[At the dinner table, Jiraiya told Tsunade that the leader of the Akatsuki might be hiding in the Hidden Rain Village. He planned to sneak in alone to gather intel.]
[Tsunade was shocked: "Going alone is too dangerous."]
[Having lost important people before, Tsunade had become extremely sensitive.]
[Jiraiya smiled and said: "Don't worry, I'm one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha."]
[These words were not just to reassure Tsunade, but also to remind her of her current position—as Hokage, she had to consider the bigger picture.]
[It was true. At that time, aside from Jiraiya, there was no one in Konoha capable of carrying out this mission.]
[In the evening, Tsunade and Jiraiya sat on a bench along the streets of Konoha. She knew very well that the Akatsuki were a group of Kage-level ninja. Jiraiya going alone was extremely dangerous.]
[Tsunade: "If even you die, then I..."]
[Tsunade paused. She really didn't know what she'd do.]
[Beside Jiraiya, the strong Hokage revealed the gentle side of a woman.]
[Jiraiya: "Since you always lose your bets, then bet that I'll die. But if I make it back alive—"]
On the screen, Jiraiya looked at Tsunade with deep affection, and Tsunade—whether it was the alcohol or Jiraiya's words that moved her—blushed and stared at him with tender eyes.
Just as Tsunade was wondering if Jiraiya would follow up with something more, the guy just laughed it off and changed the subject.
"This idiot. If he had just said it then, I wouldn't have had to wait to confess when he came back."
The Fifth Hokage Tsunade had drunk a little. For someone with her tolerance, this was barely anything.
But sometimes, it's not the drink that gets you drunk.
Looking at Jiraiya on the screen, a single tear slid from her eye without her even realizing it.
"Idiot Jiraiya, you broke your promise."
On the Third Hokage's side, Tsunade looked at the image of herself and Jiraiya on the screen, feeling a bit melancholic.
From Orochimaru, who was just watching from the sidelines, she had already learned that Jiraiya probably died in the Hidden Rain Village.
So, the version of her in the screen… when she hears the news of Jiraiya's death, she must be heartbroken.
"Luckily, the original path of fate has completely changed."
Tsunade muttered softly, and it just so happened that Jiraiya, who had been secretly watching her, heard it.
"Yeah, fate's path has completely changed. I won't die anymore, so, Tsunade, what do you think…"
Jiraiya rubbed his hands together with a cheeky smile.
His meaning was clear—he was asking if Tsunade would finally agree to date him.
If it had been in the past, Tsunade definitely would have rejected him without hesitation. Even now, after going through so much, she didn't want to say yes that easily.
"Hehe, that depends on how you behave."
After so many failed confessions, Jiraiya finally got a somewhat positive answer from Tsunade, and he got excited instantly.
"No problem, I'll make sure to do my best."
On the side, Orochimaru and the Third Hokage, who both understood Tsunade well, knew that deep down, she had already agreed. She just didn't want to say it outright because of her pride as a woman.
As long as Jiraiya behaves even a little bit better from now on, Tsunade will naturally say yes.
"Looks like this old man is finally going to eat his disciple's wedding cake."
"Hiruzen-sensei, you don't look old at all right now."
The Third Hokage glanced at Orochimaru and said with a blank face, "Now you call me 'sensei' and not 'old man'?"
Hearing that, Orochimaru replied with a cold face, "It's such a happy moment, don't make me roast you, you old geezer."
"."
[Watching Jiraiya's back as he walked away, she couldn't help but tear up.]
[Tsunade: If you come back alive, I'll definitely say yes.]
[But what she waited for... was the news of Jiraiya's death.]
[As the Hokage, she couldn't even cry for Jiraiya in front of others—she could only hide in the hallway and quietly sob.]
[The mural in the hallway, with its fleeting beauty of flowers and birds, was just like the path of feelings between Jiraiya and Tsunade.]
[Some beautiful people, once missed, are lost for a lifetime.]
[Jiraiya's death was a serious blow to the Hidden Leaf Village, because the enemy had taken down one of their top fighters.]
[Not long after, the Akatsuki sent Six Paths of Pain to invade the village in order to capture the Nine-Tails, choosing the time when Might Guy wasn't around.]
"Guy?"
Hearing Might Guy's name on the light screen surprised Kakashi, Asuma, and the others.
"We all know that back then, Nagato's personality wouldn't have cared about Guy. So why did the screen specifically mention him and no one else? Could it be that Guy has something special?"
After saying that, Asuma looked curiously at Kakashi, the person who knew Guy the best.
The others were just as curious, turning their eyes toward Kakashi too.
"Well, if Guy has something special, it's probably his taijutsu and the Eight Gates."
After thinking for a moment, based on what he knew about Guy, those were the only things he could think of that made him different.
"Guy's taijutsu is strong, but it's only slightly better than ours—not enough to be a whole level above us. So the unique part must be the Eight Gates."
Asuma's words made everyone nod in agreement.
Might Guy's taijutsu was indeed very strong.
Among all the Jonin, his taijutsu could be called the strongest.
But just like Asuma said, while his taijutsu was powerful, it wasn't to the point of being a whole level higher than the rest.
So, to them, the special part about Guy was likely the Eight Gates.
But if that's the case, then here comes the question—
The Eight Gates is just a forbidden technique with huge side effects. What's so special about it?
"That doesn't make sense. The Eight Gates are powerful, sure, but not to the point of being ridiculous, right?"
Orochimaru rubbed his chin.
Everyone knows about Might Duy.
As a genin, he opened all Eight Gates, gaining incredible power in an instant, killing four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and scaring the other three away.
Sure, it sounds exaggerated—but it's not entirely over the top.
Not to brag, but Orochimaru thinks that if he had time to prepare, he could've taken out all seven of them instead of letting three escape.
Since some escaped, it shows that Might Duy's full Eight Gates power might not have been as unstoppable as people imagine.
Of course, they all knew the Eight Gates' power depends on the user's physical strength.
The stronger the body, the stronger the Eight Gates become when opened.
Judging from what Guy has shown so far, his physical abilities surpass his father's.
As for how much stronger—no one really knows.
"He's not going to take out the entire Seven Ninja Swordsmen with one kick, right?"
"Hahaha, Orochimaru, you're hilarious. The original Seven Ninja Swordsmen were all famous Mist shinobi. Even Duy only managed to kill four. I can believe Guy might take them all out, but with just one kick? No way."
"Is that so? Actually, I don't believe it either."
"Hahahaha."
*********
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