After lunch, Naruto finally said his farewells.
Tsunade stood by the window on the second floor of the inn, frowning as she watched Naruto's figure slowly disappear from view, feeling a little empty in her heart. The cards on the table were scattered, and the dice were untouched.
Shizune sat on the tatami, reading a book. She glanced up at Tsunade before lowering her head again. In times like these, she didn't know what to say, nor did she know what Tsunade was thinking.
Anyway, even if she asked, Tsunade wouldn't be honest with her. After all… it was adults' matters, so a little girl like her shouldn't care about it.
In the afternoon, an unusually heavy rainstorm struck the Land of Hot Water, which completely cut off the two girls' thoughts of hurrying on their journey. Gazing out at the vast white downpour, they had no choice but to extend their stay by another day.
Cold winds blew, and the light inside the inn dimmed.
In order to continue reading, Shizune could only turn on the small lamp on the table, carefully poring over her book. Outside, thunder rumbled as Tsunade sat by the window, quietly sipping her drink.
Shizune was used to this. Tsunade often drank alone, and all Shizune needed to do was keep reading on the side. After all, there was so much to learn about Medical Ninjutsu.
Though determined to study hard, after a while, Shizune, lulled by the white noise of the rain, began to nod off. Her head drooped, her eyes opening and closing.
It wasn't long before Shizune finally succumbed, her head falling onto the table with a soft thud as she drifted off to sleep.
Hearing the noise, Tsunade turned her head to look in the direction of Shizune, and soon returned her gaze to the heavy rain. Cool droplets touched her delicate face, and her slender waist and legs highlighted her ample figure.
Her physique, capable of drawing anyone's attention, was easy to admire, yet her cold gaze discouraged anyone from daring to stare for long.
Naruto, however, never cared much for Tsunade's gaze and had always ignored it.
The rain poured relentlessly, as if the heavens themselves were flooding the earth. Thunder boomed, and nothing could be seen more than ten meters away, just a white mist of water.
Large raindrops pelted the ground, creating splashes half a meter high. The innkeeper downstairs shouted something, likely about something being blown over.
The rushing sound of the rain was like waves crashing, with water splattering on the ground and windows, like boiling water in a cauldron. Willow trees danced wildly, and the inn trembled under this apocalyptic scene.
Sitting by the window, Tsunade didn't react. She continued staring out at the balcony, slowly drinking one cup after another. Her eyes were slightly vacant, but she didn't regret not asking Naruto to stay.
She wasn't lost in self-pity but instead quietly reminiscing about the past few days. Her thoughts first drifted to Naruto's background, narrowing down the possibilities to somewhere near the Land of Wind.
Yet no matter how hard she thought, Tsunade couldn't guess that Naruto came from a small country like Roran.
'A person of unknown origin…' She silently took another sip of her sake.
He seemed oddly familiar with her, knowing her every move, gesture, and glance with an effortless sense of understanding. Tsunade did not believe in fate, but now she couldn't help but feel a bit shaken.
It wasn't because of any romantic feelings, just that it was all too strange. Being with him was unexpectedly comfortable, free from any specific reasons… just comfort.
It was as if no matter how bad things were, they could be forgotten in his presence. There was a sense of friendship, something Tsunade rarely experienced. After all, at her level, friends were almost nonexistent.
As one of the Legendary Sannin, her status and power ensured that she had no friends. Having lost her families and lover, she was doomed to live in solitude.
Everyone else could find happiness and reunite with their loved ones, but not her. Tsunade had long accepted this and was clear about it, which was why she never considered returning to that village. Traveling the world endlessly suited her just fine.
Gambling and losing endlessly? That was okay too—at least it gave her something to hold onto. Life stretched out before her in a lonely, tedious way, but she was used to it.
Then suddenly, this strange man appeared, laughing and joking as he came, and laughing and joking as he left. Like a passerby in her life, leaving no significant mark.
As Tsunade thought about it, her finger lightly tapped the table once again. Though fleeting, a mark was left nonetheless, at least enough to make her want to step outside for some fresh air.
At least the torrential rain had sealed off the sky and earth, forcing Tsunade to wait even longer.
Her mind was filled with muddled thoughts, causing her to furrow her brows. For some reason, she remembered something Naruto had said: 'We'll definitely meet again, but it might be a long time.'
'How long is 'a long time'?'
She was bored at the moment, so she couldn't help but take a guess at this vague time frame, 'A long time? Probably not a year or two… maybe four or five years?'
However, no matter how much she speculated, Tsunade would never have expected that 'a long time' would actually be fourteen years. And when they did meet again, that person had not grown up yet.
The boy's face no longer carried his usual cheerful smile. Instead, his eyes reflected a deep, restrained hunger, ready to devour anyone in his way. His face was full of coldness and hostility towards the world.
As Tsunade watched the rain pour down, she propped her chin on her hand and muttered to herself, 'With such a heavy rain, should I go find him?'
Her beautiful eyes stared at the relentless downpour, and she calculated that the Land of Hot Water wasn't very big.
But after thinking it over for a while, she gave up on the idea.
Even though she might not sleep well in the next two months, she figured she'd eventually get used to it. Anyway, she might never see him again, so why bother?
At this time…
Naruto was holed up in an abandoned cave, hiding from the storm. He had already changed into a new set of clothes, and in his hand, he held a newly made mask, which was still damp.
"Ah well, to avoid suspicion, I'll give Konoha a little surprise first."
It just so happened that he didn't want to leave any evidence behind. After all, stealing classified information could easily escalate into a full-blown conflict, which could end in a fight.
And while Naruto wasn't scared of a fight, he was wary. Sandaime is still in his prime, Danzo is lurking in the shadows insidiously, and Konoha was bursting with talent, enjoying a second golden age.
There is Uchiha Shisui in front, Uchiha Fugaku in the back, the two Hyuga brothers, Hiashi and Hizashi, and also Ino-Shika-Cho, who would dare storm Konoha head-on?
Naruto wasn't exactly afraid, but he found it troublesome. After all, while others might have various dangerous purposes when they broke into Konoha, all he wanted was a few classified documents.
Find someone who knows the situation and ask them in detail, then make a quick exit.
This is his plan.
Searching for Orochimaru across the world wasn't practical at the moment. After all, Orochimaru had only recently defected from Konoha and hadn't yet mastered any advanced technologies.