Even when swept by the icy gaze of Lady Tsunade, one of the Sannin, Uchiha Fūyō remained unwavering, steadfastly blocking the target.
If Shimura Rō died, the matter would forever be without proof, and all the Uchiha Clan's efforts to date, their hope of getting justice for Naraku, would all come to naught.
Therefore, he absolutely could not back down.
Tsunade knew Uchiha Fūyō's thoughts, and coupled with the fact that she wasn't impulsive enough to kill Shimura Rō in the first place, she lowered her fist and gestured with her chin for him to restrain the person.
As for whether letting Shimura Rō fall into Uchiha hands would lead to internal strife in Konoha... she had hesitated about this when she chose to contact the Uchiha, but she quickly stopped caring.
If victims seeking the truth are instead condemned and suppressed, then no matter how they retaliate in the future, it is the retribution those people deserve.
As soon as Uchiha Fūyō had the person under control, he noticed another powerful individual rapidly approaching from behind.
He vigilantly glanced at Tsunade, who seemed to have recognized the newcomer. Though her expression showed some impatience, there was no sign of wariness.
So he stopped bothering with it and continued to focus on applying the sealing scroll to Shimura Rō.
Click.
The faint, crisp sound of wooden clogs landing echoed, accompanied by the familiar, hearty greeting of a middle-aged man.
"Long time no see, Tsunade."
"Jiraiya, why are you here too?"
Perhaps her emotions were still unsettled, as Tsunade's tone wasn't particularly friendly. But Jiraiya seemed not to notice, answering frankly.
"I came to investigate someone, but it seems you were one step ahead of me."
Seeing Tsunade's still somewhat displeased expression, Jiraiya understood that the child named "Uchiha Naraku" held a far greater place in Tsunade's heart than just a patient.
However, he still chose to persuade her one last time: "Tsunade, how about you hand him over to me?"
Tsunade gave him a sidelong glance, fully aware of her old partner's thoughts.
He probably wanted to take the person himself to demand an explanation for the Uchiha, to make the old man stop hesitating, to deal with the relevant personnel, to concede to the Uchiha when necessary, and to resolve the matter with the smallest possible cost.
But had Jiraiya considered what deterrent power the evidence would have on that "Shadow of the Shinobi" in the higher echelons if it were in his, the Hokage's disciple's, hands?
The outcome would only be further delays, with no change whatsoever.
"No way. In the end, it would just be swept under the rug."
"But what if there's a..."
"Don't become like them, Jiraiya!"
Tsunade cut off Jiraiya, her brows tightly furrowed. She then realized her tone was too harsh and softened her voice.
"You know what the result will be. Since you feel it's unjust, then stop harboring illusions of peaceful resolution. Whatever the consequences, they deserve them."
Jiraiya tilted his head slightly, looking into the distance, and let out a heavy sigh.
"Alright, fine."
After deciding to support Tsunade's idea, he seemed to shed a burden, cheerfully stretching and inviting, "I know a really great hot spring inn, how about we go—"
Boom!
Bricks and dirt clods showered down from the wall shattered by a single Strength of a Hundred Seal punch. Jiraiya blinked, swallowing the rest of his sentence.
"My mistake, my mistake. Come on, let's go drinking!"
He laughed heartily, about to lead Tsunade to a certain izakaya he knew, when he suddenly remembered that both of them seemed to have children with them.
"Is Shizune with you now? Kakashi is here too, so how about we go for hot pot instead?"
"Alright."
Tsunade turned to instruct Uchiha Fūyō to quickly contact other Uchiha and take the person back to the clan, not to delay on the way, lest things get complicated.
The person who ordered Shimura Rō would not let him go unchecked. Knowing he was captured, they would do everything possible to destroy the evidence. The Uchiha had to safely bring him back before the other party reacted.
Uchiha Fūyō nodded, then used the Body Flicker Technique to leave with the person on his back.
When Tsunade called out Jiraiya's name just now, he knew the other party was indeed one of the Sannin, the famous Toad Sage.
Then he heard Jiraiya ask for the person, and his heart sank halfway. He was already prepared to resist the other party even if it meant doing so, to protect the witness.
Fortunately, Lady Tsunade was reliable, and in a few words, she dispelled the other party's idea.
With Shimura Rō in hand, as long as they used some interrogation methods, or directly extracted his memories, the mastermind behind Naraku's death would have nowhere to run.
Justice for the wronged was within reach.
By the time Uchiha Fūyō was out of sight, Jiraiya looked at the ruined buildings and roads around them, starting to worry about how to clean up the mess.
Then he saw Tsunade casually pull out a wad of banknotes from her pocket and call over the tavern owner.
Wait, something isn't right, is it?
Tsunade actually had that much money on her???
Perhaps Jiraiya's gaze was too direct. Tsunade shot him an annoyed look, then lowered her eyes and explained in a low voice, "I made a big gamble before, and I won."
For Tsunade, the notorious 'Legendary Sucker,' to win money meant something had happened.
Perhaps her constant gambling was just to repeatedly confirm that those around her were still safe and wouldn't leave her.
Jiraiya quickly hid the trace of pity in his eyes, reverting to his carefree demeanor.
"Come on, come on, my treat this time."
As he spoke, he used the Shadow Clone Jutsu to call Kakashi. Tsunade did the same, using a Shadow Clone to bring Shizune.
"Oh, right," Jiraiya remembered Kakashi was still in the dark, and quickly coordinated with Tsunade, "Kakashi doesn't know about the investigation. I told him leaving the village was for training and research."
"Got it, I'm aware."
Tsunade crossed her arms, tapping her fingers on her arm.
Jiraiya's approach was understandable. Kakashi was too young and shouldn't be struggling in the abyss of hatred so early.
But paper cannot forever wrap fire.
"This matter won't be hidden for long. By the time he returns, Konoha will probably be in an uproar."
"Sigh, let's find a suitable opportunity to tell him."
... Kakashi sat up from the bottom of the pond. Even though his chest ached faintly from prolonged lack of oxygen, and his heart felt like it was about to leap out of his throat, his breathing was calm and steady, completely disregarding the physical pain.
The vibrations of the distant battle were already very faint here, drowned out by the gurgling of water, turning into a subtle hum.
But as if by telepathy, he tilted his head in that direction.
Never mind, I should go find out where Lord Jiraiya is.
He stood up, left the hot spring pool, and entered the changing room to get dressed.
As soon as he was fully dressed, Jiraiya's Shadow Clone arrived.
"Yo, done soaking?"
The Shadow Clone slung an arm around the child's steamy shoulder, completely disregarding that the other party had just thoroughly cleaned himself.
"Come on, I ran into an acquaintance. Let's go have hot pot."
Kakashi half-opened his eyes in exasperation: "The smell will linger for a long time."
"It's fine, just wash again when we get back."