Chapter 91: Striking Back with Full Force!
The moonlight was hazy, casting a faint glow over a dilapidated house in a small border town in the Land of Sugi.
Inside, the Fourth Raikage's face was dark and stormy, his clenched fists trembling with frustration as he thought back on the day's mission.
"We actually got played…"
Their objective for this operation had been crystal clear from the start—steal the secret techniques of the Land of Sugi.
The Hidden Cloud had always favored the most straightforward method when it came to things they didn't possess: take them by force.
Small nations, reclusive ninja clans, even major villages like the Leaf—they'd never hesitated to make a move.
Decades ago, they'd dared to kidnap the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, Uzumaki Kushina, just for her sealing prowess.
That attempt had ultimately failed, but at least they'd lost to the man who would become the Fourth Hokage.
More recently, they'd even tried to seize the Byakugan when Konoha was at its weakest.
They might've been tricked in the end, but it didn't matter—they felt no shame in stealing what they wanted.
This time was supposed to be no different.
But things hadn't gone as planned.
"...The Nokizaru Clan."
It seemed the Land of Sugi had anticipated a potential raid and hired the mysterious Nokizaru Clan as protection.
As a result, without sufficient preparation, his squad had been completely outmaneuvered.
"Ni-Kai was blown to pieces on the spot. Karai got hit with their signature jutsu—Exploding Bugs. This is a disaster."
Raikage looked over at Amai, who was frantically trying to treat Karai. Shaking his head, he muttered under his breath.
They had technically completed the mission, but at the cost of two of his men? That was unacceptable.
"…Any hope?" he asked at last, voice low as he stepped closer.
Amai fell silent before replying with a pained expression, "I'm sorry, Lord Raikage. My medical ninjutsu… isn't enough to save him."
The Raikage's face darkened even more.
"…However," Amai added after a pause, "there may be someone who can help. And she's in a nearby town."
Raikage's eyes lit up. "Speak. Who is it?"
Amai hesitated before answering. "It's Lady Tsunade from the Leaf. There's no one in the world of medical ninjutsu who can match her. If we ask her for help…"
Tsunade?
Raikage didn't even mind Amai referring to her with honorifics—frankly, most medical ninja would do the same.
After all, she founded the modern medical system that every village now depended on. Even the Cloud benefited from her work.
Still… Tsunade?
"Don't be naive, Amai."
Karai gritted his teeth and sat up, annoyed.
"And don't you dare call a ninja from another village 'Lady.' Our relationship with the Leaf is far from friendly—why would anyone from Konoha help me?"
"But you—"
"Even if she's willing to help, I wouldn't—!"
Their bickering began to escalate. The Raikage rubbed his temples in frustration, torn on what to do.
Then a memory flashed through his mind: his father, the previous Raikage, who once stood alone against thousands from the Stone Village to buy time for his comrades.
His gaze hardened.
"Hmph… Old man, anything you could do—I can do too!"
He stopped paying attention to the quarrel between his subordinates and looked out the window, his decision made.
---
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the same town in the Land of Sugi…
Orochimaru strolled down the road with Kimimaro close behind.
Under the moonlight, the town bustled with energy—laughter, shouting, music, and flickering lanterns lined the streets.
Drunkards staggered about, gamblers celebrated or sulked in defeat.
Kimimaro wasn't surprised by the chaos. He'd seen plenty of towns like this in the Land of Hot Springs. What he didn't understand was… why they were here.
"This town… it's our destination," Orochimaru said offhandedly, completely unfazed by the noise around them. His eyes were fixed ahead.
His goal was clear.
Tsunade wasn't exactly discreet about her habits—especially her notorious gambling addiction—and it wasn't hard to track down a walking disaster like her.
"Soon, I'll introduce you to someone," Orochimaru continued. "A woman who used to be my comrade."
"A comrade? Like Jūgo and me?"
"…No. More like that white-haired fool we ran into last time—Jiraiya."
The bond between the Three Sannin was complicated. Even though they'd gone separate ways, and Orochimaru often found Jiraiya annoying…
He couldn't deny their connection—they'd once faced death together. That kind of bond never truly faded.
"I see," Kimimaro said coldly, recalling how that white-haired man had dared to attack Orochimaru.
"Don't look at me like that," Orochimaru chuckled. "Tsunade wouldn't like it. If she gets angry, not even I can do much about it."
He scanned the area once more before smiling slyly.
"Well then, let's go. She hasn't changed a bit in all these years… but this time—"
"There shouldn't be any unpleasant surprises."
Heh heh heh heh…
---
Back on the streets of the border town…
Jiraiya watched the crowds pass with interest, a mischievous grin spreading across his face—especially at the sight of scantily clad women lingering under lanternlight.
"..."
Behind him, Kakashi and Kitagawa Gen both had dead-fish eyes.
They'd seen this far too many times to be surprised anymore.
On this trip alone, Jiraiya had already pulled this stunt more times than they could count. No matter how many times they warned him, he never listened.
His unrestrained behavior was just… embarrassing.
"…Was it this bad the last time you traveled with Jiraiya?" Kakashi whispered, hoping no one would recognize them.
"More or less. Maybe even worse," Gen replied dryly, rubbing his temples. "He told me the 'respectable' bathhouses wouldn't let me in. Later I realized… what he meant by 'respectable' wasn't exactly normal."
"…"
No wonder the kid had such strange obsessions.
Relieved, Kakashi let out a quiet sigh. He'd been worried Gen might get caught up in Jiraiya's antics this whole journey.
Especially when Jiraiya had suggested using a transformation jutsu to sneak Gen into the women's side of a hot spring—as the Third Hokage.
Absolutely inappropriate.
Thankfully, despite his outward behavior, Jiraiya hadn't actually taken them anywhere too outlandish.
In fact, he'd somehow managed to gather useful intel along the way, ultimately leading them to the Land of Sugi.
Small nations on the continent rarely fared well. Unless they were protected by a ninja village or so isolated no one bothered with them, most ended up leaning into… "specialized industries."
The Land of Sugi and the Land of Hot Springs were classic examples—filled with shady characters, gambling dens, bars, and brothels.
Sometimes Kakashi wondered: was Jiraiya really here to find Tsunade… or just looking for fun?
"Well, we're already here," Gen said with a knowing smile. "Might as well relax a little, Kakashi-sensei."
Noticing Kakashi's discomfort, the "well-experienced" Gen chuckled.
"It was the same in the Land of Hot Springs. Jiraiya-sama has… his own unique ways of gathering intel. Best we just let him do his thing."
"Exactly!" Jiraiya huffed, walking over. "You could learn a thing or two from this kid, Kakashi!"
"Do I really seem that unreliable?"
"…"
Neither Kakashi nor Gen answered.
To break the silence, Gen changed the subject. "So? Got anything useful this time? You must have found something."
"Of course!" Jiraiya grinned smugly, then turned serious.
"Kakashi, you might not know Tsunade well—but I've been her teammate for years. I know her inside and out. She loves to gamble, but she always loses..."
"So all this time, I've been hopping from one casino to another just to track down some idiot neck-deep in debt. And wouldn't you know it—I finally picked up the scent of a fat sheep ready for the shearing."
"Also," Gen added with a blink and a knowing smile, "she's a heavy drinker, right?"
Jiraiya gave a short nod. "Sharp as ever."
"I saw you checking out izakayas all the way here," Gen continued, "and I noticed you never stepped into any rowdier joints. That's because of her too, isn't it?"
"Tch, you got it," Jiraiya replied, his tone slightly exasperated.
"No matter how much she loses, she'll always find a place to drink it off. At this point, I've got a pretty good idea of her habits. She's definitely in this town."
"So then, what's she doing now—gambling or drinking?"
"Right now?" Jiraiya glanced up at the night sky. "It's already pretty late. I'd bet she's lost everything by now and gone off to drown her sorrows in some bar."
Jiraiya had long since stopped overestimating Tsunade's luck. Tens of thousands—hell, even hundreds of thousands—vanish in half a day with her!
At this hour, odds were she'd already racked up more debt and gone off to get plastered.
"Well, our target's clear then. Let's go. I've already scouted out where she's been seen recently. If we head there, we should be able to catch her."
"Ah, what a shame," Gen sighed, drawing curious glances from both Kakashi and Jiraiya.
"What's wrong?" asked Kakashi.
"Have you two never thought of this?" Gen asked, raising an eyebrow. "Jiraiya-sama, you said Tsunade-sama always loses when she gambles, right? So why don't we just bet against her?"
"..."
"We'd be living in a seaside villa by now!"
"..."
Jiraiya and Kakashi exchanged a look, then turned around in perfect silence and began walking forward without a word.
Gen chuckled and quickly caught up with them, sneaking a glance at his system panel.
[New Side Quest Acquired]
[One Big, Happy Family]
[Assist Jiraiya in finding Tsunade and bringing her back to Konoha.]
"Looks like we're almost done here," he muttered. Then his eyes narrowed as he looked off into the distance. His expression turned odd.
"A big, happy family indeed… Looks like I'll need to come in swinging."
---
"Tch, passed out already?"
Inside the izakaya, Tsunade looked down at the woozy Shizune, slumped over next to her, and clicked her tongue.
"C'mon, wake up! I'm not done drinking!"
Tsunade shouted, but Shizune didn't respond. With a sigh, she slumped over onto the table to rest for a moment.
"Big sis… I'll become Hokage…"
"I love the village and my comrades. That's why I want to protect them. After my little brother died, that dream became my only reason to keep going. I will become Hokage!"
But the moment she closed her eyes, two familiar faces flashed through her mind—smiling, alive—and then lying in a pool of blood.
"Tch... damn it."
Tsunade's eyes snapped open. She sat up and poured herself another drink.
Leaving Konoha—and drinking like this—was partly an escape. A way to forget the past.
Well… it was also something she genuinely enjoyed.
Drinking helped dull the pain, if only a little.
But suddenly, she frowned.
She still looked relaxed, but as one of the legendary Sannin, her senses were razor-sharp—especially now, when she was swimming in debt.
"Someone's coming. Why are so many people showing up at this crummy bar…? And none of them feel ordinary."
She couldn't quite place it, but her instincts were screaming.
Still, she stayed put. Partly out of confidence, partly out of curiosity.
A moment later, the side door creaked open, and two men entered. One of them immediately dropped to his knees in a full dogeza bow.
"You must be the legendary Sannin of Konoha—Lady Tsunade."
"I beg you, please help us."
"Who the hell are you?"
Tsunade had already recognized their headbands—Kumogakure ninja. And behind them… the Fourth Raikage himself.
But what were they doing here, of all places?
"And there's more?" Her eyes flicked toward the entrance.
Still kneeling, the man continued, "My name is Amai, a shinobi of the Hidden Cloud. My comrade is gravely injured. Only your unparalleled medical ninjutsu can save his life. I beg you—please, save him."
"Tch tch, who would've thought? A Cloud ninja begging a Leaf medic-nin."
A raspy voice drifted in from the other side of the bar.
"I remember when you guys tried to steal the Byakugan. And now look at you—crawling back to us."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. That voice was all too familiar.
The Raikage turned, his eyes narrowing at the new arrival.
"Orochimaru."
"Well, if it isn't the Fourth Raikage…"
They locked eyes, tension rising. Neither had expected to run into the other in a place like this.
"Hey hey hey! We're here! This should be the place, right?"
Just as the tension peaked, another voice called out—this time from the front door.
Everyone's expression shifted at once—even Tsunade looked bewildered.
Creeeak—
The door swung open.
Three white-haired figures stood there.
One of them—an old white-haired man—spotted Tsunade and broke into a grin.
"See? Told you we'd find her, hmm?"
But before he could finish, he caught sight of the other two parties.
"Wait a sec…"
For a brief, heavy moment, the entire bar fell silent as the three groups stared each other down.
Even Tsunade froze in place.
She hadn't expected tonight to get this lively.