Sarutobi Ryo's words, along with the way he looked at her, made Tsunade feel strangely pressured.
She couldn't quite understand where this feeling came from.
But it was definitely there.
He 's just a kid who used to follow Nawaki around, she thought. How has he become like this?
Looking at his serious face, Tsunade puffed out her chest and snapped, "You think you can come on to me?"
To her, Sarutobi Ryo was still a junior, practically a child.
Saying such bold things felt arrogant and out of place.
Sarutobi Ryo calmly took a sip of tea, completely unfazed. "People change over time, Lord Tsunade. The me you see now is very different from the boy you remember. My time in the Anbu has shown me a side of the world that you haven't experienced..."
He was deliberately trying to pique her interest, hinting that his world was something she knew nothing about.
And if she was willing, he could show it to her.
"As Senior Jiraiya always says, youth waits for no one. Some things, even if you look young, you'll eventually regret not experiencing. It's like an adult looking back on their childhood, missing the joy they once had..."
The past is the past, and time marches on.
The best things in life should be enjoyed at the right time.
It wasn't about looking young forever.
It was about age and how you felt inside.
Tsunade knew exactly what Sarutobi Ryo was talking about.
She didn't have many years left to experience certain things.
Maybe she'd find herself empty and longing for emotions and physical sensations that she should have enjoyed when she was younger.
Regretting it later would only make things worse.
Just like the deaths of Nawaki and Dan, those wounds still stung.
"The world is changing, Lady Tsunade."
Sarutobi Ryo set down his teacup and stood up.
"People don't need to be deeply involved to share certain experiences. You can start and stop whenever you want..."
He was talking about casual relationships, friends with benefits.
"If you're curious, I'll be here. After all, I think I'm the best person for you..."
Tsunade always thought Jiraiya was too much of a flirt.
Orochimaru was a creepy loner obsessed with forbidden techniques, with no interest in women.
Among her friends, Senior Sakumo and the Fourth Hokage were the only options.
But the kind Senior Sakumo was still heartbroken over his dead wife, and she couldn't imagine becoming Kakashi's stepmother.
As for the younger generation… Namikaze Minato and his friends were like children to her. She had watched them grow up.
But Sarutobi Ryo was suggesting...
"I've said all I need to say..."
Sarutobi Ryo turned and walked out, lifting the curtain as he left.
When Shizune returned, she found Tsunade looking uncertain.
"Give it a try, huh..." Tsunade mumbled, holding her wine glass, a spark of curiosity in her eyes.
She was a little curious about how young people were dating these days …
---
A few days later, Iwagakure sent a new envoy.
This time, it was Onoki's son, Kitsuchi.
The meeting place was a neutral area between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers.
This area, a green belt bordering the desert, had been developed by Sunagakure.
Now, this region attracted tourists from all over.
One step forward was the desert, one step back was an oasis, avoiding long trips and blistering heat.
For those who wanted a taste of the exotic but didn't want to venture too far into the Land of Wind, it was perfect.
Sunagakure was great at things like this, attracting lots of money. The Land of Wind's leaders and nobles had invested heavily.
With lots of money flowing in, the area was quickly built up.
The representatives from each village met in a newly built building.
Amegakure sent Yahiko again.
Sunagakure was represented by the Fourth Kazekage, Pakura, who was acting as the host.
Sarutobi Ryo represented Konoha at this meeting.
It was a tense moment, enemies glaring at each other.
Pakura still held a grudge for what he had done to her.
She glared at Sarutobi Ryo, her eyes filled with anger.
But as the Kazekage, she controlled her anger and looked at everyone.
"Welcome, everyone..."
After some polite greetings.
Everyone was treated well.
The Iwagakure ninjas, remembering that Sarutobi Ryo had killed Kitsuchi's brother, were hostile to him.
But Kitsuchi seemed to understand.
In war, people die. Ninjas live and die by the sword.
So he greeted Sarutobi Ryo warmly.
His open-mindedness was greater than Onoki's.
How could someone so reasonable come from a village of stubborn, angry people?
He must have seemed strange to them.
It was like the story of "The Emperor's New Clothes."
When everyone is crazy, the one who isn't must be the crazy one.
That must have been why Onoki didn't choose him to be the next Tsuchikage.
After the greetings, they all sat down.
Maki stood behind Pakura, glancing at Sarutobi Ryo and quickly looking away.
She wasn't as brave as she had been the last time she spoke to him.
The meeting began.
This time, Kitsuchi had a different attitude.
Like in the original story, Iwagakure was starting to admit they couldn't win the war and couldn't conquer the Ninja World.
The only choice was to end the war.
Or at least, turn the war into smaller, private battles.
In the original story, after the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha and Iwagakure only stopped fighting.
Iwagakure didn't become Konoha's friend, and they still had problems.
Only Sunagakure and Amegakure became allies.
Kumogakure and Kirigakure were still enemies.
Kumogakure sent people to talk about peace when Hinata was four years old, proving that things hadn't changed.
So this meeting would probably only lead to a ceasefire.
A ceasefire… but not an end to the fighting. It was a play on words.
Everyone understood that.
With a ceasefire agreement, there wouldn't be any more large battles.
Instead, small teams would fight and kill each other.
Losing a few people was better than losing many, which was something the leaders could accept.
After tense discussions.
Kitsuchi, Iwagakure's representative, made several requests.
Konoha, Sunagakure, and Amegakure agreed to most of them.
But one request was hard to accept.
"We can agree to a ceasefire, but Iwagakure won't pay you any money as compensation..."
Kitsuchi said, looking honest.
They would stop fighting, but they wouldn't pay any money.
*
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[T/N:
Final Total Power Stone Collection : 266 PS
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]