Arima heard Jiraiya mention Tsunade, so he followed up and said, "Tsunade, huh? I haven't seen her in ages."
The moment Jiraiya heard that, his spirits lifted. "I heard the old man say you're also from the Senju clan. How come I've never seen you before?"
Of course Arima knew exactly what Jiraiya was really thinking, so he replied, "What? Did Lord Third send you here to probe me?"
Jiraiya's skin was thick, and being exposed didn't faze him one bit.
He kept asking anyway, "So according to you, you're a few years older than both me and Tsunade. Look at me, do I look like a proper guy in his fifties?
Then look at yourself, your skin's as smooth as a young girl's. No matter how I see it, you look like someone barely in your early twenties."
Arima laughed. "Then what about Tsunade? How does she look?"
Jiraiya thought for a bit before saying, "She's already at the age of an old lady, but she still looks like she's around twenty-seven or twenty-eight."
Arima shrugged.
"See? She can stay young, why shouldn't I be able to? Besides, the barbecue I make keeps people young and energetic.
After you ate it yesterday, didn't you feel that your tiredness suddenly eased up a lot?"
That actually reminded Jiraiya. He focused for a moment and realized it was exactly as Arima said.
Still unconvinced, he took another big bite of the barbecue, and that sense of mental rejuvenation washed over him again.
This time, Jiraiya finally admitted it. He sighed with deep regret. "If only I'd met you earlier, I could've stayed young too!
And to think that old hag Tsunade has to rely on that Strength of a Hundred Seal to maintain her figure. If she knew someone like you existed, she'd fly back here immediately!"
Arima thought, So this guy really does like Tsunade… Let me ask something else.
He pulled out a bottle of fine liquor and poured a cup for each of them.
Arima downed his drink in one go and sighed, "When I followed my mother, half my life passed in that single departure. I never contacted Tsunade again.
When I returned… I found the village no longer had anyone from the Senju clan."
Hearing his sigh, Jiraiya said quietly, "Tsunade… she's pitiful. She's the only one left supporting the entire clan. Her only little brother also…."
He finished the sentence with a sigh and downed his drink in one breath.
Arima poured again, clinking cups before drinking first.
"I've already read the clan records. That child was Nawaki, right? Truly pitiful."
His words were vague, he didn't specify who he was pitying, but Jiraiya took it as pity for Tsunade.
Jiraiya picked up the thread, drank again, and said, "Isn't that right? And not long after Nawaki died, Dan was killed in battle too."
Arima instinctively asked, "Dan? Kato Dan?"
Jiraiya nodded. He seemed to remember something painful and grabbed the bottle to drink straight from it.
Arima thought, 'So Dan had feelings for Tsunade… I never noticed back then.'
He asked, "Then why did she leave the village? Isn't this place her grandfather poured his life into?"
Jiraiya said with a heavy heart, "You're a Senju, so you should know how talented Tsunade is in medical ninjutsu.
But now she trembles just seeing blood. Staying in the village would only make her suffer more."
Only now did Arima truly piece together Tsunade's current condition. The Tsunade of this world was living a bitter life… and he couldn't help feeling distressed for her.
He simply took out a few more bottles, and the two kept drinking.
Naruto had gone home to rest early, but the adults drank until late at night, emptying every last bottle.
With his physique, Arima barely felt anything from the alcohol, but Jiraiya was already completely dizzy. Arima supported him to a guest room in the back to sleep.
The next morning, Jiraiya woke up early, feeling unbelievably refreshed, better than he'd ever felt.
Arima had removed all harmful substances from the liquor, so even after heavy drinking, there was no hangover.
Jiraiya stretched lazily and walked out of the room.
Arima was busy in the kitchen. When he saw Jiraiya strolling around, he called him over to help move ingredients.
A man shouldn't freeload. Embarrassed to eat and drink without helping, Jiraiya rolled up his sleeves and got to work.
The Anbu watching this scene were dumbfounded. They never imagined one of the legendary Sannin could be so… approachable.
After they worked for a while, it was almost opening time, and Jiraiya even played the role of a waiter for a bit.
When Naruto came running to find him for training, only then did Jiraiya realize he had somehow been roped into doing all that.
While watching over Naruto's chakra control practice, Jiraiya's mind wandered as he reviewed every moment he'd spent with Arima from the previous night until now.
Only then did he notice, Arima seemed to understand him extremely well. And somehow… he listened to Arima without question.
He muttered, "Why do I feel so strange around him…? Like every step is being guided. Just like when I used to face the old man. Arima… who exactly are you?"
At that moment, Naruto's voice cut through his thoughts.
"Huh?" Jiraiya asked. "Naruto, what did you say?"
Naruto repeated excitedly, "Pervy Sage! I'm able to walk on water now! Um… what do I learn next?"
Jiraiya grew serious. "Good. Since you've finished the first stage of training, the next thing this great sage will teach you is, Summoning Jutsu!"
…
Arima had no idea Jiraiya had already written his name in his mental notebook as an important person to watch.
Still, even if Jiraiya kept his eyes glued to him every day, Arima didn't worry. He knew his mischievous student's personality too well, so shaking off Jiraiya would be effortless.
Over the past month, Arima had pieced together the current state of Konoha.
Unlike the world he came from, his granduncle Tobirama had died near the end of the First Shinobi World War.
After that, Hiruzen took up the mantle of Third Hokage, while Danzo secretly formed the Root organization.
As for Koharu, Homura, and Kagami, those three had stepped into the shadows to become members of the Elder Council.
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru became Hiruzen's students, and in their battle with Hanzo of the Rain, they received the title "Legendary Sannin."
But what followed was something Arima struggled to accept.
Nawaki died in the Second Shinobi World War. Grandma Mito passed away shortly afterward, and then Tsunade developed hemophobia.
Kushina became the Nine-Tails jinchuriki and was killed by the Nine-Tails during childbirth twelve years ago.
Nono, became a spy for Root and was personally killed by a kid named Kabuto.
As for Natsuka, that girl's whereabouts were still unknown. Arima hadn't found a chance to leave the village yet.
With the Chunin Exams approaching, he felt the Anbu monitoring him grow in number, making every move increasingly inconvenient.
He sensed a strange tension in the village, many unfamiliar presences were drawing closer to Konoha, giving him the feeling of a storm about to break.
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