Chapter 28 – The Path Forward
The office door closed with a soft click, leaving only the two Sannin inside. For a long moment, silence lingered.
Tsunade leaned back in her chair, exhaling slowly, while Jiraiya stared out the window at the village below. The evening light painted the rooftops gold, but neither seemed to notice its beauty.
"They're different," Jiraiya said at last, his voice low.
Tsunade's gaze flicked to him. "Naruto and Sasuke?"
He nodded. "They don't talk about Orochimaru like we do. Not as an enemy, not as a monster. More like…" He trailed off, struggling to find the word.
Tsunade supplied it. "Like a man."
Jiraiya's lips tugged into a faint smile. "Yeah. That's it. A man who lost his way. They see him clearer than we ever could."
Tsunade closed her eyes briefly, the weight of memory pressing down. The battlefield, the betrayals, the blood—they weren't things easily forgotten. "Clearer, maybe. But that doesn't make them safe."
"No," Jiraiya agreed. He turned, meeting her eyes. "Which is why I'm going to take them."
Her brow furrowed. "Take them?"
"On a journey," Jiraiya said simply. "Away from Konoha. Away from ANBU surveillance, the old rumors, the suffocating weight of this village. They need space to grow, Tsunade. Space to train, to understand their strength."
She studied him, searching for cracks in his conviction. All she found was resolve.
"Training them here isn't enough?" she asked.
"Not for what's coming," Jiraiya replied. His tone was steady, but there was something beneath it—a shadow, the sense that he knew more than he was saying. "Orochimaru isn't the only storm on the horizon. And if those boys can't stand on their own feet when it arrives… we'll all pay the price."
Tsunade's eyes softened, but her voice held a trace of bitterness. "You sound like Hiruzen."
At that, Jiraiya chuckled, though there was no humor in it. "He trusted too much. I won't make the same mistake." His gaze sharpened. "But I will make sure Naruto and Sasuke surpass us. That's the only way forward."
The Hokage's office grew quiet again, the tick of the wall clock filling the air.
Finally, Tsunade sighed and leaned forward, resting her chin on her folded hands. "You'll be responsible for them. Both of them. Naruto's recklessness, Sasuke's pride—if they lose control, it won't just be their problem."
Jiraiya gave a crooked grin. "Relax. I raised worse."
Her eyebrow arched. "Oh? Who was worse than those two?"
"…Me," he admitted after a beat, and for the first time that night, Tsunade laughed—a short, tired laugh, but real.
The levity faded quickly, replaced by a somber weight. "If you take them," she said quietly, "make sure they come back stronger. Strong enough to face whatever lies ahead."
Jiraiya's grin softened into something gentler, more serious. "They will. I'll see to it."
For a moment, Tsunade saw the young man he once was—the reckless, brilliant teammate who had once stood beside her and Orochimaru. Time had taken much, but not his determination.
"Go then," she said finally. "Train them. And don't waste time."
Jiraiya nodded, his expression firm. "I won't."
As he turned to leave, Tsunade's voice stopped him at the door.
"Jiraiya."
He glanced back.
"Don't let them become like him," she said softly.
The unspoken name—Orochimaru—hung between them.
Jiraiya's smile was faint, but steady. "They won't. Not as long as they have each other."
And with that, he left the office, his footsteps fading down the hall, carrying with them the first stirrings of a new journey.
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