The next morning, Itō Yuying and Tsunade walked out of the room, supporting each other.
Tsunade was quite satisfied when she saw Itō Yuying's sunken cheeks.
With trembling hands, Itō Yuying held a glass of water and shakily drank it.
The two spent another morning recovering on the sofa before regaining some of their strength.
"I'll go out and leave a few instructions first," Itō Yuying said.
Tsunade lay lazily on the sofa, eating fruit, and nodded.
Itō Yuying vanished from the spot and arrived at the izakaya where their little group usually gathered.
Jiraiya looked Itō Yuying over and said, "Yuying, you've lost weight."
Itō Yuying rolled his eyes at him and took a seat.
"When are you leaving?" Hatake Sakumo asked.
"Tomorrow, probably. The sooner, the better."
"Did something happen? Why the rush?" Orochimaru asked.
"Nothing much. I'm just going out to confirm something. I'm not really sure what it is myself. Ever since Urashiki Otsutsuki died, I've had this feeling urging me to look for something."
"You're pretty good at holding back, then. It's been over a year, and you're only thinking of heading out now," Jiraiya said with a laugh.
"Haha, wasn't the village still on high alert? It wouldn't have been right for me to just leave whenever I pleased!" Itō Yuying said with a laugh.
"Is there anything you need to leave to us?" Uchiha Hanyue asked.
Everyone turned their eyes toward Itō Yuying.
"Well, here's the thing. I'll definitely be away for quite a while, so I'll need everyone to look after the village. For the next few years, you'll be responsible for recruitment and training at the Training Base. Remember, you have to train them to the strictest standards. Think about how I used to train you," Itō Yuying said.
Everyone involuntarily