Chapter 89: Jiraiya
After the war council concluded, Yusuke had just stepped out of the meeting hall when Jiraiya called out to him.
He told Itachi, Agasa, Souichiro, and the others who had accompanied him to the meeting to head back first. Then, Yusuke and Jiraiya strolled side by side through the streets of Konoha, chatting idly as they walked.
These days, Jiraiya spent most of his time outside the village, gathering intelligence for Konoha while also pursuing his vision of peace.
Of course, those weren't his only endeavors—his infamous novel Icha Icha Paradise had never gone out of print and was now a full-fledged bestseller.
Among the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya was arguably the most commercially successful of them all.
Upon his return to the village, Jiraiya had quickly picked up on the subtle power struggle between Yusuke and the Third Hokage.
However, he said nothing of it. Instead, he simply shared his thoughts with Yusuke about the village's future and development.
As they continued walking and talking, half an hour passed without them even noticing.
"Who would've thought the village would produce someone like you," Jiraiya sighed.
Just then, the two passed a curtain with large kanji reading 女汤—"Women's Bath."
Yusuke's expression darkened.
"Jiraiya-senpai, maybe we should take a different route."
In Japan, 女汤 clearly marks a women's bathhouse—something Jiraiya knew all too well.
Scratching the back of his head, Jiraiya gave an awkward chuckle.
"Haha, how strange… I have no idea how we ended up here."
Yusuke silently turned and began walking back the way they came.
Jiraiya gave the bathhouse one last wistful glance before sighing and catching up.
"I really need to keep my distance from this guy," Yusuke thought.
"If I'm not careful, he'll ruin my reputation."
He was still single, after all—and with his current status, not even Kakashi could match his "eligible bachelor" appeal.
If Jiraiya's antics caused a scandal, it'd be a disaster.
Putting a little distance between himself and the Toad Sage, Yusuke asked,
"Jiraiya-senpai, the front lines are drawing near. Do you think Tsunade-senpai will return to the village?"
Jiraiya's expression softened with nostalgia.
"Don't worry. I know her. Tsunade will come back."
Though Tsunade had long distanced herself from the village—grieving the deaths of her brother Nawaki and her lover Dan—Jiraiya understood her better than anyone.
She might act carefree, even reckless, but deep down, Tsunade could never truly abandon Konoha.
If the village was in true peril, Jiraiya had no doubt she would come running.
With a sigh, Jiraiya's tone grew solemn.
"Yusuke, the northern front is in your hands."
Yusuke nodded seriously.
"Don't worry, senpai. I'll hold the north. The eastern coast… is yours."
The two exchanged a glance, and in each other's eyes, they saw the same unshakable resolve—the will to win.
That night, after the Konoha Research Institute finished applying the Seal of Emergency Aid to every shinobi headed to war, two divisions set out for the borders of the Land of Fire.
Yusuke and Jiraiya each led a contingent—one northward to face Kumogakure's forces, the other eastward to counter Kirigakure's maritime assault.
Among their forces were elite shinobi from every major clan in the village.
Notably, Yusuke had also pulled a significant number of Uchiha from the police force to reinforce his own unit.
In Jiraiya's unit were many of the elite shinobi once trained or mentored by the Third Hokage—Kakashi, Guy, Asuma, and others of similar renown.
Meanwhile, on the front lines against Kumogakure, Yusuke had brought both Itachi and Izumi with him.
At this point, Itachi had already fused with his father Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan. On this battlefield, there were few—if any—who could stand against him, and Yusuke had absolute confidence in his abilities.
Izumi, while not as powerful as Itachi, was a capable kunoichi in her own right. What's more, Yusuke had left a protective dōjutsu in her eyes—an ocular technique of his own design—to ensure her safety in combat.
Yusuke saw this war as an opportunity to temper his two disciples through real battle.
Nothing honed a shinobi's mind, instincts, and experience like the crucible of war.
—
Far from the Land of Fire, in a remote and well-hidden underground cavern, Orochimaru and Sasori were engaged in yet another disturbing experiment.
"How about now?" Orochimaru asked. "Satisfied with the new hardness?"
"Not bad," Sasori replied, inspecting the reinforced joints of a puppet. "Far more durable than before. I didn't expect you to have this kind of alchemical expertise, Orochimaru. How much?"
"One hundred million."
"Deal."
Sasori admired the two vials in his hands. "This is impressive. Not only does it drastically enhance the puppet's hardness, but the joints are now significantly more flexible and resilient."
To obtain experimental data related to Kekkei Genkai fusion—data that Yusuke had acquired from ROOT—Orochimaru had struck a deal with Kakuzu to purchase Hidan's body.
After some intense haggling, Kakuzu finally agreed to sell Hidan's corpse for eighty million ryō.
It wasn't cheap, but Orochimaru could afford it. Still, the transaction drained a substantial portion of his funds.
To replenish his resources, Orochimaru decided to sell some of his older research to Sasori.
He offered the formulas for two concoctions: the Hardening Solution and the Flexibility Serum.
Initially, Orochimaru developed the Hardening Solution to enhance his own physical resistance in battle.
But after extensive testing, he realized that rigidity came with drawbacks—too stiff, too brittle. In contrast, flexibility often proved the more reliable defense.
Thus, he pivoted to a new strategy: soft-body modification. The Flexibility Serum became a cornerstone of that process.
After undergoing this transformation, Orochimaru's body became unnaturally supple and shock-absorbent. Even Tsunade's monstrous strength had trouble inflicting real damage on him.
Now, with both formulas in hand, Sasori put the Hardening Solution to use on the structural framework of his human puppets, while the Flexibility Serum was applied to the muscle membrane around their joints.
The result? A new generation of human puppets that retained their abilities in life while gaining enhanced durability.
Sasori dubbed them: Corpse Puppets.
"You sure you want to sell me these formulas?" Sasori asked while inspecting one of the reinforced puppets. "Aren't you worried I might be too strong for you someday?"
Orochimaru just gave a chilling, toothy grin. He said nothing.
In the original timeline, Orochimaru would never have sold such secrets to anyone—not even Sasori.
But things had changed. Orochimaru now had higher ambitions, and Sasori… was no longer worth fearing.
"Let's focus on the real problem—our leader," Orochimaru said. "He wants a proper candidate to fill the next vacant position. I'm fresh out of good options."
Sasori, however, waved it off. "I've already got someone in mind. Once I finish this Corpse Puppet, we'll head to the Land of Wind."
"Oh?" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed with curiosity. "Who?"
"Just a naive little monk," Sasori replied casually.