As for Kakashi, he had followed Naruto the moment Naruto set off, asking about Naruto's experiences during this period in a very proper manner. This harmonious scene caused Jiraiya's just-opened mouth to freeze, unsure of what to say.
"Ahem, about the guidance and all that, let's put it off for a while. After all, we've been traveling for so long, and now is exactly the time when we need to rest. Right? Hehe."
By the end of his words, even Jiraiya himself couldn't help laughing, because neither he nor Furina looked travel-worn at all—they both appeared to be in great condition.
Saying they needed rest was pure nonsense, but at this point he could only try to salvage the situation however he could. After all, he, the famous Toad Sage, couldn't possibly refuse a junior's request for guidance. That would be impossible.
"Since Teacher Jiraiya has said so, then let's wait for the next opportunity."
Seeing Jiraiya trying to change the subject without success and ending up awkwardly babbling, Furina simply nodded. Since her goal had already been achieved, she might as well let him off the hook.
After all, she couldn't really beat up her master's teammate, could she? Just thinking about that kind of thing felt awkward, so better to forget it.
"Yo, Lord Jiraiya and Furina finished chatting? Then let's hurry up and go. The Hokage said that as soon as you returned, I should bring you to see her immediately."
Noticing that things had wrapped up over there, Kakashi's voice came in at just the right moment. He seemed completely unaware of what had just happened.
"Haha, looks like Tsunade has missed me after not seeing me for a while. No time to waste then—let's get moving."
Jiraiya had originally felt a bit dissatisfied about Kakashi standing by earlier, but that dissatisfaction vanished instantly upon hearing Kakashi's next words. He eagerly urged Kakashi to set off right away.
"Uh, Lord Jiraiya, maybe I didn't explain clearly just now, causing a misunderstanding. Actually, the Hokage only asked me to bring Furina. There were no instructions regarding anyone else."
"Anyone else..."
"Let's go, Teacher Kakashi. I didn't expect Master to be in such a hurry to see me. We shouldn't delay any longer."
Without paying any attention to Jiraiya, who had turned to stone and frozen in place nearby, the group followed Kakashi into the village one after another, leaving only Naruto anxiously circling the petrified Jiraiya.
"Come with us first, Naruto. Let Lord Jiraiya rest here by himself for a bit. He'll naturally catch up once he's rested."
Hearing Furina's suggestion, Naruto immediately looked greatly relieved and quickly followed along, his steps light and showing no trace of reluctance to leave Jiraiya behind.
.....
After passing through streets and alleys, Kakashi brought the group to the bottom of the Hokage's office building. However, he had no intention of entering together with Furina and instead chose to wait outside with the others.
Following the principle of taking the nearest route, Furina didn't go through the main door but jumped straight in through a window of the office building. The moment she entered, the hidden Anbu surrounding the area instantly encircled her.
After seeing clearly who the intruder was, the alert Anbu all breathed a sigh of relief. If it really had been an enemy bold enough to barge straight into the Hokage's office, then they would be the ones who needed to worry the most.
"You can all stand down for now."
Tsunade, who was sitting behind the desk, looked up at that moment and saw Furina. She waved her hand to signal the surrounding hidden Anbu to withdraw, then picked up a letter from the desk and tossed it toward Furina.
"You've been out for so long, yet you barely sent a few letters. Someone who didn't know better might think you'd forgotten about me, your master."
"How could I? You've been so good to me—how could I possibly forget you? Every day outside, I've been thinking of you. It's just that it wasn't very convenient before, so there were fewer letters."
Facing Tsunade's teasing, Furina naturally couldn't admit it. Unfortunately, the other party wasn't buying her sweet words. Tsunade wore a smile with an unclear meaning, her expression saying "say whatever you want, see if I believe it."
"Enough, stop saying such empty nonsense. If you really cared, having Katsuyu send me a letter every day wouldn't be a problem. You just find her gross."
"Hehe."
Seeing her true thoughts exposed, Furina gave an embarrassed laugh. She couldn't help it—that slug was so slimy; just looking at it gave her goosebumps. How could she possibly summon it on her own initiative?
To have contracted one of the three great holy land's slugs, a top-tier summoning beast, yet put zero effort into using it—probably only Furina in the entire ninja world was like this.
Anyone else, even if they didn't treat Katsuyu like a treasure, would never treat the contract as if it didn't exist the way she did—just holding the title and nothing more.
"Alright, I already know what kind of person you are, so I'm too lazy to lecture you. You've read the letter—what do you think?"
"Well, of course it's good news. After all, the various events from not long ago have already proven the threat posed by the Akatsuki. Holding a Five Kage Summit to unite and deal with them together is indeed the best choice."
Hearing this, Furina set the letter down and gave her opinion.
The letter came from Kumogakure—in other words, the Raikage's intention. Not long ago, Kumogakure's Two-Tails had been captured by the Akatsuki, and the other one, the Eight-Tails, belonged to the Raikage's brother, Killer B.
To protect his brother from the same threat, the Raikage wanting to convene a Five Kage Summit to discuss dealing with the Akatsuki was perfectly reasonable. After all, judging from the strength the Akatsuki had displayed so far, no single ninja village could handle them alone anymore.
It was well known that the Akatsuki operated in pairs, and just from the fact that five tailed beasts had been attacked in quick succession, it was clear that the Akatsuki had no fewer than ten experts capable of confronting tailed beasts.
If those people attacked together, the five great ninja villages wouldn't be able to resist. Add to that the rumored leader whose strength surpassed the rest of the members, and it was an enormous threat.
Based on this, the Raikage's decision to form an alliance was completely normal.
"But even though that's how it is, can the five great ninja villages really set aside their past grudges and unite quickly?"
"Of course not." Facing Furina's question, Tsunade gave the answer right away, clearly having anticipated this long ago.
"But even though it's very difficult, we still have to try. Just like how the Raikage is worried about his brother, I'm worried about that guy Naruto too.
Oh right, and that Seven-Tails kid you brought back. That means Konoha now has the most tailed beasts in one place. Since the Akatsuki wants to collect the tailed beasts, their focus will definitely be on us.
While we can keep them from leaving the village, we also have to consider the threat of the Akatsuki attacking directly inside the village. After all, they're a bunch of lunatics who even killed a daimyo."