Uchiha Chi, Chased Down to Be Killed (Please Keep Reading)

Tsunade really did not have any money right now.

Three hours earlier, when she had just left the Senju Clan Compound, she still had her last two thousand ryo on her.

It was Shizune's Ninja Academy graduation allowance, which had barely had time to warm in her hands.

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And within half an hour, those two thousand ryo had been donated in full, free of charge, to Konoha's casino.

That was why she had come here to drink.

Besides, this izakaya belonged to the Akimichi Clan. The three Ino-Shika-Cho families were so close to the old man that she felt no guilt at all about skipping out on a meal.

As for why she wanted the instant-noodle-haired brat in front of her to pay the bill, the reason was simple.

Tsunade just found him irritating and wanted to see him make a fool of himself.

That irritation did not mean she disliked him as a person. On the contrary, this instant-noodle-haired brat from the Uchiha Clan had left a fairly good impression on her.

Not only did he lack the Uchiha's usual arrogance and contempt for everyone else, he was humble and polite. Even his dream was to become Hokage. He was practically the textbook definition of a Konoha Ninja.

But that was exactly what annoyed Tsunade.

Was being Hokage really that great?

Everyone she cared about had said they wanted to become Hokage...

And now she alone remained, chasing their fading silhouettes in her dreams.

Perhaps it was the alcohol. An indescribable urge to destroy quietly fermented in Tsunade's heart.

Just like now—merely watching Uchiha Chi's expression gradually stiffen made Tsunade's breathing turn shallow and quick.

She let out a snort of laughter and waved her hand. "Don't worry. I won't eat your meal for free. If your family ever needs medical treatment, just give my name at Konoha Hospital. I can help once..."

At that moment, Uchiha Chi spoke.

"I don't have any family."

His voice was so soft it was nearly inaudible, but Tsunade's words came to an abrupt halt.

Tsunade stared blankly at Uchiha Chi. "You're an orphan?"

"I don't know if that counts." Uchiha Chi said, "But my parents did die in the line of duty when I was little."

"Oh..." For a moment, Tsunade did not know what to say. She could only nod.

Rubbing the chopsticks in his hand, Uchiha Chi continued on his own.

"I remember it was summer then. The weather was especially hot, and the cicadas outside were especially loud. I stood at the door in shorts, thinking that when my parents came back, I would glue all those cicadas' mouths shut...

"A few days later..." He paused there, as though recalling something. His eyes visibly dimmed. "The Second Elder found me and stuffed two bloodstained Forehead Protectors into my arms."

Hearing that, Tsunade instinctively looked up.

The hazy light split the tabletop in two. Shadows covered the Youth's face, and all she could hear was his unusually steady voice.

"Heh, I actually had no idea what it meant back then. I only felt that those two pieces of scrap metal were kind of heavy."

Tsunade slowly exhaled. She could almost see the scene from back then: a young child pestering the clan members, asking when his parents would return home, only for them to pull out two Ninja Forehead Protectors...

Uchiha Chi's tone was incredibly casual, but as the listener, Tsunade felt her mood grow heavier and heavier.

No one understood the pain of losing loved ones better than she did.

Tsunade wanted to comfort him, but she did not know how to begin. She could only toy with her wine cup and pretend to be nonchalant. "Look forward, brat. At least you're still alive and well now!"

"That's right." Uchiha Chi chuckled and nodded. "After that, I lived alone. It was difficult at first, but now I've come to like this kind of life.

"Besides, my talent as a Ninja is fairly average, so the elders in the clan do not bother with me. I'm especially free most of the time. I can eat whatever I want and go wherever I want."

"..." Looking at the smile on Uchiha Chi's face, Tsunade felt her throat tighten.

His parents had died early, and he had been neglected by others. It was obviously such a heavy subject, yet he described it with such ease and composure.

This Youth's character was already better than that of quite a few Chunin...

Just as she was about to say something, Uchiha Chi spoke again.

"I just graduated from the Ninja Academy last week."

"Perhaps becoming a Genin is nothing to a Ninja like you, but I was really happy."

"Of course, I wanted to share that joy, but..." Uchiha Chi lowered his eyes, spread his hands, and smiled bitterly. "I have no family, no friends, no one to share it with."

[Guilt detected from Tsunade!]

[Received 15 points. Defense increased by 3%!]

Looking at the system reward, the corners of Uchiha Chi's mouth could not help but rise.

What are you feeling guilty about? Weren't you trying to eat for free?

He turned his gaze toward Tsunade. The blonde Big Sister said nothing, merely lowered her head and silently filled her cup before tipping it back and downing it in one gulp.

Even so, Uchiha Chi had no intention of letting Tsunade off.

After all, one did not run into a golden fat sheep every day.

If he could fleece her more, he would fleece her for all she was worth.

"For the sake of this tiny bit of ceremony, I chose to come here for a meal to reward myself."

"Because..." Uchiha Chi gazed gently at the fried rice on the table and said softly, "the fried rice at this place tastes a lot like my mother's."

Tsunade silently set down her wine cup.

For the first time, she found shochu so hard to swallow.

She had interrupted someone's dinner and even made him pay for her drinks... What had she done?

Meanwhile, Uchiha Chi started talking to himself again.

"When I'm not training, I go to the bookstore to read novels to pass the time."

"I often see the word 'Big Sister.' She seems like such a warm kind of character. Even if she and the protagonist dislike each other in every possible way, whenever one of them runs into trouble, the other always reaches out to help first..."

"Maybe because I've never experienced the darker side of this familial affection and can only see its beautiful side through books, but I've always longed for that role."

"So..." He picked up the cup beside him, looked up at Tsunade, and his eyes gradually brightened. "When Lady Tsunade questioned whether I had been drinking, I instinctively thought of you as the 'Big Sister' from those books."

Tsunade looked at Uchiha Chi in confusion. "Huh?"

"No one ever cared what I did before. Even if I drank, the elders would probably just dismiss it with, 'You're old enough to drink now,' right?"

Uchiha Chi scratched his cheek shyly. "You're the first person who cared whether I was secretly drinking."

Tsunade's gaze toward Uchiha Chi instantly became incredibly complicated. "You..."

Uchiha Chi smiled and said nothing. He merely set down the cup in his hand and pushed it in front of Tsunade.

Tsunade lowered her eyes. In the cup, orange-colored liquid swayed gently along with bits of pulp.

"It's only orange juice... Big Sister, I really wasn't drinking."