Three days had passed since the battle with Orochimaru. Jiraiya and the others finally arrived at the gates of Konoha.
The familiar wooden doors, reinforced with iron and etched with the symbol of the Leaf, felt almost nostalgic after everything they had gone through.
"Finally, we're back, dattebayo!" Naruto shouted excitedly, throwing his arms up as if he had just returned from a war which, in a way, he had.
Standing guard at the entrance, Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane straightened immediately upon seeing them. Without hesitation, both shinobi bowed respectfully.
"Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama, welcome back."
Tsunade gave a small nod, while Jiraiya responded in his usual calm tone.
"There's no need to be so formal, boys. Just continue your duties."
Naruto didn't bother sticking around. The moment he stepped inside the village, he stretched lazily and turned away.
"Ero-sennin! Tsunade-baachan! Shizune nee chan I'm heading home. See you later!" he called out, already halfway down the street.
Jiraiya simply glanced at his retreating figure, while Tsunade and Shizune followed him silently toward the Hokage building.
As they walked through the streets, the atmosphere of the village felt lively and warm. Merchants shouted, children ran past, and civilians moved about their daily lives but something else caught Tsunade's attention.
Women on the street stared at Jiraiya with blushing faces. Seeing this, Tsunade felt a pang of irritation and wanted to snap at them. But suddenly, the realization that she and Jiraiya had no relationship hit her. 'Why do I care about Jiraiya? I shouldn't care about his business, but why does it bother me when I see these women looking at him like that?' Tsunade rubbed her eyes. 'I must be exhausted after three days of walking and I'm confusing tiredness with complicated feelings, hmm.'
Meanwhile, Jiraiya walked ahead as if none of it existed. His posture was relaxed yet composed, his presence calm and distant completely indifferent to the attention around him. When they finally arrived at the Hokage building, three ANBU knelt before them. "Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama."
"Inform the advisors Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and Danzo Shimura. Tell them Tsunade has returned to the village to take the position of Fifth Hokage."
"Yes, Jiraiya-sama," the three vanished.
Jiraiya didn't waste time he turned and gestured slightly.
"Come. Let's go inside."
He led Tsunade and Shizune into the Hokage's office a room filled with history, authority, and the lingering presence of the Third Hokage. Tsunade stood there for a moment, silently absorbing the weight of what was about to become her responsibility.
Jiraiya, however, didn't linger.
"Alright, Tsunade," he said calmly. "I'll be leaving now. From here on, you can handle things yourself."
She looked at him, slightly caught off guard.
"You can use the Senju compound as your residence. If there's anything urgent, you can find me at the inn in the village center. I'll be staying in Konoha for a while."
He paused briefly before adding,
"But if it's not important… don't come looking for me."
That last sentence landed heavier than expected. Tsunade frowned.
"Jiraiya, why are you talking to me like that?" Tsunade had felt over the last few days that Jiraiya was constantly avoiding her. If she asked him something, he answered shortly and then fell silent. Without realizing it, Tsunade had started watching Jiraiya closely lately, becoming interested even in the small things he did. Seeing him act so cold toward her made her feel a void in her heart..
Shizune watched her master, thinking about the complicated past between Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama because of her uncle
Could it be…?
Her eyes widened slightly.
Is Tsunade-sama… developing feelings for Jiraiya-sama?
Jiraiya looked at her. "Tsunade, I did my duty; I brought you to the village. My mission ends here. We aren't close enough to get involved in personal matters." Jiraiya thought to himself, 'It's better to keep my distance. Lately, this woman has been looking for me too many times. Every night at the inns, every stop on the way to Konoha... she kept coming to me for simple reasons: to go to a bar to drink, to go to the casino, she even invited me to a clothing store.' Knowing that in the original plot they weren't this close, Jiraiya felt the plot might change, so he decided it was better to "reset" their relationship.
Tsunade looked at him, clenching her fists, left speechless. Jiraiya was right-between them, it was just a relationship of former comrades. Seeing that Tsunade said nothing more, Jiraiya left the office.
Tsunade sat in the Hokage's chair and sighed. Shizune took a deep breath, gathering her courage, and asked, "Tsunade- sama, I have a question... I hope you won't be mad"
"Just say it," Tsunade replied, her tone still tense.
Shizune swallowed nervously.
"Do you… have feelings for Jiraiya-sama?"
Silence.
Then—
"What did you just say, baka Shizune?!"
Tsunade's face flushed instantly.
"Who would have feelings for that idiot? Only a fool would have feelings for that old pervert, hmp!" Tsunade said, her face turning red.
Suddenly, the door opened and they saw Jiraiya standing there. "You-you haven't left? Why are you still here?"
Jiraiya, who had heard everything, said: "I forgot to tell you to be careful with Danzo. Sorry for the intrusion." Then, he left. Tsunade wanted to stop him and tell him not to listen to what she said, that it was just a misunderstanding. But knowing Jiraiya had heard it all, she couldn't say anything. She turned her head toward Shizune, clenching her fists. "Shizune, you've gotten quite bold with me lately. I've been too soft on you!"
Shizune immediately dropped to her knees.
"Tsunade-sama, please forgive me!"
Tsunade sighed deeply, rubbing her forehead.
Now… things had only gotten worse.
It's not like I have feelings for him…
I just… want things to be normal.
But suddenly
An image appeared in her mind.
Jiraiya.
Standing at a wedding.
Beside a beautiful woman.
Smiling.
Her grip tightened violently.
CRACK.
The wooden edge of the desk splintered under her hand.
Shizune went pale.
"Kyaa! Tsunade-sama, please don't punish me!"
Tsunade blinked, snapping back to reality.
"…What are you doing?"
"Y-you looked angry—!"
Tsunade sighed again.
....
Meanwhile, Jiraiya walked slowly toward the inn. 'What's with that woman? I got rejected without even confessing. Who does she think she is? In a way, it's good if she feels that way about me. Maybe these days, as she gets older, Tsunade lost some confidence in her charm because of me ignoring her and wanted to regain it by making me want to get close to her like in the past. These heroines are too complicated for a virgin like me. Better to stay away.'
Jiraiya reached the inn and rented a room. He went to take a shower, then lay on the bed. 'This is the first time I've been alone since I came to this world.' Kaito's thoughts drifted back to his previous life. When Kaito had started feeling emotions for Himari, he bought another villa and lived alone for weeks, rarely coming home, wanting to push those useless emotions aside.
Himari's face appeared in his mind again- her black hair, her velvet-like lips. Sometimes, Kaito felt like he would see Himari again; he didn't know why, but he had this strange feeling. "I think I'm just too tired." Jiraiya closed his eyes and began to sleep.