Seducing Jiraiya

Early the next morning, at Konoha Medical Center.

Jiraiya leaned against his hospital bed, looking miserable.

He had run into a few troublesome opponents on a mission several days earlier and suffered some injuries.

Bored out of his mind in the hospital, he was wondering whether to make up an excuse to slip out to the Bathhouse for some "research" and writing inspiration.

Creak.

The door to his room opened.

Nurse Tsunade~

The first thing he saw was a long, shapely leg wrapped in white stockings.

Jiraiya's eyes went wide.

A dark blue nurse's uniform, with a skirt cut just short enough.

Was this... the legendary angel in white?!

He swallowed hard, his gaze creeping up those striking curves.

A slender waist.

And above it, curves so exaggerated they looked ready to pop the uniform's buttons.

Jiraiya gulped again, his Adam's apple bobbing.

His eyes widened like saucers.

Since when did Konoha Hospital have uniforms like this?!

His breathing quickened, and his heart pounded.

A lecherous grin spread across his face before he could stop it.

Eagerly, he looked higher.

Then his gaze met a pair of faintly amused eyes.

Jiraiya froze.

A dazzlingly beautiful face came into view.

Blond twin tails, a diamond-shaped mark on her forehead—Tsunade was looking down at him.

The air seemed to freeze.

Heat surged through Jiraiya's nose.

Pfft—

Two bright-red streams of blood shot out and splattered across the white bedsheet.

"Tsu... Tsu-Tsu-Tsunade?!"

Jiraiya stammered, fumbling for a tissue to plug his nose.

But his eyes stayed fixed on Tsunade, locked on those enticing curves.

He couldn't tear them away.

Tsunade said nothing. She pulled up a chair.

She sat gracefully beside his bed.

Then crossed her legs.

Her skirt slid half an inch higher.

Jiraiya's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Like what you see?"

Tsunade's voice was languid, with a rare hint of allure.

Her pitifully short skirt rode up another little bit.

Jiraiya's gaze stuck fast to her exposed thigh.

He nodded frantically.

Then, remembering himself, he shook his head just as hard.

Clutching his blanket, he scrambled back toward the headboard.

"W-What... what are you doing?! I'm injured, you know! Don't try anything!"

When something's this strange, there has to be a catch.

Tsunade Senju dressing like this to visit him was more absurd than a toad flying through the sky!

Tsunade didn't make a move.

She twirled a loose strand of hair around her finger, sighed, and said softly:

"Jiraiya, I'm in a bind."

That tone.

Aggrieved, pitiful, almost coaxing.

Jiraiya's brain stopped working.

Tsunade Senju?

Acting sweet?

Who could possibly resist that?!

Hot blood rushed straight to his head.

Forgetting his nosebleed, he thumped his chest with heroic resolve.

"What kind of trouble? If someone's bullying you, they'll have to answer to me!"

"I recently started a Special Training Class on Back Mountain."

Tsunade leaned closer, and her pleasant scent drifted straight into Jiraiya's nose.

"I need a capable instructor. Looking across all of Konoha, I honestly can't think of anyone but you who could handle the job."

The praise left Jiraiya floating on air.

"That's all? Leave it to me!"

"At least twice a month, okay?" Tsunade winked.

"Forget twice. I'll come ten times!"

Jiraiya grinned from ear to ear, his head full of this gentle, tender side of Tsunade.

"Then it's settled. No backing out."

Tsunade stood, smoothed her skirt, and headed for the door.

Thud.

The door closed.

Silence returned to the hospital room.

Jiraiya's foolish grin stayed on his face for a full minute before it suddenly froze.

Wait.

A Special Training Class on Back Mountain? As an instructor?

Wasn't that just unpaid babysitting?!

I still have missions to do! I still need to go to the Bathhouse for research!

He sprang out of bed, rushed to the door without even putting on his shoes, and yanked it open.

"Tsunade! I take back what I said—"

The corridor was empty. Only a few real nurses carrying medicine trays stared at him like he was an idiot.

Jiraiya looked down the deserted corridor, wishing he could slap himself twice.

She played me!

In Konoha's underground laboratory.

Green liquid churned inside a culture dish while Orochimaru rapidly recorded something at a microscope.

The iron door opened.

Without looking back, Orochimaru narrowed his golden slit-pupiled eyes.

"If you're here to ask about progress on Hashirama Serum 2.0, you're too early."

His voice was hoarse and wary.

"Resistance testing has only just begun."

This woman was far too impatient.

Version 1.3 had only been stable for a few days.

She treated scientific rigor like a joke.

Tsunade walked to the workbench, pulled over an iron stool, and sat down.

"No rush." She waved a hand.

Orochimaru had barely begun to relax.

"As long as you finish it within six months."

Orochimaru's hand stopped. The tip of his pen dragged a heavy black line across the page.

Six months?

From 1.3 all the way to 2.0?

Was she joking?!

What kind of forbidden research didn't require years of clinical data?

"Impossible."

Orochimaru turned, his face pale.

"The variables in cellular reconstruction are uncontrollable. A generational leap in six months? You might as well kill me."

"I see." Tsunade leaned back in her chair and pursed her lips. "Then one year."

Orochimaru's guard went straight back up.

She had conceded too quickly. There had to be a catch.

"I'm giving you another six months." Tsunade watched him. "But you have to agree to one condition."

Of course.

Orochimaru sneered inwardly.

"At least three times a week, you'll teach at my Special Training Class on Back Mountain."

Orochimaru refused without hesitation.

"Don't waste my time with that boring game of make-believe. I can barely keep up with organizing my experimental data."

Did she expect him to babysit a bunch of little kids?

Was she insane?

Tsunade dropped her casual manner.

She stood straight, her gaze suddenly forceful. She was no longer negotiating.

"Orochimaru."

"This concerns my future campaign for Hokage. You can't refuse."

Orochimaru's expression froze just as he was about to snap at her.

Hokage.

Those two words carried immense weight.

The pieces of information swiftly came together in his mind.

Tsunade's recent dealings with the wives of Konoha's great families, the Special Training Class...

So that was it.

The class couldn't possibly be filled with ordinary civilian children.

They were all future heirs of the major clans!

She was taking hold of Konoha's foundations while they were young and stamping them with Tsunade Senju's mark.

What a cunning plan.

What towering ambition.

Orochimaru licked his slightly dry lips. The way he looked at Tsunade changed completely.

He no longer saw a brute forcing him into submission. He saw a genuine political strategist.

"If that's the case..."

Orochimaru weighed the advantages and drawbacks.

Once Tsunade took office, his forbidden experiments could gain the tacit protection of Konoha's leadership and an endless supply of resources.

This investment was certain to pay off.

He tucked his pen back into the pocket of his white coat.

"Very well. I agree."

Orochimaru looked at Tsunade.

"Unless I'm away on a mission, I'll be there on schedule for the first three weeks of every month."

"Excellent."

Tsunade snapped her fingers, delighted.

With two of Konoha's strongest fighters secured as unpaid help, the Special Training Class finally had its core staff.

She turned and strode toward the door.

Orochimaru watched her retreating figure for a long, long time.

"That woman... she's getting harder and harder to read."

"Finish it within a year?"

"It'll be a challenge. But I like that. Heh heh."

A grin spread across Orochimaru's face. Then he turned back to his experiment.