After Training Bankai for a Decade, I Was Scouted by the Akatsuki Chapter 164 The Ruler of Amegakure, Akatsuki's Two-Pronged P

The wind around the grave,

Seed to have beco quite tumultuous.

With the arrival of night, the air appeared to condense even further.

Jiraiya remained silent, his expression complicated and grave.

To be honest,

When he first returned to the village,

Upon learning that his teacher had been killed by his forr comrade, his heart was filled with complex emotions and deep grief.

But now,

The intervention of an external force,

Instantly added a thick layer of doubt to the complexity in his heart.

Why...

Why did this seemingly unrelated event involving Agakure,

Contain such a strange figure?

Who exactly is he...

To Agakure...?

"..."

After silently pondering for a long ti,

Jiraiya slightly raised his eyes, gazing intently at Shikaku, and said in a low voice:

"Then... what about those intelligence squads sent to investigate Agakure?"

"Regarding this mysterious Agakure teacher, did they gain anything this ti?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Shikaku still slowly shook his head, sowhat disappointedly saying:

"In their inquiries, the Shinobi over in Agakure did confirm that this Kyo is indeed a teacher from their Shinobi Academy."

"And they also stated that he did indeed participate in the Chunin Exams this ti."

"But, when our Shinobi requested to et the leader of Agakure, Hanzo the Salamander, the other party... refused without rcy."

"In the end, they were forcibly expelled before even stepping foot into Agakure's territory."

"So the information obtained was also ambiguous."

"..."

Shikaku finished speaking unhurriedly.

Jiraiya still had a complicated look in his eyes, nodding and saying:

"It seems..."

"Just as Shikaku-san said,"

"In this Chunin Exam, besides Orochimaru, Agakure and this Kyo indeed have so issues."

Having said this,

Jiraiya again looked at Shikaku, and after a mont of consideration, said solemnly:

"Shikaku-san, since you ca to tell this,"

"Is it because you're afraid that Konoha might be affected by these unknown factors from Agakure in the future...?"

"...That's right."

Shikaku suddenly sighed lightly and said:

"Sigh..."

"Agakure, after all, has always been a major enemy of Konoha."

"Although we have coexisted peacefully for many years, Agakure and its leader seem to have always harbored ambitions for territorial expansion."

"I'm afraid that this Chunin Exams War... might just be one of their probing thods."

"However, I also said these words,"

"I also ntioned this to the two advisors in the village, hoping they would take it seriously."

"But, they thought it was just groundless speculation on my part."

"And they rejected my reconnaissance plan."

"...Hmm?"

Hearing this, Jiraiya was montarily stunned,

"You said... reconnaissance?"

"That's right."

Shikaku slightly raised his head and said seriously:

"In fact,"

"When Hiruzen-sama was alive, he once ntioned to ,"

"If we couldn't obtain information on this Kyo this ti, we could try... to send soone to infiltrate and conduct reconnaissance."

"After all, so many years have passed..."

"The internal situation of Agakure has long beco a complete mystery to us."

"Perhaps even..."

"We can't even confirm whether the leader of Agakure is still Hanzo the Salamander."

"...?"

Hearing this, Jiraiya's heart stirred.

However,

Before he could think further, Shikaku gravely spoke again:

"You just heard it too."

"When our Shinobi asked Agakure if they could et Hanzo, the Shinobi over there... seed as if they had touched upon so secret, and couldn't wait to expel them."

"From this, I suspect..."

"The true ruler of Agakure has long since changed."

"--!?"

Hearing this,

It was like another thunderclap, exploding in Jiraiya's mind!

The leader of Agakure might have changed...?!

This...

This short series of deductions instantly stunned Jiraiya again.

He never imagined he would hear such a bold speculation from Shikaku's mouth...

The key was,

It sounded quite reasonable, had to be convincing...

As expected of Konoha's chief strategist...

This kind of thinking,

Was indeed far beyond the average person...

"..."

Jiraiya gazed at Shikaku for a mont, then exhaled deeply,

His gaze suddenly beca determined, as if he had made a decision, and he said in a deep voice:

"Then... let do it."

"...Hmm?"

At these words, this ti it was Shikaku's turn to be stunned.

"Wh-what?"

Jiraiya's expression remained unchanged, instead he slightly raised his eyes and said solemnly:

"Since Hiruzen-sensei had the idea of infiltrating Agakure before he died,"

"Coupled with Shikaku-san's assessnt of the situation,"

"Both logically and emotionally,"

"I should go to Agakure myself and see the true situation inside."

"This is also for the sake of Konoha."

"...!!"

At these words, Shikaku was shocked.

He never imagined,

Jiraiya would so decisively decide to go personally!

Without any hesitation!

What kind of... courage and bravery was this...

In fact,

The reason he ca to discuss this with Jiraiya was just wanted to figure out the most reasonable plan...

After all, a long ti ago, Hiruzen had hoped Jiraiya would succeed him as Hokage.

Therefore, after his death,

Countless people in Konoha, including Shikaku, had already considered Jiraiya the designated candidate for the Fifth Hokage.

But,

He never expected Jiraiya to plan to go personally.

After being shocked for a long ti,

His expression suddenly beca grave.

However,

Before he could speak, an old voice suddenly ca from behind --

"Absolutely not!!"

"?"

At these words, Jiraiya and Shikaku were simultaneously stunned, looking to the side.

There,

From the darkness, a white-haired old man leaning on a cane walked out.

Behind him were several Shinobi Guards.

The mont they saw him,

Jiraiya and Shikaku almost simultaneously spoke.

"Advisor-sama!?"

That's right.

The one who spoke to stop them,

Was the senior advisor of Konoha, the current supre leader of Konoha, Mitokado Homura.

At this mont, his expression was extrely serious, and he said in a deep voice:

"Absolutely not!"

"Jiraiya, you are the only and most suitable candidate to succeed as Hokage in Konoha right now!"

"You are the cornerstone of Konoha now!"

"Allowing you to infiltrate another Shinobi Village alone, how can that be reasonable?!"

"..."

As his words fell,

Jiraiya and Shikaku's expressions helplessly turned into wry smiles.

And then, as Jiraiya prepared to argue,

Homura gave him no chance and directly spoke solemnly:

"Enough, please don't be willful."

"Hiruzen always had high hopes for you. Here before his grave, do you want to disappoint him?"

"..."

At these words, Jiraiya was instantly speechless.

For a mont,

He didn't know what expression to use in response.

This advisor,

Had even brought up the deceased Hiruzen...

Now,

Continuing the discussion did seem sowhat inappropriate...

Shikaku beside him also looked at Jiraiya, not speaking, but slowly shaking his head, fully indicating his stance.

It was only after a long ti,

That Jiraiya very helplessly looked at Homura opposite him and said with a wry smile:

"Alright... I understand."

"I'll temporarily stay in the village and co up with a better plan."

"Hmm... that's good."

Homura Mitokado nodded with slight satisfaction.

Although he was stubborn,

He wasn't stupid.

He naturally knew that under the current circumstances,

Only by keeping Jiraiya in the village could Konoha have a chance to rise again...

...

Ti passed quietly.

In the blink of an eye, two days had gone by.

On the other side.

In Agakure.

Today,

It happened to be another rainless Sunday, with sunny weather.

And on this day,

Akatsuki's mbers gathered once again.

Kakuzu, who had been far away in the Land of Lightning, and Itachi and Kisa, who had been out on missions, all successfully returned to Agakure today.

And the new mber Deidara, under Zetsu's guidance, had returned yesterday.

Kyo leisurely strolled down the street, preparing to head to the eting place.

But in fact,

He had already learned from Konan in advance.

Now,

Akatsuki had two plans,

That they were preparing... to carry out simultaneously.