In the tavern.
Watching Tsunade, drunk and flushed, Tōshirō sighed helplessly and gently advised, "Drink less, you're drunk."
"I'm not drunk…" she retorted.
Tōshirō murmured to himself, That's what drunk people always say…
Tsunade was clearly disheartened.
Their recent mission had not been completed—not because they lacked ability, but because they chose to give it up voluntarily.
Moss Village relied on fishing to make a living, selling their catch to the Land of Fire.
One day, a kind-looking man suggested to the villagers, "Fishing all day for limited earnings… Why not try gambling? What if you strike it rich?"
The simple villagers decided to try, and to their surprise, they won big.
Excited by their luck, the villagers spread the word. More and more villagers started buying lottery tickets, and incredibly, everyone kept winning.
At first, this seemed like a joyous miracle, but good fortune never lasts forever. Eventually, their luck ran out.
However, having tasted the sweetness of easy money, the villagers were hooked. Like addicts, they couldn't stop, and gambling, as always, led to losing. The villagers ended up losing everything, sinking into debt and even resorting to high-interest loans to survive.
Through introductions, they heard about a newly opened luxury hotel urgently seeking young, beautiful women to serve as hostesses. The hotel promised free food and lodging, along with high wages.
Desperate to pay off their debts, some villagers decided to give it a try. But upon arriving, they discovered the reality was far from the promises—it wasn't just serving drinks but something far more vile and despicable. The promised wages were also a lie.
When the women protested, they found themselves trapped, subjected to beatings, humiliation, and abuse. Some, unable to endure the torment, chose to end their own lives.
These women, being outsiders with no family or connections, didn't stir any attention or justice when they died.
The hotel staff grew even bolder, and when they ran out of women, they began raiding the island, forcibly abducting more villagers.
It was only then that the villagers realized they had been ensnared in a trap from the very beginning.
The men of the village tried to resist, but ordinary villagers were no match for the hotel's skilled henchmen.
Even the village chief, who knew some basic ninjutsu, couldn't hold his ground against so many opponents. In his desperation, he resorted to a summoning technique.
However, an uncontracted summoning technique is highly unpredictable, and it can summon something entirely unknown.
The monster Tōshirō had encountered was summoned in this way. It possessed the ability to transform people into grotesque hybrids.
In their despair, some villagers willingly chose to become monsters to gain strength and defend against further invasions.
This was the full story behind the situation.
When Tsunade and Tōshirō learned the truth, they were furious and planned to confront the hotel, just as they had secretly eliminated the corrupt pharmaceutical executives on a previous mission.
However, the village chief stopped them. The hotel belonged to a relative of the daimyo. Because of their status and influence, Tsunade and Tōshirō couldn't act recklessly.
Even if they did act, they had to consider whether the daimyo might have powerful guards protecting their relative. If their actions were exposed, they would be labeled traitors and forced to live as rogue ninjas.
Assassinating a relative of the daimyo was a grave crime.
Unless the village openly rejected the "One Nation, One Village" system, the village might be forced to hand them over to preserve the greater political order.
Tsunade's special status might protect her, but Tōshirō could very well become the scapegoat, shouldering all the blame.
For these reasons, Tsunade and Tōshirō couldn't simply take matters into their own hands as they had in the past.
The village chief, tearful and outraged, condemned the hotel's cruel methods. "They could've just taken what they wanted by force, but instead, they used such despicable schemes."
Hearing this, Tsunade was completely overwhelmed.
Her favorite pastime, gambling, had been twisted into a tool for destroying lives and families.
The "One Nation, One Village" system, left behind by her grandfather, had allowed the rulers of the Land of Fire, whom Konoha was supposed to protect, to become such despicable scum.
Now, Tsunade was drowning in despair. She indulged in reckless eating, binge drinking, and even used alcohol to numb herself.
Despite being underage, as long as she paid enough, the tavern owner happily served her alcohol, asking, "Need more? There's plenty."
Drunk and with no tolerance, Tsunade began to act out, becoming rowdy.
To prevent her from saying or doing anything reckless that might cause trouble, Tōshirō decisively struck her soft neck with a knife-hand blow.
Tsunade's eyes rolled back as she collapsed forward.
Tōshirō extended his hand, supporting Tsunade with one arm while using the other to loop her arm over his shoulder. After settling the bill, he left the tavern and found an inn where they could spend the night.
.....
The next morning, at dawn.
"What… what happened to me?"
Tsunade groaned as she slowly woke up, clutching her head. Perhaps she had drunk too much the night before—her hangover was hitting hard, leaving her head pounding.
And… it was freezing.
Blinking her bright eyes, she noticed she was in an unfamiliar room. Despite its small size, the room was well-equipped. For instance, there was a bed next to her…
A bed in the room wasn't unusual in itself.
But Tsunade stared blankly in confusion.
What was going on?
Why was she sleeping on the floor? And more importantly, who was sleeping in the bed?
Standing up, Tsunade approached the bed and saw a dark-haired young man lying on his side, hugging a pillow and sleeping soundly. He was snoring peacefully.
The more she stared, the more annoyed she became. Her expression darkened. She felt an overwhelming urge to strangle him until his face turned blue and purple.
This jerk! He had made her sleep on the hard, uncomfortable floor while he enjoyed the soft, cozy bed.
And to make it worse…
He hadn't even bothered to cover her with a blanket!
She was furious. If it weren't for her strong constitution, she might've caught a cold last night.
Clenching her fists, Tsunade debated whether she should punch Tōshirō right then and there while he was still sleeping.
As if sensing the murderous intent, Tōshirō furrowed his brow and slowly opened his eyes. His groggy gaze landed on Tsunade's delicate yet furious face.
Waking up to see a beautiful woman should've been pleasant, but her icy glare dampened the mood.
Stretching lazily, Tōshirō yawned like a cat that had just stolen cream. "Good morning."
"Good morning?!"
Tsunade's teeth ground together as she glared daggers at him, her voice laced with fury. "Tell me, why was I sleeping on the floor with no blanket?"
If looks could kill, Tōshirō would've died a hundred times over by now.
"Oh, that," Tōshirō replied, his casual tone only fueling Tsunade's anger.
"Answer me already!" she snapped impatiently.
"Simple. You got drunk last night, and I kindly brought you to an inn to keep you safe from predators. Shouldn't you be thanking me?"
Tōshirō's smug look, complete with a wink, was almost unbearable.
Like this: (￣3￣)
Tsunade's temples throbbed with rage. Her voice was dripping with sarcasm as she forced out, "Oh, thank you so much."
"You know," Tōshirō continued, "inns are expensive these days. To save money, I thought it'd be more practical for us to share a room. Renting two rooms would've been such a waste, right?"
His logic was impeccable, but Tsunade was still upset. She understood his reasoning, but… why was she the one sleeping on the floor?
She pressed the question further.
"Well, duh. Did you expect us to share the same bed?" Tōshirō replied with a straight face.
Tsunade froze, her brain momentarily short-circuiting.
"Uh… er…"
"I was doing you a favor by letting you sleep on the floor. Isn't that fair enough? What, did you want the bed while I slept on the floor? Don't you think that's a bit much? What have you done to deserve that kind of sacrifice from me?"
Taking a deep breath, Tsunade forced a stiff smile. "At the very least, you could've given me a blanket."
"Oh, that? But aren't you from the Senju clan? You're super tough—you don't need a blanket, right?"
Tsunade: …
.....
After a quick wash, the two checked out of the inn and headed to a breakfast shop.
While eating, Tsunade suddenly spoke up.
"By the way, Aokiji, I have a question for you."
Pausing mid-bite, Aokiji looked up. "What is it?"
Tsunade rested her hands on the table, nervously fidgeting with the glass in her grip. Her thumbs pressed against each other anxiously.
"Last night… when I was drunk… I didn't say anything… weird, did I?"
Aokiji, seeming to recall something, lightly tapped his finger against his lips. A sly grin spread across his face, revealing a row of teeth. "What do you think?"
Gulp.
Tsunade swallowed hard.
She was doomed.
(End of Chapter)
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