Naruto: Saving the Uchiha

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"No, I can't wait any longer. I have to go to the Land of Rain immediately, or Shinnosuke will be in danger."

Jiraiya jumped out of the window without hesitation and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

For Jiraiya to act so anxiously, it was clear that the matter was serious. Tsunade felt her headache growing worse by the minute.

"I hope nothing major happens."

Jiraiya was worried about Shinnosuke's safety, and Tsunade couldn't help but feel uneasy as well.

Thankfully, Shinnosuke had years of experience working in the ANBU and wasn't weak by any means. He shouldn't be exposed so easily.

"By the way, take these," Tsunade said. "I've thought it over. If I were to appoint you as Elder directly, it might cause significant controversy. Becoming a Hokage Advisor is the best option for now."

Tsunade wanted to elevate Kazuki's position but had to consider the bigger picture. Some decisions weren't hers to make entirely, especially regarding Kazuki's appointment.

Making such a leap in one go would likely lead to trouble. Starting as Hokage Advisor eliminated many external complications.

"Alright," Kazuki replied.

Whether it was Hokage Advisor or Elder didn't matter much to Kazuki.

He accepted the appointment documents and the Hokage's seal, signifying his complete departure from the police force and his official role as a Hokage Advisor working in the Hokage's office.

This was a vaguely defined position with flexible power—its influence depended entirely on Tsunade's trust. If she valued Kazuki, his authority could grow significantly. Otherwise, it would remain limited.

Most importantly, the position wasn't overly burdensome, offering plenty of free time.

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"Old man, it seems Danzo has brought a huge problem to the village."

Jiraiya rushed to Konoha Hospital but learned that the Third Hokage had just returned home. He immediately headed to the Sarutobi Clan's grounds. The first thing he said upon meeting the Third Hokage shocked the older man.

Danzo caused a huge problem for the village?

Wasn't Danzo bedridden?

"Take a look at this yourself."

Knowing the Third Hokage wouldn't believe him without proof, Jiraiya handed over a scroll he had taken from the Hokage's office.

The Third Hokage opened the scroll, his brows furrowing deeply as he read it.

He recalled that during the Second Ninja War, Jiraiya had spent several years away from Konoha. While Jiraiya hadn't explained much, and the Third Hokage hadn't pressed him, he knew Jiraiya had stayed in the Land of Rain, taking care of three children. Whether Jiraiya had gone elsewhere remained unclear.

"So…"

The Third Hokage irritably puffed on his pipe. "This child named Nagato, who possesses the Uzumaki bloodline, has the legendary Sage's Eyes?"

"Yes," Jiraiya confirmed, sitting cross-legged opposite the Third Hokage. "Nagato has been suppressing the power of his eyes. I thought he was the prophesied savior. Who would've expected Danzo to join forces with Hanzo to wipe out the Akatsuki? Did you know about this?"

Know about it? Not at all!

The Third Hokage felt a surge of frustration.

All he knew was that ROOT had suffered significant losses during a particular mission, requiring reinforcements. But during the chaos of the Third Ninja War, he hadn't had time to look into it.

Who would've thought Danzo had pulled such a reckless stunt?

"Why wasn't this reported?" the Third Hokage demanded.

Both Jiraiya and Danzo had kept this from him. At this moment, the Third Hokage couldn't help but feel a bitter sense of failure, as if both his disciple and his most trusted companion had been guarding against him.

"Because the matter of the Rinnegan was too significant, I didn't report it," Jiraiya said, laughing awkwardly. He could see that the Third Hokage was upset.

Jiraiya had his concerns. If news of the Rinnegan spread, it might draw Konoha's attention to Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato. Who would've guessed that while he kept the matter tightly under wraps, Danzo would stumble into it anyway?

Danzo had suffered heavy losses but didn't report the incident upon returning to Konoha. As a result, the Third Hokage was only now realizing the severity of the situation upon seeing the scroll.

Good grief—everyone else knew about it and kept it from him!

And now that trouble was brewing, they remembered to inform him.

"I didn't expect Danzo to keep this hidden," Jiraiya quickly shifted the blame. "Old man, this is partly your fault. If you hadn't been so lenient with Danzo, and had interrogated him thoroughly when ROOT suffered losses, this wouldn't have been hidden for so long."

After such significant casualties, there should've been an investigation. Instead, Danzo got away without a scratch—thanks to the Third Hokage's lack of attention.

If he had been more thorough, Danzo would've had no choice but to confess. Without funding or reinforcements, Danzo would've been powerless to resist.

But alas, the Third Hokage had let it slide.

The Third Hokage. "…"

The old man was already feeling bad enough, and now Jiraiya had to twist the knife?

"Old man, I'm leaving immediately for Amegakure. I hope I'm not too late. If Nagato starts to hate the village because of Danzo, Shinnosuke might be in danger."

"Things may not be as bad as you think, Jiraiya."

"What?"

Jiraiya, about to ask the Third Hokage to look after Naruto while he left, paused in confusion and sat back down.

"Old man, do you mean Shinnosuke can complete this reconnaissance mission and stay safe?"

"Yes. You need to trust Shinnosuke."

With the information from ROOT, the Third Hokage acknowledged the danger posed by the Rinnegan but trusted his son's abilities. Moreover, Shinnosuke's task was merely to confirm whether the Akatsuki's base was in the Land of Rain—not to gather more in-depth intelligence.

Given Shinnosuke's skill and experience, there shouldn't be a problem.

Jiraiya, ready to dash to Amegakure, was momentarily speechless at the Third Hokage's confidence.

Trust Shinnosuke?

Of course, he trusted Shinnosuke. As an elite jonin and a long-time ANBU operative, Shinnosuke was far from ordinary.

"I'm just worried about him," Jiraiya said, realizing that pressing further might imply a lack of trust in Shinnosuke. He quickly changed the subject. "Asuma is missing, and I'm afraid Shinnosuke might dig deeper because of this."

After being removed from the ANBU by Tsunade, Shinnosuke had taken on a mission to investigate Asuma's disappearance near the Daimyo's estate. Unfortunately, the results were inconclusive.

When new information about the Akatsuki came to light, Shinnosuke volunteered to go to the Land of Rain. Tsunade had readily assigned him the task.