Sage's Resurrection

Chapter 32

Naruto squinted at the lights.

Oh, good, you're awake again. See, this is why Tobirama's always telling you that training with a thousand clones at once is a really bad idea, Hashirama said. You get overwhelmed.

You've been out for about two days, Madara yawned. And with that said, I'm going to bed. Do not bother me for the next twenty-six hours unless you want to be on the blade of my Perfect Susano'o.

"Naruto, are you okay? How are you feeling?" Sayuri asked. "Jiraiya's currently looking for Tsunade right now."

"I'm feeling like I got slapped across the face by a Susano'o, but I'm otherwise feeling okay." Naruto stretched. "I can sense Tsunade from here. If Jiraiya can't do it, I will."

"Say, do you think that you'll be able to convince Tsunade to come back? I thought that she asserted that she'd never come back in a million years."

"I'm pretty confident in my odds. If I can't do it, I just need Hashirama to do it for me."

"Oh. I'd almost forgotten that you could do that. I think that your plan could work, but you're really banking on her being sentimental."

"I think she is. If it doesn't work, psychological warfare is always on the table."

"Fair. So are we just making a beeline to her?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

The two ran across the rooftops and jumped into a bar.

"-I don't care what you say, Jiraiya. I'm not going back to the place which ordered the deaths of my brother and lover. Even if Orochi is trying to blow it up."

"C'mon, Tsunade. Think of all the poor children! And the puppies! What about them?"

"I've always been more of a cat person between the two, but sure, I guess. I still don't care. How many broken people have been created by the shinobi system?" she asked.

Jiraiya turned to the waiter to order more food when he stopped. "You were supposed to stay and watch over Nar-"

"And I did. As you can see, he's fine. You're taking too long."

Naruto motioned for Jiraiya to scoot over, which he did.

"What's so important for Konoha's jinchuriki to be speaking to me face-to-face?"

"Yeah, sure, just call me a monster straight to my face," he muttered. "How do you know?"

"I'm an expert medic. I've worked with enough people to recognise the symptoms of Biju chakra exposure."

"How are you still so haunted by the deaths of your boyfriend and brother?"

Tsunade stilled, and the room quieted. "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly. What did you just say?"

"Is your age getting to you? I asked why you were still so hung up on the deaths of your brother and boyfriend."

Jiraiya's eyes widened.

She glared, and then gulped down more sake. "You're just a brat. You have no idea what it means to lose someone close in your life."

"But I do. I'm not attempting to minimise the pain you must've felt at the time. But it's been over twenty years. You need to move on."

She slammed her fist on the table, cracking it. "I could never forget the pain of losing them! Their deaths were unfair, and I couldn't have saved either of them! Not even as the world's greatest medic, so what's the point of going back? I can't save anyone when it actually matters!" She slammed her fist against the wall, which also cracked.