Epilogue

Hanzō was gone.

He left behind nothing but devastation.

Afterward, Tsunade examined the wounded and discovered that, over the long passage of time, the ninjas poisoned by Ibuse had long since stopped breathing.

The Sannin hurriedly treated their injuries, buried their comrades, and set off on the road home.

Meanwhile, White Fang had carved through the Sand Ninja lines, and Hanzō had turned his forces back to drive away the Sand Ninja. The Second Shinobi World War had essentially drawn to a close.

"Drip, drip."

The Land of Rain was like a place that cried forever. The drizzle never stopped.

After enduring such a long war, the Sannin were in no mood to hurry home on foot. Instead, they strolled along, easing their postwar emotions.

Hyuga Ao was like a little tagalong, following closely behind the Sannin at every step.

The feelings stirred by the great battle slowly faded. The four of them took shelter from the rain in a certain cave and prepared a simple lunch.

Jiraiya bit into a biscuit and sighed.

"So it ended with Konoha's victory? Just like that guy said."

"What will you do next? Are you going to start another journey?" Tsunade asked.

"Probably." Jiraiya gazed up at the sky. "I'll set out on another journey, then write another book."

Tsunade glanced sideways at Jiraiya.

Looking away, Tsunade probed, "Why not stay in the village?"

"I have a feeling that I'll foresee something else."

Jiraiya gazed up at the sky, but what he saw was prophecy and ideals.

"Sigh." Hyuga Ao sat behind them and watched the pair. Seeing this scene, she could not help sighing inwardly.

"Jiraiya, oh Jiraiya. Why didn't Tsunade choose you? Do you really have no idea?"

In Hyuga Ao's eyes, Tsunade was a practical woman. Ideals were too abstract for her. All she wanted was for the person to still be there.

Although Tsunade had been surrounded by many men with lofty ideals since childhood, she did not like men like that.

To her, if the person was gone, what use were ideals?

Ahead of them, the conversation continued.

"You mean the Chosen One you mentioned before?"

Tsunade understood. It seemed Jiraiya would not stop moving forward.

"Shh!" At that moment, Orochimaru came over and interrupted their conversation.

Tsunade shouted, "Who's there? Come out!"

A flash of orange emerged from behind a stone pillar, and Yahiko walked out.

Yahiko's gaze was resolute. He held out both hands and pleaded, "Please give us some food."

"Where are your parents?" Jiraiya asked.

Yahiko lowered his eyes, concealing the hatred within them. "They were killed by ninjas in this war."

Jiraiya froze, then took food from his bag. "Here. It's dry bread."

Yahiko brightened and called over his shoulder, "Nagato, Konan, come out! They don't seem like bad people!"

Konan and Nagato exchanged a glance, then emerged from the rock pillars where they had been hiding.

Only then did Hyuga Ao get a clear look at the three children from the Land of Rain.

Nagato was silent and frail, while Konan was delicate and beautiful, her face lighting up at the sight of the food.

Yahiko wore a smile. He was not yet the Deva Path Pain who would later ask everyone he met, "How many floors do you have to carry a bag of rice up?"

Nagato and Konan quickly took all the food from Jiraiya and Tsunade.

Tsunade wanted to say something when her food was taken, but she restrained herself for the children's sake.

Hyuga Ao snickered. At this point, Tsunade was not yet the later, anything-goes old woman. At most, she was an older young woman.

Hyuga Ao waved. "There's more here!"

Konan came over to stand in front of Hyuga Ao, but there was nothing in front of her. Konan tilted her head in confusion.

I'm dying from cuteness!

Hyuga Ao felt herself getting completely overwhelmed by the adorable sight.

Konan was only five years old, and there was no trace of the cold angel she would become later.

Hyuga Ao smiled. "You'll have to trade something for what I have!"

"Can you fold paper? Fold something for me."

Hyuga Ao handed Konan a sheet of paper.

Konan took it and paused. Her fingers flew, and a paper crane sprang to life.

"Wow, that's amazing." Hyuga Ao took the crane. "I keep my word. This is a Storage Scroll. Find a safe place and tear it open. The food will come out."

Konan held the scroll, at a loss. At only five years old, she did not yet know what a Storage Scroll was.

Yahiko, however, knew what it was. He came over and indicated that Konan should accept it. After the three children thanked them, they quickly ran off.

After the three children left, Tsunade asked in confusion, "Ao'er, do you like them?"

"I do, Tsunade. I really like that little girl."

Hyuga Ao smiled at her.

"Oh." Tsunade recalled what Konan looked like, thought for a moment, and decided not to ask further.

After quickly finishing lunch, the four of them set off again.

As they walked, Hyuga Ao noticed that Yahiko and the others were still following them.

Tsunade turned around impatiently. "We already gave you food. What are you still following us for?"

Konan stepped forward and pulled out a paper folding from behind her back.

Tsunade was about to react, but Jiraiya stopped her.

Konan held out the paper flower with both hands, her eyes curving into a smile. "Thank you. This is a return gift!"

Tsunade froze. "You're giving this to us?"

Yahiko stepped forward. "Teach us ninjutsu. You're ninjas from Konoha, right?"

Tsunade and Jiraiya were both startled.

Orochimaru came over and suggested, "Should we kill them? I've seen many war orphans, and their fates were all miserable."

"Wouldn't it be better to kill them here? For these children, that might actually be..."

Hyuga Ao rubbed her forehead. It was hard to imagine that Orochimaru had said all that out of kindness.

Jiraiya interrupted, "That's enough, Orochimaru. You two go back first. I'll take care of these little ones for now!"

"Huh?" Tsunade opened her mouth in surprise.

"At least until they can support themselves. You could consider it a little atonement."

"But..." Tsunade still wanted to say something.

Jiraiya had already walked over to the three children.

Hyuga Ao watched the scene. "Is this fate's choice?" she murmured.

Faced with Jiraiya's firm attitude, Tsunade and Orochimaru could only let him have his way.

Before leaving, Hyuga Ao tossed Konan a badge. "You can use this badge to come find me at the Hyuga Clan Compound in the future!"

Although Hyuga Ao wanted to stay a little longer, she was not Jiraiya. Jiraiya could stay, but she could not.

She could only find a way to leave an impression on the three children and make them remember her.

After Jiraiya's fateful choice, Hyuga Ao and the others quickly returned to the village. The pace of three Kage Level ninjas was astonishingly fast.

Three days later, they returned to Konoha.

As they stepped onto Konoha's bustling streets, the clamorous voices pulled their thoughts away from the battlefield.

"What should we do next?" Tsunade asked.

"I'm going home," Orochimaru said.

"What about you?" Tsunade looked toward Hyuga Ao.

"How about we go to a hot spring? My treat."

"Sure." Tsunade's eyes lit up, and she glanced at Orochimaru questioningly.

"You two go." Orochimaru turned and walked away.

It was the same hot spring as last time.

After washing herself, Tsunade lightly stepped barefoot into the pool.

Hyuga Ao was amazed. Tsunade's figure was far too exaggerated.

According to a certain piece of gossip—courtesy of Jiraiya—Tsunade had been a rich young lady with a completely flat chest in her youth. After learning Medical Ninjutsu, she had somehow moved two mountains onto herself.

Unable to suppress her curiosity, Hyuga Ao lightly touched her with a fingertip and asked, "Tsunade, how did they get so big?"

"I heard Teacher Jiraiya say it was the effect of Medical Ninjutsu. Is that true?"

Tsunade was still smiling after hearing the first half, but after hearing the second half, her brows rose sharply. She clenched both fists, and her knuckles cracked.

"That bastard Jiraiya! How dare he say that about me!"

Watching Tsunade explode, Hyuga Ao could not help swallowing. Fortunately, she had pushed the blame onto Jiraiya.

In Naruto, if no one knew who had invented a particular ninjutsu, then the answer was the Second Hokage.

If no one knew whose fault something was, then it was Danzo's.

And for this kind of gossip, especially gossip with a bit of color to it, blaming Jiraiya was always the right choice.

Tsunade's chest heaved with anger. When she saw the astonishment in Hyuga Ao's eyes, her face flushed slightly, and she began explaining a hundred reasons to stay away from Jiraiya.

A hundred sins committed by Jiraiya. A hundred reasons Jiraiya deserved to be beaten to death.

Hyuga Ao broke into a cold sweat listening to her.

Meanwhile, Hyuga Ao happily soaked in the hot spring.

Elsewhere, the effects of the war were slowly spreading.