Seeing Jiraiya's predicament, Byakuya couldn't help but smile faintly.
Jiraiya, who had promised to treat him to a meal, ended up sneaking away midway, which was a clear breach of brotherly loyalty. Even if it was just a pretense of brotherhood, he should have paid up.
But that was Jiraiya for you—always pulling little tricks, but when it came to crucial moments, he was exceptionally reliable.
Byakuya recalled how Jiraiya had once tricked Naruto out of his allowance, yet he had boldly ventured into Amegakure alone during a crisis in Konoha. Normally, he could have leveraged the power of the Three Ninjas and indulged in numerous affairs, but he chose to openly peek and accept the consequences rather than use his ninja techniques to resist.
In the harsh reality of the ninja world, Jiraiya seemed somewhat endearing, almost like a simple-hearted good person.
Unfortunately, the ninja world could accommodate both good and bad people but had little room for pure-hearted individuals. Unless one had a 'Hokage' as a father and a 'Sage' as godfather.
Pulling his wandering thoughts back, Byakuya formed a series of hand seals and used the Shadow Clone Jutsu to leave a clone behind. Byakuya then moved toward the direction of his lodging.
As he completed these tasks, Byakuya glanced toward the depths of the alley.
He had noticed the Anbu member trailing him right after the Third Hokage left. This Anbu member was clearly not part of Minato Namikaze's direct team but rather one of Danzo's subordinates, the bug user Ryoma.
Upon seeing Ryoma, Byakuya greeted him with a neutral expression, "Long time no see, Ryoma. Did Danzo-senpai send you to find me?"
"Danzo-sama has business with you, Byakuya-sama, but I'm not clear on the specifics," Ryoma replied.
Ryoma nodded slightly. Though he was a high-ranking member of Root, he couldn't be tough in front of Byakuya. He was well aware of Byakuya's strength and capability—a powerful figure who had turned the tide of battle and defeated a demigod of the ninja world to secure Amegakure.
In terms of power, Byakuya was comparable to the leaders of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Following Ryoma, Byakuya evaded the patrolling guards and, after passing through the Konoha barrier, arrived at a secluded shrine outside the village.
This shrine, located in a remote area, was actually one of Root's bases.
Upon arrival, Byakuya's gaze fell on two figures in the open area: one was Danzo, whom he had seen before, and the other was likely Orochimaru, one of the Three Great Sanins.
During this period, Orochimaru had achieved great feats but, like Ryoma, was Danzo's subordinate. Despite similar titles, their strengths and statuses were quite different. Ryoma was an elite Jonin who could be countered, while Orochimaru had reached the level of Kage, though not at his peak strength like that in anime. Nevertheless, he was still a formidable opponent.
Recalling the giant snake attack he had faced earlier in the day, Byakuya's alertness intensified. If Danzo and Orochimaru decided to team up against him now, he would have no choice but to reveal his full strength to confront them.
Observing Orochimaru, Byakuya realized that Orochimaru was also watching him closely.
When Byakuya had first met the envoy team, Orochimaru had almost overlooked this seemingly ordinary young man, had it not been for Danzo's prior warning. However, the events of the afternoon—where Byakuya had swiftly killed one of Orochimaru's modified summoning beasts—had piqued his interest. Orochimaru was now eager to delve into Byakuya's makeup.
After sizing each other up, Byakuya approached Danzo with a smile and said, "Danzo-senpai, are you planning to take action against the Fourth Hokage this time? Unfortunately, I can't help with the Flying Thunder God Technique; you'll need to find someone else."
Upon hearing this, Ryoma immediately stepped away.
Orochimaru, meanwhile, looked thoughtfully at Byakuya and Danzo, and said with interest, "Danzo, are you really planning to team up with outsiders to deal with Minato? The old man won't agree to that."
Danzo's expression shifted slightly. He knew both were scheming against him, but he could only stiffen his resolve and say, "I have no intention of becoming Hokage for now. This invitation to Byakuya was primarily to discuss a possible cooperation."
"Cooperation?"
Byakuya's eyes twitched, "I'm not inclined to cooperate with you, Danzo-senpai. The last time I trusted you for a collaboration, you ended up killing Hanzo's envoy and pinned the blame on me. If it weren't for my luck, I might have died in Amegakure."
"You knew?"
Danzo's face darkened. He had thought his frame-up of Byakuya was foolproof, but Byakuya's tone indicated that the plot had been exposed. This made Danzo realize he might have been manipulated by Byakuya.
"When I sent Hanzo-sensei into retirement, I guessed as much. However, both Hanzo-sensei and you underestimated the strength of the Akatsuki, which allowed me to secure Amegakure easily."
Orochimaru, listening to the conversation between Byakuya and Danzo, narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. He extracted useful information from their exchange, such as Byakuya's previous cooperation with Danzo and the current state of Hanzo, who was now in retirement. The term "retirement" was particularly intriguing—whether it meant confinement in a secret prison or if Hanzo had been directly eliminated by Byakuya.
After a pause, Byakuya continued, "Let's not dwell on the past. Danzo-senpai, could you explain the details of the cooperation? If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way."
Seeing this, Danzo quickly explained, "Byakuya, I want to enlist your help against Kusagakure. The Kusagakure's high-ranking officials have recently been leaning towards an alliance with Iwagakure. If they form an alliance, it would not be favorable for us."
"You want to take down Kusagakure? I'm not particularly interested in that…"
Byakuya displayed a lack of enthusiasm and added, "However, if Danzo-senpai is planning a coup, I'd be ready to support you at any time."
"I have already said, I have no intention of staging a coup…"
Danzo's words were firm, but Byakuya could sense the underlying tension. The conversation revealed a lot about the power dynamics and the various schemes at play. Danzo's intentions were far from transparent, and Byakuya's indifference toward the Kusagakure plan only highlighted his strategic detachment.
Danzo repeatedly explained that he wasn't sure why Byakuya always suspected him of wanting to stage a coup, especially since he had shared numerous power-seizing plans with Byakuya.
"I just thought Danzo-senpai had such intentions…"
Byakuya gave a noncommittal response, then continued, "But I won't be involved in these schemes. I'm now the heir apparent to the next Amegakure leader and no longer wish to return to the shadows. If Danzo-senpai wants to bask in the sunlight, please make sure to initiate your military coup soon. The longer you delay, the only position left for you might be the Sixth Hokage."
With that, Byakuya turned on his heel and left, leaving Danzo fuming in his place.