Chapter 382: Conviction
The first step of Danzo's plan was to deliver the intelligence to Jiraiya and Tsunade.
After the Root members departed, the two were left in silence, each with their own thoughts.
The forest was lush and verdant, its branches heavy with leaves, alive with the sounds and sights of nature.
In the stillness, even the faint chirping of insects could be heard, almost sounding carefree and unburdened.
If one could hear the insects, how much clearer was the heartbeat of the person standing just a few steps away?
Jiraiya looked at Tsunade, his expression calm. "Do you trust this information?"
Tsunade clenched her fists tightly, her sharp gaze unwavering. "Better to believe it than not. At the very least, it gives us a direction."
"Even if it's true, have you considered why Danzo went out of his way to deliver it to us?" Jiraiya's distaste for Danzo was palpable. It was obvious that the intelligence was meant to push them toward confronting Ye Zi and Orochimaru.
Even if this was what they wanted to do, being manipulated left a sour taste.
Tsunade lowered her gaze slightly, tempering her sharpness as she replied in a solemn tone, "Of course, I know Danzo's motives, but I don't have a choice."
Jiraiya fell silent at her words. This was the expected outcome. Even knowing Danzo's true intentions, Tsunade had no choice but to act according to his design.
In the end, was this battle truly unavoidable?
Orochimaru…
Memories of his old friend flooded Jiraiya's mind, taking him back to the night Orochimaru defected.
All he could do was watch helplessly as Orochimaru's figure faded into the distance. Despite reaching out with all his strength, his hand grasped only empty air.
And Ye Zi…
Two so similar, yet so different.
If this battle was inevitable, then… even if he fell, he would make sure it was before Tsunade.
"Let's go, to the Land of Whirlpools." Suddenly, Jiraiya turned to Tsunade with a hearty smile.
If he couldn't stop it, he would give everything he had to protect her.
That familiar smile, so bright and carefree, now seemed to carry a different kind of radiance.
Tsunade froze slightly, feeling something subtle shift deep within her heart.
"I want to see Orochimaru again."
Jiraiya turned away, his face serious as he looked toward the direction of the Land of Whirlpools, leaving Tsunade with only his back. His long white hair swayed to his waist, cutting off her wandering thoughts.
"Alright," she murmured, suppressing the strange emotions stirring within her as her gaze followed Jiraiya's toward their destination.
"Ye Zi…" Her beautiful face, usually vibrant and alluring, began to harden with a cold determination.
"Let's go." Jiraiya pushed off with his feet, leaping forward. Their original path had been heading the other way, but now it was corrected.
Paths diverging in opposite directions were, in the end, destined to converge.
The ominous feeling lingering in Jiraiya's heart, born of the prophecy, was forcefully suppressed. Even until the very last moment, he would believe that something could be changed.
Tsunade silently followed in Jiraiya's footsteps. At last, the moment was drawing near.
"Dan…" she whispered softly, almost to herself.
...
Land of Whirlpools
"This is the place, right?"
Stepping onto the soft sand, Ye Zi gazed ahead.
The beach extended only a short distance before giving way to a seaside forest. What lay beyond that forest remained unknown.
The salty sea breeze carried the sound of crashing waves from behind them, the rhythmic roar of the ocean ever-present.
"The Land of Whirlpools is relatively small, so searching through it will be much simpler," Orochimaru remarked as he trudged toward the shoreline forest, leaving deep footprints in the sand.
Ye Zi silently followed, with Kotoe walking close beside him, shoulder to shoulder.
"Ye Zi, this is essentially a small island, right?" Kotoe suddenly asked.
The question struck Ye Zi as odd, but he replied, "Although it's smaller than most small nations, as far as islands go, it's not that small. However, compared to the many islands of the Land of Water, it is indeed tiny."
"No one lives here anymore, right?" Kotoe asked.
A nation that has fallen usually has its name replaced.
During the height of the warring era, the names of small nations changed frequently... Often at a rate measured in months rather than years.
When a country fell, its name typically perished along with it.
However, the Land of Whirlpools was unique. Even after its destruction, its name endured, largely because no one found value in this remote land.
With no one to conquer or develop it, a new nation and name never arose. Thus, the place continued to be referred to as the Land of Whirlpools.
"Correct," Ye Zi nodded. After the country's fall, no humans stayed behind to develop the land.
A place like this was similar to the Land of Waves, poor and underdeveloped. If it had been destroyed in the same way, it was unlikely anyone would have tried to rebuild or settle there.
An uninhabited island-nation like this…
"If one day I grow weary of all this fighting, living in seclusion here would be such a blessing," Kotoe said, turning to admire the blue skies, white clouds, and vast ocean. Then she turned back to the golden sands and lush green forest, a look of longing in her eyes.
Once you could clearly envision what you wanted, greed and desire often followed closely behind.
When a picture-perfect scene emerged before your eyes, how could you not wish for it to become reality?
Hearing Kotoe's words, Ye Zi stared silently ahead. Happiness… was truly a fragile word that needed careful nurturing.
He didn't echo Kotoe's sentiment, but the corner of his mouth curved into a faint, self-mocking smile.
Immersed in her daydream, Kotoe didn't notice his reaction. In a tone filled with longing, she continued, "Do you think that day will come? A time when we no longer live as shinobi, no more missions, no more life-and-death battles—just ordinary people living here, watching the days pass by."
"That's impossible," Ye Zi interrupted her wistful fantasy with a calm, definitive statement.
Once burdened with the identity of a shinobi, one could only carry it to the grave.
The beautiful picture Kotoe had painted shattered instantly at Ye Zi's blunt words.
"You're probably right," Kotoe murmured, her heart sinking. In her mind, she had imagined spending the rest of her life here with the man beside her—even if that life lasted only a year.
But that wasn't possible, was it? Because Ye Zi had said so.
"However…" Ye Zi's self-mocking smile faded.
Orochimaru had already entered the forest ahead, while Ye Zi and Kotoe stood at the edge of the sand.
"If that's what you want, then after this mission, you can stay here," Ye Zi said as he paused just before entering the forest.
People change. Knowing what Kotoe wanted, he genuinely considered letting her go, freeing her from following him into one dangerous battle after another.
Idiot…
Kotoe bit her lip, turning to look at Ye Zi's calm profile.
What I want… all of it is built on the foundation of you being by my side.
"I want to stay with you," she said softly.
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