Just as Naruto and Jiraiya were resting separately.
In Tanzaku Quarters, in an old-fashioned Izakaya.
Orochimaru was sitting with Kabuto beside a table. His hands hung limply on his knees, and the scars left by the Reaper Death Seal on his wrists were faintly visible under the candlelight.
Opposite him, Tsunade held a cup of sake that had already gone cold.
The conditions Orochimaru offered were simple: he would resurrect her deceased lover, Kato Dan, and her brother, Nawaki, and in return, she would use medical Ninjutsu to heal his hands.
Tsunade did not answer on the spot, and Orochimaru did not urge her.
Before leaving, he said in a hoarse voice, "I will wait for your answer, Tsunade."
Then, together with Kabuto, he disappeared into the night.
—
The next morning, Naruto and Jiraiya left Adofu Street, continued north along the main road, and arrived at Tanzaku Quarters in the afternoon.
This small town, famous for its hot springs and casinos, was even livelier than Adofu Street.
The streets were hung with colorful signs on both sides, people wearing yukatas were strolling leisurely on the stone roads in groups of two or three, and a burst of cheers came from a casino in the distance.
Jiraiya originally wanted to slowly inquire about Tsunade's whereabouts at each casino, but as soon as he walked into the door of the first casino, he remembered something and turned to look at Naruto.
"Naruto, try using your perception ability. Although Tsunade hasn't been in the village for these years, her Chakra volume is very prominent among ordinary ninjas. You should be able to lock onto her approximate location."
Naruto nodded.
Negative Emotions Sensing!
The Chakra signals in Tanzaku Quarters were dense, mostly faint points of light. Mixed among the points of light were a few Genin-level Chakra sources and some Chakra from casino security Chunin.
He expanded his perception range bit by bit, and after filtering out countless dull points of light, he sensed an extremely vast Chakra source in the direction of an Izakaya a few streets away.
"Found her. There is a very strong Chakra source, right inside that alley." Naruto pointed to a winding alley on the east side of Tanzaku Town.
"Are you sure it's in here?" Jiraiya stood at the entrance of the alley and peeked inside.
"There is indeed a very strong Chakra source inside. But I'm not sure if it's Tsunade herself." Naruto said.
Jiraiya nodded and walked into the Izakaya in the alley first.
Pushing open the door, there were almost no customers in the Izakaya at this time. Only on a seat in the innermost corner was a blonde woman slumped over, with several empty sake bottles scattered in front of her.
The blonde woman was wearing a loose, light green kimono, her cheeks flushed from alcohol. One of her fingers was still hooked on the rim of an empty cup.
Beside her, a young woman in a black kimono, holding Tonton, was anxiously trying to persuade her of something.
"Jiraiya?"
"Tsunade?"
The moment they saw each other, they called out the other's name simultaneously.
Upon seeing Tsunade, Jiraiya's shoulders relaxed. He then brought Naruto to the seat opposite Tsunade and ordered a few appetizers.
He then picked up the unfinished bottle of sake on the table and poured a drink for Tsunade.
"Long time no see, Tsunade. You still look so young, there isn't a single wrinkle." Jiraiya grinned.
Tsunade's eyes were slightly unfocused due to the effects of the alcohol. "Long time no see, Jiraiya. You're still such a smooth talker."
Shizune kept tugging at Tsunade's sleeve. "Tsunade-sama, you've already had too much to drink. You haven't stopped since last night."
Tsunade waved her hand, brushing off Shizune's advice. She downed the last of the sake in her cup, and slammed the cup onto the table.
"Today really is a good day for seeing old friends, I've seen two all at once."
Jiraiya's movement as he refilled Tsunade's cup paused for a moment, then immediately returned to normal.
"Orochimaru came to see you, didn't he? What did he want with you?"
Shizune wanted to say something, but was stopped by an extremely sober look from Tsunade.
Naruto did not participate in their reminiscing, using his chopsticks to eat the appetizers on the table.
Ever since Naruto sat down, Shizune couldn't help but steal glances at him: blonde hair, handsome features, blue eyes.
The image of that young Hokage from many years ago surfaced in her mind.
"Could this child be..."
The moment Tsunade saw Naruto, she guessed his identity.
The son of the Fourth Hokage, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
With these two identities combined, Tsunade didn't know what to say for a moment.
Time flies so fast. Minato's child has grown this big, and he looks so much like his father.
Jiraiya observed Tsunade's expression and decided not to beat around the bush anymore.
He reined in his smile and said with a serious face, "Tsunade, I didn't come to see you this time to reminisce. The village needs you to return and serve as the Fifth Hokage."
Shizune's arms holding Tonton tightened slightly, causing Tonton to let out a squeal.
Tsunade's fingers paused on the rim of the sake cup, then she continued to down the drink in one gulp as if nothing had happened.
"The old man is gone. It was Orochimaru's doing."
"I know. Orochimaru already told me when he came to see me." Tsunade put down the sake cup, her voice regaining its clarity.
"So, what is your answer?" Jiraiya asked.
Tsunade said, "I refuse."
Jiraiya seemed to have anticipated this answer and showed no surprise, simply watching her quietly, waiting for her to continue.