Ever since Tsunade discovered how much energy Akimichi Denji needed, she had made a point of telling Shizune to keep high-energy food on hand. After all, those dry Military Ration Pills were hard to swallow and no substitute for real food.
Akimichi Denji looked at Tsunade across the table and took a small glass bottle from his coat. It held a clear, crystal-like liquid. He reached out and handed it to her.
"Hm?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow as she took it. "What's this?"
"A little something for you, Master," Denji answered easily.
Tsunade's heart stirred. The embarrassment of losing her composure in front of him that afternoon because of her Hemophobia came rushing back.
"We're family. You don't have to—" She had been about to refuse.
"I tried making some liquor myself," Denji continued. "You can't buy it anywhere. I hope you like it."
"Liquor?!" Tsunade's eyes lit up. She pulled out the cork without hesitation.
A crisp, full-bodied aroma, far stronger than ordinary sake, rushed into her nose.
Whoa. This stuff's got a kick!
Tsunade was impressed.
That morning, Akimichi Denji had used whatever equipment he could find to distill and purify some ready-made liquor. The setup was crude and nowhere near the professional distillation methods he had known in his previous life. It did not reach the strength of high-proof baijiu, but its pure, potent aroma was more than enough for a connoisseur like Tsunade!
She tipped her head back and took a huge gulp!
"Mmph—!" A hot, rich surge rushed down her throat, like a ball of fire bursting there before turning into warmth that flowed straight to her stomach.
Tsunade lowered the bottle with relish and breathed out a long, liquor-scented sigh. Her face was flushed with satisfaction. "Ha! That's got a kick! Good stuff! (｀ﾍ´)=3!"