Tsunade and Shizune

Night had fallen, and ink-black darkness surged through the forest like a raging tide.

In the stillness, a faint patter of footsteps quietly broke the silence of the night.

Then two figures slowly emerged from a bend in the winding path deep within the forest.

Under the moonlight, one of them proved to be a girl of about six, wearing a simple blue-black robe that reached her ankles. Her neatly cropped hair looked tidy and practical, and despite her delicate, childish features, her fair face gave her a remarkably gentle air.

Cradling an adorable pink ninja pig, the girl looked up at the mature woman beside her.

The woman had a softly oval face, and the diamond-shaped mark on her forehead shimmered with a cool, glassy gleam.

Her long, golden hair glistened in the moonlight.

Her features were exquisitely beautiful, her porcelain skin whiter than frost or snow. The cool moonlight lent it an even more captivating sheen.

She wore a loose tea-green coat, but her breasts were so astonishingly full that they pushed the fabric high over her chest.

Her slender waist, narrow enough to encircle with two hands, resembled a willow branch swaying in the breeze. It stood in striking contrast to her ample bust, yet the two complemented each other perfectly, tracing a voluptuous, heart-stirring curve.

Her steps faltered slightly with drunkenness, and the girl beside her reacted quickly, reaching out to steady her.

Coming to her senses, she rubbed the back of her head and spoke apologetically.

"Haha, sorry, little Shizune. I only meant to satisfy my craving while we traveled, but once I started drinking, I couldn't stop. Now you have to look after me."

Shizune's lips twitched. She wanted to point out that she didn't just look after the woman when she was drunk—she did it when she was sober, too.

But Shizune didn't dare say that outright. Still, seeing how tipsy the woman was, she couldn't resist asking the question weighing on her mind.

"Lady Tsunade, are we really just leaving Konoha like this?"

Tsunade froze for a moment. Memories welled up in her mind, and a flicker of pain and numbness passed through her hazy eyes.

How could she possibly want to leave the place where she had grown up and lived for nearly twenty-three years?

But what reason did she have to stay?

The Second Ninja World War had only just ended. Her younger brother had died on the eve of the war.

Her clansmen—the true core of the Senju Clan, those who still bore the Senju surname—had all died in the war.

And the lover who had confessed his feelings before the war, stirring her heart for the first time, had died in it as well.

What had she gained from the war? An empty title, "Sannin," bestowed on her by an enemy.

For that, she had lost almost everything. All she had left was the vast, empty, desolate Senju estate.

She no longer knew what reason she had to remain in that village, so full of memories yet burdened with all her grief.

She had left Konoha, trying to numb herself with drinking and gambling, trying to forget those sorrowful memories.

But she wouldn't tell Shizune any of that.

"Haha, what's wrong? Isn't traveling around other countries with your teacher a good thing? Or are you homesick, little Shizune?"

Tsunade quickly composed herself, putting on her usual carefree smile as she ruffled Shizune's hair.

"N-no, that's not it. I'm just worried that the people in the village will be upset with you, Lady Tsunade..."

"Oh? So you're worried about me, little Shizune? How adorable!"

With that, Tsunade pulled Shizune into her arms.

"All right, let's get moving. We're almost at the border. Once we get there, I'm going to sweep through every casino in the Land of Rice Fields and crush them all!"

"Yes..."

Shizune pressed a hand to her forehead and answered helplessly.

Tsunade and Shizune continued along the path. Moonlight spilled like water over their shoulders, and the grass beside the road rustled in the night breeze.

They hadn't gone far when Tsunade abruptly stopped. She lowered the flask she had just raised, her brows drawing together slightly.

"Traces of chakra..."

Tsunade murmured. She had intended to ignore them, but after another couple of steps, she spotted the signs left behind when Yasuke and the others had captured the young Konoha ninja.

Without realizing it, Tsunade stopped again. As she examined the scorch marks on the ground and several trees, her expression grew grave.

"Great Fireball Technique. A Konoha ninja..."

"Are ninja from the village carrying out a mission here?"

Shizune asked curiously.

But Tsunade shook her head.

"No, this chakra is very weak. They were most likely students who had only just graduated."

"What?!"

Shizune covered her mouth in surprise.

"Why would students be on a mission so far from the village? And where's their jonin instructor?"

Tsunade shook her head, then turned her attention to the marks on the ground.

"And from the looks of it, something has already happened to them. Shizune, let's take a look."

Though she had lost faith in Konoha, that disappointment was directed at its leadership. If children from Konoha might be in danger, Tsunade couldn't stand idly by.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade!"

Shizune nodded, her hand instinctively moving to the ninja pouch at the small of her back.

"Nara Kazuma?"

"Yuhi Kurenai?"

Dongfang Mao studied the three children before him with interest. He hadn't expected this extra windfall. Yuhi Kurenai was a familiar name, and if he remembered correctly, she had a great talent for genjutsu.

But compared with Yuhi Kurenai, Nara Kazuma interested him more.

The Nara Clan of Konoha—supposedly, every member was exceptionally intelligent, with the potential to become an adviser to the Hokage and govern a region.

But wasn't that clan practically joined at the hip with two other clans? Why had Nara Kazuma ended up mixing with ninja from different clans?

He had questions, but Dongfang Mao wasn't in the mood to investigate them now. Instead, he gave the three a sinister look and spoke in a faintly threatening tone.

"Write down every ninjutsu you know. Can you do that?"

They were already terrified. None of them dared refuse, and they scrambled to agree, almost eager to write down everything they knew about ninjutsu.

Their reaction filled Dongfang Mao with anticipation. Knowing what world he was in, how could he possibly not be interested in ninjutsu?

Over the past few years, he had asked around. He had found a lead at the Underground Exchange near the Fire Temple.

The problem was that the price was far too high. Even a basic chakra extraction technique, something utterly useless to an ordinary ninja, cost a full million ryo.

Some reasonably powerful ninjutsu were actually a little cheaper.

Someone was clearly raising the barrier to becoming a ninja on purpose.

Dongfang Mao could have afforded the money, but he still had several hundred men to feed.

Those men were the foundation of his foothold in this world. Naturally, he couldn't bankrupt himself to buy the most basic introductory ninjutsu.

He had planned to save for a few more years, never expecting this disaster to turn into a blessing when he captured these three young Konoha ninja.

Konoha's ninjutsu were far more advanced than the techniques circulating outside the village.

Forcing down his excitement, Dongfang Mao gave Yasuke another order.

"Get a few men to watch these three brats, then have the rest of the brothers get some rest right away. We're leaving the Land of Fire first thing tomorrow morning. We can't stay here any longer."

"Yes, boss..."

Yasuke was about to acknowledge the order, but before he could finish, someone suddenly ran in through the cave entrance to report.

"Lord Mao, two women have arrived at the foot of the mountain. They say they want to see you!"