Jiraiya left, heading to Mount Myōboku to learn senjutsu as planned. He had already found time to say goodbye to his other friends, so there was no need to gather everyone to see him off.
Watching Jiraiya disappear through the Summoning Technique, Tsunade took a deep breath, then turned and left, her eyes red.
Although she had done everything in her power, preparing all sorts of Medical Scrolls and lifesaving measures for Jiraiya, she still felt it was nowhere near enough.
Black Zetsu was far too powerful, and what little information they had on him was pitiful. No one could guarantee they would survive an encounter with him.
So... I have to keep working! Whether it's Impure World Reincarnation or the Strength of a Hundred Technique, I have to keep researching them...
Next, I might need some help from Orochimaru...
Before long, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had suddenly come into a fortune, discovered that the Laboratory's funding requests were rising at a terrifying rate.
He had thought the enormous sum sent by the Shadow Organization would last eight or ten years. At this rate, it might last only one.
Utterly baffled, Hiruzen Sarutobi went to the Laboratory with Shimura Danzō to see what Tsunade and Orochimaru were up to.
The Laboratory's layout had changed little since Tobirama Senju's lifetime. Orochimaru had inherited his experimental approach across the generations, making only a few minor adjustments to suit his own habits.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō skimmed past the impressive-looking objects lining both sides of the Laboratory, none of which they understood, then heard the pair arguing loudly in Jiraiya's office.
"Use clones as vessels! Where are you going to find that many death-row prisoners to experiment on?"
"Come on! Do you have any idea how much a clone costs? Even buying people