June's flowers had bloomed, blazing in full splendor.
A riot of colorful blossoms adorned the cityscape, while lush green leaves concealed the charm of early summer.
Mosquitoes and birds alike enjoyed the lovely summer days in their own worlds.
"Damn it!"
A woman wearing a tea-green long coat trimmed in black, a loose sleeveless kimono-like top underneath, a black sash around her waist, and dark-blue cropped pants kicked a stone flying down the street.
She breathed in the fresh air after the rain, but her mood refused to brighten.
Her unlucky day had begun with losing money and piling up another mountain of debt.
"Lady Tsunade!"
A little girl with short black hair jogged up from behind.
Looking at the beautiful, mature female ninja before her—fair-skinned and full-figured—she called out again.
"Lady Tsunade, wait for me!"
"Shizune, hurry up. The creditors will notice us soon."
Hearing that, Shizune's mouth twitched slightly, her face full of helplessness.
This was nothing like the ninja life she had imagined when she graduated from the Ninja Academy.
A real ninja used all kinds of practical ninjutsu to confront enemies head-on, or excelled at disguise and assassination.
A fake ninja used the Transformation Technique to fool creditors, ran whenever they could, and if they could not run, relied on superb acting to stir up the creditors' greed before running again.
She had never expected Lady Tsunade's ninja career to be so plain and unadorned.
At that thought, she looked up at Lady Tsunade, who walked with a careless swagger and not a hint of femininity, then muttered softly.
"Lady Tsunade, we're out of money again. Tonight's inn... might..."
"Don't say that yet."
Tsunade poked her head out to glance behind Shizune, then immediately turned around and quickened her pace.
"Let's leave this city first."
"Ugh!"