RADG: Chapter 159: Nabekage Appears Again, Tsunade's Dilemma

Tsunade looked coldly at her former comrade, and soon noticed something abnormal.

Orochimaru's hands were mismatched—one was purple-black, the other pale. The pale one had clearly been transplanted recently, and his face carried a sickly blue tinge. He obviously hadn't rested well.

Indeed, the pain of soul-tearing tormented Orochimaru constantly. Each day, he relied on the secret medicine prepared by Kabuto to relieve the agony and move normally.

But it was only a temporary fix. Orochimaru had been searching for Tsunade’s whereabouts and had finally intercepted her on Tansho Street.

"You just created chaos in Konoha, and now you dare to come to me. Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you?"

Even if Tsunade hadn’t actively looked into what happened in Konoha, rumors would still reach her ears.

Especially recently, with Suna and Iwa secretly fanning the flames, the blame had been placed entirely on Orochimaru.

Tsunade knew well that Orochimaru was the one who killed their teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"You’re already old, but you still have such a temper."

Orochimaru’s sharp words made Tsunade's forehead twitch with anger, but he just laughed even more, "You were the first among the three of us to leave Konoha, Tsunade. I didn’t know you still had such deep feelings for the village."

Tsunade clenched her fists and said in a low voice, "Whether the Hokage lives or dies has nothing to do with me, but the old man Sarutobi was our teacher! You actually did something as unforgivable as killing your teacher... Orochimaru, are you even human?"

"What’s so great about being human?"

Orochimaru stuck out his tongue nonchalantly and twisted it around. "I think this weak body has always held back my development. Now, I’ve even been harmed by that old thing."

At that, Orochimaru’s smile faded and was replaced by hatred. "My hands were crippled by his Forbidden Technique."

"Tsunade, let’s make a deal."

"As long as you help me heal my hands, I can let you see Nawaki again."

Orochimaru’s voice was full of bewitchment. "Impure World Reincarnation, the Forbidden Technique developed by the Second Hokage that transcends the boundary between life and death. Not only have I mastered it, I’ve perfected it."

"It’s no longer just a cold corpse. I can pull the soul of the dead back to the world."

"Our teacher, the First Hokage, and the Fourth Kazekage are all proof."

Tsunade’s face changed dramatically, and she became furious. Her hair lifted without wind, forming twin ponytails that fluttered in the air.

"Orochimaru! How dare you desecrate Grandpa’s soul!"

Boom!

Tsunade punched the ground. The earth cracked instantly, like a stone dragon bursting from the ground, rushing straight at Orochimaru.

"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"

Kabuto, who had been silently standing behind Orochimaru, stepped forward and placed his hands on the ground, raising a solid earthen wall.

It lasted only two seconds before collapsing under Tsunade's monstrous strength, but it had done its job absorbing the brunt of the impact.

"What terrifying power..."

Kabuto adjusted his glasses to hide his shock. "Is this the level that can be reached with pure physical strength?"

"Haha, Kabuto, don’t underestimate Tsunade."

Orochimaru laughed evilly. "Even if she’s a woman, she’s a Sannin just like me. In terms of pure power, even Shimura Yami probably wouldn’t be her match."

Kabuto bowed respectfully. "Yes, Orochimaru-sama. I was too arrogant."

"It’s fine."

Orochimaru shook his head and looked at Tsunade, who was about to raise her fist again. His body slowly turned into a puddle of mud. "Tsunade, it seems you're unwilling to accept my offer because you care too much about how others view you. But if you could really see Nawaki again, would public opinion even matter?"

"He’s also my disciple. Tsunade, I hope you make the right choice."

As his voice faded, Orochimaru had already escaped using an earth escape technique, and Kabuto also politely excused himself, vanishing from the alley in an instant.

If there were no outsiders around, Orochimaru might have tried persuading her a few more times.

But they weren’t the only ones in this town. A troublesome person was following him, and Tsunade had just made a scene, so it was certain they’d been noticed. Orochimaru had no choice but to leave, tossing out a baited hook for Tsunade.

"Tsunade-sama."

Shizune saw Tsunade’s wavering expression and quickly advised, "Don’t think too much about what Orochimaru said. He’s dangerous and excels at manipulating people."

"Shizune, I know my old classmate better than you." Though Tsunade said this, her expression remained dazed, and Shizune grew even more worried.

Fortunately, at that moment, a familiar voice snapped Tsunade out of her thoughts.

"Still a step too late? That guy really is as slippery as a snake."

Tsunade and Shizune instinctively turned back. Jiraiya stood on a high wall behind them, gazing into the distance as if tracking Orochimaru’s retreat.

"You too?"

Tsunade frowned. "What is this, a class reunion? Sorry, I don’t want to attend."

"Don’t be so cold, Tsunade."

Jiraiya withdrew his gaze and smiled at her. "By my count, it’s been over ten years since we last met. Including Orochimaru, the last time all three of us were together was even longer ago."

"You haven’t changed at all, and I’ve become a middle-aged man adored by thousands of women, hahaha." His rogue laugh drew a look of disgust from Tsunade.

"I don’t want to waste time talking. Don’t delay me from earning money."

"You must be here to chase Orochimaru. He probably hasn’t gone far, and you still might catch up."

"Forget it, I have more urgent things to deal with."

Jiraiya shook his head slowly. "Hunting down Orochimaru can wait. Some matters can’t be delayed."

Guuu~!

Just as he was about to speak, Shizune’s stomach growled awkwardly, making her blush with embarrassment. Tsunade also turned away awkwardly.

Jiraiya leapt down from the wall, smiled at the two disheveled women, and said, "Looks like your gambling luck hasn’t been great lately. Let’s eat and talk. There’s a little brat waiting for me."

Later, in a restaurant, Tsunade met the brat Jiraiya mentioned.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Jiraiya rubbed Naruto’s head and introduced him, "His sensei is busy lately, so I’ve taken him along for training."

Tsunade gave a perfunctory nod and devoured the food on the table like a whirlwind.

Naruto stared with wide eyes. "Pervy Sage, didn’t you say you were looking for your old teammate? Why is she so young?"

"Hahaha, Naruto, don’t be fooled by appearances."

Jiraiya laughed. "She’s from the same generation as me. She only looks young thanks to a special ninjutsu. Her real age is..."

He stopped mid-sentence, because Tsunade was already glaring at him murderously. He could only laugh sheepishly and shut his mouth.

Finally, after eating her fill, Tsunade rubbed her stomach. "Alright, tell me. Who do you need me to treat? I’m warning you now, if the pay isn’t good, I’m not going."

As one of Konoha’s strongest shinobi, Tsunade could roam the ninja world freely. Her medical ninjutsu played a key role in that.

Nobles and daimyō often needed her help and would pay handsomely for her services. Naturally, they wouldn’t allow their country’s ninjas to offend her or her apprentice.

"No, Tsunade. This time, it’s not just one person."

Jiraiya’s expression turned serious. "We need you to become the Fifth Hokage and heal Konoha."

"Not interested."

Tsunade rejected him without hesitation. "I’ve never thought about being Hokage. Besides, hasn’t that kid Yami already mastered Wood Release? He’s the most suitable candidate."

"You know Yami too?" Jiraiya asked in surprise.

"We’re related through the Senju line. I’m his sister, and we even bathed together in a hot spring a few years ago."

Tsunade sighed. She missed Yami—or more precisely, his wallet.

She still regretted it.

She regretted selling the Hundred Healings Mark for such a low price, which left her broke again.

But Yami didn’t like any other ninjutsu, which really gave her a headache.

Jiraiya suddenly remembered—Yami’s mother was from the Senju clan.

"Is Yami-nii going to be Hokage?" Naruto shouted excitedly. "Then I’ll be the Hokage’s student, and I’ll definitely become Hokage someday!"

"Hokage is worthless."

Tsunade took a sip of wine and sneered. "Only fools want that job."

Naruto glared at her.

"What, did I say something wrong?"

Tsunade burped and ridiculed, "Every Hokage has died protecting the village. None of them had a good end. After the First Hokage died, the Ninja World Wars broke out one after another and have never stopped."

"What did they even protect?"

Naruto, who was about to explode in anger, suddenly lost his momentum. Jiraiya was surprised.

Wasn’t Naruto the one most determined to become Hokage? Why didn’t he get mad when Hokage was belittled?

"Naruto, go back and train for now."

Jiraiya dismissed Naruto, then brought up something the boy shouldn’t hear.

He couldn’t speak ill of the previous Hokage in front of a student.

"Tsunade, I won’t lie to you. The old man’s death this time may be related to Yami."

Tsunade’s expression changed. "What proof do you have?"

"Yami mastered Orochimaru’s summoning technique."

Jiraiya explained what he’d recently discovered. "He seemed to know about the Konoha Crush long before it happened. After the old man was trapped in the Four Violet Flames Formation, the Anbu loyal to him were suddenly reassigned."

"At the very least, Yami didn’t stop it."

Tsunade took another sip of wine. "Go back. Don’t say anything more. It’s impossible for me and my brother to compete for the position of Hokage."

"Tsunade, this isn’t about personal ties."

Jiraiya wasn’t one to give up easily. He said solemnly, "Yami has the strength to be Hokage, no doubt about that. But his personality is paranoid and extreme. He especially prefers solving problems through absolute force."

"If he becomes Hokage, Konoha will inevitably go to war again, maybe even starting another Ninja World War."

Shizune was shocked by the speculation and interrupted, "Jiraiya-sama, aren’t you overthinking it? I’ve met Yami-sama. He’s actually a good person."

And very handsome.

Shizune added silently.

"Because you’re one of us, you can’t see his extremes."

Jiraiya understood Yami’s character quite well. "Yami is easy to figure out. He treats his own people very well. Naruto is his student. For Naruto, he even asked me to teach him the Rasengan. Before we left Konoha, he also helped Naruto control the Nine Tails’ power."

"Uchiha Sasuke has also improved significantly and respects Yami greatly."

"But that doesn’t mean he’ll make a good Hokage. Especially since, indirectly, he was involved in the old man’s death. I suspect Danzō was behind this plan."

After so many years, Nabekage had returned and taken everything on his shoulders once again.

"Tsunade, no one but you can stop him from becoming Hokage. Think about it carefully."

After saying that, Jiraiya left, leaving Tsunade staring blankly at the table.

(To be continued.)