"I was wrong." Jiraiya, his face bruised and swollen, looked at Tsunade who had raised her fist again and quickly spoke up. "Stop, stop hitting. I was wrong."
Really.
Was it just because I hid something?
Did you have to be so harsh?
And...
In the end, didn't I still bring you to the Land of Whirlpools?
So ungrateful.
This fist...
Jiraiya looked at Tsunade's fist, as big as a sand pot...
Even the Toad Sage couldn't withstand it!
Although getting punched twice a day makes one feel invigorated and full of energy, getting punched twenty times...
That could be fatal!
It was the current Senju clan head who told me to hide it. Even if you are the little princess of the Senju clan... Hey, Jiraiya glanced at Tsunade's headlights...
Tsk tsk!
Not small at all!
"Bam!"
Tsunade's forehead throbbed with a vein as she saw Jiraiya's lecherous eyes again. She swung her fist down once more and said fiercely, "You knew all along, didn't you?"
"This..." Jiraiya looked at Tsunade's fist and hesitated. Should he say he knew early on, or just found out?
He sighed inwardly...
Tsunade's super strength is getting more and more proficient!!
"Maybe we should sit down and talk?"
"Hmph!" Seeing Jiraiya's already unrecognizable pig-like face, Tsunade casually tossed him aside, saying disgustedly, "Hurry up."
So annoying.
"Ouch." Jiraiya sucked in a sharp breath...
That really hurts!!
This Tsunade, really, after decades of being old classmates, why does she always punch people in the face?
His, his, his...
Handsome, dashing face!
Where's a doctor?
I need to go to the hospital!
As for letting Tsunade treat him, Jiraiya thought that was impossible!
Although there was a bit of an accident at the wedding last night, under his guidance, the Toad Sage...
He managed to salvage the event!
So they drank very late last night and just found a random inn to stay in. He didn't expect Tsunade to find him early this morning.
Looking at Tsunade's expression, he could tell she had been holding it in for a long time.
At least all night...
"Didn't Senju Shukuma tell you yesterday?" Jiraiya touched his already swollen eyeball. It really hurt!
He felt he should go to the hospital now and enjoy the gentle care of the nurse sisters to possibly get better.
Otherwise, he felt awful all over.
And...
Who told Tsunade he was staying here??
This Toad Sage would like to invite him to try Mount Myōboku's specialty...
Toad Oil!!
This super strength...
What if his handsome face can't recover?
"He did." Tsunade nodded with a serious expression. "Shukuma told me everything last night."
"..."
Then why did you still hit me?
This has nothing to do with me!
Jiraiya looked at Tsunade speechlessly, pointed at her in grief and indignation, and said, "You, you… you…"
Give me a reason!
Or else...
I'll go see a doctor and never pay attention to you again.
However...
Tsunade completely ignored him and said lightly, "I just felt uncomfortable and wanted to take it out on someone."
"..."
You're big, you're round, you're right!
Jiraiya lifted his head at a 45-degree angle, sighed, and squinted his swollen eyes...
It really hurts!
It hurts so much I'm about to cry.
He...
Is the Toad Sage having it easy?
"Crying over such a minor injury, and you call yourself one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, the Toad Sage?" Tsunade looked at Jiraiya with disdain and said, "Come here quickly."
"You, you..." Upon hearing Tsunade's words, Jiraiya shuddered and said cautiously, "What are you going to do now?"
Can't you postpone the beating until tomorrow?
I've had too much energy replenished today.
"Treat your injuries." Tsunade said impatiently. "Are you coming or not? If not, I'm leaving."
"You know, these injuries of yours..." Tsunade looked at Jiraiya's bruised and swollen face with a sarcastic tone. "Tsk tsk, if left too long, it could cause disfigurement."
Disfigurement?!
"Yes." Hearing Tsunade's words, Jiraiya quickly scurried over and said, "Should I lie down?"
He couldn't afford to be disfigured!
Countless young girls across the ninja world are waiting for him.
"Hurry up." Tsunade said disdainfully. "Otherwise, I'm really leaving."
Immediately...
Jiraiya lay down quickly, watching Tsunade slowly approach him, especially the headlights in front...
Tsk tsk!
So dazzling.
Even the Toad Sage can't withstand it!
"Close your lecherous eyes." Tsunade said impatiently. "Or else don't blame me."
This pervert, still hasn't changed.
"Oh, oh." Jiraiya quickly closed them, a slight smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "What are you planning to do?"
"What do you mean, what am I planning to do?" Tsunade asked while using a healing technique. "This swollen face..."
"Is really disgusting."
"..."
Wasn't it you who punched it?
But Jiraiya knew reasoning with Tsunade was pointless. He sighed and said, "When are you planning to return to Konoha?"
When Tsunade wasn't looking, he squinted one eye open slightly to peek downward.
What a view!
Especially with the clothes Tsunade was wearing...
No, no.
I think I'm about to get a nosebleed.
Jiraiya quickly closed one eye, only squinting with the other...
That way, the damage is halved.
This sage can still handle it.
"Konoha..." Hearing Jiraiya's words, Tsunade fell silent for a moment, then sighed and said, "I... let me think about it."
She didn't know what to do now.
If she hadn't heard Shukuma's words, she wouldn't have dared to believe it.
How could the old man do such a thing?
After all, he was the Second Hokage's disciple!
But thinking about the Uchiha clan and the Senju clan...
The two founding clans of Konoha had both left Konoha, and now their numbers had dwindled to this state, forced to live under assumed names in a small country doing manual labor...
She didn't know what to say.
Did Konoha and the Uchiha...
Really block Konoha's development?
A trace of confusion appeared in Tsunade's eyes...
Was it because these two clans' prestige and power were too strong?
Just like Hatake Sakumo.
Back then, did the old man really not have the ability to suppress those rumors?
No...
It was because Hatake Sakumo's victory in the Second War had brought his fame to a peak.
He even earned the title Konoha's White Fang, and was a candidate for Hokage!!
But...
He was just an ANBU captain serving the Hokage!
So, perhaps what her father thought was right.
If the Senju clan hadn't left, maybe they really would have...
Tsunade sighed inwardly.
She...
Really shouldn't have learned all this.
Grandfather, Second Grandfather...
Who should I ask?
Or what should I do?
Seeing Tsunade fall silent, Jiraiya knew what she was thinking. He put on a cheerful smile and, after some thought, said, "By the way, who told you I was here?"
Let's change the subject first.
"Uchiha Fugaku." Tsunade came back to her senses and said flatly. "What do you want to do?"
"Nothing." Jiraiya took another peek at Tsunade's headlights and said, "I just plan to invite him for a drink after work."
Tsk tsk...!
How wonderful.
So, brother, you don't need to drink the toad oil. Let's go for a drink after work?
My treat!!
A lecherous smile unconsciously appeared on Jiraiya's face...
...
Mid-March, Year 41 of the Konoha Calendar.
The excitement surrounding the wedding of the Daimyō of the Land of Whirlpools gradually subsided.
The tens of thousands of people from other villages who obtained citizenship of the Land of Whirlpools made others envious. Some even thought that if the Daimyō of the Land of Whirlpools getting married once could grant so many spots, they wouldn't mind a few more times.
But...
This was just wishful thinking.
Now they had once again thrown themselves zealously into construction tasks, striving to earn enough points to exchange for citizenship, settle down, and put down roots in the Land of Whirlpools.
"Has anything happened in the Land of Whirlpools recently?" Uzumaki Jun yawned as he looked at Uzumaki Hibiki before him. "Have any spies from other villages been discovered?"
"None." Uzumaki Hibiki shook his head. "When foreign ninja enter, we seal their chakra and have the police keep a close watch on them."
"Moreover, the foreign population has increased year by year in recent years. Under these circumstances, trying to find anything is really..."
Too difficult.
Uzumaki Hibiki smiled wryly and shook his head, but he knew the current situation in the Land of Whirlpools couldn't be blamed on Lord Jun. After all, opening up to the outside was necessary. Just look at the GDP growth of the Land of Whirlpools now.
Especially foreign export trade, which has been steadily increasing every year.
"It's just that car sales aren't very good. Instead, exports of balance bikes are doing well." Uzumaki Hibiki adjusted his glasses. "I heard the roads in other countries are narrow and uneven, making driving troublesome."
"Is that so?" Uzumaki Jun nodded thoughtfully. "I was too naive."
He thought the nobles of the ninja world would also play with luxury cars, but he didn't expect...
This era isn't suitable!
After all, it's not year 60 of the Konoha calendar, that era of distorted modern technology...
Where there's a bit of everything, yet also nothing.
"In that case, stop production." Uzumaki Jun sighed. "Focus on exporting balance bikes."
"But remember to still lower the specs by three levels, and keep the security measures tight."
Even though this low-end technology won't stay secret for long, no matter what, the Land of Whirlpools' technology must lead other countries.
This is the Land of Whirlpools' advantage!
"Are the border turrets and monitors installed?"
"They're almost done." Uzumaki Hibiki nodded. "The newly reclaimed land has also started reconstruction."
"Hmm?" Hearing Uzumaki Hibiki's words, Uzumaki Jun frowned. "It seems we need to replan the factory locations."
So far, about ten square kilometers have been reclaimed in the eastern sea area, which is quite good.
But wanting to reclaim 9.6 million square kilometers will take who knows how long!
His dream of a great nation!
It seems he'll have to ask Chiro to improve the machinery.
As for why they need to move there...
After all, reclaimed land is always different from natural continents. It's suitable for residential and industrial zones, but for farmland...
He might have to trouble Hiruko to invent Golden Kela.
Otherwise, the yield would be too low.
"Tell Gato to start collecting strategic supplies." Uzumaki Jun said after a moment of thought. "We can't be disorganized when the time comes."
Canned food production should also be increased, along with some machinery...
After all, the strength of the native ninja of the Land of Whirlpools still lags behind the Five Great Shinobi Villages, so they can only narrow the gap with equipment.
"I will arrange it." Uzumaki Hibiki adjusted his glasses and said seriously.
This was no small matter. If mistakes were made, it could affect the war.
"By the way." Uzumaki Jun seemed to remember something. "What about Jiraiya and Tsunade?"
"What have they been doing recently?"
He had been accompanying Mikoto recently and hadn't paid attention to these things, so...
He's been a bit busy lately and doesn't know what these two Konoha ninja have been up to in the Land of Whirlpools.
"Jiraiya has gone to the academy to be a teacher and is now living in the teacher's dormitory assigned by the academy." Uzumaki Hibiki said. "As for Tsunade, since arriving in the Land of Whirlpools, she has been living with the Senju clan."
"And some time ago, she also applied to be a teacher in the academy's medical department."
"Teaching theoretical knowledge."
"..."
Tsunade also became a teacher?
Uzumaki Jun looked speechlessly at Uzumaki Hibiki. Shouldn't she be going to the casino to be the cash cow?
Oh...
The Land of Whirlpools prohibits pornography, gambling, and drugs.
What a pity.
Otherwise, the Senju clan's inheritance might have ended up being swallowed by the casinos of the Land of Whirlpools.
It seems Tsunade must have been bored and wanted something to do.
But why not be a chief physician at the hospital?
That might suit her better. After all, Tsunade's medical ninjutsu is quite powerful in the ninja world!
And...
Theoretical teacher...
"It seems it should be..." Uzumaki Jun narrowed his eyes, a mysterious smile appearing on his lips. "Tell the clan head to organize a textbook revision and have Tsunade participate."
Hemophobia!!
Tsunade still hasn't overcome her hemophobia!
In that case...
The academy's textbooks should get an upgrade as well.
"Understood." Uzumaki Hibiki recorded Lord Jun's words, nodded, and said, "I will inform the clan head later."
Uzumaki Jun stretched lazily. "En~!"
"Really tired to death."
Tired at night, tired in the morning.
I wonder if Itachi can still be born?
If he really changes his surname to Uzumaki, he needs to be prepared!
Otherwise...
What if Itachi suddenly has a brain cramp for no reason?
His Uzumaki clan can't withstand this kind of betrayal from a backstabber!
"Spare the rod, spoil the child." Uzumaki Jun sighed and murmured. "If nothing else works, I'll just have to hit him."
Then, he looked up at Uzumaki Hibiki...
"If there's nothing else, you may leave now."
He still needs to go out later to see the Land of Whirlpools!
After all, going deep into the grassroots, deep among the masses, widely collecting public opinion, and listening to the people's voices are good ways to understand the people's thoughts and ideas!
It's time to go out and farm some reputation.
And...
Recently, Kushina has been running to his house often and gets along well with Mikoto. He can finally relax a bit.
"I'll go see Kyoko and Nono later."
Haven't seen them recently. Is the hospital too busy?
These two...
Really worry him!