Inside the Yile Shop (2)

Inside the noisy shop, tucked away in a secluded corner, Jiraiya was chattering away at Tsunade about something.

Tsunade had several empty sake bottles lined up on the table before her, and her cheeks were flushed a deep red; she had clearly drunk quite a lot.

She cast a faint, sidelong glance at the incessantly babbling Jiraiya, her tone laced with the haze of alcohol as she chuckled softly.

"I never imagined that at a time like this, it would be you, of all people, coming to persuade me..."

"Do you really think... that this approach will have any effect?"

Hearing her words, Jiraiya, sitting across from her, showed no signs of anger. Instead, he wore a playful expression, grinning broadly.

"It's bound to have some effect. After all, you should know that the promise I made to you is one I will certainly keep!"

"How about it, Tsunade? Now that you've thought of that, have you had a change of heart?"

To this, Tsunade pulled a faint smile to the corner of her lips, extended a fair finger to point at Jiraiya, and muttered to herself.

"If we weren't here, I would definitely beat you into an idiot, you fool!"

Watching Tsunade smile while saying such things, Jiraiya, who had been full of high spirits, suddenly wilted. He looked at her with a resentful gaze, feeling as though he had suffered ten thousand points of damage to his heart.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, glancing at him with a drunken haze before pouring herself another cup of sake.

Just as Jiraiya was urging her to drink less, she gently pulled a yellowed, worn piece of paper from her bosom.

Seeing this, Jiraiya stopped his attempts to persuade her, his gaze complex as he stared at the note.

Tsunade paid him