Seeing Tsunade crying so hard she could barely breathe, Arisu felt helpless.
He let out a soft sigh and gently patted her.
"Alright, alright, stop crying..."
"It's fine. Even though I'm almost sixty, my strength is still there. Right now, I'm still the strongest person in Konoha.", Arisu comforted her softly.
"No! I'm going with you!"
Tsunade suddenly raised her head from his chest. Her eyes were red and swollen as she spoke.
"You're going with me?"
Arisu was clearly stunned.
To be honest, if Tsunade came with him, there were many things he really wouldn't be able to do freely.
In Tsunade's eyes, his strength was at most beyond Kage level, a Pro Max upgraded version of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
But his true strength was far beyond her imagination.
His original plan was to enter the Hidden Rain, then open a portal and either retrieve Sakumo Hatake's body or rescue him.
If Tsunade came along, he would still have to keep up appearances.
If she didn't come, he wouldn't even bother pretending and could directly use his cheats.
If she came, he would still have to act a little.
Arisu stayed silent for two seconds. Looking at Tsunade's tear-streaked but stubborn face, he finally gave in.
"...Since you insist, fine."
"Come with me."
Arisu raised a hand and gently rubbed her soft blonde hair as he sighed.
Only then did Tsunade stop crying and nod with red eyes.
The two quickly packed their things and called their son Yukio over in advance.
When Yukio heard that his parents were going to the Hidden Rain Village together...
His face instantly became full of worry.
"Dad, Mom... you're not going to be like in those TV dramas, right? Going away and never coming back?", Yukio asked anxiously.
Tsunade's face immediately darkened.
She raised her hand and smacked her son's head without mercy.
"Is that any way to talk to your mother?!"
"Ow!"
Yukio cried out while clutching his head.
Arisu laughed awkwardly beside him. He helplessly rubbed his son's hair and comforted him.
"Don't worry, son. Your dad is very strong."
But Yukio didn't smile. He stepped forward and tightly hugged both Arisu and Tsunade.
"Dad, Mom... you have to come back safely. You have to come back together!"
"Alright, stop being so dramatic. Focus on dating your girlfriend and stay safe. You're not allowed to do that kind of thing with Ino. You're still too young."
Tsunade curled her lips and looked at Yukio as she spoke.
Actually, after all these years, she still preferred being alone with Arisu.
Ever since Yukio was born, there were many things she couldn't do freely anymore.
"M-Mom, what are you talking about? I... I wouldn't..."
Yukio stammered with a red face.
"The Chunin Exams are coming soon. Work hard. Don't fail."
After saying that, Arisu left with Tsunade.
———
[Outside The Hidden Rain Village]
As soon as they entered the country's borders, it started raining.
The rain gradually grew heavier, and the whole world became gray and misty.
Arisu and Tsunade walked side by side along the wilderness path leading to the Hidden Rain Village.
Looking at the village ahead, hidden beneath thick rain clouds, a trace of sadness rose in Arisu's heart.
"Sigh... I came too late, Sakumo...", Arisu sighed deeply to himself.
Once again, he was one step too late...
Just moments ago, he had already received definite news through White Zetsu.
Sakumo Hatake was indeed dead.
"Sigh... this is troublesome."
"Kakashi is already an adult now. His ability to handle things should be better than in the original story... hopefully he can endure it."
Arisu rubbed his forehead and muttered quietly to himself.
Tsunade seemed to notice the change in his mood and turned to look at him.
"We're already at the Land of Rain."
"I haven't been here in a long time... The last time was during the Second Great Ninja War when we fought Hanzo of the Salamander."
"Honey, do you remember? Back then, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and I were nearly wiped out by Hanzo. Then you suddenly appeared and saved us.", Tsunade asked softly.
Arisu smiled slightly and nodded.
"Of course I remember. Back then, we were all still young..."
Remembering the battlefield of life and death from those days, a complicated emotion flashed through Tsunade's eyes.
Time passed quickly. The passionate young girl from back then had now entered middle age, even old age.
Looking at Tsunade, Arisu couldn't help thinking that he had once promised to stay with her for a hundred years.
But Tsunade wasn't immortal. One day, she would die too...
Though there was still time.
At least Tsunade still looked very young during the Boruto era.
After all, Tsunade was already seventy years old in Boruto.
But compared to him, she was still very young.
He was already over a thousand years old, while Tsunade wasn't even a tenth of that.
Tsunade suddenly stopped walking and looked at their eye-catching clothes.
"Honey, should we disguise ourselves? Aren't we being a little too obvious walking in like this?", Tsunade asked worriedly.
Arisu glanced at her and suddenly smiled.
"You should cover your chest a little. Otherwise it's too eye-catching. Anyone who sees you will probably take a second look."
"...You bastard!"
Tsunade's face instantly turned red. She glared at him, but still obediently took out two loose black robes from a summoning scroll.
The two put on the black robes.
Although they still made no effort to hide their chakra, the robes added a bit of mystery beneath the rain.
Tsunade took a deep breath and tightened her grip on Arisu's hand.
"Let's go."
Arisu nodded lightly and said nothing more.
The rain poured down heavily.
Wearing black robes, Arisu and Tsunade officially entered the Hidden Rain Village.
The moment they entered, Arisu suddenly raised his head. His gaze pierced through the dense rain curtain toward the gray sky, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Honey? What's wrong? Is there something strange about the rain?"
Noticing his reaction, Tsunade tilted her head and asked curiously.
Arisu withdrew his gaze and held out his hand, catching a few raindrops and letting them shatter in his palm.
"There is."
"This rain is a sensory technique. As long as the rain falls on us, the caster can completely monitor our every move.", Arisu explained calmly.
Tsunade's expression changed slightly, and she immediately frowned.
"Why didn't you say that earlier?! Doesn't that mean we were discovered the moment we came in?"
She instinctively tried to use chakra to drive away the rain, but Arisu gently held her wrist.
"It's fine."
"I intentionally let the caster discover us.", Arisu smiled faintly and spoke confidently.
Tsunade stared at him for two seconds before ultimately choosing to trust her husband without question.
She gave a light snort, relaxed her body, and let the rain fall onto her black robe.
The two continued walking forward.
After not going very far, Arisu suddenly pointed toward a tavern ahead that looked fairly lively. A playful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
He hadn't expected to run into a character from the original story here.