Amayi couldn't tolerate showing any disrespect towards Tsunade, regardless of their position as enemies.
"Fine words."
"Lady Tsunade..."
"All right, Amayi, let me handle this."
The Fourth Raikage couldn't stand it anymore and stepped in front of Amayi, standing resolute before Tsunade.
Looking at the drunken woman before him, one would hardly believe she was the Medical Sage of the Ninja Realm.
But he trusted Amayi's judgment.
If Amayi believed this woman could remove the Explosive Insect planted inside their subordinate Karai by the Nokizaru Group, he had no choice but to ask Tsunade for help with the Hidden Cloud.
"You are..."
Tsunade raised her head to look at the large man standing before her.
"Lady Tsunade, this is our Raikage from the Hidden Cloud,"
Amayi introduced formally to Tsunade.
"A big shot indeed..."
Tsunade spoke flatly, but there was not a hint of fear towards the Raikage in her tone.
Ignoring Tsunade's sarcastic tone, the Fourth Raikage took a deep breath and said, "There's no need for unnecessary words. I want you to heal an injured Hidden Cloud Village Ninja."
"Do you think that's possible?"
Tsunade looked at the Fourth Raikage with boredom.
"Ninjas respect strength and action. Now, prove yourself with it. If I win, you'll agree to heal that Hidden Cloud Village Ninja's injuries. If I lose, I won't bother you again. The words have been said; I'll wait for you in the clearing behind the tavern."
Without waiting for Tsunade to respond, the Fourth Raikage snorted coldly and walked out of the tavern, heading to the clearing behind it to wait for Tsunade and have a bout with her.
"Such a troublesome, reckless brat..."
Tsunade muttered quietly while watching the Fourth Raikage's back.
Still alone, she continued to drink and paid no heed to the Raikage's words.
"Um, Lady Tsunade, aren't you going to meet him?"
Seeing Tsunade had no intention of getting up, Shizune couldn't help but ask.
To be honest, the Raikage's intimidating presence was terrifying.
Just standing there made it hard for anyone to breathe.
On the other hand, she was worried that if Tsunade ended up fighting him, this peaceful little town would be destroyed.
After all, for a ninja of Tsunade's caliber, this kind of place couldn't withstand her full power, leading to significant innocent casualties.
"Shizune, did either of your ears hear me agree to his duel request? It's just his wishful thinking; I haven't agreed to a duel with him at all. Besides, what does the fate of Hidden Cloud Village Ninja have to do with me? Cheers."
As Tsunade spoke with excitement, she poured herself another glass.
"I knew it would be like this..."
Shizune was speechless for a moment.
The Raikage would probably explode with anger when he found out the truth.
◎
In the dark forest outside the town.
The Nokizaru Group's five members stood on the tree branches, gazing at the town's peaceful night scene.
Then, a finger-sized bug suddenly appeared from the air, changing its body color to a black that closely matched the dark night, before landing on the Insect Man's finger.
The black bug emitted faint chirping noises, seemingly conveying some information.
"What's the situation?"
Shadow Man asked.
Insect Man collected the black bug and said calmly, "It's quite coincidental."
"How so?"
"It can be described as a mixed result. The Raikage and his group couldn't remove my Bursting Insect. If there are no unexpected factors, they'll obediently hand over the Secret Jutsu Scroll of Woods Village."
"So, there's an unexpected factor now?"
"Yes. The Tsunade that Hakushi-sama wants to meet is also coincidentally in this small town. The Raikage is seeking Tsunade's help."
The other members understood what Insect Man meant by 'mixed result.'
One of their original goals was also to find Tsunade's whereabouts.
If they coincidentally appeared in this town, it would save them a lot of time searching.
But the problem was the Raikage seeking Tsunade's help, which meant the Bursting Insect's threat to the Raikage was temporarily lost.
Because Konoha had experience dealing with Bursting Insects.
Jiraiya had previously been caught off guard and had a Bursting Insect planted by the Insect Man, hanging on the brink of death, eventually being removed through surgery by Tsunade.
Finding Tsunade was naturally good, but the Raikage meeting with Tsunade was not good news.
Fighting against the Raikage was already extremely challenging.
If they had to face a Sannin as well, the five of them would only end up fleeing.
Though the Bursting Insect was powerful, it wasn't invincible, especially against top-tier Medical Ninjas like Tsunade, which greatly reduced its threat.
"Forget it; the Woods Village affairs don't need to be urgent. Though troublesome, the Raikage couldn't stay with Tsunade indefinitely. During their return to the Hidden Cloud Village, we've multiple chances to take action. Earth Man, connect with Hakushi-sama and inform him of Tsunade's location."
Insect Man thought for a moment; compared to the bounty task, the mission entrusted by Hakushi was more important.
As for bounty tasks, it wasn't about earning bounty money, since no matter the speed at which they gathered bounty money, relative to the Shion Flower Merchants Association's monetary acquiring ability, these bounties were just a drop in the ocean. The most important aspect was information gathering and investigating high-level officials and major merchants of various countries, which were beneficial for military layout.
This was the fundamental goal of the Nokizaru Group's presence in the underground black market.
No matter how high the bounty, it was merely extra income.