"Master Tsunade, is this enough?"
After handing the money to Tsunade, Aya asked.
Even though she now held a high position, Aya still felt grateful to Tsunade. During her family's most difficult period, it was Tsunade who had helped them. Without her, they would have struggled to survive.
Even her current job was thanks to Tsunade's recommendation.
"Enough, enough. Thank you very much, Aya, for your help."
Tsunade accepted the money, though she looked a little embarrassed.
Aya was younger than her, which made borrowing money even more awkward.
Leaning in slightly, Aya whispered a warning:
"Master Tsunade, if you're planning to gamble, stay away from the Pent Casino. Even ninjas can't win there."
She had seen too many gamblers ruined by those high-tech gambling tools.
Aya was genuinely worried. If Tsunade gambled against ordinary people, she might still have a chance to win. But against those advanced gambling machines, even a member of the Hyuga Clan with their Byakugan would end up losing everything.
"I'm not going to the casino," Tsunade replied awkwardly. "This money is for my future... my future life in the ninja world."
Lately, it seemed her gambling reputation had spread everywhere—even Aya , who hadn't been in Konoha for long, knew about it.
But this time, Tsunade placed a confident hand on her stomach.
She had made up her mind—she would quit gambling.
At least until her child was born.
"That's fine, but... Master Tsunade, it seems that your IOUs at the casino have been taken by the boss. He's planning to collect them personally. Maybe the amount is too high for him to ignore."
Aya originally intended to slowly help Tsunade pay off her debts using her own money.
After all, once a family reaches a certain level of wealth, earning more becomes meaningless.
But now, the boss had suddenly taken all of Tsunade's IOUs, making it impossible for Aya to step in and settle the debt for her.
"What is that guy planning to do?"
Hearing Aya's words, she suddenly had a bad feeling.
But then, she glanced down at her stomach and smirked.
She had nothing to be afraid of.
If anything, he should be the one afraid.
Before leaving, Tsunade turned back to Aya and warned:
"Aya, don't tell anyone I came to see you. Especially that bastard Kain."
After that, she shifted the conversation, asking Aya about childbirth and pregnancy-related matters.
Even though she was a master of medical ninjutsu, there were still some aspects she was unfamiliar with.
Aya answered her questions, though she found it strange that Tsunade was suddenly asking.
But not long after Tsunade left the Kain Chamber of Commerce, Aya picked up the phone on her desk.
Dialing the assembly number, she spoke into the receiver:
"Please connect me to the boss. I have something important to discuss."
Between the mention of a child and Tsunade's insistence on keeping Kain in the dark, Aya couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
And technically, she wasn't breaking Tsunade's instructions.
She wasn't telling Kain directly.
She was just asking.
A region close to the capital of the Land of Fire—Tsunade walked briskly, eager to leave.
But before she could get far, she ran into someone she absolutely did not want to see.
"Jiraiya, you bastard! How dare you show your face in front of me?!"
Tsunade's rage flared instantly, and her fists tightened.
The last time she saw him, that idiot ran his mouth and sent her to the Shikkotsu Forest to consult Katsuyu.
That's how she found out about the child.
Of course, Jiraiya had nothing to do with it directly.
But his behavior—his constant pestering, his shameless freeloading—was infuriating.
"Wait! Tsunade, I came to talk to you about something serious!"
Jiraiya quickly raised his hands in surrender, hoping to avoid getting punched.
Then, in a lowered voice, he motioned for her to follow him to a more secluded area.
Even though he had used the Transformation Jutsu earlier, there were far too many Kain Chamber of Commerce branches nearby.
It was better to be safe.
"This time, I found one of Kain's secret bases. There are a lot of human experiments and metal puppets inside. That guy is definitely up to something shady. Tsunade, if you—"
Tsunade interrupted with a slight frown.
"Human experiments?"
"That's right," Jiraiya confirmed. "Criminals from all over the Land of Fire are being transported to the Land of Tea, where they're subjected to human experiments."
Seeing Tsunade's expression, he quickly explained everything he had seen.
However, Tsunade's reaction wasn't what he expected.
When she heard that the subjects were criminals, she actually felt relieved.
As a medical ninja, she wasn't exactly fond of human experimentation, but she understood its necessity.
After all, she herself had conducted numerous experiments in an attempt to save Nawaki.
Even her Second Grandfather had done the same.
If these experiments were being conducted on criminals guilty of heinous crimes, Tsunade could accept it.
They were already sentenced to death, so at the very least, they could still contribute to something.
Besides, she had no intention of sneaking into some forbidden base with Jiraiya.
Not with her current position—and certainly not with another life growing inside her.
"I'm not interested," she said flatly. "Don't come to me with this kind of thing."
Then her tone sharpened.
"And Jiraiya—don't forget that you're a rogue ninja. If it weren't for your past ties to Konoha, you would've been hunted down by now. Don't push your luck, you bastard."
Tsunade snapped at him and waved her hand dismissively, preparing to leave.
"Wait a minute, Tsunade!"
Jiraiya called after her, unwilling to let her go so easily.
"This could expose Kain's entire conspiracy! You should know the Great Toad Sage's prophecy—this is as important as the Sage of Six Paths from a thousand years ago!"
But Tsunade didn't even glance back.
"I don't care. Don't bother me with this."
With that, she walked away without hesitation.
No matter how much Jiraiya shouted after her, she didn't slow down or stop.
Jiraiya watched her leave, frowning in confusion.
"Strange... Why is Tsunade so decisive this time?"
Did she just borrow money to gamble?
No... if that were the case, she should have been more curious about this.
The future of the ninja world was far more important than gambling.
But Tsunade barely reacted to what he said—she just left in a hurry.
Could she have something more important to deal with?
"Forget it," he muttered to himself. "Even without Tsunade, I can still handle this. Once I have the evidence, she'll have no choice but to stand on the side of justice."
Shaking his head, Jiraiya turned and disappeared into the distance.
…
"Alright, I got it, Aya. You've made a great contribution this time—Tsunade will never blame you."
With that, Kain ended the call.
The news genuinely surprised him.
Tsunade... pregnant?
Kushina had gone through so much difficulty to conceive, and even Yakushi Nonō had struggled.
But with Tsunade?
One single time—and she was already pregnant.
And yet, she was trying to hide it?
There was no way Kain was going to let her get away with that.
Without hesitation, he used Apparition to teleport directly.
By now, Tsunade had already left the Kain Chamber of Commerce, but if Kain wanted to track her down, it was only a matter of time.
A beautiful woman, carrying a box of money, and exuding immense power—
That was more than enough information for Kain to begin his search.
He extended his senses, collecting all nearby radio waves, then started analyzing and filtering the data to pinpoint her exact location.
However, the more people in the search area, the greater the burden on Kain's mind.
The massive flow of information could be overwhelming.
If he tried this in a city with millions of people, it would be like hundreds of millions of ducks quacking in his ears.
Luckily, Town wasn't densely populated.
"Found her."
After confirming Tsunade's location, Kain transformed into lightning and teleported directly to her.
The next second, as Tsunade was walking, a flash of lightning suddenly illuminated the path ahead—and then, Kain appeared before her.
"You... you—why did you suddenly appear!?"
Tsunade took two steps back, panic flashing in her eyes. The last person she wanted to see right now was Kain.
"Did Aya tell you? That woman... I told her not to say anything."
"She's just worried about you," Kain replied casually. "And judging by your posture, you nearly borrowed from every high-ranking member of the Chamber of Commerce."
Taking two quick steps forward, he grabbed Tsunade's wrist, closing his eyes briefly as he sensed her condition.
A knowing smile crossed his lips.
She's definitely pregnant.
Kain didn't know medical ninjutsu, but radio waves were more effective than any stethoscope.
Realizing she couldn't hide it anymore, Tsunade stopped resisting, letting him hold her wrist.
But her voice remained stubborn and firm.
"This has nothing to do with you. This is a child of the Senju Clan."
Kain shrugged nonchalantly.
"That's fine. Just stop avoiding me from now on."
His calm demeanor only made Tsunade even angrier.
Snatching the box of money, she turned to leave.
"I'm done here. I'm leaving!"
Before she could take two steps, Kain suddenly pulled her into his arms.
The unexpected movement made her heart skip a beat.
Tsunade's instincts screamed at her to break free—but before she could react, she heard his voice right beside her ear.
"It might be a little uncomfortable the first time. Just hold on for a moment."
Before she could process his words—
Kain used Apparition, instantly teleporting them to a courtyard.
It was a secluded estate, one of the many residences Kain had prepared when he first arrived in the Ninja World.
Though it hadn't been used in a while, it was regularly cleaned.
Tsunade staggered slightly, feeling momentarily disoriented from the sudden teleportation.
But she quickly recovered, then turned to glare at Kain with vigilant eyes.
"Why did you bring me here?"
Kain smirked.
"Relax. If you don't like this place, I have other properties in the Land of Fire. Just stop staying in those cheap inns."
Seeing that Tsunade was still tense, Kain took a step closer, his voice carrying a teasing edge.
"Tsunade, with our relationship, do you really need to be this guarded?"
Tsunade snorted, crossing her arms.
"Hmph. You forced me back then. And what about Nonō? And Kushina? Do you even feel guilty!?"
Kain sighed, his tone unusually sincere.
"I do regret what happened. That was my fault."
Then, without warning, he pulled Tsunade into a tight embrace.
His arms wrapped around her, his voice low but firm.
"But Tsunade… are you really going to say it was forced that day?"
Her body stiffened.
Kain leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"Maybe I should help you remember."
"You bastard—!"
Tsunade lifted her fist, ready to punch him across the face—
But before she could even swing, a sudden wave of electricity coursed through her body.
Her breath hitched.
The sensation was strange—a faint but persistent current, teasing her nerves, paralyzing her strength.
"Ah—"
A small, unintentional moan escaped her lips.
She bit down hard on her lip, but it was too late.
Her legs trembled slightly, her fingers instinctively gripping Kain's collar for support.
A deep, intoxicating blush spread across her flawless white cheeks, her usual fearless demeanor crumbling in an instant.
In that moment, Tsunade was no longer the formidable Sannin, but a vulnerable woman caught off guard.
Kain rarely used these kinds of tactics on women.
But with Tsunade's temper, there was no other way to get through to her.
If he wanted to have a proper conversation, he needed to weaken her resistance first.
And right now—
There was no better way than this.
Meanwhile, in Konoha…
Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others had left the village, led by Namikaze Minato.
Noticing that Jiraiya was missing, someone asked:
"Jiraiya, isn't Tsunade supposed to be here?"
Jiraiya let out a deep sigh.
"She had something important to take care of. I couldn't convince her this time."
Then, shaking off his frustration, he forced a smile.
"But I believe in Tsunade. She'll definitely stand on our side… for the future of the Ninja World!"
…
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