Am I Worthy?
---
Chiyo interrupted the jonin's speech with an angry shout.
What the jonin had just said was complete nonsense.
Who doesn't know the name of the Golden Flash now?
It wasn't just the Sand Village that was holding a meeting here; several other major ninja villages had also received information about the recent epic war in Konoha Village.
A plan to destroy Konoha Village, led by Orochimaru, one of the three rogue ninjas, was foiled. There was also a plot involving Uchiha Madara of the Akatsuki organization—but it turned out that Madara was actually Obito in disguise.
In the end, everything collapsed because of one man.
It could be said that Kirito had single-handedly steered Konoha's boat away from the storm that threatened to sink it.
With Chiyo's angry shout, the Sand Village's meeting room fell silent, much like the Hidden Mist Village's.
---
Meanwhile, in the dimly lit room of the Hidden Mist Village, Terumi Mei blinked her bright eyes as she glanced at the elders seated around her.
"What do you plan to do, Terumi Mei?"
"Don't question us, Mei Terumi."
"Kirito's strength is not the reason for your failure in the last mission."
"The rules of our Hidden Mist Village have always been the same."
A loud, rough voice cut through the tension. The face of the Hidden Mist Elder, shrouded in shadow, spoke coldly.
But just as the conversation grew heated, another voice, older and tinged with authority, interrupted.
"Enough, everyone. Stop arguing."
"We need to think of a plan now."
The elder of criminal law's voice commanded attention, and the elder who had been dissatisfied with Terumi Mei's approach reluctantly fell silent.
He grunted and spoke again, his voice cold.
"Now the name of Kirito, the Golden Flash, is well-known throughout the ninja world. His strength is no weaker than anyone here."
"The situation in Konoha Village is chaotic. With the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, forced to step down, Konoha is now leaderless."
"We need to figure out what to do next in the Hidden Mist Village."
The elder continued, his voice gaining weight. "Although Sarutobi Hiruzen was forced to step down, he recommended Kirito as the next Hokage. But Kirito declined."
"Our intelligence suggests that Kirito helped Konoha solve their crisis because Sarutobi Hiruzen had placed most of his trust in him."
"From this, it's clear that Kirito doesn't truly love Konoha. He is a man who puts his own interests first."
"If we attack Konoha and weaken their control over the Land of Fire, we could exploit Kirito's greed and bribe him with enough money."
A man with short blue hair, black-framed glasses, and jagged teeth stood beside Mei Terumi and spoke. He wore a gray-blue turtleneck sweater with a dark blue breastplate.
This was Chojuro, Mei Terumi's subordinate. He held a document in his hand as he continued to speak to the elders.
Mei Terumi, graceful and composed, did not interrupt. She simply observed as Chojuro spoke confidently.
However, the elder who had previously expressed dissatisfaction with Mei Terumi's approach spoke up again.
"Are you sure the information you've gathered is accurate?"
"You claim Kirito doesn't care about Konoha and is only interested in money?"
"Couldn't it be that this is all a play staged by Kirito and Sarutobi Hiruzen? A show meant to deceive us?"
"If Kirigakure wants to attack Konoha, are you suggesting we bribe Kirito to avoid an attack, or even have him cooperate with us from the inside?"
"Aren't you worried that Kirito will grow angry and turn on us, joining forces with Konoha and catching Kirigakure off guard?"
"And next time, I'd suggest that not just any fool can speak at this elders' meeting."
The elder's words dripped with sarcasm.
Chojuro fell silent, his eyes betraying no anger. He ignored the elder's final remark, instead contemplating the situation.
The other elders, too, grew thoughtful.
Could it be that Sarutobi Hiruzen, the old fox, had left behind a back-up plan for Konoha?
What if Kirito was indeed a villain who would betray his own village for profit?
If that was true, Kirigakure could seize the opportunity.
But what if it wasn't?
Would their village suffer severe consequences because of a miscalculation?
The stakes were too high for them to take such risks, as the ninja world was not just about Konoha—there were other major countries that could pounce on this opportunity.
---
Mei Terumi gently smoothed her hair, her arm as white as lotus root, her eyes filled with contemplation. The image of Kirito lingered in her mind.
She thought about him: wearing sunglasses, a windbreaker, sword-like eyebrows, and deep eyes.
Kirito, what kind of person are you?
"Right now, Kirigakure isn't in a rush to attack Konoha. We should wait and observe."
"Obito of the Akatsuki was injured by Kirito, and Sand Village also participated in Orochimaru's plan to bring Konoha down."
"We need to see how these two forces react before we make our move."
With the elder of criminal law's final words, the topic was temporarily settled, and everyone in the room dispersed.
---
Elsewhere, high on a tree near a steaming outdoor hot spring, a man in a red coat, brown clothes, and wooden clogs held a document in his hand. He paid no attention to the women laughing in the bath below.
Jiraiya, the lecherous sage, was deeply absorbed in the information he had just received about the events in Konoha.
"Orochimaru, that ungrateful bastard!" Jiraiya muttered angrily, shaking the document in his hand.
His eyes flickered with different emotions as he scanned the text.
"Kirito, you good boy!"
"You deserve the title of Golden Flash."
"You didn't disgrace Minato's name."
Jiraiya mumbled, a small smile creeping onto his face as he vanished from the tree, his mind racing.
---
Back in Konoha Village, Kirito, wearing sunglasses, looked lazily at the person standing before him.
"Kirito, you're the Golden Flash of Konoha Village. You should…"
Before the person could finish their sentence, Kirito's deep eyes slowly fixed on him.
"Golden Flash? Am I worthy of that title now?" he asked quietly, his voice heavy with meaning.
---