Ninja Ice House

Chapter 600, less than a year

Jiraiya, who is over fifty years old, has encountered many dangerous situations in his life, but none of them have required him to make a decision that would affect the rest of his life, the lives of all beings in this dream world, and even indirectly the power structure of the ninja world.

Having finally woken up from a beautiful dream, before even returning to the real ninja world, they encountered another life-or-death crisis.

After this great ordeal, Jiraiya's memories have mostly returned. The occasional omissions are due to physiological self-protection rather than pathological deficiencies.

The reason I didn't wake up immediately was simply because I hadn't figured out how to face those familiar faces yet.

During this time, it wasn't that no one indirectly spied on this dream space; some even ignoring spatial barriers and observing this world up close. However, they didn't do anything; they just took a quick look around and left.

This time, however, the entry of Kosugi Bokusui was so silent that even Jiraiya himself didn't notice it at first, thinking it was just a hallucination due to exhaustion. It wasn't until Minato Namikaze also noticed the suspicious activity and confirmed the anomaly that he realized a skilled fighter had indeed sneaked in.

If it weren't for the dream space, and if Jiraiya hadn't experienced the manifestation of the "Great Dream Realm" which greatly enhanced his Yin attribute perception, he probably wouldn't have been able to detect the existence of Kosugi Bokusui.

They hadn't originally intended to do anything, let alone provoke anyone. However, after witnessing the extraordinary strength of Kosugi Bokusui, the ninjas, including Orochimaru and Shimura Danzo, were not afraid. Instead, they saw it as a good opportunity.

Jiraiya didn't think such an adventure was necessary. The Kosugi-no-mizu was extremely dangerous, and the Kosugi family was so powerful that it was unnecessary to anger the young master, whether for personal reasons or for the village.

Unfortunately, greed got the better of him, and Jiraiya hesitated and didn't stop him directly, which led to the current outcome.

The so-called home-field advantage relies on the world's strong suppression of outsiders. Even the slightest benefit that can be gained from Konoha Village, whether here or in the real world, is of great benefit to Jiraiya.

Unfortunately, everyone underestimated Kosugi Bokusui's strength and failed to realize just how dangerous his reckless actions were.

It's understandable to want to take advantage of a situation and make a profit, but whether one can bear the consequences is another matter entirely.

"Gusugi... Bokusui, what a rare and good young man. It's a pity he's not a ninja from our Konoha Village."

"Lord Jiraiya is just as I thought, taking it upon himself to find the 'Child of Destiny' and guide the world towards peace. He seems like a selfless and righteous hero, but in reality, he is not without his own selfish motives. The peace and tranquility of the ninja world is certainly important, but the village and my family and friends are even more important..."

"Who doesn't have distinctions of closeness and distance? This is, after all, my hometown, where I was born and raised. Even if the Ninja World War should never have happened, it cannot end with the deaths of me and my compatriots."

"Yes, other people's justice is justice, but is our justice so unworthy of respect?"

Gusugi nods with a smile. The reason he thinks so highly of this "old guy" is that Jiraiya is both a virtuous gentleman with lofty ideals and grand goals, and not a pedantic "saint" who makes people feel nauseous.

When he shouldn't have used excessive force, he always managed to achieve a result that was somewhat convincing and barely acceptable to everyone by adopting a cynical yet convincing approach; if "talking" didn't work, he wouldn't be foolish enough to give up using fire techniques to uphold "his own justice."

Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze, this master and disciple duo, were the closest to ordinary humans in Kosugi Bokusui's mind, the closest to heroes of the era among the ninja community with normal values, and the most trustworthy people.

In fact, the young commander felt that they were more trustworthy than he was at times.

Nevertheless, Kosugi Bokusui's position would not be entirely aligned with Jiraiya's, since their interests were not aligned.

Whether they are trustworthy allies or questionable allies, they are still allies.

"The young head of the family is indeed a reasonable man. His family has a long history of learning and is truly worthy of its reputation. He is indeed one of the top super noble families in the ninja world, comparable to the Senju, Uchiha and Hyuga families, a family with a thousand-year heritage."

"Praise is useless..."

"This is not flattery, but... In this ninja world where correctness is always full of contradictions, beautiful dreams are always out of reach, kindness is seen as weakness, and strong people are worshipped, the precarious existence is the norm. After the system of one village and one country was established, the so-called 'peaceful era' that is more suitable for survival has only lasted for fifty or sixty years."

Jiraiya chuckled self-deprecatingly, realizing he was powerless to do anything but accept his fate. He then nonchalantly sat cross-legged on the messy ground and declared loudly:

"After the death of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, everyone was somewhat fearful and uneasy, feeling that the hard-won peace might be about to disappear. Especially after the untimely death of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, many insightful people in the ninja world were actually preparing for a return to the Warring States period. Fortunately, the Third Hokage and his comrades managed to maintain the balance of power among the Five Great Shinobi Villages under extremely difficult circumstances. The so-called bloody Shinobi World War, if placed in the context of the Warring States period, was indeed much larger in scale, but in terms of the ferocity and the total number of casualties, it was utterly insignificant..."

After all, it was a meat grinder where many ninja clan members and common ninjas divided into factions and fought each other. When tens of thousands of ninja soldiers faced each other, the consumption and casualties were simply beyond what the ninja clans of the Warring States period could bear, not even the Senju and Uchiha clans.

The secular order maintained by the daimyo has improved management efficiency and indirectly enhanced the war potential of the ninja villages. Once a major war breaks out, it will truly be a bloodbath, a horrific sight.

However, compared to the Warring States period, that chaotic era with no order or rules was a maddening hell from which no one could escape.

Peace?

I've never even dreamt of it!

Most people simply cannot imagine what a peaceful life without killing is like, something they have never seen or experienced. Being constantly on guard is the norm, and being ready to fight at any time is a necessity for survival.

Don't be naive. Those things like civilian ninjas, schools, and hospitals are simply impossible to manage with the power of ninja clans alone.

Kosugi Bokusui was still very interested in hearing Jiraiya talk about his past. Even though Jiraiya's childhood was some years after the Warring States period, the lingering smell of blood was still very strong.