With a whisper of displaced air, Tsunade and Orochimaru landed beside Jiraiya. They formed a line: Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya, with the black cat perched on Jiraiya's head and Minato at his side.
The arrangement itself was a statement.
Orochimaru understood the implications. By standing beside Jiraiya, he was making it clear that he had no intention of vying for the position of Yondaime Hokage.
As for Takeshi and Minato, they were unquestionably the strongest of Konoha's next generation. Minato was often named alongside him, if only because it felt a little embarrassing for the village to claim its single strongest ninja was a cat.
"Good," Hiruzen said, his voice thick with emotion. "Very good."
He found he had no other words to capture the feeling of this moment.
Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya offered him a slight bow. For all their disagreements, their respect for him remained.
All around them, the villagers and shinobi stood in reverent silence.
The Three Sannin.
And the other two...
They had many names. Yellow Flash. Black Nightmare. But the title that echoed loudest across the nations was the "Konoha Kidnappers Duo", a duo feared even by the Kage of the Great Villages.
But here in Konoha, they were simply heroes. And so, of course, were the Sannin.
Tsunade turned to face the crowd. With a surge of energy, she tore off the 'Gambling' robe and cast it aside, her voice ringing out over the square.
"Everyone, the war is won! I, Tsunade, have returned!"
A roar went up from the crowd.
"Tsunade-sama!"
"Long live Tsunade-sama!"
The shouts rose again and again, crashing over them like a tidal wave.
"This is wonderful," Hiruzen murmured, his hand trembling as he reached for his pipe. The smoke blurred his vision.
The Three Sannin, together again. After the last war, he had hardly dared to imagine seeing this sight, least of all with Tsunade willingly returning to the village. Looking at her now, he thought perhaps she truly was ready to take up the mantle of Hokage.
He felt the sting of joyful tears in his eyes, but before they could fall, he felt a sudden weight on his shoulder.
Glancing sideways, he saw the black cat staring at him.
"When you feel like crying, looking up doesn't help the tears go back in," the cat meowed. "But don't look down, either. Your hat will fall off."
'I'm not crying!'
Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe, his emotions surging as he looked out at the joyous faces around him. He removed his hat. It was time to bring this chapter to a close.
Orochimaru's feelings were complicated. He hadn't coveted the Hokage seat for a long time, not since his ambitions had shifted, but seeing it go to someone else still carried a faint sting.
Still, if it had to be someone, he was glad it was Tsunade. They were comrades, they understood each other. With Danzo dead and the leverage he held over him gone, perhaps they could even find a way to work together.
News of Tsunade's succession hadn't been formally announced, but most of the high-ranking jonin, including the village elders, already suspected it.
Takeshi watched from the sidelines, content to stay out of it. This sort of public spectacle wasn't really his concern. He'd already gotten what he came for earlier, no sense in disrupting the mood now. It wasn't every day Tsunade showed this much spirit, and it would be a shame to ruin it.
Her becoming Hokage threw the established order into disarray.
'Speaking of which,' Takeshi mused, 'now that I've ended the Third War early, will Naruto and Sasuke be born sooner, too? Atleast Naruto should be, for Sasuke I will need to make sure Madara dies.'
After a war that had nearly engulfed the entire shinobi world, it was unlikely another major conflict would break out anytime soon. After all, bored ninja were dangerous ninja, and they had far more energy than ordinary people. It was hard to say what might happen.
"Alright, everyone can head home now," Tsunade called out. "The war is truly over!"
"Yes, ma'am!" the shinobi shouted in unison before dispersing.
The villagers, their welcome celebration concluded, began to leave as well. The more observant among them left with the certainty that Tsunade would be the next Hokage. Her inauguration was still to come, but the decision felt settled.
Once the crowd was gone, Hiruzen lingered for a moment, lost in nostalgia, before heading off himself. A mountain of paperwork awaited him, especially now that Konoha's victory had prompted a flood of diplomatic letters from smaller nations. They weren't urgent, but they were tedious.
...
The next morning, the somber sounds of mourning music drifted in from outside.
Before long, there was a knock on Takeshi's door. Rin's voice followed. "Takeshi, wake up. We're going to the Memorial Service together."
'Ah, right. That's today.'
The black cat blinked, shaking off the last remnants of sleep. He had to go. Several of the fallen had died covering for him on missions, emotionally and logically, there was no other choice. Sleepy or not, he forced himself awake and padded out of the house.
The service was simple, but the heavy atmosphere was enough to kill any stray thoughts. One by one, they paid their respects to the fallen heroes before the bodies were laid to rest.
The names on the memorial stone continued to grow. Takeshi's eyes found the names of Dan Kato and Nawaki, Tsunade's lost loved ones, and the source of her hemophobia.
He glanced over and saw Tsunade laying flowers before Nawaki's grave, her lips moving silently with words no one else could hear. After a moment, she moved on to another grave.
Dan's.
Orochimaru and Jiraiya were already there. When Tsunade joined them, the three of them honored him together.
"Life is so fragile," Jiraiya murmured. "You should give up on these fantasies, Orochimaru. There's no such thing as immortality."
Orochimaru's expression was blank. He knew Jiraiya wasn't a fool, but he couldn't possibly understand the depths of his pursuit. He chose to remain silent.
Tsunade placed her flowers on the grave. "I don't care if you chase immortality, Orochimaru," she said, her voice even. "I only ask one thing: don't lose your humanity, and don't turn your ambitions against the village."
Orochimaru spoke softly. "A human body cannot last forever, but the soul can be passed on. Tsunade... perhaps one day, "
"That kind of jutsu doesn't exist," Takeshi cut in, breaking his silence. "Even if it did, it wouldn't be true immortality, just a puppet's existence, meow."
"Oh?" Orochimaru's eyes glinted with interest. This cat seemed to know something. He had long been curious about Takeshi, especially after his own research into the Holy Lands, but a sense of courtesy had stopped him from prying. Now, he wasn't even sure he could win a fight against the cat, let alone capture him.
"A soul withers, just like a body," Takeshi continued. "Even if you find a way to swap vessels, you'll still die eventually. It just takes a little longer. And as for granting immortality to others... that's even less possible."
Immortality was a tempting illusion. Orochimaru's Living Corpse Reincarnation and Cursed Seal offered a kind of extended life, but the Impure World Reincarnation was no true rebirth, those it summoned were not truly alive. Besides, while the jutsu appeared to have no cost, a price was always paid somewhere, out of sight.
"Perhaps," Orochimaru said, then turned and left the cemetery.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed slightly before she let out a quiet sigh. He hadn't changed at all.
"Once you're settled in, I'll be leaving Konoha for a while," Jiraiya said, standing up. "I want to see what the shinobi world looks like in a time of peace. If you need me, you can reach me through Minato."
Tsunade's succession ceremony was the next day, so this was essentially his farewell. There would be no grand send-off, they were long past the need for such formalities.
"Take care of yourself," Tsunade said.
"Naturally," Jiraiya replied. "Without... ah, never mind. And little guy, what you said makes sense, but I'm going to keep trying. This has been my goal my whole life."
He crouched and reached out to pat Takeshi's head, but the cat turned away with a flick of his tail.
'Don't touch me.'
He was only going traveling. There was no need for such a dramatic farewell. Besides, with the Flying Thunder God, Jiraiya could come and go as he pleased.
'People without space-time ninjutsu are truly pitiful,' Takeshi thought with a silent scoff.
"Oh, right," Jiraiya said. "Minato's treating us to dinner tonight. You coming?"
"Of course, meow. He's owed me that meal for ages and keeps dodging it. I'll skip lunch just so I can eat more."
"Hahaha, see you tonight, then."
With that, the man who seemed as free as the wind walked out of the cemetery.
Watching him go, Takeshi couldn't help but sigh.
Tsunade offered a small smile, her fingers brushing against the crystal necklace at her throat. She nudged the black cat with her foot. "Hey. You want a necklace?"
'The Death Necklace?'
This was the First Hokage's necklace, infused with Hashirama Senju's power. Who knew what benefits it might hold? But Takeshi also knew how much sentimental value it held for her. If she was offering it to him, it meant she truly saw him as one of her own.
"Of course I do, meow!"
"I'll be waiting," she said softly, "for the day you establish your own Holy Land."
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