Fu was still munching away, feeling that the things Natsuki and Jiraiya were talking about were way too deep.

Something about saviors, something about saving the ninja world… way too complicated.

Forget it, she decided—better to just eat her grilled meat.

At this moment, Tsunade stormed in with Shizune and Tonton, making a huge racket.

Her loud voice boomed:

"So you two are here enjoying yourselves, eating meat and drinking sake, while I'm slaving away in the office?! And you didn't even call me—do you even have a conscience?!"

Natsuki quietly raised his hand:

"Tsunade-sama, I'm protecting Fu. Besides, Jiraiya-sama said he'd pay."

Tsunade's eyes lit up immediately:

"Jiraiya's treating? Perfect! Boss, ten bottles of sake and five deluxe beef platters, now!"

Shizune chuckled awkwardly:

"Jiraiya-sama, you're being generous."

Jiraiya, uncharacteristically cheerful, waved it off:

"No problem, no problem, I'm in a good mood today. Eat and drink as much as you like! Shizune-chan, sit down and order whatever you want."

As Tsunade sat, she couldn't help but look at Jiraiya strangely.

Was this pervy old man… different somehow?

But this wasn't the time to ask. Better to eat and drink first.

Just then, a paper slip appeared.

Natsuki took it, glanced at the message, and let out a breath of relief. Smiling, he said:

"Tsunade-sama, it's from TenTen. They succeeded in rescuing Gaara—and they even eliminated Deidara and Sasori of the Red Sand!"

"Oh? Let me see."

Tsunade snatched the note, but as she read it, goosebumps rose on her arms.

"Ugh! You two talk so mushy—'dear husband, kiss kiss'—aren't you embarrassed?!"

Activating his Byakugan, Natsuki groaned:

"I didn't tell you to read that. Didn't I already summarize the results?"

Tsunade tossed the slip back and laughed boldly:

"Still, this is great news! Gaara's safe, no casualties, a perfect success. That calls for a celebration! Jiraiya, dice game tonight—no leaving until we're drunk!"

Jiraiya grinned:

"Fine! No leaving until drunk—I'm in!"

The two old shameless ones really went at it, playing dice and drinking, though Tsunade kept losing and was forced to drink again and again.

Jiraiya barely got to drink at all.

Finally, the pervy sage grabbed Natsuki into it:

"Natsuki, help Tsunade win once. Otherwise, I'll never get a chance to drink!"

Natsuki looked exasperated:

"I heard that whenever Tsunade-sama wins, bad things happen. If she really wins, next thing you know, someone's head will end up shoved in a toilet!"

"Bwahaha! Well said!"

Tsunade, already a little tipsy, slapped Natsuki's shoulder and roared with laughter.

"Let's try it then! I'd love to see Jiraiya's head dunked in a toilet!"

Since they insisted, Natsuki had no choice but to agree.

Tsunade shook the dice cup, slammed it down, and waited for him to guess.

But Natsuki broke all expectations:

"Tsunade-sama, I bet… there are no dice under your cup!"

…

Tsunade and Jiraiya froze.

Fu and Shizune burst into uncontrollable laughter. Betting that there were no dice at all? That meant Tsunade would win by default!

Yet, when Tsunade lifted the cup, there really were no dice beneath it.

Everyone's eyes widened.

She… actually won like that?!

Tsunade gave a sheepish smile:

"Well, uh, I wanted to surprise everyone, so I hid all the dice… but I didn't expect Natsuki to guess that."

"Why would you pull a stunt like that now?!"

Natsuki smacked his forehead and sighed, turning to Jiraiya.

"I tried, Jiraiya-sama."

Jiraiya burst into laughter:

"Ha! You really did. I almost thought Tsunade would win for real. Clever brat—but it still couldn't break Tsunade's losing curse! No wonder they call her the Big Fat Sheep!"

The feast stretched late into the night.

At last, Shizune carried Tsunade home, while Natsuki left Jiraiya behind at the restaurant.

The old man hadn't paid yet, so he was stuck as collateral. Surely, one of the Legendary Sannin wouldn't actually try to skip the bill.

Natsuki escorted Fu back to her quarters but then found a spot outside to watch the stars.

After all, he was still tasked with protecting the Seven-Tails' Jinchūriki—he couldn't just go home and sleep.

Still, he happily traded paper notes with TenTen.

Their squad had rescued Gaara, cured Kankurō's poisoning, and truly completed their mission.

Sakura had grown rapidly—just two years of training, and her medical ninjutsu was already outstanding, though her combat strength still needed work.

Sasuke and Neji performed well, while Naruto still had much growing to do.

The chaos was near. Everyone needed to get stronger, fast.

Akatsuki had failed to capture a Jinchūriki, and had lost two members. Already few in number, they would be stretched even thinner.

It was only a matter of time before Rikudō Pain himself acted.

And when that day came, it would be the true war.

The next day, the rescue squad returned—and surprisingly, Gaara and Temari came along too.

Natsuki and Fu were summoned over.

And so, three Jinchūriki stood together in one place.

Fu instantly leapt in front of Gaara, eyes shining:

"Gaara, you're here too! I heard you were captured—are you okay? Did it hurt?"

Gaara blinked.

"You too, Fu? You were captured as well?"

Fu nodded:

"Yeah! A guy with a spiral mask suddenly attacked our village and killed a lot of people. I had no choice but to go with him. Luckily, Natsuki came just in time to rescue me. Now I don't dare stay in my village, afraid Akatsuki will wipe it out, so I have to rely on Konoha's protection. You came for the same reason, right?"

"Well…"

Gaara hesitated, a little embarrassed.

"To be honest, it's shameful. I wasn't Akatsuki's match, and my village isn't strong enough. I had no choice but to ask Konoha for help."

Fu puffed her chest and laughed:

"Exactly! Konoha's amazing! Especially Natsuki—whoosh, he appeared in a flash, and bam! He knocked that masked guy back. Not even a minute! With Konoha, we're safe. And besides, we can fight alongside everyone—we're not just asking for protection!"

Gaara stared at Fu in surprise.

He hadn't expected her to be so carefree—so bright and open-hearted.

Unlike her, he felt awkward. After all, as Kazekage, supposedly Sunagakure's strongest, he now needed another village's protection. It made his village seem weak.

But what choice did he have?

Sunagakure truly wasn't Akatsuki's match.

He'd already been captured once. If he stayed, it would only happen again—and next time, Konoha's rescue might not make it in time.

Better to come here from the start.

In the end, his situation was the same as Fu's.

(End of Chapter)

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