A smile curved Tsunade's lips, radiant and flawless. Her eyes shimmered as if tears were about to spill.
She gazed at Jiraiya with an encouraging yet sorrowful look.
"Jiraiya, take care of yourself."
Stunned, Jiraiya stared back at her. He could see the strain behind her smile, and his heart twisted in agony.
Tsunade… you'll never understand how the whole world is pushing me to betray you!
It hurt—unbearably so!
The wounds he'd taken on the battlefield were nothing compared to this pain now.
I couldn't save humanity. Even protecting the one I love feels impossible!
Why? How did it come to this?
Why can't things work out both ways?
Jiraiya gave a bitter smile, giving Tsunade one final lingering glance.
Guilt, sorrow, heartbreak, regret.
He collapsed inwardly in an instant.
"I just can't make that decision!"
As if all strength had abandoned him, the kunai Tsunade handed him clattered to the ground. Jiraiya fled the scene like a fugitive.
Watching Jiraiya's emotional collapse from Tsunade's perspective, Kaguya found herself thoroughly amused.
Naruto stood rooted to the spot.
He glanced at Jiraiya's defeated, fleeing back, then at Tsunade wiping her eyes, Shizune frowning anxiously nearby, and the pink piglet zoned out in Shizune's arms.
Eventually, his gaze settled on Tsunade.
Hmm... should I try approaching her?
Thinking thus, Naruto carefully edged toward Tsunade.
Tsunade cast him a cold sideways glance, expression normal otherwise, and with a single kick sent him flying dozens of meters away.
With a *whoosh*, Naruto arced gracefully through the air like a beautifully drawn parabola.
"Ouch..."
He groaned, face-down with his butt up, eating grass, covered head to toe in dirt.
Looking back, he glanced once more toward Tsunade's direction.
Her eyes were indifferent, her aura frigid—utterly unlike the fragile, grieving woman she'd seemed moments ago.
Shaking off the dirt, he sprang up in one swift motion and took off immediately, chasing after Jiraiya's lonely silhouette while internally screaming: This woman's mood swings are insane! She's terrifying! Must be some kind of demon! Teacher Jiraiya, you've been tricked! You wasted all your love on her for nothing!
Nine-Tails growled in frustration, "Such a great opportunity wasted! What a useless guy! Kid, promise me you won't act like him—getting carried away because of some woman!"
Still staring blankly at the direction where Jiraiya and Naruto vanished, Tsunade finally turned away after a long pause, murmuring wistfully, "Let's go back."
Although they weren't lovers, they were still friends. Could they really end up confronting each other? Tsunade pondered anxiously.
"Tsunade-sama…" Shizune sensed her unease but didn't know what words might comfort her.
Tsunade shook her head silently, saying nothing.
The two walked quietly along the path.
After watching such an entertaining drama unfold, Kaguya muttered to herself, "So… loving someone really does become their weakness. He loves you so much, why don't you feel the same?"
"…" Tsunade had no reply.
From the way she's talking, could she actually be defending Jiraiya?
"Tsunade, I'm talking to you," Kaguya, who had been ignored, said with clear displeasure.
"Not every story gets a happy ending. Not every wish comes true for both sides. Being moved—can never become love." Tsunade replied coolly before asking, "Kaguya-sama, Jiraiya claims you will destroy humanity..."
"If that's what happens when someone crosses me, then so be it," Kaguya sneered. "Even without that though, you and him are destined to become enemies."
"But I don't want to kill him."
"Aren't you angry at him?"
Tsunade gave a bitter smile. "Kaguya-sama, have you ever even had a friend?"
Kaguya remained silent.
"That's why you'll never get it—even if I explained it plain and simple, you still wouldn't understand. What you couldn't learn in a thousand years, you sure won't learn now." Tsunade sighed lightly.
This tone of hers irritated Kaguya greatly. "Who the hell do you think you are, talking down to me like that?"
Tsunade wasn't some weak woman easily intimidated either. Already in a bad mood, her temper flared up instantly upon hearing those words.
"Right, like I even deserve to talk to you! You're so mighty—you can end me with just a flick of your finger!"
"If you don't want to hear me speak, then just kill me already!"
"Kill me, and whatever you wanted to do with my body can finally happen—so convenient!"
"And how about Hiroki Hyuga? Just kill him too while you're at it!"
"You didn't even try to save him earlier. Tell me, once he wakes up, do you think he'll resent you?"
"If it were me, I definitely would! He'll definitely act out against you, making you even angrier, and suffer an even harsher punishment."
[Seriously, I've been catching up on updates using Wild Fruit Reader lately—multiple sources, customizable TTS voices. Get it at .yeguoyuedu, compatible with both Android and iOS.]
"And then again and again, the same cycle repeats."
"If that's the case, why bother? Why not just kill him now?"
"Meek and obedient—that's what you say about *pets*, not people. If you want us all to obey your every command, go ahead—strip us of our will and leave us as empty husks."
Kaguya clenched her teeth, swallowing her anger with difficulty.
Have they all lost their minds today? One after another trying to piss me off! Hinata was better—she's such a sweet girl.
"Do you think I care whether you agree or not? I make myself happy watching you all suffer!" Kaguya huffed coldly. "No conclusion to worldly matters, huh? Hmph, this *is* the conclusion!"
Tsunade let out a soft breath—half amused, but mostly just deeply exasperated.
Stubbornness is a sickness! And obsessive control freak tendencies? Even worse!
"Kaguya-sama, from my many years as a healer, I must say—you possess definite signs of perversion," Tsunade shot back.
"Still throwing tantrums at fifty?" Kaguya scoffed.
That single light remark reignited Tsunade's fury immediately, a visible square mark popping out on her forehead.
Fifty?! Who rounds age off like that anyway?!
Even assuming she truly *was* fifty, who gave this old hag—living well over a thousand years—the right to talk about age?!
Gritting her teeth furiously, Tsunade decided not to deal with this woman any longer.
Kaguya had no intention of engaging him further.
Everything was fine at first. After exchanging a few words with Tsunade, she suddenly felt a surge of anger again.
Yet when her gaze fell upon Hiroki — the person lying on her lap with his eyes closed — most of her fury faded.
Running her hand gently over Hiroki's forehead, Kaguya leaned down and whispered, "I'll agree to anything you want, okay?"
"…"
Not hearing any response, Kaguya sighed.
Although she had previously claimed — again and again — that he wasn't important, she understood deep inside that it was all thanks to him she could now touch the outside world and had so many people gathered around her.
A thousand years sealed away, cut off from the world entirely — how could she deny feeling lonely? He was like a sudden burst of light in that endless darkness, crashing into her life and reigniting a hope she thought she'd lost forever.
"Would things really turn out exactly as Tsunade said?" Suddenly, she felt uneasy.
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