I’m Not Naruto, But I Got a Better Bloodline

"Orochimaru-sama, this is…"

At the entrance to Sugi Village, Orochimaru was leading Kimimaro as they walked deeper into town.

Under the moonlight, the village was alive with lights and noise. Laughter and drunken shouting echoed in every direction.

All kinds of drunkards stumbled through the streets—some wore smiles of victory, others grimaced with heavy losses.

Kimimaro wasn't unfamiliar with scenes like this. He'd seen plenty during their time in the Land of Hot Water. What he didn't understand was why they had come here.

"Sugi Village is one of our destinations."

Orochimaru answered offhandedly, paying no attention to the lively chaos around them. After all, he had only one goal in mind.

For someone like him, tracking people down was relatively easy—especially someone like Tsunade, who never bothered to hide her intentions.

Add to that her notorious gambling habit, and the fact that she lost everywhere she went… it didn't take much to locate such an obvious 'fat sheep'.

"In a moment, I'll take you to meet someone. That woman… she used to be one of my teammates."

"A teammate? Like Jūgo and me?"

"…No. Maybe more like that last one—Jiraiya."

The bond between the Sannin was hard to explain. Even though they had each gone their own way—and even though Orochimaru found Jiraiya irritating—

He would never deny the connection they once shared. It had been true camaraderie forged through life and death.

"I see…"

Kimimaro's eyes instantly turned cold. That white-haired man from last time had actually dared to attack Orochimaru-sama!

"Don't make that face. Tsunade doesn't like it. And if she gets angry, even I won't be able to do much."

Orochimaru chuckled and shook his head. Then, after taking a careful look around, he continued. "Come. Let's go. So many years have passed, but she really hasn't changed much. Though this time…"

"We probably won't run into anything troublesome from here on out!"

...

"Hehehehe…"

On the streets of the border town, Sugi Village, Jiraiya glanced around at the bustling crowd.

Bathed in the warm glow of street lanterns, the sidewalks were lined with all kinds of flamboyantly dressed, beautiful women—and a strange smile crept across his face.

"…"

Behind him, both Kakashi and Kitagawa Gen had the same dead-eyed expression. Though, truthfully, this kind of situation was nothing new.

They had witnessed it countless times along the way, and had warned him just as many.

But it was all in vain. As one of the 'Sannin', Jiraiya had never listened to anyone. He always did as he pleased.

That utterly shameless behavior—it was embarrassing no matter how many times they saw it.

"Gen, was it the same when you came out with Jiraiya-sama last time?"

Maybe it was just too much to take. Kakashi lowered his head, hoping no one would recognize them.

"More or less. Actually… it might've been worse."

Gen replied with a slightly helpless tone. Rubbing his brow, he paused to recall the memory.

"He told me straight up that I wouldn't be allowed into the 'proper' hot spring inns. Later on, I finally figured out what he meant by 'proper.'"

"…"

No wonder the kid was so obsessed—it was all Jiraiya's fault!

With that thought, Kakashi let out a subtle sigh of relief.

It had been over a week since they left the village, and the whole time he had been worried Gen might get pulled into something inappropriate.

Especially after Jiraiya suggested he use a Transformation Jutsu to take on the appearance of the Third Hokage just to sneak into a hot spring—that was definitely crossing a line!

Clearly, it wasn't appropriate at all. It was just… disgraceful.

Fortunately, for all his unreliability, Jiraiya hadn't actually dragged them anywhere too outrageous.

Despite all the public embarrassment, he somehow managed to gather bits of intel here and there, and had eventually led them straight to Sugi Village.

For the smaller nations on the Shinobi Continent, life rarely turned out well.

Except for the few with a hidden village to protect them—or those in such terrible geographic conditions that no one wanted them—most ended up turning to 'specialty industries'.

Much like the Land of Hot Water, Sugi Village was a chaotic mix of people. Gambling dens, taverns, and adult entertainment venues were everywhere.

Sometimes, Kakashi honestly wondered if this whole 'looking for Tsunade' thing was just a front—maybe Jiraiya just wanted an excuse to party.

"Come on, Kakashi-sensei. We're already here. Might as well relax a bit."

Noticing the worry and discomfort on Kakashi's face, Kitagawa Gen—armed with his 'wealth of experience'—smiled and spoke up.

"Last time in the Land of Hot Water, it was pretty much the same. Jiraiya-sama has his own unique way of gathering intel, so we might as well just wait for him."

"Exactly. Kakashi, you're not even as sharp as Gen here."

At that moment, Jiraiya strolled over, letting out a couple of disgruntled grunts before speaking.

"Do I really come off as that unreliable?"

"…"

Was that even a question worth asking?

Kakashi remained silent, but Kitagawa Gen quickly filled the awkward pause. He asked curiously: "So, did you find anything this time? You must've picked up some information, right?"

"Heheh, of course I did!"

Jiraiya nodded confidently before smiling and continuing: "Kakashi doesn't know Tsunade, but I was her teammate for years. Naturally, I know her habits well. She loves to gamble, but she always loses."

"That's why I went to so many casinos along the way—just to figure out where some idiot had racked up an absurd amount of debt. Sure enough, I managed to track down a fat sheep."

"And she likes drinking too, right?"

Gen blinked and grinned as he asked,

"I noticed you've been in and out of countless izakaya lately. But surprisingly, you haven't been to any of the more… indulgent taverns. I guess that's why?"

"Tch, exactly."

Jiraiya nodded. Gen really was sharp as ever.

"No matter how much she loses, she'll always find a place to drink the night away. At this point, I've more or less confirmed she's here in this town."

"So, what's she doing now—gambling, or drinking?"

"Right now?"

Hearing Gen's question, Jiraiya instinctively looked up at the sky.

"It's already pretty late, so I'd guess she's finished losing everything and is probably off drinking somewhere by now."

Jiraiya never overestimated Tsunade's luck. Whether it was hundreds of thousands or millions of ryō, it was never enough to last her more than half a day.

At this time of night, she had most likely racked up a mountain of debt and found a place to drown her sorrows.

"So, our objective is clear. Let's go. I've already figured out where she's been showing up lately. If we head there directly, we should run into her."

"Is that so… what a shame."

Upon hearing this, Kitagawa Gen let out a sigh, puzzling both Kakashi and Jiraiya.

"What's wrong?"

"Haven't either of you thought of this?"

"Thought of what?"

"Jiraiya-sama, you said Tsunade-sama always loses when she gambles, right? So why don't we just bet against her while she's gambling?"

"…"

"If we'd done that earlier, we'd probably have a villa by the sea by now!"

"…"

Jiraiya and Kakashi exchanged a glance. In the end, neither of them said a word. The two turned silently and began walking forward together.

Kitagawa Gen chuckled and quickly caught up with them. As he did, he couldn't help but glance at his system interface.

[New Side Mission Acquired]

[One Big Happy Family]

[Assist Jiraiya in locating Tsunade and bringing her back to Konoha]

'Looks like we're getting close… but still—'

Suddenly, Gen looked up toward the distance, his expression becoming a little odd.

'So it really is 'one big happy family,' huh? Guess it's time to strike hard.'

...

"Tch, she's out after just that much?"

Inside the izakaya, Tsunade looked down at Shizune, who had collapsed tipsily beside her, and clicked her tongue with visible annoyance.

"Get up already! I'm not done drinking!"

She called out, but Shizune didn't respond. Sighing, Tsunade flopped onto the table herself to take a break.

But the moment she closed her eyes, two figures surfaced in her mind without warning.

Their faces, their smiles—and then, in the blink of an eye, their bodies lying in pools of blood…

"Tch… damn it."

Tsunade immediately sat up and poured herself another cup.

Leaving Konoha. Drinking heavily. In a way, both were just her way of trying to forget the past.

Of course… it wasn't like she didn't enjoy it too.

Drinking—even just a little—usually helped improve her mood.

But tonight, as she drank, she suddenly furrowed her brow.

Though her posture remained relaxed and casual, as one of the Sannin, her senses were as sharp as ever.

Especially now, with the amount of debt she'd racked up…

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