"Poker!"
Jiraiya explained the rules of Poker to Tsunade, and she quickly looked interested.
"Sounds pretty fun. Deal the cards!" Tsunade urged.
"Hold on, this game can be played by three people."
Jiraiya nudged Naruto. "Naruto, play with us."
"He's only twelve, isn't he?" Tsunade questioned before Naruto could answer.
"Twelve for him isn't the same as twelve for us!" Jiraiya said.
"Not the same?" Tsunade frowned.
"I'm not as pervy as him," Naruto said flatly.
Jiraiya: "..."
"Hahahahaha!" Tsunade laughed so hard her chest shook. "Well, from that angle, you're right!"
Ignoring Tsunade's teasing, Jiraiya leaned toward Naruto and whispered, "Someone's not scared of losing, are they? Or are you just too afraid to play?"
"Heh." Naruto let out a cold laugh. "You're just after my money, aren't you? Too bad, that kind of bait doesn't work on me."
"Tch! Fine, don't play. We can do it with just the two of us."
Seeing Naruto so unmoved, Jiraiya knew there was no talking this money-lover into joining.
He also had no intention of letting Shizune play, since she was on Tsunade's side.
Jiraiya dealt the cards, and the two of them played while continuing their earlier conversation.
"A three. So, what did Orochimaru want with you?"
"Nothing much. Just came to say hello. A two. So, why are you here to see me?"
"That big, huh? Hmm… four sixes."
Jiraiya laid down his cards. "Alright, I'll tell you. The village wants you to come back and take the role of Fifth Hokage. The Third… well…"
"Four nines. Orochimaru killed him, didn't he? I heard it from his own mouth," Tsunade said calmly.
"Four kings. So about becoming the Fifth Hokage… what's your answer?" Jiraiya asked.
"No. I refuse," Tsunade answered after a long pause.
"Three threes, three fours, pair of fives, pair of tens. There's no one in the village more suited for the job. This is the decision made by the top advisors," Jiraiya said evenly.
"Three sevens, three eights, pair of fives, pair of tens. My grandfather and the Second Hokage both wanted peace for the ninja world, but in the end, they died for nothing. Even your last student… Life and money are not the same. Betting your life for the village is just plain stupid," Tsunade said with a blank face.
Jiraiya glanced at Tsunade, a bit puzzled. "You're not the same as before, Tsunade. I didn't expect to hear something like that from you. No."
Tsunade smiled faintly. "Don't be fooled by how I look. I'm already in my fifties. Time changes people."
"One four."
"One seven."
"And Hiruzen… trying to act tough at his age, of course he ended up dead."
At this point, Tsunade seemed a bit sentimental. She looked up and muttered to herself, "Hokage is trash. Only idiots want the job."
As soon as she said it, the air turned strangely quiet.
Jiraiya's expression turned heavy. He didn't know how to continue.
After a long silence, he quietly played an eight.
"Bomb."
"Bomb."
"Bomb."
"Double jokers!"
The round ended with Jiraiya winning, but Tsunade lost interest in playing any further.
"If that's all, I'm done for today." With that, Tsunade stood up to leave.
Naruto looked at her, wanting to say something to stop her, but his mind was completely blank.
He really wasn't good at talking people into things.
What, was he supposed to say being Hokage is fun?
That'd be a lie.
"Let's go, kid."
Jiraiya got up and followed Tsunade, clearly not planning to give up so easily.
Seeing this, Naruto silently rooted for Jiraiya… Whether they could get Tsunade back was now up to the old man!
They followed her to the same inn to rent rooms.
Tsunade and Shizune stayed in 201, Naruto and Jiraiya stayed in 202.
It was obvious they picked these rooms to keep a close watch on Tsunade and stop her from slipping away.
But if Tsunade really wanted to leave, even living next door wouldn't be enough to stop her.
Once inside, Jiraiya flopped right onto the bed, looking drunk.
Seeing that, Naruto was ready to go to bed early too, but Jiraiya suddenly said, "Naruto, help me keep an eye on Tsunade. Don't let her sneak off."
"…"
"Nope."
Naruto wasn't worried about Tsunade leaving just yet since she still had to meet Orochimaru.
And even if she left, they could always track her down again.
As long as the Leaf hadn't picked a new Hokage, the position would still be open for her.
"I know you… more money, right?"
Jiraiya seemed to see right through him. "One… five hundred ryo!"
Naruto rolled his eyes at the number and lay down to sleep.
Snore~
"…"
"One thousand!"
Snore~
"Five thousand… ten thousand!"
"Pay up!"
"…"
Jiraiya reluctantly tossed Naruto ten thousand ryo, then went right to sleep.
Naruto, now satisfied, took the money and went up to the roof of the building across from Tsunade's room, peeking through the window at Tsunade, Shizune, and the little pink pig.
But this clumsy spying was quickly noticed by Tsunade and Shizune.
Shizune walked to the window, glared at Naruto, then pulled the curtains shut so he couldn't see inside.
"That's not enough~"
Naruto smirked and a small screen appeared in his hand, showing everything Tsunade and Shizune were doing.
He wasn't good at tailing people, but when it came to surveillance… Naruto thought he had a few tricks up his sleeve.
…
Over the next few days,
During the day, Jiraiya followed Tsunade, trying to convince her.
At night, Naruto handled the surveillance to stop her from running away.
In this way, a week passed quickly.
One day,
Naruto was using the light screen in his hand to watch Tsunade when he suddenly noticed she had vanished from the room.
Just as he was about to search for her, Tsunade's cold voice came from behind him.
"You've seen a lot these past few days, haven't you? You little perv."
"..."
Naruto clenched his fist and shut off the image. "I was just carrying out Jiraiya's mission, don't get the wrong idea."
"What am I misunderstanding? That you weren't watching us, or that you didn't see anything?" Tsunade said flatly.
"Well… if you put it that way, then there's nothing to misunderstand." Naruto replied without changing his expression.
"..."
"I remember your name's Naruto, right? What's your family name?" Tsunade asked.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
"Uzumaki Naruto?"
Tsunade looked him up and down. "You look a little like someone I used to know."
"The Fourth Hokage? He was my father," Naruto said calmly.
"So it's true. But your personalities couldn't be more different. He wasn't as pervy as you."
Tsunade seemed unsurprised, though she looked at Naruto with a hint of distaste.
"..."
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