At the Jōnin meeting, the village's Jōnin had been informed in advance, and all arrived at the Hokage building, except for a few clan ninjas and others who had to remain on duty.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzo, and two village advisors entered the room with serious expressions. Orochimaru was there as well, looking tired and irritated from being questioned by Jiraiya all night.
Sarutobi Hiruzen began in a grave tone, "Regarding last night's explosion, Anbu worked through the night and only recovered the bodies of three enemies. It's been inferred that Root attempted to capture them alive by using a barrier, but the enemies, realizing this, chose to trigger their explosive tags in a final act of defiance."
Mitokado Homura added, "The enemy not only intended to gather information but also seemed prepared to create chaos in Konoha. It's likely they were planning an attack, and by chance, Root's barrier trapped them in that area, leading to the explosion."
Utatane Koharu continued, "Aside from the loss of two Root teams, there were no other casualties, but some residential buildings were damaged and will require repairs."
Danzo maintained a stoic expression, staying silent. The incident had been officially blamed on Root's oversight, and with the possibility of war on the horizon, Root would be responsible for supplementing Anbu's losses with its own forces.
As Root was initially established under the guise of an Anbu training department, this served as a subtle reminder of Sarutobi Hiruzen's authority over Danzo.
From her seat, Tsunade quietly scoffed; she didn't buy their explanation for a second, but neither Kain nor the Hokage would tell her the full truth.
Sarutobi Hiruzen then briefed the Jōnin on an enemy attack at a ninja outpost along the border. Coupled with last night's explosion, these incidents convinced most of the Jōnin that an enemy was indeed responsible.
Concluding the meeting, Sarutobi Hiruzen took the opportunity to assign additional reconnaissance patrols, primarily formed from the Hyuga, Inuzuka, and Aburame clans, to prepare for a potential conflict.
With the meeting adjourned, the Jōnin filed out of the Hokage building, and the Uchiha Guards relayed the events of last night to the villagers, offering reassurance.
"Tsunade, wait a minute."
After leaving the Hokage building, Jiraiya quickly caught up with Tsunade, who hadn't yet left.
Tsunade turned around and asked, "What's the matter, Jiraiya?"
"It's nothing, I just wanted to ask if you think what the old man said is true," Jiraiya replied, scratching his head. He'd spent all night trying to get answers from Orochimaru, but Orochimaru hadn't shared a thing; even the Jiraiya at the Jōnin meeting earlier had been a Shadow Clone.
Tsunade rolled her eyes. "How would I know? If you really want answers, go ask the old man yourself. I don't know any more than you do."
"Then what about Kain? I met him on the battlefield in the Land of Rain, but I still don't know much about him," Jiraiya said.
Tsunade's brow furrowed slightly. "Why are you so interested in him? He's just a regular businessman. Forget it, I've got work at Konoha Hospital. See you, Jiraiya."
With that, Tsunade turned away, flicking her ponytail as she left. After her conversation with Kain last night, she didn't want to discuss him with anyone. He was supposed to be just a businessman from another country—a routine transaction for Konoha.
Yet things had escalated far beyond that.
Seeing Tsunade's reluctance, Jiraiya scratched his head and let it go, deciding to drop the subject for now. Yesterday's incident reminded him that war was drawing near, and he was determined to help his students gain mission experience.
His mind drifted to Namikaze Minato, his student who stood out from the others. Unlike them, Minato wasn't solely focused on learning powerful techniques. Instead, he was sharpening his own combat style.
"There are no powerful techniques, only powerful people," Jiraiya mused. Realizing this at Minato's age was impressive; Jiraiya had to admit that Minato might surpass him one day.
Still, Jiraiya noticed that many of his own techniques weren't suitable for Minato's style, which was more like an assassin's—focused on subtlety, deception, and precision. Minato needed techniques that matched his stealthy approach and tactical mindset.
"Maybe I should teach him the Body Flicker Technique...but I'm not that skilled with it. Maybe I should ask the old man."
With that thought, Jiraiya turned back toward the Hokage building. When it came to mastering techniques, no one in Konoha was more knowledgeable than Sarutobi-sensei. Asking him was Jiraiya's best option.
"Kushina, what are you doing?" Kain asked curiously as he returned to find Kushina holding a bundle of scrolls.
Earlier, Kain had been discussing the rebuilding of his shop and house with Nanami. This time, he wanted a stronger structure and planned to reinforce the steel plates at the base with two extra layers.
Unfortunately, thirteen shops had been damaged in the explosion, which meant a month or two of downtime—lost revenue, repairs, and the likely hesitation of villagers to visit anytime soon.
"This is sealing technique practice," Kushina explained. "I've learned quite a lot, but some of the advanced techniques of the Uzumaki clan are tricky. I plan to practice those tonight. Boss, do you want to learn some sealing techniques?"
She blinked and looked at him, but after a moment, glanced away shyly, remembering how bold she'd been while giving him a massage the previous night.
"Thanks, but maybe not," Kain replied, weighing the risks. "I'll be leaving Konoha soon, and I have some other business to handle outside. Besides, it wouldn't be good for you to teach sealing techniques privately—wouldn't the Third Hokage punish you if he found out?"
Kushina pouted and muttered, "These are Uzumaki clan techniques. Some of them aren't even recorded in Konoha. Grandma Mito said I could pass them on to someone I trust..." Her voice trailed off as she recalled Mito's advice to only teach them to someone she truly believed in, but now, offering to teach Kain seemed impulsive.
"Maybe next time," Kain said gently, brushing his hand over Kushina's red hair, feeling its smoothness. "When I come back, I'll bring you some new gifts."
Kushina closed her eyes, leaning into his touch, letting her hair brush against his palm. "Then I'll get some beginner's guides ready for you," she murmured. "And a few explanations on sealing techniques."
Leaving Konoha had been on Kain's mind. He'd wrapped up his affairs here, and after last night's close call with Anbu, things seemed likely to settle down for a while.
Now, he wanted to explore new business opportunities beyond Konoha; one deal with Kirigakure wouldn't be enough.
The Land of Wind is located in a desert, rich in oil and mineral resources, but lacking in much else. Kain plans to trade food, basic supplies, and medical resources with Sunagakure in exchange for ownership of oil and mineral veins.
As for medicines, Kain can provide Sand Shinobi with raw powdered materials, along with instructions for dosage. Whether they choose to produce pills or tablets will be up to Sunagakure.
Even if Konoha's Shinobi become aware of these trades, Kain has no intention of admitting anything without proof of the transactions.
With ample supplies in hand, Sand Shinobi's ambitions will grow, and if ninjas can't demonstrate their strength through warfare, their missions—and income—dry up.
Rasa's cooperation with Orochimaru on the Konoha Crush plan stemmed from the Wind Daimyo's decision to send his country's missions to Konoha, leaving Sunagakure with little choice but to make a bold move to prove its strength.
The ninja world is an archaic feudal system. Despite signs of industrialization, neither daimyo nor ninja clans fully grasp its importance.
Kain shared his departure plans only with Tsunade, Kushina, Orochimaru, and Yakushi Nono. However, both Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen learned of his exit from the village through the gatekeeper Chūnin, as Kain left Konoha openly.
"Danzo, don't act against him for now. If we're not absolutely certain, let me handle it," Sarutobi Hiruzen said, exhaling a puff of smoke.
They both understood the difficulty of dealing with someone who controls space-time ninjutsu, as their memories of Tobirama-sensei reminded them.
Kain's technique was even more formidable, bypassing barriers and unleashing explosions that were clearly not from ordinary explosive tags.
Sarutobi Hiruzen could envision the disastrous consequences if Kain ever decided to retaliate. To counter space-time ninjutsu, they would need another user of it.
His thoughts drifted to the blond boy he'd met recently. With a sigh, he hoped that Namikaze Minato would master the Flying Thunder God Technique. Without it, handling Kain—and the potential forces behind him—would be nearly impossible for Konoha.
Training Ground Four at Konoha Village
Only Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato are present; the other two students are practicing ninjutsu elsewhere. Jiraiya did not let them leave but instead taught them a C-level ninjutsu suited to their Chakra attributes, one that might also allow for potential cooperation.
It's rare for Genin to learn C-level ninjutsu, but Jiraiya gave it to them because he saw that they were civilian ninjas.
"Minato, the Flying Thunder God Technique is for you alone to study. As for space-time ninjutsu, even I, your teacher, am not very proficient in it," Jiraiya said with a laugh, not shy about admitting his limitations. He then became serious. "But if you need anything, I will help you, my student."
"Thank you very much for your help, Teacher Jiraiya," Namikaze Minato replied with a bow, feeling genuinely grateful.
Flying Thunder God Technique was a Forbidden Technique developed by the Second Hokage, and most people didn't have the qualifications to even approach it. But Teacher Jiraiya had managed to request it from the Third Hokage on his behalf.
"But Minato," Jiraiya said, noticing his student's subdued demeanor, "you don't seem to be in a good mood lately. Is something wrong?"
Namikaze Minato fell silent for a moment before speaking softly. "Mr. Jiraiya, how can I make someone I like… like me too?"
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