A Bamboo Partition Between Them, Tsunade by the Fire

Tsunade gathered her loose blonde hair, frowned, and pursed her lips. She plunged into the water with a splash; it was a little hot, but bearable.

But then I remembered Naruto's theory from a few days ago, and I suddenly realized that it made some sense. Ninjas don't have to endure everything to show that they are different from ordinary people.

So she simply let her body sink into the pool, let out a soft "ah," and a low gasp escaped from her throat, rippling her snow-white skin.

The men's and women's baths were separated by a thin bamboo partition in the same bath.

With a whoosh, Naruto was startled by the commotion from Tsunade and jumped to his feet, his body stiff. Damn it, what is that woman doing now?

After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down, he sat down again, leaning against the edge of the hot soup and watching the rising steam.

The inn was simple, and there were hardly any other guests at this time; he and Tsunade were the only two people there. The innkeeper was a middle-aged man with a limp and didn't talk much.

Outside the inn, the wind and snow howled fiercely, a stark contrast to the climate of Konohagakure. Although it was advertised as having two rooms, they were actually two enormous shared rooms.

Naruto lay in the bath, recalling the scene when he stayed at the hotel.

The boss's voice was low and somber, as if he were dying at any moment. "It's all mixed accommodation. There are four large rooms upstairs, each accommodating eight people. If you want two rooms, you'll have to pay for four people."

The place was quite basic, but the requirements were rather high. Fortunately, it was clean enough, and Naruto didn't waste any time, paying for two rooms without hesitation.

Normally, no one comes here. They simply divided one of the hot spring pools into two sections with a bamboo board and hastily pasted a sign on the door. "Men on the left, women on the right." The water in the hot spring was clear, so I guess it's not usually crowded.

To put it simply, it was like soaking in a hot spring bath. The bamboo planks were old and worn, and you could vaguely peek through the gaps at the rising steam on the other side. He couldn't really see anything clearly, nor did he have the courage.

After Tsunade uttered that "Ah," there was no further movement, and the hot spring immediately fell silent.

Naruto began to soak in the bath with complete focus, but before he could calm down, a voice slowly came through the bamboo slats. It was Tsunade's voice.

"What do you think about Danzo's matter?" she asked casually, the sound of drinking could be faintly heard.

"Eliminate the Root, or better yet, uproot it completely," Naruto said. "Danzo is nothing but harm to the village; he is completely hindering Konohagakure's progress."

"It's not the right time yet, we need to wait a little longer." Tsunade's voice gradually came through, without any emotional fluctuation, but it revealed a hint of fatigue.

"I know, you didn't need to tell me specifically. I'm not in such a hurry, these things can't be rushed." Naruto smiled, knowing that Tsunade's words were an explanation to him.

Tsunade was unaware that he already had a way to counter the greatest threat, Izanagi. He used Forbidden Jutsu to directly erase its effects.

Danzo is sitting there now, ready to fall at any time. It's completely irrelevant to Naruto now. Like meat on a chopping board, it doesn't matter when he's cut.

"Yes, I'm glad you understand." She tilted her head back and took a sip of wine, leaning against the bamboo board, her figure tall and pale in the mist. "I thought you would be angry, that you would feel it was unfair."

"I didn't think that much about it. If you really tried to calculate it carefully, you wouldn't be able to figure it out." Naruto sighed, unusually serious, and said, "Some people shine brightly, while others are covered in rust."

"In the end, you still have to fight for it yourself. Fairness is earned one punch at a time. Lord Tsunade has been good enough to me. I have a guilty conscience, so why would I hold a grudge?"

"You don't owe me anything, and you don't need to feel guilty. I won't hesitate to ask for your help when I need it."

"You said a lot, but none of it was what I wanted to hear." Tsunade rubbed her temples. "You said it all well, but don't say those fake words of guilt again next time."

After she finished speaking, the sound of gulping alcohol came from the other end of the line. Tsunade liked alcohol, and this little bit of alcohol wouldn't harm her body; on the contrary, it could calm her mind and soothe her nerves.

However, she never smokes. Smoking ages you quickly, and once your organs are damaged, it's hard to reverse the damage. Even if Tsunade proficient in Medical Ninjutsu, she couldn't purify herself.

Naruto had seen Jiraiya smoke before; he rarely smoked in front of others, and that time was by chance. He saw Jiraiya squatting on the stone steps of the convenience store where the light didn't reach, with flickering Kakkō in the darkness.

Jiraiya, and he looked a generation older. He seemed to carry the heavy fatalism of the Shinobi World on his shoulders, living his whole life fulfilling the prophecy of the old Toad, and never living for himself.

He took on disciples in his youth, but one of them died, and his companion Orochimaru also defected. He spent half his life away from home, and his teacher also died at the hands of Orochimaru, the Third Hokage's most prized disciple.

From now on, he will continue to live according to the Toad's prophecy. According to the prophecy, Jiraiya's future has changed; he will continue his travels and eventually settle down in a certain place.

It was very lively there, bustling with people.

Naruto felt that this ending was good for Jiraiya. For Jiraiya, his mission was to find a way to bring peace to the Shinobi World and to find the Child of Prophecy.

His love was a universal love, extending from the peace of the Shinobi World to Konohagakure, and finally to his own helplessness.

After a moment of silence, the sound of rushing water suddenly came from the other end.

"Are you still wearing the necklace I gave you?" she asked casually.

"Hmm, it's still on me." He touched the Hokage Necklace he was wearing on his chest, thinking to himself that the curse of changing hands three times didn't seem to have worked on him. Could it be that he really had no taboos?

"Wear it carefully, don't lose it."

"Okay, I've got it."

After soaking for half an hour, Naruto left the bath, dressed neatly, and sat by the curtained doorway, silently waiting for Tsunade to come out.

About ten minutes later, Tsunade came out, having changed her clothes. She was slightly surprised to see Naruto waiting for her. Her wet blonde hair hung down to one side, soaking the collar of her shirt.

She reached into her clothes to adjust her bra while asking him.

"Wait for me?"

"Yes, you can warm yourself by the fire downstairs." He skillfully handed over a towel to dry his hair. The simple inn naturally didn't provide these, so he had brought his own.

The benefits of having a Sealing Space became immediately apparent; there was no need to carry even a Scroll of Seals.

Tsunade didn't say anything, took the towel and wrapped it around her hair, then walked downstairs with light, crisp footsteps. The shopkeeper was gone; a kettle was boiling in the middle, and scraps of wood were laid out to the side.

The wood was free; people could add their own to the fire. The fire was already extinguished, Naruto sat down first and started building a makeshift fire with some kindling.

She watched Naruto lying there, panting and blowing on the fire to make it slowly burn, and couldn't help but feel speechless. After a moment, she couldn't help but speak up.

"Can't we use Ninjutsu?"

"It'll be lit soon," he said without looking up, continuing to pant.

Hearing this, Tsunade rolled her eyes at him, crossed her arms, and sat there waiting with her wet hair hanging down. Sure enough, the fire started immediately and burned slowly.

Using the warmth of the fire, Tsunade sat there, letting her hair dry little by little. The snow-covered valley was lush and white, illuminated by the slanting Kakkō, like pearls and jade.

Every movement by the fire stirred up ripples of white fluid.

Naruto glanced at it and then looked away. When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss is also gazing into you.

He set up the barbecue grill and quietly began preparing dinner by the corner of the fire. Dinner was served here too, thirty taels for a bowl and chopsticks; if you didn't mind, you could eat with us, but we wouldn't wait for you if you missed it.

It was late when the two checked in, so there wasn't much to say; they just had to cook for themselves. The limping owner came out briefly and told them not to wander around after dark.

"Things haven't been peaceful in the village lately. I don't know what kind of people have come. It's not safe to go out at night." He finished speaking and left without pausing.

Naruto looked at Tsunade and blinked. The latter calmly took out the half-finished sake and slowly warmed it by the fire, seemingly without any curiosity.

"Lord Tsunade remarkable composure," he praised.

"Are you curious?" Tsunade glanced at him, her unconsciously reproachful expression full of charm.

"No, no, I'm not curious at all. I'm leaving tomorrow anyway." He chuckled. "Even if there's something strange, I'll only find out when I get to a town Land of Iron. This place is desolate and boring."

"Good to know." She leisurely put the wine away, frowned, and took a small sip to test the temperature. "When you're out and about, don't be so curious."

"I know," he replied, then obsequiously stacked the meat slices and pushed them over.

Despite her reluctance, Tsunade accepted Naruto's service with great pleasure, squinting at the fire and asking a question.

"Do you want to know about the necklace?"

He wanted to refuse, but seeing that Tsunade seemed to want to say something, he simply nodded and said, "I do want to."

Tsunade paused, took another sip of sake, and then slowly began to recount the origin of the necklace. She started by talking about the First Hokage, then about the Legendary Sannin's childhood, and then mentioned her younger brother Nawaki.

Naruto responded casually, but he was indeed a good listener. He neither made Tsunade feel like he was being perfunctory nor made her feel like he was listening very attentively, as if he were playing the role of a stranger.

The feeling of being able to tell strangers about the past is somewhat irresistible, even addictive, and the story has reached the part where Dan Katō.