Orochimaru gave Tsunade no more room to breathe. He reached out and lightly tapped the armrest of his chair, producing a rhythmic tap, tap, each beat seeming to strike at her heart.
"Don't forget our deal, Tsunade. Dan Katō and Nawaki have already been revived."
He brought up their bargain again. They had finalized this deal after Tsunade returned, when Jiraiya was still Hokage.
"In exchange, you promised to bring me a sample of Jiraiya's blood. That's written down in black and white, too.
Now you've seen what I've delivered. It's your turn."
She leaned forward slightly, her golden Snake Eyes fixed on Tsunade. Her tone carried undisguised pressure and suspicion.
"Or could it be...
Because that man paid off those astronomical gambling debts of yours, debts so large even you can't remember the total... you've decided to break our agreement?
Or perhaps you simply don't want to repay that 'debt of gratitude,' which is why you're dithering here, trying to back out?"
Those words struck a sore spot Tsunade could hardly bring herself to discuss. Jiraiya had indeed paid off her enormous gambling debts countless times. That financial obligation, tangled with years of camaraderie, made the prospect of "hurting Jiraiya" especially agonizing.
"That's nonsense!"
Tsunade flew into a rage, her cheeks flushing with anger.
"How could I think that!
Jiraiya... however unreliable he might be, he's still an old friend who fought beside us for years.
How could I betray him for... for money, or to escape my debts!"
Her protest sounded somewhat weak, because Orochimaru had indeed pinpointed the conflict within her.
Her friendship with Jiraiya and her sense of indebtedness clashed violently with her desperate longing to revive Dan and Nawaki.
Tsunade might lose every bet she placed, but she was a reasonably good sport about it.