For some moments, Tsunade kept on staring at the face of her cousin. Now that she stared at him closely, other than that emotionless expression, she could see a distressed look which he was trying to hide.
She lowered her body and placed her hand over his head which he was about to slap away but paused for some reason. Tsunade gently started speaking, "I realise that I haven't been fair to you, Araki. No matter what excuse it is, I had pretty much abandoned you for all these years. I won't be telling you to forgive me so quickly, but all I can say is… just give me time, and I will make it up to you."
After she finished speaking, she got up and was about to leave when Araki grabbed her hand tightly.
Tsunade stared at him with a surprised expression and heard him speak, "I also don't like the fact that I hit you, elder sister. I remember that grandma used to tell me about you when I lived with her. She wanted you to be there with her… I have always heard that you are a great medic. I thought that if you were here, you could have saved her. And if you were here, I never would have to take up such a stressful position… I…" His voice choked with emotion as he stared into Tsunade's eyes with a helpless expression.
Before he could continue further, he was hugged by Tsunade tightly. She kept her eyes closed and slowly patted his head, "I also regret it… I really do. And I am here to make it right again."
For some time, the two continued to hug each other. After the two parted, Araki wiped the few tears from his eyes before a serious look appeared on his face, "Elder Sister, a lot is going on that you aren't aware of. However, you must remember that you cannot trust the Third Hokage blindly."
At those words, Tsunade's eyes widened slightly as she asked him, "What do you mean by that? Did Sensei do something to you?"
Araki paused for some seconds, wondering if he should reveal it to Tsunade or not. This was quite a sensitive information.
In the end, he decided to tell her just a bit and hide the other parts.
"During the Uzushio's Destruction, Konoha didn't send its reinforcements. That's a fact you are aware of. But Elder Sister, the one who sold the pathway to enter Uzushio was also Konoha. Orochimaru, your old comrade, has already confessed that he was ordered by the Third Hokage and Danzo to sell the way to Uzushio to Kumo."
This was something which utterly shocked Tsunade. Although she didn't hold any unique feelings towards Uzushio, she was aware that it was Konoha's Ally. For Konoha to betray Uzushio in such a manner, it did shock her.
She knew her Sensei was quite loyal to Konoha and he wouldn't be above such tactics. But still, hearing it from Araki's mouth dumbfounded her greatly.
She didn't even have any idea if she could trust Araki's word that much. It wasn't that she didn't trust Araki, but she thought that someone might be fooling him.
However, there was also no harm in staying cautious of her sensei. She remembered how her sensei had been adamant in making her return to Konoha. Moreover, he kept on mentioning how she must bring the Senju Clan under control and start the preparations for War. And also to bring Kushina to the Hokage's office so they could think of a method to train with the Kyuubi's chakra.
"I will stay cautious of him." She said with a blank expression, wanting to investigate this information further. And she knew just the right person who could investigate this issue.
Araki noticed that Tsunade wasn't entirely convinced, but it did satisfy him. Entirely convincing her wasn't possible unless she hears it from an even more reliable source. However, he was satisfied that at least he managed to convince Tsunade to remain cautious of that old man for some time.
"Alright, you can go to sleep now," Tsunade said to Araki before rotating her body and moving towards her own room.
Araki also turned his body and went to his own bed.
The next day, Tsunade left the Senju Clan Manor in the morning. It was the time when Araki and Kushina would be doing their exercise, so the two did sense her leaving the Manor but didn't stop her.
Tsunade kept on walking towards the centre of Konoha. Soon enough, she reached her destination.
It was the house of none other than the toad sage, Jiraiya.
She knocked on the door to his house. Jiraiya soon opened the door while rubbing his eyes as he let out a yawn, "Who the heck is here so early in the morning?!" He really was quite annoyed at this person who had come to visit him while he was having such a good dream.
However, his eyes went wide when he noticed the person.
He wondered 'Am I still dreaming? I mean, why would Tsunade-hime appear in front of my house though? Wait…it might be a Genjutsu.'
He tried to control his chakra and felt that everything was alright.
Tsunade noticed that Jiraiya was pretty much dumbfounded and let out a sigh, "Jiraiya, I need your help."
"Yes, hime!" Jiraiya was pretty damn excited knowing that Tsunade wanted his help. Although he faintly remembered their talk when they were drunk, he didn't think it would affect Tsunade that much.
"Alright, come meet me in the Senju Clan's Training Ground. I will explain the situation to you and what I need you to do." Tsunade said to Jiraiya with a serious look.
"I will meet you in 15 minutes," Jiraiya said to Tsunade before he saw her leave the place. He immediately entered into the bath.
Now… Tsunade first entered the Senju Clan Manor and just when she was about to enter the Senju Clan Training Ground, Kushina arrived.
"Wait, Tsunade-sama! You can't go there like this." She called out for her, a little worried about Tsunade. Fortunately, Tsunade hadn't stepped into the training ground.
Tsunade was quite confused why Kushina had appeared and stopped her.
"There are multiple seals on the ground to prevent intruders. The seals might activate if you take the wrong step." Hearing this, Tsunade furrowed her brows. The Senju clan needed to be protected by seals?
She then spoke, "I have called for someone here, though. I need to discuss something with him."
Kushina then called out for one of the Uzumaki Clan Member, "Create clones and disable all the seals."
"Yes, Kushina-sama." The Uzumaki Clan member nodded and immediately created 10 or so clones before he started to disable every seal in the training ground.
"Tsunade-sama, Araki asked me to hear your words. Please don't betray his trust." Kushina seemed to be pleading.
Nodding her head, Tsunade answered Kushina, "I don't plan to betray my family. I may have made stupid decisions before, but I will be sure to correct them in the future."
At that moment, she noticed her grandfather's necklace around Kushina's neck. A faint smile appeared on Tsunade's lips as she understood why Araki bet the necklace with her.
She remembered how that necklace had changed owners… She hoped that this curse wouldn't take Kushina's life now.
Soon enough, Jiraiya arrived at the Senju Clan's Training Ground. He noticed Tsunade was waiting for him near the centre of the training ground.
[A/N: For those who want to read my original novel on A.mazon, you can do so by using the link: bit.do/risingwarriors]