said hesitantly. "At the very least, we'd need to get Senior Torifu's permission."

"No need," Jiraiya stepped forward. "I'll report directly to the old man and persuade him to agree to this method."

"Go to Master Hiruzen?" Tsunade shrugged indifferently. "Fine. If the old man agrees, I don't care."

"We have no fundamental conflict of interest. Your Hokage will definitely agree," Kaito said with a smile. "Perhaps we'll even have opportunities to cooperate in the future. Though not in matters of war, of course, or the Rain Village will come looking for trouble with me."

"Tch. Your tiny little village, what good could you possibly have?" Tsunade gave Kaito's head a firm pat. "Why don't you just come back to Konoha with us? With your talent, the Third Hokage would surely value you highly. At that point, never mind Yamabiko Yuto; you could recruit anyone you want."

"What if the one I want is you, Big Sis Tsunade?"

"Heh. You'll have to try a little harder for that, Little Brother."

"Never mind. If I stayed in Konoha, I'd never be able to achieve my dream." Kaito shook his head, escaping Tsunade's demonic claw.

Jiraiya's expression shifted. "What is your dream?"

"Peace, of course!" Kaito stood up, pointed a finger to the sky, and declared, "One day, I will create a peaceful world without war!"

His resolute words moved the three Sannin.

Orochimaru gave a cold laugh, pouring cold water on the idea. "True peace is impossible to achieve. Hatred will constantly breed new hatred. It can never be severed."

"Orochimaru, you're being too absolute," Tsunade said.

"That's right. Nothing is impossible in this world," Jiraiya said in a low, firm voice. "I also firmly believe that one day, peace will come."

He looked at Kaito and suddenly pointed a finger at him. "I've decided! I'm going back with you to see for myself what kind of sanctuary you've built!"

"Hey, Jiraiya..."

"Alright. Welcome." Kaito flashed his pearly white teeth.

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