Shinichi walked beside Tsunade, heading straight for the Hokage Building.
Shinichi had already changed into an understated dark kimono, with a somewhat worn samurai coat draped over it and a wooden sword tucked at his waist. At first glance, he looked like a wandering samurai, his bearing composed and mysterious.
As for Tsunade—she needed no disguise at all.
After all, her very presence was one of Konoha's most recognizable symbols.
As the two threaded through the crowd, they soon noticed that the villagers' reactions to Tsunade fell into two sharply contrasting camps.
Some immediately lit up with admiration and delight at the sight of her, smiling as they greeted her. "Lady Tsunade, you look as young as ever!" "Lady Tsunade, have you finally decided to show yourself in the village?" A few older villagers even clasped their hands together, their faces filled with emotion. "Now this really is a rare sight..."
At the same time, however, others reacted very differently—
"Hey, hey! Keep your voices down! Have you forgotten what she's like?" A man dressed as a merchant hurriedly clapped a hand over his companion's mouth and warned him in a hushed voice.
"What she's like?" His companion looked bewildered.
"What else? Lady Tsunade probably used the Transformation Technique to make herself younger again. She must be dodging her gambling debts!" another old man whispered conspiratorially. "I bet she just lost everything at the casino and came out here pretending to be an 'innocent passerby.'"
"Whoa—that makes sense! Look at her expression... doesn't she seem a little guilty?"
"Stop talking! If she throws a punch, we'll all end up in the hospital!"
Tsunade: "..."
The corner of her mouth twitched, veins bulged on her forehead, and she involuntarily clenched her fists.
"Those bastards! **How could I possibly be that