Within the Land of Rain.
The thick clouds that had long shrouded the sky were now slowly dispersing.
The ninjutsu Sosuke had unleashed earlier, Divine Gale, was the main reason for this.
The mighty hurricane of natural force had swept away the heavy clouds that had long weighed over the land, leaving the entire sky clear and bright.
At the battlefield where the Sannin had fought Hanzo.
"That's settled, then. You two go back first. I'll stay here and tend to my wounds."
Jiraiya grinned at Tsunade and Orochimaru.
Behind him, three children huddled cautiously together. Yahiko furtively studied the pale-faced ninja.
This was the man called Orochimaru, who had just tried to kill all three of them.
Thankfully, the white-haired man in front of them had stopped him!
Otherwise, who knew what might have happened!
"You idiot... Why don't you come back with us? After all... your injuries haven't—"
Tsunade looked at Jiraiya with concern.
But before she could finish, Jiraiya interrupted her.
"It's fine. They're just minor wounds. With the treatment you gave me, Tsunade, I'll be fine after resting for a while!"
Jiraiya grinned broadly.
Even so, Tsunade still looked worried.
Orochimaru glanced at Jiraiya, then at Yahiko and the others, and rasped, "Let's go, Tsunade. He has his own plans, so there's no need to worry about him."
At Orochimaru's words,
Jiraiya nodded slightly to Tsunade, agreeing with Orochimaru.
So Tsunade and Orochimaru tidied up the battlefield before preparing to leave.
Just as they were about to part,
Jiraiya suddenly called out to Tsunade, then sidled up to her and whispered conspiratorially.
"Um... Hanzo did call us the Konoha Sannin, after all... When you get back, put in a word with everyone..."
Tsunade glanced at him with her lovely eyes, then pursed her lips.
"Weren't you