Naruto: Rise of The Namikaze.
Chapter 35. Hidan and Kakuzu Arc part 2: Wolverine vs. Jashinist, feelings realized. (Edited 7/8/18)
Note: There will be a few changes here and there to make things more interesting.
For those of you who think I've made Naruto too reliant on his sword, I didn't.
What I'm trying to convey is that Naruto is using everything at his disposal to gain an advantage.
Now let's get started!
The new three-man Team 10 prepared to leave and continue Asuma's mission.
However, Tsunade refused to let Team 10 go, since they lacked a captain.
Kakashi volunteered to temporarily fill the gap.
Before they left, they were approached by Maikeru and Yugito, the elder Namikaze asked Kakashi, "Is this a private party, or can anybody join?"
Kakashi answered, "Do you think it's safe Maikeru? And who is that woman beside you?"
Maikeru answered, "Believe me Kakashi. I battled Hidan myself. I'm the only one that knows how to destroy him. As for Yugito here, she's been itching to take a crack at him for a while now."
Kakashi agreed and the team headed off.
Later in the woods, Shikamaru devised a new attack strategy that included Kakashi.
About three days later, Sakura volunteered her team to back up Team 10.
Tsunade told Yamato that Naruto had 24 more hours to complete his new jutsu, or she would send another team as back-up.
After the Akatsuki finished sealing the Sanbi and Nibi, Kakuzu and Hidan were told to capture the Two-tails that got away.
Realizing the likeliness of an ambush, Hidan and Kakuzu took another route.
Ino used her Mind Body Switch Technique on a crow in order to find the two. Team 10 then went to ambush the Akatsuki.
Shikamaru snuck his shadow near Hidan and Kakuzu, who both managed to jump out of the way.
Shikamaru then threw two explosive kunai, followed by Asuma's chakra blades.
Shikamaru poured his own chakra into the blades, allowing him to trap the two Akatsuki members with them.
Shikamaru then used his Shadow Imitation to make Hidan attack Kakuzu.
However, Kakuzu thought a step ahead, and detached his arm, sending it underground.
Just before Hidan's attack landed, Kakuzu freed himself with the detached arm.
Just as the two were about to counter-attack, Kakashi snuck up on Kakuzu and stabbed him through the heart with his released chakra saber.
Kakashi then moved to finish off Hidan, but Kakuzu, somehow still alive, surprised Kakashi and knocked him back.
Kakuzu then removed his shirt to reveal four masks.
Then he split his back apart, and four beasts came out to fight for him.
However, one of the beasts died immediately (this mask broke when he released it), as this was the one Kakashi had stabbed.
It turned out that Kakuzu had a total of five hearts, four of which were stolen from the bodies of fallen shinobi, and the one that allowed him to use his Earth Element attack was his.
Each heart prolonged Kakuzu's life, and allowed him access to the heart's elemental affinity.
Hidan then attacked Kakashi as a distraction, which allowed Kakuzu enough time to attack with a powerful gust of wind.
He then fired two powerful bolts of lightning at Shikamaru and Chōji, but Kakashi blocked it with a swift sword strike in both directions.
He then attacked with fire, which was dodged by Team 10 and Kakashi.
Shikamaru decided to separate Hidan and Kakuzu from each other.
Once again capturing Hidan with a Shadow Imitation technique, Shikamaru dragged Hidan to an isolated location rigged with booby traps.
However, Shikamaru's chakra ran out, which freed Hidan from the technique.
Hidan successfully attacked him, and began the voodoo ritual.
Kakuzu revealed that the first Konoha ninja he had ever fought was the First Hokage.
As Kakashi was about to be killed, Kakuzu grabbed his chest in pain.
This was due to Hidan stabbing himself as part of his curse ritual: the blood he had consumed was actually Kakuzu's.
Hidan did not immediately realize what had happened, but Shikamaru attacked him to illustrate the point.
However, Shikamaru was weakened from the extended use of his shadow technique, and couldn't hold down Hidan for long.
He watched Hidan advance to strike the final blow.
But just as Hidan was about to kill Shikamaru, there was a loud clang.
The boy looked up and saw Maikeru holding Hidan's 3-bladed scythe at bay with his claws.
Shikamaru spoke, "You got here just in time Maikeru."
Maikeru pushed the claws back and answered, "Stay back Shikamaru! I'll handle this!"
Then he leaped forward to fight Hidan once again.
Kakuzu continued battling Kakashi.
However, as Kakuzu prepared to strike with his fire and wind combo attack, Naruto and Yamato intervened.
Combining both Naruto's Wind Release: Rasengan and Yamato's Water Release: Tearing Torrent, they formed the Typhoon Water Vortex Technique to block the attack.
Kakashi, Ino, and Chōji were relieved at Team Kakashi's arrival under Yamato's leadership.
Yamato ordered Sai and Sakura to back Shikamaru up while Kakashi summoned Pakkun to lead them.
Naruto resolved to defeat Kakuzu on his own.
Hinata said she wanted to help, but Naruto urged her to stand aside, not that he thought she couldn't handle herself, but because he felt compelled to do it alone.
Hinata understood and shared a kiss with him before he left.
Maikeru and Yugito vs. Hidan!
The 2 men encircled each other ready to fight.
Maikeru said in a loud, clear voice, "You know all too well that your damn death circle is useless on me Hidan! You're gonna have to come at me with all you've got!"
Hidan laughed, "So be it!"
Maikeru weaved through 4 hand seals and shouted, "Wind Style: Whirlwind Blade Jutsu!"
Then with a swing of his right hand, Maikeru released a spiraling blade shaped gust of wind at his opponent.
Hidan dodged the attack with ease.
But, taking advantage of his opponents distraction, Maikeru was able to close the distance and punch Hidan in the face before leaping back.
Hidan recovered and swung his scythe downwards.
Maikeru blocked and parried with his claws.
Hidan tried to pressure Maikeru and tire him out, but he underestimated Maikeru's stamina and agility.
Maikeru flashed away and impaled Hidan through his left leg.
Unfazed by it, Hidan swung his scythe and almost sliced Maikeru in half!
But thanks to his healing factor, Maikeru's wound healed within seconds.
The young Namikaze regained his distance and snickered, "This is really becoming interesting. Why don't you give me some more entertainment?"
Hidan grinned, "Right back at you! Your blood will satisfy Jashins hunger!" then he charged again.
But Maikeru flashed and kicked Hidan in the face before saying smugly, "In your dreams asshole! My god has a bigger dick than your god!"
Hidan was enraged by that and yelled, "How dare you! You will pay for your barbarism!"
As Hidan attempted to hack through Maikeru's head, Maikeru went through 5 hand signs and shouted, "Metal Style: 1000 Knives Jutsu!"
After that, a barrage of kunai flew at Hidan.
The sadistic Jashinist managed to dodge most of them, although he was hit in the chest, leg, and shoulders.
Maikeru retracted his claws and laughed, "Enough playtime! I'm gonna lay the smack down on you!"
He weaved through the required hand signs and yelled, "Metal Style: Juggernaut Mode!" the he assumed his Juggernaut form and charged at Hidan.
Hidan tried again and again to pierce Maikeru's jutsu with his scythe, but it proved futile.
It was at this point that Maikeru decided it was time for a game of Namikaze baseball.
He flashed forward and slugged Hidan in the stomach and sent him flying backwards as he yelled, "Strike 1!"
He flashed again, appeared behind Hidan just in time to nail him in the back and yelled, "Strike 2!"
Maikeru flashed a 3rd time, and nailed Hidan in his side before yelling, "You're outta here! I love that game!"
Maikeru dropped his juggernaut form, released his claws and assumed his stance before growling, "Let's go Hidan!"
Hidan picked up his scythe and charged at Maikeru with all his fury and hatred.
For the next 2 hours, the 2 engaged in a furious clash of blades, they both hacked and slashed at each other, but neither one would give an inch.
After 2 hours of clanging and crashing, both were battered and looked beaten up.
Hidan was still furious, "Why won't you die?!"
Maikeru just laughed, "Because I can't. My healing factor regenerates any injury I get in seconds. It's useless Hidan! You cannot win! Not even your sadistic gay lord can't help you!"
Hidan was seething at that.
Maikeru decided it was time to finish the fight.
When he noticed that Hidan was moving in a clumsy manner, he screamed, "Yugito now!"
Yugito leaped out from the shadows and grappled Hidan with all her strength, greatly shocking him!
Maikeru quickly went through the hand signs and shouted, "Sealing Jutsu: Metal Encasement Tomb!"
Yugito jumped out of the way as a stream of liquid metal shout out, splattered all over Hidan's body, and hardened within seconds, effectively stopping him dead in his tracks.
Hidan was enraged and struggled like a madman against the liquid metal restraining him, but all it did was uncover certain parts of his body, namely the critical points that connected his limbs to his body.
Maikeru was nearly out of chakra and on the verge of exhaustion.
He decided it was time to use his most powerful attack.
He weaved through the hand signs and whispered, "Metal Style: 6 Blades of Death."
Then he flashed forward and stabbed Hidan in the lower intestines, it looked like a single stab.
But, it was so much more than that.
It was actually 6 cuts!
Cut 1: Jugular to jugular, front to back using the middle claw. Severing Hidan's head.
Cuts 2 & 3 were single claw strikes to lop of his arms at the shoulders. (Cut 2-left arm. Cut 3-right arm)
Cut 4: A 3 claw cut to the stomach area, cutting the torso in half.
Cuts 5 & 6 were single claw cuts aimed at Hidan's legs, starting at the hip and ending after cutting through his beads. (Cut 5-left leg. Cut 6-right leg.)
When it was over, Hidan's body was completely dismembered and laying everywhere.
Maikeru stood victorious!
He walked over and picked up Hidan's scythe and said quietly, "It's over. I've won."
Then he turned to Shikamaru and said, "Take his body to your compound. I'll meet you there."
Shikamaru nodded, sealed all the body parts into scrolls and left.
It was then that Maikeru collapsed from exhaustion.
Yugito ran over and grabbed him before he fell and screamed, "Maikeru! Are you okay?!"
Maikeru smiled at her, "I'm fine. Just tired. That's all. Let's get back to the village."
Yugito nodded and helped Maikeru back to Konoha.
Meanwhile, Naruto began preparing an extremely powerful technique.
Kakashi realized through a flashback that Naruto might indeed surpass the Fourth Hokage.
Naruto then used his new Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
Kakuzu was visibly concerned by the new technique.
Kakuzu jumped into the air, but Naruto leaped behind him.
Kakuzu was forced to sacrifice two of his hearts, and through that, he was able to shield himself against the attack using his Earth element shield.
However, this left him unable to move.
Kakashi realized right then and there that Naruto had surpassed him.
Naruto finally defeated Kakuzu by stabbing through his last heart with Benihime.
Team Kakashi, Team 10, as well as Maikeru and Yugito returned, triumphant, to Konoha.
Naruto was happy to see that his uncle had come home safely, same could be said for Hinata, Kushina, Tsunade, and Shizune.
At the Nara estate...
After a rest, changing into a fresh leather outfit and a new cloak, we now find Maikeru and Yugito, as well as Shikamaru throwing oil bombs into a deep pit on the grounds of the Nara estate, a pit that was filled with Hidan's butchered body.
His head was at the bottom of the pit as well, staring up at them, still determined in his Jashin crusade.
As they threw the oil bombs in, Maikeru spoke to Hidan, "Kakuzu was right about one thing. You really are an idiot and like him, you can't accept the fact that you can be beat. People practice what they believe in and those who bear the headband of the Leaf village as well as those under the banner of The Hidden Leaf Village believe in the Will of Fire with all their hearts."
Hidan shouted furiously from the bottom of the pit, "You will pay for this! My lord Jashin will make you suffer for your actions towards me you fucking blasphemer!"
Maikeru just stared blankly, showing no signs of intimidation and said with no remorse, "Jashin can't help you against us, because we're the ones passing judgement on you. You kill for sport, lust, and greed. That makes you nothing more than a murderer. And you will be judged."
After that, Maikeru went through 6 hand signs ending with the tiger seal and shouted, "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!" and shot a stream of fire into the pit causing it to go up in flames.
The fire was so intense because of the amount of oil that within 20 minutes, Hidan's body was completely incinerated, destroying him once and for all!
Afterward, Shikamaru set off an explosive tag on a side of the pit where 6 tons of rocks fell and buried Hidans ashes.
Maikeru jumped down and used an earth style ninjutsu to pressurize the rocks, making it look like the bottom of the pit.
Finally, he used a water ninjutsu to fill the hole with water, essentially creating a source of water for the deer that were brought from the forest.
When he was done, Maikeru thanked Shikamaru for his help while the boy expressed his gratitude towards Maikeru for saving Asuma.
Maikeru responded, "A true shinobi never leaves a comrade behind. Even though I barely knew Asuma, he was a Leaf Ninja and my comrade. Therefore, I refused to leave him behind. You remember that Shikamaru."
Shikamaru nodded with resolve as Maikeru left with Yugito and headed back to the Namikaze estate.
That afternoon, Shikamaru visited Asuma's hospital room with Kurenai, who had been revealed to be pregnant with Asuma's child.
He told her that if it wasn't for Maikeru, Asuma would no doubt be dead by now.
Kurenai was relieved to know that Asuma survived and knew that she owed a very great debt to the Namikaze family and she would find a way to repay it.
No matter what.
Later, while playing shogi with his father, Shikamaru commented that the identity of the king piece was the next generation of Konoha ninja.
Despite this revelation, he lost the game to his father.
With Maikeru...
After purchasing a few sets of clothing for Yugito from TenTen's shop, Maikeru sealed the clothing into a sealing scroll and left.
As per his little tradition, he intended to keep Hidan's scythe as a trophy of victory.
As he walked back to the estate, he was walking alongside Kakashi.
Kakashi and Maikeru were secretly great friends, having known each other for a long time during their duties as ANBU officers.
Maikeru spoke, "Listen Kakashi, I got no problem with you being a pervert and all. But sooner or later, we're gonna be fighting on a battle field together and I need to know if a rogue ninja comes up behind with a sword, you're gonna bash that motherfucker?"
Kakashi said passively, "No question about it. Stab him in the leg."
Maikeru snorted, "Enough with that leg shit."
Kakashi replied, "Everybody deserves a little dignity."
Maikeru said bitterly, "What about my dignity? Your bastard's gonna have a useless leg and I'm gonna be in a body bag!"
Kakashi sighed, "It's so sad, Maikeru."
"What's so sad?" asked Maikeru.
Kakashi answered, "Your untreated control issues. It's not your fault."
Maikeru was confused as shit and asked, "What in the hell is that supposed to mean?!"
Kakashi replied casually, "Your mama probably refused you her tit when you were a baby. You grew up a malnourished Leaf Village softie. Got your claws, tight leather vest, and became an overcompensating tough guy."
Maikeru pulled off his glasses, moved in front of Kakashi and spoke in a calm, but serious voice, "That is the last time... you will EVER... refer to my mother's titties."
Maikeru stuck his left-hand claws underneath Kakashi's jaw and said in the same voice, "I don't even want 'em up in your head."
Kakashi shook his head with a sigh and said, "You know, I said all that Maikeru, and all you heard was 'Titties'? Man, you can't keep suppressing my perverted nature."
Maikeru responded, "You need to suppress my mother's titties out of your psycho analysis."
Kakashi replied, "You just remember one thing my friend. I may not always be here. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go read the latest edition of 'Make-out Paradise.' See you around." and left.
As Kakashi vanished, Maikeru shook his head and sighed, "What am I going to do with him?"
Eventually, he just dropped the issue and headed home.
At the Namikaze manor...
Yugito was headed upstairs towards Maikeru's room, anxious to tell him something important.
She found his bedroom door open and looked inside to see something that made her blush.
Like Naruto, Maikeru's bedroom also had a door leading out onto the second floor balcony on the mansion.
She noticed that Hidan's scythe was held in a display rack bolted to the wall in Maikeru's room above the bed.
Maikeru was leaning against the door frame with his hands in the pockets of his cloak as he stared out at the fading sunlight.
His thoughts were interrupted as a voice said, "Maikeru?"
He turned and saw Yugito standing just outside his bedroom and answered, "Oh. Yugito. Come in. Is there something you need?"
Yugito walked out onto the balcony and said, "Maikeru, there's something very important I have to tell you."
Maikeru replied, "I'm all ears."
Yugito asked, "First off, why do you have Hidan's scythe on display?"
Maikeru answered, "It's a little tradition of mine. Whenever I kill an enemy, I keep their weapons as trophies."
Yugito nodded, lowered her head a bit, put her hands together in a gesture of nervousness and spoke, "I know it's only been 2 weeks since I've been here. But when I saw you fighting Hidan the other day, your skills, your cunning, your devotion to your family and comrades, your refusal to leave a comrade behind, everything about you just screams patriot."
Maikeru smiled, "No argument there."
Yugito continued, "Not only that, but lately, whenever I looked at you, I kept getting this strange feeling inside. I never understood what it meant until a few days ago. At first, I was doubtful about it, but I realize that it's true now."
Maikeru was confused and asked, "What are you saying?"
Yugito shivered a bit before she replied, "What I'm trying to say is... I love you Maikeru Namikaze."
Maikeru was shocked at first, but he quickly smiled.
He pulled Yugito close and whispered, "I'm happy to hear you say that."
Yugito looked up at him in surprise as he spoke, "When I first saw you that day, you were the most beautiful woman I ever saw. Eventually, I came to realize that I felt the same feelings. I love you too Yugito Nii.
Yugito was crying with tears of joy as she and Maikeru shared a kiss in the afternoon light.
Down below on the ground, Naruto and the rest of his family saw the whole thing and were happy for the new couple.
Naruto was the happiest of all, knowing that his uncle finally found a girlfriend.
He shared a kiss with Hinata before they went inside to start dinner.
However, what no one was aware of was that Maikeru had secretly been working on a plan to bring his brother back.
Incinerating Hidan was more than a victory for him, it was actually part of a deal he made with the Shinigami.
Flashback...
After returning from his first battle with Hidan, Maikeru was in the Namikaze family dojo on his knees in a praying position.
Determined to revive his younger brother, Maikeru secretly modified the jutsu used to summon the death god.
This modified jutsu was used, not to summon the Shinigami, but merely to contact it.
After the modification, which took 3 days, Maikeru went to the family dojo, performed the modified jutsu, got on his knees and spoke, "Almighty Shinigami, Lord of the afterlife, this is Maikeru Namikaze from the mortal world. If you can hear me, please grant me an audience. There is something I wish to know."
After a few moments, a powerful, yet surprisingly feminine voice spoke, "What knowledge do you seek, mortal?"
Maikeru was stunned to hear a female voice, but controlled himself and answered, "Has there ever been a time where people have tried to make a bargain with you? As in exchanging one soul for another?"
The Mistress Of Death replied, "There have been many times where such a thing was attempted. But none have ever met my standards. Why do you ask?"
Maikeru said, "Because, I wanted to ask you this. If I could offer you a suitable soul, would it be possible for you to return the soul of my younger brother Minato to the human world?"
The Shinigami answered, "Depends. What kind of sacrifice do you think could possibly be of any interest to me?"
Maikeru asked, "What if I was to offer you the soul of Hidan?"
The Shinigami spoke in an eager voice, "Hidan?! As in Hidan the Jashinist?! That fool has escaped me time and time again! If you kill that scum and let me devour his soul, I will gladly return the soul of your brother!"
Maikeru replied seriously, "And you shall have it Milady. I give you my word." then the connection was severed.
Before he burned Hidan's body, Maikeru secretly summoned the Shinigami who seized and devoured Hidan's soul after the body was burned before disappearing.
Maikeru smiled at that memory.
After dinner was done, Maikeru went outside to the Namikaze gardens, summoned the Shinigami, and spoke, "I fulfilled my promise.
(Note: What the Shinigami looks like? Imagine Sode No Shirayuki from Bleach with angel wings and there you go.)
The Shinigami replied, "A bargain is a bargain. You held up your end of the deal, and I shall do the same."
She stretched out her right arm and chanted, "Minato Namikaze! By order of the Shinigami, return to the human world!"
Moments later, a golden glowing orb flew out of her chest and down towards Maikeru who sealed it into a scroll with a smile on his face.
After that, the Shinigami was gone with a smile on her face.
Maikeru thought to himself, "It's just a matter of time brother."
Inside the house, Kushina was having a private conversation with Tsunade.
Kushina asked, "Tsunade, you can't spend the rest of your life alone. Haven't you ever tried finding another man?"
Tsunade sighed, "I haven't had much luck with men. They hardly ever come near me."
Kushina replied, "Maybe that's because of your temper. Having said that, there is something I think you should know. I accidentally discovered this while we were away training my son."
She pulled out a book recognized as Jiraiya's diary, opened it up to page 246, and gave it to Tsunade saying, "Read this."
The page read...
Dear journal...
It's been 1 year since I left the Leaf village to train Naruto.
While it is true that I have a reputation for being a so-called Super Pervert, I don't take pride in being such. Why?
Because, I am a man of honor in my own way. Even after so many years, there is still only one woman that I deeply and truly loved with all my heart.
That woman was Tsunade Senju herself. Even though we will never be together as a couple, I still have genuine, honest feelings for her.
As I am writing this, tears are falling from my eyes knowing she may never learn of this.
I know that I can never replace her first love Dan, but I love her so much that I would never hesitate to lay my life down for her.
I wanted to tell her my feelings for her time and time again, but she would probably just think I was leading her on just to get in her pants.
But it's not like that. I love her for who she is, not her looks.
I know why she hides under a henge, but I don't see her wrinkles as a symbol of getting old.
I view them as scars that represent the sacrifices she made in life to help people. That's what I think.
Even if she never learns how I feel, I will always love her with all my heart and soul.
Jiraiya.
As she finished, Tsunade's face was a mixture of shock and tears of happiness.
She thought Jiraiya was just after her body, but she now realized that wasn't true at all.
This was a man who loved everything about her.
Tsunade spoke in a teary voice, "Is it true? He really loved me?"
Kushina nodded, "He did. He hates acting like a pervert all the time, but he still loved you Tsunade. Maybe you should talk to him."
Tsunade nodded.
Later that night, Tsunade waited in her office for Jiraiya to show up.
As he entered, Jiraiya asked, "You wanted to see me Tsunade?"
Tsunade turned around and laid his diary on the table with the book open on the page where he wrote about her.
Jiraiya froze unable to move, he was now truly scared, he waited for the inevitable beating that was coming.
But surprisingly, Tsunade never even glared at him, instead she looked rather sad.
Tsunade sniffled, "Why didn't you tell me before?"
Jiraiya spoke quietly, "You know why."
Tsunade replied sadly, "I wouldn't think of you as a replacement."
Jiraiya said, "I thought you would. I didn't want it that way."
Tsunade asked, "Jiraiya, if you really loved me that much, then why do you act like a pervert all the time?"
Jiraiya spoke in an honest and truthful voice, "To tell you the truth Tsunade. I never intended to become such a pervert. But, it just happened. When I was young, I was very shy. Never seen or heard. Even after I became a Sannin, I still felt like my life was incomplete. I wanted someone by my side to love and protect with all my heart. I never came across a woman where I could feel a connection or compatibility with. That is, until I met you Tsunade. You were the same as me. Wanting to make a name for yourself, and striving to be the best you could be. I always admired that, and that's when I developed feelings for you. Of course you and Dan were an item at that time. So I couldn't interfere. When he died, I remembered how it broke your heart. You literally shut everyone out of your life and couldn't bring yourself to let anyone get close to you with the fear of losing them too. I understood that. But I couldn't rid myself of my own feelings. As the years went by, I couldn't stop thinking about you, but I knew we couldn't be together. So I tried to find ways to get away from it. That's why I began writing my most popular book series. I had hoped that burying myself in a haze of the perverted world, it would help me to bury and forget about those feelings so I could move on with my life. But it didn't work. It only got worse and worse. I could never escape it. Even now, I still can't let it go."
By the time his story was finished, Tsunade was at a loss for words.
She never detected a single hint of deceit in Jiraiya's words, so she knew he was telling the truth.
After what seemed like forever, Tsunade walked up to him and said in a hopeful voice, "Jiraiya. It makes me happy to know that you truly care that much for me. If you really love me, I'd be more than happy to be together with you. But I want to make sure you're serious about your devotion to me. I need a sign of trust from you."
Jiraiya asked, "What is it you want Tsunade?"
Tsunade replied, "I want you to answer 3 questions honestly. 1: Would you be willing to give up writing Icha Icha Paradise to be with me?"
Jiraiya nodded.
Tsunade asked, "2: Would you be willing to risk any and everything to protect me and my family?"
Jiraiya nodded.
Tsunade asked, "And 3: Would you devote yourself to me and only me for the rest of your life?"
Jiraiya said with conviction, "I will."
Tsunade replied, "I think we have a great future ahead of us."
Jiraiya took Tsunade's right hand in his own and asked, "Tsunade, will you be my girlfriend?"
Tsunade cried, "Yes!" as they closed the gap and shared a kiss.
Little did they know that the others were watching them, except Naruto and Hinata, and thought there was indeed a bright future for the new couple.
End of chapter 35.
Hope you all enjoyed!