Konoha.
Naruto is training energetically in front of the waterfall, having received Jiraiya's guidance several years in advance.
The growth of Naruto is clearly much faster than in the original story. At this stage, he has already begun training the wind attribute of chakra nature change.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya, enjoying a leisurely time by a distant waterfall, suddenly opens his eyes, revealing a complex expression.
In the forest.
Jiraiya leans against a tree trunk, and the figure that appears is Sarutobi Asuma.
In such a short time, Asuma's face shows the ravages of time, indicating the immense pressure he is under.
"Lord Jiraiya, I hope you can communicate with Lord Yoru. I will personally eradicate the unrest within the Sarutobi clan," Asuma makes a painful decision, and Jiraiya across from him falls silent.
The Sarutobi clan's intention of a coup d'état is already extremely sensitive, and now they collude with outsiders, which is almost ironclad evidence.
In any ninja village, this would justify a direct and ruthless suppression.
"Asuma, do you have any requests?" Jiraiya finally accepts this reality and asks in silence.
After hearing this, Asuma shows a bitter smile, "I only ask that Lord Jiraiya spare my elder brother's child, Konohamaru. He is still young and knows nothing."
Hearing this, Jiraiya falls silent.
This statement is full of irony. Your elder brother's child is young, but what about the children of other families? People are selfish; in the end, Asuma chooses his own family's child.
He has no children of his own, so Konohamaru is like the only bloodline of their family.
Finally, after a long silence, Jiraiya nods, "Okay, I will talk to Yoru and try to preserve more of the Sarutobi clan's bloodline."
Although the Sarutobi clan is divided into militant and moderate factions, this is only when nothing has happened.
Once the village eradicates the militant faction, what about the moderates? Will there be no hatred? They are related by blood, and even have brothers and friends among each other. The hatred will continue to spread, only hidden.
Therefore, it is really difficult to preserve more bloodlines for the Sarutobi clan.
Jiraiya understands the principle that if you don't remove the roots, the grass will grow back.
Asuma naturally understands this too; hatred will spread.
…
In the Hokage office.
As the door opened, the silent Jiraiya walked in. Terumi Mei, who was discussing a policy with Tsunade, looked up and instantly understood the reason for his arrival.
"I'll step out for a bit, to check on the preparations for the third stage of the exam."
Terumi Mei, understanding the situation, smiled and prepared to leave, but Tsunade scoffed in disdain.
"Now that the Mist and Konoha are one family, you, as a Kage, should lead by example."
At Tsunade's words, Terumi Mei, who was about to stand, laughed and decided not to express her opinion.
After all, this was a matter for the three Sannin to handle.
"Tsunade, this is a decision made by Asuma," Jiraiya said, taking out a scroll, and added with concern, "According to Asuma's intel, the mysterious masked man has secretly contacted him and invited him to join an organization."
Tsunade and Terumi Mei, looking at the intel from Asuma, both showed serious expressions.
Terumi Mei frowned but remained silent, as the matter was more difficult for Tsunade and Jiraiya.
However, Tsunade, frowning deeply, scoffed coldly.
"Asuma is not foolish. He knows to atone for his clan's sins, otherwise, for conspiring with the Sand, the Sarutobi clan would be annihilated ten times over."
Tsunade had little affection for the Sarutobi clan, as most of the Senju clan's assets were taken by them.
As for their so-called teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen, she scoffed even more.
The teacher-student relationship was more about Hiruzen leveraging her family's background.
In terms of ninja techniques, the Sarutobi clan knew nothing about medical ninjutsu; it was the Senju clan's heritage.
Tsunade's strength and abilities were almost all from her family's heritage, and she learned little from Hiruzen.
Thus, among the three Sannin, Tsunade had the least emotional connection with the Third Hokage. Otherwise, in the original story, when she was asked to become the Fifth Hokage, there was no mention of avenging the Third.
Orochimaru was slightly better; at least initially, many ninja techniques were taught by Hiruzen. Later, he developed his path in ninjutsu.
Jiraiya had the deepest connection with Hiruzen, but clearly, there were issues during the Chunin Exams.
Jiraiya's choice also stood from a standpoint of accepting the status quo, to send off the aging Third Hokage who would only lead the Konoha into stagnation and decay.
The older one gets, the more stubborn in thought, especially someone as arrogant and dogmatic as the Third.
The Konoha had fallen into disarray and corruption, but the Third couldn't see it. He believed his rule would lead to strength.
Where did such confidence come from?
Without any reason.
If not for the Sage of Six Paths siding with the Konoha, and if Ashura and Indra reincarnations were born in other villages, the Konoha would have declined.
"Asuma plans to use the masked man to eliminate the unstable element of the Sarutobi clan, with the condition of preserving Konohamaru."
Such a similar situation to the Uchiha clan in the original story, and now it's the turn of the Sarutobi clan.
Seeing this intel, Tsunade scoffed, "What a time to choose, just during the Chunin Exam."
Beneath Tsunade's sarcastic smile, Jiraiya remained silent.
Asuma's intention was simple: use this opportunity to safely leave Konoha.
Though disdainful, Tsunade was still serious. The Sarutobi clan, while not as old and powerful as the Uchiha and Hyuga clans, had grown terrifyingly in recent years.
With a large number of Genin and Chunin, and not a few Jonin, the Sarutobi clan's number of ninjas had surpassed the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance.
A genuine noble clan, second only to the Uchiha.
The Hyuga clan, before their split, could still surpass them, but now... well.
"Tsunade, it's time to make a decision."
Nowadays, the actions of the Sarutobi clan have endangered the peace of the village and have also crossed Jiraiya's bottom line.
Terumi Mei quietly listened on the side, without making any comment.
Tsunade calmly took out a scroll from the drawer, threw it to Jiraiya, and said directly: "This is the Uchiha clan extermination plan originally devised by the Root division."
Tsunade wouldn't suddenly do this, so there must be a deeper meaning.
When Jiraiya opened the scroll and saw its contents, his face gradually turned ugly.
"Tsunade!"
Looking at Jiraiya's ashen face, Tsunade sighed.
"Jiraiya, you should know that the Sarutobi clan also has many ninjas outside. If these people defect, how much intelligence would be leaked."
"So, my plan is either not to do it, or to do it thoroughly! Like the old man and the others did, be ruthless! Leave no seed of hatred."
Jiraiya's expression turned ugly, "Tsunade, there are countless children in the Sarutobi clan."
"Children? Then Jiraiya, do you think this plan, being in the hands of Root and with Danzo's character, had the old man and the others' approval?"
Tsunade sneered, "I am in charge of the external personnel, Jiraiya, you handle the village."
At this moment, Uchiha Yoru appeared in the office.
Terumi Mei smiled, sat aside, and started reading other documents. She did not want to get involved in this matter; just knowing about it was enough.
"Jiraiya, who do you want to spare?"
Uchiha Yoru, with a relaxed smile, sat in front of the desk, looking at Jiraiya with an inquiring expression.
"The old man's grandson, Konohamaru."
Finally, Jiraiya silently spoke a name, and upon hearing this, Uchiha Yoru showed a look of realization, then slowly took out the Sarutobi clan's information from the drawer.
Upon seeing Konohamaru's information, Uchiha Yoru smiled.
"Nine years old, not bad talent, born with vast chakra, and has been instructed by Jonin teachers of the family since childhood..."
Looking at Uchiha Yoru, Jiraiya felt a bit awkward, "Yoru, Asuma is willing to be an inside man, just hoping to preserve a trace of the Sarutobi clan's bloodline."
"Also, Asuma will bear all these charges alone, Konohamaru will not know any of this."
Looking at Jiraiya, Uchiha Yoru felt ironic at the moment. Isn't this what happened to the Uchiha clan in the anime?
However, the Uchiha clan indeed had intentions of a coup, but they hadn't acted yet. At this time, the Sarutobi clan had already committed actual acts of treason.
From this point, Uchiha Yoru's order to annihilate them was not excessive.
But now!
Uchiha Yoru remembered the intelligence sent by Orochimaru and discovered an interesting fact. It's better to leave Konohamaru for Naruto.
He wanted to see how Naruto, the protagonist, would resolve this grudge with his methods.
In the original story, Naruto used his 'Talk-no-jutsu' and the concept of mutual understanding to forgive his parents' killer, Obito. Now, let's see your ability to 'Talk-no-jutsu'.
Thinking this, Uchiha Yoru smiled and casually waved his hand, "Konohamaru can be spared."
"Thank you."
Hearing Uchiha Yoru speak, Jiraiya finally breathed a sigh of relief.
But Uchiha Yoru smiled and waved his hand, "Not only Konohamaru, but even these few families of the Sarutobi clan can be spared."
"After all, no matter what the Sarutobi clan has done, they are still part of the village. Even though they are enemies now, I am not a murderous demon. Take a look at these files of the Sarutobi clan's people."
Pulling out information about seven households from the Sarutobi clan, casually handing it to Jiraiya, Tsunade also showed curiosity at this moment.
"These seven households, three are ordinary people with simple family members, no more than a dozen people. The remaining four households, the strongest, are just two chūnin."
"But their parents had once offended someone from the main branch of the Third Hokage. Although the Third Hokage didn't take it seriously, the rest of the clan saw it as a provocation, so these seven households have always been marginalized and ostracized, feeling almost no sense of belonging to the Sarutobi clan."
"Even among them, there are two households whose family members' deaths are somewhat questionable."
With a smile on his face, Uchiha Yoru left the lives of these seven Sarutobi households this time, showing his magnanimity to everyone.
Since Konohamaru decided to stay, he naturally had to leave some clan members behind, but whether these clan members will continue to regard Konohamaru as the young clan head is unknown.
"Tell Asuma that the Sarutobi clan has solid evidence of treason and collaboration with the enemy, and should be annihilated without a single survivor. But I can't bear to see the Sarutobi clan extinct, so I decided to leave seven good Sarutobi households, and Konohamaru will also stay."
Jiraiya, hearing this, nodded gratefully, "Yoru, don't worry, Asuma will join this secret organization and will be able to gather intelligence about it."
Uchiha Yoru waved his hand casually and shook his head, "I won't follow the Third Hokage, and I don't need anyone to bear the guilt for me."
"The Sarutobi clan's treason and collaboration with the enemy is undeniable, and when the time comes, I will report it to the entire ninja world. Asuma does not need to bear the guilt for me."
Originally, the Uchiha clan was annihilated because they had not yet acted, and were exterminated prematurely. If it gets out that it's just for prevention, then the Third could annihilate a major clan.
So, wouldn't the other families in the village worry? Once they disagree with your policies, would they also be branded and annihilated?
That's why there was Uchiha Itachi, who bore everything.
But I don't need to.
"This!"
Jiraiya hesitated after hearing this, not only for the Sarutobi clan, but also for the Third Hokage's reputation.
Tsunade coldly sneered upon hearing this, "Jiraiya, you wouldn't let the village conceal this fact, would you?"
Jiraiya gave a bitter smile, while Uchiha Yoru shook his head at both of them.
"Alright, you two stop acting. After this, I will order a ban on discussing this matter, and the Sarutobi clan's treason and collaboration with the enemy will be limited to spreading among the jōnin. This matter will dissipate as quickly as possible."
Jiraiya, hearing this, showed a forced smile, at least better than what he had initially expected.
"But the specific plan still needs to be arranged."
After hearing this, Jiraiya sighed, "The Root will lend me a hand, I will handle this matter."
With Sarutobi Asuma as an inside agent, and Jiraiya personally leading the team, there shouldn't be a big problem.
"Tsunade, prepare more of the medicine you used last time, increase the dose. Once the high-end combat power of the Sarutobi clan loses their ability to resist, the rest are not a concern."
Having made a decision, Jiraiya, though in pain, was more resolute as a ninja.
Jiraiya, when serious, also had extraordinary methods, immediately thinking of minimizing casualties by breaking through from the inside.
Tsunade, hearing this, also said in a deep voice, "An elite squad of Sand ninja has already infiltrated the Land of Fire, involving not only the Sarutobi clan but also the Daimyō of the Land of Fire."
"I have already ordered the Anbu to deploy. Once the Sand ninja start a war, the Anbu will order the left and right ninja corps to launch a pincer attack. This elite squad from the Sand, as well as the Sarutobi clan members outside, will all disappear."
As mature ninjas, Tsunade and Jiraiya both knew what they were doing, so having made a decision, they spared no effort.