Tsunade gave him a skeptical look.
Trying to change the subject, Jiraiya glanced at the little girl standing beside her. "By the way, who's this? Your daughter? Why isn't she blonde? She's adorable!"
Tsunade shot back, punching him lightly. "Don't say stupid things! Stay away from Shizune, you pervy toad!" Then, more calmly, she added, "She's Kato's niece. Since he has no family left in Konoha, I thought it best to take her with me," Tsunade explained.
"Kato's niece?" Jiraiya blinked, clearly surprised.
He fell silent for a moment, glancing at shy Shizune hiding behind Tsunade, then back at Tsunade's calm expression. With a sigh tinged with sadness, his face grew serious. "Have you made up your mind? When are you leaving?"
"The day after tomorrow."
"That soon?"
"It's already late. If it weren't for some unfinished business with my clan, I would have left earlier," Tsunade sighed, her eyes briefly clouded with doubt before she smiled again. "By the way, are you planning to buy a house?"
"???"
"Never mind! You're a broke writer, how could you possibly afford a house? Forget it!" Tsunade gave him a playful but disdainful look before falling silent. "You're leaving too? When?"
"This is part of my training! You know I go out from time to time to train. Probably the day after tomorrow as well." Jiraiya patted the books tucked under his arm with a confident smile. "Next time you see me, I'll be a bestselling author!"
"You're off chasing some 'child of destiny' again, aren't you? Orochimaru once said you're just looking for trouble for no reason. Well, whatever, I don't care," Tsunade grumbled. "So where are you headed this time?"
"Destiny will lead me where I need to go!" Jiraiya said mysteriously. Seeing Tsunade raise her fist, he quickly added, "If I can, I'll probably make a trip to the Land of Grass."
"The Land of Grass? That small country that was just rebuilt recently?" Tsunade recalled the Kusa shinobi they had met in the Land of Rain. "What do you plan to do there?"
"What else? Chase my dreams!" Jiraiya lifted his chin, a hopeful sparkle in his eyes as if looking toward a distant horizon. "The war kept me from writing for years, so this time, I'm planning to settle down, really study writing, read more, and think more. Tsunade, I'm telling you, I just ran into a great new literary…"
But before he could finish,
"Forget it! I don't want to hear it!"
"Who knows when we'll meet again!" Tsunade waved him off abruptly, cutting him short. Without looking back, she turned and walked away with Shizune.
"Honestly, I'm not even keen on seeing you. If you're coming to find me, it's probably because there's some huge trouble. So, it's better if we just don't meet!"
Her figure soon faded into the distance, leaving Jiraiya standing there, excitement drained and frozen in place.
As he watched her disappear, a faint smile tugged at his lips. He stayed silent, watching until she was completely out of sight. Then he sighed softly, "I hope you find someone who gives you the strength to keep going, Tsunade."
After that, he stretched comfortably and muttered to himself, "Master Inevitable... what kind of experiences does someone need to write stories that get your blood pumping like that?"
Though he still hadn't figured out exactly who Master Inevitable was, the shop owner had mentioned that the books were signed and brought over from the Land of Grass. So, by Jiraiya's own reasoning, "Master Inevitable has to be in the Land of Grass!"
***
"Achoo!" Charlie rubbed his nose, feeling like someone was whispering about him. But he shrugged it off, after all, plenty of people in the Land of Grass were thinking about him. He lowered his head and went back to reviewing the affairs of the Land of Grass.
The war had only ended recently, and the country was just beginning to rebuild after the Second Great shinobi War. Everything was still in its infancy.
Two recent meetings had outlined the Land of Grass's development plan for the next five years: construction, recruitment, attracting talent, increasing the population, boosting the economy, improving farming and livelihoods, and strengthening the military.
The goal was clear, to become a strong nation.
As for the academy, it was already completed, and the teaching materials were ready. Though the weather was cold, it was almost time for classes to start. But Charlie's gaze lingered on the documents in his hands.
[Haunted Academy Incident! During an investigation, some workers reported hearing strange noises from underground while working, sounds like "poop, poop," mixed with eerie laughter.
The bizarre noises are hard to describe, but many workers claim to have heard them, causing quite a bit of panic. The situation remains unclear, and it's suspected to be a haunting.]
No injuries have been reported, and the strange noises haven't been heard again since then. Charlie paused, thinking it over.
Could it have been a White Zetsu wandering near the construction site, curious and making some noises that the workers happened to catch?
After all, the Kannabi Bridge is located in the Land of Grass, connecting the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire. During the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, Obito was struck by a rock and taken away by a White Zetsu.
At that time, White Zetsu were busy digging tunnels nearby, tunnels that could reach all the way to the Five Great Nations. Honestly, if they had that kind of ability, why bother digging tunnels at all? If they went into logistics, they'd probably be the biggest logistics company in the shinobi world!
But Charlie didn't pay it much mind. He had already brought back Nagato, Lady Fuso's son, so what was a bunch of White Zetsu to worry about? Besides, these White Zetsu were hiding out for their own long-term plan that spanned millennia, they wouldn't risk exposing themselves over something as small as the Land of Grass.
Looking at the mission titled [Black Zetsu: One Last Goodbye to Mother!], Charlie said calmly, "No one is going to stop the children of the Land of Grass from going to Academy."
With that, he marked the file with big, bold characters: [Opening of Academy].
The sky was clear today, with no sign of snow. Though the wind still carried a chill, the sun shone warmly. Nagato had woken up a little earlier than usual but still felt sleepy. "Nagato, it's your first day of Academy, make sure you listen to your teacher and study hard, okay? Don't let your teacher down!" his mother reminded him gently.
"I know, Mom!" Nagato yawned lazily, shouldering his small backpack and smiling at her. "I'll do my best!"
Nagato Uzumaki, after moving to the Land of Grass with his mother, he had started using the Uzumaki name again. Seeing his mother's ever-brightening smile, he couldn't help but smile back.