Jiraiya knew perfectly well that this was no time for jokes.
A powerful enemy from the future was after the Nine-Tails... One wrong move could topple Konoha, which was already on the brink of collapse.
Watching Naruto and Boruto walk away, Jiraiya sighed inwardly, then turned toward the silent, cold-faced adult Sasuke beside him.
The situation was urgent. There was no time to waste, so he immediately led Sasuke toward the Hokage Building at a brisk pace.
Neither of them spoke along the way.
A shadow lingered in Sasuke's eyes, his thoughts churning in turmoil.
Before long, they stepped into the Hokage's Office.
Tsunade was bent over her desk, working through a mountain of paperwork. The village had been plagued by chaos lately, with endless factional struggles and constant bickering among the higher-ups. She was already exhausted in body and mind, weariness and irritation lingering in her eyes.
As the Fifth Hokage, she was stuck holding this mess together, grinding through each day.
Fortunately, it was mostly disorder. No truly serious incidents had occurred.
After all, Danzo wasn't targeting her alone. He also had to spare time to go after the Hyuga Clan, which did help take some pressure off her.
When she looked up and saw Jiraiya enter with an unfamiliar, stern-faced young man, her eyebrows lifted slightly.
Before she could question them, Jiraiya strode forward and quickly explained everything in a lowered voice.
Tsunade's pupils abruptly contracted, and she froze.
Her first reaction was that it was absurd. Disbelief filled her heart.
Traveling through time? How could something like that actually happen?
She stared at Jiraiya in silence for a full two seconds, then spoke with unmistakable suspicion and impatience.
"Jiraiya, do you think I'm an idiot?"
"Coming back to the present from the future? How could something