The rooftop of the Konoha hot springs.
Homura Mitokado and Utatane Koharu looked at Jiraiya, who was currently peeping, and said helplessly:
"Jiraiya, Konoha is currently leaderless and lacks someone to take charge of the big picture. We have already reached an agreement with the Feudal Lord to recommend you as the Fifth Hokage."
Jiraiya unhurriedly put away his telescope, turned around, and leaned against the railing. "I have no interest in the position of Hokage. Isn't there still Kakashi? His current strength is barely enough."
"Kakashi won't do. His strength is sufficient, but he lacks the prestige to command respect."
"If it were a standard succession, it would be fine, but now that the Third Hokage has died in battle, the people below are in a state of panic. We need someone with high enough prestige to pacify them. In Konoha right now, only you, as one of the Sannin, have the qualifications for this." Utatane Koharu said directly.
No matter what, Jiraiya must succeed this time. Otherwise, Konoha won't even have someone responsible for negotiating with Sunagakure. How would other Ninja villages view this? Would they say that Konoha has no successors?
Jiraiya looked up straight at the azure sky and smiled. "The Sannin, you say? Isn't there another one? Tsunade is more suitable to serve as Hokage than me."
The two Advisors exchanged glances. "Indeed, compared to Jiraiya, Tsunade is superior in both status and prestige. There isn't a middle-aged Jonin or Chunin in Konoha who hasn't received favors from Tsunade."
Finally, with Jiraiya's guarantee that he would bring Tsunade back within a month, the two gave up on the idea of forcing Jiraiya to become Hokage.
Furthermore, Jiraiya proposed taking Naruto out for training, and the two Advisors agreed after thinking about it for a moment.
Although the uncertainty of the Jinchuriki leaving the village is too great, Danzo's death has yet to be solved. Leaving him running around Konoha is not as good as having him follow Jiraiya.
The town outside the west gate of Konoha.
"You're leaving the village, so why come to me? I'm not going with you to find Tsunade."
Aoki Yoru looked at Jiraiya, who was knocking on his window late at night, and said speechlessly.
Jiraiya tossed his long hair, threw an arm around his shoulder, and said with a lecherous expression:
"Since I'm going to find Tsunade, I've already conceived the final volume of 'Young A-Bin' and am ready to start writing at any time. So, I came to see if you have any new ideas."
Aoki Yoru rolled his eyes at him helplessly. Although he had wiped out Danzo's laboratory, who would complain about having too much money? After all, experimental expenses were huge.
"Of course I do. I've recently conceived a new plot. Let me tell you about it."
Immediately, Aoki Yoru recounted the plot of the masterpiece from his past life, 'Golden Scales Are Not...', to Jiraiya. For an old veteran like him, the books from his past life were imprinted in his mind, inexhaustible and endless.
Jiraiya's complexion gradually changed from lecherous to flushed, and finally, a puff of hot air sprayed from his nostrils.
Afterwards, Jiraiya straightened his expression and patted his shoulder with gratification. "Yoru, you've grown. This is completely different from the straightforward plots before. You know how to add other elements to connect them. This is the essential path to becoming a qualified writer."
Then he nodded. "Mm-hmm! It seems you also intend to develop in the direction of a writer. Keep it up, I believe in you."
Aoki Yoru rolled his eyes at Jiraiya, who was talking to himself, and shook his head. "I have absolutely no intention of becoming a writer. Maybe when I'm old, I'll write a memoir to leave for my descendants!"
Jiraiya showed a disappointed expression upon hearing this. "What a pity. You could definitely write a masterpiece that would go down in history. The Ninja World has lost a great writer!"
'What the hell kind of great writer? Who else but you would write smut using their real name?' Aoki Yoru inwardly complained about Jiraiya.
Then he ignored the heartbroken Jiraiya and chased him out. Otherwise, Jiraiya would discuss the plot with him all night, and he wouldn't be able to sleep at all.
The Shimizu Clan compound.
At this moment, Aoki Yoru, Kenta, and Yui were building a fire and having a barbecue in the open space of the compound.
The campfire crackled, the grilled meat on the rack sizzled with oil, and the aroma drifted far away with the wind.
Kenta rolled up his sleeves and held a brush to baste the skewers with sauce, while Yui squatted to the side, sprinkling pepper and salt on the freshly grilled skewers.
Aoki Yoru sat on a chair, mixing a special barbecue seasoning. After continuous trial and error, he finally restored the taste from his past life.
To put it bluntly, if he ever stopped being a Ninja, he could rely on this craft to become a wealthy man.
Not far away, Nao, Chino, the younger siblings of Kenta's family, and the children from Yui's clan were chasing and running around, their laughter crisp and clear, mixing with the aroma of the barbecue.
This gathering was proposed by Yui. After all, they hadn't gathered for over a year since Aoki Yoru left the village to travel. She called everyone over while they had time; otherwise, once the Fifth Hokage was confirmed, they would be busy again.
"By the way, Yui, didn't you invite Kakashi-sensei?" Aoki Yoru asked suspiciously. With Yui's delicate mind, she shouldn't have missed him.
Yui explained: "I heard that the Sunagakure negotiation team has already entered the Land of Fire. The Advisors were worried that Sunagakure might cause trouble again, so they sent the teacher to keep an eye on them. He should be back in a couple of days, and we can gather again then."
Aoki Yoru nodded upon hearing this, feeling that the two Advisors were a bit overly anxious. With the Fourth Kazekage dead and the One-Tail Jinchuriki in their hands, the possibility of Sunagakure acting rashly was low.
"By the way, who is Sunagakure sending this time?"
In the original story, Baki was the one leading the negotiation for Sunagakure, but now Baki is locked up in the Anbu.
As for the person replacing Baki, it was that new team leader from Sunagakure during the Chunin Exams, who was at most an ordinary Jonin in strength.
He was killed by Aoki Yoru during the exam. Now, Sunagakure is leaderless and has no choice but to bring out their Advisors.
Yui shook her head. "I don't know about that. At least it should be an Advisor or someone similar. After all, their Jinchuriki is still in Konoha, and they must obtain Konoha's forgiveness."
'It should be someone like Ebizo!' Aoki Yoru couldn't help but think.
After all, the only Sunagakure Advisors that appeared in the original story were the siblings Chiyo and Ebizo, and Chiyo had a deep hatred for Konoha, so she definitely wouldn't come.
Sunagakure is truly in a transitional period now, unable to even send out a decent elite Jonin. Thus, the possibility of Ebizo coming in person is very high.
Aoki Yoru shook his head and threw the thoughts away. Anyway, it was none of his business.
At this time, Kenta said: "Yoru, Yui, do you remember the Sunagakure taijutsu Ninja I mentioned to you last time who had a special breathing method?"
Aoki Yoru and Yui exchanged a puzzled look and nodded at Kenta.
"After a month of exploration, I've found the trick, but the room for improvement in this technique isn't as large as the Eight Gates. Can you help me brainstorm whether we can incorporate Chakra nature transformation?"
"The principle of this breathing method is to significantly increase lung capacity through a special breathing method, inhaling a large amount of oxygen, activating the cells of the whole body, thereby enhancing physical strength and speed. It doesn't need to rely on Chakra or opening meridians, and there is no physical damage..."
Kenta analyzed the principles, the progressive mechanism of the seven levels of activation, and the essential differences from the Eight Gates for the two of them.
After listening, Aoki Yoru and Yui pondered for a while. This technique was also useful for them; by adjusting their breathing, they could explode with strength exceeding their own in a short period, greatly increasing their chances of survival.
They owed a favor this time.
"I'll go back and think about it to see how to incorporate Chakra."
Aoki Yoru felt this had potential. He thought of the breathing styles in Demon Slayer and wondered if there were similarities.
At this time, Yui also said: "Me too. When the time comes, the three of us will gather again and share our respective results."
"Okay." Kenta also nodded.