Feng furrowed his brow, his eyes filled with sorrow. He addressed a Root Ninja: "Take this scroll to the lord as quickly as possible. Deliver it in person. Do you understand?"
The Root Ninja bowed quickly, then turned and left.
Feng thought for a moment, then rapidly formed hand seals. With a poof, Xiangxue appeared.
Xiangxue climbed onto Feng's shoulder and rubbed against him. "Did you call for me because you missed me?"
Feng smiled awkwardly. "Well, there's something I need to ask you to do."
Xiangxue stuck out her tongue and complained, "You only think of me when you need something. Hmph! You're the worst!"
Still, Xiangxue took the scroll and quickly left.
After retrieving the scroll from a little snake's mouth, Orochimaru looked slightly surprised. He thought for a while, then narrowed his eyes and called out toward the tent entrance, "Send for someone!"
An Anbu appeared in the middle of the tent in a flash.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "Can I trust you?"
The Anbu nodded quickly and said quietly, "It's my honor to serve you, sir."
Orochimaru licked his lips. "You must deliver this message to Jiraiya within three days. If you can't—"
The Anbu lowered his head and cut him off. "Unless I die, it will be delivered on time."
Orochimaru patted the Anbu on the shoulder. "Thanks for your hard work!"
The Anbu's body trembled slightly before he got up and left.
Three days later, Jiraiya met the Anbu in person. After handing him the scroll, the Anbu collapsed on the spot.
Jiraiya was shocked. He hurriedly opened the scroll, scanned it, then turned and ran.
An Anbu responsible for relaying messages called out, "Commander, where are you going?"
Jiraiya shouted urgently, "This is an emergency! Go tell the strategist from the Nara clan that he has full authority to handle everything here!" Then he vanished in a flash.
As soon as Jiraiya left, a black-and-white figure crawled out beneath a nearby tree and started punching and kicking the tree beside him. He seemed to be in a very bad mood.
Eight days later, Jiraiya finally found Tsunade Hime in a small town in the Land of Fire. She was dead drunk. The only person with her was an old servant of the Senju family.
When the Senju family was disbanded, the old servant had refused to leave, no matter what. The Second Hokage had been moved by his loyalty and personally had his name inscribed in the Senju family records.
He had become the uncle of the First and Second Hokages, and Tsunade's great-grandfather: Senju Shinyo.
Senju Shinyo was now very old, his hair completely white. If not for the Yin Seal the Second Hokage had specially improved for him, he probably would have been unable to walk by now.
He was also the only top-tier elite jonin remaining in the Senju family. If the old man fully activated his Yin Seal, even Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen would have to avoid confronting him head-on.
When Jiraiya spotted Tsunade, he hurriedly tried to rush over, but the old man caught him with one hand.
After Senju Shinyo hit him with a Water Release: In-Your-Face Jutsu, Jiraiya came to his senses in an instant.
Seeing that it was Senju Shinyo, Jiraiya shuddered. He hadn't forgotten how many times the old man had beaten him after catching him peeping at Tsunade.
Jiraiya wiped the water from his face. "Grandpa, spare me! Spare me! Don't hit me, don't hit me! I really do have something important to tell Tsunade this time. Her mother is gravely ill."
Jiraiya then carefully explained the message he had received. After listening, the old man nodded, then shook his head. In the end, he sighed and walked away.
Once the old man was far off, Jiraiya let out a deep breath and turned toward Orochimaru.
He didn't want the old man to catch him again. Just seeing him made Jiraiya ache all over. The old man always aimed for the painful spots, and he hit especially hard.
Two days later, Tsunade returned to Konoha. The Third Hokage hurriedly met with her, humbly expressed his grief and regret, and asked her to stay temporarily at the Daimyo's Mansion for Konoha's sake.
By the time Tsunade returned to the Daimyo's Mansion, more than ten days had passed. As soon as she entered, a man walked toward her.
He was about 1.7 meters tall, with a mustache, big eyes, and a high nose. He looked quite pleasant.
Seeing Tsunade, the man immediately greeted her. "Elder sister Tsunade, you're back! Why didn't you let me know ahead of time? I could have prepared a room and some clothes for you."
Tsunade merely gave a brief "Mm" and walked inside. The smile on the man's face didn't fade; if anything, it grew wider.
This man was Tsunade's half-brother, Tachibana Miya.
According to Feng's investigation, all the daimyos in the entire Naruto world actually belonged to the same clan. They all shared the surname Tachibana, meaning they had a single unusual ancestor: the Son of Heaven written about in history books.
Tsunade Hime was an honorific for Tsunade. In truth, she should have been called something like Tachibana Tsunade.
However, her maternal grandfather was the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi.
And since the Second Hokage had no children, Tsunade had been sent to Konoha to inherit the Senju family.
Therefore, she could be called Tsunade Senju. Her younger brother Nawaki, meanwhile, should have been called Nawaki Tachibana.
When Tsunade entered her mother's room, she saw that her mother had regained a little color, which showed that Feng's medicine had helped somewhat.
But as a master medical ninja, Tsunade could see at a glance that her mother's life force had already run out. She was being kept alive only by the special medicine.
Tsunade's mother saw her and said happily, "Tsun-chan, you're back. Cough, cough. Come here and let Mom get a good look at you."
Tsunade's feelings were complicated. If Feng hadn't sent word, she might not have seen her mother one last time.
Tsunade took a small, unsteady breath. "Mom, I'm not a little kid anymore. Could you stop calling me something so embarrassing?"
Her mother was delighted. Tsunade hadn't spoken to her in that tone for many years.
The mother and daughter chatted for a little over half an hour before a servant came to announce that the Daimyo had invited Tsunade Hime to a banquet. It would be held in the outer room of her mother's quarters.
Tsunade didn't like her father at all, though he hadn't really done anything wrong.
It was simply that imperial families were the most heartless of all. As the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, he was practically a feudal lord. Even if he had affection for his family, he had to keep it in check and couldn't show it.
Just look at Cao Cao: he said that Cao Cong was the son he loved most, and Cao Cong died.
It was only two days later that Tsunade's mother took a turn for the worse. At her mother's bedside, the strong woman Tsunade shed gentle tears.
Tsunade's mother held her hand and spoke haltingly. "Tsun-chan, I know. Please don't resent me, okay?
"Back then, your grandfather had only one daughter—me—and I was useless. Your great-uncle was devoted to his research and refused to marry.
"The vast Senju clan, with three or four thousand people, couldn't be left without an heir.
"Tsunade, Mom loves you. I know you've suffered so much.
"Tsunade, I've cried myself to sleep every night, dreaming of you covered in wounds.
"Tsunade, your grandfather died young. Your great-uncle died in battle in the Land of Lightning. You're the only family I have.
"Tsunade, your father loves you too.
"Tsunade, you've always lost at gambling. Even though your father is the Daimyo, he can't just take money from the country.
"Tsunade, your father even sold his favorite inkstone to pay your debts.
"Tsunade. Your mom and dad love you. Please forgive me.
"Tsunade..."
In the end, the gentle woman passed away, her face full of regret. Tsunade collapsed over the bed, sobbing uncontrollably.
The Daimyo entered from outside and gently covered Tsunade's mother with his own clothes. Then he turned and left. Only Tsunade Hime's anguished wailing remained in the room.
Standing at the doorway, Senju Shinyo gazed up at the clear blue sky. The sunlight in the Land of Fire was a little harsh, and his eyes felt dry.
The next day, the Daimyo's wife passed away. The whole country mourned.
Tsunade Hime personally laid her mother to rest. After her grandfather had died of illness, her family had been disbanded, her great-uncle had fallen in battle, her grandmother had passed away, her younger brother had died in battle, and her lover had been killed, now her mother had passed away as well.
Though she looked radiant on the outside, the woman in her early thirties had long been scarred within, burdened beyond what she could bear.
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