Jiraiya greeted the group casually and sat down as if he owned the place. He reached for the wine on the table and poured himself a full cup. Just as he was about to take a sip—
Menma cut in, "Master Jiraiya, I paid for that wine. I also paid for the barbecue."
Jiraiya: "…"
He froze mid-sip for a beat, then laughed. "Don't be so stingy. It's just thirty months of unpaid rent! I'll take on a mission or two and clear it up."
He shrugged and downed the drink anyway, picking up a piece of meat with ease.
"Mmm, delicious~ (`∀´)"
Menma stared blankly. If I were stingy, you'd have been tossed into the street already.
Keep talking and I'll hit you with a Rasengan, see if you're still smiling after that.
Tsunade crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Jiraiya, how can you call yourself an elder when you're freeloading off a kid?"
She gave Menma a subtle wink.
Don't worry, kid. I'll make sure you get paid back—one way or another.
Shizune blushed, quietly shrinking behind Tonton.
Tsunade-sama… aren't you in the same boat?
Jiraiya waved a hand dismissively. "You don't understand. Ever since I came back to Konoha three years ago, the old man's been pushing me to be the Fifth Hokage. I'm buried in paperwork every day. If it weren't for this mission to find you, I'd still be stuck at a desk."
He chomped down another piece of meat. "Besides, Menma here's basically a walking ATM. Every novel he writes becomes a bestseller."
So that's your excuse?!
Menma shot him a glare.
Just admit you're a broke freeloader!
Tsunade turned to him with interest. "You write novels?"
Menma shrugged. "When you return to the village, just go buy one."
"I will! No matter what you write, I'll buy it!" Tsunade patted her chest, full of confidence.
Oh you think it's trash, huh?
Menma didn't bother explaining. He'd let her read it herself. That is… if she ever picked up a book between her gambling and drinking sprees.
Then Tsunade turned to Jiraiya. "So? Why did the old man send you to find me?"
Jiraiya's expression turned serious. He set his chopsticks down and filled her in on everything that had happened recently in the village.
As he spoke, Tsunade's eyes grew distant.
She quietly rose and slipped behind Jiraiya, who didn't notice a thing. Her gaze drifted to Menma when Jiraiya mentioned Kurama—the Nine Tails. Could it be…?
Had this kid truly mastered the Nine Tails at such a young age?
"Hey, kid," she asked, "have you fully controlled the Nine Tails?"
Menma nodded. There was no point hiding it. In this world, the sooner you revealed strength, the more people were forced to respect you.
Mastering Kurama at just six years old was enough to scare any would-be schemers.
Tsunade shifted her gaze to Jiraiya, reading his face.
"What he told you… was it true?"
Jiraiya fell silent.
That silence was her answer.
Fury boiled in Tsunade's chest again.
"Sister Tsunade," Menma said calmly, "you don't have to get angry."
"How can I not?" she snapped. "My grandfather built Konoha with his blood. My entire clan—my family, my lover—they all gave their lives to protect it. And this is what it's become?"
"Is this still the Konoha they dreamed of?"
Her grandfather, Hashirama Senju, had founded Konoha to bring peace, to protect people from the constant bloodshed of war.
And now?
Now it was a place that crushed "dissenters," even if they were its own children.
Menma looked her in the eye. "Which is why you need to go back… and take the Fifth Hokage position. If you don't, this tragedy will just keep repeating."
"As long as the Third Hokage stays in power, nothing will change. He's too soft. He couldn't even stop Danzo when the man openly tried to take his position."
"Fire burns brightest… right before spring," Menma muttered. "You understand what that means."
Tsunade… is the change Konoha needs.
Jiraiya turned to her.
He couldn't be Hokage—not with his restless heart.
But Tsunade? Granddaughter of the First, niece of the Second, student of the Third, one of the Legendary Sannin, and an unrivaled master of medical ninjutsu. She had both the pedigree and the power.
With his support and the Hokage's endorsement, she was the perfect candidate.
Tsunade stared at them both.
Wait, what? Me? Hokage?!
Shizune stood frozen behind her.
Lady Tsunade… Hokage?
Would Konoha become a giant casino? A paradise of bars?
The thought was too horrifying to process.
"I'm not doing it," Tsunade said firmly.
"Why not?" Menma asked. "Konoha was founded by your grandfather. It's his legacy. He dreamed of peace—and he gave everything to protect it. Don't you want to carry on that dream?"
"And what about your brother Nawaki, and your lover Dan? They chased that dream too, didn't they? They were willing to give their lives to protect Konoha and fulfill that vision. Are you just going to throw that away?"
His words hit her like a punch to the gut.
Tsunade clenched her jaw.
Her refusal wasn't about disinterest—it was about pain.
She'd lost Nawaki and Dan to the dream of Hokage. A dream that, to her, had always led to death.
But now, Menma's words painted it in a new light.
Wasn't protecting the dream the best way to honor their sacrifices?
Tsunade didn't answer.
Instead, she picked up her glass, filled it to the brim, and drank in one go.
Then she stood.
"I can't give you an answer right now."
With that, she walked out the door.
Shizune made a move to follow, but Jiraiya stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. He shook his head.
Let her have this moment. Let her think it through alone.
Because no one—not even Jiraiya—could understand the pain in Tsunade's heart.
All he could do now…
Was hope she came back.
(End Of Chapter)
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