Tsunade: Time Is a Terrifying Thing-I've Already Become an Old Lady First

The campfire crackled and burned slowly, and the atmosphere fell into an awkward silence once again.

Shizune stood there for ten minutes, feeling utterly miserable. Was this some kind of torture for the eagle? Both of them were oddballs; it seemed a village couldn't produce two kinds of people.

She waited patiently for a while, but the two remained silent.

Finally, when the wine on the stove was finished, Shizune breathed a sigh of relief. She felt that they would definitely have to say something this time.

In the blink of an eye, Naruto pulled out a case of shochu from who-knows-where.

Tsunade seemed to be a little tipsy. Warm sake is the easiest to get drunk on, followed by ice-cold strong liquor. It felt smooth at first, but when she came to her senses, her head was already spinning.

She wasn't that drunk yet; she was just staring at the campfire, unsure what to say. "I already wished him a happy marriage," she said.

He traveled thousands of miles to the deep mountains and forests, covered in dust and looking disheveled, just to tell himself that he was married. If that's really the case, then it's rather foolish.

Even though Tsunade had some vague suspicions, she wouldn't ask directly. Drinking was just a way to find an opportunity and kill time.

As time passed, Shizune began to doubt her own existence, wondering if she was even there for no reason. So why had these two remained completely silent after exchanging a few words at the beginning?

Are you planning to sit here until morning?

Drinking like this is only appropriate at noon, because it will inevitably lead to trouble sooner or later.

In the latter half of the night, Shizune couldn't resist the overwhelming drowsiness and wanted to retreat. She had accompanied Tsunade through many wild forests and was now extremely tired as well.

Logically speaking, we should be setting up tents and resting at this time.

Thinking of this, Shizune couldn't help but yawn. But this yawn attracted the attention of both Tsunade and Naruto, startling her.

"Shizune- nee, if you're really tired, you should go back and rest," Naruto advised.

Shizune looked puzzled. The more she listened, the more it sounded like they were trying to get rid of her. She opened her mouth, about to say something, naturally rejecting Naruto.

Before she could speak, Tsunade spoke first.

"Shizune, go and rest."

Huh? She was a little confused and turned to look at Tsunade, only to receive a cold look from her. Shizune immediately shut up and obediently turned to leave.

This is terrifying! I can't afford to mess with this, I'd better run away quickly.

The night was deep by the campfire.

This time, only the two of them remained. Tsunade became even more silent, Naruto pulled out pieces of firewood and stuffed them into the fire one by one. It was already past midnight.

The dampness from the forest, mixed with the night mist, drifted closer, only to evaporate completely within five meters of the Kakkō. Outside the fire's reach, the temperature was very low, and the sound of the wind could be faintly heard above the forest.

Naruto stopped warming the wine, looked up at Tsunade, and asked.

"Drink wine?"

"Hmm." Tsunade responded, watching him pour out the wine and place it on the stove to warm. In the deep mountains and forests, where there was no one around, warming wine in the middle of the night was truly a strange thing.

"Before," he said, choosing his words carefully, "I was actually a bit reckless."

"What?" Tsunade frowned slightly. "When are you referring to 'before'?"

"The time I entered the Dragon Vein, I went back twenty years, and that's when I met you in the desert of the Land of Wind," Naruto added.

"What? Now that you're married, you've suddenly had a change of heart?" Tsunade smiled mockingly, the corners of her mouth twitching, but there was no real smile on her face.

As soon as she finished speaking, memories she thought she had almost forgotten surged back into her mind. Far exceeding her expectations, they overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.

Then I realized, oh, twenty years have already passed.

"I guess so. I never expected it to turn out like this," Naruto said nervously. "I've always been quite concerned about it, and I shouldn't have acted recklessly."

"Is this your apology?" Tsunade suddenly laughed. She hadn't wanted to bring up the past, since it had been a long time.

"I've found a way to fix it," he said.

"Forget it, I've already lived most of my life. It's too late to make up for it," Tsunade. "I can hardly remember what you said anymore, so you don't need to worry about it."

"Just forget about such a trivial matter."

"I don't want to forget that I didn't approach Lord Tsunade casually back then," Naruto said calmly. "It was because I liked her, and it would be a real shame to not see her again after finally returning to twenty years ago."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Tsunade glanced at him. "Minato was just a young man more than twenty years ago, and that kind of thing was still relevant then."

"At the time, it was impossible to connect it to the Minato. I just felt it was strange, like I had seen it somewhere before."

"I didn't think too much about it at the time; I had already taken the first step." Naruto's voice was somewhat hesitant. "I thought nothing would happen; it was just a little joke."

"You didn't expect things to turn out this way, did you?" Tsunade lowered her eyes, her expression somewhat languid. "To be honest, I thought you probably wouldn't have come that day because of the torrential rain."

"It might happen again in a few days, or maybe half a month or a month. I've already decided to gamble with you again, and I definitely won't lose this time."

"Um."

"Who knew that this would drag on for twenty years? When I saw you again, you hadn't grown up yet," Tsunade laughed. "Time is a terrifying thing. You're still the same, while I've already become an old auntie."

"Sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for. Maybe this is fate." Tsunade's eyes suddenly became complicated. "Naruto Uzumaki, what's past is past. Live your life well from now on."

Naruto looked up. Before coming, he had anticipated Tsunade's reaction—anger or indifference. But he hadn't expected Tsunade to admit it so readily.

Twenty years ago, perhaps there was a fleeting thought of it, but now, all that's left is to say, "Live life well." There seems to be no other way.

"There are ways to deal with this in the future," Naruto said, changing the subject. "Isn't Lord Tsunade eternally young?"

"What eternal youth? It's just maintaining physical youth through Yin Seal. What? You want to learn it? Didn't you say no when I asked if you wanted to learn it?"

As she spoke, Tsunade suddenly realized something, her brows furrowing slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Lord Tsunade, you misunderstand. What I meant was, is there a Ninjutsu that can Return to Youth?" After Naruto explained the situation, he started using his old tricks again.

Fishing.

"Are you out of your mind?" Tsunade reached out to touch Naruto's forehead, her expression complicated. "Naruto Uzumaki, I used to think you were just someone with too many lustful thoughts."

"Now we realize you've gone so far as to have no limits; at least a human being shouldn't."

She took a deep breath. "It's over now, you understand? Time won't go back. Wake up a little."

The new book is doing well, reaching number 25 on the new book chart. I'll definitely finish this one before the new book goes on sale, and I'll write more whenever I have free time.

There are about 180,000 words left, which I can finish writing within this month, don't worry.