What kind of man was Jiraiya? He'd been peeping into the women's baths with a telescope since he was a child, and after becoming a ninja, he'd even brought his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, along to peep with him.
When it came to any beautiful adult woman, he spoke of her like a lust-crazed wolf.
But now, faced with Naruto's probing questions, he dodged them with a shake of his head. In the end, he flew into a rage and turned his back on Naruto.
That only made Naruto more certain Jiraiya had ulterior motives. "An old flame? Were you two sneaking around behind her boyfriend's back?"
"Damn it! What nonsense are you talking about, kid? Tsunade and I are just friends, nothing more! I've never even touched her breasts!"
Mentioning breasts made Jiraiya remember how Tsunade's ample bosom filled out her kimono. "When I first met her, she was as flat as a washboard. How did they get so big later? It's unbelievable..."
"You've never even touched them?"
"No." Jiraiya shook his head regretfully.
"Do you want to?"
"I do!" Lustful flames blazed in Jiraiya's eyes once more, and his face flushed.
Naruto coaxed him along. "She's your age, and getting on in years. Her breasts must be..."
"Impossible! Tsunade's terrified of getting old! She'll keep herself looking thirty at most!"
"Enough talk. Let's get going. I understand how you feel." Naruto lifted his head and confidently thumped his chest. "Let me teach you how to win this woman called Tsunade over!"
Jiraiya froze. He thought of how Naruto was surrounded by girls, and how smoothly he'd taken Jiraiya to have fun with beautiful women in swimsuits.
Then he thought of how he'd waited most of his life for Tsunade, only for her to never give him a chance.
He let out a melancholy sigh.
The Great Toad burst into smoke, leaving behind two packs of luggage that had already been prepared.
Naruto took off his patient gown and changed into a windbreaker. "Where should we look?"
"I don't know." Jiraiya slung a pack over his shoulder. "We'll find her if we look in the casinos."
"She likes gambling that much?"
"She's addicted to it."
Naruto looked at Jiraiya, remembered Orochimaru, and put that together with what Jiraiya had said about Tsunade.
Good grief. The legendary Sannin had the whole trifecta: sex, gambling, and drugs.
The two of them shouldered their packs and set off in the direction Jiraiya had pointed at random.
The Tea Room in the Hokage Building.
Danzo knelt on a Straw Mat and looked at the two advisors across from him. "If Jiraiya refused to take the position of Hokage, why won't you let me succeed him? Why did you agree to his suggestion that he go find Tsunade? Can that girl really do the job?"
The old man advisor was named Mitokado Homura. He set down his teacup. "In terms of seniority, you certainly qualify."
The old woman advisor was named Utatane Koharu. She clasped her teacup in both hands. "But Tsunade is one of the Sannin and the First Hokage's Granddaughter. She has impeccable roots, and she saved countless lives during the Third Shinobi War. As a renowned medical ninja, she also has the reputation to win people over."
Danzo kept his face impassive, though his nest of hair was particularly disheveled. "The Third Hokage invited Tsunade back many times, but she kept refusing and running away."
Mitokado Homura said, "We believe she has what it takes to be Hokage, just as we believe you can do a good job as acting Hokage. Koharu, what do you think?"
"Mm. I agree."
Danzo had long expected Jiraiya to turn down the position. He'd planned to use the acting role as a stepping stone toward becoming Hokage for real.
But Tsunade's sudden appearance was undoubtedly wrecking his dream—and failing the Konoha he loved so dearly.
He narrowed his eyes. "I understand."
Utatane Koharu said, "Then we'll take our leave for now."
Mitokado Homura said, "Everything is for the sake of Konoha's legacy."
Danzo had heard enough. Those two old fossils were the very definition of drawing a salary while doing nothing.
Whenever they came up with some useless proposal, someone would argue against it and suggest something new. Then the two old fossils would say, "Then let's do as you suggest."
They had no position of their own whatsoever.
But if Danzo wanted to step out from behind the scenes, he needed those two advisors to endorse him and vouch for his credentials.
Otherwise, hardly anyone even knew who he was.
The two old fossils probably thought it was too much trouble, with too many obstacles. It was easier to just have Tsunade come back, raise her hand, and take the position.
Danzo touched the bandages wrapped around his right arm and slowly unwound them, revealing skin as pale as a tree trunk, along with two scarlet Sharingan embedded in his palm and the back of his hand.
As he continued to unwrap it, his whole forearm was exposed, with ten Blood Wheel Eyes, all eternally open, staring back at him.
He smiled, his stiff face breaking into a cheerful grin.
This was his achievement: the glorious result of wiping out the Uchiha Clan completely.
He'd clearly accomplished such a great feat, yet he couldn't make it public. There was no one he could talk to about it, and no one who would understand.
He knew he had to contact Orochimaru again.
Just as he had when he worked with Orochimaru to cultivate the First Hokage Hashirama's cells and transplant Sharingan all over his arm.
Danzo had planned that if he became Hokage, he would hunt Orochimaru down with everything he had, destroying the evidence of their collusion.
Now the two advisors' wavering had dashed his hopes once again.
Danzo pushed open the Secret Compartment behind the bookshelf and entered the sealed, cramped room.
He turned on the light, removed the black cloth covering the desk, and revealed a rare Wireless Telegraph Machine with a Display Screen. He quickly tapped out a message.
Meanwhile, in the Land of Rice, in a dark purple Old Mansion in the forest of Sound Village,
Yakushi Kabuto stood before a wall covered in Surveillance Images. A message from Danzo appeared on the Display Screen in front of him.
"The Third Hokage is gravely wounded and near death. Jiraiya is on his way to find Tsunade and wants her to succeed him as Hokage. Help me eliminate Tsunade, and I'll hand Sasuke Uchiha over to you."
Yakushi Kabuto's lips stretched into a long, sly smile, and his eyes were like a cunning fox's.
The surroundings here seemed a century removed from Konoha's old-fashioned ways, with all sorts of electronic devices on display.
There was also a Mechanical Operating Bed hung with bottles of fluid. A white-haired boy lay on it, cables connected to the back of his head.
Yakushi Kabuto left the room, passed through a deep, winding corridor, and entered a Stone Chamber lit by candlelight.
"Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru was hunched over a candle, reading an ancient Ninjutsu Book.
He raised his head. His purple eyeshadow reflected the candlelight. "Tell me why you're interrupting my reading."
Yakushi Kabuto relayed Danzo's message.
Orochimaru offered no comment, only a sinister chuckle. "Kabuto, what do you think I'll do?"
Yakushi Kabuto dropped to one knee. "My lord, I think we should take this opportunity to attack Konoha and seize Sasuke."
Orochimaru shook his head. "Danzo didn't tell me everything. He wanted me to know that Sasuke is under his control. If I refuse, he'll kill Sasuke and destroy the perfect vessel I desire."
Yakushi Kabuto's face filled with hatred. "How dare he threaten you, my lord!"
Suddenly, Orochimaru's head shot forward, nose to nose with Yakushi Kabuto. He stared at him through his glasses. "Given your intelligence, you must realize you're deliberately giving me a chance to explain myself, don't you?"
Yakushi Kabuto looked straight ahead. "I'm absolutely loyal to you, my lord."
"Don't worry. I've never doubted that." Orochimaru smiled. "Tsunade, huh? It's been a long time since I saw her. I might as well pay her a visit this time. Please find out where she is."
Yakushi Kabuto nodded respectfully. "Yes, my lord. I'll take my leave."
With that, he walked into the corridor and adjusted his glasses.
Jiraiya's methods of gathering information left Naruto utterly speechless. Every day, he went to the busiest Inn Street and the most luxurious izakayas to find women, eat, drink, and have fun.
In just half a month, he'd already racked up twenty smiley faces on his Score Tokens.
He was devoted to Tsunade with his heart while indulging his body—a perfect way to have it both ways.
Naruto, meanwhile, trained hard every day.
With the Akatsuki Organization hanging over him like a sword, he was more motivated than ever. He'd rebuilt the blood vessels and meridians damaged by his previous severe injuries, making them even stronger.
Without relying on the Nine-Tails Power, he'd already reached thirty thousand horsepower in his normal state.
"Naruto! I've found some information! Let's go!" Jiraiya came back to the inn reeking of alcohol, then flopped face-down onto the Tatami.
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