Land of Fire.
Hyuga Gakuya moved alone through the dense forest when Zetsu emerged from the shadows.
"Tsunade is in the town up ahead. She should be in the casino there," Zetsu said, appearing beside him.
"There's intel saying she has hemophobia now. She completely loses her ability to fight the moment she sees blood."
Gakuya frowned. "That complicates things."
He was already aware of Tsunade's condition. Without her fear of blood, he wouldn't have stood a chance against her in her prime.
As a taijutsu specialist, capturing Tsunade would be nearly impossible without some leverage. Coercion and negotiation would be his best bet.
Dressed in a white cloak, Gakuya slowly entered the town. The Akatsuki needed to remain in the shadows for as long as possible.
After asking around, he found the location of the casino. Even from outside, he could hear the chaos within.
Once he stepped inside, his eyes landed immediately on Tsunade, who was loudly shouting at a gambling table—her unmistakable figure was hard to miss.
"Big, big, big!" she yelled, slamming her hand on the table.
When the result came up, Tsunade groaned in frustration.
"Shizune, give me another ten thousand ryo."
Shizune, clutching a small pig in her arms, looked worried. "But, Lady Tsunade… we still need that money for food."
"I'll cover it," Gakuya said, stepping forward and slamming a kunai onto the table. He pointed at the gamblers around them. "I'm betting on everyone here losing their lives. If you don't leave right now, I'll kill every last one of you."
A suffocating aura filled the casino like a wave, freezing the crowd. Even the bouncers and the owner, who were about to intervene, cowered in fear, choosing to watch from afar and silently pray this walking calamity would leave soon.
Other than Tsunade and Shizune, the entire casino cleared out in seconds.
Both women turned to face Gakuya.
"Who the hell are you?" Tsunade asked.
"Name's Gakuya."
"A new ANBU sent by the old man? Forget it. I'm not going back." Tsunade crossed her arms and jabbed a thumb at the casino owner cowering in the corner. "If you're here on his behalf, pay off my debts first. Then tell him to reimburse you."
"I used to be ANBU," Gakuya replied as he pulled out a suitcase and popped it open, revealing stacks of cash. "But not anymore. I'm here to gamble with you."
Tsunade's eyes lit up, her mind quickly estimating at least ten million ryo inside.
"Alright, what are we betting? Fair warning, though—I'm broke."
She snatched the pig from Shizune's arms. "But I can wager this little piggy."
"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune gasped.
Gakuya chuckled. "Cute as it is, I'm not interested in your pet."
"I want you."
Tsunade slammed her fist down on the table, shattering it with a single blow.
"I already told you—I'm not going back to Konoha."
"No rush. I haven't even finished," Gakuya said. "I want your blood."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "You're with Danzō, aren't you?"
Only someone working for Danzō would be after Senju blood.
"I'm not affiliated with Konoha. You can relax." Gakuya nudged the suitcase forward. "This should be enough to keep you living comfortably for a while."
"Not happening." Tsunade's voice wavered slightly, the offer clearly tempting her. But she gritted her teeth, grabbed Shizune, and turned to leave.
That's when four puppets wrapped in white bandages appeared at the entrance, blocking their way.
Without hesitation, Tsunade raised her fist to smash them, but the puppets moved faster—one crushed a blood pack in its hand, sending a spray of crimson across the floor.
At the sight of it, Tsunade's body tensed, her legs buckled, and she collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
Shizune rushed to her, propping her up and trying to push past the puppets.
But they quickly disabled her and "rescued" the now-unconscious Tsunade.
Gakuya walked over, took out two preserved blood packs, and began extracting Tsunade's blood.
"Let her go!" Shizune shouted angrily.
Tsunade grit her teeth but had no strength left. "You bastard…"
"The deal still stands," Gakuya said, sealing the blood. "The money's all yours."
Just as he finished, someone finally arrived—late but not too late.
"Step away from Tsunade!" roared a white-haired ninja, tearing through the puppets and rescuing both Tsunade and Shizune.
Tsunade blinked in disbelief. "Jiraiya!"
Gakuya sealed the blood into a scroll and stood, facing the new arrival. Just as he suspected—it was the ninja from his memories.
"Jiraiya. Shouldn't you be overseeing the war with Iwagakure? What brings you here?"
Jiraiya's eyes narrowed, full of killing intent. "Who are you?"
Gakuya gave him a once-over, intrigued by the legendary shinobi in front of him.
"Hyuga Gakuya," he said with a smirk.
"So it's really you… The one who wiped out the Hyuga clan. Ruthless bastard."
Gakuya chuckled. "You flatter me. I'm still a far cry from the cruelty of Konoha. But to be mentioned by the Third Hokage himself? That's quite an honor."
"If I had the chance, I'd take you on right now. But I don't have time for games."
He leapt into the air, tossing out a scroll. A burst of smoke exploded, revealing a massive puppet eagle. It swooped in and caught him midair, lifting him high into the sky.
"You're not getting away!" Jiraiya shouted, forming a Rasengan in his hand and launching himself after him.
But the puppet eagle was faster—it soared out of reach in a flash.
From above, Gakuya's voice echoed faintly, "Jiraiya, Tsunade… until we meet again."
...
They watched the eagle disappear into the distance, expressions dark.
"Tsunade," Jiraiya said softly. "Come back to Konoha with me. Even if you still don't want to see the old man… you should know by now, what happened back then was all Danzō's doing. The Third was always hesitant, too passive to act decisively. If you return, he'll give you the explanation you deserve."
...
Jiraiya's voice softened even further.
"Besides, it's not safe for you to be out here alone. Now that word's out about your hemophobia… you'll be easy prey."
Just as the words left his mouth, Tsunade's face twitched—then she punched Jiraiya straight into a wall.
"Who the hell are you calling easy prey?!"
Jiraiya peeled himself out of the crater, groaning. "Ow, ow, ow…! So, are you coming back or not?"
"I'm going back. I want to see what explanation the old man has. And if it really was Danzō... I'll beat him to death myself."
"Shizune! Go grab my winnings!"
"Yes, Lady Tsunade."
Shizune stepped around the puddles of blood on the floor and picked up the suitcase full of cash.
"Where'd you get this kind of money?" Jiraiya asked, skeptical. He knew her gambling skills were legendarily terrible—she usually had to borrow from him and Orochimaru.
"None of your business! I won it," Tsunade said, flexing her fist.
Shizune leaned in and whispered behind her, "It's what that guy left behind… said it was payment for the blood."
Tsunade's expression darkened. "Let's not dwell on that." She cleared her throat. "So, what's the story with that Hyuga Gakuya guy?"
Jiraiya explained what he knew—Konoha's theory that Gakuya could absorb bloodline abilities, and how he may have even used the Mangekyō Sharingan back in Kusagakure.
Tsunade blinked. "So… we're talking about a new Senju walking around?"
"Uh… and a Uchiha. And a Hyuga."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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