Reborn in a Daimyo's court in Naruto

Part 40

Chapter 40:

Jiraiya - The Toad Sage

Given the situation in the village, Minato had opted to return quickly from the capital. The new daimyo had given their blessing to the new Kage, and now Konohagakure prepared to welcome its Fourth Hokage.

Being a Hokage had been his dream once – taking the hat, leading the village, and changing the world. Jiraiya had once thought a Hokage was the ultimate existence, the one entity who could single-handedly change the world, change it for the better, bring about peace.

Yet he had been naive then. A Hokage was just that – a Kage, a leader of a village, a cog in the great war machine that encapsulated the world as they knew it. He was powerful, indeed, yet a Hokage wouldn't be able to change the world. No, the change would be brought by a revolutionary, a visionary, one who might become a Kage.

Jiraiya might never be that revolutionary figure. The Toad Sage had told him that all those years ago. No, Jiraiya would only ever be a helping hand to the man who would change the shinobi world, and he believed this child of the prophecy sat right in front of him.

"So, what do you think of our new daimyo?" he questioned, wishing to know Minato's opinion of the young man.

Tsunade was fond of him, an interesting point, for she was rarely ever fond of anyone – even him, despite all his various qualities. The Impunity!

"He is ambitious," Minato added, and Jiraiya was surprised by the choice of words and the quick answer he had received.

"Though, he is pragmatic enough to make concrete efforts to achieve his ambitions," he added, and Jiraiya smiled as he saw his student reach nearly the same conclusion as him.

Akihito Shirahoshi was an enigma to those who only saw the present. His actions, when looked at individually, didn't reveal much. But if one stepped back and saw his actions as part of a collective whole, that's when his true nature and prowess began to show up.

His actions in Shino were a perfect indicator of that pragmatism. His family were recently ennobled, and so the connection between him and his people was weaker than that held by nobles who had ruled over their fiefs for generations. And so, he had first gained the loyalty of his people by giving them a better life when the whole continent was struggling. He established peace and order in his lands, nurturing in them a sense of belonging and privilege, that gained him immense loyalty in a few years as the people felt safe and secure in his lands.

And then he prepared for war, slowly gathering resources while remaining outside scrutinizing gazes by never touting himself or making bold declarations. He hid in silence, like a snake, until he realized the appropriate moment had arrived, and he struck, surprising everyone with his prowess.

"And what of Danzo's actions? What was his reaction?" he questioned.

"He was somewhat angry, though he assured us that he wouldn't put blame on the village. But he wants full accountability for the extent of Danzo's treason and what the village plans to do to remedy that," Minato answered, and Jiraiya was impressed once more.

Danzo's actions were dangerous and could have caused a major headache for the village. Of course, there were ways to counteract this. Had the new daimyo tried to make a very big deal out of it, Jiraiya was prepared to leverage all the information he had on the young noble to dampen his influence. Though now they wouldn't have to resort to such excessive means.

And that was good, for while he could handle shinobi and even regular nobles to some extent, Akihito Shirahoshi was a man mysterious and powerful enough that he did not wish to make an enemy out of him unless absolutely necessary.