Tsunade's Grand Escape from Marriage

Uchiha Yato said.

"Tsunade ran away from her wedding. I'm here to take her back to get married."

Uchiha Yato spoke those words with great solemnity. Jiraiya heard every one of them clearly, yet when put together, they filled him with an inexplicable sense of dread.

After a brief daze, Jiraiya let out a thunderous roar.

"Impossible!"

"Why is she getting married? I never heard anything about it!"

"The old man never told me either!"

Coming back to his senses, Jiraiya looked at Uchiha Yato and said.

"You—"

"You must be lying to me, right?!"

Still wearing that solemn expression, Uchiha Yato said, "Even someone as lazy as me came out to help find Tsunade."

"Do you think I'd come out for anything less important than this?"

At that moment, Jiraiya was too concerned to remember what Uchiha Yato was like.

He had no way to calm down, but Uchiha Yato could help him calm down.

"Alright, if we're talking about it, this is all your fault."

Jiraiya was dumbfounded once more. What did that have to do with him?

"Tsunade ran away from her wedding. What does that have to do with me? It's not like I told her to run away."

"I didn't even know she was getting married. How could I possibly know she ran away from the wedding?"

Uchiha Yato explained, "You should know I've always been trying to set Princess Tsunade up with someone from the Uchiha clan."

At the mention of that, Jiraiya nodded somewhat unwillingly.

The matter had become so widely known throughout Konoha Village that even the guard dogs at the gates would shake their heads when they saw it. Everyone knew.

Uchiha Yato continued, "She kept waiting for news from you, but none came. So, with no other choice, she married someone from the Uchiha clan."

"But who knew what happened afterward? She suddenly insisted on running away from the wedding."

"Isn't that why a free man like me had to come out and look for her?"

Listening to Uchiha Yato casually talk about Tsunade running away from her wedding, Jiraiya's heart turned cold for some reason.

Watching Jiraiya's inner turmoil, Uchiha Yato continued rubbing salt in the wound.

"How about this? It's fate that the two of us met, so help me out."

"I have information on Tsunade. Help me find her."

It had to be said that Uchiha Yato was good at messing with people's heads.

Who asked someone to help find the person their secret crush had run away from marrying?

It was like the illusion Uchiha Yato had once created for Obito.

The woman you loved was marrying someone else, and you were helping arrange the marriage. Put bluntly, it was utterly miserable.

Yet Jiraiya, the hopelessly devoted fool, agreed. After arranging Yahiko and the other two's subsequent missions and training, he set off with Uchiha Yato to find Tsunade.

Two days later, within the Land of Waves.

Uchiha Yato said, "According to the latest intelligence from Lord Third Hokage—"

"Lady Tsunade is currently at a casino in the Land of Waves called 'Big Fat Sheep.'"

To be honest, Uchiha Yato really wanted to complain internally.

Tsunade was mockingly known as the big fat sheep of casinos, yet now he and Jiraiya were going to catch her at a casino literally called Big Fat Sheep.

Standing outside the casino entrance, Uchiha Yato and Jiraiya exchanged glances before beginning to discuss matters in low voices.

Before coming here, Uchiha Yato had said that if Tsunade had run away from her wedding, there was bound to be some danger involved.

Thinking of Tsunade's temper, Jiraiya believed Uchiha Yato's nonsense.

After careful consideration, the two finally reached an agreement—disguise themselves and infiltrate the place.

The corners of Uchiha Yato's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a crafty smile.

He turned and entered a nearby clothing store. Not long after, when he appeared before everyone again, he had completely changed his appearance.

He wore a blue bathrobe of soft, smooth fabric that seemed to drift with the breeze.

The robe hung casually open at the collar, exposing his solid chest and faintly visible collarbones, giving off a lazy yet alluring air.

His long black hair had been carefully arranged into a wild, unruly style. A few strands fell over his forehead, adding even more to his roguish appearance.

At that moment, Uchiha Yato looked like a carefree playboy stepped out of a painting, drawing countless sideways glances from passersby.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya was not idle either. Somehow, two playful little mustaches had appeared on his already weathered face, making him appear even more mature and steady.

Not only that, he cleverly used ninjutsu to alter the apparent age of his appearance, making himself look much older than he really was.

That way, even if someone became suspicious of him, it would be difficult to find any clues from his appearance.

Once they were ready, the two entered the casino side by side.

The instant they stepped inside, the sight before them stunned them.

The casino was far larger than they had imagined. The spacious, brightly lit hall was packed with people, and waves of noise rose one after another.

All kinds of gambling tables were arranged in neat rows, each surrounded by fervent gamblers.

There were card games, dice games, high-low games... every kind of gambling game imaginable, enough to dazzle the eye.

Just as Jiraiya was asking Uchiha Yato how they were supposed to find Tsunade—

Uchiha Yato said, "Once you're inside a casino, if you still can't find Tsunade, that just means you're an idiot."

Before long, a gambling table deeper inside suddenly erupted with deafening cheers.

That was right. Tsunade's table had to be the liveliest one. With a massive fat sheep covering their losses, they could win no matter how they gambled.

Very quickly, Jiraiya spotted the goddess he loved—Tsunade.

She was impossible to miss: golden hair paired with a bust of legendary proportions.

It was practically Tsunade's signature look!

At that moment, Tsunade was somewhat irritated after losing money gambling.

Jiraiya wanted to go straight over to her, but Yato stopped him.

Without giving Jiraiya a chance to ask, Uchiha Yato explained directly, "Did you see that she's losing money right now?"

"I did. So what?"

"Then what do you think will happen if you go talk to her now?"

At Uchiha Yato's reminder, he finally realized how foolish a mistake he had made.

Tsunade, who possessed monstrous strength, was not someone easily provoked. If you sought her out while she was angry, death might well be what awaited you.

After Tsunade had lost nearly all her money, Uchiha Yato and Jiraiya quietly left the casino and waited for her to come out.

Afterward, Tsunade found an izakaya and drank to drown her sorrows.

Jiraiya and Uchiha Yato followed behind her, looking for an opportunity to speak with Tsunade.

When Tsunade was somewhat drunk, Uchiha Yato said.

"This is the time. Her anger has mostly subsided. We can go talk to her now."

Uchiha Yato and Jiraiya then got up and took seats near Tsunade.

Though Tsunade was only half-conscious, her instincts as a ninja allowed her to keenly sense two people staring at her with ill intent.

With just a slight glance at them, she understood. Those two were not debt collectors.

They were probably either a pair of hooligans or two good-for-nothing bastards.

Because of her figure and appearance, local thugs and scoundrels would approach her wherever she went. She was thoroughly familiar with this sort of routine.

Tsunade said directly, "That brat over there and that old man, the two of you have been watching me for quite a while."

Uchiha Yato and Jiraiya were somewhat dumbfounded, but since Tsunade had spoken first, that was fine too.

At least it saved them from having to speak first and risk displeasing Tsunade. After all, she had started the conversation.

Then Jiraiya immediately said, "Tsunade, I know your pain."

"So if you're really suffering, just say it."

As he spoke, Jiraiya and Uchiha Yato both removed their disguises.

Seeing Yato, whom she could consider an acquaintance, and Jiraiya, an old acquaintance, Tsunade felt somewhat more at ease.

Tsunade said, "In those old men's eyes, there's only power. We're all just pawns."

"Do you know what use a medical ninja who can't stand the sight of blood is?"

"How could you possibly understand my pain?"

Jiraiya automatically filled in the gaps. Tsunade believed herself to be a useless ninja, then the old men had forced her into marriage.

She had finally run away from the wedding, which was why she had fallen into such self-destructive despair.

Uchiha Yato merely sat silently beside them, because he knew the two were now having conversations on completely different wavelengths.

Just as the situation reached an impasse, Jiraiya loudly said, "Tsunade, it's alright. I know you ran away from your wedding. I believe in you. You can do it!"

Tsunade, who had been about to continue pouring out her grievances, instantly froze.

The atmosphere suddenly became rather tense...