Chapter 101: Sugi Village is Really "Lively"

Under the hazy moonlight, in a dilapidated house in a small border town in Sugi Village. The Fourth Raikage's face was terrifyingly dark, and recalling today's actions, his fists clenched. "I was actually ambushed." This time, when they left the village, they had a very clear goal: to seize the secret Ninjutsu of Sugi Village! For things they didn't possess, Kumogakure always adopted the simplest method—seizing them. Whether it was the various small countries, or those reclusive Ninja families, they even dared to act against places like Konoha. Twenty or thirty years ago, they dared to kidnap the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Kushina, because of Konoha's Fuinjutsu. Although they ultimately failed, at least they lost to the future Fourth Hokage. A few years ago, they even dared to seize the Byakugan when Konoha was at its weakest. Even if they were ultimately outsmarted by Konoha, at least they had no psychological burden regarding 'seizing'. This time was no different, except they encountered some trouble. "The Nokizaru Group." Sugi Village seemed to have anticipated their actions, so they hired the Nokizaru Group for defense. As a result, caught unprepared, they were actually counterattacked by the Nokizaru Group. "Nigai was blown up, and Karai was hit by the Nokizaru Group's unique Ninjutsu—Exploding Insect, which is truly terrible." Looking at Amai, who was currently treating Karai, he couldn't help but shake his head. The mission was completed, but it seemed they would lose two subordinates, which greatly displeased him. "How is it? Is there a way?" After a moment of silence, he walked over and asked in a low voice. "I apologize, Lord Raikage, my Medical Ninjutsu is truly powerless." Amai's face showed a troubled expression. He saw the Fourth Raikage's expression darken even further. After a moment of silence, he whispered, "However, perhaps someone can save him, and she's in a nearby small town." "Quick, tell me, who is it!" The Fourth Raikage's eyes lit up upon hearing this news, but the answer Amai gave made his expression change slightly. "It's Tsunade-sama of Konoha. There's no Medical Ninja in this world who can rival her. If we ask her..." Tsunade? The Fourth Raikage didn't mind Amai calling Tsunade 'sama'. As a Medical Ninja, perhaps any village's Medical Ninja would address her that way. After all, she established the Medical Ninja system, and all other villages benefited from it. This was an acknowledged fact in the Ninja World. But Tsunade... "Don't be naive, Amai." Karai looked up, a hint of displeasure in his voice. "Also, don't call Ninja from other villages 'sama'. Konoha and our Kumogakure don't have a good relationship. How could someone from Konoha save me?" "But, you..." "Even if she's willing to save me, I..." Listening to his two subordinates argue, the Fourth Raikage also felt annoyed. He was currently conflicted about what to do. But as he thought, he suddenly remembered his old man, who had single-handedly faced tens of thousands of Iwagakure troops to cover his subordinates. For a moment, his brows furrowed. "Hmph, old man, what you can do, I can do too!" Ignoring his two arguing subordinates, he looked up and gazed outside. He had made his decision now. — — — "Orochimaru-sama, this is..." At the entrance of Sugi Village, Orochimaru was walking into the town with Kimimaro. Under the moonlight, Sugi village was brightly lit, with laughter and playful shouts echoing everywhere. All kinds of drunkards stumbled through the streets, their expressions varying depending on whether they had won or lost money. Kimimaro was not unfamiliar with such scenes. He had seen them many times in the Land of Hot Water, but he wasn't sure why they were here. "Sugi Village is also our destination." Orochimaru said casually, seemingly indifferent to everything before him, as his goal was singular. For him, finding someone was relatively easy, especially since Tsunade didn't try to hide her whereabouts much. Moreover, Tsunade was an avid gambler but always lost, so it wasn't difficult to inquire about this Legendary Sucker. Orochimaru said, "Later, I'll take you to meet someone. That woman was once my teammate." Kimimaro asked, "Teammate? Like Jugo and I?" "...No, perhaps like Jiraiya last time." The bonds between the Three Sannin were indescribable. They had gone their separate ways, and Orochimaru was even annoyed by Jiraiya's presence. But he wouldn't deny their past affection, it was a true friendship, sharing life and death. "Is that so?" Kimimaro's gaze instantly turned cold. That white-haired guy had attacked Orochimaru-sama last time. "Don't make that face. Tsunade doesn't like it, and if she gets angry, even I'll have trouble." Orochimaru smiled and shook his head. Then he carefully surveyed his surroundings before continuing, "Alright, let's go. She hasn't changed much after all these years, but this time..." "We shouldn't encounter anything annoying!" — — — "Hehehehe..." On the streets of the border town in Sugi Village, Jiraiya watched the people coming and going. Seeing the various beautiful women in flashy clothes along the street, a particularly strange smile appeared on his face. "..." Kakashi and Takemi, standing behind him, had deadpan expressions. This wasn't the first time they had seen such a situation. They had seen it countless times on their journey and had given countless warnings. But the truth was, Jiraiya, one of the Three Sannin, simply wouldn't listen to advice, he would always act as he pleased. His unrestrained behavior, no matter how many times they saw it, always made them feel embarrassed. "Takemi, when you came out with Jiraiya-sama last time, was it like this too?" Perhaps unable to bear it any longer, Kakashi lowered his head, hoping no one noticed them. "More or less, even worse than this time." Takemi also spoke with a hint of exasperation. He rubbed his temples, thought for a moment, and then continued, "He told me that regular hot spring inns wouldn't let me in. Only later did I understand what he meant by 'regular'." "..." No wonder Takemi had such a strong obsession, it turned out he was harmed by Jiraiya. Thinking of this, Kakashi felt a slight sense of relief. It had been over a week since they had set out, and all this time he had been worried that Takemi might actually do something messed up. Especially when Jiraiya suggested he transform into the Third Hokage to go to a hot spring, was that really appropriate? Clearly, it wasn't appropriate at all, it was downright embarrassing. Fortunately, although Jiraiya seemed unreliable, he didn't actually take them to any shady places. Even though he acted incredibly embarrassing along the way, he always managed to gather some information, eventually leading them to Sugi Village. The fate of small countries on the Ninja World is generally not good. Except for a very few protected by Great Ninja Villages, and those with exceptionally bad geographical conditions, almost all others have resorted to 'special industries'. Sugi Village and the Land of Hot Water have countless casinos, taverns, and pleasure houses. There were times when Kakashi suspected that Jiraiya's search for Tsunade was fake, and he just wanted to have a good time himself. "Alright, Kakashi-sensei, since we're here, just relax a bit." Seemingly noticing Kakashi's worries and embarrassment, Takemi, with his 'rich experience,' spoke with a smile. "It was similar last time in the Land of Hot Water. Jiraiya-sama has his own unique way of gathering intelligence, so we can just wait for him." "Exactly, Kakashi, you're not even as good as Takemi." At this moment, Jiraiya also walked over, snorting with displeasure. "Do I look that unreliable?" "..."