[[[330ch of this novel on my patreon]]]
same for you guys as other novel will post 5 ch tomorrow to celebrate my miserable life
Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly exhaled a thin ring of smoke. A faint smile lingered on his weathered face as he asked calmly,
"Did Orochimaru really say that?"
There was not a trace of anger in his tone—only relief.
Tsunade frowned, scrutinizing her teacher. No matter how she looked at him, she couldn't understand how the old man could remain this composed after hearing such news.
"Old man… Orochimaru, he's just—" Jiraiya tried to speak up for his friend, but after opening his mouth, he realized he didn't even know where to start.
"You two…" Hiruzen gently shook his head, tapping his pipe against the edge of the table. "I've always worried Orochimaru would lose his way. Now that he's found his own path, I can finally stop worrying."
Jiraiya's tense shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly.
Tsunade, however, crossed her arms, her expression filled with suspicion.
"And now that he's joined the Sacrificial Shop," Hiruzen continued, "he may even bring additional benefits to Konoha. In the end, it's a win-win."
Tsunade cut him off impatiently. "Old man, stop circling around it. Why did you really call us here?"
"If there's nothing important, I'm leaving. I still have a date with the casino."
"Don't gamble anymore, Tsunade." Hiruzen shook his head. "Konoha will rely on you in the future. You can't keep sinking like this."
"I'm not interested in being Hokage," Tsunade replied flatly. "I have zero interest in playing political games with a bunch of old fogeys."
"Don't worry." Hiruzen tapped his pipe lightly. "When the time comes, I'll take them all with me."
…?
Both Tsunade and Jiraiya looked up at the same time, staring at him in disbelief, wondering if they'd misheard.
Hiruzen seemed not to notice their reactions. He stood up, removed his Hokage robe, and casually hung it over the back of his chair.
"Orochimaru won't be coming," he said lightly. "So it'll just be the three of us tonight. Biwako made dinner. Let's eat together."
He gestured toward the table, his voice unusually gentle.
"This may be the last time we gather like this."
"Old man…" Jiraiya's throat tightened. He wanted to say something, but no words came out.
Tsunade's expression softened as well. After a brief silence, she nodded and sat down.
At the table, Hiruzen retrieved an old earthenware pot from the cupboard. When he broke the wax seal, a soft pop echoed through the room.
"Twenty-year-old sake," he said, filling their cups. "I brought it back from the Land of Rain during a mission long ago."
Tsunade picked up her cup and drained it in one gulp. Her brow twitched slightly as the strong liquor burned down her throat.
Jiraiya took a careful sip, then coughed. "Whew—this stuff is fierce."
"Drink slowly," Hiruzen chuckled, placing grilled fish onto each of their plates. "Biwako prepared it herself. Eat."
After a few rounds of drinks, Hiruzen's cheeks grew faintly red. He loosened his collar and began reminiscing.
"Do you remember? When Jiraiya was training tree-climbing, he missed a step and got stuck on a treetop thirty meters high—"
"Sensei!" Jiraiya interrupted loudly, mortified.
Tsunade couldn't help laughing. She poured herself another cup without waiting.
"In the blink of an eye," Hiruzen sighed, "you've all grown up."
"That child, Orochimaru… I don't worry about him anymore." He smiled faintly. "With his personality, he'll probably never think about companionship in this lifetime."
"But you two—" His gaze moved back and forth between Tsunade and Jiraiya, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "When will you make your sensei's life easier?"
Jiraiya stole a glance at Tsunade and cleared his throat. "These things… depend on destiny, you know."
Tsunade tilted her head back, emptied her cup, and slammed it onto the table. "I'm not interested in finding a man."
Jiraiya's shoulders immediately drooped.
Hiruzen slapped the table and laughed loudly. "Hahaha! Tsunade, you're the last Senju bloodline. You should at least think about your clan!"
"No interest." Tsunade refilled her cup without even looking at him.
The brief hope in Jiraiya's eyes died instantly. He poured himself another drink in silence.
"You brat," Hiruzen said, pointing at Jiraiya with a swaying cup. "If you don't change that irresponsible habit of yours, all the good girls will run away."
Jiraiya scratched his white hair and gave a helpless smile. "Old man, I'm already this old. I can't change anymore."
Tsunade snatched the cup from his hand and sneered. "You just don't want to change. You're this old and still peeking into women's bathhouses—"
"That's research!" Jiraiya exploded, face turning red. "For writing! Does that count as peeping?"
What followed were incomprehensible claims like "art comes from life" and "literary dedication," which made Hiruzen laugh until tears formed in his eyes.
Tsunade, however, scoffed nonstop, looking like she wanted to dump a bucket of ice water over both of them.
Hiruzen finally sighed. "You really should restrain yourself. Last time you got caught, I had to bail you out. Do you want Tsunade doing that in the future?"
"As long as I don't get caught!" Jiraiya declared stubbornly, waving his hand drunkenly.
Crack!
Tsunade smashed a sake dish. "Do you want me to help you experience the taste of broken bones?"
Jiraiya sobered up instantly. "No, no! I suddenly feel indoor writing is very inspiring!"
Watching them bicker, Hiruzen laughed heartily, as if he'd returned to the days when he trained them.
At that moment, Asuma entered carrying a plate. He froze at the doorway, stunned by the sight of his father laughing so freely.
"What are you standing there for?" Hiruzen waved him over. "Come, toast your unreliable seniors."
Asuma placed the dish down and accepted the cup. The sake swirled gently, reflecting the warm scene.
Hiruzen rambled on about their youth—Orochimaru's first failed summoning, Tsunade crying after gambling everything away, Jiraiya getting beaten and breaking ribs after peeking.
"Enough!" Jiraiya yelled, hurriedly opening another pot. "Let those dark histories stay buried!"
Tsunade pressed down on his wrist, slightly denting the pot. "That's enough, old man. You've had enough to drink."
Her gaze lingered on Hiruzen's flushed face, her voice unconsciously softening.
Hiruzen waved his hand and asked Asuma to fetch a scroll. He unrolled it on the table—dense with notes, revisions, and annotations.
"These are my Ninjutsu insights over the years," he said quietly.
Fusion techniques, forbidden jutsu, even sealing arts like the Reaper Death Seal lay before them.
"These jutsu are powerful," Hiruzen said softly, brushing over the scroll, "but what has truly supported Konoha has never been jutsu."
"It has always been the Ninja who step forward, even knowing the cost."
He stopped, chuckled self-deprecatingly, and rolled up the scroll. "Forget it. You're all better than me. I don't need to lecture you."
He handed the scroll to Tsunade, then reached out and ruffled Asuma's hair.
"When this kid takes the bells from you," he said to Jiraiya, "teach him for me."
Asuma's voice trembled. "Father…"
"These years," Hiruzen said quietly, "I've been a very inadequate father."
"There won't be much time left to make amends. Jiraiya… look after him for me."
Late at night, when Biwako came in again, she found all four asleep.
Tsunade still held her cup. Jiraiya's forehead protector was crooked. Hiruzen slumped at the table, holding Asuma's hand.
She covered them with blankets and gently blew out the candle.
[ today was a shit , no maybe this whole week was quiet shit for me as many of you people know i made this account and patreon account so i can earn some money to buy some headphones i had the money but well i thought i will buy myself a new phone and new headphones why because both are not in one piece literally .
on other note i had to pay my fees by this month so almost all the money i had been saving went there and now i am broke again then but thats ok money comes and goes but the fuckery google and claude did today is making me insane i bought the "pro" version of claude and it was not that special then i thought maybe i can get a refund but google is screwing me over on that front i cant open claude support for some reason
DAAMMMMIT i could have eaten out 4 time with that money these assholes are sprinkling salt over my wounds (╥﹏╥) why am i writing this because i want bitch about my life to people who don't know me so they can't bitch back to me]
[[
and i do read all the comments even those in other languages (by translating it of course) so you guys can also bitch some as well -- GOD if are please tilt some fortune this way please other than sometimes eating chicken i haven't done any thing wrong ]]
_____________________
https://[email protected]/mrSOMEONE01234? [replace @ with a]
>>>>>I'm a student, and I'll try my best to keep uploading chapters regularly <<<<<
thanks for your support
[[READER TIER 1: translates stories {15$} ]]
[[[[Please at least visit my patreon so I can have some traffic]]]]]