Uchiha Raizen warmly served tea to the group.
"Sister Tsunade, please, have some tea."
Tsunade took a sip and gave a nod to Shizune. Understanding the signal, Shizune pulled a scroll from her pocket and released the seal.
Immediately, dozens of heavy cases appeared before everyone. When opened, they were filled with stacks of cash and high-value bank drafts.
The sight nearly blinded Naruto. His jaw dropped, and his face was a mask of pure shock. "That's... that's so much money!!!"
Aside from once seeing the many digits in Jiraiya's passbook at a hotel, this was the first time he had seen such a mountain of physical wealth and checks piled before him.
Jiraiya was equally stunned. At the same time, he finally realized why Tsunade had squeezed two hundred million out of him—it was to make up the final sum for this debt.
Tsunade patted a stack of bills. "This is the money I owe you. I'm paying it back now! Bring out the IOU!!!"
Raizen did a quick mental calculation. Tsunade had borrowed the money for roughly four years. Year one: 200 million. Year two: 300 million. Year three: 450 million. Year four: 675 million.
Raizen picked up a check to inspect it, then weighed one of the cases, flipping through the bills with a smile. "The amount is correct. Sister Tsunade, wait a moment while I go fetch the IOU."
He had left the document with Kohana at the Capital, so he needed to retrieve it. Directly in front of the stunned Tsunade and Jiraiya, Raizen activated the Flying Thunder God and vanished instantly.
"That was...?" Tsunade's eyes widened.
"It wasn't a Body Flicker; I can't sense his chakra anywhere nearby. That was Minato's Flying Thunder God!!!" Jiraiya exclaimed, his eyes bulging.
"Flying Thunder God? That kid actually knows that jutsu!?" Tsunade was genuinely shocked. "With the Uchiha Sharingan and Minato's teleportation, his strength is definitely on par with ours!!"
Jiraiya nodded. "Mhm. But I'm still curious, Tsunade... how did you end up owing Raizen this much?"
At the mention of the debt, Tsunade laughed awkwardly. "Hahaha, it's nothing much! I just lost a bit of money gambling and borrowed a tiny bit from Raizen!!"
"A tiny bit? This is nearly seven or eight hundred million!!" Jiraiya shot back. You call that a tiny bit!? You're a walking gold mine for debt! "Sigh. Tsunade, you need to fix that gambling habit once you become Hokage. Otherwise, I'm terrified you'll bet the entire village's budget."
"Hahaha, how could I? Don't worry, Jiraiya!!!" Tsunade offered a strained laugh.
"I hope you're actually listening." Jiraiya sighed. How could a lifelong gambler quit so easily?
Barely two minutes had passed before Raizen reappeared. He brought back the IOU and had Kohana with him.
"Wow, look at all that cash!" Kohana's eyes sparkled like stars at the sight of the boxes.
Raizen handed the original IOU to Tsunade. She grabbed it, scanned it carefully, and promptly tore it to shreds. She took a massive breath and exhaled with relief. "Finally, it's paid. I feel light as a feather!!!"
Raizen laughed. "Sister Tsunade, as this is your first day back in Konoha, allow me to host a welcome banquet for you. You must stay for dinner tonight!!!"
Tsunade nodded. "You made so much money off me, the least you can do is give me a massive feast. It's settled—I'm eating here! And make sure you prepare the good sake!!"
"Don't worry, Sister. My sake is the best in the land. You can't buy it anywhere else."
"Is that so? Then I'll have to be the judge of that." Aside from gambling, Tsunade's other great love was drinking; she needed a few cups with every meal.
"Kohana, collect the funds!!"
Raizen pocketed the large checks himself, while Kohana unsealed a scroll from its back and used a space-time jutsu to seal all the cases of cash inside.
"Papa, huggy!!"
A little girl clutching a sword came running over, demanding attention. Raizen smiled warmly and scooped Mirai into his arms.
"How did you know Papa was here, little Mirai?"
"Tōkijin told me!!!" Mirai said, hoisting the heavy sword. She then turned her large, curious eyes toward Tsunade. "Papa, who is this sister? She's so pretty! Is she my future mama?"
Raizen coughed awkwardly at her bluntness. "She... is likely going to be the Fifth Hokage of our village."
Mirai tilted her head. "The Fifth Hokage? Is she strong? She doesn't look that strong to me!!!"
Tsunade looked at the toddler, and instead of being angry at the childish remark, she smiled broadly. "Little one, what's your name?"
"I am Mirai Uchiha. Big sister, are you really going to be the Fifth Hokage?"
Tsunade nodded. "I'll be taking the position soon."
"But you don't look very tough," Mirai whispered.
"Oh? Have you practiced your swordsmanship? Why don't we have a little match?" Tsunade asked, her interest piqued.
Mirai looked up at Raizen for permission.
"Sister Tsunade wants to give you some pointers, so go ahead and spar with her," Raizen said, ruffling Mirai's hair as he set her down. He leaned in and whispered, "Be gentle, Mirai. Don't hurt Sister Tsunade."
"Okay!" Mirai nodded.
Tsunade found the exchange hilarious. "Hey, Raizen! Are you looking down on me? Telling your four-year-old daughter to 'be gentle' with me? Shouldn't it be the other way around?"
"Sister Tsunade, I'm actually very strong!!!" Mirai interjected, flashing a toothy grin. "Brother Sasuke can't even beat me!!!"
Raizen added with a smirk, "Mirai is indeed quite formidable."
"Sasuke?" Naruto's ears perked up at the name. He looked at Mirai with extreme skepticism. "You can beat Sasuke? You're... what, four? No way you can beat Sasuke."
Mirai held up her fingers and counted. "I'm four and a half. Almost five."
"Hahaha! Only four! You're totally bragging!!!" Naruto roared with laughter, convinced she was making it up.
Jiraiya, however, was staring at the sword in Mirai's hand. From the conversation, he learned the blade was named Tōkijin. He searched his memory but couldn't recall a single famous blade with that name.
"Alright, Mirai! Come on, let me see what you've got." Tsunade walked out onto the surface of the lake, standing on the water with casual ease. She figured she'd tease the girl a bit since her father had "scammed" her out of so much interest.
Mirai stood at the edge of the bamboo pavilion. She twitched her eyebrows, then—to the absolute shock of everyone except Raizen—she leaped onto the water and stood perfectly still on the surface.
Jiraiya's jaw hit the deck. "Water-walking? This brat can walk on water!?"
"No way! She's only four!!!"
Naruto was catatonic. He had just recently mastered water-walking under Ebisu's tutelage at twelve years old. This toddler had done it at four. Is she a genius? Even more of a genius than Sasuke!?
Tsunade was also stunned. She had stood on the water thinking Mirai wouldn't be able to reach her, expecting the girl to look frustrated. She hadn't expected such flawless chakra control from a child.
"Interesting. Who taught you that?" Tsunade asked.
"Auntie Anko did!!!" Mirai replied.
"Anko, huh?" Tsunade smiled. "It seems she's quite a good teacher. What else did she teach you? Show me everything!!!"
Tsunade held up a single index finger and beckoned her, planning to treat Mirai exactly like she had Naruto.
"I'm coming!" Mirai drew Tōkijin.
Instantly, a wave of pure, concentrated evil saturated the air. Aside from Raizen, everyone present felt a sudden, crushing weight on their spirits.
"This aura... it's so malignant!" Jiraiya frowned. Why would a father let a four-year-old carry such a dangerous-feeling blade? "Raizen-kun, Mirai's sword... it feels incredibly ominous. Are you sure it's safe for her?"
Raizen smiled calmly. "Relax, Jiraiya. That blade only directs its malice toward enemies. To Mirai, it's perfectly harmless."
Naruto, meanwhile, felt extremely agitated. The Nine-Tails' chakra inside him began to churn, reacting to the sword's presence.
"Naruto, back up," Jiraiya ordered, sensing the boy's distress. Naruto obediently scrambled off the pavilion and back to the shore. Once on solid ground, his agitation settled.
Raizen noticed this and mused: The ultimate essence of Tōkijin is a dragon. Its draconic aura is likely clashing with the Nine-Tails.
Tsunade's brow furrowed. Being the closest, she felt the pressure most acutely. "Mirai, that sword is dangerous. Are you sure you can control it?"
Mirai showed her little teeth. "Tōkijin is nice to me! It won't hurt me. Sister Tsunade, you'd better watch out!"
Mirai raised the blade, and her chakra exploded.
Rumble—!
A ghostly azure dragon manifested behind her, and the air around her began to sizzle with blue lightning.
"What an immense pressure!!" Jiraiya's face turned serious. "That move might actually be able to wound her."
"Tsunade-sama, be careful!!!" Shizune shouted from the sidelines, Tonton squealing in agreement.
Tsunade was genuinely shaken. She knew the blade was powerful, but she never imagined a child could draw out this much destructive force. If she stayed overconfident and took a direct hit, she'd lose all face. She dropped her "one-finger" stance and clenched her fist, focusing her mind.
"Here I come, Sister Tsunade!"
Mirai shouted with all her might, "Dragon Strike!"
CRACK-BOOM!
Several bolts of blue lightning, each as thick as a man's fist, zig-zagged through the air toward Tsunade like hungry serpents. Everywhere the lightning touched the water, it erupted in massive explosions, sending a torrential rain into the sky.
Tsunade was suddenly engulfed in a storm of mist and surging electricity.
"Tsunade-sama!!!" Shizune cried out. "Tsunade!" Jiraiya's face was full of worry. "So scary!!!" Naruto stared from the shore, paralyzed.
Raizen watched with a faint smile. In the hands of Sesshōmaru, Tōkijin could easily suppress Inuyasha's Tessaiga. Its raw power was immense. Raizen estimated Tōkijin possessed about half the destructive potential of his own Sōnga—meaning it could unleash the power of half a Tailed Beast Bomb.
Even if Mirai could only draw out a fraction of that power, it was still terrifying.
Tsunade, meanwhile, was cursing her luck. Why did I choose to fight on the water? Water conducted electricity. She was a sitting duck. No matter where she dodged, the current would find her.
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