Kisame Hoshigaki wasn't exaggerating Tobirama Senju's strength.
Even if the Second Hokage only used his Flying Thunder God Technique, he could probably pin most of the people present to the ground and beat them senseless.
Itachi Uchiha thought for a moment before explaining, "Actually, the Third Hokage's strength isn't weak. It's just that the puppets controlled by Orochimaru can only use a fraction of their original power. That must be the flaw in the forbidden jutsu."
"Alright."
Pain didn't linger on the topic. He simply nodded. "Kakuzu has fought the First Hokage before. He should be able to handle the legendary God of Shinobi."
Even though Kakuzu wanted to say more, he was worried about appearing fearful to the other members, so he dejectedly kept his mouth shut.
Besides, he had managed to escape from the First Hokage's grasp back then. Now that Hashirama's strength wasn't what it used to be, and with the Earth Grudge Fear he'd obtained from the Hidden Waterfall Village, it shouldn't be a problem.
Maybe he could even avenge that past humiliation?
After the Akatsuki meeting ended, each ninja dispersed their astral projection. Kisame Hoshigaki reached out a hand to help Itachi stand up from his cross-legged position.
"Mr. Itachi, do you think we can capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"
"That depends on our backup," Itachi replied, lowering his head as he glanced at the smiling, shark-faced man. "Do you see another way?"
"I don't quite understand."
Kisame blinked his small eyes and said softly, "The locations of most of the Jinchuriki are still unknown. If we recklessly attack the Nine-Tails, we'll almost certainly alert the five great nations..."
"We're just capturing the Nine-Tails. It won't cause any trouble."
Itachi shook his head, silently telling Kisame not to worry. For a moment, he felt as if he and Kisame had swapped personalities. He was the one pushing for the Akatsuki to capture the Nine-Tails, yet Kisame was the one raising doubts. It almost made the shark-faced man seem like the real spy in the organization.
Of course, the two might have different goals.
Itachi hoped to use this incident to alert Konoha and the other great ninja villages to the Akatsuki's threat. Kisame, having witnessed the power of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, was more inclined to think from a broader perspective.
Unfortunately, Itachi had not yet made up his mind to use Kotoamatsukami on Kisame. After all, his partner had been very good to him so far.
Compared to his previous partner, Juzo Biwa, Kisame was surprisingly friendly. He didn't just protect Itachi in battle; he also looked out for him in their day-to-day lives.
The only trouble was that the shark-man's thoughts were hard to read.
For a simple-minded guy like Juzo Biwa, Itachi had easily figured out how to get along with him. As long as he showed his strength, he would gain Juzo's respect. Kisame, on the other hand, had always acted as if he already respected him. In reality, Itachi knew he hadn't done anything special to earn it.
Itachi looked up at Kisame walking ahead, Samehada slung over his back, and couldn't help but frown. This guy is so troublesome, he thought. I wonder when Naruto and the Nine-Tails will contact me. When we meet again, I'll just use Tsukuyomi to communicate directly...
-----
Naruto didn't know that someone wanted to meet him just to put him in a Tsukuyomi.
After a day of training his Wood Style ninjutsu on the mountain, the young genin returned to Tanzaku Town. He went to an izakaya but couldn't find Jiraiya and Hashirama.
He was about to check the casino. If he couldn't find them there, his plan was to find a small shop, scarf down seven or eight bowls of rice, and head back to rest. Just then, someone called out to him.
"Hey, kid!"
It seemed someone wasn't willing to let him go.
Two women were sitting in a corner of the small restaurant. One of them, a blonde woman with twin pigtails, held a sake cup in one hand and waved at him with the other. "Want to come have a drink with us?"
"Lady Tsunade, he's still a child!" Shizune, sitting next to her, quickly tried to stop the mischievous blonde kunoichi.
Naruto, who had been ready to ignore them, turned his head in surprise. "Lady Tsunade of the Sannin... Master Jiraiya's old teammate?"
Isn't that the person Master Jiraiya and the First Hokage are looking for? Did those two go off to enjoy the nightlife again and forget about important business? As expected, adults can't be relied on.
"Ha, you know Jiraiya?"
Tsunade's drunken smile vanished, and her face turned cold. "Then you can get out of here!"
Today, she hated hearing Jiraiya's name. Every time she had a serious talk with him, the old white-haired man's presence was always suffocating, never giving her room to breathe. He seemed gentle, but he was actually domineering.
In comparison, Orochimaru was the complete opposite. He seemed domineering on the surface but hid a gentleness that wasn't easy to spot. That insidious and cunning friend had a habit of pushing forward, only to retreat just enough to give a person some space. If Orochimaru hadn't attacked Konoha and killed the Third Hokage, Tsunade might have been tempted to cooperate with him.
Naruto whipped his head around, looking at the blonde kunoichi with growing impatience. "If you've got a foul mouth, I can help you by cutting it off and making a new one. After all, I'm known as a medical ninja, too."
Subconsciously, he'd had a good impression of Tsunade, but now he was seriously tempted to curse her out. What was wrong with this woman? Did she think he couldn't trade insults?
There was no problem with Naruto calling himself a medical ninja. You couldn't find many in all of Konoha who were better at saving people than him. And he really could create a mouth.
It was just that while other medical ninjas expended their own chakra to heal the injured, Naruto's methods were a bit wasteful for Kurama. The Nine-Tails worked day and night in the seal to gather Yang Power, but before it could accumulate much, Naruto would squander it all.
At the table, before Tsunade could speak, Shizune frantically bowed and waved her hands. "Kid, you should go, hurry! Don't make Lady Tsunade angry!"
The blonde kunoichi had an explosive temper, but hearing Naruto mention he was a medical ninja made her pause. She reined in her anger and looked up. "You, kid... you don't look like a medical ninja at all."
"What's it to you..."
Naruto glanced at her, already losing interest in this version of Tsunade. "Hey, you shouldn't just insult people like that. Not everyone is as patient as I am, and I'm not always in a good mood."
If Jiraiya didn't always praise her to the heavens every time he mentioned her, if the First Hokage didn't miss her so much, if his own mother, Kushina Uzumaki, hadn't spoken of her with such respect...
Naruto might have been tempted to send this so-called strongest medical ninja to the hospital tonight. The last person with a mouth like that was a special jonin named Ebisu. One trip to the hospital later, and now he's a cheerful, motivated ninja school teacher.
"Ha? Your temper is even bigger than mine!"
Tsunade slammed her foot on the table. In an incredibly rude posture, she leaned down, getting closer and closer to Naruto's face. "You've got guts, kid, talking to me like that. Want to see the wrath of a medical ninja?"
-----
Bonus:
Tsunade: Brat, come fight me!
Naruto: Sure!
Jiraiya: Don't be reckless!
Tsunade: You think I'd lose?
Jiraiya: No, I'm afraid you'll die!
Tsunade: Brat, don't hold back!
Jiraiya: Naruto, go easy on her…
Naruto: She told me not to hold back!
Jiraiya: In a minute you'll be on your knees begging her not to die—and patching her up yourself…
Naruto: …