While Sakumo Hatake was clashing with the Hidden Rain ninja, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru were walking through an alley. They had followed a girl named Fusao here.
According to Fusao, something might have gone wrong when her husband, Ise, took his medicine, and his condition had worsened, so she came to Tsunade for help.
Tsunade didn't think there was a problem with the medicine she had prescribed. It was more likely that Ise's condition had worsened. Since she had diagnosed him, and he couldn't come to her, she should go and examine him herself.
Along the way, Tsunade kept asking Fusao if Ise had eaten anything else or shown any unusual symptoms before or after his condition worsened, as this would help in diagnosing him.
Perhaps because Fusao wasn't a professional medical practitioner, she couldn't articulate it precisely, which Tsunade understood.
Orochimaru had previously participated in research with both the research and medical departments, so he wasn't entirely ignorant of medical knowledge. He listened thoughtfully to the conversation between Tsunade and Fusao.
Jiraiya, on the other hand, was completely in the dark, not understanding a word, and could only act as a follower.
Jiraiya actually felt that this house call wasn't a good idea. After all, Sakumo Hatake had said that the Hidden Rain ninja had their eyes on the medical team here, and isolated medical ninja would undoubtedly become their targets.
Even with himself and Orochimaru accompanying her, it might not be enough to deter their malicious intentions.
However, Jiraiya looked at the girl named Fusao. She was beautiful, the type Jiraiya liked. Perhaps due to worry for her husband, her face was haggard, and her vibrant red hair seemed to have lost its luster.
Seeing her like this, Jiraiya felt a pang of pity.
Since Ise's worsened condition prevented him from traveling, a medical ninja absolutely needed to visit him in person. They couldn't just rely on Fusao's verbal account to determine his illness.
If illnesses could be cured that way, there would be no need for medical ninja to get involved.
So, Jiraiya stopped dwelling on the matter and instead carefully observed his surroundings, wary of any remaining rogue ninja stealthily following them.
He saw Orochimaru only looking straight ahead, with what Jiraiya considered a very eerie smile on his face, which made his scalp tingle.
"Orochimaru, what are you doing? Always staring at people. I didn't realize you had such interests," Jiraiya said.
Upon hearing this, Orochimaru knew Jiraiya's thoughts had drifted elsewhere. He let out a soft hmph and said meaningfully, "Jiraiya, sometimes you think something is far away, but it might be right in front of you."
"What?" Jiraiya was slightly taken aback.
Although people often called him an idiot, having studied under Hiruzen Sarutobi for many years, how could he be a true idiot?
"You mean…?" Jiraiya lowered his voice, looking at Fusao, who was talking to Tsunade ahead.
"Should be correct," Orochimaru's mouth barely moved, but a faint sound still emerged, just enough for Jiraiya to hear.
"Then we should quickly get Tsunade out of here!" Jiraiya sounded a little anxious.
"Idiot, do you think Tsunade doesn't know that? She probably discovered it even earlier than I did." Orochimaru couldn't help but roll his eyes, sighing at Jiraiya's dullness.
"Then she intends to…" Jiraiya seemed to understand Tsunade's thoughts and couldn't help but inwardly marvel at what a bold girl Tsunade was.
To some extent, it even made Jiraiya feel a sense of eagerness.
At this moment, Tsunade, walking ahead, slowed her pace and asked the anxious Fusao, "So, Miss Fusao, we're almost at your house, aren't we?"
Although they had registered the addresses of the Hidden Rain villagers, Tsunade and the others didn't know how to navigate the area. Usually, they still needed to ask the residents for directions.
"Yes, it's just ahead." Fusao nodded, her gaze revealing a hint of pleading, her expression making her seem pitiful. "Please, you must restore my husband's health."
"Yes, I will restore Mr. Ise's health," Tsunade replied, then playfully winked at Fusao. "However, if it's for other matters, I can't guarantee anything."
Fusao was momentarily stunned, then seemed to understand something. But before she could react, Orochimaru flashed behind her and struck her back.
Fusao cried out in pain, blood gushing from her mouth, and she fell forward. Then, with a 'thump,' a puff of smoke rose from Fusao's body—
When the smoke cleared, a fully armed Hidden Rain ninja appeared in her place. Tsunade merely glanced at him before turning her gaze forward, then clenched her fists and said, "If you're not willing to come out, then I'll force you to."
With that, Tsunade immediately raised her fist and slammed it onto the ground. What seemed like an ordinary punch unleashed immense power.
The ground instantly cracked open with numerous spiderweb-like fissures, then crumbled. The strong tremor spread to the surroundings, even shaking the houses.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru quickly saw the hidden Hidden Rain ninja revealed by the tremor. They immediately flashed to Tsunade's side, guarding her flanks.
Realizing their exposure, the Hidden Rain ninja rushed out and surrounded the three. There were six of them, each fully armed and exuding a chilling aura.
These individuals didn't utter any nonsense like, "Surrender" or "Give up." Instead, they silently drew their ninja tools.
They clearly intended to eliminate Tsunade and the others entirely, for a simple reason: even if they captured Tsunade and her companions, they wouldn't gain anything from using them.
It was better to simply kill them, leaving Hanzo with the blame for inadequate protection.
"So you really intend to attack directly," Tsunade said, watching the seven figures' movements, and couldn't help but 'tsk.' "Fine, I hoped for this too. I just wonder if you have the skill."
"You needn't worry, little girl, because all of you will die here," said one who appeared to be the leader.
"Heh heh, you might be disappointed. We won't die here," Orochimaru said, a smile that Jiraiya found very eerie appearing on his face.
"Do you think that knowing you'd set an ambush here, we would still come here completely unaware?"
These Hidden Rain ninja exchanged glances, then their faces showed shock, because a large number of people suddenly rushed out nearby.
They were also wearing the clothes of Hidden Rain ninja, but those were the uniforms of the Anbu. In other words, these people were not rogue ninja but Hanzo's subordinates.
"You brats, you!" The Hidden Rain ninja who appeared to be the leader only managed to utter this before he had to turn and engage in battle with the Hidden Rain Anbu.
Jiraiya and Tsunade both showed surprised expressions. Seeing Tsunade's expression, Jiraiya immediately said, "Why do you look surprised too? Didn't you already know that girl was an imposter?"
"No, I knew, but these people aren't here because of me," Tsunade didn't know how to answer, then looked at Orochimaru and said, "Orochimaru, was it you?"
"Ah, I sent a Shadow Clone to notify them midway," Orochimaru said expressionlessly.
"When did you use a Shadow Clone?" Jiraiya asked, surprised.
Orochimaru had no intention of answering, so Jiraiya had to guess for himself. When did this Orochimaru guy form the hand signs? He hadn't even noticed.
At the same time, he was secretly astonished, having thought Orochimaru had neglected his training in the research department, but it seemed he was even stronger than before.
"Although one problem has been solved, however…" Tsunade looked at the subdued Hidden Rain rogue ninja, feeling a bit regretful.
She also had the opportunity to inform the Anbu, but she had hoped to give her somewhat stiff body a good workout, so she planned to resolve it herself with Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
"Tsunade, your thinking is too reckless. If the opponent's strength exceeds expectations, we might be in trouble," Orochimaru shook his head and said.
"Hmm… you have a point there," Tsunade thought for a moment, admitting that her decision was a bit impulsive. Orochimaru, to some extent, was also cleaning up her mess.
"Well, since there's no threat, can you answer me a question?" Jiraiya spoke up at this moment. "How did you discover that Fusao was an imposter?"
"Because the symptoms she described were completely different from her husband's illness," Orochimaru said.
"Although both are epidemics, there are different types. To someone who doesn't understand much, there might not be much difference, but to us, we can spot the problem immediately."
"Exactly. That Hidden Rain ninja probably just assumed Mr. Ise had an epidemic and self-righteously described symptoms, not realizing they were full of holes," Tsunade added.
"Tsunade, when did you realize she was problematic?" Jiraiya asked curiously.
"I felt something was off from the very beginning," Tsunade answered without hesitation.
"Huh? She shouldn't have said anything then, so how did you think she was problematic?" Orochimaru cast a surprised glance.
"I have my own reasons," Tsunade didn't reveal her guess. She thought Fusao might be from the Uzumaki clan. Even if worried about her husband, she couldn't have become so haggard in such a short time. This was what first made her suspicious, and then she confirmed it through their conversation.