Flowers Bloom

"Brat... was it... you... who bullied Shizune?" the blonde woman growled hazily.

"Shizune?" Yizhe pondered the name. It sounded familiar, but he could not remember where he had heard it.

Though the blonde woman's face was flushed red, reeking of alcohol and swaying unsteadily, unable even to speak clearly despite her furious expression, she was not frightening at all.

Instead, she seemed a little more alluring, making Yizhe unable to stop himself from taking another look.

"Brat... I'm... talking to you, aren't I? What... what are you staring... at?" She seemed to be getting impatient.

"My lady, you've had too much to drink. Be careful!" the woman in black shouted in warning.

"It's... it's fine! Just... just watch me!" the blonde woman responded dismissively.

Before her words had faded, her body swayed, and she was already standing before Yizhe.

So fast! Yizhe's heart tightened in shock.

Only then did he understand that when he had fought the blonde woman before, she had not used her full strength at all!

A powerful aura rose from the blonde woman, pressing heavily upon Yizhe's heart and completely extinguishing his fighting spirit.

The crushing pressure even made him feel as if he might suffocate at any moment.

He watched helplessly as a long, slender leg came chopping down from above his head. The sight was strangely familiar.

What beautiful legs! What a beautiful woman! Yizhe praised inwardly.

Bang!

With a muffled thud, an overwhelming and irresistible force slammed him directly into the snow.

He felt as though every bone in his body had been shattered. He hurt all over and lacked even the strength to move a finger.

"Urp—"

After that strike, the blonde woman let out a drunken belch and collapsed onto the ground, motionless.

"My lady?" The woman in black carefully approached and asked softly.

But the blonde woman gave no response. Looking closely, she realized that she had fallen asleep!

"My lady, let's go back to the room to sleep. It's cold out here!" With some effort, she hoisted the blonde woman onto her back and prepared to return to the inn.

"Big Sister Shizune? Don't go!" A hoarse cry came from the snow pit.

"Who's your big sister? Get lost!" Hearing the call, the woman in black stopped in her tracks. Her face filled with killing intent as she rebuked him without hesitation.

"I'm Yizhe! We've met before!" He then slowly recounted what had happened in the past.

From the first time he had seen the blonde woman, Yizhe had thought she looked familiar. The way she had sent him flying with a downward kick had seemed even more familiar.

He had felt that he had seen it all before, yet he could not remember where.

Not until this time, when he heard the blonde woman call the woman in black "Shizune" and was struck by her kick again.

Only then did Yizhe remember that when he had first met her, she had also violently smashed through the bathhouse partition with the same kick.

At last, he remembered. The blonde woman was Tsunade, one of Konoha's Three Legendary Ninja!

However, she looked much younger. She must have been using some sort of disguise, which was why Yizhe had only found her familiar. Added to the fact that they had not met for over two years, he had failed to recognize her at once.

And the woman in black was Shizune, the little girl Yizhe had met at the hospital back then.

He had heard that Tsunade had long since left Konoha with Shizune, so he had assumed it would be difficult to see them again.

Who would have thought that he would run into them here?

Heaven truly had treated him well!

Just when his hands were nearly crippled and he desperately needed a renowned doctor, he had encountered Tsunade-hime, known as the "Medical Saint."

More importantly, he had met both Tsunade and Shizune before, and they were all Konoha ninja. Seeking treatment surely would not be too difficult.

What a profound fate!

"Oh—so it was you, kid!" After listening to Yizhe's account, Shizune finally remembered the little fellow she had met at the hospital.

It would have been better if she had not known at first. Once she recognized the person lying in the snow as an old acquaintance, the chill on her face only deepened!

"Hmph! You bastard!"

She put down Tsunade, hurried over to Yizhe, and viciously kicked him several times while cursing, "That's for bullying me! That's for bullying me!"

"Ah—"

"Big Sister Shizune..."

"Ah—"

"I didn't..."

"Ah—"

"Just lie here for now! We'll talk later!"

"Don't leave, Big Sister..."

Still unable to vent her anger, Shizune ignored the boy in the pit and angrily took Tsunade back to the inn.

No one knew how long passed. Even after Yizhe fainted from pain and cold, Shizune did not return.

Perhaps two or three hours later, the inn's doors finally opened again. A woman in black slowly emerged, pulled Yizhe out of the snow, and carried him into the inn.

"Mmm—" Tsunade, lying on the bed, groaned and slowly opened her eyes.

"Shizune!" Rubbing her still-aching head, she called out.

"Huh? My lady, you're awake!" Shizune, who had been lying on the other bed, immediately woke upon hearing the call and answered.

"Is there any water? Bring me some water!"

"Mm!"

Before long, Shizune returned with a cup of clear water.

Taking the cup from Shizune, Tsunade casually asked, "Who's that kid lying on the floor?"

As she drank, she pointed at the boy lying on the floor.

"Him? You don't remember what happened last night?" Shizune asked in return.

"Ha—" After finishing the water, Tsunade yawned and shook her head. "Last night? I don't remember!"

As she spoke, she walked over.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk!"

"Shizune! You've improved quite a bit lately. You actually beat him into this state!" Tsunade praised her with a highly satisfied expression.

At a glance, she could tell that the boy before her was seriously injured, with several broken bones.

"My lady..." Shizune blushed and said softly, "I didn't do that. You were the one who beat him up last night!"

"Huh?" Tsunade froze.

"I did it?" She was somewhat confused.

She inspected him closely and discovered that the boy lying on the ground was the same kid who had followed her outside the casino yesterday.

Yet she clearly remembered only giving him a light lesson back then. She had not struck hard enough to injure him like this!

"My lady, you did this to him last night after getting drunk!" Seeing Tsunade's baffled expression and realizing she truly could not remember, Shizune finally reminded her softly.

"Oh—now that you mention it, I do remember a little!"

"Then why did you bring him back? Just leave him alone!" Tsunade waved her hand and spoke without concern.

She assumed Yizhe was merely an ordinary thug who had come after her to collect a debt.

"Lady Tsunade, he isn't an ordinary debt collector!" Shizune covered her mouth and chuckled.

Having spent so long with Tsunade, she naturally understood that Tsunade had mistaken the boy on the floor for someone pursuing a debt.

"Then who is he?" Tsunade looked at Shizune in confusion.

"He's a Konoha ninja. I met him at Konoha Hospital, and he said that he was an old acquaintance of yours too!" Shizune explained.

"An old acquaintance of mine?"

"Mm!" Yizhe, lying on the floor, let out a muffled groan and woke as well.

"Hiss—" The intense pain coursing through his entire body made him bare his teeth.

He had long seen the miserable state Jiraiya had been in after being beaten by Tsunade, so he knew she was powerful. But only now, after being beaten by Tsunade himself and personally experiencing that power, did he truly understand how terrifying she was!

Tsunade must have held back when she attacked last night! Otherwise, he would not be alive right now!

"Kid, I hear you're an old acquaintance of mine?" A familiar female voice interrupted Yizhe's thoughts.