Takayama Haru was laughing and crying at the same time, quickly pulling the two apart.
"Drink!"
Kushina was still holding her cup, but Haru grabbed it straight from her hands.
"Whatever, I want to drink!"
"Stop drinking already. Let's go home!"
Haru scooped Kushina up in his arms, took a few steps, then turned around and kicked Uchiha Fugaku, who was drunkenly lunging toward Uchiha Mikoto, sending him flying.
"Still hoping to get drunk and try something stupid?"
Haru glanced at the half-awake, half-drunk Mikoto and shook his head helplessly, pulling some distance away.
Fugaku was left lying on the ground, hugging the air.
As soon as Haru stepped outside, he ran into Mikoto's father.
He quickly handed Mikoto over safely.
Then, Haru carried Kushina out of the Uchiha compound.
Under the moonlight, Kushina murmured dizzily:
"Haru... 56..."
Haru rolled his eyes dramatically, as if witnessing the birth of another gambling addict.
In Konoha, the other infamous gambling monster was, of course, the legendary Tsunade.
"Hey, Jiraiya, wanna hit the hot springs?"
A cheerful female voice rang out ahead of them.
Haru looked over and froze.
Wasn't that... Tsunade?!
And the white-haired guy next to her—Jiraiya?!
Although Haru had never met Tsunade and Jiraiya in person, he recognized them instantly.
Mostly because Jiraiya's distinctive white hair really stood out.
Jiraiya replied righteously, "No thanks. We should report back to sensei first. Don't dawdle."
"Oh come on, the hot springs are great for relaxing! I heard they're super popular with the ladies... and now it's co-ed."
The moment Jiraiya heard co-ed, he turned toward the hot springs immediately.
"Well, y'know, everyone needs to unwind sometimes. Let's go soak a bit!"
"Haha, that's not what you were saying a second ago," Tsunade teased with a sly grin.
She turned her head—and her eyes locked straight onto Takayama Haru.
"Is that... Kushina?"
So late at night... Kushina looked drunk, and this guy was clearly taking advantage of her?
He was asking to die!
"You bastard! How dare you lay a hand on Kushina?! You're dead meat!"
Golden chakra erupted from Tsunade's entire body as she charged at Haru.
"Huh?"
Haru looked puzzled. What was Tsunade planning to do?
"Wood Wall Jutsu!"
Before Tsunade's punch landed, a row of wooden pillars curved up from the ground, forming an arch that blocked Haru's face.
Boom!
Boom!
The ground trembled.
Tsunade's fist, glowing with chakra, blasted right through the wooden barricade.
At the Hokage office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was waiting for Tsunade and Jiraiya to report back. Hearing the thunderous noise, he jumped to his feet.
"What's going on now?"
"Konoha's been anything but peaceful lately..."
Hiruzen quickly grabbed his cloak, leaped out the window, and sped across the rooftops toward the source of the commotion.
Back at the scene, Jiraiya had just stepped into the hot spring when the sudden blast startled him.
He looked back—where was Tsunade?
Jiraiya dashed out and saw Tsunade in the middle of a fight with a young man.
Thick tree roots sprouted up around the youth, blocking Tsunade's blows.
Shadow clone?
Behind them stood another young man—still holding a red-haired girl.
"That's Kushina... and... Wood Release?!"
For the first time, Jiraiya realized this was the young man who'd been making waves in the village recently: Takayama Haru.
Shuriken flew out wildly.
Clang!
Some even flew toward Jiraiya.
Tsunade scolded loudly, "You little brat, still going after Jiraiya? No one in the Senju clan has ever done that—but you're breaking all the rules!"
"Damn it, why'd you drag me into this?!" Jiraiya yelled, getting hit.
But despite being hit, Jiraiya listened carefully as Haru unleashed a barrage of jutsu to block Tsunade's attacks, all while still holding Kushina close.
Jiraiya mustered the strength to snap back at Tsunade: "Hey, you gambling freak, are you trying to badmouth me?! If you keep coming at me, don't blame me for fighting back!"
"Oh, you still don't get it, huh, kid? Come on, let's see what you've got!"
As soon as she finished, Tsunade smashed a punch into Haru's shadow clone and instantly appeared in front of the real Haru.
But vines wrapped around Tsunade's ankles out of nowhere, then tangled up her entire body, growing into a massive tree that pinned her down completely.
"Wood Release—Binding Burial!"
Tsunade's eyes widened in shock.
Poof!
A substitution!
Tsunade's figure reappeared behind Haru.
"Not bad."
But before she could kick, Haru's body vanished again and reappeared next to Jiraiya.
"That was fast!" Jiraiya's eyes widened.
Flying Thunder God Technique?!
Had his teacher taught him that?
Even Tsunade looked surprised.
This kid... he was dangerous.
Not only did he have the Senju clan's Wood Release, but also the Second Hokage's teleportation jutsu?!
Yet Haru didn't make any further moves, despite the arrivals.
He looked up at the sky—just as a golden light shot down.
Boom!
A Vajra staff slammed into the ground, and a figure descended from above.
It was the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Sensei!"
"Sensei!"
"Sensei!"
Suddenly, from the shadows, a figure stepped out—it was Orochimaru.
The Third Hokage and the three legendary Sannin gathered in front of the hot spring pavilion.