Chapter 31 The Three Ninja Reunited
The three ninjas, having a rare reunion, naturally decided to gather together for a meal.
After nightfall, we arrived at a food street not far from the Hokage Building.
The journey was filled with laughter and joy. With the Fifth Hokage's ascension to the throne, the somber atmosphere caused by the Nine-Tails' rampage seemed to have been washed away.
In life, people must learn to let go of the burdens of the past and embrace a more hopeful tomorrow.
"It's wonderful, the village is coming back to life," Jiraiya remarked, looking at the scene before him.
He returned to the village earlier than Tsunade and had seen the atmosphere of the village before.
After Orochimaru officially became Hokage, the atmosphere in the village improved significantly.
Tsunade quietly observed everything before her, lost in thought.
Suddenly, some children ran past them.
As they ran, the children kept shouting.
"I want to be Hokage!"
"No! I am the Hokage!"
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh! Behold my shuriken!"
"Behold my Water Release: Water Spray Technique!"
Clearly, the village children are playing a ninja game and vying to become Hokage.
Tsunade was somewhat dazed upon seeing this scene.
She thought of the rope tree, and she also thought of the broken tree.
They all dreamed of becoming Hokage. But in the process of pursuing that dream, their dreams were also shattered.
Tsunade's body trembled slightly for a moment, then she took a deep breath.
Jiraiya, who was standing next to her, wanted to raise his hand to put it on Tsunade's shoulder to comfort her, but he quickly paused and put his hand down.
"Tsunade, you're not leaving again this time, are you?" he asked.
Tsunade crossed her arms and let out a sigh of relief.
"I don't have anything to do when I come back. I'll stay for a few days at most and then leave."
"Aren't you considering staying?"
"Do you think I'm like you?
You got fooled by Orochimaru a few times and now you want to stay and help him?" Tsunade glanced at Orochimaru sideways.
Orochimaru smiled, his lips curling into a grin.
"Never mind."
She waved her hand.
"Let's have a meal. I'd like some tender chicken, and it would be best if we could also have some wine."
"Then I'll drink with you! It's been a long time since we drank together, Orochimaru, how about some?"
"I won't drink too much."
However, this also meant they were willing to play along. Tsunade and Jiraiya, of course, knew that Orochimaru was someone who liked to keep a calm mind.
Being willing to have a drink with them is already a great gesture of friendship.
"Then let's all come together!" Jiraiya shouted, raising his hand high.
Just like before, I'll be the one who actively livens up the atmosphere in the team.
Soon, they arrived at a restaurant. Since Orochimaru liked to eat eggs and disliked cold food, he wanted hot eggs, which were a pot of stewed oden.
To accommodate Orochimaru, extra eggs were specially requested.
In addition, they also ordered tender chicken and several bottles of wine.
"Cheers!"
The three of them clinked glasses again.
Tsunade and Jiraiya both drank it down in one gulp, while Orochimaru took a small sip.
Seemingly feeling dissatisfied, Tsunade started blowing into the bottle.
"Tsunade, don't drink so fast, eat some food slowly," Jiraiya advised with concern.
Of course, Tsunade didn't listen much and drank almost the entire bottle in one go before putting it down.
Her face was slightly flushed; as a medical ninja, she seemed to be deliberately letting the effects of alcohol take hold, making her feel a little tipsy.
Jiraiya looked at her with some concern, clearly wanting to show her more care and concern, but he hesitated to speak, as if he was holding his breath but couldn't let it out.
Orochimaru, standing to the side, watched his friend, who always seemed to falter at crucial moments.
Not only Orochimaru, but Tsunade also glanced at Jiraiya with a smug look on her face.
Coward.
Orochimaru wholeheartedly agreed that she was indeed a coward.
A woman like Tsunade, seemingly carefree but actually very sensitive, was willing to show vulnerability in front of you, allowing you to comfort her.
This was also an opportunity for Jiraiya to further develop his relationship with Tsunade.
But in the end, Jiraiya still hesitated.
'I'm probably a very unsuccessful person.'
Jiraiya thought to himself.
"Jiraiya." Tsunade took another big gulp of sake and called out.
"Tsunade?"
Do you consider yourself someone who can settle down and stay put?
"...Probably not."
"That's right, you're not someone who can settle down." Tsunade pointed at Jiraiya, her face flushed and intoxicated.
"What I like now is someone who can settle down. That person can't be you."
So, was he rejected again? He didn't say anything.
Jiraiya smiled wryly.
Orochimaru sighed silently, somewhat unable to bear watching Jiraiya's clumsiness.
Of course, it might not just be clumsiness, but Jiraiya also had his own inner conflicts, and Tsunade also had her own inner conflicts.
The two knots swayed back and forth, wanting to touch each other, but because of the knots holding them together, they could only appear to be close while swaying, but could never truly get close.
Orochimaru decided to help Jiraiya.
Yes, it's also a way to help myself.
Because he also hoped that Tsunade could stay.
"Jiraiya".
Orochimaru said, "If what we are going to do brings unprecedented peace to the world, are you willing to settle down and stop pursuing a distant prophecy?"
"If it can truly bring about an unprecedented period of peace," Jiraiya said with a bright smile, looking at the peaceful streets of Konoha outside with a hint of longing.
"Then I will definitely settle down. After all, my true dream has already come true, so the prophecy is no longer so important."
"So, Tsunade," Orochimaru said to Tsunade this time, "to prevent this fool from being fooled by vague prophecies, you should stay and help us.
You see, this fool also wants a stable life. We can work together to achieve that."
"Heh." Tsunade chuckled indifferently.
He crossed his arms over his chest, his face flushed, and let out a burp.
"What an idiot."
"Ha ha."
Jiraiya chuckled dryly and scratched his head.
Just when he thought Tsunade was rejecting the invitation once again.
Tsunade tilted her head to the other side.
"I'll keep you company for now."
Jiraiya's eyes widened in surprise, as if the surprise had come too suddenly.
"After all, if we leave that idiot Jiraiya unchecked, who knows what kind of trouble he'll cause."
Jiraiya took a deep breath, and suddenly his face turned slightly red as he looked away.
He sensed that Tsunade genuinely cared about him.
Thump, thump.
"Then, let us celebrate the reunion of the three legendary ninjas."
Orochimaru offers a toast here.
"Cheers!"
The three of them clinked glasses again.
This chapter explains why Tsunade stayed behind. I hope you don't think I'm padding this out; Tsunade is such an important character in the original work, so I couldn't just gloss over her. That's why I spent a lot of time on it. It also truly establishes the reunion of the Three Ninja.
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End of this chapter...