"Those people's techniques are strange, not like Ninjutsu, very bizarre."
These were Roshi's exact words.
Perhaps because of the bond of having fought together, he also asked Onoki to issue warnings to other Ninja Villages that possessed tailed Beasts.
This included Takigakure, which was hidden away in the mountains.
He even considered whether to suggest they temporarily move to their side, but this idea was quickly rejected by Onoki.
"You've lived in seclusion for too long. You simply don't understand what that would mean for a Ninja Village."
"So we just stand by and watch them possibly get attacked without doing anything?"
As expected, Roshi and Onoki had another big argument, neither able to convince the other.
But fortunately, Roshi ultimately didn't leave the village again because of this. Onoki was both surprised and slightly comforted by this.
'Good. This is really good.'
'Naruto, you did a fantastic job.'
'Not only did you make this guy Roshi willing to return to the village, but you also actually managed to forcibly bring back that useless disciple of mine.'
—Though how to make Deidara stay obediently in the village is still a problem.
But Onoki believed that given some time, he could handle the kid Deidara.
...
Tanzaku Quarter.
As expected, Tsunade's extraordinary gambling luck still failed her. After a huge losing streak, she once again transformed into her child form and successfully escaped from the pursuing loan sharks.
Everything was as peaceful as usual.
With a few agile leaps, she reached a sparsely populated path, enthusiastically thinking about how to convince Shizune to let her take more money to recoup her losses.
Unexpectedly, she heard the sound of dense footsteps here.
Tsunade immediately concealed herself, hiding atop a roof.
However, when she saw a certain familiar figure swaggering down the path, surrounded by a crowd of women, her originally pleasant mood instantly soured.
"Hmm!!??"
Thinking she might have seen wrong, Tsunade leaped to the rooftop again, quickly chasing in the direction that person had left.
But the result was no different from what she imagined.
That person was indeed her old acquaintance, who was always up to no good...
"You idiot Jiraiya!!"
A powerful fist accurately hit that fool's head, sending him flying straight into a wall, embedded there.
But the crowd of women didn't scatter as expected. Instead, they all turned in unison, silently looking at Tsunade, as if they were all puppets.
This instinctively made Tsunade's hair stand on end, and her rising anger gradually cooled.
Why was she angry?
Oh, right, because among the women surrounding Jiraiya, there was a blonde girl who looked almost exactly like her.
She was basically a younger version of herself!
It was seeing this scene that made Tsunade unable to resist greeting him in such a slightly excessive way.
"Ow ow ow ow... Tsunade, you really don't hold back..."
Unexpectedly, the Jiraiya embedded in the wall wasn't a clone, but the real one.
He held his head as he pulled himself out of the wall, then, with an awkward smile while brushing off the dust, spread his hands towards Tsunade.
"Just a little joke..."
As he spoke, all the beautiful girls liquefied and dispersed, leaving Tsunade slightly stunned at the sight.
"This is..."
She thought of certain Ninjutsu in the village, but it didn't seem as... realistic as what Jiraiya had displayed?
"Just a little trick... don't worry about it, don't worry about it."
Jiraiya waved his hand, then, as if nothing had happened, walked over to Tsunade, looking up and down at her form in this state.
"Hmm... what a nostalgic appearance."
Hearing this, Tsunade ignored the fact that people were still chasing her for money, decisively changed back from her child form, and glared at him warningly.
"Don't ever make another woman that looks like me again! Idiot Jiraiya!"
Saying this, she shook her fist, the size of a sandbag, in front of Jiraiya a few times, then put her hands on her hips and glanced sideways at him.
"So, what are you doing here? Don't tell me it's to ask me to be Hokage again?"
"No, no, I'm not thinking that. Besides, the current Fifth Hokage, Hyuga Hiashi, is doing a decent job. With the old man also there, Konoha doesn't need you to take over yet."
"Then you came—"
Jiraiya directly waved his hand, interrupting Tsunade's question.
"Let's find a place to have a drink and talk while we eat. We haven't seen each other for a while."
"...Let's go."
...
After a few rounds of drinks, the two, both over fifty, talked from the past to the present, from old friends to the future, and finally got to the point.
"So... did you come to me just to catch up?"
Tsunade, with a slight flush on her face, swirled her glass, then refilled it.
"Well... pretty much."
Having drunk this much, Jiraiya decided not to delay any longer and straightforwardly recounted what had happened.
"Someone's targeting the Tailed Beasts again? But what does that have to do with me? Shouldn't you go to that kid Naruto?"
"I'm well aware, he's caused quite a stir before. Although many say it's just a legend, I believe that stuff about the Otsutsuki ancestor and Uchiha Madara's resurrection is probably real."
"Did the old man tell you?"
Jiraiya was a bit surprised.
"Needs him to blab? Don't you know it's already spread all over the Land of Fire?"
Having said this, Tsunade downed another drink.
Of course, saying that aside, without the approval of the Hokage and Hiruzen, such 'classified information' certainly couldn't be leaked.
"The old man... is he building up Naruto's reputation?"
"He still hasn't given up on that idea..."
Tsunade had no intention of explaining Jiraiya's doubts.
"I don't know. If you're interested, go ask him yourself."
"So... why come to me instead of Naruto? Let me make it clear first, I'm not going to run around with you."
Tsunade crossed her arms in a refusing gesture.
"Oh, you're overthinking it..."
Jiraiya took a small sip of his drink, then his eyes suddenly became deep.
"I just... wanted to see you. We're both so old now. Who knows when we'll meet again."
"Tch, I'm not old!"
Despite saying this, Tsunade, through her many years of knowing Jiraiya, still sensed something wrong with his emotional state.
But Jiraiya didn't say it, so she didn't feel comfortable asking.
Jiraiya didn't dwell on the topic, instead shifting the conversation to the main issue.
"The ones targeting the Tailed Beasts definitely aren't the 'Akatsuki'. Their members are either dead or imprisoned, definitely not getting out."
He had even gone to see his one remaining disciple, Konan, only to find her living peacefully in the Land of Rain, with no intention of moving.
"Maybe it's just some ambitious people indulging in unrealistic fantasies again."
In the end, Jiraiya didn't say why he wouldn't seek help from Naruto, nor why he came to see Tsunade.
Including the ominous prophecy he had recently received from the Great Toad Sage, he also didn't mention it.
"Ah~ I was thinking maybe I could get a reaction out of you, get you to accept my confession or something."
"Go to hell—"
They bickered a bit more. Finally, Jiraiya silently paid the bill, then took another look at Tsunade, who seemed to have drunk herself asleep.
"I'm off."
"..."
Not receiving a response was fine. Jiraiya just smiled, then walked out of the tavern without looking back.
As he walked, the Great Toad Sage's prophecy echoed in his ears.
'Jiraiya-chan, I have seen...'
'The ancient shadow from the stars will soon awaken'
'The nine guardian powers will become a feast'
'Go to Naruto, only he can resolve all this...'
'Sigh... Great Toad Sage, it's not as easy as you say.'
'It's not that I didn't want to find Naruto?'
'It was that I had no way to find him!'
Jiraiya rubbed his head, which felt swollen from drinking too much.
'That kid Naruto hadn't left him any means of communication. How could I contact him from different worlds?'
At critical moments, he had to step up himself.
Looking back at the still peaceful tavern, not seeing Tsunade chase after him, Jiraiya smiled self-deprecatingly and walked into the sunset.