For a moment, Jiraiya stared and tried to make sense of what he was seeing. Was this real? Had he really woken up like this? Or was it just a dream?
His brain was slow to process, but then Tsunade yawned and woke up.
"Morning," she softly said. Her eyes fluttered open, and she blinked at him with a faint smile. "Did you sleep well?"
He abruptly leapt from the bed and blurted out, "Ah—Tsunade! Forgive me! I think I had too many drinks last night!"
She looked at him with confusion before sitting up a little. "Drinks? I don't remember you and I being out yesterday."
She then stretched, revealing her bare shoulders as she moved out of bed. Jiraiya's gaze flicked around in disbelief. His mind refused to accept what he was seeing.
Had he really spent the night with her?
With Tsunade already out of the room, he stood up hurriedly and made his way to the bathroom. The mirror reflected a man just as confused as he felt. So he turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on his face, hoping to jolt himself out of this strange mental state.
As the water ran over his skin, he stared into his own eyes.
Was this real? Or was he caught in that genjutsu he couldn't recall?
The latter didn't make sense because his chakra flow was normal.
The smell of breakfast soon drifted from the kitchen. There's no way Tsunade of all women was cooking something at his own home.
As he left the bathroom, he saw her there, dressed in a tiny apron with her body half-naked as she prepared food. Her hair was tied back, and she seemed way too comfortable.
While the blood rushed to his head, he just simply couldn't believe what he was seeing.
She noticed his stare and asked, "What's wrong? Your face is all red."
Jiraiya's cheeks grew hotter. His brain was working overtime as he tried to make sense of everything.
"I… I don't know," he managed in a trembling voice. He couldn't tell if she was going to pounce on him or beat him to death. "I think I'm having a severe case of déjà vu."
She chuckled softly while walking over with a spatula in hand. "Maybe you really did drink last night."
He winced at her words, but he had a gut feeling that he honestly hadn't gotten drunk. Still, his memories were hazy, and his mind kept slipping.
He looked at her—her bare shoulders, the outline of her bosom—and felt far too confused.
When he didn't respond, she smacked him across the face with the spatula. "I thought we agreed that you wouldn't drink anymore!"
Jiraiya rubbed his cheeks after verifying that not only was this the real Tsunade, but also that he wasn't dreaming. More importantly, since when did he ever make an agreement like that?
She paused her cooking. "You don't sound like you had a hangover. Let me take a look at your head." Without warning, she first healed the mark she left and then used her chakra to gently probe him. After a moment, she relaxed and shook her head. "I don't feel anything wrong. You're physically fine."
But he couldn't focus on that. Her bare skin was so close, causing his cheeks to burn again.
"Tsunade," he said, stepping back a little, "as much as I enjoy this, the real Tsunade would never wear something like that in front of me."
She stared him in the eyes for a moment before sighing since he was being serious.
After heading to the bedroom, she changed into something more casual. "Happy?"
"Yes, I mean... Well, I don't really know what to say."
The two eventually sat down in the living room like adults.
"What's the last thing you remember?" she asked.
Trying to piece his thoughts, he answered, "I left the village and was traveling the world to write a book about everything I saw."
Tsunade was now confused. "You finished that book long ago."
"Really? I don't remember finishing the whole thing…"
Hearing this made her confirm that something was at least mentally wrong with him. So she got up and returned with a small bottle of medicine and a glass of water.
"Here. Take this. It'll help with your head."
But he insisted, "No, I'm fine."
Tsunade crossed her arms with a serious expression. "Jiraiya, just take it! You're obviously not yourself."
When he refused, the two got into a quick wrestling match where she overpowered him and shoved a pill into his mouth—all while pinching his nose to make him swallow.
He coughed, unable to regurgitate the medicine. Afterwards, he looked up and saw her leaning over him with her body so close again. He wanted to ask why she was acting this way until she finally got up.
"Good, now let's talk more about what happened," she quietly said.
'Is this for real?' he thought to himself again. 'It all felt real, at least.'
It's then his mind became a tad hazy. Not from the medicine, but from simply just being in this situation.
If this Tsunade meant well, the most he could do was confess the bits and pieces in his memories.
A few minutes was spent with him explaining what he recalled. When she heard him out, almost everything checked out: Jiraiya the legendary Sannin, who was trained by the third Hokage, and who fought in a war as a hero against the Rain Village.
Except, he forgot one crucial fact.
"What do you mean we're married?!" he asked in surprise.
That earned him a huge hit across his head, causing a big lump to form. It wasn't long until she used her Healing technique to mend the wound. While she was doing that, he could see the sadness in her eyes.
How was he supposed to remember something like that?
She eventually finished and told him to stay here while she planned to head out and handle some village duties. Because whatever was going on with him, she believed that he was the one not in the right state of mind.
Amnesia was the likely diagnosis. But she couldn't treat him now when she had work to do.
"I suppose a Hokage that's married is still the Hokage at the end of the day," he said, attempting to lighten the mood.
But it sounded hollow.
She thoughtfully looked at him before correcting, "Actually, no. I'm not the Hokage. Your student, Minato Namikaze, is still the Hokage and has been for the last thirteen years…"
Jiraiya stared at her. How could he misplaced yet another important detail like that? Had he been gone or something, or had someone tampered with his mind? This had to be a genjutsu, but he couldn't tell.
Tsunade soon reached out, placing her hand on his shoulder, and said, "We'll figure this out together, but please stay here while I'm gone, okay?"
He looked at her, feeling a strange sense of relief but confusion at the same time. His thoughts were still muddled. But one thing was clear: his world had changed dramatically, and he needed to understand it before trying to escape.
The moment he was sure she had fully left the house, he slipped out despite her plea.
The familiar layout of the neighbourhood confirmed this was indeed his home. But there was something about it that just didn't sit right. For instance, the Hokage monument didn't have Tsunade's face on it.
Jiraiya's first stop was a newspaper stand. The headlines blared mundane local news and upcoming festivals. "No major problems in the Leaf Village for the past two years."
He needed facts, so he headed toward the Jōnin Station to search up records and past missions.
Walking through the familiar halls, he was met with several greetings.
"Jiraiya-sensei!"
"Good morning, Jiraiya!"
He offered quick nods and vague smiles while playing the part of the Legendary Sannin as best he could.
It wasn't long until he entered a room where he found his mission files. His last entry was two years ago, and it was a report detailing the capture of Orochimaru.
'This doesn't look right,' he thought.
The handwriting was undeniably his, yet the events themselves were a complete blank. He had no memory of this mission. Let alone any recollection of facing his former teammate two years ago.
Suddenly, the doors to the records room swung open. The woman's familiar voice was calm yet held a note of weary resignation as she said, "I figured you'd come here."
He turned, offered a weak smile, and said, "Tsunade, I can explain…"
She cut him off. "No need. I tailed you just in case you were still predictable."
He ignored the gentle jab and asked, "What happened with Orochimaru in this report…"
"He was sent to Blood Prison," she plainly stated, "and executed a year ago after you captured him."
The finality of her words settled. Orochimaru, gone by his own hands? Just what had Jiraiya been doing these few couple of years?
Then something finally jolted in his mind, like he was struck by lightning.
He held his head, prompting her to worry.
"I… I remember marrying you," he said, trying to relax. The words felt strange to say, yet somewhere deep down he believed them. "But everything else… is kind of a fog still."
Tsunade closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him in an embrace.
"I was worried," she murmured, her voice soft against his ear. "So worried that you had forgotten." The embrace was accepted as he leaned into her warmth and smelled the familiar scent of her hair. "Please, just come so I can help."
Then her lips found his, a tender kiss that deepened in their silent reassurance. He gave in to their connection despite the missing years.
When they finally broke apart, she kept her hand wrapped around his neck for a while longer.
Jiraiya didn't know exactly what had happened to him, but at least now he remembered that they were indeed married. Maybe he did drink too much last night, or maybe he was suffering from a mental illness due to his age.
Whatever the case, he apologized for having forgotten their sacred vows.
✟
A few minutes later, the two were spotted walking through the village while holding hands.
The acquainted landmarks triggered no specific memories, yet he felt right being by her side.
The two soon passed the bathhouse and felt a strange linking there that he couldn't quite recall.
"Does that place mean anything to me?" he asked her.
She smiled before answering, "Let's just say I almost killed you for what you tried there."
At that, he remembered the sting of a well-aimed punch to his gut that sent him flying for having trying to peep at the girls bathing.
"Right," he chuckled. "Sorry about that."
"It's alright," she said with a softer smile. "You haven't looked at any other women since we got married."
"I must have been a faithful husband then."
She squeezed his hand and said, "You still are."
The two eventually settled into a quiet restaurant. As they sat across from each other, a sense of normalcy began to settle thanks to the peace amidst his mind.
"So," he began. "The wedding. How was it?"
"Amazing," she replied. "Everyone was there."
"And Naruto? How's he doing?"
"He's fine," she answered in a more casual tone.
"And his friend…?"
"Sasuke's doing just fine with his family, too."
"No, not Sasuke," Jiraiya insisted. Then his mind drew a blank where a name should be. The image of that friend remained out of reach. "The other one. He lived with Naruto. A relative, I think."
Tsunade's smile faded, replaced by a look of quiet sadness. "Oh, Jiraiya…"
"What is it? What's wrong?"
He would later discover that Naruto never had anyone else living with him except his parents. He tried to apologize for making her worry so much, but that's not what was troubling her.
She sighed as her gaze dropped to the table. "I wasn't expecting to tell you like this, so maybe I should wait until you've regained your memories."
"Tell me what?" he urged. He then took a sip of his water to try and quell the rising anxiety. "Whatever it is, I'll do my best to understand!"
"I'm..."
"You're what?!"
"Geez, do you have to be so loud?!"
"Okay, I'm sorry; I just can't take the suspense. What are you?"
"I'm... I'm pregnant, Jiraiya…"
The water erupted from his mouth in a sputtering spray to the side. He then coughed at this unexpected news.
"Jiraiya!" she exclaimed in shock. "I should have expected as much!"
Still coughing, he defended, "I… I didn't mean to be rude. I'm just… surprised. And… actually, really happy."
Tsunade's eyes widened while searching his face. "Really? That's how you feel?"
"Absolutely. Me, a dad?!" The word felt foreign yet profoundly right. Just thinking about holding his child, and a child with Tsunade no less, cut through the fog in his mind. Even when he had forgotten a lot of things, this news was enough to keep him grounded. "I get that things are strange right now, but there's no way I'd neglect my—I mean our unborn child!"
Now Tsunade was ecstatic that her earlier sadness was replaced by a joy. She reached across the table and took his hand to say, "I'm happy to hear you say that."
The tension in him finally eased thanks to their quiet intimacy.
As they shared a peaceful meal, the promise of a new life like this was something worth treasuring.
So he believed.