Tsunade frowned slightly at Shinji's words.
A faint, inexplicable pain suddenly tore through her heart. It vanished almost at once, but the strange sensation made her scalp prickle.
Bang!
"Hey, Ghost! What's that supposed to mean?"
Tsunade's composure shattered. She slapped the table and shot to her feet, staring straight at Shinji.
The Clan Leaders looked over, unsure what was going on.
Shinji frowned slightly.
Damn it.
Seeing Tsunade's reaction, Shinji was now certain. She had not only won money; she had probably given Jiraiya something before he left...
"You won money, didn't you?"
"..."
Tsunade's eyes went blank.
Her arms trembled as she braced herself against the table. "No, that can't be... I gave him a good-luck charm! You went to the Land of Rain, didn't you?"
"That organization shouldn't be too dangerous, right?"
The Clan Leaders began to understand. After exchanging glances in small groups, their expressions grew uneasy...
Jiraiya had gone to investigate Akatsuki?
Could he be in danger?
With a great war looming and Konoha facing four nations at once, what would happen if they lost Jiraiya, who was practically Konoha's second-strongest fighter?
Shinji considered it for a moment, then shook his head. "Hmm... It's not too dangerous."
For me, of course.
Shinji added that silently.
He was confident he could take Nagato head-on and pound him into the ground. But Jiraiya was another matter. The Akatsuki headquarters held more than just the Six Paths of Pain...
Tsunade quietly let out a breath and slumped into her chair.
"That's good..."
Shinji shook his head, then suddenly looked up. "Oh, right, Lady Tsunade. What was that prophecy?"
Tsunade steadied herself and shook her head. "It said something about 'a gentle red-eyed boy will bring something to the Shinobi World.' There was no second half."
"Oh?"
Shinji looked