A Small Shock from Tsunade

"Thank you, Lord Jiraiya, and the three of you as well."

Koji Matsuyama remained respectful.

Then.

He couldn't help but complain, recounting the past deeds of Ken Hirakawa.

That guy was a degenerate gambler.

However.

The Hirakawa Clan held significant power in the Land of Rivers and possessed considerable wealth, but due to Ken Hirakawa's incompetence and compulsive gambling, Hiroshi Hirakawa had intended to groom a different successor.

Therefore.

In recent years, the funds Ken Hirakawa could squander had dwindled, leaving him with a massive debt.

He had even embezzled the payment for goods previously owed to the Hirakawa Clan.

In short, the conflict was quite severe.

As Koji Matsuyama spoke, his eyes suddenly lit up. "By the way, Lord Jiraiya, since you are currently leading a team to train genin, does that mean you still have time to accept missions?"

"Theoretically, yes."

Jiraiya vaguely guessed what the other party was aiming for—

A directed request.

Koji Matsuyama hurriedly leaned in closer.

"It's like this: our clan is heading to the Land of Waves soon to conduct business with a man named Gato, but that guy seems to have cultivated a large group of samurai in the Land of Waves, and we are worried he might try to pull something underhanded."

"I will accept it, but you must go to Konoha to officially commission the mission first."

Jiraiya made the decision immediately—

The Land of Waves.

That place might not just have samurai; there could be some ninja lurking about as well.

"I understand, thank you, Lord Jiraiya."

Koji Matsuyama's eyes brightened.

Jiraiya smiled. "Right, Mr. Matsuyama, I have one thing to ask: at your gambling den, or perhaps your friend's gambling den, have you seen a young woman wearing clothes with the character 'Gambling' on them?"

"The character 'Gambling'?"

Koji Matsuyama frowned.

He recalled for a moment, then his expression turned serious. "Yes! There was someone like that just yesterday."

"I see, thank you."

The corners of Jiraiya's mouth curled upward.

As expected.

After she left Konoha, how could she not come to Tanzaku Town?!

He chuckled silently.

"Thank you, Mr. Matsuyama. I assume my commission is complete now, isn't it?"

"Yes, thank you for your help."

Koji Matsuyama bowed.

Then, he paused for a moment and said, "However, if you intend to find this woman with the 'Gambling' character, could you do me a small favor?"

"What is it?"

Jiraiya vaguely guessed...

The ominous follow-up.

"She lost quite a bit of money at our gambling den. Uh, if you see her, could you help us collect the debt? At least get an IOU..."

Koji Matsuyama said cautiously.

He now had a certain suspicion regarding that person's identity.

A massive whale in the industry.

But at the same time, a synonym for trouble.

"Well, hahahaha, I will certainly do my best. I will definitely help you get that IOU. How much does she owe?"

Jiraiya coughed lightly.

That woman Tsunade—heaven knows how much money she had lost?

Repaying it was unlikely in the short term.

He felt slightly awkward.

Koji Matsuyama let out a sigh of relief: "No problem. With this IOU, I can report back to the clan."

"You know, an industry like this isn't just my family's business."

He hurriedly added.

Jiraiya nodded repeatedly, signaling his understanding.

Kurenai Yuhi followed behind, looking at Kyohiko and Kakashi with confusion, hoping to get some answers.

However.

Both of them shook their heads.

Of course.

Kyohiko understood very well that Jiraiya's target was likely Tsunade, who had already left Konoha.

As one of the Sannin, Tsunade was currently suffering from hemophobia, making it truly difficult for her to serve as a normal ninja. Combined with psychological factors, leaving the village was a logical choice.

He didn't harbor any delusions of bringing Tsunade back; instead, he was pondering whether he could fleece some benefits from her.

She was Tsunade, after all!

Even a tiny bit of gain would be a massive reward for him at his current level.

Kyohiko's eyes flickered as he began to think seriously.

Medical ninjutsu...

Konoha had already established a very mature medical ninja system, so there was no need for him to overstep.

As for other knowledge and techniques, it would likely be difficult for Tsunade to teach them even if she wanted to.

As for Creation Rebirth.

Tsunade probably hadn't even developed it yet, right?

Kyohiko pondered in his heart.

After thinking it over, he decided he could only adapt to changes as they came and take things one step at a time.

In Tanzaku Town, on a street near the old castle, Jiraiya looked around, sensing the surroundings with a very serious expression.

"Teacher, who was that person you were asking Mr. Matsuyama about?"

Kurenai Yuhi couldn't help but ask.

Jiraiya glanced at them and then laughed: "Take a guess."

Kakashi pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "I don't know."

"Is it that one of the Sannin? I've only heard that she's associated with gambling."

Kyohiko whispered.

Jiraiya looked at him and then smiled: "You brat!"

Then, he nodded.

"I mentioned before that besides the mission, there was one other thing: I wanted to take the opportunity to inquire about Tsunade's whereabouts."

Then, as he walked, Jiraiya said: "Kyohiko, have you started researching other nature transformations for Water Style?"

"I'm just trying to compress the water flow; I'm not sure if that's the nature transformation you're talking about."

Kyohiko replied.

Jiraiya nodded: "That's it."

He couldn't help but sigh.

"Sometimes, I wonder if the Second Hokage was just like you when he was young... He tried compressing Water Wave and eventually improved it into Water Severing Wave."

As he spoke, Jiraiya described the terror of that ninjutsu.

Nothing it cannot sever!

A terrifying, lethal Water Style ninjutsu.

Furthermore.

He took the opportunity to recount the achievements of the Second Hokage from back in the day.

Kakashi and Kurenai Yuhi listened, completely enthralled.

Kyohiko did as well.

However, he was more focused on the ninjutsu itself.

"So, my line of thinking is correct?"

"Compression and condensation are techniques frequently used in high-level ninjutsu. It's not just Water Style; Fire Style and Lightning Style have similar techniques, such as the Third Raikage's signature move, Hell Stab..."

Jiraiya explained as they walked.

Kakashi's face froze as he listened, seemingly struck by an idea.

Just then, Jiraiya suddenly came to a halt, his gaze shifting toward a spot along the street.

It was an izakaya.

At that moment, a girl's voice drifted down from the upper floor.

"We don't have much money left!"

"Oh, dear..."

It was Shizune's voice.

The source of the voice surfaced in Kyohiko's memories.

His predecessor had been a classmate of Shizune's for a brief time before she left with Tsunade, and they hadn't met since, yet the girl's voice hadn't changed much.

"Found her!"

Jiraiya chuckled, looking around—

"Master, I think we should probably enter through the front door. I heard that lady once nearly put you in the hospital."

Kyohiko whispered a reminder.

Hm?

There was such a secret?

Kakashi and Kurenai Yuhi immediately pricked up their ears; even behind his mask, Kakashi's expression betrayed a child's curiosity.

Jiraiya was annoyed.

"You brat, where do you hear all this gossip?"

"My grandmother told me a long time ago."

"Damn it!"

Flustered and embarrassed, Jiraiya punched him on the head. "You know too much!"

However, he still followed Kyohiko's advice and entered through the front door, then located the booth where Tsunade was sitting, avoiding the risk of being punched to death for barging in.

Seeing Jiraiya, Tsunade was not surprised—

The two were familiar with each other, and the commotion just now was enough for her to identify the visitor.

"Yo, Jiraiya."

Tsunade held a sake bottle, leaning lazily against the wall with a languid expression.

Her assets were truly formidable, and such a posture only made their impact all the more shocking.

Even Kurenai Yuhi, a girl herself—

At this moment, she widened her eyes, glancing down from time to time...

Her face was full of shock.