As Nagato helped the injured Konan and Kakuzu return to the Dream Fulfillment Pavilion, news of his victory against Tsunade had already spread across Akatsuki Village.
The way passersby looked at him along the road was entirely different from usual.
It was a look of reverence—a gesture of respect reserved for elite warriors.
Before even stepping through the gate, Yahiko came rushing out with laughter.
"Haha! Well done!"
"You've brought glory to our Akatsuki Village."
He hadn't even gone to witness the battle—it had all unfolded exactly as he'd predicted.
Yet his actions inevitably sparked endless speculation. The Akatsuki Shadow had clearly been confident from the start.
Most likely, he had known all along that Tsunade wasn't Nagato's match, and his earlier refusal of Nagato joining the fight was merely a dramatic bow.
This further led people to believe that Yahiko's strength surpassed even Nagato's.
Yahiko remained unaware that his nonchalant actions had made Akatsuki Village seem even more enigmatic to outsiders.
Nonou followed closely behind Yahiko and, with great concern written across her face, helped Konan step away from Nagato's side.
Nawaki had deliberately held back—while Konan appeared severely wounded outwardly, she wasn't seriously injured after all.
"Pity they still managed to escape," Nagato said, still showing some dissatisfaction with the outcome, as if only defeating Tsunade would bring him true satisfaction.
That naturally drew silent criticisms from certain people: "You should be grateful they managed to escape—if not, Akatsuki Village might not have survived the aftermath."
"At least there's still room for negotiation—Tsunade did start the conflict without justification."
Of course, no one dared voice these thoughts openly—they were still on Akatsuki Village's territory, after all.
"Well then, let them go. Killing her would've caused more problems anyway."
Yahiko spoke casually, his tone betraying little concern.
As if the decision to kill Tsunade was nothing more than a passing thought, with no regard for consequences.
"Sigh… I'll take them below for treatment first."
With a long sigh, Nagato prepared to take his leave.
"Go ahead. It is my duty," Yahiko didn't plan to leave with them—he still needed to maintain stability here.
He didn't need to throw punches himself during a brawl, but someone had to deal with the fallout afterward.
"It is my duty."
Nagato bowed respectfully to Yahiko before departing with Nonou, guiding the two injured away.
Only after Nagato's group vanished from sight did Yahiko turn around and return inside the Dream Fulfillment Pavilion.
Thanks to the time available during the war, the Dream Fulfillment Pavilion had already been fully repaired—no trace of the previous conflict remained.
Freshly set tables and chairs stood ready, along with dazzling dealers already in position.
"Ladies and gentlemen, today's incident is deeply regrettable."
"It was due to our inadequate supervision, and to express our apologies, everyone present may collect one hundred thousand free chips."
"It's not much—we hope none of you will mind."
After Yahiko spoke, attendants quickly stepped forward handing out chips.
He had indeed planned several steps ahead. This generous gesture not only earned goodwill,
More importantly, these chips weren't cash—they would eventually flow back into the Dream Fulfillment Pavilion, likely multiplied.
"Lord Akatsuki Shadow is too kind."
"That's just how exceptional Dream Fulfillment Pavilion service is."
"What are we waiting for? The games may now begin!"
With unexpected money in hand, the casino immediately sprang to life.
Once again, the Dream Fulfillment Pavilion—the massive money-making engine—resumed smooth operations.
"All right, carry on and enjoy yourselves. I guarantee nothing like today's incident will happen again."
"If there's a next time, whoever it is, they'll be executed immediately."
Yahiko spoke with a cheerful grin, yet his words sent chills down their spines.
It was giving them a carrot before showing the stick.
Based on today's performance, anyone foolish enough to cause trouble again would clearly have a death wish.
Yahiko's voice didn't interrupt the gambling table's enthusiasm, and no one responded to him, but he wasn't upset either.
"Enjoy yourselves. I'm heading out first."
After saying this, Yahiko called Nagashima Yuki over and gave him some instructions before turning around and leaving.
As for Nakamura Daiki, he had already been injured and gone off to rest.
To him, this had been a completely unexpected misfortune—*calamity out of the blue*. He hadn't even realized when he unknowingly became involved in such a major play.
...
It was already late at night, but Yahiko and the others had gathered together instead of resting.
The injured Kakuzu and Konan showed no signs of fatigue anymore.
"I won't go. You guys can chat among yourselves."
Kakuzu looked visibly reluctant. He saw himself solely as part of Akatsuki Village and wanted nothing to do with Konoha.
"Well then, you should rest early."
Yahiko didn't insist—he understood Kakuzu's inner conflict.
"Mm, I'm leaving."
Kakuzu sighed in relief and departed first.
"Such a spoilsport."
"Let's go."
Konan muttered under her breath, then visibly perked up.
"Let's move."
One after another, Yahiko and the others exited, vanishing into the moonlit night.
About an hour later, the group arrived at the agreed location.
It was a natural canyon still faintly bearing traces of past battles.
This was precisely where Kawaki had fought Hanzō.
"It was right there we witnessed our teacher killing Hanzō of the Salamander."
Nagato pointed toward a distant hill, speaking directly to Nonou.
"It was fate, I suppose."
Nonou sincerely thanked Kawaki from the bottom of her heart—otherwise she wouldn't have met Nagato.
"All right, what's there to miss about this terrible place?"
Returning here brought back haunting memories for Konan.
Even recalling how Hanzō had once been cut in half still chilled her to the bone.
"Enough, let's go find teacher's wife."
Yahiko remained unaffected—boys just tend to be bolder, that's all.
"There."
Already perceiving Tsunade's location, Nagato led them forward.
There stood an exquisite wooden cabin, obviously created using Tsunade's Wood Release technique.
Oh~
If you enjoy *Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade*, please add it to your bookmarks: (m.
Thud-thud-thud~
"Come in."
Tsunade's voice came through, sounding light and cheerful.
"Teacher's wife, Konan really missed you."
Pushing open the door, Yahiko stepped aside as Konan squeezed inside eagerly.
She immediately threw herself into Tsunade's half-lying form, affectionately rubbing against that womanly figure.
"All right already, don't get so carried away."
Tsunade helplessly pushed Konan away slightly—the girl remained clingy as ever.
After greeting Tsunade, Yahiko and Nagato threw themselves into fierce hugs with Nawaki and Minato.
"Just who am I? Lord Akatsuki Shadow!"
Nawaki gave Yahiko a hearty pat on the back, wearing a mischievous grin.
"Heh heh... Bro, I was just flexin' a bit."
"Cut me some slack this one time, huh?"
Yahiko didn't dare act cocky anymore—he had to admit that Nawaki was kind of like a little mentor to him.
"You kid, you actually went through with it!"
Minato released Nagato with an amused smile.
"Forget it. If you hadn't shown up, I might've facepalmed so hard I'd need stitches."
Nagato faked a facepalm gesture, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
"Lady Tsunade, Senior Nawaki, Senior Minato."
Finally getting a chance to greet them, Nonou looked visibly nervous.
"No need to be tense—you've done great all these years."
Lady Tsunade smiled kindly, personally commending Nonou's contributions.
"It's my duty—still, it's an honor to serve the village."
Nonou puffed out his chest, doing his best to look dignified. His heart was already pounding with excitement.
This was acknowledgment from his idol.
Like Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade—please bookmark us (m.