Tsunade's fear; three return to the village

When the two women emerged, each carrying two enormous bags bigger than themselves on their backs.

The casino owner nearly had a heart attack and dropped dead on the spot.

He had dealt with money for decades, and he knew perfectly well that those four enormous bags contained roughly eighty to ninety percent of the entire year's reserves in his accounts office.

The problem was, although they had won quite a lot, their winnings only amounted to just over sixty percent of the reserves, not even seventy percent.

Turning to look at the fully armed Konoha Ninja, the casino owner had no choice but to grit his teeth and swallow it.

Hadn't he just heard their leader say that the Hokage had specifically sent people to find her?

Leaving her strength aside, the mere fact that she knew Konoha's Hokage meant she had connections he couldn't afford to offend.

Forget it. He would just consider it money spent to avert disaster.

But why did his heart hurt so much?

The casino owner's tears streamed uncontrollably, flowing so freely that bubbles of snot formed at his nose.

Even then, he didn't make a single sound. The snot and tears on his face mixed together and hung in strands from his chin, but he didn't dare raise a hand to wipe them away.

Impressive. Truly impressive!

He had the makings of a fine ninja. Unfortunately, he was simply too old.

Tsunade and Shizune left the casino with the enormous bags on their backs, ready to return to the inn.

The two of them walked in front.

Jiraiya and the Anbu ninja followed behind.

"Tsunade, if you're unhappy about something, just say it. We can work out a solution, can't we? Don't act out of spite.

This really isn't the time for that.

If you really have anger you can't vent, beat me up. I'll let you take it out on me, all right?"

Jiraiya watched as Tsunade said nothing and just kept walking.

"Tell me, what do you want?"

"Does telling you to get lost count?"

"Hehe, something else, something else. Like, what would it take for you to come back to the village with me?"

"You really want me to name my terms? Can you actually meet them?"

"Uh... why don't you tell me first? You never know, right?"

Jiraiya was no fool. His wisdom hid behind a foolish exterior, so people's first impression of him tended to be that of a lecher, an idiot, someone unreliable.

In truth, Jiraiya really was a lecher, but he wasn't stupid. On the contrary, he was very clever.

He simply couldn't usually be bothered to use his brain.

But when it involved Tsunade, someone he cared about deeply, his thinking and his ability to act were nothing like usual.

The moment he heard Tsunade say that, he understood what she meant.

He couldn't promise her that, and he knew Hiruzen Sarutobi was unlikely to agree either.

"Then I want to be Hokage," Tsunade said expressionlessly.

Jiraiya's eyes widened, and his mouth fell open. Although he knew Tsunade had always dreamed of becoming Hokage, he hadn't expected her to bring it up now.

"That... that's not a good idea, is it?" Jiraiya scratched his head. "There are other suitable candidates in the village..."

"Who besides me is qualified?" Tsunade interrupted him. "Besides, that's my only condition."

Jiraiya fell silent for a moment. He knew Tsunade's temperament. Once she made a decision, she wouldn't change it easily.

"All right, I'll pass that on to the Third." Jiraiya sighed. "But you need to prepare yourself. The old man might not agree so readily."

"I know." Tsunade nodded. "But that's my bottom line. If he refuses, I absolutely won't go back."

After wandering for so many years, she no longer expected Hiruzen Sarutobi to help her investigate those things from the past.

Now they wanted her to return?

Fine. Make her Hokage, and she would go back.

Otherwise, they could stop bothering her.

She knew why she wanted to become Hokage. Jiraiya knew, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew, and even those pulling the strings behind the scenes knew.

Now it was up to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

After watching Jiraiya and his group come and go in such a hurry.

Tsunade and Shizune returned to the inn where they had been staying.

Late that night, Shizune was already asleep, but Tsunade was still drinking.

She was still thinking about winning money.

Her gambling addiction wasn't simply about gambling.

It wasn't right to say it was for the thrill of winning, either.

She had gambled since childhood, but she had won only a handful of times.

Instead, gambling was a form of psychological comfort for her.

She didn't know why, but whenever she lost money, everything went smoothly.

Apart from her losing money, nothing happened to anyone.

But whenever she won, whether through an accident or some other cause, someone who mattered most in her life would always leave her.

Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, Mito Uzumaki, Dan Katō, Senju Nawaki.

Over the decades, she could count her wins on one hand.

But she could also count the important people she had lost on exactly one hand.

Now she had won again.

It left her terribly anxious.

There were already so few people left whom she cared about. She truly couldn't bear the cost of losing any one of them again.

She downed one drink after another.

Tsunade's vision grew blurry.

As drunkenness gradually stole over her, her thoughts grew increasingly muddled.

She remembered everything from the past, those people she had loved so deeply and lost.

"I can't lose anyone else..." Tsunade murmured, tears sliding down her cheeks.

Yet the gears of fate had already begun to turn, and she couldn't escape.

Just then, a soft knock came from outside the door.

Tsunade raised her head alertly and looked toward the doorway.

The door slowly opened, and a figure appeared before her.

It was Jiraiya.

He watched Tsunade quietly, a trace of complicated emotion in his eyes.

"Tsunade..." Jiraiya called softly. "The old man... agreed."

An indescribable emotion welled up in Tsunade's heart. Her eyes widened, and she froze.

At that moment, she didn't know whether to be happy or sad.

Early the next morning.

Tsunade and Shizune picked their belongings out from among the empty liquor bottles scattered across the floor. After packing their things, they prepared to return to Konoha with Jiraiya.

Tsunade and Jiraiya hadn't slept all night.

The two had spent the night drinking, though it had mainly been Tsunade drinking while Jiraiya kept her company.

In the morning, they used chakra to evaporate the alcohol in their bodies, instantly dispelling their drunkenness.

"I'm finally going back to Konoha." Tsunade took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

Along the way, Tsunade and Jiraiya remained silent. Each was occupied with their own thoughts, remembering everything from the past.

As they neared Konoha, Tsunade couldn't help speaking again. "Jiraiya, can I really be a good Hokage?"

Jiraiya smiled and patted her shoulder. "You definitely can, Tsunade. You have great strength and firm convictions."

Tsunade nodded, her gaze growing more resolute.

Everyone knew what she was returning to the village to do. Enormous difficulties and challenges awaited her, but she was ready.

Just after the three entered the village, as they were preparing to head to the Senju Clan first to put down their things.

Suddenly, someone they hadn't expected appeared by the roadside.

At the sight of this person, Jiraiya's expression grew somewhat tense, and his movements became guarded.