Inside the office, Tsunade sat slouched in her chair head bowed low over papers spread across her desk, with scrolls still sealed, but her a
Inside the office, Tsunade sat slouched in her chair head bowed low over papers spread across her desk, with scrolls still sealed, but her attention was fixed elsewhere, a tension that hadn't left her shoulders since the report from Yubune.
Jiraiya arrived just past evening, his cloak still dusty from the road. He stepped in, the Hokage office open doors without ceremony, ANBU allowing him to pass.
"You're early," she said, without raising her head.
"Your message didn't leave much room for delay," Jiraiya said as he closed the door behind him. "You said there was an escalation with Kumo"
Tsunade turned to face him, her gaze sharp. "One of their operatives tried to abduct a Hyūga. Again."
Jiraiya didn't flinch. "And you caught him alive this time?"
Tsunade gave a nod. "Their reply came through ANBU relay an hour ago. Darui's the one they're sending. He'll be here in 2 days."
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow as he moved towards her desk. "Darui, huh. A doesn't trust many to speak for him. Sending him means they want this quiet. Smart choice considering he is sending a level-headed guy though someone with blade wrapped in silk."
"They want it buried," Tsunade said, straightening up. Her gaze unyielding. "He's not coming for diplomacy. He's coming to protect Kumo's face."
"Same thing."
"For now." She leaned back against the edge of her desk. "Their shinobi is locked down in ANBU custody, chakra suppressed, sealed from tongue to spine. But if they try to silence him on our soil—"
"They won't. Not with you and me breathing down their necks. Too much attention on them now."
Tsunade exhaled through her nose. "Naruto carried that bastard for two days across the forest without much rest. Kept his team together while keeping the seals stable. He protected his teammate and fought a coordinated squad from Kumo alone and won."
Jiraiya gave a small nod, hands tucked into his sleeves. "He's grown."
"He's going to be the best shinobi this village has ever seen," she murmured. "And not someday, he's almost there already."
Jiraiya didn't answer at first. Then, after a pause:
"He might be the best… but he's not Minato."
Tsunade didn't reply. She just looked at him.
Not angry or hurt.
Just quiet.
Jiraiya met her gaze but didn't press. He didn't smile. He wasn't trying to diminish the boy iIt was simply a truth that he'd carried too long to let go easily. But seeing the expression on Tsunade's face, he knew it certainly didn't sit well with her.
"We'll treat this like an official inquiry," she said finally. "Darui will sit in the council chamber. I'll speak, and he'll listen. Then I'll hand over the facts. No accusations. Just evidence. He can carry that back to his Raikage."
"And if they don't act?" Jiraiya asked.
"They will." Her voice had no doubt. "Because if they don't, I will."
She continued her voice much softer: "I won't let them take another child from this village. Not through war, shadow or silence."
After a pause.
Tsunade stood up, walking by windows of the office.
Outside, the village bustled—shinobi returning from missions, vendors shouting across streets, children racing beneath rooftops freshly swept of rain.
"I think we should tell him. About Minato. About Kushina. All of it."
Jiraiya didn't answer right away. He looked toward the sky through the window, the Hokage Monument in the distance eyes catching Minato's carved face, casting long shadows across the cliffs.
"I think it would crush him," he said slowly. "Knowing that his father was the Fourth. That his mother.... . That he was the one who sealed the monster in him.
Tsunade nodded thinking, then started.
"I used to think the same… but I believe not telling him might hurt more."
Jiraiya didn't press further he just folded his arms and leaned against the far wall, his mind filled with outcomes possible.
"We'll do it tonight," she said. "Before Kumo's envoy arrives. He deserves to know the truth." Tsunade called out softly, "Shizune."
The door cracked open.
"Yes, Tsunade-sama?"
"Send an ANBU to the Senju compound. Ask Uzumaki Naruto to report to my office."
Shizune blinked, sensing the shift in tone. "Now?"
"Now," Tsunade said. "And make sure he comes alone."
Shizune bowed quickly and left quickly.
Jiraiya stepped toward Minato's photo in Hokage chamber, asking. "You think Naruto's will be ready for what's coming?"
"No." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "But he's always walking towards the right path."
"Just like Minato then," Jiraiya said.
"No," Tsunade said, voice low. "Not like him."
She didn't explain further about what she meant.
And Jiraiya didn't ask.