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

Chapter 373 Jiraiya: After this, I plan to go to Amegakure to scout ahead!

Soon, news of Tsunade's return to the village spread throughout Konoha, even though she hadn't appeared in public for many years.

However, Tsunade's prestige did not diminish. Upon hearing the news of her return, the entire Hidden Leaf Village was filled with jubilation.

A few days later, Hiruzen Sarutobi officially stepped down as the Third Hokage, and Tsunade immediately took office as the Fifth Hokage of Konoha. The Daimyo of the Land of Fire even sent someone to congratulate her, which was a great honor.

The entire village of Konoha was bustling with activity, but Danzo was the only one who was deeply saddened.

In the Hokage's office, Tsunade was talking with Jiraiya.

Jiraiya said he had seven or eight broken ribs, but it was all an act. He's thick-skinned and knows Tsunade's personality very well. He knew he was going to get beaten up, so how could he not be prepared?

Actually, being kicked didn't cause any real injury.

"My mission of bringing you back to the village is complete. Now that you've become the Fifth Hokage, I plan to take Naruto to Mount Myōboku for training," Jiraiya said casually while eating an apple.

"I've only just become Hokage, and I'm in dire need of help right now. Are you leaving already?" Tsunade asked Jiraiya with some dissatisfaction.

Jiraiya laughed and said, "What? You can't bear to part with me?"

However, as soon as he finished speaking, he saw Tsunade's lips twitch a few times, and chakra was already surging from her fists. This made Jiraiya dare not continue to tease Tsunade, and he quickly said, "With this old man here to help you, you should have no problem handling it. There's nothing urgent in the village right now."

"What do you mean there's nothing important?" Tsunade's eyes darkened, and she tossed a document on the table to Jiraiya, saying, "Take a look for yourself."

Jiraiya took the document, glanced at it, and then frowned, saying, "The whereabouts of the Two-Tails Jinchuriki of Kumogakure are unknown? This clothing... is it from Akatsuki?"

"The Fourth Raikage sent people to inquire about the situation. They said that the Two-Tails Jinchuriki of their village was suspected of being kidnapped, and two bodies of this Akatsuki member were found at the scene. Based on the situation at the time, it seems that the Akatsuki was hunting down this Jinchuriki, but they were ultimately intercepted by a third party," Tsunade said.

After a slight pause, Tsunade continued, "I'd never heard of this Akatsuki organization before. My father only told me about it this morning, and that's how I found out they're an S-rank rogue ninja organization. Itachi Uchiha is a current member of Akatsuki, and Orochimaru also used to be involved in it. Do you know anything about it? And about this Spirit Lord thing, you should at least explain that to me, right?"

"That's a long story," Jiraiya said, clicking his tongue.

"I have plenty of time now," Tsunade said in a deep voice.

Seeing this, Jiraiya didn't hide anything and quickly began to recount the information on his side.

About half an hour later, Tsunade finally understood the situation and said, "So, you suspect that the Akatsuki organization is currently very likely based in the Land of Rain?"

"That's right. When I was investigating Orochimaru, I had this suspicion, but I didn't investigate it in depth at the time. Later, Orochimaru invaded the village and used the Impure World Reincarnation technique to summon Hanzo of the Salamander. At that time, I felt that the Akatsuki organization was most likely hiding in the Land of Rain." Jiraiya said with a serious expression.

"I never expected that even Hanzo would..." Tsunade said with a hint of regret.

Hanzo was known as a "demigod" at the time, and the title of the Three Legendary Sannin was actually obtained from Hanzo.

Jiraiya sighed and then said, "My current plan is to send Naruto to Mount Myōboku first, so that he can train there and see if he can master the power of Sage Mode. This way, as a Jinchūriki, he will have better self-defense capabilities. During this time, I can also go to Amegakure to gather intelligence."

"Even Hanzo of the Salamander perished in Amegakure. If it's really as you guessed, and the Akatsuki's headquarters are in Amegakure, then there will undoubtedly be many powerful rogue ninja gathered there. What you're doing is very dangerous!" Tsunade said without hesitation.

"Hahaha, are you worried I'll die there?" Jiraiya asked, laughing heartily.

This time, however, Tsunade didn't speak, but looked at Jiraiya with a serious gaze.

This made Jiraiya a little uncomfortable. He awkwardly scratched his head and then said, "Don't worry, I'm just going to gather some information. There's a high chance we won't be engaging in direct combat."

Seeing that Jiraiya seemed to have made up his mind, Tsunade remained silent for a moment before handing him a scroll and saying, "Take this with you."

"What is this?" Jiraiya asked, taking the scroll with some curiosity.

"The old man gave it to me this morning. It contains the natural energy and chakra of the Spirit Lord you just mentioned. According to the old man, it can be used to cultivate Sage Mode or to summon the Spirit Lord and ask him for help once," Tsunade explained.

"This was obviously left to you by the old man so you could learn sage techniques. Why are you giving it to me?!" Jiraiya asked, puzzled.

"I haven't met that Spirit Lord, but both you and the old man say he's incredibly powerful. As for Sage Arts and such, Lord Slug said I don't have the aptitude for it, so I won't force it. If you go to Amegakure and encounter any danger, use this to ask the Spirit Lord for help once. At least you can save your life, right? That way I'll feel more at ease," Tsunade said to Jiraiya.

Jiraiya initially wanted to refuse, but seeing Tsunade's worried gaze, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to say it. Then, he smiled and said, "Then I'll accept it without hesitation. With this, even if Amegakure truly is a den of dragons and tigers, I can boldly and confidently venture into it!"

After explaining this matter, Tsunade continued, "So, what are your thoughts on what the Hidden Cloud Village said?"

"If Akatsuki failed, then it might really be the Spirit Lord's doing," Jiraiya pondered for a moment, then said, "Based on current information, the Spirit Lord is very interested in the Tailed Beasts. He already has Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast from Sunagakure, and has openly stated that he will take Kurama when needed. That's why I took Naruto away from the village."

"Do you think that doing this will prevent the Spirit Lord from finding him? Or that Mount Myōboku will be a better place to protect him?" Tsunade asked.

"No." Jiraiya shook his head and said, "Although I don't have much evidence to support my statement, I always feel that as long as the Spirit Lord wants to find him, even if I hide Naruto at the ends of the earth, he will definitely be able to find him. The reason I took Naruto away from the village is that I don't want any conflict to break out with the Spirit Lord here, otherwise..."

At this point, Jiraiya looked out the window at Konoha Village.

Before he finished speaking, Tsunade understood what he meant. Jiraiya believed that if a conflict broke out between Konoha and the Spirit Lord, the entire village could very well be destroyed as a result!

After withdrawing his gaze, Jiraiya said, "Mount Myoboku is, after all, one of the three great holy lands, along with Ryuchi Cave. The Spirit Lord might take this sentiment into consideration. Compared to that, Konoha doesn't have this advantage."

"Do the people on Mount Myōboku know what you're thinking?" Tsunade asked.

"I did mention this to the Sage Fukasaku, and he didn't object, nor did the Great Toad Sage intend to stop it," Jiraiya said.

"In that case, let's do as you say," Tsunade nodded.

Then, her expression hesitated for a moment, but quickly, as if she had made up her mind, she took out a scroll from the terrifyingly large valley in her chest and tossed it to Jiraiya, saying, "This is for you too."

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

Feeling the still slightly warm scroll in his hand, Jiraiya's expression became somewhat distracted, and his face flushed slightly.

His appearance infuriated Tsunade so much that she almost punched him a couple of times. Seeing the murderous intent in Tsunade's eyes, Jiraiya composed himself and asked with some confusion, "What is this now?"

"Yin Seal," Tsunade said softly.

Jiraiya was stunned by these words, looking at Tsunade in surprise and asking, "Why are you giving me this technique? Do you want me to learn it and regain my former handsome young man appearance?"

"Idiot, you've never had a time like this, a handsome young man." Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya with disdain, then said, "Didn't you just say that the Spirit Lord was very curious about some secret techniques or forbidden techniques? Orochimaru used that as a sacrifice. He didn't take a liking to your secret techniques, and you don't have any forbidden techniques. As the Hokage, I can't just hand over the rest of the village's forbidden techniques to you. This Yin Seal is a technique I created myself, so it doesn't have any restrictions. You can use it; you might find it useful someday."

"Although I feel a little embarrassed, I will accept this with gratitude since it is your kind gesture. If you return safely from Amegakure without any accidents, I will return both the scroll and this Yin Seal to you intact." Jiraiya said with a smile, then put the scroll into his pocket and kept it close to his body.

Without saying anything more to Tsunade, Jiraiya quickly and gracefully left the Hokage's office.

After leaving the building, Jiraiya saw Kakashi leaning against the wall, looking at Icha Icha Paradise.

"Were you waiting for me?" Jiraiya asked casually.

"That's right, Lord Jiraiya," Kakashi replied, then asked, "Are you taking Naruto away today?"

"Hmm, he should have already packed his things and be waiting for me at the village entrance, right?" Jiraiya replied immediately.

After saying that, he scratched his head a little embarrassedly and said, "I'm really sorry for breaking up your Class 7."

"That'll give me a lot more time to relax. You know I'm not exactly a very driven guy," Kakashi waved his hand dismissively, but then his eyes darkened. "Naruto's fine with you, but I'm still worried about Sasuke."

"Stop, stop, stop. I don't have time to deal with your affairs right now. Tsunade is the Hokage. If you have any thoughts, go talk to her." Jiraiya immediately interrupted Kakashi.

Kakashi sighed slightly, a hint of helplessness in his voice, and said, "I knew it. Well then, I wish you good luck in your martial endeavors."

"Haha, don't worry, nothing will happen." Jiraiya patted Kakashi on the shoulder and then casually left.

Kakashi watched Jiraiya's retreating figure, remained silent for a long time, then turned and walked into the Hokage Building, seemingly preparing to follow Jiraiya's advice and go to the Fifth Hokage to discuss the matter of their Team 7.

Now, he only has Sakura Haruno left, who is an honest girl who doesn't run around. The other two have disappeared. So, Team 7 is basically scrapped, right?

It's not good to continue like this. Let's see what the Fifth Generation has in mind. If it doesn't work, we should just disband his Class 7.

After all, if he really wanted to teach her anything, he didn't have anything to teach Sakura Haruno right now. The two of them were not the same type of ninja at all, okay?

(End of this chapter)