Task, Tsunade

"Even though the target is a candidate for Hokage, how can just finding someone be ranked as an A-rank mission?"

Sakura speculated, "Is that person very strong, and perhaps unwilling to return to the village?"

"You can't become Hokage without sufficient strength."

Jiraiya introduced, "The person we are looking for is named Tsunade. She is the granddaughter of the First Hokage and was a former teammate of mine and Orochimaru."

"Orochimaru, and the granddaughter of the First Hokage?"

Sasuke reacted quickly: "Who was your squad leader back then?"

"The Third Hokage."

Jiraiya added, "He was our Master as well."

"That's quite the star-studded lineup."

Sakura remarked, "Every single one of them is a heavyweight; to think they were all in the same squad."

"The Old Man was already Hokage at the time, but we were just children around your age, and our strength was far weaker than yours is now."

Jiraiya looked at them, his thoughts drifting back to the past: "That year..."

"Hold on!"

Naruto interrupted Jiraiya just in time: "While I'm very interested in the past between you and Orochimaru, the important thing right now is Tsunade. What happened to her in the past, and why did she leave the village? If we don't figure those two things out, it'll probably be very difficult to convince her to come back."

"By the way, why did Grandpa Third suddenly decide to appoint a Fifth Hokage?"

Naruto asked, "Isn't he in pretty good health?"

"The Old Man... the Third Hokage is already very old. During his recent battle with Orochimaru, if you hadn't appeared to help in time, he would have died from using forbidden techniques, even if Orochimaru hadn't killed him."

Jiraiya sighed, "This mission isn't so much me wanting to find Tsunade as it is the Third Hokage forcing me to go find her."

"Well, that's about the size of it."

Kakashi looked at the trio of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura: "What do you intend to do?"

"After we find this Tsunade, how about we have Naruto use the Flying Thunder God Technique to bring her back directly?"

Sasuke proposed, "She's been away for years, so she shouldn't know about Naruto's situation. Once we see her, we can find some excuse for Naruto to grab her and use the Flying Thunder God Technique to return to the village."

"That's worth considering."

Naruto thought about it very seriously: "To prevent her from running away at the first opportunity, we could also set up sealing techniques in advance. As soon as I bring her back to the village, we can immediately activate the seals and pin her in place."

"Hey, hey, hey!"

Jiraiya, hearing the two of them getting more and more outrageous, couldn't help but interrupt: "I told you to bring her back, not kidnap her!"

"What a pain..."

Naruto scratched his head and asked Kakashi beside him: "Kakashi-sensei, can we decline this mission?"

"Probably not."

Kakashi scratched his cheek: "This mission was relayed to me directly by the Third. If I refuse, I'd have no choice but to become a rogue ninja."

"Don't you lot think about such nonsense!"

Jiraiya took a deep breath: "Listen to me quietly, and then come with me to persuade Tsunade to return. Otherwise... those old geezers really will make me become Hokage!"

Sasuke and Sakura didn't know Jiraiya well, so they didn't react much.

Naruto: "That would be too terrifying!"

"Right!"

Jiraiya wasn't angry; instead, he agreed with Naruto: "Someone like me isn't suited to be Hokage at all."

"That's not a question of being suited or not."

Naruto said, "If Grandpa Jiraiya became Hokage, the first thing he'd do upon taking office would definitely be to turn all the hot springs and bathhouses in Konoha into mixed-gender facilities."

"Hmm?"

Jiraiya's expression suddenly turned serious, and he said with complete sincerity: "Now that you mention it, the Hokage does indeed have that kind of authority... Perhaps I should strive for the position of Hokage?"

"Jiraiya-sama..."

Kakashi offered a feeble piece of advice: "If the Third knew you became Hokage for a reason like that, he would cry."

"I'm just joking."

Jiraiya laughed twice: "About half of it, anyway."

"You're actually half-serious?!"

Sakura's eyes widened, as if her worldview had been completely rearranged: "Someone like this is actually qualified to be Hokage... what exactly is a Hokage?"

"Master once said that the abilities a person possesses and their character are not necessarily linked."

Naruto explained, "Besides, the Hokage is human too; it's perfectly normal to have things you like. Doesn't Kakashi-sensei spend all day reading that indecent book called something-something Paradise?"

"It's Icha Icha Paradise."

Kakashi suddenly perked up and said with a straight face: "That is an excellent book. The nuances within it are something children like you can't quite understand yet."

"That is correct."

Jiraiya nodded repeatedly, giving high affirmation to Kakashi's statement: "Once you all grow a bit older, you will understand."

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura exchanged glances, choosing not to respond.

"But we've digressed. Let us return to the matter of the mission."

Jiraiya pulled the topic back: "Regarding what happened to Tsunade, we must start from the Ninja World War back then..."

According to Jiraiya's account, the group learned of the tragedy Tsunade had suffered—both her younger brother and her fiancé had died in the war.

The latter, in particular, had been treated by Tsunade after sustaining heavy injuries, but unfortunately, the wounds were too severe, and he ultimately died right before her eyes. Afterward, Tsunade's mental state suffered, and she developed "hemophobia," causing her to tremble and become unable to move whenever she saw blood.

For a ninja, especially a medical ninja, this was undoubtedly fatal. Fortunately, the war ended shortly thereafter, and Tsunade left the village under the pretext of clearing her head, wandering outside for many years.

"Come to think of it, there is one thing I have always been curious about."

Naruto suddenly spoke: "The First Hokage and the Second Hokage were both from the Senju clan, but why is there not a single 'Senju' left in the village now? Even regarding that Tsunade, you all don't call her 'Senju Tsunade,' and she shouldn't be married yet, right?"

Sakura and Sasuke silently looked toward Kakashi and Jiraiya.

"I cannot say."

Kakashi shook his head: "At the very least, when I was a child, one could still see members of the Senju clan in the village."

The group's gazes shifted to Jiraiya.

"...In the past, I asked Tsunade about it."

Jiraiya hesitated for a moment before speaking: "She told me that it was the First Hokage's decision. The reason is unclear, but the First Hokage personally erased the name of the 'Senju clan,' having all Senju clansmen intermarry with other clans, or even with ordinary people. Among the current Konoha ninja, those who come from civilian backgrounds, while they did not inherit the Senju surname, have mostly inherited a portion of the Senju clan's bloodline."

Sasuke was lost in thought: "So, rather than the name and the surname, they prioritized the inheritance of the bloodline."

Sakura silently affirmed in her heart: As expected, although it may not be much, I should have inherited a portion of the Senju clan's bloodline.

Naruto: "So, in the village now, Tsunade no longer has any family or clansmen in the true sense?"

Jiraiya nodded silently.

"I suddenly feel that it is quite good for that Granny Tsunade to be out wandering."

Naruto said very seriously: "Grandpa Jiraiya, you should become the Fifth Hokage. Even if you turn all the bathhouses and hot springs in Konoha into mixed-gender facilities after taking office, I will support you."

"Logically, I should be happy, but the way you put that makes my feelings somewhat complicated."

Jiraiya held his forehead: "It is precisely to avoid becoming Hokage that I came to entrust this mission to you. I understand Tsunade; she has always kept the village in her heart, she just cannot be honest with her own feelings. As long as there is a suitable catalyst, she will return."

"A catalyst... ah, it seems there really is one."

Naruto turned his head to look toward the Hokage's office.

Jiraiya followed his gaze and realized it too: "The First, is it..."