Tsunade, the little princess of the Senju clan, held the title of one of the Three Ninja, just like Jiraiya. Among the Three Ninja, Tsunade was the most respected by the Ninja because she was exceptionally skilled in Medical Ninjutsu. With Tsunade overseeing the rear, the Ninja fighting on the front lines essentially had an extra life.
Of course, no one is perfect, and even Tsunade had a major flaw: she was a compulsive gambler who always lost. This earned her the affectionate nickname 'Big Fat Sheep' from the people at the casinos.
"How many casinos has this been already?!" Yuta collapsed in front of a casino, utterly defeated.
A month and a half! A full month and a half! Jiraiya had taken the two of them through dozens of small towns and over a hundred casinos, yet they hadn't found the slightest clue related to Tsunade.
"Thump, thump, thump..."
Yuta watched Jiraiya emerge from the casino and asked feebly, "Jiraiya Sensei, how did it go?"
"I didn't find a single clue," Jiraiya said, equally defeated, as he sat next to Yuta. For over a month, while searching for Tsunade, Jiraiya hadn't engaged in any research activities. If it weren't for Naruto's Sexy Technique extending his life, Jiraiya wasn't sure if he would have gone crazy.
"Hey, hey, Pervy Sage, Yuta, what's wrong with you two? Get a little motivated!" Naruto pulled both their hands, full of energy, and said, "If there are no clues here, then we'll go look at the next one!"
"Not everyone has as much energy as you," Jiraiya said listlessly.
"Yeah, Big Brother, let's rest for a bit," Yuta mumbled, closing his eyes.
"You two!" Naruto looked at them helplessly.
"Phew, you forced my hand." Taking a deep breath, Naruto bit his finger, "Summoning Technique!"
"Bang!"
A two-meter-tall green-skinned toad appeared in front of Naruto. In the past month, Naruto's Summoning Technique had made significant progress.
"Pfft."
The green-skinned toad opened its mouth and spewed a large amount of clear water, drenching the two of them.
"Drip... drip..."
Yuta stared blankly at his dripping hair. It took several seconds for him to slowly realize what had happened.
"Big Brother!" Yuta cracked his knuckles, "You know I hate it when people hit me with Ninjutsu sprayed from their mouths, especially liquids."
"No... I, that... no..." Naruto realized the seriousness of the situation in a panic. He seemed to have accidentally stepped on a landmine.
"Summoning Technique!"
Yuta summoned a five-meter-tall toad. To Naruto's despair, the toad opened its mouth and swallowed Naruto whole.
"No!"
...After lecturing Naruto, the three of them, Jiraiya, resumed their search for Tsunade.
"If we don't find any clues about Tsunade in this town, I'm going to rest for a few days," Jiraiya said, pointing at the town's entrance.
"I have some Sealing Technique to practice, and I haven't had a good rest lately, so it's settled," Yuta agreed.
"But... Sasuke's injuries..." Naruto said weakly from the side.
"Yuta, do you want to go eat barbecue later? My treat," Jiraiya said, putting his arm around Yuta's shoulder.
"Sure, it's been a while since I've had any."
Jiraiya and Yuta walked into the town, arms around each other's shoulders. The forgotten Naruto stood still for a long time before chasing after them, "Wait for me! I want five-spice barbecue later!"
Entering the small town, Yuta felt the strange atmosphere around them. "Jiraiya Sensei, something's not right."
"Hmm, it looks like something happened," Jiraiya said with a serious expression. The town looked like it had just gone through a war.
"Excuse me, what happened here?" Jiraiya asked a resident who was repairing a house on the street.
"Oh, it's a Ninja, sir." The resident recognized their identities by their headbands, put down his repair tools, and said respectfully, "Yesterday afternoon, a giant purple snake suddenly appeared in the Village. That snake destroyed most of the buildings in the town, and many residents were injured or killed. Oh, and there were two people standing on the snake's head."
"A purple snake?" Naruto suddenly asked, "Did that snake have horn-like things on its head, and was its color black and purple?"
"Yes, that's right. Do you know this snake, Ninja, sir?" The resident nodded.
Hearing the resident's words, Naruto turned to Jiraiya, "Pervy Sage, that snake appeared in the Village."
"That snake and the one you mentioned are probably the same," Jiraiya asked anxiously, "Do you know where those two people went?"
"Those two people disappeared with the snake. I'm not sure," the resident said, somewhat intimidated by Jiraiya's gaze.
"Thank you." Realizing this, Jiraiya released his hands and turned to Yuta and Naruto, saying, "Tsunade and Orochimaru are very likely in this town. I didn't expect Orochimaru to also be looking for Tsunade. Could he be trying to prevent Tsunade from returning to the Village to treat Sarutobi Sensei? From now on, you two must not separate from me. This town is very dangerous."
"Understood," Yuta and Naruto nodded in response.
"Let's go! We'll search this entire town before dark. Even if we don't find Tsunade, we should be able to find some clues."
...Night.
"Can't find anything at all," Yuta said, squatting on the steps, his eyes half-closed with sleep.
"Well, that's to be expected." Jiraiya grabbed Yuta with one hand and looked at the sake bar on the steps. "At times like this, it's best to relax with a little drink."
"Is there any juice inside? I'm still underage," Yuta said, letting Jiraiya hold him.
"Who drinks juice in a sake bar? Are you an idiot?" Jiraiya scoffed as he pushed open the wooden door of the sake bar. "Speaking of drinking, it really has to be... Tsunade!"
Jiraiya's shout startled Yuta awake. Looking at the mature woman, drunk at the table directly in front of them, Yuta's mood was very complex. They had searched for so long during the day without finding her, yet they encountered her so casually at night.
"Oh my, isn't this Jiraiya?" Tsunade drunkenly lifted her head. "Today really is a good day to meet old friends."
"Old friends? You saw Orochimaru today?" Jiraiya sat opposite Tsunade with Yuta and Naruto.
"Ah, he found me and said a lot of strange things, *hic*." Tsunade hiccupped and looked at Yuta, "Who are these two brats? Are they your illegitimate children with some woman?"
"How could that be?" Jiraiya casually ordered a few dishes. "These two are Uzumaki Yuta and Uzumaki Naruto."
"Uzumaki?" Tsunade's eyes widened slightly. "Nine-Tailed..."
"Long time no see, want to play cards?" Tsunade pulled a deck of poker cards from her pocket.
"Sure, but facing you, even with my terrible card skills, I'll still win, right?" Jiraiya took the poker cards. After shuffling, he put the cards back on the table.
"Before dealing, there's one thing." Jiraiya stared intently into Tsunade's eyes. "I'll be direct. The Village hopes you will succeed as the Fifth Hokage."
Tsunade's card-dealing hand paused in mid-air. For Tsunade, the word Hokage brought back many memories, many painful memories...