Jealousy

"What a lively place!"

Looking at the brightly lit town and the long, winding queue at the city gate, Shizune couldn't help but exclaim in wonder.

"That goes without saying."

Tsunade crossed her arms over her chest, a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Although Tsukimiura isn't large, as the first stop for caravans crossing the border, it's naturally well-developed. It has everything from taverns to gambling dens!"

As she spoke, Tsunade's gaze began to drift.

Having spent these past few days traveling day and night with Dongfang Mao, the gambling addict in her had been pushed to her breaking point.

Her slender fingers tapped unconsciously against her arm; Tsunade was already calculating how many rounds she could play at the casino the moment they entered the city.

Seeing this, Shizune helplessly clutched her forehead. She knew Lady Tsunade was about to revert to her old self.

Meanwhile, Dongfang Mao was silently tallying the supplies he needed to purchase once they were inside, paying no mind to their conversation.

Just then, Yasuke gave his arm a gentle nudge.

"Big Brother, look over there."

Yasuke lowered his voice, gesturing toward the city gate.

"Those soldiers..."

Dongfang Mao followed Yasuke's gaze, and his brows couldn't help but twitch slightly.

The guards stationed at the gate had sallow complexions and dull, lifeless eyes; there wasn't a shred of sharpness to be found in them.

Among them were even elderly soldiers with white hair and beards, their armor covered in obvious patches of rust, their weapons decrepit and worn.

This was hardly the appearance one would expect from the guards of a vital border town.

This group of the weak, the old, and the infirm looked for all the world like placeholders kept on the payroll to embezzle funds.

"Inumaru, take two men and go scout around once we get inside."

After a moment's thought, Dongfang Mao fished about 30,000 ryo from his robes and handed it to Inumaru, who had accompanied them.

"Understood, Big Brother."

Inumaru took the money deftly and signaled to those behind him. Two companions immediately understood, and the three of them vanished into the bustling crowd with practiced ease.

"Mao, what are you dawdling for?"

At that moment, Tsunade's impatient voice drifted over from ahead.

Unable to curb her itching palms, she had already paced her way to the city gate, her golden hair shimmering under the glow of the lanterns.

"Coming."

Dongfang Mao hurried to catch up with Yasuke and the others.

The moment they stepped through the gate, the scene before them made them slow their pace involuntarily.

Lanterns hung high on both sides of the long street, illuminating it as brightly as day.

Merchants shouted their wares with fervor, wealthy businessmen in fine silks strolled with beautiful companions, cups clinked in taverns, and the seductive music drifting from the pleasure district painted a picture of decadent, bustling prosperity.

It stood in stark contrast to the road Dongfang Mao had traveled earlier that morning, which had been littered with the starving and the dead.

And that road was barely a few dozen miles from Tsukimiura.

"Mao, feeling like your eyes have been opened? Do you want your big sister to take you to some 'good places' to broaden your horizons?"

As Dongfang Mao's thoughts churned, Tsunade suddenly stepped to his side, her fair arm hooking around his neck, her red lips brushing his ear as she spoke with a suggestive tone.

The sudden, untelegraphed proximity caught Dongfang Mao off guard, his cheek instantly compressed and deformed by the soft, heavy impact of her chest.

He said, feeling somewhat helpless, "Sister Tsunade, even though I'm a bandit, I haven't spent my whole life on the mountain. In the Land of Fire, there are plenty of places like this."

"I suppose that's true."

Seeing she hadn't managed to tease him, Tsunade gave a dry laugh.

But suddenly, as if recalling something, her face fell, and the arm hooked around Dongfang Mao tightened with force.

The immense pressure made Dongfang Mao feel as though his face had been completely swallowed up.

A wave of milky fragrance filled his senses, laced with a faint, dangerous undertone.

"Tell me the truth—have you been to those kinds of places before?"

Hearing Tsunade's interrogation, Dongfang Mao couldn't help but grumble inwardly.

You were the one who just offered to show me the ropes, and now that I've actually seen them, you're unhappy about it.

But seeing Tsunade's dark expression—the look of someone who would smother him in her ample bosom if she didn't like his answer—Dongfang Mao had to explain quickly.

"Sister Tsunade, don't overthink it. I'm only so old; I only took the brothers there occasionally. After all, back then, the camp only had a few old crones doing the cooking. I couldn't just let the brothers go stir-crazy, could I?"

"You'd better be telling the truth."

Tsunade let out a cold snort and finally released her grip. It wasn't that she believed Dongfang Mao's words, but since there was no way to verify such a thing, she had no choice but to let it go.

However, a look of displeasure still lingered on her face.

The mere thought that Dongfang Mao might have the scent of another woman on him made her feel a wave of irritation.

At the same time, she felt a sense of self-pity, lamenting that she hadn't met Dongfang Mao sooner, which meant she had been unable to participate in or intervene in the first half of his life.

In an instant, the excitement Tsunade had felt upon arriving at Tsukimiura had completely vanished.

Looking at the bustling streets before her, she suddenly felt the urge to leap into the air and use the Heavenly Foot of Pain to stomp everything into ruins!

Dongfang Mao keenly sensed the change in Tsunade's expression; the slight furrow of her brows and the tight line of her lips signaled that a storm was brewing.

He made a split-second decision, gently taking hold of her wrist, and spoke up.

"It's getting late. Let's find a place to settle down first."

The wrist in his palm stiffened slightly at first, but ultimately, she did not pull away.

Dongfang Mao breathed a secret sigh of relief and took the opportunity to take her slender hand, leading her forward.

Although Tsunade kept her face stern, her feet moved along involuntarily, and the tension in her shoulders gradually began to ease.

As for Shizune, Yasuke, and the others behind them, they exchanged glances before silently following in their wake, not daring to make a sound.

After turning two corners, a three-story wooden inn came into view. While not exactly luxurious, it was clean and imposing, and the brass bells hanging under the eaves chimed in the evening breeze, adding a unique charm to the scene.

"Let's stay here."

The group filed inside. Tsunade walked straight toward the cypress wood counter, while Dongfang Mao took the opportunity to pull Yasuke aside and handed him 20,000 ryo.

"Yasuke, you've all been exhausted from the long journey. Go and relax for a while, then come find me here tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, Big Brother!"

Yasuke chuckled immediately, turning back to wink and gesture at the dozen or so brothers behind him.

Having spent a long time together, the group understood Yasuke's little signal immediately, and their eyes began to shift with subtle, restless anticipation.

"Alright, get lost, and don't cause any trouble for me in the city."

Dongfang Mao waved his hand in annoyance.

After Yasuke and the others left, Dongfang Mao turned and stepped into the inn's inner hall.

Under the dim, amber light, Tsunade was just placing her pen back on the ledger before stretching her back.

Her outstretched waist traced a breathtaking curve under the lamplight.

She lazily rolled her neck, and a few strands of blonde hair fell from her bun, shimmering with a honey-like luster in the candlelight.