Tsunade Appears!

After seeing Furen effortlessly learn the Rasengan, a technique Naruto had spent several months mastering, and then hearing Jiraiya refer to Furen as Konoha's number one genius, Naruto couldn't accept it. He was frustrated, determined not to lose, so he went out late into the night to train even harder in his jutsu.

Following Furen's arrival, Jiraiya proposed that they go meet the third of the Sannin—Tsunade. After all, when their master, the Third Hokage, had died, Furen was the one by his side. Moreover, after the Third's death, Furen inherited the summoning contract with the Monkey King Enma, and when Itachi and Kisame attacked Konoha, Jiraiya fought alongside Furen to fend them off.

Jiraiya had a deep appreciation for Furen's immense talent and strength, as well as the fact that Furen embodied the Will of Fire. He wanted to introduce him to Tsunade, not only to see her reaction but also to assess who would become the Fifth Hokage.

"Tsunade… she's just as incredible as they say…"

During the evening meal, Furen couldn't help but stare at Tsunade, licking his lips in admiration.

Her eternally youthful face, paired with a perfect figure, made her desirable to any man. On top of that, her legendary... assets drew even more attention. Even someone as experienced as Furen found it hard to stay composed in front of her.

Tsunade was a must-conquer target.

However, just as Furen predicted, Tsunade wasn't swayed by his appearance—something that worked on most women. For the first time, he noticed that her affection meter didn't budge at all.

"This is going to be a challenge... but that only makes it more fun," Furen thought to himself, smirking.

He understood that tonight Tsunade was struggling with an internal dilemma—whether to use Orochimaru's offer to resurrect her loved ones or not. After a brief introduction and getting familiar with her, Furen decided to take his leave.

"A boy named Furen, huh... he reminds me of Nawaki..." Tsunade murmured as she watched him walk away, her eyes distant with memories.

Although Tsunade had wandered the world for years, she was still aware of the recent chaos in the Land of Fire and in Konoha. Even more so, the fact that her teacher, the Third Hokage, had died in the conflict weighed heavily on her.

"Nawaki was just like that... he wanted to protect the village, and because of that…"

Her eyes welled up with sorrow as she remembered her younger brother, Nawaki, who had died in the war for the village's sake.

Tsunade picked up her cup of sake and drank it in one gulp, hoping to drown the pain of her memories.

"A boy named Furen… just like Nawaki..." she repeated to herself, lost in thought.

As she downed her drink, Jiraiya also took a sip from his cup. However, what Jiraiya didn't realize was that Tsunade had secretly slipped a drug into his drink that would soon leave him completely immobilized for a while.

Just before dawn, Shizune stood in Tsunade's path, blocking her.

"Please, don't go to meet Orochimaru!" Shizune pleaded, fully aware of the promise Orochimaru had made to Tsunade—offering to resurrect the people she wanted to see the most if she agreed to heal him.

"Why won't you say anything? Tsunade-sama, please answer me! Don't remain silent!" Shizune shouted, desperation clear in her voice.

"If... if you're really going to go…" Shizune's voice faltered as she struggled to continue.

"And what would you do?" Tsunade asked, her expression cold and indifferent.

"I'll stop you… even if I have to risk my life!" Shizune responded earnestly, standing firm.

But as soon as the words left her mouth, Tsunade moved in an instant, appearing right in front of Shizune. With a single punch, enhanced by her monstrous strength, she knocked Shizune to the ground.

Without saying another word, Tsunade turned and walked away, leaving Shizune on the ground behind her.

"This is something I need to face alone. It's between me and Orochimaru," Tsunade said, her gaze firm with determination as she disappeared into the night.

Shizune, clutching her stomach, could only watch helplessly as Tsunade left. Once Tsunade was out of sight, Furen appeared from the shadows. He gently picked up the unconscious Shizune and began treating her injuries.

As Shizune slowly regained consciousness, she saw Furen and muttered, "Tsunade-sama... she went to meet Orochimaru alone..."

Furen raised a finger and gently placed it against her lips, signaling for her to remain silent. His hand glowed with a green chakra as he used the Mystical Palm Technique to heal her abdomen. Shizune, never having been this close to a man before, blushed slightly at the intimacy of the moment.

Shizune's affection for you has increased by +5%.

By the time Furen finished treating her injuries, dawn had broken, and the first rays of sunlight were peeking over the horizon.

"Furen, you have to go help Tsunade-sama. She's gone to make a deal with Orochimaru," Shizune explained, revealing the details of Orochimaru's offer to Tsunade.

After hearing Shizune's account, Furen replied, "I'll go find Tsunade-sama. You should return to Jiraiya-sama and seek his help!"

Though Furen's healing had restored her ability to move, the internal damage caused by Tsunade's punch still made it difficult for Shizune to gather enough chakra to fight. Knowing the urgency of the situation, Shizune didn't hesitate. She nodded and quickly set off to find Jiraiya.

Once Shizune had left, Furen turned his gaze eastward, where a powerful chakra fluctuation, mixed with a familiar presence, could be felt.

"Tsunade's chakra… it looks like things have escalated with Orochimaru," Furen muttered to himself as he dashed toward the source of the chakra.

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T/N:

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