People speak with purpose, and listeners try to truly understand.
Almost no one can live completely alone; we're all affected by the world around us.
What others say and do changes how we act and even what we think.
After listening to Jiraiya and Sarutobi Ryo, and seeing Mikoto and Inuzuka Tsume as mothers-to-be...
Tsunade couldn't shake a feeling of sadness.
Of course, she didn't want her youth to slip away.
When Dan died, she was only 25, in the prime of her life.
Now, in what felt like a heartbeat, over a decade had passed.
She might not look it, but she was getting older.
She didn't have that many good years left.
She constantly used her Yin Seal to keep her looking young.
But Tsunade was terrified that the day she stopped using the Yin Seal, she would be horrified by her aged reflection.
She grabbed her sake bottle and drained it.
But the worry in her eyes told the real story.
"Heh heh... everyone has their own problems..."
Orochimaru, sensing Tsunade's unease, spoke up.
Even Jiraiya, who always seemed carefree, had worries of his own.
That worry... was about the Child of Prophecy.
At first, Jiraiya believed Namikaze Minato was the chosen one.
Later, seeing Nagato's Rinnegan, he changed his mind.
The fact that Minato didn't become Hokage only strengthened his belief.
Now, Nagato was in Amegakure, working for Hanzo.
If Nagato stays loyal to Amegakure, will it become a major power?
Jiraiya was worried about whether to tell others about Nagato and his Rinnegan; this was what kept him up at night.
Part of him thought Nagato could find the path to peace.
But another part struggled with why the Child of Prophecy wasn't from Konoha.
Jiraiya feared Konoha would one day lose its strength.
The Third Shinobi World War had made this fear very real.
Konoha wasn't the strongest village anymore.
It even needed Amegakure and Sunagakure to fight against Iwagakure.
This decline was obvious, especially compared to Amegakure's rise.
What will happen if this keeps going on?
Jiraiya worried about the Child of Prophecy.
Tsunade worried about finding love while she was still young.
And himself...
Orochimaru stared at the tea in his hand.
What am I worried about? Eternal life. His many labs and secret bases hidden in other countries were still busy with research.
Since cutting ties with Danzo, the experiments were going smoothly, protecting his own future.
All that was left was to keep improving and perfecting the research on eternal life.
Then, nothing can stop me from finding the truth.
So, eternal life wasn't his worry, so what was?
Not becoming Hokage is disappointing.
But with eternal life, he could just wait.
Ten, twenty, thirty years... eventually, it would be his turn.
So, Hokage isn't the real issue. The question is... is there an end to truth?
This was a huge question.
"A man without distant worries must have near sorrows," Tsunade replied to Orochimaru's concern. "Everyone has their troubles."
"Indeed."
The three of them chatted for a while.
Orochimaru stood up and left.
Sarutobi Ryo lifted the curtain and nodded to Orochimaru. After Orochimaru left, Sarutobi Ryo turned back.
This time, I still didn't see any madness or strange emotions in Orochimaru's eyes.
This means Orochimaru probably won't go down the dark path of the original story.
He returned to his seat.
Sarutobi Ryo began discussing important official matters.
These things needed to be discussed with Tsunade personally, since they were under her control.
Jiraiya was bored by the talk of official business.
So he asked, "Sarutobi Ryo, how is your marriage going? When are you going to marry Yamanaka Inoichi's cousin?"
Sarutobi Ryo was now at the age where marriage was expected, just like Minato.
Everyone knew Sarutobi Ryo and Yamanaka Inoichi's cousin, Yamanaka Hui, were childhood sweethearts.
So, they should be getting married soon.
"Hui doesn't want to have children yet, so she decided to wait before getting married..."
Sarutobi Ryo replied.
Just like in the original story, Konohamaru wouldn't be born for another 5 or 6 years.
Yamanaka Hui's plans meant she wouldn't be having children early.
"I see... you shouldn't rush things... having kids can definitely wait..."
Jiraiya nodded in agreement.
After all, he was also the type to marry later in life.
So, he understood Yamanaka Hui's feelings.
But the truth was, that young woman had already decided to marry Sarutobi Ryo.
It's already settled.
There was a big difference between something being settled and something that might never happen.
The Old Man Sarutobi Hiruzen was also very understanding.
Sarutobi Ryo wasn't strict about things either.
That young woman is very lucky.
Jiraiya thought Yamanaka Hui was incredibly fortunate.
"Tsunade, the two of us..." Jiraiya looked at Tsunade, feeling brave from the sake.
"No."
Tsunade didn't even look up as she rejected Jiraiya again.
Shizune nervously smiled, apologizing on the side.
Jiraiya shrugged and left.
Before leaving, he said in a dramatic voice, "Tsunade... I will always be waiting for you..."
He lifted the curtain, feeling very cool, and disappeared.
"Tch..."
Tsunade didn't think much of Jiraiya's show.
But she couldn't help but think that the only person who liked her and wanted to be with her was probably... only Jiraiya.
Only... Jiraiya?
Tsunade glanced at Sarutobi Ryo and saw him staring at her.
His intense gaze made her shiver.
"Shizune, go get me some sake..." Tsunade said casually.
"Uh... Lady Tsunade, the sake is right here," Shizune said, confused, reaching for the bottle on the table.
"I told you to go, so go!"
Tsunade showed her authority, and Shizune quickly agreed, startled.
She knew Princess Tsunade's temper well.
So, she hurried out to find a waiter.
In the small room, with only two people left, Sarutobi Ryo, without any emotion, repeated his offer to Tsunade, "Lady Tsunade, my offer from last time still stands..."
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[T/N:
Latest Chapter translated on Patreon - Chapter 297 (Vol 2 Ch 239) (+116 Chapters Ahead!)
Final Total Power Stone Collection : 266 PS
Goal : Reach +50 Total PS = +2 Bonus Chapters next day! 🚀
Here are the novels I'm currently translating:
-> Naruto Paradise: An Evil Uchiha's Rise
-> One Piece: I'm Destined to Be the Son-in-Law King!
-> Young Master, Please Become Hokage!
Want to support my work and get early access to chapters? Check out my Patreon! 👇
➡️ patreon.com/Boundless_Beacon
]