Chapter 448 — Purpose
"Y-you…?"
The moment Jiraiya pushed the door open, chakra surged through his entire body. He was already prepared to fight.
In his mind, anyone Orochimaru chose to meet could not possibly be ordinary.
There was even a high chance—it was that mysterious Uchiha who had attacked Konoha, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure.
But when he saw who was inside, Jiraiya froze.
Orochimaru was there, yes—his disguise already removed, watching him with a faint, amused expression.
And the person he had come to meet…
was indeed a "mysterious Uchiha."
Uchiha Kei.
Head of Konoha's Police Force.
Jiraiya's mind went blank.
He had never imagined such a scene. His gaze locked onto Orochimaru and Kei, to the point that he completely ignored everyone else in the room.
Whatever the others' identities were didn't matter.
These two standing together was shocking enough.
"Well then, Head Kei, I'll leave this little problem to you," Orochimaru said with a sly smile, his tongue flicking across his lips. "Make it quick and clean. Consider it my compensation for the intelligence I provided about Kumogakure…"
As he spoke, his body began to sink into the ground, gradually merging with it.
Jiraiya's expression tightened at those words. Just before disappearing completely, Orochimaru let out a hoarse chuckle.
"After all, that information helped you accomplish quite a bit… didn't it?"
"Accomplish quite a bit?!" Jiraiya frowned deeply. He stepped forward at once, reaching out. "Stop right there, Orochimaru! Explain yourself!"
But just as his hand extended—
it was caught.
Kei grabbed his wrist firmly.
He glanced at Jiraiya, then briefly at the spot where Orochimaru had vanished. He understood exactly what Orochimaru was doing.
That snake had clearly grown tired of being chased.
Now he wanted Kei to handle Jiraiya for him—to explain things, or at least make him stop.
"Uchiha Kei… what is the meaning of this?" Jiraiya's voice dropped, his expression dark. "Don't tell me… you and Orochimaru are working together?"
Working together? Well… not entirely wrong.
Kei inwardly sighed. After all, he had just handed Orochimaru a list of demands—both his own and Konoha's.
If Jiraiya found out, things would get troublesome.
"Jiraiya-sama," Kei said calmly, "I'd advise you to calm down. Some things… aren't so easily explained."
"Is that so?" Jiraiya raised his head slightly, his gaze turning sharp. "Then will you explain them?"
"Perhaps," Kei replied with a nod. "But you already know—you won't get much."
"In that case…" Jiraiya took a deep breath, his tone firm. "I'm afraid I'll need everything. Looks like I'll have to subdue you first."
The moment he finished speaking, he shook off Kei's grip and launched a punch straight at him.
Kei hadn't expected Jiraiya to act this impulsively.
In his memory, Jiraiya wasn't like this.
Yes, he had been reckless in his youth—but now he was a seasoned, perceptive shinobi, someone who hid sharp insight beneath a seemingly carefree demeanor.
And yet here he was, charging in head-on.
Still, Kei had no intention of standing still and taking the hit.
His eyes turned crimson in an instant, the three tomoe spinning as he read Jiraiya's movements.
He sidestepped smoothly, avoiding the punch, and immediately caught Jiraiya's fist again, halting any follow-up.
"Jiraiya-sama, there's no need to be so rash," Kei said evenly. "As a shinobi, you should understand—there are things I cannot disclose. And strictly speaking, you are still a Konoha ninja. Even as one of the Sannin, you don't have the authority to demand classified information from me."
"I'm not asking for much," Jiraiya replied in a low voice. "Tell me where Orochimaru is. And what he's been doing. Especially what he was doing in the Land of Water."
Kei almost laughed.
Those things? You think I can just tell you?
Why not just go ask Minato directly?
But he held his tongue.
He had already begun to understand why Jiraiya was acting like this.
This man had likely pieced something together.
Perhaps he had linked Orochimaru to the mysterious Uchiha behind the attacks on Kirigakure and Kumogakure.
That wasn't entirely wrong—but it also wasn't something that could be explained plainly.
Worse still, Jiraiya might have lumped all three incidents together, including Konoha's, into one narrative.
Which, admittedly… was exactly the effect Kei had intended to create.
But now, it seemed that strategy had caused some unintended complications.
I underestimated him… Kei thought with a quiet sigh.
For a moment, he considered explaining things—but then he changed his mind.
"You two stay out of this," he said calmly without turning back. "I'll handle Jiraiya. It won't take long."
"So it really is you!" Jiraiya's expression darkened further. "Why would you do this? You're the head of Konoha's Police Force!"
"Why?" Kei glanced briefly at Obito, who stood awkwardly nearby, before answering in an even tone. "Because it's a secret. If you can defeat me, Jiraiya-sama… perhaps I'll tell you. But as things stand—"
"Then I'll just have to defeat you!"
Jiraiya didn't waste another word.
His chakra surged violently, shaking Kei's grip loose.
Without forming a single hand seal, his hair suddenly hardened, shooting outward like countless sharp spikes toward Kei.
Kei moved lightly, weaving through the attack with ease. The hair, sharp as kunai, couldn't even graze him.
But in the next instant—
he sensed something behind him.
A strange surge of chakra.
Jiraiya appeared like a phantom at his back, a spinning sphere of chakra already forming in his hand—
The Rasengan.
Meanwhile, outside—
the small town remained as peaceful as ever.
Despite being filled with wandering samurai and rogue ninja, fights were rare here.
After all, this was the Land of Fire. Konoha forces were always stationed nearby.
And Konoha had just won a war against Kumogakure.
Even if that victory had come with… unusual circumstances, no one doubted its strength.
For those trying to make a living here, provoking Konoha was the last thing they would do.
So they gathered in taverns instead—exchanging information, seeking work, or simply passing the time.
Unaware—
that within one quiet room, a battle between monsters had already begun.
They were all desperadoes. While places like brothels had their appeal, the prices there were far beyond what most of them could afford.
So taverns remained their usual haunt.
But when many of them arrived at their regular bar, they were met with a strange sight—people were rushing out in a panic.
At the same time, a powerful surge of chakra could be felt erupting from within.
It didn't take much to guess what was happening.
Either some lunatics were fighting inside… or enemies with a death feud had decided to settle things right there.
Such incidents weren't unheard of, but they were rare. Most people with any sense would take their fights outside the town, into the forest. Otherwise, they'd end up dragging everyone else into the chaos.
"Damn it, who the hell is fighting in there?"
"No idea. Probably a couple of madmen. Bastards—hope they kill each other."
"I just hope Konoha doesn't drag us into this. Those idiots are asking for death."
"Shut up. Konoha's here."
The murmurs quickly died down.
A group of Konoha shinobi in green uniforms had arrived, their expressions grim.
A fight breaking out within their jurisdiction was nothing short of a provocation.
But when a Hyūga shinobi activated his Byakugan and looked inside, everything changed.
They didn't move.
"...What's going on? Why aren't they doing anything?"
"How would I know? Could it be someone important inside?"
"Probably. Only someone like that would dare cause trouble in Konoha's territory."
"Let's just see what they do…"
Seeing Konoha hesitate, the wandering ninja and samurai began whispering again, some even sounding faintly mocking.
Of course, no one dared raise their voice.
Just because someone inside was strong enough to make Konoha cautious didn't mean Konoha would tolerate them.
They were just small fry—people surviving under Konoha's shadow. Offending such a powerhouse would only lead to one outcome.
Even so, while the Konoha shinobi didn't rush in, they began securing the area and maintaining order.
Then—
a violent tremor shook the tavern.
A surge of chakra burst outward from within, followed by an explosive detonation.
The entire building was obliterated in an instant.
The shockwave blasted everyone outside off their feet, sending bodies flying in all directions.
Dust and smoke engulfed the ruins.
The wandering ninja and samurai lay sprawled on the ground, coughing violently. Even several Konoha shinobi had been thrown back, looking equally disheveled—but none of them dared complain.
As the smoke slowly cleared, the figures at the center of the battlefield finally came into view.
And in that moment, everyone understood why Konoha hadn't acted.
It wasn't that they didn't dare.
It was that they couldn't.
Those with sharper eyes had already recognized them.
One was Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin.
The other—
was Uchiha Kei, head of the Police Force.
Shock rippled through the crowd.
But confusion followed just as quickly.
Why were these two fighting here?
Had something gone wrong inside Konoha?
Speculation ran wild, but none of it affected the two at the center of the storm.
Kei frowned slightly as he faced Jiraiya.
Even now, Jiraiya was holding back.
But then again—so was he.
At first, Kei had no intention of fighting at all. He had every opportunity to explain things clearly. With Kakashi and Imai Kenta present, it wouldn't have been difficult to calm Jiraiya down.
But he had changed his mind.
Because he suddenly remembered something—
Jiraiya was one of the few who had nearly mastered Sage Mode.
Kei had long wanted to study senjutsu chakra. While his notes gave him plenty of theoretical insight, nothing compared to observing a true practitioner firsthand.
Watching how Jiraiya gathered, balanced, and used natural energy through the Sharingan—
that was far more valuable than any written record.
That, ultimately, was why Kei chose to fight.
And if the opportunity arose…
extracting a portion of that senjutsu chakra and sealing it away for study wouldn't be a bad outcome either.