The capture of Konoha's S-rank rogue ninja, Jiraiya, quickly spread, and soon after, Tsunade personally came to see him.
When Makoto arrived at the Hokage's office, he found that she was already there, waiting.
He wasn't sure how long she had been there.
"What do you want?"
"Lord Hokage, how is Jiraiya doing now?" Tsunade got straight to the point.
"He's not dead yet."
"And how do you plan to deal with him?"
Makoto glanced at her. "What does that have to do with you?"
"Lord Hokage!"
Tsunade seemed a little anxious, her voice rising involuntarily, but she quickly lowered it again.
"Lord Hokage, surely Jiraiya's crimes aren't deserving of death?"
"Not deserving of death? And who are you to decide that?" Makoto said calmly.
"He let Namikaze Minato escape and injured so many Anbu. Do you need me to list all of Namikaze Minato's crimes for you?"
Tsunade said impatiently, "I know Jiraiya made mistakes, but he's also contributed so much to the village. At the very least, his merits should cancel out his faults—"
"What merits?" Makoto interrupted.
"Training a rogue ninja student?"
With that, he lost interest in continuing the conversation and added, "Tsunade, I haven't yet pursued the matter of you secretly meeting with Nagato and Konan from Amegakure. Don't dig your own grave."
But Tsunade was not deterred by his words and continued to plead, "Lord Hokage, please reconsider. At least on account of the times Jiraiya risked his life to protect the village."
Makoto paused for a moment upon hearing this, then looked at Tsunade and said, "Fine. I'll give him one more week before his execution. During this time, you're allowed to visit him once."
Tsunade was instantly struck as if by lightning, her entire body freezing in place.
Execution... Death...
She replayed the words over and over in her mind, her pupils dilating uncontrollably.
Makoto then called for the Anbu and had her forcibly removed from the Hokage building.
..............
Konoha Prison.
Tsunade made her way inside, finally arriving at the solitary cell where Jiraiya was being held.
"Jiraiya?"
Jiraiya was pleasantly surprised to see his visitor.
"Tsunade..."
But there was no joy on Tsunade's face.
She stood outside the cell, her eyes fixed firmly on her old friend.
"It's been a while, Tsunade." Jiraiya smiled easily.
Tsunade remained silent for a long time before finally asking, "Why did you come back?"
"Eh?"
"Why did you come back? Wouldn't it have been better to just stay outside, to die outside?"
Jiraiya looked at Tsunade and grinned again. "Because there was a reason I had to come back."
"Because of your student?"
"Ah, something like that."
"He's already back in Amegakure."
Jiraiya was momentarily stunned, then his entire body relaxed as he leaned against the wall.
"I see... That's good."
Even in prison, hearing this news brought him a deep sense of relief.
He didn't know why the Hokage had decided to release Yahiko, but knowing that his efforts weren't in vain made it all feel worth it.
He looked at Tsunade's sorrowful expression, his heart stirring slightly.
"Did the Hokage tell you how he plans to deal with me?"
"…In one week, you'll be executed."
Jiraiya didn't seem surprised by this.
He thought for a moment and said, "So, he wants to use my public execution as bait to lure Minato out."
Then, he sighed softly. "I just hope Minato doesn't fall for it…"
Tsunade clenched her fists involuntarily. "What an idiot… You're on the verge of death, and all you can think about is your student?"
Jiraiya looked at her and suddenly chuckled. "Not entirely."
Tsunade took a few deep breaths, then asked in a low voice, "Is there any way to get you out of here?"
Jiraiya slowly shook his head. "As long as I'm inside Konoha, there's probably no way. They placed a special sealing technique on me, so even Reverse Summoning won't work this time."
That tower… It was too powerful.
When he helped Minato escape last time, he had personally felt that overwhelming force, a power he had no way to resist.
As long as the Tower of Solarity existed, breaking out by force was completely impossible.
"Can I remove the seal on you?" Tsunade asked again.
Jiraiya simply shook his head.
Tsunade's skill with sealing techniques was fairly average, and even he found the seal on him incredibly troublesome to deal with.
Besides, if she tried, she would only end up implicating herself.
"Tsunade, don't worry about it."
Jiraiya let out another light chuckle and leaned his head against the wall.
"It's just death. Are we still afraid of dying?"
They had already lost so many people throughout their lives.
Now that it was his turn, Jiraiya didn't feel much fear.
"But looking back on my life, I think I've been a failure."
"My teacher, my friends, my students… I failed to protect any of them. And now, I'm going to die as a traitor. There probably isn't anyone more of a failure than me."
He let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
"And I still haven't won over the woman I love..."
Tsunade turned her face to the side. "Idiot, why are you saying something like that at a time like this?"
Jiraiya exhaled deeply and gazed up at the ceiling of his cell.
"Because after this, I won't have another chance to say it."
Then he smiled again. "Tsunade, in the end, you'll be the only one left. Try not to feel too lonely..."
"..."
Jiraiya murmured, "It's cruel, isn't it?"
One of them was inside the cell, the other outside.
A layer of iron bars separated them as they talked for a long time.
Inevitably, their conversation drifted to the past.
For someone who no longer had a future, the only thing left to talk about was what had already been.
But bringing up the past at a moment like this only made everything feel more sorrowful.
Jiraiya suddenly said, if the heavens could give him another chance, just one more time, he would make sure to handle everything properly.
He had always believed that the reason things had ended up like this was because he hadn't helped sensei deal with the situation between Minato and Orochimaru back then.
The day when Hiruzen, Orochimaru, and Minato fought atop the Hokage Rock had haunted Jiraiya like a nightmare ever since.
They were three of the most important people in his life, yet on that day, they had been forced to take each other's lives.
"Everything happened as it was meant to. Even if you could start over, what difference would it make? By that time, Sarutobi-sensei and Orochimaru were already destined to be incompatible. Being able to die together was already the best outcome," Tsunade said softly, lowering her gaze.
"...Maybe."
Tsunade stayed in the prison for a long time, only leaving when the guards finally informed her that her time was up.
As she turned to leave, she glanced back and saw Jiraiya watching her go, his face lit up with a wide smile.
Tsunade's expression wavered for a moment.
In that instant, she remembered the time when she had first met Jiraiya as a child—back when Orochimaru was there too, and so was Sarutobi-sensei...
An indescribable sorrow welled up in her chest, making it hard to breathe.
By the time she stepped outside, the afternoon sun had turned golden, its light hazy and almost blinding.
She stood there for a long time, trying to steady herself.
Jiraiya… I won't let you die…
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