Tsunade watched as they walked away. Something pushed her forward, and she began to follow them. Jiraiya, Mio, and Hana were strolling down an alleyway between the buildings when Jiraiya suddenly sensed someone trailing them. He stopped abruptly and turned around.
"Whoever you are, show yourself!"
Mio and Hana were startled. Mio quickly pulled her daughter behind her to protect her. Caught in the act, Tsunade stepped out from the shadows.
"Tsunade!?" Jiraiya looked at her in surprise. "What is it? Did something happen?"
"Hmph. I saw you while I was heading to the Hokage building and came to see how you were doing," Tsunade replied, looking a bit embarrassed.
Jiraiya sighed. "So that's it. As you can see, I'm fine. I'll see you later."
Jiraiya turned to leave, but Tsunade stopped him. "Hold on, you old bastard... who is this woman?" Tsunade asked, eyeing Mio and Hana with curiosity. Mio was shocked by the sudden appearance of the world's most famous Kunoichi. She quickly composed herself and replied politely, "Hello, Lady Tsunade. My name is Mio Satsugi, and this is my daughter, Hana." Little Hana looked up at Tsunade with wide, curious eyes, letting out a soft, "hmm!"
Tsunade looked at Mio, and seeing how young and beautiful she was, she involuntarily clenched her fists. "Jiraiya, where do you think you're going?" she demanded. Sensing the tension, Mio stepped in to explain her earlier encounter with Jiraiya.
"Ah, so that was it," Tsunade murmured. Jiraiya gave her a strange look, thinking to himself, She's acting weird again. Why does she care so much about what I'm doing?
Mio bowed politely to Tsunade. "Lady Tsunade, would you like to join us for lunch?"
Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya, who was making a face; he clearly wasn't thrilled that Mio had invited her. Despite his reaction, Tsunade simply replied, "Alright,". 'Idiot, you think you're getting away from me today? Hmph.'After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at a modest house. Mio was a widow; her husband, an ANBU member, had died in the line of duty, leaving her to raise their daughter alone.
While Mio was in the kitchen, Jiraiya and Tsunade sat in the living room. The atmosphere was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Hana clung to Jiraiya, peering out from his arms with a look of fear at the scary woman standing before her. Tsunade felt Hana's gaze and turned to Jiraiya. "I didn't know you were so popular with kids," she remarked. Jiraiya remained silent.
Frustrated by his cold shoulder, Tsunade finally snapped. "You bastard, what is your problem? Why do you hate me so much? What did I do to make you avoid me like this? Is this about my past with Dan? I'll tell you again: you can't force feelings."
The words left her mouth, and she instantly regretted them. Jiraiya looked at her, wondering how this crazy woman could misunderstand him so completely. He met her eyes and sighed. "Don't get it twisted, Tsunade. I'm long past my puberty years."
"Why would I hate you? From the very moment you chose Dan, I moved on."
"Then why are you avoiding me?" Tsunade asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"Tsunade, please... tell me. What exactly is our relationship?"
Tsunade stood frozen, silenced by the weight of his question. He was right what relationship did they have? After a long silence, she finally found her voice.
"Friends."
"Hahaha," Jiraiya began to laugh. "Tsunade, have you grown old for nothing? A friendship between a man and a woman? Life has taught me one thing. Two different sexes can never be true friends. At a woman's first sign of weakness, her 'friend' will strike at the first opportunity.
I have no intentions toward you. Why would I want a superficial friendship? Think about it—maybe you haven't moved past Dan's death yet. But perhaps one day you'll find someone you actually fall in love with. What will he say if you have such a 'close' male friend? I've never liked trouble.
I'm telling you one more time: there was nothing between us before, and there is nothing now. My feelings died out thirty years ago. Don't think I hate you—I don't. Why would I hate someone I fought shoulder-to-shoulder with for all those years?"Jiraiya paused for a few moments and said, "You've been acting strange for a few days now; this is the reason why I've been avoiding you. Tell me what happened to you?"
Tsunade exploded at Jiraiya's cold, indifferent words and began to cry
Seeing her tears, Jiraiya took a handkerchief from his pocket and placed it on the table. Hana, seeing Tsunade crying, glared at Jiraiya. "Baka onii-chan, hmph!" she snapped, getting up from her chair to go and pat Tsunade on the head.
Mio, who was cooking, heard Tsunade's sobbing and came rushing in to see what had happened. Seeing the legendary kunoichi in tears, Mio stood there in shock.
Jiraiya sighed and said, "Mio-san, I'm sorry, but we can't stay any longer." Seeing that something was wrong, Mio immediately bowed. "Understood, Jiraiya-sama. You are welcome back anytime."
Jiraiya gave Hana a gentle pat on the head, then walked over and took Tsunade by the hand. "Let's go," he said. Tsunade tried to pull away, but his grip was firm and steady. Eventually, she gave in and let him lead the way.
A little while later, they arrived in front of a sweet shop. Jiraiya was still searching for a way to calm her down when he remembered how happy Himari used to get whenever she ate sweets in his past life. With that in mind, he guided Tsunade to a table outside the shop.
"Sit down!" Jiraiya told Tsunade. She sat, watching him with a curious gaze, wondering what he was up to. Jiraiya ducked into the shop and returned moments later with a platter piled high with sweets.
He set it down in front of her. "Eat."
"What's this for?" Tsunade asked, looking up at him.
Jiraiya turned his head away, his face flushing a faint red. "... I just wanted to make you feel better. Now eat up and go home!"
A warm, sweet feeling swelled in Tsunade's chest as she watched him. She couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Baka, since when did you become so kawaii?"
"Tsunade, you jerk—shut up!" Tsunade wiped her eyes and looked at him. "I'm sorry, Jiraiya, but I want us to be close. Even if you try to keep your distance, you won't be able to."
Jiraiya sighed, then a sudden idea struck him. He flashed a charming smile, leaned in close to her face, lifted her chin, and whispered, "Tsunade... you haven't gone and fallen in love with me, have you?"
Finding him so close, Tsunade blushed furiously and shoved him away. "You idiot! Who would fall for you? Who do you think you are?"
Jiraiya immediately snapped back to his serious self, settling into his chair. "Then tell me—what exactly is your goal?"
Tsunade's racing heart began to steady. She took a large bite of cake, swallowed it, and replied, "I just want to be close to you. That's the only reason."
Jiraiya rubbed his temples. "So that's it? You just want to get closer to me? That's your whole reason? Are you crazy?"
"I'm not. And from now on, I'm never letting you avoid me again!"
Jiraiya stared at her, speechless. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it, hoping to vent his frustration through the smoke. But before he could even take a puff, Tsunade snatched it right out of his mouth and tossed it away.
"You stupid women! What do you think you're doing?" Jiraiya snapped, his face darkening with rage.
"I'm a doctor. Cigarettes are poison," she replied firmly. "And as someone close to you, I'm officially' forbidding you from smoking ever again!"
Jiraiya, wanting nothing more to do with this crazy woman, stood up. "I'm going home!" he barked, walking away while trying to wrap his head around Tsunade's twisted logic.
Tsunade watched his retreating back, her entire face flushing a deep crimson. She couldn't stop thinking about the moment Jiraiya had smiled and gently lifted her chin. "What is wrong with me?" she whispered, still unable to make sense of her own feelings.