Hinata, Stop Pretending

After amusing himself for a while, he returned to normal. He wondered how the old man was doing now, and whether that body of his could hold on for a few more years.

Forget it. He did not want to think about it. Though he missed Konoha terribly, it was ultimately a knot in his heart.

Over the years, he had ostensibly traveled the world, writing his Icha Icha Paradise and tracking down Orochimaru whenever he had spare time.

But in reality, he had been running away all along. Orochimaru's defection had left him deeply guilty, and he had always believed that he had failed to bring Orochimaru back.

Tsunade's departure had crushed his spirits even more, so Konoha had become an inescapable knot for him in a sense. He knew Orochimaru truly could not return, and as for Tsunade, by the time she understood everything, it would already be impossible.

After all these years on the road, he had seen far too much of the world and its people. He understood that he could no longer keep running away forever. Perhaps before long, there would be a resolution.

Though he had nominally been searching for Orochimaru's trail all these years, after so long, it seemed he had mostly been slacking off.

Lost in thought, he unknowingly arrived in the town. His wandering thoughts returned to him as the surroundings grew noticeably livelier.

He stopped in front of a bathhouse. Its sign read: Women's Hot Springs, Men's Hot Springs, and Mixed-Gender Hot Springs.

Jiraiya's eyes showed disdain. Years of experience told him this was merely a business tactic. How could someone as famous as him possibly fall for something so obvious?

Two minutes later, Jiraiya was soaking in a warm spring. After handing over a considerable sum of money, he finally got his wish and entered the mixed-gender hot springs.

Of course, he would never admit that he was lustful. He had found himself a perfectly legitimate excuse instead: gathering material.

Normally, whenever he went out to gather material, people would mistake him for a pervert and beat him senseless. He had fought back before, but even as one of the famed Sannin, he could not stand up to those easily enraged women.

That inevitably reminded him of Tsunade.

Inside a dim gambling den stood a woman wearing a green robe emblazoned with the character for "gamble," with long golden hair draped over her shoulders and a blue diamond-shaped mark on her forehead.

One of Konoha's legendary Sannin, the famous Princess Tsunade; the legendary Big Fatty Sheep of the gambling world; Tsunade Senju, granddaughter of Hashirama Senju, the God of Shinobi, and disciple of the Third Hokage.

Yet she was now earnestly and obediently losing money. Just as the betting reached its most critical moment, her loud sneeze drew everyone's attention.

She immediately smiled awkwardly, then began cursing. "Which bastard is talking about me behind my back?" After venting for a while,

A skinny man stood up and said, "Big Fatty Sheep, don't tell me you're planning to welch on the bet!"

Tsunade quickly stood and waved her hands. "How could that be? Maybe I caught a cold. You all keep playing. I'm going to the restroom."

Without waiting for anyone else to respond, she left the gambling den. While the others were still stunned, Tsunade had already reached an empty corner and jumped straight down onto the street.

Beside her stood Shizune, dressed in gray and black, with short black hair and a pig wearing a necklace in her arms. She looked somewhat surprised that Tsunade had shown up so early.

Before Shizune could speak, Tsunade explained, "We can't stay here. Let's get out of here."

With that, she turned and ran in one direction, and Shizune immediately followed. Honestly, even the usually quiet Shizune had grown somewhat used to this sort of thing.

Whenever Tsunade entered a casino, did she not always slip away like this afterward? Sure enough, it was not long before everyone in the gambling den rushed out.

Most of them carried blades, spears, clubs, axes, and forks. Dozens of people roared in unison, "Big Fatty Sheep, don't run!" and chased after Tsunade, who had already left them with nothing but her retreating back.

The pig in Shizune's arms was named Tonton, a ninja pig. It seemed to have been asleep in Shizune's arms just now, but the running jolted it awake.

It let out a series of incomprehensible snorts. While running, Tsunade directly slapped Tonton across the head, and Tonton immediately let out a miserable squeal.

Tsunade said, "Stupid pig, what did you just say? Say that again if you've got the nerve."

Shizune said worriedly, "Lord Tsunade, we should hurry and run! The people behind us are about to catch up!"