Few minutes later
Nearby Forest — Tanzaku City
" Hey, haven't you recovered yet?
Why are you acting like a violent woman if you can't even handle blood? "
Hearing this, Tsunade—still bound by the Adamantine Sealing Chains—struggled to calm herself down and break free. But no matter how much she resisted, she clearly failed.
Seeing this, Itachi sat on a nearby branch, quietly waiting for her to recover.
A few more minutes passed, and Tsunade finally calmed down, though she was still bound.
" What did you do to Jiraiya? "
" Hmm, well, he's trapped in another dimension. Just a small punishment for being nosy. Don't worry, I'll let him out in a month or two. He won't die. "
Hearing this, Tsunade was still worried, but there was nothing she could do. She couldn't defeat him, so all she could do was trust his words.
" So tell me… how did you find out? "
" When you introduced yourself—when you said your name at the end of the sentence—we sensed a hint of questioning. Novice liars often make this mistake. It's like unconsciously saying, 'Do you believe it?'
Normal people—or even most ninjas—wouldn't detect it, and even if they did, they wouldn't care.
We followed you first because even though you knew who we were, you acted completely normal, as if we weren't famous shinobi.
Secondly, you openly called Jiraiya a hypocrite and revealed information that ordinary samurai would never have access to. That meant you were something special—and that you had access to confidential information.
As for why we knew you weren't a samurai? Your posture, body language, and even your walking style resemble what's taught in ninja academies.
Samurai aren't trained like that. They have distinct ways of fighting, walking, and even speaking. "
Hearing this, Itachi nodded.
As expected of the Sannin—drawing conclusions from the smallest details.
" So… what's your real name? And when will you release Jiraiya? "
" Well, you can call me Ryuma for now. As for releasing Jiraiya… hmm
Tsunade, you don't want Jiraiya to be trapped in another dimension forever, right? "
Hearing the first sentence, Tsunade grew even more curious.
The other party was this strong, yet still hiding his real name and identity. He had a young male voice—most likely still in his teens, unless he was like her. He excelled in Shurikenjutsu, possessed massive chakra and life force, and could use Adamantine Sealing Chains.
So he's an Uzumaki…
Wait... Is he an Uzumaki?
Just as Tsunade's thoughts spiraled, she heard Itachi's next sentence—and her face turned pale.
Although she was still a virgin and lacked real experience, she had read enough novels and manga in her youth to understand the implications.
" You… you… you— "
As Tsunade struggled harder, the chains tightened even more around her.
Should I use Creation Rebirth — Strength of a Hundred Technique?
Yes. I would rather shorten my life than be humiliated.
Just as Tsunade was about to activate the forbidden jutsu, the chains binding her shattered into fragments of chakra and vanished.
…Huh?
I'm free?
Did his chakra run out? Or his stamina?
She looked up to confirm her thoughts—but Itachi had already turned around, disappearing into the moonless night.
" Hey—are you from the Uzumaki Clan? "
Lost in his thoughts, Itachi heard Tsunade's voice from behind and paused slightly.
How did I become an Uzumaki all of a sudden?
Then he realized—it was probably because of the Adamantine Sealing Chains and his overwhelming chakra.
" Yes "
Hearing this, Tsunade nodded as if she had solved a puzzle. But before she could ask anything else, Itachi had already vanished.
" Tsunade-sama! Tsunade-sama! Are you okay? "
Shizune soon appeared behind her, her face filled with confusion and relief.
" Yes, I'm okay. Let's go. "
---
Ten days later
Konoha — Hokage Office
" What !!!
You mean Jiraiya disappeared in Tanzaku City and hasn't contacted the village for ten straight days?! "
" Yes, Hokage-sama. Jiraiya-sama's last message stated that he had found Tsunade-sama and would return within the next week.
However, all contact has since been lost.
Even the toads of Mount Myōboku are unable to reverse-summon him, nor can they sense or establish contact with him in any way. "
Hiruzen took a deep puff of his pipe and slowly exhaled the smoke, sinking back into his chair.
For a long moment, he remained silent—silently praying to every god he knew, questioning what sins he must have committed to be forced to endure so much tragedy in his old age.
Just hearing the report reminded him of the ominous disappearances of his son and his cousin.
In the past six month, too many strange things had occurred—far too many to be coincidence.
First was the resignation of Itachi Uchiha.
Then, one by one, Hiruzen lost everything—his comrades, his family, his reputation, and now even the Hokage seat he had once sworn to uphold until his last breath.
At first, he suspected Danzō had a hand in the strange deaths and hidden movements. But after today's report, Hiruzen was certain of one thing.
The Uchiha were deeply involved.
And at the center of it all—
Itachi Uchiha
Most likely, the boy had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
The thought itself was absurd. A thirteen-year-old awakening the Mangekyō? It defied common sense, defied history.
But,
The other two Mangekyō users—Fugaku and Shisui—were under constant surveillance by the ANBU and other ninja clans. Neither of them had left Konoha.
That leaves only one possibility.
Itachi Uchiha
He is the only Uchiha confirmed to be outside the village. Yet according to the reports, there were barely any traces of battle in Tanzaku City.
No large-scale chakra disturbance. No prolonged fight.
Which meant only two possibilities.
Either Jiraiya had been defeated almost instantly—
—or a space-time technique had been used to remove him entirely. A sealing jutsu was also possible, but unlikely. Jiraiya was a high-level fūinjutsu master himself; sealing him in just a few moves bordered on absurd.
Mount Myōboku's inability to contact Jiraiya was troubling, but the summoning contract remained intact.
Which meant one thing.
Jiraiya was alive.
Missing—but alive.
That alone pushed the probability heavily toward a space-time technique.
Across the entire shinobi world, there were fewer than five known space-time jutsu—and not a single confirmed successor among them.
Hiruzen remembered his teacher's words.
The Mangekyō Sharingan possessed abilities that defied reason.
If anyone could make a completely new space-time technique, it would be—
Itachi Uchiha.
He must have awakened the Mangekyō with a space-time technique in atleast one eye.
"Haaah…"
Hiruzen exhaled heavily.
"Any news on Itachi Uchiha?"
"No, Hokage-sama. There have been no confirmed sightings."
"And Tsunade?"
"She has left Tanzaku City and arrived at the gambling district of Kinjaku Town. When ANBU agents attempted to question her regarding Jiraiya-sama's disappearance, she slammed them into a wall and left."
Hiruzen nodded slowly.
The lack of news about Itachi was expected.
Tsunade's behavior, however, left him powerless.
"Leave Tsunade for now," he said quietly. "Our priority is Konoha."
You may go."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
The ANBU vanished.
Once again, only an old man remained—
alone in the Hokage's office, staring at a village slowly slipping beyond his control.
---
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Hello everyone
I think this small arc of three to four chapters is coming to an end with this chapter. Honestly, this chapter isn't the most polished one I've written. It's largely theory-based and heavily filled with reasoning and speculative ideas, so it might feel a bit jumbled in places. If you have any suggestions or recommended changes, feel free to share them—I'll gladly improve the chapter based on good feedback.
Now, let me explain the purpose of this arc and why I wrote it. I'm doing this because understanding my reasoning will also help you understand the story better.
So, let's begin.
The first reason concerns why Itachi traced with Jiraiya for a week or two. One reason is simple curiosity—Itachi wanted to see what Tsunade was really like. I think that's a fairly normal curiosity.
The second reason is related to canon. In Naruto, Tsunade only returned to the village because of Naruto's challenge and influence—his protagonist aura, so to speak. This time, Itachi was curious about how events would unfold without that factor. If there exists some kind of world-level law or plot correction force, Itachi wanted to observe it—and possibly interfere with it through his own actions.
Now, let's talk about the pros and cons.
Pros:
Itachi has now confirmed that Tsunade will not become Hokage—at least before Hiruzen Sarutobi's death, before the people of Konoha demanding justice get justice, or if Naruto's Talk no Jutsu succeeds. However, for the next few years, Konoha will definitely not have Tsunade as Hokage.
Cons:
As written, Sarutobi Hiruzen has now confirmed that Itachi Uchiha is extremely suspicious and likely possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan—even though he actually doesn't.
Because of this, Hiruzen would want to focus more on the Uchiha.
However, he can't act freely. He still has to manage Konoha, the Daimyō, and other political pressures. On top of that, the Uchiha clan's overall strength has increased, while the Hokage faction's strength has decreased.
This is due to the reduction of Kage-level power from Shimura Danzō, the loss of multiple ANBU, and the withdrawal of clan-affiliated ANBU, which caused Hiruzen to lose a significant portion of his supporters.
As a result, even if Hiruzen suspects the Uchiha, he can't realistically take action against them—at least for a certain period of time. So while this situation is technically a con, it isn't a major one.
Lastly, regarding Jiraiya: I don't plan to kill him. As written, he will return after a month or two.
Thank you for reading until the end.