Jiraiya looked at Tsunade, who was trembling. This scene made him remember Himari. She had lost her parents at the age of eighteen, raising her sick sister all alone. When she accepted his marriage proposal, she had looked exactly like Tsunade does now trembling, with every complex emotion, the feeling of helplessness, and the sheer weight of life visible in her eyes. It wasn't exactly that Jiraiya wanted to help Tsunade, but seeing her face, he couldn't remain silent.Tsunade looked into his calm gaze, shaking. "You bastard... you make me miss the old you." Tears began to stream down her face. Shizune took her into her arms, weeping with her. Jiraiya watched them, saying nothing more. He finished his juice, stood up, and walked slowly toward the exit. When Tsunade saw him leaving, she wanted to stop him, but she remembered his words: "We are not close." A void opened in her heart and she froze, memories of the white-haired boy from their Academy days flooding back.
It was evening. Jiraiya was in his room, looking through his predecessor's belongings. He found a manuscript of Make Out Paradise. As he read, he thought, 'Jiraiya had a talent for erotic art. Should I continue his work?' He considered it for a moment but ultimately gave up. 'I'm sorry, Hatake Kakashi, but this doesn't suit me. Although I have Jiraiya's memories, I don't possess an imagination as "rich" as his.'While he was reading, he heard a knock at the door. He immediately hid the manuscript. "Enter!"Shizune walked in, desperate and sad. "Jiraiya-sama, please help Tsunade-sama!" She told him about the meeting with Orochimaru and the deal. Jiraiya looked at her and replied, "Leave it to me. Now go and get some rest."Ten minutes after Shizune left, the door sounded again. This time, it was Tsunade.
"Tsunade, what happened? Why have you come at this hour?"
Tsunade looked at him, clenching her fists with a complicated expression. "What did Shizune tell you?"
Jiraiya looked at her and asked, "What do you intend to do?"
Tsunade began to cry. "I don't know... but when I think of them, when I know there's even a small chance to see them again, I don't know what to do.
"Come inside." They both sat down. Jiraiya pulled out a cigarette and lit it a vice from his previous life.
"Tsunade, you know well how Edo Tensei works. You could bring Dan and Nawaki back, but have you thought about their feelings? To wake up in rotting bodies that feel nothing? I know how you feel. I have no right, nor the words, to comfort you. But know this: whatever decision you make, I don't care, and I won't interfere."
Inside, Jiraiya recalled that in the original plot, Tsunade was supposed to drug him so he wouldn't interfere in her deal.Tsunade wiped her tears. "Hmph. Bastard...Why have you become so cold? What did you go through to treat me like this?" She felt a sting at his indifference, knowing that in the past, he had loved her.
"Tsunade, I told you sometimes a man has objectives more important than ties and feelings. And my objective is far from this world." Jiraiya looked out the window at the stars, thinking of his original home.
"Have you still not given up on the Child of Prophecy?" Tsunade asked, momentarily forgetting Orochimaru.
"Maybe I've already found him," Jiraiya smiled, thinking of his blonde disciple. He turned back to her. "It's late now you should go!" Tsunade looked at his face feeling he try to keep her at a distance. She took a deep breath and asked the question that had been haunting her since they met. "Jiraiya... you used to have feelings for me. Did you move on?"
As soon as she asked, she regretted it. Jiraiya looked at her strangely. 'Didn't she reject him 30 years ago? Why ask this now? She's acting strange, Is this the menopause?; 'Jiraiya, who rarely showed emotion, suddenly began to laugh, one hand on his stomach and the other over his mouth. "Tsunade, what's with these 'maiden questions at your age?"
Tsunade turned red with fury, a vein throbbing in her temple, she wanted to teach him a lesson but his voice suddenly turned serious, stopping her."Maybe I did. But that ended 30 years ago. Looking back at the past, maybe what I felt then was just a fleeting, childish sentiment. Maybe It wasn't real."
He stopped, looking deep into her eyes, and continued.
"When I think of my mistakes, I tell myself that if I were then who I am now, everything would be different. Maybe Minato and Kushina wouldn't have died. Maybe Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko wouldn't have been lost to war. Sometimes I want to give up on everything and hide from this ugly reality. But then I think of the future children who will grow up with the Will of Fire to protect peace and this old man can't just stand by."He thought of Naruto and sighed "Sometimes people lose important things they can never have again. But I believe these are the trials this world sets to make us mature to make us cherish what we have and what we will have in the future, so we never let go of them again."Thinking of the original Jiraiya's philosophy, Kaito's lips curled into a charming smile that made Tsunade's heart skip a beat. Jiraiya looked at her red face and said
"it's late now Tsunade. You should go now."
Tsunade stood up and left quickly, slamming the door hard. Jiraiya watched her, feeling puzzled. 'Did I say something wrong? Why did she leave so angry? This woman is one of the strangest I've ever met.'Reaching her room, Tsunade pressed a hand to her chest, her face still flushing. "That baka..." She went to the bathroom and splashed her face with water. When she looked in the mirror, her eyes were filled with a new, fierce determination.
....
As the sun rose over the roofs of Tanzaku Town, Tsunade and Shizune walked toward the meeting point. Hidden in the shadows behind them, sent by Jiraiya Naruto followed. They reached the alleyway where Orochimaru and Kabuto were already waiting.
"Tsunade, you came," Orochimaru said, licking his lips. "What is your decision? Do you accept the deal or not?"
Tsunade looked at him and gave a small smile. She thought about Jiraiya's words from the night before and the way he looked at her. She reached for her necklace, her expression turning sharp.
"Fine, Orochimaru," she said firmly. "I'll do it. I'll heal your arms. But if you're lying to me, I'll kill you!"
Kabuto smirked, and Shizune gasped in fear. Behind a nearby wall, Naruto gripped his kunai, looking at the bastard who had injured Sasuke during the Chunin Exams.