Jiraiya was waiting for the perfect moment to strike, aiming to take down Orochimaru.
As Orochimaru's eternal rival, he knew Orochimaru's strength extremely well. The two were equally matched, but Orochimaru had mastered the Edo Tensei, allowing him to control the First and Second Hokage in battle.
In the entire shinobi world, the only one who could take on both the First and Second Hokage at the same time was Byakuya. That's why Jiraiya had to find the right moment to swiftly defeat Orochimaru before he could use the Edo Tensei to prevent the situation from worsening.
A team of Konoha jōnin that had arrived as reinforcements were somewhat confused upon seeing this scene.
They didn't understand why Jiraiya was hiding here. Tsunade and Danzō were already attacking Orochimaru together since if they had just stepped in to support them, they might have had a chance to capture the traitor Orochimaru.
However, considering Jiraiya's position as acting Hokage, they ultimately said nothing.
Although Orochimaru had attacked the village and caused the death of the Third Hokage, this was still considered an internal matter of the Hokage's circle, something outsiders shouldn't meddle in.
Noticing their stares, Jiraiya quickly explained what had happened. When they heard that Danzō had attacked and taken control of Shisui Uchiha and might have even helped plan the Konoha Crush, the jōnin all wore expressions of disbelief.
Weren't Danzō and Orochimaru both part of the Hokage's faction? How had internal conflict reached such a level?
Shikaku Nara thought for a moment, then said, "Jiraiya-sama, do you have any witnesses or evidence regarding Danzō-sama's betrayal of the village?"
Jiraiya waved his hand, signaling the nearby ANBU to remove their mask and stick out their tongue.
When they clearly saw Shisui's face, his crimson Sharingan, and the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal engraved on his tongue, the jōnin immediately grew more serious.
The seal on Shisui's tongue was genuine, and Jiraiya wasn't the type to lie about such a thing.
Most importantly, considering Danzō's aggressive stance toward the Uchiha, it wasn't hard to believe that he might have made a move against Shisui. After all, Itachi Uchiha, who personally annihilated his own clan, had numerous connections to Danzō.
After exchanging glances, the jōnin all turned to Jiraiya, then looked toward Tsunade and the others in the distance.
They understood that it was time to choose a side. Whether Jiraiya's words were valid, whether Danzō had really betrayed the village and colluded with Orochimaru, whether he had attacked Shisui Uchiha, none of that mattered anymore. What mattered now was their stance: would they support Jiraiya or the leader of Root?
Fortunately, this wasn't a difficult choice for them. Whether from an emotional perspective or from a standpoint of interest, they supported one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya.
Jiraiya was a student of the Third Hokage and a role model in Konoha's history. He held the record for most S-rank missions completed and contributed significantly to the village.
Though Danzō had also done much for the village, his contributions were always in the shadows. Most importantly, the Root organization targeted not only enemies but also Konoha's own shinobi. No one liked an organization that might turn on them.
Silently standing behind Jiraiya, they made their choice through action.
On the battlefield.
After forcing Orochimaru back with Wind Style: Shuriken, Danzō launched several more advanced Wind Style jutsu. The sharp wind turned into invisible blades, seeming to slice through space itself, keeping Orochimaru at bay. Even as his collaborator, Orochimaru had to admit Danzō's strength.
Danzō's mastery over Wind Style had reached perfection. It would be hard to find another shinobi in the entire world who could surpass him in Wind Style, not even the Kazekage of Sunagakure could match him.
After retreating to create distance, Orochimaru began his performance. Frowning, he looked at Danzō and said, "Danzō, are you really going to stop me from taking Tsunade? Tsunade is your rival on the path to becoming Hokage. If you let me take her, you might become the Fifth Hokage yourself."
Already aware of the Konoha shinobi lying in ambush behind him, Danzō righteously declared, "I would never resort to such despicable tactics to become Hokage. Even if I save Tsunade, I can still defeat her fair and square in the jōnin vote."
Danzō spoke loudly enough for everyone nearby to hear. Upon hearing this, Tsunade showed a look of disbelief. Someone as shady as Danzō was actually saying such things? But she couldn't directly rebuke him since he had just saved her. The Konoha shinobi in hiding also found Danzō's words insincere. It might sound fine coming from someone else, but from Danzō, it just felt wrong.
And after listening to Jiraiya's explanation, they increasingly believed that Danzō and Orochimaru had planned this together, a performance meant to deceive them. After all, if Danzō hadn't made prior arrangements, how could someone as secretive as him be the first to appear here, saving Tsunade and fighting Orochimaru without hesitation?
You had to remember, whether, during the Nine-Tails incident or the recent Konoha Crush, Root had always been the last to arrive on the battlefield.
Once the seed of doubt was planted, it wasn't so easily erased. After righteously rejecting Orochimaru, Danzō launched another attack, all while keeping a close eye on the forest behind him, waiting for support from Konoha.
Several minutes later, Danzō sensed something was off. Had the hidden Konoha shinobi been attacked? Why hadn't they jumped out to assist him by now? Had Orochimaru laid out another plan?
Thinking this, Danzō looked toward Orochimaru in the distance and frowned. In his mind, if the Konoha shinobi weren't supporting him, it could only mean Orochimaru had interfered. Could something have happened to Shisui as well? But he had only ordered Shisui to pretend to be Orochimaru's subordinate to block Jiraiya. He should have been able to retreat within half a minute.
Suppressing his doubts, Danzō continued his attacks on Orochimaru, keeping up the act.
A few more minutes passed, and the hidden Konoha shinobi finally sprang into action. They surrounded Orochimaru from all directions and even set up a sealing barrier.
Orochimaru's expression changed slightly, and he immediately unleashed the Ten Thousand Snakes Formation to disrupt them. A horde of venomous snakes covered the ground, lunging wildly at the surrounding shinobi, trying to overwhelm them.
Jiraiya didn't hesitate at all. He instantly used Fire Style. With Sage Mode enhancing it, Jiraiya's Fire Style was terrifyingly powerful. He obliterated the Ten Thousand Snakes Formation in an instant, turning all the venomous snakes into ash.
Orochimaru's expression darkened, losing so many snakes at once hurt even him.
Looking toward Jiraiya in the distance, Orochimaru gave a fake smile and said, "Long time no see, Jiraiya. I didn't expect we'd meet again here."
"Why did you attack Tsunade?" Jiraiya questioned.
Orochimaru answered nonchalantly, "I needed Tsunade's help for my experiments. Unfortunately, she refused, so I could only forcibly take her away… I just didn't expect her hemophobia to be so severe. Heck, she was defeated in an instant."
Orochimaru's attitude made Jiraiya furious. His eyes widened in anger as he shouted, "It was Tsunade's choice to reject you! You had no right to force her, and I haven't even settled the score with you for what happened to the Third Hokage!"
"The old man?" Orochimaru paused, then chuckled. "No need to thank me. Letting sensei die in battle as a hero of Konoha was my final gift to him as a student."
Orochimaru then smirked, "You wouldn't want the Third to grow old and die in a hospital bed, would you? For a shinobi, dying of old age is a form of torment. A shinobi's fate is the battlefield, to go out in a blaze of glory."
Jiraiya had to admit Orochimaru had a point, but that still didn't justify becoming an enemy of the Third Hokage.
He shouted at Orochimaru, "Dying in battle may have been the old man's wish, but he would never have wanted to be taken down by the student he cherished most and a so-called friend scheming behind his back! That wasn't a glorious death. It was an assassination born of betrayal!"
Orochimaru tilted his head slightly, feigning confusion. "Jiraiya... I'm not sure I follow. I left Konoha. Naturally, I'm now the enemy of Konohagakure. And enemies use any means necessary. You're still as naïve as ever."
"I'm naïve?" Jiraiya scoffed coldly and lunged at Orochimaru.
Seeing Jiraiya rush at him, Orochimaru quickly raised the Kusanagi Blade to defend himself. He could feel that Jiraiya tonight was different, more powerful than ever, exuding natural energy. He must have entered Sage Mode.
Sage Mode, the ability Orochimaru longed for, the ultimate form that even the Cursed Seal couldn't match.
If he didn't fight cautiously, he might very well die at Jiraiya's hands tonight unless he used Edo Tensei to summon the First and Second Hokage. But after the last time he summoned them, Orochimaru had resolved not to use that technique lightly, especially not the Edo versions of the First and Second Hokage.
He could feel that the First Hokage might break free of his control at any moment, becoming a free-roaming Edo Tensei.
If that happened, the consequences would be unimaginable if he lost control over both. He didn't want to be hunted by the First and Second Hokage for the rest of his life.
As he watched the Konoha shinobi approaching, Danzō began to sense that something was off.
Weren't those jōnin supposed to back up Jiraiya? Why were they walking toward him instead, and with a murderous glint in their eyes?
Pushing aside his doubts, Danzō addressed them, saying, "I'm not injured. You don't need to protect me. Go and support Jiraiya; we must capture Orochimaru at this time. For the time being, forget Orochimaru's identity. After killing Hiruzen, he's no longer a shinobi of Konoha."
But the jōnin didn't react much. They simply stared coldly at Danzō. Their eyes said everything: they didn't trust him.
"What… what are you all doing?" Danzō began to panic. His voice grew sharper, laced with anxiety. "I'm Konoha's senior advisor! Are you trying to betray the village? Or are you all Orochimaru's spies?"
At his accusations and attempts to throw blame, the already-disgusted jōnin squad hardened their resolve. They looked at Danzō in unison.
Kakashi stepped forward and got straight to the point. "Danzō, your conspiracy has been exposed. Jiraiya-sama saw through it all. We're here to arrest you. You can fight back, or you can surrender. But if you resist, we won't let you walk away with your dignity. Considering your age, we'd rather not make this painful for you."
"What conspiracy? You're all Orochimaru's spies trying to frame me!" Danzō roared, pointing furiously at Kakashi. "It's you, Kakashi! You must have manipulated Jiraiya to take revenge on me!"
But Kakashi's expression remained calm. "Is that so? Well, I do want revenge. I won't deny it. You were the one who ordered Tenzo to kill me, weren't you?"
Kakashi then glared at Danzo, "If it hadn't been for the Third Hokage, I would've lost my Sharingan long ago, maybe even my life."
"You're spouting nonsense! I never gave such an order!" Danzō's eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn't believe Kakashi dared to bring up the past. 'You're just a mere elite jōnin. How dare you question someone like me, who commands the entire Root division?'
Then it clicked, he looked toward Jiraiya in the distance and realized the truth.
Kakashi had never dared to expose him before because Kakashi had no real authority or influence in the village. But now, with Jiraiya's backing, everything changed.
Jiraiya might not control any military unit like Root. Still, as a disciple of the Third Hokage and one of the legendary Sannin, he could easily rally a massive number of shinobi to his cause. That was the power he had accumulated over the years.
'Jiraiya… You really were hiding your claws.'
'On the surface, you endorsed Tsunade as the Fifth Hokage candidate, but in reality, you're maneuvering to become Hokage yourself. You let Tsunade embarrass herself in front of everyone to lower public opinion of her.
Then you let Kakashi drag my secrets into the light, forcing me to step out of the race as well.
With just a few calculated moves, you've eliminated every competitor for the Fifth Hokage seat. No wonder you were the one who stayed closest to Hiruzen all these years, your schemes are just as devious as his.
Back then, it was that same fake humility that helped Hiruzen gain Tobirama-sensei's favor and become Hokage.
But if you think tricks like these are enough to take me down… you're underestimating me. Did you really think I didn't prepare for unexpected variables when working with Orochimaru?
To prevent Orochimaru from turning on me, I've stationed a large number of Root operatives nearby. Just give the order, and they'll take Kakashi down for sowing chaos, and the rest of the fence-sitters won't lift a finger to stop it.'