"Tsunade-sama, that kid is a Konoha ninja," Shizune said urgently, seeing Naruto blocked. She pointedly didn't mention that the kid was traveling with Jiraiya-sama. If she did, the kid would definitely be stuck.
"Are all Konoha ninjas this pathetic now?" Tsunade drawled, taking in Naruto's bewildered expression. It was obvious the kid was with Jiraiya.
"Damn it, what did you say...?" Naruto snapped, whirling around to glare at Tsunade.
Shizune stared at Naruto, dumbfounded. Is that guy an idiot?
"Kid, since you're also from Konoha, you're staying," the man in black declared, wasting no time. He moved to attack. He wasn't thrilled about taking out someone without a bounty, but eliminating a brat wouldn't take much effort.
Just as the thrown kunai were about to hit Naruto, Shizune swiftly intervened, deflecting them with a barrage of senbon.
"Are you stupid? Get out of here!" Shizune yelled at Naruto.
The man in black made another move, but Tsunade blocked him. Naruto seized the opportunity and scrambled away.
"Looks like there's no other choice. I'll have to finish this quickly," the man in black muttered. One of his hands turned black, clearly hardened with an earth-style technique. He launched a fist towards Tsunade.
Tsunade swiftly retreated, but the man's fist followed her relentlessly, like a shadow. She raised her arms, crossing them in front of her chest to block, but the sheer force of the blow sent her flying.
"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune rushed to help Tsunade to her feet. "Are you alright...?"
"Cough, cough... I'm fine..." Tsunade coughed, "This guy is strong. You need to stay back..."
"Tsunade-sama, maybe we should retreat for now? Jiraiya-sama is nearby," Shizune said anxiously.
"Hmph," Tsunade ignored Shizune. She stood up and began forming hand seals. Markings started to appear on her forehead.
"That's...!" Shizune's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the markings on Tsunade's face.
Meanwhile, at a small-town BBQ restaurant, Jiraiya and Sakura heard Naruto's voice outside.
"Pervy Sage! Sakura-chan!... Where are you...?"
He probably went to the inn and didn't find them. It was strange, the technology in the ninja world. They had radios, but no mobile communication devices like cell phones. The only long-distance communication relied on chakra, and the calls couldn't last long.
"Jiraiya-sama, I'll go get Naruto," Sakura said, standing up and heading out.
"Hey, Naruto, what are you yelling about...?" Sakura covered her face in embarrassment as she watched Naruto shouting at every shop he passed. So embarrassing.
"Ah, Sakura-chan! Where's the Pervy Sage?" Naruto turned and saw Sakura, his face lighting up with relief.
"What is it? Did you master that jutsu?" Sakura couldn't guess what Naruto was so anxious about.
"No, I saw your master," Naruto replied.
"You saw Tsunade-sensei? Where is she?" Sakura was taken aback. It seemed Jiraiya had actually been reliable for once. Tsunade was here after all.
"She's at the place where I was training, but she's fighting an enemy! That violent woman with Tsunade-baachan told me to find the Pervy Sage..." Naruto blurted out the situation.
"Uh, violent woman? You wouldn't happen to be talking about Shizune, would you?" Shizune was pretty gentle, though.
"Argh... Never mind that! Where's the Pervy Sage...?" Naruto was so agitated he started scratching his head and fidgeting.
"Right, right, come with me..." Sakura led Naruto to the BBQ restaurant and quickly explained the situation to the Pervy Sage.
Before Sakura could say anything more, Jiraiya grabbed her and headed out, only to be stopped by a waitress.
"Excuse me, sir, but you haven't paid your bill yet," the waitress said with a smile.
"Naruto, you must be hungry. Stay here and eat. Sakura and I will be back soon," Sakura said, pushing Naruto into a seat.
"No way, I'm going too...!" Naruto protested.
"Naruto, don't be difficult. Just stay here and eat something. Sakura and I will be right back," Jiraiya said firmly.
Since Tsunade was under attack, the trap for Naruto didn't exist. If it were a trap for Naruto, they wouldn't have targeted Tsunade; they would have tried to tie up Jiraiya. Therefore, Jiraiya was leaving Naruto there, out of trouble's way. Besides, while Tsunade's strength might have declined over the years, she was still one of the Sannin. If even she had to call for help, their opponent must be formidable.
"Looks like someone's trying to assassinate Tsunade," Sakura said to Jiraiya as they ran.
"That's right. At this critical juncture... who could it be?" Jiraiya pondered.
"Could it be related to this mission?" Sakura guessed.
"Related to this mission..." Jiraiya's expression changed drastically. "If that's the case, then I need to warn the old man..."
Yes, if it was related to the mission, then there was a problem within Konoha itself. Only the Konoha Council and Jiraiya knew about the plan to ask Tsunade to become the Fifth Hokage.
Based on Jiraiya's deductions, the only person who would want to prevent Tsunade from taking the position was Danzo. Danzo's ambition was well-known among the higher-ups, but no one had ever been able to do anything about it. However, slaughtering fellow villagers was considered treason. Jiraiya, his heart heavy, continued running with Sakura, hoping to find some shred of evidence. But knowing Danzo, the chances of finding any were slim.
"We're almost there. There are three chakra signatures ahead," Sakura announced as soon as she entered the area. She could sense two extremely powerful chakras, and one relatively weaker one.
It had to be Tsunade, Shizune, and their enemy.
Under the cold moonlight of the dark night, two figures, one large and one small, stealthily approached the other two who were engaged in combat.
"It doesn't seem that critical," Jiraiya observed, seeing Tsunade and the man in black exchanging blows. It didn't look like a life-or-death situation.
"Jiraiya-sensei, please act quickly! Tsunade-sensei is using the Creation Rebirth – Strength of a Hundred Seal!" Sakura instantly recognized the distinctive patterns of the Strength of a Hundred Seal combined with Creation Rebirth on Tsunade's face.
"Don't rush. Let's wait a little longer," Jiraiya said.
Tsunade was frustrated with this fight. For some reason, her punches landed on the opponent, but he seemed completely unfazed.
The enemy's earth-style nature transformation was exceptionally good. His hardened fists, powered by his earth technique, packed a punch nearly equal to Tsunade's own monstrous strength. Moreover, he could use ninjutsu from all five elemental natures, making him a very troublesome opponent. After finding an opening, Tsunade landed another powerful blow, sending the man flying.
Tsunade steadied her breathing, preparing to follow up with another punch, when she saw the man being wrapped in white hair.
Seeing the white hair, Tsunade let out a cold snort, but her face visibly relaxed. This man in black was strange. While he was strong, Tsunade wasn't incapable of dealing with him. However, Tsunade's attacks were proving ineffective, which was extremely frustrating.
Tsunade wasn't a ninjutsu-type ninja, so seeing Jiraiya arrive significantly lessened her burden. But she still had to say something.
"Jiraiya, what are you doing here? And you brought Sakura along," Tsunade said, noticing Sakura emerging from the shadows.
"Haha, let's not talk about that now. I'll take care of him first," Jiraiya said, forming hand seals. Instantly, sharp spikes formed from the hair of his Needle Jizo jutsu, piercing the man's body.
Jiraiya then slightly loosened his control to prevent the man from suffocating. "Don't worry, I didn't hit any vital organs. Now tell me, who sent you?"
"Hmph," the man didn't answer, simply giving Jiraiya a cold, emotionless snort.
"Jiraiya, be careful! His body seems to be immune to physical attacks!" Tsunade warned urgently, seeing Jiraiya relax his control.
Sure enough, just as Jiraiya was about to exert more force upon hearing the warning, the man broke free.
"One of Konoha's Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya... It's truly an honor to fight against two of the Sannin," the man said, his expression unreadable, looking at Tsunade and Jiraiya.
"What is your goal?" Jiraiya pressed, since the man had escaped.
"Money, naturally..." The man's answer left Jiraiya momentarily stunned.
"Money???" Then it clicked. "So you're a bounty hunter from the underground exchange."
"Then who is your employer?" Jiraiya asked, seeing the man remain silent.
"I don't know," the man replied.
"Hmph... Seems like he genuinely doesn't know." Hearing the man's firm tone, Jiraiya stopped questioning him. Jiraiya had some understanding of the underground exchange's rules.
However, he was curious as to why the man hadn't attacked yet, just standing there. He decided to try and glean a bit more information.
"Then how much is her bounty?" Jiraiya asked, pointing at Tsunade.
"50 million!!" the man answered honestly.
"50 million!!!... Haha, Tsunade, you're worth a fortune!!!" Jiraiya exclaimed dramatically, giving Tsunade a teasing shout.
"Tch, are you planning to sell me for the money...?" Tsunade retorted sarcastically, her tone less than friendly.
Unexpectedly, the man in black seemed to tense up slightly at her words, glancing nervously at Jiraiya.
"Haha, of course not..." Jiraiya's usual goofy expression suddenly turned serious. "Looks like I'll have to deal with you first before I can get any more information."
Hearing Jiraiya's intention to attack, Sakura didn't hesitate. It was a good opportunity to test the power of her Storm Release. She raised her hand, and a white laser beam shot towards the man in black.
To everyone's surprise, the man was instantly sliced in two by Sakura's Storm Release, but no blood spilled.
Sakura stared at the two halves of the body lying motionless on the ground, feeling a sense of unreality. Did I really defeat him that easily?
Just as she was about to approach and investigate, Jiraiya quickly stopped her. "Wait, Sakura. I'll go."
Jiraiya first used Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu to ignite the two halves of the corpse, but there was still no reaction. He then cautiously approached to examine them.
"How is it, Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked, walking over from behind.
"Looks like he escaped. This was just a clone," Jiraiya said, poking at the charred remains of the body, which were now unrecognizable.
"Hmph, still as clueless as ever..." Tsunade said, starting to tease Jiraiya now that the enemy had retreated.
"Tsunade, how did you encounter him?" Jiraiya ignored Tsunade's jab and asked.
"I saw through him at the tavern. He'd been following me for the past two days," Tsunade replied nonchalantly. "I thought he was a debt collector..."
"I noticed him too, but he got to you before I did," Jiraiya said, sealing a portion of the remains in a sealing scroll for later study.
"Seems your skills have declined quite a bit... It's time to retire," Tsunade quipped, turning her head to look at Sakura. "Sakura, that's a pretty good Storm Release. When did you learn it?"
"Yes, Tsunade-sensei. I learned it just these past few days. I have to thank Jiraiya-sensei for his guidance," Sakura replied quickly, seeing Tsunade turn towards her.
"Jiraiya? Hey, Jiraiya, since when did you know a kekkei genkai?" Tsunade asked Jiraiya, who had finished collecting the information.
"Haha, I don't know any kekkei genkai. Sakura figured this out herself. I just offered a few suggestions," Jiraiya replied awkwardly. "Since we've met up, let's go have a chat."
"Let's go, Shizune," Tsunade called, and they followed Jiraiya back to the BBQ restaurant.
"Sakura, you're amazing! I didn't think you'd be able to master a kekkei genkai in just a few months," Shizune exclaimed, impressed by her junior disciple after hearing Tsunade mention Sakura's Storm Release.
"Haha, no, no, it's all thanks to Jiraiya-sensei's guidance. I wouldn't have been able to do it without him," Sakura said, feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the praise.
It was true that at her age, she was already considered a genius among geniuses in the ninja world. But in the context of the upcoming war, she was just a slightly stronger pawn.
The group arrived at the BBQ restaurant to find Naruto arguing with the owner.
"Damn it, I'll be right back! I'm not going to run away!" Naruto said indignantly.
"No, no, no. If you want to leave, you have to pay first. Otherwise, wait for your companions," the restaurant owner insisted, shaking his head repeatedly.
After Naruto had eaten his fill, he finally couldn't sit still any longer and wanted to go find the Pervy Sage. But the owner wouldn't let him leave. Naruto had eaten enough food for three people, and added to what the previous two had eaten, the owner would be at a significant loss if he ran off.
Fortunately, Jiraiya and the others returned at that moment.
"Naruto," Jiraiya called out. "What are you doing?"
"Ah, Pervy Sage, Sakura-chan, Tsunade-baachan, and... violent woman!" Naruto exclaimed, his eyes lighting up at the sight of the group.
Shizune looked around, confused, realizing there was no one else around. It suddenly dawned on her that Naruto was talking about her.
"Brat, who are you calling a violent woman?" she growled, stepping forward and grabbing Naruto by the collar.
Sakura watched Naruto helplessly. Shizune was pretty gentle, not violent at all. Naruto's sense of aesthetics was truly bizarre.
Once the five of them were seated again, Tsunade was the first to speak.
"Alright, Jiraiya, tell me. What do you want?" Tsunade asked, pouring herself a cup of sake.
When with Tsunade, Sakura naturally sat on Tsunade's side. Two beautiful young women flanking a stunning older beauty, all three of them staring intently at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya felt a bit unnerved by their combined gazes. He poured himself a cup of sake, took a sip, and said, "The village wants you to come back."
"..." Tsunade didn't respond, just watched him with an amused expression.
"Cough... This time it's different from last time," Jiraiya coughed, trying to regain his composure.
"How is it different? Tell me," Tsunade propped her chin on her hand, a slight smile playing on her lips as she tilted her head, waiting for him to give her a reason.
"This time, the village wants you to become the Fifth Hokage," Jiraiya said, his expression turning serious.
Tsunade didn't react. She picked up her cup, downed the sake in one gulp, and said to Sakura, "Come to my room tonight. I'll give you a checkup."
"Yes, Tsunade-sensei," Sakura replied, sensing the subtle shift in the atmosphere and keeping her words brief.
Naruto, upon hearing this, looked at Tsunade in disbelief.
"This is the Third Hokage's directive, and it has been unanimously confirmed by the council," Jiraiya added, emphasizing his words.
Only then did Tsunade turn to face Jiraiya directly, her voice cold. "The reason?"
"This assassination attempt, and the attack on Konoha," Jiraiya explained. "During that incident, the Third Hokage would have likely died if not for Sakura."
"The Third Hokage is preparing to step down. He has designated you as the next Hokage. You are the most suitable candidate," Jiraiya continued.
"Heh, Hokage is a job for idiots. One wrong move and you're dead. Such a high-risk occupation, and the old man wants me to take it. He's really looking out for me," Tsunade said sarcastically.
"Hey, don't say that. The old man believes you can lead the village forward. Honestly, because of the attack on Konoha, our situation is very precarious. The old man's health has deteriorated significantly. It's time to find the next Hokage," Jiraiya sighed.
"Then what about you?" Tsunade said after drinking another cup.
"No, no, I'm not suited for that position. Only you, Princess Tsunade, are fit to be Hokage," Jiraiya quickly waved his hands, emphasizing the word "Princess."
Naruto, watching this exchange, was furious. His dream, the position of Hokage, was being tossed back and forth between these two, making him feel like his aspirations were being trampled on.
"I won't let you mock the Hokage!" Unable to hold back any longer, Naruto jumped onto the table and shouted at Tsunade. "The Hokage is my goal, and I won't let you talk about it like that!"
Tsunade looked at the blonde-haired kid and smiled slightly. "Oh~~~ So it seems that those who want to be Hokage are all idiots~~~~"
"Damn it! Even if you're a woman, I won't let you get away with this!" Naruto roared, raising his fist to punch Tsunade.
Sakura, watching Naruto foolishly attack Tsunade, silently turned her head away. Where did Naruto get the courage to challenge Tsunade?
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