Chapter 196: Minato Namikaze? He survived by relying on others

The lights in the izakaya are dim and warm, and the air is filled with the mellow aroma of sake and the burnt fragrance of grilled fish.

Tsunade sat in the corner with a few empty bottles in front of her.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed and her golden twin ponytails fell over her shoulders.

"Another bottle!" She slammed the table hard, her voice sounding a little drunken.

The proprietress nervously brought another bottle of sake and stepped back cautiously.

Tsunade grabbed the bottle and took a big gulp directly from the bottle.

The amber liquid slid down the corners of her mouth and dripped onto the dark green kimono.

"Really? You drank so much again." Jiraiya's voice came from the door, his tall figure blocking the sunlight outside.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, and after seeing who it was, she sneered, "Hey, isn't this Jiraiya? Why didn't you go and spy on the women's bathhouse?"

Jiraiya scratched his head and smiled awkwardly: "Don't say that, Tsunade, I have something serious to discuss with you."

He stepped aside, revealing the blond boy behind him.

Naruto stood there somewhat awkwardly, his blue eyes examining one of the legendary Sannin with curiosity.

"What is this?" Tsunade frowned.

"Uzumaki Naruto, the son of Minato and Kushina." Jiraiya sat down opposite her and took the bottle in front of her and poured himself a glass.

Tsunade's eyes suddenly became extremely sharp, as if they could penetrate a person's soul.

The original slight drunkenness seemed to have subsided a lot in that instant.

She stared at Naruto closely, her sharp eyes seemed to see through him, and she didn't move away for a long time.

After a long while, Tsunade suddenly sneered: "Namikaze Minato's son? Ha, that kid is really lucky."

When Naruto heard this, he was like a cat whose tail was stepped on.

He immediately jumped up and shouted with dissatisfaction on his face: "Hey! What do you mean by this?"

Tsunade was completely indifferent to Naruto's shouting.

She just looked at him coldly and said expressionlessly: "Little ghost, what do you know?!"

Seeing this, Jiraiya quickly reached out and held down the agitated Naruto.

He said to Tsunade with a serious face: "Tsunade, now is not the time to talk about this. The third generation has passed away. The village is now at a critical moment. We need you to go back and take charge of the situation."

He paused, then continued, "Minato is struggling alone now, and Danzo and the two advisors are making things difficult for him. We really need you to go back and take charge."

Tsunade's fingers unconsciously stroked the rim of the wine glass, and her eyes became vague.

She remembered Orochimaru's proposal a few hours ago - that by healing his hands, she could revive Nawaki and Dan.

"I... need to think about it," she said finally.

Naruto couldn't help but interrupt: "What is there to consider? The village needs you!"

Tsunade raised her head suddenly, her eyes as sharp as a knife: "Little devil, what do you know?" Her voice was filled with suppressed anger and pain.

"I lost my brother! I lost my lover!"

Her voice choked, and she grabbed the bottle and took another gulp.

Jiraiya sighed, "Tsunade, I understand your pain. But--"

"You don't understand!" Tsunade suddenly slammed the table, and a crack appeared on the table under her palm.

"No one can understand! You are all alive and well, why do you ask me to go back and face those painful memories?" she roared.

The other guests in the pub were frightened by the sudden noise and paid their bills and left.

The proprietress hid behind the counter and dared not make a sound.

Just then, a small scroll slid out of Tsunade's sleeve, dropped to the ground and unfolded.

Jiraiya saw the contents above with his sharp eyes - it was Orochimaru's contract.

"This is..." Jiraiya's expression became serious, "You have met Orochimaru?"

Tsunade picked up the scroll silently and put it back into her sleeve. Her eyes were complicated and difficult to read: "He promised to revive Rope Tree and Broken..."

"That's a forbidden technique! And Orochimaru can't be trusted!" Jiraiya stood up excitedly,

Naruto looked at Jiraiya, then at Tsunade, completely confused about the situation: "Hey, lecherous sage, what are you talking about?"

Tsunade ignored Naruto and looked directly at Jiraiya, "So what? As long as I can see them again... I'd do anything."

Her voice was soft, but full of unquestionable determination.

For the first time, Jiraiya felt that things were more serious than he had imagined.

"Tsunade, listen to me." Jiraiya softened his tone, "Orochimaru's forbidden technique cannot perfectly revive them. You know better than me what the price of resurrection from the dead is."

Tsunade's fists were clenched tightly, her nails digging into her palms.

Doesn't she understand this truth?

But the pain of missing him has tormented her for too long.

"Moreover," Jiraiya continued, "Minato really needs your help. Danzo has been secretly plotting to seize the position of Hokage. Without the support of someone of sufficient weight, it will be difficult for Minato to keep his position."

Tsunade sneered and said with disdain: "Namikaze Minato? Isn't he the lucky guy who survived only thanks to Sister Yuxi? With his own strength, how can he be qualified to be Hokage?"

Naruto finally couldn't suppress his inner anger and stood up suddenly.

He widened his eyes, glared at Tsunade, and shouted: "Don't you dare say that about my father! He became Hokage with his true strength!"

Seeing this, Tsunade's mockery on her face became even more intense, and she snorted coldly.

She retorted mercilessly: "Strength? You are so naive, little brat! Do you know what happened on the day of the Nine-Tailed Fox Rebellion?"

"Your father almost died in the fierce battle with the Nine-Tailed Fox. If it weren't for Sister Yuxi who arrived in time at the critical moment and severely injured the Nine-Tailed Fox, I'm afraid he and your mother would have died long ago."

After hearing what Tsunade said, Naruto stood there in a daze as if struck by lightning. He had never thought that the truth of the matter would be like this.

For a moment, his mind went blank and he had no idea how to respond.

Jiraiya, who was standing by, saw Tsunade revealing the truth of that year so ruthlessly.

His expression also became solemn, and he quickly explained: "Tsunade, the situation that day was indeed very complicated, Minato has tried his best..."

Tsunade didn't even give Jiraiya a chance to finish his words, she interrupted him rudely.

She continued to sneer, "All your strength? Haha, that's ridiculous! If it weren't for Sister Yuxi's intervention, he and Kushina would have died a long time ago, and you, Uzumaki Naruto, would be an orphan now!"

The atmosphere in the pub froze for a moment.

Naruto stood there in a daze, Tsunade's words echoing in his mind.

He always thought that his parents were heroes, but he never expected that they had also faced life-and-death crises and needed others to save them.

Jiraiya took a deep breath and said, "Tsunade, no matter what happened in the past, Konoha needs you now, Minato needs you, and these children need you even more."

He pointed at Naruto: "Look at him, he is the only bloodline left by Minato and Kushina. Can you bear to watch Konoha fall into chaos and let these children lose their homes?"

Tsunade's eyes fell on Naruto.

The boy's stubborn expression and bright blue eyes really did look a lot like Minato.

She thought of Nawaki and how he dreamed of becoming Hokage.