Chapter 107: Chapter 107: Tsunade Returns to the Village, Jiraiya Confronts the Hokage
In a gambling den on a busy street in the Land of Lightning, a blonde woman stared intently at the dice cup on the table.
However, the gamblers around her only pretended to glance casually before focusing their attention on the cup. This woman was well-known among the gambling circles—a notorious easy mark.
She appeared to be a young woman in her twenties, with attractive features and a voluptuous figure, her pigtails adding a youthful flair. Yet, in reality, she was already fifty years old. At this moment, Tsunade's eyes were glued to the dice cup.
"Open!" The dealer called out as he lifted the cup.
"233, eight points, small!" The dealer announced the results loudly after examining the dice.
Immediately, the last of Tsunade's money was swept away.
With a sigh, Tsunade shook her head resignedly and stood up to leave. She had come with high spirits and five million ryo, ready to make a killing.
But now, having lost everything, Tsunade felt it was time to cool off.
"Tsunade-sama, are you done? Why don't you sit down and play a bit more?" Just as Tsunade turned to leave, a teenage girl approached her, holding a small box.
"What's there to play with when all is lost?" Tsunade retorted, shaking her head.
"Well, I've gathered some money here—1.2 million ryo," the girl said as she opened the box she was holding, revealing stacks of money inside.
"Oh?" Tsunade's eyes sparkled at the sight of the 1.2 million ryo.
Cool off? What was there to cool off about?
There's a saying about hitting rock bottom and bouncing back—Tsunade was convinced now was her chance to turn things around.
"Well done!" Tsunade's spirits lifted instantly, and she praised the girl enthusiastically as she grabbed the box of money. She turned around with such a presence, one might expect a dramatic soundtrack to herald her return to the gambling tables.
"Wait a minute!" Tsunade stopped suddenly, turning back to look intently at the girl beside her.
"Tsunade-sama, why are you looking at me like that?" the girl asked, her eyes darting away, unable to meet Tsunade's probing gaze.
"Weren't you always telling me not to gamble? What's gotten into you today?" Tsunade's penetrating stare made the girl extremely uncomfortable.
"I just thought, well..." the girl stammered, struggling to find a suitable excuse.
Watching the girl fumble for words, Tsunade turned and walked out of the gambling den.
"Tsunade-sama, wait..." the girl called out, trying to stop her.
But the more she tried to intervene, the more Tsunade felt something was off. She stepped outside the gambling den, and everything seemed normal at first glance.
After a moment of contemplation, Tsunade extended her sensory abilities to pick up on the surrounding conversations. She overheard talk of ninja movements in the Land of Lightning, preparing to move toward the border of the Land of Fire.
Was the Land of Lightning planning an attack on the Land of Fire? Now seemed like a rare opportunity.
Konoha was in disarray; Uchiha Akira had assassinated the Third Hokage to take his place. Now, with the village's defenses at their weakest, the Raikage was planning to invade.
This news stunned Tsunade; she stood frozen in place.
The Third Hokage was dead?
Though she had her grievances with the Third Hokage, sadness was the predominant feeling now. After all, she had been his student for many years.
Moreover, was Konoha really so vulnerable now that the Land of Lightning thought it an opportune time to invade?
The village was founded by the joint efforts of the Senju and the Uchiha. It embodied her grandfather's ideals and efforts.
Though now the last of the Senju, Tsunade couldn't just stand by and watch Konoha face such peril.
Unlike Orochimaru and Jiraiya, Tsunade's connection to the village was different.
After a brief silence, she said, "Shizune, let's go. It's been years since I've been back to Konoha."
"Yes, Tsunade-sama!" Shizune replied, carefully observing Tsunade, who seemed to bear the news without visible sadness.
Shizune had hesitated to inform Tsunade about the Third Hokage's death, fearing it would sadden her. But it seemed Tsunade was stronger than she had anticipated.
As Tsunade prepared to return to Konoha, Jiraiya had already arrived in the village and went straight to the Hokage's office to confront the new Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Fugaku.
Though he could guess what had transpired, Jiraiya still sought to understand the specifics of the Uchiha coup.
Fugaku, now the Hokage, faced Jiraiya—one of the Legendary Sannin and a formidable shinobi of Konoha. Naturally, he didn't want to alienate him.
As Hokage, Fugaku's responsibilities extended beyond the Uchiha clan to the entire village and the Land of Fire.
If Jiraiya could be persuaded to stay, Fugaku was determined to keep him.
Fugaku recounted how Danzo had attacked Uchiha Itachi, attempting to steal his Mangekyo Sharingan, and how the Third Hokage and Danzo had conspired with the Anbu and Root to carry out the massacre of the Uchiha clan.
Hearing Fugaku's explanation, Jiraiya sighed inwardly. It was indeed typical of the Third Hokage, though this time he had gone too far.
"Uchiha Akira, the seven-year-old prodigy, huh? Konoha does breed talent, especially among the Uchiha," Jiraiya reflected internally.
"Now that Konoha is at its most vulnerable, its top combatants are mostly gone..."
After discussing the situation, Jiraiya made it clear he had no intention of intervening. He understood the Uchiha's actions and held no love for the Third Hokage.
Despite Fugaku's hopes, Jiraiya firmly rejected the notion of serving under him.
Hearing Jiraiya's decisive refusal, Fugaku sighed in resignation. It wasn't easy to win over someone like Jiraiya.
Now, with Konoha's strength so depleted, every shinobi mattered more than ever.
"If only Minato, the White Fang, Itachi, or any of them were here..." Fugaku lamented the loss of Konoha's greatest shinobi.
"And what about Uzumaki Naruto?" Jiraiya asked, focusing on what mattered most to him.
"Naruto has left for the border," Fugaku replied honestly.
"You sent a seven-year-old to the border? Are you trying to kill him?" Jiraiya's anger flared, suspecting Fugaku had sinister motives.
Fugaku, unfazed, met Jiraiya's gaze with the calm of one who commands the village's fate. As tensions rose, his Sharingan evolved before Jiraiya's eyes, signaling his readiness to defend his actions, regardless of Jiraiya's legendary status.
After a tense standoff, Jiraiya left without a fight, heading straight for the Land of Wind's border to see for himself.
Meanwhile, at the Land of Wind's border, Uchiha Akira and his team had been patrolling for days when they finally encountered an elite squad from the Sand Village crossing into the Land of Fire.
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