"Lady Tsunade!"
Shizune looked at Tsunade with some surprise.
"What is this..."
Naruto Uzumaki curiously observed the pendant in his hand, not noticing anything remarkable about it, and considered tossing it away.
"That is a treasure left behind by the First Hokage."
Jiraiya looked at Naruto Uzumaki, chuckling softly as he said, "It is said to be the only gemstone of its kind in the world, worth enough to buy three mountains."
"!!!"
Naruto Uzumaki opened his mouth wide in astonishment.
"..."
Shizune appeared a bit worried as she looked at Naruto Uzumaki.
Tsunade didn't pay much attention, turning away with a heavy heart, her eyes slightly open with glistening tears.
Just then...
She recalled her brother, Nawaki.
Her brother, Nawaki, had never backed down in order to protect Konoha, charging ahead in the war and ultimately dying in an enemy explosive tag trap...
If only...
If I don't become Hokage...
If I don't stop that Hokage Assistant named Akihara Kagura...
That kid named Naruto Uzumaki might die in war too?
Moreover...
That ornament...
Tsunade closed her eyes again, leaning against a wall, bowing her head as she recalled the ones she missed, those to whom she had given that ornament.
"This ornament..."
Shizune gazed at it, continuing, "To Lady Tsunade, this is the most important thing. No matter the difficulty, she has never given up..."
"I see..."
Naruto Uzumaki furrowed his brow, yet raised his fist, "But it was her who insisted on betting with me, right?"
"That's not what I want to say."
Shizune looked at Naruto Uzumaki, wearing the ornament, unable to help but reveal the truth, "This is a cursed ornament. Lady Tsunade once gave it to the people most important to her, but they all died without exception..."
Shizune recounted the past, "Lady Tsunade's brother, who like you, wanted to become Hokage, was given this ornament on his twelfth birthday by Lady Tsunade with hopes he could achieve his dreams. However, he died in the Ninja World War..."
"Lady Tsunade's lover Katou Dan, Jonin..."
Shizune paused slightly, "Katou Dan also aimed to be Hokage. Lady Tsunade gave this ornament to him, hoping he, too, could become Hokage, but Katou Dan also died in the war..."
"This is an ominous item..."
"Lady Tsunade hoped this ornament could protect them, and let them live to realize their dreams of becoming Hokage, but they still suffered misfortune and died in the war..."
"I understand now."
Naruto Uzumaki nodded without fear in response to Shizune's words, walking toward the outskirts of town, "Well, I will go train first."
"What?"
Shizune looked at Naruto Uzumaki in some confusion.
"I don't want to lose!"
Naruto Uzumaki showed a bright and confident smile, earnestly saying, "I will master the Rasengan, stay alive, and become Hokage!"
"!!!"
Shizune watched Naruto Uzumaki in shock, gradually breaking into a smile as she saw this little guy head toward the city gates.
"No need to worry about that kid Naruto..."
Jiraiya observed Naruto Uzumaki's leaving figure, softly continuing, "That kid is more resilient than anyone I've ever met..."
"The more pressing concern now..."
Jiraiya said, casting a glance in the direction Tsunade had gone, "Is still the situation in the village, if we return too late..."
"Lord Jiraiya."
Shizune looked at Jiraiya, with a serious expression, and continued to ask, "Is the situation in the village really as severe as you describe? Is the village's Hokage Assistant Akihara Kagura really about to instigate a Ninja World War?"
"Actually..."
"The situation is even more severe than I described."
Jiraiya glanced at Shizune, his expression turning gradually serious, "Didn't you encounter Orochimaru? Orochimaru intends to tempt Tsunade to resurrect Nawaki and Dan with a jutsu called the Reanimation Jutsu, a technique requiring a sacrifice..."
"Hmm..."
Shizune nodded, somewhat puzzled.
"Kagura has also mastered this jutsu."
Jiraiya watched Shizune, continuing, "The old man worried about not being able to deal with Orochimaru until his last moment, instructing Kagura to learn the Reanimation Jutsu in advance to counter Orochimaru..."
"..."
Shizune was taken aback by Jiraiya's words.
"The two Hokage Advisors in the village supported Akihara Kagura in using the Reanimation Jutsu, to resurrect the dead of the village, lest Konoha face a greater crisis in the future..."
Jiraiya's expression gradually calmed, continuing, "I hope that when Tsunade returns to the village, she will forbid Kagura from using the Reanimation Jutsu. That jutsu is too sinister and will make Kagura's already extreme ideas even darker..."
"Can't Lord Jiraiya stop it?"
Shizune asked curiously, "Aren't you Kagura's teacher, Lord Jiraiya? Aren't you able to prevent it?"
"I can advise Kagura."
Jiraiya nodded, then shook his head, saying, "But the two Hokage Advisors in the village won't heed my suggestions..."
"Forget it."
"Anyway, we still have a bit of time."
Jiraiya felt Tsunade had listened to his advice today and might soon agree to become Hokage, "Slowly let her come around..."
"I must tell Lady Tsunade about this news."
Remembering today's incident with Orochimaru, Shizune continued, "If Lady Tsunade knows that someone in the village also mastered the Reanimation Jutsu, she shouldn't cooperate with Orochimaru..."
"Hey, hey, hey..."
Jiraiya felt uneasy, quickly following Shizune, "Don't let Tsunade think that Kagura will help her resurrect Dan and Nawaki. That would make things more complicated..."
In fact.
Tsunade was incredibly calm.
When Shizune told Tsunade that Akihara Kagura had mastered the Reanimation Jutsu, Tsunade displayed no reaction, merely quietly drinking her sake.
"If Lady Tsunade truly wishes to see them..."
Shizune looked at Tsunade, continuing, "We don't have to cooperate with Orochimaru; the village's Hokage Assistant Akihara Kagura has also mastered the Reanimation Jutsu..."
"I know."
Tsunade never considered cooperating with Orochimaru.
Regardless of the conditions Orochimaru proposed or his pretentious demeanor, Tsunade never thought of collaborating with him to resurrect Katou Dan and Nawaki.
Because eventually, Orochimaru would attack Konoha again, how could Tsunade ever collaborate with him? In fact, she intended to take this opportunity to kill Orochimaru, since Konoha is a village protected by her two grandfathers, brother, and lover who sacrificed their lives!
"Tsunade!"
Jiraiya looked at Tsunade with some hesitation, softly advising, "If you want Kagura to use the Reanimation Jutsu, it might lead to unforeseen consequences..."
"Moreover, the people resurrected by the Reanimation Jutsu are just puppets of the technique user, and this technique is a desecration of the deceased souls..."
"..."
Tsunade didn't respond to Jiraiya.
Tsunade placed down her sake bottle, softly instructing, "Don't bother with my matters, let me be alone for a while..."
"Yes."
Shizune could only suppress her confusion and leave Tsunade's side.
"..."
Jiraiya also had to leave her side, glancing back at Tsunade's lonely figure, he sighed quietly in his heart.
"..."
Tsunade remained calmly seated there.
By this point, she had already decided she must assume the position of Hokage, just contemplating how to seize the opportunity in negotiating with Orochimaru here to kill him.
Yet...
She learned Akihara Kagura also mastered the Reanimation Jutsu.
This kind of thing...
How could it not stir her heart?
"In any case, Orochimaru has become utterly useless and harmful, I must kill Orochimaru first..."
Tsunade raised her hand, still having some apprehension in her heart, "If I can kill Orochimaru here, perhaps there will be no reason for that youngster in the village to use the Reanimation Jutsu..."