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Thanks to Neji's injury slowing them down, they'd lost a night of travel.
Now recovered against his will, mind you Neji pushed for a more direct route to the Town, hoping to make up for lost time.
Jiraiya agreed.
After all, that town was their best bet for gathering information on Tsunade.
So the trio set out again training as they traveled.
And while things seemed peaceful on the surface, Naruto was suffering.
Badly.
Jiraiya had begun teaching them the [Rasengan].
And Neji?
Neji nailed it.
First try.
Naruto couldn't even pop a water balloon.
It was soul-crushing.
How can someone learn it in one go?!
Jiraiya had to intervene and explain Neji had prior experience with similar chakra control techniques.
Comparing yourself to him is like comparing a catapult to a laser cannon.
That calmed Naruto… slightly.
---
Meanwhile…
Inside a smoky gambling den, Tsunade stared at the slot machine.
7... 7... 7.
Jackpot.
Bells rang. Coins clattered.
Shizune jumped with excitement. "Tsunade-sama! We actually won! This never happens!"
But Tsunade's face darkened.
Her smile vanished.
"I hit the jackpot…"
She stepped back like she'd seen a ghost.
"…That's not good."
Shizune blinked. "Huh? You won money! That's great, right?"
Tsunade's voice dropped. "Let's go. Now."
"No shopping? This place is famous!"
"No. Just a quick look and we leave."
Her instincts were screaming. Something bad was coming. And Tsunade never ignored her instincts.
Still, Shizune couldn't resist sightseeing.
They wandered toward Tanzaku Castle, the town's landmark a proud, towering structure full of ancient elegance.
"It's beautiful," Shizune whispered. "Feels like stepping into history."
Tsunade's bad feelings worsened.
"We need to—"
BOOM.
The castle trembled. Crumbled. A thunderous crash echoed through the town.
From the rising dust emerged a massive serpent.
Atop its head—
Orochimaru.
He grinned, fangs glinting in the light.
"…Found you."
---
Elsewhere in town…
Jiraiya and the others heard the blast, but couldn't see the source from their location.
Neji's brows furrowed. "That direction something's wrong."
He turned to the shopkeeper they'd been questioning. "That sound… what's over there?"
The man glanced up from Jiraiya's sketch. "Oh, that? That's Tanzaku Castle! Real famous landmark."
'Fantastic' Neji thought. 'Just the thing I can't see.'
"We should head there now," he said calmly. "I'm sensing something unusual."
Jiraiya nodded. He knew better than to question Neji's instincts anymore.
"Let's move."
---
By the time they arrived—
Only ruins remained.
Tanzaku Castle had been reduced to rubble. Smoke curled from the shattered stone walls.
Jiraiya scanned the destruction, his face hardening.
"…Too late."
He turned away. "Let's go."
---
Later, inside a cozy tavern…
The mood was less cozy and more boozy.
Tsunade downed another drink. Her hands trembled ever so slightly.
The encounter with Orochimaru had shaken something loose. Pain. Memories. Fear.
"Another round," she muttered.
The tavern owner hesitated. "Tsunade-sama, I really think you've had—"
"I said pour."
Shizune gave up trying to stop her. She sat quietly, concerned.
Then—
The tavern door opened.
"Seriously, Naruto," Jiraiya was saying, "places like these are the best for getting real intel—"
He froze mid-sentence.
Across the room, Tsunade looked up.
"…Tsunade."
"…Jiraiya?"
"Hmm...I see, It's gotten big"
They both blinked.
Well, this was awkward.
Jiraiya chuckled, brushing off the tension and guiding the boys to sit.
Tsunade leaned back, staring at them. "Since when did you become a babysitter?"
Jiraiya shrugged. "Not my first choice."
Naruto squinted at her. "Wait—she's Tsunade?"
"Yup."
"Seriously? She's supposed to be fifty?!"
THWACK.
Neji gave Naruto a swift karate chop to the neck.
"Don't say stupid things out loud. Illusion-based youth techniques are perfectly viable. Even I can do it."
Naruto blinked. "You can?!"
Their banter drew Tsunade's eye. She swirled her drink, unimpressed.
"Two brats," she muttered. "One loud. One smug."
"Hey, I'm right here," Naruto grumbled.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "And?"
Jiraiya laughed awkwardly. "Don't mind her."
She turned to Neji. "So, Mr. Smug. That true? You can pull off youth illusion jutsu too?"
Neji nodded politely. "A side effect of [Life Return] chakra control."
Tsunade muttered, "What is with this generation…"
Shizune looked around nervously. She hadn't expected the reunion of the Legendary Three to happen so suddenly.
Jiraiya finally dropped the pretense.
"…It's Orochimaru, isn't it? What did he want?"
Tsunade gripped her cup tightly.
"…Nothing much. Just said hello. Sort of."
He didn't press further.
Instead, he got serious. "Tsunade. The village wants you to become the Fifth Hokage."
Cough.
Naruto choked on his drink.
Neji smacked his back casually, helping him recover. Perfectly timed interruption. Respect.
"WHAT?!" Naruto yelped. "They want her to be Hokage?!"
"Tch… pipe down, kid," Tsunade muttered.
Jiraiya ignored the outburst.
"Well? What's your answer?"
Tsunade downed the rest of her sake in one swig.
"…So the old man really is gone."
Naruto gawked. "Wait… Orochimaru's the one who killed the Third?! Who even is this guy?!"
Jiraiya looked down.
"…You know the title 'Legendary Three'? That was us. Me. Tsunade. Orochimaru."
"…Wha?"
Naruto was baffled. "Then why would he—?!"
Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Why's this brat yelling every five seconds?"
She glanced at Neji. "At least he knows how to behave."
The contrast stung more than it should have.
Jiraiya grinned. "Naruto's the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. The other is Neji Hyuga."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed. So that's the Nine-Tails host.
Then she glanced at Neji again. Blindfolded. Calm. Reserved.
…Is Jiraiya asking me to heal his eyes?
But Jiraiya wasn't done.
"Well? Will you do it?"
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