Chapter 153

Despite his reputation as an aggressive brute, Tsunade's sharp intelligence was undeniable. Attempting to deceive her with a temporary lie would only lead to a far more painful reckoning later. Takeshi, not eager to experience life as tenderized cat meat, chose the path of honest confession.

"Yes, I am the Takeshi you mentioned, the Special Jonin," he admitted, feigning a touch of curiosity, "Meow, you actually know my name?" He hoped a touch of feline naivete might soften the blow.

"Come here, kitty, sit down and let's talk comfortably." Tsunade's smile blossomed, a radiant expression that would have been captivating were it not for the undercurrent of menace that accompanied it. The brighter her smile, the more intimidating she became, like the sun before a scorching desert wind.

Takeshi's mind flashed back to a phrase from his past life, 'The more beautiful the woman, the more troublesome the life.' A familiar tune started playing in his head:

"If you want to be happy, living a king's life~. 

Never make a pretty woman your wife..."

Takeshi had no choice but to pretend to be calm as he slowly walked and settled down beside her. Tsunade's hand, gentle yet firmly petting him.

Kakashi, sitting straight ahead, having mixed feelings about the scene in front of his eyes, one part of him wanted to laugh at the black cat's suffering, while another part recalled an experience from a Jonin who was leading the temporary team Kakashi was part of.

That Jonin had been under Tsunade's command during the previous war, the Jonin had given a stern warning on never to offend Tsunade-sama, as he had seen her vaporize enemies with one punch.

Yes vaporize, one moment they were human body trying to sneak attack Tsunade the next moment a mist of blood coating the surrounding ground.

So while Kakashi wants Takeshi to suffer, he doesn't want the cat to die.

"Such a cute cat you are!" Tsunade cooed, her eyes sparkling with an amusement that sent shivers down Takeshi's spine. "Takeshi, let me ask you, did you know that Jiraiya wrote a book?"

"I know, meow~" Takeshi replied cautiously, carefully choosing each word. "But I only told a story, which I heard from another cat. That cat said that a girl from a wealthy family went out to take a bath by a river, and was seen by a farmer boy who was herding cattle, and he..."

The story was a subtle variation of Jiraiya's novel. "Anything else?"

"No, meow," Takeshi asserted, trying to keep his voice steady.

"Why did you tell this story to Jiraiya?" Tsunade's gentle nod belied the increasing pressure of her grip on Takeshi. The subtle squeeze sent a wave of alarm through the cat's small form.

His heart hammered in his chest. He desperately considered lying, but knew it was a futile exercise. As a medical ninja of renowned expertise, Tsunade would easily detect any falsehood, especially with her hands directly on him.

He paused, attempting to appear thoughtful before admitting, "Meow, I shouldn't have told that story?"

"No, unless you want to become that." Tsunade pointed a finger towards the daruma, still embedded head-first in the ground, a silent but potent reminder of her strength.

Kakashi and Obito, witnessing this exchange, now understood the underlying tension. It was apparent that Takeshi and Jiraiya had been involved in the creation of a book that had somehow incurred Tsunade's wrath, and she had come back to take revenge.

Kakashi started praying for Takeshi in his heart, knowing that Takeshi wasn't in life threatening danger, Kakashi became eager to see this black-hearted cat being taught a lesson.

Obito, however, couldn't hold back his curiosity, "Why didn't you mention it before?"

"Meow," Takeshi glanced at Obito, feeling the devil's hand tightening on his body, and said timidly, "This involves Jiraiya's not-so-glorious little secret."

The pressure on him increased exponentially. "Oh?" Tsunade lowered her head, her sharp eyes locking onto Takeshi, whispering in a voice that was both alluring and menacing, "You have my curiosity, kitten, tell me more."

"Well, one night when I was walking, I found that Lord Jiraiya had left the camp somehow, so I followed him, out of curiosity. And then I heard his perverted laughter, so I went to see the cause of it..." Takeshi paused, cautiously watching Tsunade's reaction.

"Hmm?" He had to admit, regardless of her flaws, Tsunade was beautiful. Setting aside her gambling addiction and penchant for violence, she was a truly attractive woman. It was little wonder Jiraiya had been hung up on her for most of his life.

'But for today she will be your demon to handle. Sorry, Jiraiya!' Everyone flees when disaster strikes, and Takeshi didn't want to die again.

As for Jiraiya, he was one of the legendary Sannin; he would somehow survive. Surely, Tsunade wouldn't actually kill him, right?

"Lord Jiraiya was facing the river, laughing in a perverted manner while writing something, and I found his perverted laughter disgusting! But I was soon found out, and Jiraiya-sama tied me up and threw me into the river with the Wild Lion's Mane Jutsu. I was threatened and almost died, meow." He feigned terror at the memory, partially out of genuine fear of being sent to Orochimaru, and partly out of the fear of Tsunade, whom any rational person would fear.

An angry woman was, after all, a force of nature that could not be reasoned with. "Speak truthfully, little kitten!"

"Meow! I am telling the truth! I had no choice but to tell the story to survive... Uh, did Lord Jiraiya use the inspiration I provided, and also wrote about a blonde beauty?" Takeshi nodded his head frantically, then carefully looked up at Tsunade.

'Blonde hair like mine? What a coincidence!' Tsunade's smile became sinister, and the force she used to hold Takeshi tightened ominously.

Takeshi had to use chakra to resist quietly to avoid being crushed. He cannot escape this situation without abit of pain but the consequences for Jiraiya would only be more painful.

In truth, Takeshi didn't want to betray Jiraiya like this, but Tsunade's intellect left him with no viable alternative. Had he not spoken truthfully, she would never believe he was innocent. She would interrogate Jiraiya later, eventually uncovering the fact that Takeshi had likely influenced the change in the heroine's hair color. At that point, no matter what excuses Jiraiya fabricated, Tsunade would never believe it, and Jiraiya would suffer more.

On the side, Kakashi and Obito exchanged a nervous glance, realizing they had inadvertently been dragged into a situation spiraling out of control.

Obito especially, recognizing that the black-hearted cat was escaping punishment, now felt the crosshair shifting towards himself and Jiraiya. The difference was, Jiraiya would suffer Tsunade's immediate wrath while he, Obito, would have to face Takeshi's vengeful side later. If he had known the consequences, he would have held his tongue. His curiosity had gotten the better of him.

"Alright, good, the jutsu you used to come here should be the Flying Thunder God jutsu of Grand Uncle Tobirama. Now, take me to Jiraiya, I want to see him immediately. I can't wait a moment!" Tsunade's voice turned cold, cracking her knuckles, looking eager to vent her anger.

Takeshi nodded quickly, casting a gloomy glare at Obito before using the Flying Thunder God to teleport himself and Tsunade back to camp.

'It really is Flying Thunder God.' Tsunade was a little surprised. She hadn't been entirely certain that the cat had actually used the Second Hokage's technique, and she observed that his speed seemed slightly greater than the Second's.

"Where are we?"

"Meow, I only have this one mark here, and the camp is right next to it," Takeshi explained, hoping to appease her.

"Wait, here…this river?" Tsunade recalled Takeshi's story, looking at the river, then glancing down from the tree branch, spotting the trampled grass and broken bushes. Wisps of white and black hair were visible under some of the leaves.

Some things are more useful when they are not said. Takeshi gave himself a mental pat on the back and moved to lead Tsunade forward. At that moment, Tsunade grabbed him by the scruff and performed a transformation jutsu, hiding both herself and Takeshi.

Moments later, a man whistled and strolled into view from the camp.

Takeshi had been too preoccupied with Tsunade, mulling his future strategies to minimize the pain, that he had not seen the man arrive. He was now grateful for the distraction but found himself suffocated in the tight space of Tsunade's bosom.

Tsunade didn't mind it, as in her eyes Takeshi is just a ninja cat who knows ninjutsu, so Tsunade didn't think it was a big deal.

She occasionally held Tonton, Shizune's pet pig, in the same manner.

Jiraiya sat down and began to write, facing the river as before, his vulgar laughter settling the unfortunate course of his fate.

Witnessing Jiraiya's actions, Tsunade's suspicions towards Takeshi diminished, while her doubts of Jiraiya grew.

She commended herself for not rushing into violence immediately, as she was now able to formulate a plan of how to deal with him. She glanced at the words Jiraiya had just written, "The beautiful heroine, hit lightly with her small fist..."

'Jiraiya! I'm going to hammer you to death! I will make you see just how small these fists are!'

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