Tsunade, Win Her Over!

"Shizune!"

Yūhi Kurenai called out.

Shizune turned around. She was briefly stunned when she saw Asuma and Yūhi Kurenai, then hurriedly greeted them.

After greeting Shizune at the drinking table, Asuma shamelessly greeted Tsunade. "Big Sister Tsunade!"

Tsunade was Sarutobi Hiruzen's disciple, while he was Sarutobi Hiruzen's son. That made Tsunade his senior sister, so calling her big sister was perfectly reasonable, wasn't it?

Besides, Tsunade was only in her early thirties now.

Hearing someone call her name, Tsunade raised her bleary eyes to look at Asuma.

In her haze, two figures overlapped.

"Naw... Nawaki!"

Tsunade stared at Asuma, nearly delirious.

Huh?

Yūhi Kurenai and Shizune looked at each other.

Asuma was stunned as well. She had mistaken him for Nawaki?

That seemed like quite a stretch. After all, he was so manly.

But...

Looking at Tsunade's bleary, sorrow-filled eyes, Asuma thought for a moment, then sat across from her. "Let's have a few drinks with Big Sister Tsunade!"

"Ah?"

Yūhi Kurenai and Shizune cried out together.

Neither of them was old enough to drink.

"Asuma, isn't that a bad idea?"

Yūhi Kurenai hesitated, but as she looked at the Flask on the table and smelled the liquor, some gene in her body seemed to awaken, making her swallow involuntarily.

Shizune beside her nodded repeatedly.

They had come to persuade Lady Tsunade to go back. How could they drink with her instead?

"There's nothing wrong with it. We're official ninja now. Though we're not adults yet, we've already stepped out of the ivory tower. Naturally, we should do some of the things adults do!"

Asuma smiled.

Upon hearing that, Yūhi Kurenai immediately recalled their earlier kiss. Her face flushed, and then she nodded in agreement and sat on the other side.

Shizune stared blankly and had no choice but to sit across from Yūhi Kurenai.

Asuma had already poured himself a full cup.

But Tsunade had sobered up somewhat. Looking at Asuma, her breath reeking of alcohol, she said, "You... you're the old man's second kid?"

Second kid?

Asuma's mouth twitched before he smiled. "That's right, Big Sister Tsunade. I'm Asuma!"

Tsunade immediately waved her hand. "Brat, get out of here. This isn't a place for a little punk whose feathers haven't even grown in yet."

But Asuma acted as if he had not heard her. He raised his cup and clinked it against hers. "Big Sister Tsunade, a toast to you!"

Gulp!

Asuma drained it in one go.

Then he filled another cup, clinked it against Tsunade's again, and said, "Big Sister Tsunade, this one is to Senior Dan!"

Gulp!

He drained another cup.

"Asuma!"

Yūhi Kurenai cried out.

Shizune watched blankly.

Tsunade was staring at Asuma now as well.

Yet Asuma poured himself another cup and continued, "Big Sister Tsunade, this one is to Big Brother Nawaki!"

He drained it again.

The hand Tsunade had braced against the table had already clenched into a fist.

Asuma caught sight of it from the corner of his eye, and his heart pounded wildly.

But he continued nonetheless.

"Big Sister Tsunade, this one is to all the seniors who gave their lives!"

Another cup went down, and then Asuma decisively tilted his head and collapsed.

Tsunade's eyes had reddened as she looked at him. He was afraid of getting beaten up!

Yūhi Kurenai and Shizune exchanged looks, no longer knowing what to do.

Tsunade suppressed the sourness in her heart and muttered at Asuma, "Crafty little brat!"

"Shizune, take this kid home."

Tsunade rose to her feet.

"Ah?"

Shizune was startled.

Tsunade ignored her and looked at Yūhi Kurenai. "You..."

"Lady Tsunade, I'm Yūhi Kurenai!"

Yūhi Kurenai hurriedly said.

"Yūhi Kurenai, Yūhi Shinkō's daughter..."

Tsunade muttered before saying, "Go tell the Third Hokage's household that I'm taking Asuma with me."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade!"

Yūhi Kurenai nodded.

Only after leaving the tavern did Yūhi Kurenai come back to her senses. She stopped, turned to look at Shizune carrying Asuma on her back and Tsunade holding the bottle of liquor, and asked, "Why isn't Lady Tsunade taking Asuma home?"

With an inexplicable worry in her heart, Yūhi Kurenai leaped away.

Senju Ancestral Home.

After Shizune laid Asuma down, Tsunade said, "Go back and rest. You still have the team assignments tomorrow!"

"Yes, Lady Tsunade. Then Asuma is in your care!"

Shizune nodded. She glanced at the drunken Asuma before turning and leaving.

Once Shizune was gone, Tsunade took a sip of liquor and snorted. "All right, brat. She's gone now!"

Asuma helplessly opened his eyes.

His original plan had been to leave a deep impression on Tsunade first, slowly win her over later, then bring her back to Konoha.

He had never expected Tsunade to see through him so easily and even bring him back to her own home.

This...

Asuma sat up. Looking at Tsunade, who was gazing at him darkly, he felt a little unnerved and forced a smile. "Big Sister Tsunade."

Tsunade leaned against the doorway. In her drunken state, she still cut a graceful figure. Looking at Asuma, she said, "I heard you did exceptionally well on the Graduation Exam?"

Asuma nodded and smiled. "Judging solely by the written scores, I should be the highest scorer since the founding of the Konoha Ninja Academy."

Tsunade curled her lip. "The old man is still as good as ever at teaching people!"

But Asuma shook his head. "Father has taught me quite a lot, but seventy percent of what I've achieved today comes from my own effort."

That answer caught Tsunade by surprise. She suddenly remembered Shizune mentioning how crazily Asuma trained.

Though she acknowledged it inwardly, she said, "There are some things that effort alone cannot accomplish!"

"Big Sister Tsunade is right!"

Asuma nodded in agreement, but then changed the subject. "However."

"If you don't make the effort and try, then there will never be even the slightest possibility, right?"

Tsunade raised a brow, took a sip of liquor, and asked, "What if you make the effort and still can't do it?"

Asuma answered without hesitation, "Then it means you haven't worked hard enough!"

"Tch!"

Tsunade disliked such empty words. She was not a three-year-old child.

Asuma naturally understood Tsunade's inner knot very well.

Her younger brother's death, her lover's death, the medical ninja proposal that had been rejected during the Second Great Ninja War.

And her hemophobia.

All of it had made her sick of war, disgusted by the internal power struggles in Konoha, and even deeply dissatisfied with Sarutobi Hiruzen—the Third Hokage and her teacher.

Those were likely also the reasons Tsunade had left Konoha during the Third Great Ninja War.

From an outsider's perspective, or from Tsunade's perspective, Asuma naturally understood and supported her.

If it had been him.

Even if there had only been the slightest possibility of a conspiracy behind Nawaki's death, he would have investigated it to the end and turned everything upside down.

Was there really a conspiracy?

Asuma did not know.

From his current position within Konoha, his father, the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, had no motive to harm Nawaki.

Given the current situation, the best candidates for Fourth Hokage were Hatake Sakumo and the Sannin.

If Nawaki were to become Hokage, it would have been as the Fifth Hokage.

By then, Sarutobi Hiruzen would probably already be buried.

However.

Pot Kage Danzo was highly suspicious.

Because that man wanted to become Hokage himself.

Also, it was uncertain whether Danzo had already begun secretly experimenting with Hashirama Cells and wanted to obtain something from Nawaki.

There was another possibility.

It was uncertain whether Black Zetsu had been involved in Nawaki's death.

However.

None of that mattered to Asuma.

Your position determines your perspective.

His father was Sarutobi Hiruzen, so Nawaki's death had nothing to do with him.

And Tsunade was a target he needed to win over.

With Tsunade around, if her hemophobia could be cured, Konoha would gain another person capable of standing on her own in the coming Third Great Ninja War.

Therefore.

Asuma's earlier plan had been to get familiar with her first and leave a deep impression, then take things slowly.

But given the current situation, he might as well cut through the mess with a swift blade.

So Asuma stood and walked up to Tsunade. He snatched the bottle from her hand and stared into her eyes with an incomparably resolute gaze.