An Awkward Encounter

After they returned to Konoha, Tsunade asked Uchiha Ling what had happened. Ling didn't hide anything and told her everything.

"I never thought you'd have a talent for Senjutsu," Tsunade said, feeling a little jealous. Neither the Second Hokage nor Tsunade herself had managed to learn the Senjutsu of Shikkotsu Forest, yet her student had already started learning it.

Night deepened over the Hidden Leaf Village.

After dinner, Uchiha Ling tidied up his ninja tool pouch, changed into a clean, dark training outfit, and, judging the time, headed toward the Senju Ancestral Grounds at an unhurried pace.

When Ling arrived, the bright moon hung directly overhead, its cool light spilling across the earth. Tsunade was nowhere to be seen.

The entrance to the Senju Ancestral Grounds was deserted. Only the rustling of grass in the night breeze broke the silence.

Ling waited patiently for about fifteen minutes, but nothing happened.

Could his teacher be waiting for him inside the little house?

Ling hesitated, then decided to go and check.

No lights were on inside, but as he drew closer, he caught a faint whiff of alcohol in the air.

Ling immediately understood. Tsunade had probably arranged to meet him, then gone drinking beforehand and had too much, leaving her unable to keep their appointment.

Ling walked up to the door and knocked softly. "Teacher Tsunade, it's Uchiha Ling."

There was no reply from inside, only a rustling sound and, it seemed, the sound of water.

Ling called out twice more, but still got no answer. Worried that Tsunade might have gotten into trouble because she was drunk, he hesitated for a moment, then gently pushed open the unlocked door.

The room was dim, with only a little moonlight filtering in through the window.

Several empty bottles lay scattered across the table in the living room, and the smell of alcohol was even stronger.

The sound of water was coming from the bathroom at the back of the house.

"Teacher Tsunade?" Ling called out tentatively once more as he headed toward the bathroom.

The bathroom's wooden door was ajar, a thin gap letting out warm steam and the clearer sound of running water.

Out of concern and a trace of curiosity, Ling reached out and gently pushed open the bathroom door.

Warm, moist steam rushed toward him, carrying the fresh scent of body wash and a faint trace of alcohol.

The sight inside made even Uchiha Ling, who had memories from two lifetimes and prided himself on staying calm, shrink his pupils slightly.

A wide wooden tub stood in the middle of the bathroom. Tsunade was soaking in the steaming water with her back to the door.

Her dazzling blond hair was wet. Some of it clung to her smooth back, while the rest floated on the water like spilled golden silk.

From his angle, Ling could see her rounded shoulders, the elegant line of her back, and part of her profile.

The hot water covered her waist. The rising steam lent her smooth skin an alluring pink glow.

Tsunade seemed drowsy from the alcohol. Her head tilted back against the edge of the tub, and she hadn't noticed anyone at the door.

Moonlight streamed through the bathroom window, perfectly outlining her profile. Tiny droplets of water clung to her long lashes.

Her usually fierce features seemed, in the moonlight and mist, to take on a rare, utterly unguarded softness.

The water rippled gently, with two enormous mounds floating above the surface.

Uchiha Ling stood frozen in place, unsure whether to go in or back out.

He had to admit, the sight before him was a shock.

Tsunade's figure was already stunning, and now, half-hidden in the tub, she displayed the full allure of a mature woman.

Steam, moonlight, and a stunning woman relaxed by alcohol combined to create a scene that would set any normal man's blood racing.

Even Uchiha Ling felt his heart skip a beat and his breath catch.

Perhaps his gaze was too intense, or perhaps it was instinct. Tsunade shifted in the hot water, let out a lazy hum, and slowly opened her bleary eyes.

Tsunade turned her head without thinking and, through blurred vision, looked toward the dark figure leaning in the doorway.

For the first few seconds, the alcohol left her thoughts sluggish. She only sensed that there might be someone at the door.

But the next moment, when she made out the figure's outline—especially those black eyes that seemed unusually clear in the darkness—the haze of her hangover vanished in an instant!

"Who?!" Tsunade abruptly sat up, sending water splashing everywhere.

The movement left even more of her above-water figure exposed. Her ample chest was fully bared to the air, droplets running down her delicate skin.

But when she finally recognized the boy standing at the door, looking calm and even faintly amused, and realized it was her student, Uchiha Ling, her mind went "boom," as if an Explosive Tag had just gone off.

Shock, embarrassment, disbelief... A flood of emotions swept away her reason.

[Shock from Tsunade +20]

[Embarrassment from Tsunade +60]

[Anger from Tsunade +30]

"UCHIHA LING!" Her earth-shaking roar nearly blew the bathroom ceiling off.

Tsunade instantly burst into action. Forgetting all about appearances, she sprang out of the tub and snatched a towel from the nearby rack, hastily wrapping it around herself. At the same time, her other fist, charged with terrifying Strength of a Hundred, shot toward Uchiha Ling's face!

The punch came with all her fury. The air shrieked as it split, and if it had landed, his head would have burst like a watermelon.

"Hey, hey, teacher, calm down."

Ling seemed to have expected this. The instant Tsunade threw her punch, he drifted backward like a ghost, avoiding the lethal blow by a hair.

The gust from her fist stung his cheek, a testament to the terrifying force behind it.

"Calm down?! You little brat! How dare you... how dare you..." Tsunade trembled with rage. In her haste, she had wrapped the towel just enough to cover what mattered.

Much of her fair skin and her long, straight legs remained exposed. Her wet blond hair clung to her cheeks and neck, giving her a disheveled beauty.

Ashamed and furious, Tsunade stepped forward again, attacking in a storm of blows, each one aimed at a vital spot.

While using his superb Body Flicker Technique and sharp instincts to dodge around the cramped room, Uchiha Ling explained in a maddeningly calm voice:

"You can't blame me for this, teacher. Didn't you tell me to come tonight so you could teach me Strength of a Hundred?

I got here and didn't see you, so I was worried you might have gotten into trouble because you were drunk. That's why I came in to check. The door wasn't locked, and the bathroom door was open."

Ling's explanation made Tsunade's movements falter.

Training tonight? She tried to remember. Fragments of her scattered memories began to come together... It seemed... maybe... that really had been the plan.

Her mood had been complicated that afternoon. She was pleased by her student's potential, but Uchiha Ling was about the same age as her late younger brother, which had made her miss Nawaki. With those feelings weighing on her, she'd gone drinking.

Then she'd drunk too much, come home, and taken a bath to unwind, completely forgetting about their appointment!

At that thought, Tsunade's anger ebbed considerably, replaced by overwhelming awkwardness and mortification.

Her student had seen her naked! This was the most humiliating moment of her life!

Her assault stopped. Tsunade stood where she was, chest heaving, her face turning red and then pale. It was hard to tell whether she was angry or embarrassed.