You Were Being Bullied... (Please Keep Reading)

In front of the izakaya counter.

The owner rubbed his round belly, looked down at the bill, then gazed at the curly-haired youth before him with a complicated expression.

"The total is 1,600 ryo. The fried rice set costs 100 ryo, the orange juice came with the set, and the alcohol... 1,500 ryo..."

Ever since Tsunade had sat across from this youth, he had been stealing glances at them now and then.

Though they were too far away for him to hear what they were saying, he could tell from their expressions that Tsunade had been deliberately making things difficult for this Uchiha youth.

Sure enough, after a while, the youth had come over to pay the bill himself...

The thought made the owner look at Uchiha Chi with even more pity.

Kid, you were being bullied...

"...Would you like to take another look?" he asked tactfully.

If the youth merely nodded, he was prepared for Tsunade to dine and dash.

After all, it could count as doing Tsunade a favor...

Though he found it hard to believe that Lady Tsunade, who ate for free every day, would remember this izakaya over a single round of drinks.

Still, he simply could not bring himself to make a youth Ninja who had clearly just graduated pay this bill.

Take another look?

Uchiha Chi glanced at the blue screen only he could see.

[Detected emotional fluctuations from Tsunade!]

[Obtained 20 points and increased Defense by 4%!]

[The target's emotional fluctuations exceed the standard. The host has received an additional reward: Mystical Palm Technique!]

[An A-rank Medical Ninjutsu. Uses Chakra to rapidly heal the target's wounds. With sufficient proficiency, it can be used to disrupt another person's Chakra circulation and inflict negative effects.]

He smiled and shook his head, pulled out his wallet from his waist, took out two 1,000-ryo bills, and handed them over.

"No need. She already paid the bill."

"...Understood." Though the owner did not understand at all, he said nothing further. He accepted the bills and lowered his head to make change.

Taking advantage of the pause, Uchiha Chi turned and looked back.

Across from where he had been sitting, the blonde-haired Tsunade was still sprawled across the table, hugging a wine bottle as she slept soundly.

Uchiha Chi could not help shaking his head.

Ninjas generally did not get drunk, but claiming that ninjas could not get drunk was absurd.

No matter how powerful they were, Ninjas were still Flesh and Blood. They got hungry, they got thirsty, and could even suffer food poisoning. Though their constitutions exceeded those of ordinary people, they still had limits.

When the rate at which they consumed alcohol exceeded the rate at which they metabolized it, naturally they would get drunk... But this was truly the first time he had seen a Ninja get this drunk.

She had emptied two whole tables' worth of drinks just in the dining area. Who knew how many crates Lady Tsunade had finished over in the drinking area...

"Mm..."

As if she had heard Uchiha Chi badmouthing her in his heart, Tsunade let out a faint groan. Her body shifted as though she wanted to rise, but she soon collapsed back onto the table.

Perhaps because it was already midnight and the weather had turned colder, she unconsciously curled up toward the corner and buried her face in the arms she had folded beneath her, seeking a little more warmth.

At that moment, Uchiha Chi found it hard to connect the person before him with the energetic granddaughter of the First Hokage from the rumors. She seemed more like a stray cat left homeless in winter.

Well... calling her a stray cat might not be quite right.

Uchiha Chi tilted his head.

She felt more like a tigress...

"Your change."

The owner's voice interrupted Uchiha Chi's thoughts.

Uchiha Chi nodded, stuffed the four 100-ryo bills the owner handed him into his wallet, then turned toward the izakaya exit.

But when he reached the door, he seemed to remember something. His gaze flickered as he stopped.

"Seems like I can squeeze out another reward..."

Under the izakaya owner's astonished gaze.

Uchiha Chi quickly walked over to Tsunade, who was sleeping like the dead.

Tsunade dreamed again.

This time, she dreamed of Nawaki again.

"Big Sister, I'll definitely become a great Hokage like Grandfather someday!" Nawaki had said that when he was six.

"Big Sister, I learned how to use Kunai and shuriken today!" That had been about half a month after Nawaki became Orochimaru's student.

"Big Sister, Teacher Orochimaru said I'm very talented. Tomorrow, I'll be able to learn how to use explosive tags..." That had been...

Scene after scene flashed past at high speed before reaching the familiar ending in the next instant.

Under pouring rain, in the morgue.

A rare trace of pain appeared on Orochimaru's pale face.

"Tsunade, I'm sorry..."

Tsunade could not say a word. Her body merely trembled as she stared at the white sheet over the stretcher, her almond-shaped eyes brimming with tears.

The tears slid down her cheeks and fell into the puddles by her feet, stirring ripples that continued to spread.

Usually, she would wake from the nightmare at this point.

But this time, the dream continued.

She sat in an izakaya, speaking face-to-face with an unfamiliar curly-haired youth.

The youth scratched his cheek shyly as he spoke of his dream.

To become Hokage...

Light flashed in his eyes as he described the person he admired most.

It was Big Sister...

Through her final blurry vision, the youth sincerely held out his cup to her.

"Big Sister, I didn't drink any alcohol..."

Even in the dream, Tsunade felt a stir deep within her heart...

Just then, she felt a gentle, familiar voice calling from above her head.

"Lady Tsunade?"

When she did not respond, the owner of that voice lightly shook her arm. "Lady Tsunade, Lady Tsunade..."

"Mmph—"

Tsunade gradually woke and slowly opened her damp eyes.

Then, as if she recalled something, she suddenly sat upright and looked up.

But upon finding no one in front of her, she sat back down in disappointment.

"Lady Tsunade?"

A short-haired girl in casual black clothes came into view, looking at her with concern.

"Shizune..." Tsunade propped herself up with her right hand and rubbed her temple with her left. "What time is it?"

"It was already two in the morning when I came out to look for you..." Shizune blinked, thought for a moment, then said, "So now, it should be around four?"

Perhaps because she had just woken up, Lady Tsunade's voice sounded rather nasal.

"Oh, no wonder it got so much colder..."

Tsunade nodded and reached down to pull the outer garment draped over her tighter around herself.

"Hm?"

She let out a puzzled sound as she discovered that what covered her was not her own green robe, but an unfamiliar black trench coat.

"Do you need more clothes?" Seeing Tsunade's movements, Shizune quickly handed over the green robe she had brought from home.

Tsunade shook her head and pointed at the trench coat on her body. "This..."

Looking at the trench coat on Tsunade, Shizune tilted her head in confusion as well.

"Is this something you bought recently? Changing up your style once in a while is nice, but..."

Shizune trailed off, seeming hesitant to continue.

"But what?" Tsunade asked instinctively.

"But where did you get the money?"

Tsunade's face visibly darkened. She smacked the top of Shizune's head hard.

"Ow!" Shizune clutched her head and crouched down pitifully.

A sturdy man emerged from behind the counter. He appeared to be the owner of this izakaya.

As the owner approached, Tsunade said quietly, "Shizune, did you bring any money?"

Hearing that, Shizune immediately clutched her flat wallet, her little face scrunching up miserably. "There are only 2,000 ryo left..."

This had been the allowance she received after becoming a genin, yet before she had spent a single ryo, only 2,000 ryo remained.

"That's enough." After saying that, Tsunade snatched Shizune's wallet away.

For some reason, she no longer felt like dining and dashing.

"How much?"

Once the owner came before them, Tsunade asked directly.

Yet the owner shook his head like a rattle drum.

"Tch." Tsunade clicked her tongue impatiently and unzipped the wallet. "I asked how much?"

The Akimichi Clan owner repeatedly waved his hands. "Lady Tsunade, you don't need to pay."

"What do you mean?"

Tsunade stopped searching for money and looked at the izakaya owner in confusion.

The izakaya owner wiped cold sweat from his forehead and said carefully,

"That youth already paid for your drinks."