Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 372 Tsunade: The Temptation of Returning to the Village.

Konoha Village, Land of Fire.

At the village gate, several Jonin were waiting, seemingly to welcome some important figure.

Before long, four figures appeared on the street in the distance.

"You've arrived." Nara Shikaku's eyes lit up. "Lady Tsunade, it's been so many years, but you still look as radiant as ever."

"The little girl she took away back then has grown into a beautiful young woman now," Sarutobi Asuma nodded.

Soon, the four figures arrived at the gates of Konoha. They were Jiraiya, Naruto Uzumaki, Tsunade, and Shizune.

"Lady Tsunade, it's been a long time." Nara Shikaku, as the class representative of the Jonin team, stepped forward and greeted her.

Tsunade's gaze swept over the Jonin, then she grinned and said, "You guys all seem so reliable now."

When she left, these guys weren't exactly children, but they were close enough to be called teenagers. Now, they've all become mature men.

"Alright, let's go into the village first. How is the old man's health?" Jiraiya asked.

Nara Shikaku, sitting opposite him, immediately understood. His expression darkened slightly, and he said with a hint of gloom, "This is not good. Since the peace treaty with Sunagakure was signed, the Third Hokage has been bedridden. Now we are waiting for Lady Tsunade to return and take charge."

Sarutobi Asuma said with some heartache, "I have too many old injuries, and I also used the Reaper Death Seal Technique before. Although I was lucky enough not to have my soul taken away by the Shinigami, but..."

"Is the Third Hokage dying?" Naruto exclaimed in surprise.

Tsunade listened to these words with a somewhat somber expression, and said, "Let's go see the old man first."

Soon, the group walked along the street toward the Sarutobi clan's territory.

On the way, Kakashi looked at Naruto Uzumaki, remained silent for a while, and then said, "Naruto, Sasuke has left the village."

"Hmm?" Naruto asked, somewhat puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Although the village hasn't classified his actions as defection yet, according to the letters he left behind, he chose to go and find Orochimaru's 'undercover agent.' We've tried to contact him many times but haven't been able to," Kakashi said.

"What!?" Naruto Uzumaki exclaimed in surprise, "Why is this happening?"

Meanwhile, in the Sarutobi family's large courtyard.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, that old bastard, was also up to his old tricks, lying on his hospital bed and constantly striking poses, saying, "How about this? Don't I look even weaker?"

The old woman standing in front of his bed complained, holding a face powder, "Don't move around. Your complexion is so rosy, you don't look like someone who's about to die. Here, let me put some powder on you to make your face look paler."

"I've already released as much of my chakra as possible. I was even sweating profusely just now. Isn't that realistic enough?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked hesitantly.

"But that's Tsunade. To be honest, I think your plan is completely unreliable. As a top-tier medical ninja, how could she not see your physical condition? Just wait and see, you two will be exposed the moment you meet," said Koharu Utatane.

"It's just for show, do you think I'd actually die?" Hiruzen Sarutobi grinned at these words and said happily, "Once Tsunade steps through the gates of this village, she won't be able to escape."

Just then, Mitarashi Anko rushed in from outside and said, "Third Hokage, Lady Tsunade has arrived and is coming in."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was startled and quickly lay down on the pillow, pulling the blanket over himself to completely cover his body, leaving only his head sticking out.

Xiaochun, who was sitting next to her, hurriedly packed up the powder box in her hand and hastily lit the incense burner on the table next to her, filling the room with a pungent medicinal smell.

"Quickly, make your expression more sorrowful," Koharu Utatane said to Anko Mitarashi while adjusting her own expression.

"I'm not very good at acting," Mitarashi Anko said stiffly.

Then, footsteps sounded in the hallway outside the door. Nara Shikaku opened the door, glanced inside, and saw that his Hokage was already lying on the bed pretending to be dead. His advisor, Koharu Utatane, nodded to him as well. Nara Shikaku then stepped aside and said, "Lady Tsunade, please come in."

Tsunade smelled the herbs in the room, her expression slightly gloomy. She stepped into the room and immediately saw Hiruzen Sarutobi, who looked very old and was almost bald, lying on the bed with his eyes closed.

The master and disciple hadn't seen each other for many years. In her memory, her teacher, who always seemed to be full of energy like a monkey in a tree, was now lying so sadly on the bed, exuding an aura of decay and old age, which truly saddened Tsunade.

"Teacher," Tsunade called out, her eyes glistening with tears and her voice slightly choked.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, lying on the bed, upon hearing the call, feigned great difficulty in opening his cloudy eyes, and said haltingly as if he couldn't see clearly, "Is that Tsunade?"

"It's me, teacher." Tsunade immediately stepped forward and knelt down in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi's bed.

Seeing Tsunade getting so close, Koharu Utatane subtly took a few steps back.

"You're still so young, you haven't changed at all." Hiruzen Sarutobi said with some emotion as he looked at Tsunade's face.

These words came from the heart, without any trace of acting, which made Tsunade even more upset.

"That traitor Jiraiya is unwilling to take the position of Fifth Hokage, and there are no suitable candidates in the village. I may have to take over soon, but I really can't let go of these things, so I can only send him to find you, Tsunade," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, feigning weakness.

"I understand." Tsunade nodded gently, just about to say something, when she suddenly noticed that although Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was very pale, the skin on his neck was so rosy.

This made Tsunade frown, sensing that something was wrong.

Is the old man about to experience a final burst of lucidity before death?

Upon realizing this, Tsunade was suddenly startled and said, "Teacher, something seems wrong with you. I need to check you out."

Before Hiruzen could react, Tsunade yanked the blanket off him, gathered chakra in her hand, and pressed it directly onto Hiruzen's chest.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression froze, and his previously cloudy eyes became much clearer.

At the same time, Nara Shikaku carefully opened the door behind him and quietly slipped out.

Jiraiya swallowed hard, preparing to run away with them, but just as he retreated to the door, he saw Nara Shikaku with a "good luck to you" expression on his face, and he closed the door without hesitation.

Jiraiya? ??

I haven't even left the house yet!?

The next second, Tsunade's expression turned angry, and her lips twitched as she said, "It seems you really don't have long to live, teacher. Let me see you off on your final journey!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Tsunade clenched her fist, unleashing her monstrous strength, and slammed it down on Hiruzen Sarutobi on the bed.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

Just moments ago, Hiruzen Sarutobi had been half-dead, but he instantly sprang to life. Like a nimble monkey, he sprang from the bed before Tsunade's punch could land, grabbing the ceiling and hanging in mid-air.

Then, Tsunade smashed the solid wood hospital bed to pieces with a single punch. Still not satisfied, she whirled around and glared at Jiraiya, saying, "You bastard, you conspired with the old man to lie to me, didn't you?"

"No, before I left, he really looked like he was about to die. You know about the Reaper Death Seal, right? I was a victim too." Jiraiya waved his hands, trying to explain something.

But Tsunade wouldn't listen. She stepped forward and delivered a powerful kick to Jiraiya's chest, sending him flying. He crashed through the room's walls, through the corridor, and tumbled onto the grass in the courtyard, sliding for more than ten meters before coming to a stop.

Jiraiya, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, clutched his chest and cried, "It's broken! It's broken! I have at least five or six broken ribs. You wretched woman, you're still so violent!"

On the rooftop, Hiruzen Sarutobi, clutching the chandelier, looked at the enraged Tsunade with a flustered expression and said, "Hey, hey, no matter what, I'm still your teacher! You hit Jiraiya, so you can't hit me!"

"How can you be a teacher like this? You lied to me about being about to die. Do you know how I felt coming all this way to see you? You bastard!" Tsunade looked up and pointed at Hiruzen Sarutobi on the roof, yelling at him.

"Even if I'm not dead yet, I don't have many years left to live, do I? Without this method, you would never be able to come back. Before I die, I really want to see you one more time, Tsunade!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said nervously.

His words caused Tsunade to pause slightly in her preparations to beat up and destroy the house.

There may be various reasons, but upon closer examination, the old man's words do indeed make some sense.

Seemingly noticing Tsunade's change in mood, Hiruzen Sarutobi's tone softened as he said, "Couldn't you at least have some consideration for an old man like me?"

"Since you're still not dead, then what kind of Fifth Hokage is this?" Tsunade took a deep breath and glared at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"The doctor said that if I can unload my burdens and live a more relaxed life, I might live a few more years. You felt it just now. Although I'm not in any serious condition now, I am indeed very old, aren't I? Are you, my traitor, going to watch me die from exhaustion in the Hokage's office?" Hiruzen Sarutobi quickly said.

"Tsunade." Koharu Utatane spoke up at this opportune moment, as if she wanted to say something.

However, it was clear that Tsunade didn't give her any face at all, glaring at her fiercely and saying, "What are you doing?!"

The furious look in her eyes made Koharu Utatane swallow hard, forcing a smile as she said, "It's nothing, it's nothing."

Finally, it was Nara Shikaku, who had just fled, who stepped through the broken door and said in a deep voice, "Lady Tsunade, the Third Hokage's health is indeed deteriorating. The village has just ended its war with Sunagakure, and there are still many backlogged matters to resolve. Lord Danzo is ambitious and has tried to interfere in the matter of the next Hokage several times. Now, there is truly no one in the entire village more suitable to become the Fifth Hokage than you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a group of Jonin followed him in, saying in unison, "Lady Tsunade, please accept the position of Fifth Hokage!"

If Danzo weren't here, he would probably be so envious of this scene that he'd grind his teeth in envy.

How much he wished that all the Jonin of Konoha would come together to urge him to take the position!

As Jiraiya said, Tsunade is a cold-faced but warm-hearted person who responds better to kindness than force.

Unlike Jiraiya, who was completely unyielding and would never do something he said he wouldn't do, he was absolutely determined to refuse.

At this moment, being asked by her teacher and pleaded with by a group of Jonin from the village, Tsunade was caught in a dilemma, her expression showing some struggle, her delicate and beautiful face appearing very conflicted.

After a long silence, Tsunade sighed softly and said, "Let me make this clear first, I haven't been back to the village for a long time. If there's anything I haven't done well..."

Once she reassured everyone, smiles appeared on their faces.

Hiruzen Sarutobi chuckled and said, "No problem, I will personally assist and guide you on how to become an excellent Hokage!"

(End of this chapter)