Outside the gates of Konohagakure, Raijin stood with Tsunade, seeing off a group of five who were ready to depart.
These five individuals, even in the era of the five great hidden villages, were capable of carrying out a mission to destroy an entire village.
Unfortunately, their opponents were no less capable of doing the same.
"Everyone, have a safe journey."
"Hmm!"
Hatake Sakumo nodded in response. Though it had been a while since he last went on a mission, the feeling wasn't unfamiliar to him.
As they watched the five ninja leave, Raijin and Tsunade slowly made their way back into Konohagakure.
"I feel both excited and worried..." Tsunade said as they walked.
"They won't find anything. If they do, it'll mean it's time for the final battle," Raijin replied with a light chuckle.
After several rounds of probing, both sides had a good understanding of each other's intentions.
In the days to come, they wouldn't act rashly.
But once they did, it would mean they were fully prepared.
"So, what should we do next?" Tsunade asked Raijin.
"What do you usually do?" Raijin raised an eyebrow, turning the question back to her.
"Eat, drink, and have fun."
Tsunade paused, thought for a moment, and then answered.
"Then let's keep eating, drinking, and having fun," Raijin nodded in agreement.
Raijin knew exactly what Tsunade's daily life was like.
After all, he was part of her "fun."
"Isn't that... a bit inappropriate?" Tsunade blinked, hesitating as she asked.
"Why would it be inappropriate?" Raijin looked puzzled.
"Well, they're out there risking their lives, and we're just relaxing here. It feels..."
Tsunade's face showed a hint of guilt.
"Oh, should we call them back and go on the mission ourselves?" Raijin tucked his hands into his sleeves, lowering his head as he asked quietly.
"But I'd worry about Tatsu and Ryuri," Tsunade shook her head, sounding a bit helpless.
"Then... should we just keep things as they are?" Raijin nodded, asking Tsunade.
"I guess we have no choice," Tsunade sighed, looking resigned.
"Alright."
Raijin nodded and smoothly turned to walk in the opposite direction from Tsunade.
"Where are you going?" Tsunade reached out, grabbing the back of Raijin's collar and pulling him back.
"Me? I was going to see if Namikaze Minato needs any help," Raijin replied calmly, not resisting as he explained.
"Isn't he handling things fine now?"
Tsunade was taken aback and turned to Raijin with a puzzled look.
From what Tsunade knew, Namikaze Minato had shown up at the Hokage's office on the third day, and Raijin had basically retired by then.
The speed at which Raijin handed things over to Minato completely shattered Tsunade's understanding of him.
After all, when Raijin had handed things over to her back in the day, it had taken a full two and a half years.
"Just because he's handling it doesn't mean he should be working nonstop. There's so much to do, and it's exhausting for one person to manage it all."
Raijin shrugged helplessly as he explained to Tsunade.
"You've got a point."
Tsunade nodded, agreeing with Raijin's reasoning.
"Then why don't you just send a shadow clone over? I want you to stay with me today~"
Her grip on the back of Raijin's collar loosened, and her hands somehow found their way around his waist.
Resting her chin on Raijin's shoulder, Tsunade pressed herself against his back.
Her hands, folded over Raijin's stomach, began to slowly drift downward.
"Hiss~"
Feeling the warmth from behind, Raijin's entire body stiffened.
"Uh… Tsunade, here's the thing."
Raijin licked his lips, trying to find the right words.
"So, about the shadow clone… it's true that it could work, but have you thought about this? The fatigue doesn't disappear; it just gets transferred. He's finally gotten a break from all that hard training, and now…"
Raijin turned around in Tsunade's embrace, wrapping his arms around her instead. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "Six o'clock tonight."
Tsunade pursed her lips, a glint of something sharp flashing in her beautiful eyes.
She didn't believe a single word of Raijin's nonsense.
But that was fine…
"Minato works late into the night every day for the village. If I only stay until six, that… doesn't seem quite fair, does it?"
Raijin pressed his forehead against Tsunade's, their eyes locked as he feigned a troubled expression.
"Fine, forget it for today. Tomorrow, we'll go help together. Come on, let's go home."
Tsunade's expression fell, and she pushed Raijin away, grabbing his wrist with one hand.
"Six o'clock, six o'clock."
Raijin quickly reassured her.
"Hmph."
Tsunade glanced up at Raijin, let go of his wrist, and with her hands behind her back, she strolled leisurely back home.
"Heh!"
Watching Tsunade leave, Raijin's face lit up with joy. In a flash, he vanished from the spot.
---
Suisei's House.
"Why aren't you at home with Tsunade? What brings you here?"
Under the scorching sun, Suisei had set up a small tea table at her doorstep.
She was puffing on a cigarette while polishing her heavily scratched long sword.
"Her? Forget it."
With his hands clasped behind his back, the wide sleeves covering nearly half his arms, Raijin walked toward Suisei, his tone dismissive.
"Meanwhile, you seem to be living quite comfortably. Must be nice not having to go on missions."
Most ninjas don't smoke—the smell increases the risk of exposure during ambushes.
Of course, ninjas who do smoke have their own ways of masking the odor.
It's just a bit of a hassle.
"In today's ninja world, do ambushes even matter?"
Suisei scoffed, watching Raijin pour himself tea without any hesitation.
As Suisei spoke, a bit of ash fell onto her clothes.
"Fair point."
Raijin nodded lazily, slouching on the ground.
"So, why are you here?"
Suisei glanced at Raijin and asked again.
"Do I need a reason to come here?"
Raijin looked up at Suisei.
"Just taking a break."
He said softly.
"Tch… married men. I have no respect for you."
Suisei chuckled, looking at Raijin with disdain.
"The joys of marriage—you wouldn't understand."
Raijin shot back with equal disdain, though he wasn't entirely sure what was so great about being married. He just said it anyway.
"Oh, I don't understand? Then why don't you go home?"
Suisei spat out her cigarette and turned to Raijin.
"Married men need breaks too."
Raijin pursed his lips and replied.
"Oh, so now you need a break?"
Suisei tilted her chin up, looking down at Raijin.
"The Senju clan's stamina is just too much."
Raijin clicked his tongue, sounding genuinely troubled.
"I swear…"
Suisei glanced around, gripping her sword tighter.
"Why don't you just drop dead?"
Suisei asked sincerely, clearly puzzled.
"Honestly, over the years, plenty of people have wanted me dead. Too bad they weren't up to the task."
Raijin shrugged, sounding almost regretful.
"Others might not, but Zetsu definitely wants you dead."
Suisei raised an eyebrow, nodding in agreement.
"He can keep dreaming."
Raijin smirked, his tone full of disdain.
"But you can't do anything about him either."
"I've actually been thinking, what if we just let him do what he wants? Let him act as he pleases, and when he feels the time is right, he'll reveal himself..."
"And then you'd be dead."
Suisei raised an eyebrow, cutting Raijin off mid-sentence.
"You're right."
Raijin nodded. That was indeed how things would play out.
If his true strength hadn't been fully revealed, and if he appeared to be just an ordinary jonin in Zetsu's eyes...
How could that even be possible? Strength isn't something you can just hide at will.
After living in a place for so many years, how could he not have people he cared about? And how could he stand by and do nothing if those people were in danger just because he was hiding his strength?
Besides, he had already fought Madara head-on once.
If he didn't kill him then, whose fault was that?
It could only be blamed on his own lack of skill...
But if you really want to talk about skill, Raijin felt he was pretty strong now.
He could dance on the same stage as Madara. What more could he ask for? Still, Suisei had a point. Right now, everyone had a rough idea of each other's capabilities.
The only one whose true nature remained unclear was Jigen.
But one thing was certain: whoever made the first move in the final battle would do so with absolute confidence in their victory.
Wait!
Suddenly, Raijin remembered something.
"The Six-Tails! The Six-Tails could be the key!"
"Why are you so excited?"
Suisei instinctively leaned back.
"The Six-Tails still holds a strong attraction for Uchiha Madara. If we can find the wild Six-Tails, Madara will definitely show up. With Konohagakure's current strength, killing him wouldn't be difficult."
Raijin clenched a fist as he spoke.
"And then what? Do you think Jigen won't make a move during all this?"
Suisei scoffed, curling her lip.
"Whether he does or doesn't isn't important. If I want to kill Uchiha Madara, Jigen won't be able to stop me. Toneri and Kanpei can handle Jigen without any problem."
Raijin shook his head. He had to admit that a triangle was the most stable structure.
But now, Raijin didn't want stability anymore.
Konohagakure knew too little about Jigen.
So, Raijin wanted to shatter that stability completely.
Then, he would force a final battle with Jigen. If they won, everything would be fine.
If they lost, so be it.
Jigen's existence made Raijin deeply anxious.
Raijin didn't know what Jigen's appearance meant, whether he had any connection to the Otsutsuki clan, or if he had any other allies.
And all of this, Raijin could only learn through Jigen.
"If you've made up your mind, then go for it. I support you."
Suisei nodded after hearing this. After all, it's just a matter of life and death. Living like this every day isn't much fun anyway.
You can't even enjoy yourself properly, always feeling on edge.
"Let's take him down."
Raijin looked into the distance, as if he could see Jigen's face right there.
A shadow clone appeared, tasked with informing Hatake Sakumo's team about the change in mission.
---
"Mom, where's Dad?"
Seeing Tsunade return alone, Ryuri asked in surprise.
"Him? He went to work."
Tsunade replied casually.
"Oh."
Ryuri nodded, not saying much more.
In Ryuri's mind, Raijin really was quite busy.
Tsunade didn't stop teaching Ryuri, instead heading straight into the house.
In Tsunade's view, strength isn't something you can force.
Both the Senju and Uchiha clans are blessed by nature.
But even within these clans, there are plenty of average ninjas.
Some even spend their whole lives as genin.
So, talent plays a big role, and there's no need to rush.
After all, even if her children don't go far as ninjas, she can still ensure they live happy lives.
Around two or three in the afternoon, bored out of her mind, Tsunade strolled out of the house with her hands behind her back, ready to drag Uchiha Raijin home.
She headed straight for Uchiha Suisei's house.
Helping Namikaze Minato with official duties? Yeah, right!
"Finished with your duties, Raijin?"
Just as Raijin and Suisei were enjoying tea, Tsunade's voice rang out.
The smile on Raijin's face froze for a split second, but in the next moment, it returned even brighter.
That brief moment of hesitation was perfectly caught by Suisei across from him.
"Ah… I worked for a bit, but I wasn't very good at it, so I came back. On the way, I ran into Suisei, and he insisted on having a couple of cups of tea with me. So, here I am."
Raijin stood up and explained to Tsunade.
"Hmm, that's quite the story. I'll accept it. Let's go home."
Tsunade nodded, acknowledging Suisei with a glance, then waved at Raijin and turned to leave.
"What do you mean 'story'? It's the truth! When have I ever lied to you?"
Raijin pursed his lips and followed Tsunade's steps.
Now… the married man has to get back to work.
Suisei didn't say a word the entire time, just watched the scene with a smile.
If someone were to control me like that…
(End of chapter)
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