Tsunade and Jiraiya!

A few days after Sakura and Naruto were sent back for treatment.

Konoha.

As dusk falls and the city lights begin to twinkle.

The Konoha was bustling with people, at its most lively time.

In a somewhat secluded corner, on the platform of a building.

A burly man with long white hair was holding a wine glass, sipping it calmly, drinking alone.

"Aren't you going? Jiraiya. Today is the village founding festival."

The blonde woman walked over, also holding a wine glass in her hand, glanced at him, and said...

The two gently clinked their glasses.

"I won't be going, Tsunade," Jiraiya said Jiraiya a smile, gazing at the distant, dazzling lights and taking a sip of his drink. "That's for young people; I'm too old for that!"

"This isn't like you, Jiraiya. There are lots of young and pretty girls at the festival." She leaned closer to the man, teasingly glancing at his wine glass.

"Drink it." Tsunade head, pointing to the half-full cup in his hand; then she first downed the wine in her own cup.

Jiraiya gave a fawning laugh, "You still prefer drinking like this!" He raised his head and downed his drink in the same gulp.

Tsunade placed her wine glass on the edge of the table, Jiraiya picked up a bottle of wine from his feet and filled both of their empty glasses. He handed Tsunade her glass, and at that moment, Tsunade was imitating his earlier action, leaning against the edge of the table. Her full, plump, white flesh, almost overflowing, pressed tightly against the corner of the wall, changing shape like a water balloon.

Tsunade noticed that he paused for a moment, her almond-shaped eyes swept over and met the staring gaze of the man beside her.

My old problem has relapsed.

She spat, snatched the wine glass, somewhat helplessly, and turned to look into the distance, her posture unchanged.

Jiraiya chuckled, picked up his sake cup, took a sip, and followed her gaze. That was where the festival was being held, and the lights were gradually coming on.

"Hey," the blonde woman said, her gentle, watery eyes gazing into the distance. The lamplight cast an ambiguous red glow on her still-fair face.

The white-haired man looked over. Whether it was the color of the lantern or the effect of the alcohol, the woman's delicate cheeks were slightly flushed, and her lips parted slightly as she softly said, "We're both old now."

The woman was looking into the distance as she spoke, so her eyes were not visible.

A bustling crowd could be heard not far away, with the voices of tourists echoing through the air. Through the layers of leaves and branches, one could vaguely see couples dressed in gorgeous clothes Earth Flow hand in hand.

Jiraiya chuckled, "Haha, you feel old too? But you still look quite young, unlike me, who looks all weathered!"

"Idiot..." the woman said softly, then turned back and drank her second cup with Jiraiya.

The sake was bitter and difficult to swallow. Tsunade suddenly had this feeling.

She frowned and drank it all in one gulp. Drops of clear liquid spilled, falling onto her open collar and her alabaster skin, seeping into the fibers and leaving translucent spots on her clothes; they flowed down her chest, chilling her heart.

After a moment of silence, Tsunade closed her eyes.

The stage was completely silent.

When she spoke again, her voice regained the dignity of Hokage.

"Let's get down to business." Tsunade opened her eyes, the gentleness in them replaced by the Hokage's strong and resolute expression. "It's about Naruto's injuries."

Jiraiya, his expression becoming serious.

He asked seriously, "How did it go?"

"It's not very optimistic." Tsunade her head and sighed. "It was wise of you to restrict his practice of this technique; otherwise, I would have had to find a way to make him a prosthetic limb by now."

Is it that serious?

Jiraiya frowned deeply, a scene flashing through his mind: after Naruto first completed the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, it took him a long time to recover from the injury on his hand.

"This Ninjutsu supposedly uses wind Nature Transformation to create countless blades to attack the enemy, but the problem is, if it's not controlled properly, it can end up attacking yourself..."

"Naruto's Chakra control is still a bit rough around the edges," Tsunade said.

She handed him the glass, and watched as the man quietly filled it for her. The look in his eyes softened instantly.

"Here you go." Jiraiya handed over the cup, and when he looked at Tsunade, her eyes had regained their previous firmness.

"If he had Sakura's level of control, there would be absolutely no problem. More practice could also solve this problem, but the issue is that his hand would probably be ruined before he fully masters this technique..." Tsunade took the cup and continued.

"Or perhaps it will happen later, when he's two or three years older and his body is stronger, then the problem might improve."

She glanced at the white-haired man's slightly dejected expression, then smiled and comforted him, "Don't worry, there's always a way out. He'll grow into a man who surpasses the Fourth someday. Minato, at this age, isn't even as strong as Naruto!"

"Too."

Jiraiya smiled, somewhat relieved.

"Apart from speed, skill, and intellect, Naruto surpassed his father in every aspect. It's a pity he didn't inherit Minato's talent for Space-Time Ninjutsu."

He poured himself a glass of wine as well.

Raising his wine glass, he said, "Your disciple's Body Flicker Technique is particularly impressive... Haha, he actually took down one of Akatsuki's members."

"Cheers to Sakura Haruno," he said, and the two clinked glasses again.

After a few laughs, Jiraiya became serious and asked, "What's the reaction from Akatsuki?"

"Not much information yet," Tsunade said seriously, her smile fading. "It seems they have no intention of avenging their comrades; instead, they appear to be lying low."

Jiraiya swirled his empty wine glass, staring into the void, lost in thought.

After a while, he said, "An organization formed by missing-nin doesn't have deep bonds among its members. It's understandable that Akatsuki didn't have the desire to avenge Deidara, but they should at least have put up a symbolic counterattack. Instead, they seem to be lying low... This can only mean they have much bigger plans and are plotting something else!"

Tsunade's expression was also helpless. "There's nothing we can do. Konoha's strength is insufficient right now, so we dare not take the initiative to attack. We can only react to whatever comes our way."

This problem has Jiraiya been solved.

The vastness of Konoha is not something that he and Tsunade, two Kage Level figures, can handle.

But he quickly laughed, "Don't worry, the new generation of ninjas will grow up soon. I think Sakura is already the next Yellow Flash!"

"Don't let her fool you," Tsunade chuckled reservedly. "Sakura doesn't actually have much of a talent for Body Flicker Technique; her tactical system relies on other Ninjutsu."

"Tsunade, don't be modest! Someone who can reach this level of strength at fourteen is extremely rare in the entire history of the Shinobi World! Sakura Haruno is indeed a talent, hmph, I wonder how many people in the village have misjudged her."

Tsunade, feeling slightly tipsy from drinking too quickly.

"Naruto isn't bad either!" She patted Jiraiya's arm, finished her fourth drink, and added, "His potential is even greater. As for Sakura... to be honest, I misjudged her too. When I took her as my student, I never imagined she would grow to this extent in just one year. She's not the kind of person who can be measured by conventional standards! Of course, neither is Naruto among the three members of Team 7, Sasuke... he has the Sharingan, so it's hard to say where his true potential lies."

"Sasuke..." Jiraiya paused for a moment, then asked, "How is Sasuke now?"

He hesitated somewhat when this topic came up.

The Uchiha is far too complicated and sensitive.

Tsunade watched him pour the wine; this was the fifth cup already. A silence fell between them: a silence of not knowing how to begin.

Night had gradually enveloped the earth, the Konoha were brightly lit, and the cool summer evening breeze blew gently, refreshing the soul.

Tsunade shook her head, her golden hair fluttering in the cool breeze, instantly sobering up considerably.

"Things are getting better!" she said, taking a sip. "But I really don't know how to talk to him. The Uchiha Clan Massacre wasn't simply a matter of Itachi killing the entire clan."

"Given that child's personality, he might not be able to accept it all at once, and might run away from the village, or react in other extreme ways."

"Troublesome, extremely troublesome." Tsunade slowly finished the rest of her drink and sighed. Suddenly, she smiled and said, "Jiraiya, how about I cover this up and keep it a secret until the next Hokage takes over?"

She laughed after making the joke.

The style of her words is quite similar to Sakura Haruno's. Tsunade didn't realize that in many ways, she was also subtly influenced by her disciple—for example, she might not have been here before, drinking with Jiraiya.

"We can't hide it forever. We can only slowly figure out a way and find an opportunity," Tsunade said. "Sasuke currently training with Kakashi and developing in the direction of Lightning Release. He's growing very fast. I just don't know if he'll become the next Raikage or the next White Fang!"

"As long as he's not the next Orochimaru." Jiraiya sighed helplessly.

His style clashed with Sasuke's, leaving Sasuke somewhat helpless.

"The future is too far away." Jiraiya shook the sake bottle; after filling it this round, there seemed to be very little left. "At least for now, Team 7 can still be like the old Sannin, the new generation of Sannin, still inseparable..."

"Hmph~" Tsunade made a meaningless nasal sound.

I have no idea what she's thinking.

"Cheers to the new generation of the Sannin!" She hastily came up with a toast and downed it in one gulp with Jiraiya.

When he tried to pour more, there was no more alcohol left. Jiraiya into his pouch, only to find it empty—he'd forgotten to bring an extra bottle.

"You came out drinking without bringing any alcohol!" Tsunade scoffed, then patted Jiraiya's shoulder with a flourish. "Drink mine!"

The blonde beauty reached into her cleavage and pulled out a cylindrical object. Jiraiya was puzzled when Tsunade conjured up about ten bottles of sake from the ground with a bang.

That cylinder was actually a miniature scroll disguised as a lipstick!

--Technical support for the practical application of miniature scrolls was provided by a pink-haired girl.

Jiraiya stared intently at Tsunade.

"Ahem, Shizune can be quite strict sometimes..." Tsunade explained somewhat sheepishly. Since becoming Hokage, her life had become much more fulfilling, and she hadn't had a proper drinking session in a long time...

"Stop talking nonsense, are you going to drink or not!" the woman said, her almond-shaped eyes wide.

Jiraiya simply handed over the sake cup.

"Let's drink until we're drunk!"

The party for older men and women continued late into the night.

As for whether anything exciting or unexpected happened afterward, sorry, probably not...

At the same time.

As the older generation of the legendary Sannin were enjoying their drinks, they were telling us that the new generation of Sannin were reuniting in the streets of Konoha for the first time in a year.

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