Chapter 63: Tsunade and Jiraiya

The adorable Tonton opened her gaping maw, and with the terrifying sound of flesh tearing, her mouth stretched beyond its natural limits. Teeth erupted wildly like overgrown weeds, piercing through her cheeks and jaw to become jagged bone spikes.

Skin, muscle, and internal organs seemed to reverse and scramble their positions, entangling messily and hanging from the rapidly growing bone protrusions. Her pig-like face had already collapsed into a grotesque horror. From the pierced wounds burst countless tendril-like appendages made of flesh and nerves, while the ribs in her chest deformed into slender, jointed legs like those of an insect. Her entire body moved with uncanny agility, leaping like a grasshopper as her eyes glowed red and she launched herself at Katsuyu.

Katsuyu didn't back down. In an instant, she split into countless smaller clones, dodging the attack while spraying acid at the mutated Tonton.

But Tonton seemed completely unaware of the damage. Her body continued to fight, relentless even as the acid corroded her flesh.

"What the hell is going on?" Tsunade muttered, supporting Shizune as she watched in stunned horror.

"That pig's been transformed by some unknown force. We need to get out of here," said a small Katsuyu perched on Tsunade's shoulder.

"Can't we beat it?" Tsunade asked back.

"We can beat it, but we can't kill it."

Katsuyu's acid had nearly melted Tonton's body into a soupy mass, yet even those chunks of flesh retained tenacious vitality. They twitched, moved, and rapidly absorbed organic material from their surroundings, slowly swelling in size—becoming even more troublesome.

Shizune was still waiting on treatment. There was no need to waste time fighting a monster like this.

Tsunade understood that too. She just didn't want to give up on Tonton. In all the years they'd wandered outside the village, it had always been Shizune and Tonton by her side. If there was even a sliver of a chance, she wanted to save her. But unfortunately, reality didn't give her that chance.

Katsuyu withdrew her clone from the fight with the flesh-beast to help cover Tsunade's retreat.

As they ran, Tsunade noticed something strange—Katsuyu's skin wasn't its usual deathly white anymore. It had turned a soft pink, almost glowing with life.

Sage matters didn't concern Tsunade. She didn't believe a creature that had lived for over a thousand years would suddenly go rogue.

In the blink of an eye, they had gotten far away. Surprisingly, the monster that had once been Tonton didn't pursue them.

To treat Shizune, Tsunade considered secretly reaching out to Orochimaru. Her backup plan was to contact the Yamanaka clan.

When she'd heard the ninja village system had been abolished, Tsunade had felt anger—yet deep down, there was also a strange sense of detachment. Konoha had been her grandfather's legacy, but there were no Senju left in it now. Its destruction hadn't changed anything for her personally. With her name, her unmatched medical ninjutsu, and her apolitical stance, she believed any regime would treat her with respect—perhaps even seek her favor as a political trophy.

Tsunade didn't like the Daimyō, and she liked Sasuke even less. So, she stayed carefully hidden, though in truth, no one had come looking for her.

Both Orochimaru and the Yamanaka clan were now aligned with the Daimyō's faction.

But for Shizune's sake, Tsunade no longer cared about that.

Still, fate is always full of surprises. Before she could make contact with Orochimaru, Tsunade ran into Jiraiya by pure chance.

Sometimes, destiny really does work in strange ways.

Jiraiya had practically been Tsunade's number one fanboy for decades—so why had she never accepted him?

As a powerful, beautiful, noble, and famous woman, Tsunade had trouble finding a single reason to settle for Jiraiya.

Just look at Kato Dan. You could tell exactly the kind of man Tsunade valued—refined, composed, and dependable. Jiraiya didn't check any of those boxes.

Sure, he was always chasing after her, but in truth, he hadn't done much for her. He mostly spent his time searching for the "Child of Prophecy" and writing Icha Icha Paradise. There was no way Tsunade would ever settle for some middle-aged pervert who liked peeping into bathhouses—unless she had absolutely no other options.

Jiraiya was a great teacher, a good disciple, and a respected shinobi—but none of that meant he'd make a good boyfriend or husband. Tsunade had always seen him strictly as a friend.

When she saw Jiraiya, Tsunade didn't want to waste time. She knew exactly what he'd say: some lecture about returning to help Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Tsunade politely turned him down, and to her relief, Jiraiya didn't press the issue. Instead, he brought up Mount Myōboku.

"I want to ask the Great Katsuyu if she knows anything about what's going on with Mount Myōboku," he said.

That wasn't a big deal, so Tsunade summoned Katsuyu again to let him ask her directly.

Among the three great sacred places, the Shikkotsu Forest where Katsuyu resided was the most unique. The entire forest had only one slug—Katsuyu herself. Every small slug was just one of her clones.

The snakes of Ryūchi Cave were brutal and cunning, while the toads of Mount Myōboku had recently started interfering in human society for unknown reasons. But Katsuyu remained reclusive, gentle, and disinterested in worldly affairs. She had only ever signed summoning contracts with the mainline Senju clan.

"Katsuyu-sama," Jiraiya greeted her respectfully. Though Katsuyu had a kind nature, Jiraiya wouldn't dare be impolite.

"We wanted to ask you something," Tsunade said.

"Is there something you need, Tsunade-sama? Jiraiya-sama?" Katsuyu's voice was graceful and unmistakably feminine.

"Mount Myōboku," Jiraiya said. "Something's happened to it. I can't summon my toads anymore, and the entrance has vanished. I can't find a way back. I'm worried something terrible has happened. I was hoping you might know something."

"Although Mount Myōboku, Shikkotsu Forest, and Ryūchi Cave are known as the Three Great Sage Grounds, the truth is we rarely interact. Humans are the ones who lump us together. In reality, toads and snakes are predators of slugs. We're not exactly on speaking terms," Katsuyu said with a hint of resignation.

Jiraiya scratched his cheek awkwardly, then asked,

"Has anything like this ever happened before in Mount Myōboku's history?"

Katsuyu shook her head. "I don't know. I only know that Mount Myōboku has always maintained some level of connection with humans. Over the past century, you've been its closest link to the human world. If you don't know what's going on, then no one else does either."

"That's not good..." Jiraiya frowned, his brow creasing. "Katsuyu-sama, is there any way for you to enter Mount Myōboku?"

"No," she answered plainly.

Disappointment washed over Jiraiya's face.

But just then, Katsuyu began to writhe uncomfortably. Her pale, soft body suddenly flushed a bright pink.

"I must return to the Shikkotsu Forest at once!" she exclaimed, and with a loud puff, the summoning was released.

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