Chapter 77: End of Challenge

As the sun once again began to rise, Tsunade and the others once again stopped to rest for a moment so that they could depart once more.

As they were waiting, Kasume came up and talked to Tsunade once more.

"So, I can guess from what you said earlier that you figured out I'm not simply a client you are supposed to be escorting." Kasume said.

Tsunade simply nodded with a smile, after which she said "That, plus the fact you weren't afraid of the shinobi who came to attack us. That kind of sealed the deal."

Tsunade had lied since she didn't want the fact that she could sense chakra and people through the earth to become known and grow into a weakness for her.

Kasume just rubbed his head as he spoke "Well, even if you know that I'm not simply an ordinary client, I still won't be helping you 3 pass. Though, you might not need much help since we're already getting close to the tower. But I wanted to thank you for what you said last night. It's true, I did suffer the pain of losing people before, however, I got lost in my despair and guilt. It wasn't until I had seen you, a young girl who is only 12 years of age, talk about how you overcame such feelings and can still feel hope today that I finally accepted what happened."

Tsunade smiled at hearing this, happy she was able to inspire him, and said "They probably wouldn't want you feeling that way either. They would hope for you to live in a way that would make them proud."

Kasume agreed with her, after which they departed as a group, with the goal being for them to make it to the tower before the sun set.

And while they did have to stop a few times to deal with some of the beast that appeared or other minor issues, it was nothing that took up too much time.

This allowed them to arrive at the tower right about an hour before the sun set.

They were greeted my shinobi who appeared that guided them into the building, while Kasume undid his transformation jutsu and reverted back to his appearance of a young man in his twenties with light brown hair and dark brown eyes.

Jiraiya was shocked upon seeing him change as he loudly exclaimed "That wasn't your real appearance!!"

Orochimaru on the other hand seemed unbothered by the revelation, showcasing he may have guessed the truth earlier.

Kasume nodded with a smile as he looked at the 3 and said "Sorry for deceiving you, but it was part of my mission. Though, two of you had already figured it out. Either way, I enjoyed spending time with you 3. If you ever need aid in the future, don't hesitate to call me."

Kasume then waved goodbye to the three and left, while they entered into the waiting rooms to be given a room to reside in while awaiting the end of the tournament.

However, just as Tsunade and the others were about to enter their room, a trio of rock shinobi passed by.

Tsunade usually would have ignored this as she would see them again once the next round begin, however, she once again felt the terrifying chakra she had sensed earlier.

She immediately got in a defensive position and turned her head to see a boy with red hair also turning to look at her.

A tense staredown ensued for a few moments, with neither him nor Tsunade moving an inch.

Orochimaru noticed the situation and looked at Tsunade with deep eyes as he asked "Is something wrong, Tsuna?"

Meanwhile, one of the boy's teammates turned around after seeing he hadn't moved and asked him "Aren't you coming, Roshi?"

The boy seemed to weigh his options in his head, after which he turned and left, while Tsunade did the same while a bewildered Orochimaru followed her in and closed the door.

Tsunade immediately placed some seals on the walls of the room before she spoke "Be careful of that boy. I think he's the Jinchuriki of the 4 Tails."

This sentence left both Orochimaru and Jiraiya stunned.

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