Greetings from a Parallel World

Sunlight sliced diagonally into the room through the half-drawn curtains, stinging Tsunade's eyes and forcing a frown.

She propped up her heavy body, her blonde hair spilling over her shoulders in a disheveled mess, the bitter aftertaste of last night's sake still lingering on her tongue.

Stumbling into the bathroom, she let the hot water wash over her skin, gradually chasing away the remnants of her intoxication. She tilted her face up, letting the stream beat against her cheeks as droplets slid down her collarbone. When she pressed her fingers to her temples, the dull ache of her hangover made her let out a sharp "Tsk."

She turned off the faucet and grabbed a towel to dry herself. Her bathrobe was tied loosely around her waist, the deep shadow of her cleavage faintly visible, and her wet hair clung to her back, leaving dark, damp patches on the fabric.

Stepping barefoot onto the wooden floor, the water still clinging to her skin left a trail of wet footprints behind her.

Tsunade picked up the glass bottle from the bedside table and collapsed into an armchair. She brushed the stray locks from her forehead, pulled out the cork, and retrieved the two scrolls of paper inside.

As she unfolded the first sheet, the contents made her instantly sober.

[Tsunade's Drift Bottle]

[1. After testing, this bottle can only be used by Tsunade and can only be received by Tsunade.]

[2. The bottle will be passed between Tsunade from different worlds and different timelines.]

[3. Every Tsunade can choose a unique name for herself. Write this name in the recipient field, and the bottle will be received by the designated Tsunade. If left blank, the drift bottle will drift randomly to any Tsunade.]

[4. Once the content is written, replace the cork and silently recite "Cast the Drift Bottle" in your heart to use it.]

[5. Please attach the above rules to every random drift bottle so the next Tsunade can use it.]

"I must still be drunk..."

Tsunade muttered with a frown, tossing the letter aside and unfolding the second sheet.

[Jiraiya is dead.]

The short sentence felt like a blade, stabbing viciously into Tsunade's eyes.

[I don't know which timeline's Tsunade is reading this, nor do I know if that idiot is still alive in your world. But right now, I just need to vent to someone.]

[That child, Naruto, cried and demanded to know why I didn't stop him when I knew that mission was incredibly dangerous.]

[Actually, I tried to say it, but we both know Konoha had no choice. The threat of the Akatsuki is imminent, yet Konoha is withering; the Uchiha have been wiped out, the Hyuga are half-crippled, and as for the rest... sigh. The only ones left who can actually fight are him and me.]

[Before he left, Jiraiya was still grinning and saying, "Just bet that I won't come back. You always lose your bets, don't you?"]

[But for once, I won the bet.]

[I cannot cry. I cannot show even a shred of weakness in front of anyone. If even the Hokage shows fear, then this time, Konoha will truly perish.]

[This is a precious treasure left behind by the First Hokage; I must... I must protect it.]

[Recipient:]

[Sender: I Won't Be Hokage]

Tsunade gripped the paper so hard it crumpled; she threw the ball of paper onto the floor, where it rolled and bumped into the corner of the wall before coming to a stop.

"Heh," she sneered, "Jiraiya will die? The Uchiha wiped out? The Hyuga half-crippled? Konoha will perish? I will become Hokage?"

"Which idiot made up this absurd story? It's really... boring to the extreme."

Tsunade's throat felt tight. She reached for the sake bottle she'd tossed on the table last night and tilted it back to drain it, but not a single drop remained.

She froze, only then remembering that she had won a large sum of money at the casino yesterday and had celebrated far too well. On the way back, she had already finished the entire bottle.

She slumped in the armchair, the morning sun pouring over her, yet a chill she couldn't explain refused to fade.

After a long silence, Tsunade stood up and grabbed a hairdryer, blowing at her damp blonde hair in a chaotic mess. The hot air roared, but she couldn't help but glance at the crumpled paper ball on the floor again and again.

If... just if... what if this were true?

But immediately, she pulled a mocking smile. What a joke. How could such an absurd thing possibly be real?

"Good morning, Lady Tsunade."

Shizune rubbed her eyes as she walked out from the inner room, standing in the doorway to stretch and yawn.

Suddenly, she noticed the crumpled paper ball on the floor: "What's this?"

The moment Shizune bent down, Tsunade flashed forward, snatching the paper ball into her palm as if she were robbing her.

"It's nothing!"

Her voice was so sharp that even she was startled.

Shizune froze, looking in astonishment at Tsunade, who was acting completely out of character.

Tsunade took a deep breath, her tone softening slightly: "Never mind that. Go wash up; we're getting ready to head out."

"...Yes."

Shizune obeyed, turning to leave. She understood that Lady Tsunade didn't want her to know.

Once Shizune was gone, Tsunade slipped into the room, quickly rummaging through Shizune's bag to find a stack of stationery and a fountain pen.

Tsunade lay across the bed, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the barrel of the pen as her gaze darkened.

Verifying the authenticity of this so-called [Drift Bottle] was actually quite simple; she only needed to try using it to know the answer. If it were fake, she could naturally ignore it, but if it were true... then what should she write?

After a moment of thought, she filled in the name [I Won't Be Hokage] in the recipient field, then, with a flourish of her pen, she wrote [I Want to Be the God of Gamblers] in the sender field.

[Hello, other me.]

[It is the year 54 of Konoha here. According to what you said, you must be my future self.]

[This is my first time receiving a Drift Bottle, so please, tell me: what is a timeline, and what are these different worlds?]

[Furthermore, what is this about the Uchiha clan being wiped out, the Hyuga being crippled, the threat of the Akatsuki, and Konoha being on the verge of destruction?]

[I beg you to tell me. Thank you.]

By the time she wrote the final sentence, the fountain pen nearly tore through the paper.

She stared at the wet ink on the letter, letting out a self-deprecating scoff. "I've truly gone mad, actually writing something like this in earnest."

A moment later, a rustling sound came from outside the room; it must have been Shizune getting dressed after her bath.

Tsunade quickly rolled up the letter filled with writing and stuffed it into that bizarre [Drift Bottle]. The moment the cork was fastened, she took a deep breath and silently chanted in her heart, "Throw Drift Bottle."

In the next instant, the [Drift Bottle] standing on the table vanished, as if it had never existed at all.

Tsunade instinctively reached into her pocket; the two sheets of letter paper were still there. It was as if they were telling her that everything that had just happened was not a drunken hallucination.

Her throat bobbed, and she suddenly felt a suffocating pressure wash over her.

That bottle really could cross time... and what was written on that letter was the future...

Tsunade suddenly felt a strong urge to drink, to drink until there was nothing left to think about, but right now, a more contradictory emotion was tearing at her sanity.

Even though she had become utterly disillusioned with that place, it was just as the letter had said.

Konoha is the precious treasure left behind by Grandfather.