Chapter 166: Arrival of the Flower Tree World

The conversation between Tsunade and Jiraiya was loud, and everyone in the tavern could hear it. However, they never expected Konoha's ninjas to be this morally questionable!

Furthermore, one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, apparently had no boundaries at all.

For Konoha, the leading village among the Five Great Ninja Villages, to be in such a state was shocking to them.

Some of the men even threw teasing looks at Tsunade, as if they could somehow catch her attention.

But Tsunade wouldn’t give them a glance. These men were nothing but oddballs and rejects—nothing that could pique her interest.

“Guests, you can’t fight here. If you want to fight, please take it outside,” a shout came from the back kitchen, and a man holding a butcher knife walked out and addressed Jiraiya.

They were all too familiar with ninjas, knowing that a fight was likely about to break out. If their tavern got caught in the crossfire, they'd have no place to cry about their losses.

The only solution was to speak up first and kick both Tsunade and Jiraiya out of the tavern.

As long as they were out, the tavern would be safe.

“Keep staring at me, and I’ll gouge your eyes out!” Tsunade glared at the people around her, picked up the bottle of sake from the table, and headed outside.

Jiraiya’s arrival had completely ruined her mood. She didn’t even feel like drinking anymore! Now, she just wanted to get rid of this guy as soon as possible. No more embarrassment!

“Hey! Tsunade...” Jiraiya was about to follow her but hesitated and decided to pay for her drinks instead. He’d done this sort of thing for Tsunade many times before; whenever she was short on money, she’d call him over to settle the bill.

Paying for Tsunade had become second nature to him. After paying, Jiraiya didn’t continue looking around Tazuna Street but headed straight to an open plain in the wilderness, where he found Tsunade.

“Tsunade, I think I’ve made it pretty clear—I’m not going back to Konoha. There's nothing in Konoha for me to miss, so what’s the point of going back?”

“Besides, why don’t you go back and take the Hokage position? You’re a candidate for the role and have the qualifications to be Hokage.” Tsunade sneered, looking at Jiraiya.

There was a time when Hiruzen Sarutobi considered having Jiraiya succeed him as Hokage, but Jiraiya claimed that he was too used to wandering and wasn’t suited for the position. Instead, he recommended his disciple Minato Namikaze.

But Namikaze's tenure only lasted for a short two years before he was gone! Now, if Jiraiya became the Fifth Hokage, no one would argue.

“Is that the point? Even if you don’t want to be Hokage, Konoha is in danger. Are you just going to stand by and do nothing?”

“Everything happening to Konoha now is because of the Uchiha Clan. And you still want to go back there? What are you thinking?” Jiraiya asked, confused.

He felt that the Tsunade in front of him was strangely unfamiliar, more than ever before. How could Tsunade have changed this much in just a few months?

“Uchiha Reijin? I admire him very much, actually...” Tsunade’s face lifted into a playful expression as she looked at Jiraiya.

She had thought that this would be enough to drive him away, but it turned out Jiraiya was more stubborn than she thought.

“Enough! No matter what’s happened to you, I’m taking you back,” Jiraiya said firmly. “You can’t let yourself be ruined by the Uchiha Clan. You know better than anyone that they’re all crazy. Come back with me.”

Jiraiya's face was grim. What had happened to Tsunade was not his most immediate concern anymore. Once they were back in Konoha, he would help Tsunade heal completely—bring her back to herself.

Bang!

Tsunade stomped her foot lightly, her face darkening. Why was it so hard to get through to this guy?

“I said I don’t want to go back. Do you not understand? Get out of here before I break two of your ribs today!” Tsunade said angrily.

He kept insisting on going back. What was the point of going back to Konoha? Was there even a home for her there?

If she returned, all she would face would be a table full of memorial tablets.

“Even if you break my ribs, I’m taking you back!” Jiraiya responded earnestly.

“...”

Tsunade squinted her eyes, seeing that Jiraiya was serious. This guy might have done some foolish things earlier, but his strength was still undeniable—he could still make a name for himself in the ninja world.

Boom!

At that moment, three people appeared in the air, landing on a boulder next to Tsunade.

“Tsunade, are you alright?” Sengoku looked at Jiraiya and then at the seemingly furious Tsunade and asked. He felt the atmosphere was off!

“Get lost! This is my own fight; don’t interfere,” Tsunade said, shoving Sengoku away without distinguishing between friend and foe. She crossed her arms and coldly looked at Jiraiya.

She hadn’t expected Jiraiya to grow so bold as to want to forcibly take her back to Konoha. Didn’t he know that if he still relied on his old skills, then today she would have to apologize in advance?

“...”

Sengoku gave a slightly awkward laugh! Why were so many people in the Navy so unruly? He hadn’t even had the chance to question Tsunade about their money, but it seemed like money wasn’t the issue anymore. It looked like whatever conversation these two had just had had already broken down. Now, they were on opposing sides, ready to fight.

The three men took a few steps back and stood aside quickly. They wanted to see what a proper ninja battle looked like. According to Tsunade, her fighting style and Uchiha Reijin’s fighting style weren’t standard ninja methods.

After all, they had already surpassed the norm.

“What is this...”

Jiraiya glanced a few more times at Sengoku and his companions, noticing that Sengoku's clothing was remarkably similar to Tsunade's. It seemed that Tsunade had joined this strange group along with this guy. But what exactly was this organization?

"Jiraiya, my companions have come looking for me. So, are you still planning to drag me back to Konoha?" Tsunade asked coldly, glaring at Jiraiya. She couldn't believe that Jiraiya now seemed so indifferent to others' feelings. Did he not understand what kind of place Konoha was? How many painful memories it held for her? Didn't he know why she left Konoha? Now, just for the sake of Konoha's interests, he wanted to forcibly take her back. Since Orochimaru left, this guy had become way too complicated.

"Yes!" Jiraiya nodded seriously, looking at Tsunade. This was his answer, without a doubt. Even if Tsunade didn't agree, he still had to do this.

The two stared at each other. In the next moment, Tsunade and Jiraiya bit their fingers without hesitation. Their hands moved swiftly to form seals, and they slammed them onto the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Boom! A huge cloud of smoke rose up. As a gentle breeze blew it away, one could see both of them standing on top of their massive summoned beasts.

Sengoku and his companions watched the summoned beasts with interest. Although they were gigantic and had an imposing presence, there seemed to be something lacking. They wondered if these creatures had any special abilities that would live up to the title of "Sage."

"This slug seems to be able to talk!" Kuzan remarked in surprise, looking at Tsunade on top of the slug. Soft-bodied creatures like this should communicate using antennae, right? How could it speak like humans? On the sea, he had only ever seen talking Fishmen and Mink Tribe members. Seeing an animal talk like this was new to Kuzan.

"Hmm, it might be some kind of Devil Fruit ability," Sengoku hesitated for a moment before responding. Aside from a Devil Fruit, he couldn't think of any other explanation. Just the fact that this creature could talk was shocking enough.

"Lady Tsunade, where have you been all this time? Even our summoning contract got cut off!" Katsuyu, the slug, looked up at Tsunade with surprise. Tsunade's sudden appearance astonished Katsuyu because she had been trying to perform reverse summonings multiple times but could not contact Tsunade, as if she had disappeared from the shinobi world. Katsuyu had been quite worried.

"We'll talk about that later. First, let's focus on the battle in front of us," Tsunade replied, bending down to pat Katsuyu's back. Katsuyu might learn where she had been this time. After all, Uchiha Reijin had specifically said that he would bring Katsuyu to the pirate world. But... that would have to be explained by Uchiha Reijin himself. Whether he could convince the Katsuyu Sage was up to him.

"Jiraiya, weren't you looking for Tsunade all this time? Why does it seem like you two are about to fight now?" Gamabunta asked, glancing at Tsunade on top of the slug, clearly confused about what Jiraiya was up to. Jiraiya had previously come to Mount Myoboku to ask the Great Toad Sage for any news of Tsunade. How had things come to this point, where they were standing on opposite sides?

"This is complicated. Let's defeat Tsunade first and then talk," Jiraiya replied, his expression conflicted.

"Alright!" Gamabunta responded, drawing his short sword with his eyes narrowing slightly. Jiraiya, without needing any further prompts, quickly infused chakra into his feet to avoid falling off.

Boom! A thunderous crash sounded!

With a slight step, Gamabunta shattered the ground beneath him into countless fragments. The giant toad leaped up, charging straight toward Tsunade. The short sword in his hand gleamed coldly, and his target was none other than the massive slug.

"Leap!" Tsunade jumped lightly into the air, while Katsuyu instantly split into countless smaller slugs, scattering across the ground.

Boom! Gamabunta's massive body landed, and he quickly retracted his short sword. He wasn't fond of fighting against Katsuyu. Battling such an opponent brought him no benefits.

"Bunta, behind you!" Jiraiya suddenly shouted.

Instinctively, Gamabunta jumped up. Just as he did, a stream of acid sprayed onto the spot where he had been standing moments before, immediately corroding it and leaving a horrid mess. If it had hit him, he would've lost at least a layer of skin.

Taking advantage of the situation, Jiraiya leaped into the air, forming hand seals. His white hair fluttered unnaturally, growing longer and wrapping around one of Tsunade's legs in an instant.

"You're asking for it!" Tsunade's eyes glinted with killing intent. She grabbed Jiraiya's hair and yanked him forward forcefully, launching herself into the air. Did Jiraiya really think he could expose such an obvious flaw now?

Cough! Jiraiya's body was dragged through the air like a meteor plummeting to the ground. Coming straight at him was Tsunade's enormous fist, aimed right for his face.

A hint of worry flashed across Jiraiya's face; he didn't dare to bet that Tsunade wouldn't follow through. He felt he couldn't afford to take that chance.

"Rasengan!" A large swirling orb collided with Tsunade's fist mid-air. The two remained locked in a stalemate for a long moment before Jiraiya slowly landed on the ground. By now, he was drenched in sweat.

"Tch!" Tsunade glanced at the wounds on her fist, but they healed within moments. This level of attack had no effect on her whatsoever.

"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!" The moment Jiraiya touched the ground, he immediately formed hand seals, aiming to restrain Katsuyu. Katsuyu was a significant problem, highly mobile and able to split and regroup at will, making it incredibly troublesome to catch. So, he needed to control Katsuyu first.

"Lady Tsunade!" Katsuyu raised her antennae and called out to Tsunade. If the Swamp of the Underworld was used, the terrain would not be suitable for her to fight. They needed to change locations and not battle under Jiraiya's jutsu.

"I got it!" Tsunade returned to Katsuyu's back, understanding her message. However, she didn't plan on leaving! A confident smile spread across her face.

"Wood Release: Advent of a World of Flowering Trees!" Tsunade clasped her hands together, a serious expression on her face.

"What?" Katsuyu was stunned, looking at Tsunade above with disbelief.

"Wood Release?" Jiraiya didn't expect Tsunade to utter that word. Everyone in Konoha knew what Wood Release signified. However, Tsunade hadn't inherited the ability from Hashirama Senju to awaken Wood Release. Hearing this word, Jiraiya's heart nearly stopped.

Rumble! The ground began to tremble. In the midst of the swamp, massive tree branches started to sprout. These branches grew larger and intertwined repeatedly. In the next moment, the growth accelerated, swallowing the entire swamp. Jiraiya reacted quickly, moving nimbly among the trees, not daring to stop for even a second! After all, everyone in Konoha knew the power of Wood Release. Even though he didn't know how much of its potential Tsunade could unleash, he dared not take any chances.

(End of Chapter)