The Three Sannin Gather

While Sigurd and Sasori were rushing toward Amegakure, Konoha was happily celebrating the New Year.

By tradition, today was New Year's Eve, a time that naturally called for a grand feast.

Unfortunately, the Hokage observed the Japanese New Year, where a simple bowl of soba noodles sufficed for the eve.

But Tokiju was a man with a standard Chinese soul; how could he possibly go without a table full of proper dishes on New Year's Eve?

In the past, with Grandmother Mito there to keep things in check, he had never had the chance to try anything new during the holidays.

Now that the only person who could suppress him was gone, the only one left in the household with higher standing than Tokiju was Tsunade.

Yet she was someone who rarely bothered with household affairs, living a life where she was waited on hand and foot.

She would drink a little wine, visit the casinos when she had free time, and take on a few surgeries at Konoha Hospital when she ran out of money—her life was nothing short of comfortable.

Today, Tsunade had left the Senju Ancestral Residence early, claiming she was going to meet up with old classmates and telling Tokiju and the others to make their own arrangements.

Regarding this, Tokiju immediately concluded that his older sister must be off to see Jiraiya and Orochimaru.

Judging by the situation, it was likely a gathering instigated by Jiraiya after his return to the village; after all, neither his sister nor Orochimaru seemed like the type to take the initiative to organize such things.

In this, Tokiju was not wrong.

At this moment, inside a private room at a barbecue restaurant called Yakiniku Q, three figures sat together: Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru.

Jiraiya took a sip of sake and sighed boisterously, "Ha, it's been a long time since we've gathered like this, hasn't it?"

"And I never expected you to return to the village, Tsunade. If I had known, I would have come back much sooner, hahaha."

Tsunade let out an annoyed click of her tongue at his words: "Tch, I only came back to accompany my younger brother. Once he adapts to life in Konoha, I'll still..."

As she spoke, Tsunade downed a large gulp of sake and didn't continue.

Truth be told, she hadn't really considered her future plans.

Once the higher-ups confirmed her brother's safety and called off the surveillance, would she leave Konoha again to travel the Ninja World?

Or would she stay in Konoha just as she had these past few months, diligently performing her duties at Konoha Hospital?

Seeming to sense Tsunade's frustration, Jiraiya immediately changed the subject: "Tsunade, I heard that your missing brother has returned?"

As soon as Jiraiya said this, Orochimaru, who had been silently flipping meat with his tongs, also turned his gaze toward them.

As the older brother of his former student, Nawaki, Orochimaru naturally knew of Tokiju.

He had conducted his own investigations and research into Tokiju's bizarre disappearance twenty years ago, but had yielded no useful results.

Therefore, he was now extremely interested in Tokiju's sudden reappearance and the fact that he still possessed the body of a six-year-old.

After all, it was only after witnessing the tragic death of his student, Nawaki, that Orochimaru had felt the fragility of life, leading him to crave an endless lifespan.

Thus, he was intensely curious about how Tokiju had managed to maintain a six-year-old's body for these past twenty years!

However, because Tokiju and the others were constantly surrounded by surveillance from the Anbu and Root, he had had no opportunity to make contact.

If Orochimaru had truly wanted to, he could have easily bypassed that Anbu and Root surveillance.

But he hadn't done so, primarily because he lacked the energy.

Shimura Danzō had provided him with a batch of excellent experimental materials recently, and he was currently too busy with his research to bother with Tokiju.

The only reason he had come to this gathering today was, on the surface, out of respect for their years of friendship.

But more importantly, he feared that if he refused Jiraiya, the man would disregard all decorum and break into his laboratory to cause trouble.

Hearing Jiraiya's question, Tsunade nodded and said, "That's right, Tokiju has indeed returned. I am certain of it."

Tsunade's tone was firm; the surveillance sent by the Anbu these days had already left her feeling irritated, as if no one trusted her own brother.

The only comfort she had was that Minato and Kushina were on her side and still believed in Tokiju.

If Jiraiya were to say anything out of line, she vowed she would send him to the hospital for a week or two.

Seeing Tsunade's expression, Jiraiya swallowed the words that had been on the tip of his tongue. He had indeed wanted to warn her.

He wanted to remind her not to believe everything she saw, but seeing the murderous look on her face, he could only shut his mouth and behave.

At this moment, Orochimaru said in a gloomy voice, "Heh, Tsunade, I am quite interested in Tokiju's bizarre disappearance and sudden return. If possible, I would like to meet him."

Orochimaru had phrased this quite politely; he didn't actually need to discuss anything with Tsunade, and he could have easily met Tokiju in secret without issue.

But out of respect for his old classmate, he had offered this polite request.

Of course, if Tsunade refused, he still had plenty of ways to meet Tokiju in secret.

Tsunade began to ponder this after hearing Orochimaru's words.

Given Orochimaru's personality, even if she refused, he would surely seek out Tokiju in the shadows, which would be even more dangerous.

Although Tokiju now possessed combat strength on the level of a Jōnin and had an endless array of sealing techniques—enough that even she might fall into a trap if she were careless—his actual combat experience was still too lacking. If they were to truly confront one another, Tokiju would certainly be no match for the viper before her.

Rather than letting Orochimaru hunt down her brother in the dark, it would be better to have them meet right under her own nose.

Thinking of this, Tsunade nodded at Orochimaru and said, "Fine, but I must be present."

Orochimaru heard this and extended his tongue to wash his face, saying, "Heh, of course that's no problem; it's just a simple meeting, after all."

Seeing this, Tsunade felt goosebumps break out all over her skin and complained, "Can't you ever change that disgusting habit of yours?"

Jiraiya, who had been left on the sidelines, pointed at himself and said, "I'm going too! How could this Toad Sage be left out of something like this? Don't you two even think about leaving me behind."

Tsunade pursed her lips at his words, but she still nodded and said, "Fine, fine. It just so happens that Tokiju said he's putting together some Grand New Year's Eve Dinner tonight, so you can both come along!"

Seeing that Tsunade had agreed, Jiraiya immediately straightened his clothes and said, "Rest assured, since it's a New Year's Eve Dinner, I'll definitely prepare a gift that's sure to satisfy that kid Tokiju, hehehe."