บท 86: Chapter 85 Revealing Cards Ahead of Time

'Damn, it's definitely Tsunade.'

Naruto inwardly cursed his luck. It felt like he had just seen something he shouldn't have, so he quickly looked away and turned away.

"You little brat!! Ignoring me?"

The dark shadow descended from the sky, landing heavily on the ground. The earth cracked like an eggshell, splitting open with a meter-long fissure.

Tsunade, with her knees bent slightly, glared at Naruto with a less-than-friendly expression.

"I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama."

Naruto immediately displayed his highly flexible moral bottom line. It doesn't matter if he didn't know what he had done wrong, it was safer to apologize first.

"You were planning to run away when you saw me, weren't you?"

Tsunade, in her high heels, elegantly kicked a nearby stone into pieces and then approached Naruto with a confident stride. She stood tall, squinting her eyes as she leaned in towards him.

"Um… my eyesight isn't great." Naruto quickly deflected, immediately offering the food he was carrying, "Tsunade-sama, please accept this gift as a token of my respect."

After hearing what he said, the stormy expression on Tsunade's face softened a little. She flicked her hair back and said, "Now that you mention it, I haven't eaten anything yet, so I'll take you up on that offer."

Naruto forced a smile, resigning himself to the situation.

Anyway, these snacks were meant for Jiraiya, and maybe Jiraiya had already eaten. Besides, what else would he be doing in the middle of the night if he wasn't persuading Tsunade?

The streets were deserted, and the surrounding lights were dim. A few curious people stood outside the still-lit shops, watching from a distance but not daring to approach.

"Running into a brat like you in the middle of the night really kills the mood." Tsunade acted like a bully, completely ignoring the stiff expression on Naruto's face.

"Yes, yes, but please, Tsunade-sama, would you consider returning to the village to become the Godaime Hokage?" Naruto said with a helpless look.

"Is that how you ask for a favor?" Tsunade asked.

"If you really don't want to return, that's fine. I mean, if it gets too much, I'll just run away." Naruto yawned, "You don't have to go out of your way for me."

"You are really brave to openly express your intention to defect in front of the Godaime."

"Godaime?" Naruto asked confusedly.

"Even though I'm still considering it, once I return, I'll definitely be the Godaime Hokage. So, in a way, I'm already the Godaime Hokage for now."

"Is this how older women talk? It's so cunning." Naruto replied with deadpan eyes, "No, to be precise, this is a complete switch in logic."

"Until you actually return to the village, you're still just one of the Sannin, not the Godaime Hokage. That statement may be misleading, but I know convincing you to return isn't going to be easy."

"Don't try to guess a woman's thoughts, you little brat. It's actually pretty funny hearing you talk so seriously." Tsunade said, poking Naruto's forehead with a bit of force.

"Ouch!" Naruto hissed, clutching his forehead.

Tsunade's face relaxed into a smile. After finishing all the tempura and sukiyaki, she stuffed the empty takeout bag back into Naruto's hands.

"Thanks for the meal."

Naruto's face twitched, 'I guess you could call it a favor.'

Unsure of how to respond, Naruto simply decided not to.

"Brat, if you fully release the Kyubi, you will die, right?" Tsunade asked.

"Probably." Naruto said, and then added, "Or maybe not. Who knows? You can't really trust what others say about these things. You have to try it out yourself to be sure."

"Talking like that… Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"There's nothing to be afraid of. If the future is just going to be a bleak and ruined life as a prisoner, how's that any different from being dead?" Naruto said with his hands spread out.

"You really do harbor some deep hatred for the village," Tsunade said.

"It's not exactly hatred. Any normal person wouldn't like that village. If they want the Jinchuriki to protect the village, they need to show the right attitude."

Naruto's expression darkened.

"I don't really care that much. Becoming a Jinchuriki for no apparent reason, maybe living my whole life without freedom, dying as just a weapon. If that's how it is, I could probably endure it."

"Isn't your tolerance limit a bit too broad?" Tsunade quipped.

"But there should be some compensation, right? Constantly limiting the Jinchuriki… I can't stand being a Shinobi like this." Naruto frowned and said, "If there's no benefit, I'm just going to take it easy and do nothing."

"You've really got a lot of resentment." Tsunade said, but she didn't seem angry. Instead, she smiled and pinched Naruto's cheek, finding his honesty refreshing.

After all, hiding things would only make others cautious.

"Are you laying all your cards on the table with me?" Tsunade squinted her eyes as she looked at Naruto. "You are not a simple kid. You are way beyond what you should be thinking at your age."

"You're not the Godaime yet. If you're not planning to return to the village, it doesn't matter if I say a few more words, right?" Naruto replied, switching from the formal 'you' to a more casual tone.

Tsunade noticed the change and curled her lips slightly, but didn't say anything.

"And if I do become the Godaime?"

Tsunade ruffled Naruto's hair. The height difference between the two was not obvious. In another year or two, Naruto would likely surpass her.

"If you become the Godaime, then if I support you till death, Tsunade-sama. I should have some special privileges, right?" Naruto asked with a cheeky grin.

"Maybe." Tsunade teased, her red lips parting slightly, "If you can convince me to go back, I can help you deal with any trouble you get into in the future."

"That's a deal."

As she watched Naruto's retreating figure, the smile on Tsunade's face slowly faded.

The dimly lit street of Tanzaku Town was reflected in her golden eyes. She knew that Orochimaru was lying to her. The dead couldn't be brought back to life. What would be resurrected would be just a corpse.

But she still wanted to do something foolish, even if it was just one final fantasy.

If Orochimaru lived, she would keep wanting to resurrect Nawaki and Dan. Only when Orochimaru died could she break that obsession. It wasn't the only way, but it was the best one.

While Orochimaru's arms are crippled, she could approach him alone and finish him off.

On the rooftop, Naruto crouched in the shadows, planning to stay there for the night to avoid being knocked unconscious by Tsunade.

The idea of killing Orochimaru with bare hands is simply immature.

To be fair, how can Tsunade, who is afraid of blood, kill Orochimaru with one strike when even the Shinigami can't kill him? Not to mention that Tsunade is afraid of blood now, so it is even more difficult for her to exert any combat power.

This is almost a gamble with her life. If Tsunade takes the opportunity of giving treatment to get close to Orochimaru and failed to kill him in one strike, she will probably be in great danger.

With this thought in mind, Naruto sighed and muttered to himself, 'Just hold on a bit longer. There is only one Kabuto beside Orochimaru. As long as I can obtain the Tail Releasing Method, I'll finally be free.'