Chapter 392: A Fatal Illness?
"Hahaha… Sasuke, so you used to cry all the time as a kid? And you said you weren't attached to your brother Itachi at all?"
Naruto pointed at Sasuke, clutching his stomach as he burst into laughter.
"Hmph, unlike someone, I actually have a brother, and you don't," Sasuke shot back.
"Aren't you my brother?" Naruto said, blinking his big eyes.
"…" Sasuke was instantly at a loss for words.
The lively scene made Haneda and Minato, standing nearby, smile unconsciously.
"Kushina, didn't I always say Sasuke is a good kid?" Minato said with a laugh.
Kushina, meanwhile, thought about how Naruto was starting to learn how to pursue girls. Although it wasn't Hinata but Sakura, as long as he wasn't clinging to Sasuke all the time, that was fine by her.
Kushina said, "Haneda's been teaching him well."
Haneda replied, "It's not really my teaching. Those two... well, this is what you call a bond."
"A bond..."
Orochimaru, leaning against the wall, lowered his head as he fiddled with his fingers. It was the kind of behavior he once would have dismissed as a waste of time and life.
But now, it seemed to have meaning.
The meaning of memories.
"A bond… Jiraiya, that little kid reminds me a lot of you when you were young. And Sasuke, I can see a shadow of myself in him. But in the end, we're still different."
Orochimaru snapped his fingers and lifted his head.
"People always change… but maybe, I could return to Konoha, just to see him?"
"Tsunade should be there too, right? I wonder if he's caught up to her yet."
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That afternoon, at a small izakaya.
Jiraiya stepped inside, ordered the house specialty dishes, and set a case of beer under the table.
He glanced at his watch, a gift from Naruto.
Naruto had said Jiraiya's old clothes wouldn't win over Granny Tsunade, so he gave him a modern mechanical watch as a touch of the new era.
Jiraiya's wardrobe had also changed—from his traditional red cloak and brown robes to a sharp, youthful outfit.
After waiting for about three minutes, Tsunade rushed in. Just as she stepped into the izakaya, she turned to glance over her shoulder, as if worried about something.
"What, did you rack up a mountain of debt again? Lose all your money at another casino?"
Jiraiya grabbed a beer from under the table, handed it to Tsunade, and took one for himself.
Tsunade casually took the bottle, popped it open with her hand, and took a big swig.
"Ah, ice-cold beer is the best!"
Tsunade wiped her mouth and gritted her teeth. "The gambling dens have gotten stricter lately. Only legitimate ones are left, and those won't even let me in. Damn that Haneda brat!"
Jiraiya chuckled. "He's just trying to keep you from losing all your money and borrowing from him—or worse, secretly using village funds."
"Do you think I'd do that? My grandfather built this village! I'd never misuse public funds!"
"You didn't deny the borrowing part, though."
Tsunade ignored his remark, grabbed her beer, and took another long swig.
She was, without a doubt, a true powerhouse among women.
Tsunade said, "Fine, I'll just tell you. It's Shizune—she's been keeping a close eye on me. She didn't even want me coming here for drinks this afternoon. She's afraid you'll lead me astray."
"Heh, like I'm the one who taught you to gamble and drink," Jiraiya said, exasperated.
Suddenly, the voices outside grew loud and chaotic.
Tsunade and Jiraiya, both elite shinobi with sharp senses, picked up on an unbelievable piece of news amidst the noise.
The Fifth Hokage of Konoha, the strongest in the ninja world, the God of Shinobi, had been diagnosed with a fatal illness three years ago!
Konoha was offering a reward of 10 billion ryo for a cure! Elder Shikaku had even tearfully declared that anyone who could heal the Hokage would be handed the 10 billion ryo on the spot!
Ten billion!
That was equivalent to the bounty of 33.34 Asumas!
"Haneda, that brat… how is that possible? This must be fake, right?" Tsunade muttered to herself.
She was the best medic in the world and had heard nothing about Haneda being sick.
If Haneda caught so much as a cold, she would've been the first to know.
How could he have a fatal illness?
Was he hiding it from her on purpose?
Jiraiya frowned and said, "Let's confirm the news first. Hey, boss—"
Just as Jiraiya was about to call for the restaurant owner, an unexpected figure stepped inside.
Long black hair, golden snake-like eyes, purple eyeshadow extending down his cheeks, and pale skin.
The name surfaced in both Tsunade and Jiraiya's minds.
Orochimaru!
As elders of Konoha, Tsunade and Jiraiya might not always handle affairs, but they kept tabs on their former comrade.
They knew Orochimaru had been recruited by Haneda after his time with the Akatsuki.
But in all these years, Orochimaru had never sought them out.
Jiraiya had tried visiting Orochimaru before, only to be turned away with excuses about ongoing research.
"What brings you here? Aren't you busy with your pointless experiments?" Jiraiya said, his tone carrying a hint of resentment after being turned down so many times.
"Why wouldn't I come? Heh, it's been a while, Jiraiya. You're still as temperamental as ever," Orochimaru replied.
"And you're still as arrogant as ever!" Jiraiya shot back.
Orochimaru, no longer at an age to banter for the sake of it, remained composed and said:
"You seem confused about the news outside. Did Haneda not inform you, or have you simply been ignoring the village's major events?"
His words made Jiraiya and Tsunade exchange a glance.
Although they were Konoha elders, neither of them paid much attention to daily affairs.
Tsunade at least dumped most of her work on Shizune.
Jiraiya, on the other hand, spent his days doing absolutely nothing.
Orochimaru cast a small soundproofing jutsu over the room and continued:
"Haneda has a bold and daring plan—something most would consider madness.
"He plans to feign illness and death to provoke the other nations into starting a war."
Tsunade couldn't stay seated. She stood up abruptly and exclaimed:
"What's he trying to do? The village has finally stabilized, and the Land of Fire is just beginning to recover!"
Orochimaru replied calmly, "His goal is likely to end the endless cycle of war.
"For this world, perhaps unifying all nations is the only way to achieve peace."
"Heh… Haneda always has his own plans. Bold as they may be, they somehow always succeed."
"And this time, success is inevitable."
Jiraiya asked, "What makes him so confident he can win? Even if he unifies the world, it'll only be temporary.
"Hate will persist, passed down from one generation to the next. That's true of the ninja world and the world at large."
Orochimaru smirked. "I never thought you'd think so deeply about these things. You've surprised me."
"I'm smarter than I look, Orochimaru!" Jiraiya retorted quickly.
"Perhaps," Orochimaru said with a faint smile. Talking to Jiraiya always brought back fond memories of the past, especially their arguments.
Still, Orochimaru didn't forget to remind them:
"Haneda has awakened the Rinnegan—the legendary eyes of the Sage. His ally, Pain, also possesses the Rinnegan.
"With two sets of Rinnegan, victory is inevitable."
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