The major shinobi clans still preferred to have a member of one of the great families become Hokage. That way, their interests wouldn't be undermined.
If Jiraiya wanted to become Hokage, he needed overwhelming support from the civilian-born shinobi. Otherwise, his only other path would be to stage a coup and eliminate all opposition—something he had no intention of doing.
Jiraiya got along well with the civilian shinobi. After all, he himself was born a civilian. Now, as one of Konoha's brightest young talents, he was willing to lower himself to talk with them. Naturally, this made the civilian shinobi's goodwill toward him soar.
After spending half a day at the fortress, Jiraiya left and began his journey back to the village. Once he returned, he planned to request a mission—leading his squad into Amegakure's borders to assassinate key enemy shinobi and quickly earn military merit.
But he hadn't been on the road for long when he sensed an incredibly strong chakra signature trailing him.
Jiraiya immediately went on high alert.
"Could it be an elite jonin from Amegakure infiltrating the Land of Fire… and targeting me?"
The chakra he sensed was far beyond that of an ordinary jonin. There was no doubt about it—whoever it was, they were an elite. And their intent was clearly hostile.
The chakra signature was closing in fast.
Jiraiya drew his Lightning Flame Blade.
The source of the chakra, rapidly approaching him, was none other than Kakuzu.
Kakuzu had actually arrived in the area some time ago, but he had been lying in wait, hoping for other bounty hunters to show up so he could eliminate them and take their money.
Attacking near the fortress had been too risky—too many Konoha shinobi nearby. If he couldn't kill Jiraiya instantly, the commotion would attract reinforcements, and the whole mission would go sideways.
But now, with Jiraiya leaving the fortress and heading back to Konoha, the timing was perfect.
If he could take Jiraiya's head, he'd walk away with a hefty 15 million ryo bounty.
The thought of that much money made Kakuzu's excitement surge.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Fire Release: Flaming Tiger!"
Jiraiya reacted instantly, hurling his custom-made shuriken and the Lightning Flame Blade toward the approaching chakra source. At the same time, his hands blurred through hand seals, summoning a thousand shuriken clones and a massive fire-formed tiger that lunged forward.
The battle was taking place in a dense forest—no surprise there. The shinobi world was full of endless forests, with vast tracts of land left untouched due to the relatively low population.
Trees snapped and burned as the attacks tore through the area.
Suddenly, a massive earth wall rose from the ground, blocking Jiraiya's assault.
"As expected of an elite jonin," Jiraiya muttered, his heart pounding as he gazed at the towering barrier of stone.
This was, without a doubt, the strongest enemy he had encountered since arriving in this world.
But he still didn't know which village this opponent belonged to.
"A brat like you… I didn't expect you to be so perceptive," a cold voice came from behind the earth wall. "To think you noticed me so quickly… Impressive."
A figure stepped onto the top of the wall.
Jiraiya's expression darkened the moment he saw the man.
"Kakuzu… So someone's already put a bounty on my head?"
As a transmigrator, Jiraiya recognized him instantly. He immediately realized what this meant—someone had issued a bounty on him.
And the most likely suspect was someone from Konoha.
His first thought was Danzo.
Of course, he had no proof. It could just as easily be another nation that wanted him dead.
After all, he was already gaining fame as a prodigy of Konoha. If an enemy village learned of his talent, they would have every reason to put a bounty on him to eliminate a future threat.
After all, Konoha did the same—when a genius emerged in another village, Konoha would send assassins or place a bounty on them.
"Kid, you should feel honored to die by my hand," Kakuzu sneered. "After all, I once fought the so-called 'God of Shinobi,' Senju Hashirama."
This was one of Kakuzu's favorite boasts. Every time he hunted someone down, he would say this to instill fear in his target.
Jiraiya, however, scoffed.
"Oh, please. You mean you threw a shuriken from 800 meters away, tripped over a tree branch while running away, and then got your ass locked up? You call that a fight?"
Kakuzu froze, caught completely off guard.
He hadn't expected Jiraiya to know the truth.
The reason he kept bragging about fighting Hashirama was because no one alive actually knew what had happened. Anyone who had known the truth was long dead.
Yet Jiraiya had just exposed him on the spot.
Kakuzu's expression darkened, and his eyes turned cold and ruthless. It didn't matter how Jiraiya knew—he had to die.
If this got out, his reputation in the bounty hunter world would be in shambles.
He needed to capture Jiraiya, interrogate him, and find out how many people knew the truth.
Then, he'd silence every last one of them.
"You're spouting nonsense, brat!" Kakuzu snarled, his rage evident.
With a flick of his wrist, black tendrils burst from his arm, snaking through the air as they shot toward Jiraiya, aiming to ensnare him.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
Read more than +100 chapters and support me on Patreon
Patreon(.)com/Jixo