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Inside the Rain Country.
The sky was immensely overcast, with torrential rain pounding the ground as if to wash away its impurities.
Located at the Leaf Village base.
"Whoosh!"
Jiraiya suddenly burst into the tent where Tsunade was sleeping, not caring that she was still asleep, and urgently called out to her.
"Tsunade, wake up!"
Tsunade, who had been soundly asleep after drinking, woke up due to Jiraiya's forceful pushing and shouting.
She held her throbbing head, her eyebrows tightly furrowed, and groaned.
"Ugh, my head hurts... You damn guy, Jiraiya!"
Her eyes, slightly drunk and filled with impatience, glanced at Jiraiya, who had woken her up, and she scolded him.
Hearing Tsunade's words, Jiraiya gave a wry smile but did not defend himself.
His expression became slightly serious as he said solemnly,
"Tsunade, did you, Sōsuke, and Orochimaru receive an order from the village to find Sakumo recently?"
As he spoke, Jiraiya closely watched Tsunade's expression, looking for any changes in her demeanor.
However, Tsunade, rubbing her head and showing signs of her hangover, seemed not to have heard his question.
"What did you say!?"
Jiraiya, feeling helpless, repeated his question.
Hearing him again, Tsunade frowned, clearly becoming more distressed after hearing Sōsuke's name.
"You idiot, why would the village issue such an order?" she snapped impatiently at Jiraiya.
"If it's about assigning a mission, wouldn't it be better to use the Anbu?"
Jiraiya's expression darkened upon hearing Tsunade's response, and he asked again to confirm.
Clearly annoyed by his question this time, Tsunade's face turned sour.
If not for her drunken state, she might have punched him away.
Getting a definite answer from Tsunade, Jiraiya stood up with a heavy expression, saying solemnly,
"Tsunade, according to Sakumo, it was you, Orochimaru, and Sōsuke who conveyed the Leaf Village's order to him."
"The content of the order was to infiltrate the Sand Village."
Hearing Jiraiya's words, Tsunade, still gently rubbing her head, looked surprised.
"How could that be possible?" she muttered, her expression stunned.
Clearly, Jiraiya had anticipated Tsunade's reaction and continued solemnly,
"That's what Sakumo said, and I believe him. It's the most plausible reason."
"Otherwise, there's no explanation for why Sakumo would suddenly do something so irrational."
Tsunade's eyes widened in confusion.
"Could it be that Sakumo is trying to shift the blame?"
Jiraiya interrupted her, his face serious, saying solemnly,
"I'm also saddened by Sōsuke's sacrifice, but right now, we need to find the real reason behind his death."
"There's no need for Sakumo to deceive us like this."
Tsunade's face changed slightly, looking troubled as she spoke,
"But if it's not Sakumo, then who could it be that managed to deceive him?"
Jiraiya's face remained grave as he said,
"I don't know either, but the person must be closely related to the Leaf and capable of imitating our behavior so well that even Sakumo didn't notice anything unusual."
"Such a person is terrifying, and I don't know what their real intentions are!"
Hearing Jiraiya's analysis, Tsunade's expression turned cold.
"Bang!"
With a fierce punch, she shattered the table in front of her into small wooden pieces.
"Damn it!"
"I will catch that person! I will avenge Sōsuke!"
Her eyes cold, Tsunade spoke each word with determination.
Jiraiya glanced at her, thinking to himself,
I will do it too, even if it costs my life
I will avenge Sōsuke
However, as the two were contemplating revenge for Sōsuke,
"Swish!"
A Leaf Village ninja suddenly appeared outside the tent, his expression excited.
Despite being drenched in the rain, he stood there, not minding it, and shouted loudly from outside, eager to convey the intelligence he had brought.
"Tsunade, Captain!"
"Urgent news has come from the village!"
Hearing the voice outside, both Jiraiya and Tsunade looked at each other with a slight start.
"Come in," Tsunade said in a deep voice.
With Tsunade's permission, the drenched Leaf Village ninja entered the tent. Seeing Jiraiya there, he paused briefly in surprise, then immediately began to report the news.
With an excited expression, he said, "Captain Tsunade, Captain Sōsuke is still alive. He is currently receiving treatment in the Leaf Village and is safe!"
Hearing his words, both Tsunade and Jiraiya widened their eyes in disbelief.
"What did you say!?"
Seemingly anticipating their reaction, the ninja repeated his previous statement with a secretive smile.
Tsunade's face lit up with joy, the previous melancholy disappearing instantly.
"Great, that's great!" she murmured to herself, filled with happiness.
However, after a moment of joy, Jiraiya suddenly thought of something, and his expression changed. He waved the ninja away and said to Tsunade, who was still overwhelmed by the news, "Tsunade, we haven't confirmed if the Sōsuke in the village is really the Sōsuke we know. Are you sure?"
Jiraiya's words were like a cold splash of water on Tsunade, bringing her back to reality.
She turned to look at Jiraiya, her face softening with a hint of paleness, and stuttered, "It can't be, right? Sōsuke mentioned mastering space-time ninjutsu. He could have really escaped from the Sand Village."
Jiraiya nodded, his expression serious. "It's a strong possibility, but we can't rule out the imposter Sakumo mentioned. I need to return to the village to confirm if this Sōsuke is the one we know."
Hearing his words, Tsunade hesitated for a moment, then resolutely said, "I'm going back too!"
They carefully planned their next steps, deciding to return to the village the next day and also to confirm with Orochimaru about Sakumo's statement.
Meanwhile, in the Leaf Village, in the medical ward.
Sōsuke was examining a large scroll spread out in front of him, showing keen interest in the recorded ninjutsu.
He scanned over the techniques.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu," a very practical technique.
"Illusion of Darkness." Hmm? Is this the same illusion technique used by Himiko? Created by the Second Hokage, Sōsuke thought.
Next.
"Water Release: Hard Vortex Water Blade." Is this an S-rank water technique?
Then.
"Flying Thunder God Technique." Upon seeing this technique, Sōsuke didn't show the same interest as he had told the Third Hokage, despite it being a space-time technique created by the Second Hokage. He merely paused briefly before continuing.
Next.
"Spirit Transformation Technique." Hmm? Was this a technique once mastered by that guy? Quite interesting.
Then.
"Impure World Reincarnation." Initially, Sōsuke wanted to skip this technique, but then he looked back at it.
A technique to revive the souls of the dead?
Thinking this, Sōsuke's eyes flickered with a hint of amusement, his lips curving slightly.
This might be very interesting.