Tsunade hugged him and cried hysterically. Naruto's consciousness grew increasingly hazy, and his eyelids became heavier. However, with the Kyubi keeping him alive, he wasn't worried about dying.
But he couldn't speak now, and it was driving him crazy!
'Pull out the sword!!! Damn it!!!'
Naruto passed out from the pain, and when he woke up again, it was already nighttime.
[The Tail Releasing Method was successfully granted.]
His chest throbbed faintly. The ceiling looked unfamiliar. It's not a hospital, nor was it Konoha. He fully opened his eyes and saw Shizune asleep at his bedside.
'It seemed we are in the inn.'
He silently sat up, turned his head to both sides, and touched his chest, however, the Kusanagi Sword was nowhere to be found.
Shizune was awakened by the noise. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, only to find that Naruto had woken up, but his face was extremely grim, like someone who had lost everything.
"Naruto, you're awake?" Shizune walked over and placed her cool hand on his forehead, "Please don't move around too much. It will take some time for the wound to heal."
"Shizune-san, where's the sword?" Naruto asked with hopelessness.
"Sword?"
"The big sword!" Naruto gestured at his chest, "The big sword that was stuck in my chest."
Shizune, the eternally youthful beauty in black stockings, instantly understood. Her face broke into a soft, maid-like professional smile as she replied, "I'm sorry, it was taken away by Tsunade-sama."
"What!!! How could she…!!" Naruto stopped himself from courting death, "…be so humorous."
"Shizune-san, Tsunade-sama must be teasing me, right? She will definitely return the sword to me, right?"
"Well…" Shizune showed an awkward smile on her face.
Seeing this, Naruto's face instantly fell.
"Where's the sword?" Naruto cornered Tsunade in a small tavern.
"What sword?" Tsunade, drunk and swaying, pouted, her clothes half revealed, "What the hell are you talking about, you little brat?"
"The sword! The one in my chest!"
Naruto was so anxious that he didn't even want to look at her cleavage, and was practically pressing his face against Tsunade's.
"Get a grip, old woman!"
In an instant, the air around them dropped to freezing point. Tsunade's face turned fierce and her eyes glowed red with fury.
"What did you just call me?"
"Hokage-sama." Naruto said bluntly, and straightened his position for a second, but soon he couldn't hold it anymore, "Where's the sword? Where's my big sword?"
"That thing... is too dangerous." Tsunade slurred drunkenly, "How could I possibly give it to an unreliable brat like you?"
"Huh? What?" Naruto was baffled. He sat down across from Tsunade and asked, "Tsunade-sama, who blocked the sword for you?"
"Well…"
"Don't dodge the question, damn it!"
"I suppose it was you." Tsunade frowned, biting her finger with an extremely reluctant expression.
"What do you mean, suppose?! It was me!" Naruto's face was full of resentment, "I blocked the sword for you at that time, and that sword pierced through my chest, right here."
Naruto chattered incessantly as he recounted the events, clearly showing how much he desired the Kusanagi Sword.
"See, I was like this…" Naruto retracted the hand that was gesturing toward his chest and muttered, "Anyway, you have to give it to me. The sword pierced my body, so that means it's mine now."
"Giving it back to you isn't... impossible." Tsunade drank another cup, her face flushed, "But that depends... on your future performance."
Naruto's face was filled with dejection, and he was impressed by Tsunade's equally low moral bottom line. Neither of them were saints, and their combined cunning could fill a thousand minds.
But there wasn't much he could do now. In a sense, Tsunade was already the Godaime Hokage, his direct superior.
And he is just an ordinary Biju's Jinchuriki, and he will also have to rely on Tsunade to protect him in the upcoming high-level meeting. In other words, Naruto would have to listen to this evil woman from now on.
Although it annoyed him, for now, he had no choice but to let Tsunade have her way. He was so angry that he was trembling with fear. He wondered when a Jinchuriki would ever truly stand tall.
'When the process of extracting Kyubi's power was complete, I could use the Tail Releasing Method.'
'When the time comes, I'll make this old woman come to me holding the Kusanagi sword and beg me to get the Kyubi back. But, of course, only a fool would care who took the Kyubi.'
"Here."
Tsunade suddenly thrusted a warm object into Naruto's hand and downed another drink.
"What is ??" Naruto scratched his head, feeling confused.
He opened his palm to reveal a metal pendant necklace, which had once belonged to the Shodaime Hokage and was Tsunade's most treasured possession.
"Why does it smell like milk?" Naruto sniffed, but before he could investigate further, Tsunade punched him onto the table angrily.
"You want to die, brat?!"
"It hurts, it hurts! I'm going to die! My wound is reopening!" Naruto's cries echoed through the tavern, only to be quickly muffled by Tsunade, who pulled him into her chest.
"Why are you shouting?" Tsunade was slightly annoyed and muttered in a low voice, "Believe it or not, I can tear open your wound and heal it again!"
Naruto didn't dare to release a sound anymore. He knew that this woman was really capable of doing such a thing. In fact, older single strong women were all terrifying in their own ways.
To make matters worse, Tsunade was clearly drunk right now. Looking at the sake bottles on the table, Naruto had no doubt that Tsunade had been drinking alone from morning till now.
"Come! Have a drink too." Tsunade, reeking of alcohol, shoved a cup of sake into Naruto's face.
"I don't drink. The three prohibitions for Shinobi, I'm a... mmmph!! Cough cough!!"
"What's the big deal? A little drink won't hurt you." Tsunade drunkenly poured the sake into Naruto's mouth, "Don't be so rigid. It's good stuff."
"I'll drink it myself, I'll drink it myself!!"
Naruto quickly pleaded, realizing Tsunade was a complete drunkard. If she kept forcing it down his throat, he'd choke to death.
"Hah, how much can a little brat like you drink?" Tsunade laughed drunkenly, then pulled Naruto into her arms, intent on making him drink.
"Mmmph! I…"
Naruto tried to protest again, but was completely overwhelmed, nearly suffocating. The mix of perfume and alcohol in her embrace quickly turned into the smell of vomit.
"Ugh!!!" Naruto knelt outside the tavern, vomiting violently. It was already dark outside.
The streets were crowded with people and the lights flickered like a flowing river. Tsunade stood aside and watched the fun with a hearty laugh. She leaned over and patted Naruto on the back and said with a bright smile, "You're so weak, brat."
"Ugh!!" Naruto didn't drink the sake, but vomited because Tsunade held him. He looked up with a pale face and suddenly grabbed Tsunade's wrist.
Naruto may be the only one in Konoha who was tormented by the Godaime Hokage.
Gripping Tsunade's wrist, Naruto, still not giving up, asked, "Where's the sword?"