"Thank you, Jiraiya-sama, and all three of you."

Matsuyama Koji still showed respect.

Then, he began to complain about the background of Hirakawa Ken.

The man was an old gambler.

However, the Hirakawa family held significant power in the Land of Rivers, and their wealth was not insignificant. But due to Hirakawa Ken's incompetence and his addiction to gambling, Hirakawa Hiro planned to train a new successor.

As a result, in recent years, the money Hirakawa Ken could use for indulgence had been steadily decreasing, and he had accumulated a large amount of debt.

Even the funds meant for transactions with the Hirakawa family had been squandered by him for gambling.

Overall, the conflict was quite serious.

Matsuyama Koji spoke while his eyes suddenly brightened, saying, "Oh, by the way, Jiraiya-sama, since you are leading a team and training Genin now, does that mean you still have time to take on other missions?"

"In theory, yes," Jiraiya replied, starting to guess what his conversation partner was thinking.

It seemed like a request for an additional mission.

Matsuyama Koji quickly leaned in with enthusiasm.

"Well, our family is planning to go to the Land of Waves to do business with someone named Gato. But that man seems to have a large army of samurai there, and we’re worried that he might be up to some shady dealings."

"I’ll take the mission, but you’ll need to make an official request through Konoha first."

Jiraiya immediately gave his confirmation.

The Land of Waves.

There, it’s not only samurai; there might also be some ninjas around.

"I understand, thank you, Jiraiya-sama."

Matsuyama Koji seemed relieved.

Jiraiya smiled, "Oh, Koji-san, there’s one thing I’d like to ask. Has anyone at your casino, or at your friend’s casino, seen a young woman wearing clothing with the 'Gambling' symbol on it?"

"'Gambling' symbol?" Matsuyama Koji frowned.

After thinking for a moment, he immediately became serious and said, "Yes! There was such a person here just yesterday."

"Good, thank you," Jiraiya smiled slightly.

It seemed true. After leaving Konoha, it would make sense for her to visit Tanzuka Town!

He smiled faintly.

"Thank you, Koji-san. I think this mission is done, right?"

"Yes, thank you for your help."

Matsuyama Koji bowed respectfully.

However, he suddenly paused and said, "But, if you’re planning to meet that 'Gambling' woman, would you mind helping us with something small?"

"What?"

Jiraiya had a feeling of what this conversation might lead to...

It wouldn’t end well.

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"She left quite a debt at our casino. Uh, if you meet her, could you help collect the debt? At least get an IOU as proof..." Matsuyama Koji said carefully.

The woman had a reputation as a "big fish" in the industry.

But she was also a symbol of trouble.

"Well, hahahaha, I’ll do my best. I’ll make sure to get the IOU. How much does she owe?"

Jiraiya chuckled lightly.

Who knows how much Tsunade owes?

Paying back the debt anytime soon seemed unlikely.

Matsuyama Koji sighed in relief, "It’s fine, as long as there’s an IOU, I can report it to the family."

"You know, businesses like this aren’t just our family’s alone."

Jiraiya nodded in understanding.

Kurenai, who was behind him, looked at Kyohiko and Kakashi with confusion, hoping for an explanation.

However, they both shook their heads.

Of course, Kyohiko knew that Jiraiya was probably looking for Tsunade, who had left Konoha.

As one of the Sannin, Tsunade was suffering from hemophobia, making it difficult for her to function as a normal ninja. Given her psychological state, leaving the village was a natural choice.

He didn’t expect to bring Tsunade back, but he wondered if there might be any benefits to gain from her.

After all, she was Tsunade!

Even learning a little from her would be a huge gain for him right now.

Kyohiko’s eyes sparkled as he started to think seriously.

Medical ninjutsu...

Konoha had already built a highly developed medical ninja system, so there was no need for him to speak about it.

Other knowledge or techniques might be hard for Tsunade to teach.

As for the Byakugo Regeneration technique...

Maybe Tsunade hadn’t figured it out yet?

Kyohiko pondered.

After thinking through everything, he decided to take things one step at a time and see what opportunities would come his way.

....

Tanzuka Town, a street near the old town of Tanzuka. Jiraiya was looking around and sensing the situation, his expression quite serious.

"Master, who was that person you were asking Matsuyama Koji about?"

Kurenai couldn't help but ask.

Jiraiya glanced at them, then smiled, "Guess."

Kakashi pondered for a moment, then shook his head, "I don't know."

"Is it one of the Three Ninjas? I’ve only heard that she's related to gambling." Kyohiko whispered.

Jiraiya looked at him and then smiled, "You little brat!"

Then, he nodded.

"As I mentioned before, besides the mission, I also wanted to gather some information about Tsunade."

As they walked, Jiraiya continued, "Kyohiko, have you started studying the other nature transformations of the Water Release?"

"I’ve only tried compressing the water flow, I’m not sure if it’s the kind of nature transformation you were referring to," Kyohiko answered.

Jiraiya nodded, "That’s it then."

He couldn't help but sigh.

"Sometimes, I wonder, when the Second Hokage was young, was he like you... He tried compressing the water currents and eventually improved them into the Water Severing Wave."

As he spoke, Jiraiya explained the terrifying power of that ninjutsu.

Nothing can escape its cut!

The deadly power of the Water Release technique.

And then, he casually mentioned the Second Hokage’s achievements.

Kakashi and Kurenai listened intently.

Kyohiko did as well.

But he was more focused on the ninjutsu itself.

"So, does this mean my approach is correct?"

"Compression and concentration are often used techniques in advanced ninjutsu, not just Water Release, but also Fire Release and Lightning Release. For example, the Fourth Raikage’s signature technique, the Four Pillars Hand..."

Jiraiya continued explaining as he walked.

Kakashi seemed to have a sudden realization, his face showing signs of deep thought.

At that moment, Jiraiya suddenly stopped, looking towards a particular direction on the street.

It was a tavern.

From upstairs, a girl’s voice could be heard.

"We don’t have much money left!"

"Ah..."

The voice of Shizune.

Kyohiko immediately recalled the source of the voice.

In his past life, he had a brief period as classmates with Shizune. Afterward, she had left with Tsunade, and he hadn’t seen her again, but her voice seemed unchanged.

"We found her!"

Jiraiya grinned as he looked around—

"Master, I think it would be better to go through the front door. I’ve heard that lady once almost sent you to the hospital."

Kyohiko whispered his suggestion.

Hmm?

This kind of gossip?

Kakashi and Kurenai immediately perked up, their curiosity hard to hide even with their masks.

Jiraiya looked annoyed.

"You little brat, where did you hear that gossip from?"

"My grandmother used to talk about it."

"Damn it!"

Jiraiya, flustered and angry, gave him a playful smack on the head. "Only you know so much!"

However, he followed Kyohiko's suggestion and entered through the front door, carefully making his way to the room where Tsunade was, avoiding any sudden action that might result in a punch to the face.

When Tsunade saw Jiraiya, she wasn’t surprised—they were familiar with each other, and the noise earlier had been enough to give her a sense of who was coming.

"Yo, Jiraiya."

Tsunade leaned against the wall with a bottle of sake in her hand, looking relaxed.

Her presence was undeniably powerful, and her posture only enhanced the awe that others felt in her presence.

Even Kurenai, who was also a woman, couldn’t help but widen her eyes, occasionally glancing down, her face filled with shock.

_____

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