As he spoke, he actually sniffled.
Zhang Yu's hand froze halfway to his mouth, cup in hand.
Well, damn.
The vodka had put the God of Shinobi in truth-telling mode.
Madara's face was a little red too.
He could hold his liquor, but this stuff was nothing like sake.
It was strong enough to go straight to his head.
Especially after one cup after another, even he was starting to feel lightheaded.
"Hashirama."
Madara's voice was low, and his tongue was getting a little sluggish.
"Don't look at me with that stupid face."
Hearing that made Hashirama feel even worse.
"Madara, you're still calling me stupid..."
"I'm hurting!"
"What's your pain got to do with me?"
"But you're my best friend!"
"Shut up."
Not only did Hashirama refuse to shut up, he threw his arms around Madara's arm, as though he had seized the source of years of grievances.
"Madara!"
"How did we end up going that far?"
A vein throbbed on Madara's forehead. He tried to pull his arm free, but his movements were a beat slower than usual.
Beside them, Izuna steadied his cup and watched Hashirama cling to his brother, a complicated expression on his face.
He had drunk quite a bit himself, and his ears were bright red, but he was still trying to stay sober.
"Lord Hashirama, my brother is already drunk."
Hashirama immediately looked up.
"Izuna, don't call me Lord Hashirama anymore, either."
"From now on, we're coworkers!"
"Coworkers should stick together and be friendly!"
Izuna: "..."
Tobirama sat on the other side, his cup already empty.
His face was redder than usual too, but his back remained straight, and his posture was as proper as if he were attending a Konoha High Command meeting.
It was just that he spoke a beat slower.
"Brother."
"Your current behavior is highly improper."
Hashirama immediately turned to him.
"Tobirama!"
"You're here too!"
The corner of Tobirama's eye twitched.
"I've been here the whole time."
Hashirama let go of Madara and lunged at Tobirama instead.
"Tobirama! Your big brother missed you too!"
Tobirama instinctively raised a hand against Hashirama's forehead.
But he had drunk too much as well and failed to control his strength, leaving Hashirama to push him backward.
Hashirama seized the chance and wrapped his arms around Tobirama.
"Tobirama!"
"Thank you for all your hard work over the years!"
"After I left Konoha to you, you must have been exhausted!"
Tobirama went rigid.
"Brother, let go."
"No!"
"Let go."
"After I died, you were the one I worried about most!"
"I'll count to three."
"You've been so sensible since you were little, so smart and dependable..."
Tobirama's face grew darker and darker.
Zhang Yu nearly laughed himself breathless.
The Second Hokage, usually as calm as a block of ice, was being held and fussed over by his drunken big brother, yet he had drunk too much to break free easily.
This was even more spectacular than the battle in the Dispute Arena.
Madara sat to the side, finally free of Hashirama's clutches.
He picked up his cup and knocked back another mouthful.
The next second, he raised a hand and pointed at Hashirama.
"Hashirama."
"You're loud."
Still hugging Tobirama, Hashirama looked back.
"Madara, want a hug too?"
Madara's face darkened.
"You want to die?"
Hashirama looked at him, aggrieved.
"We've both died already."
Madara: "..."
Izuna finally couldn't help steadying his brother.
"Brother, stop drinking."
Madara looked at Izuna, his voice much gentler.
"Izuna, I'm not drunk."
Izuna nodded.
"Mm, you're not drunk, brother."
Satisfied, Madara reached for his cup.
But Izuna casually took it away.
Madara frowned.
"Izuna?"
Izuna's tone was gentle but firm.
"You really can't drink any more."
Madara fell silent for two seconds and actually refrained from snatching it back.
Zhang Yu was impressed.
They were both younger brothers.
One word from Izuna, and Madara quieted down.
Tobirama told Hashirama to let go, and Hashirama only hugged him tighter.
The difference was glaring.
Zhang Yu was a little tipsy himself. His mind felt lighter than usual, and he couldn't suppress his grin.
Still, he knew his limits.
If they kept drinking, the tavern would probably turn into a full-blown gathering of drunks tonight.
He braced himself against the table, stood up, and clapped his hands.
"All right, all right."
"That's enough for today."
"Izuna, help your brother back to his room."
Izuna nodded at once.
"Yes, boss."
Madara frowned.
"I can walk by myself."
No sooner had he said it than he stood up and swayed slightly on his feet.
Izuna caught him with quick hands.
Madara fell silent.
Zhang Yu held back his laughter.
"Sure you can, sure you can. You just have some creative ideas about how to walk."
Hashirama was still hugging Tobirama, his face full of emotion.
"Tobirama, your big brother always made you worry before."
"From now on, I'll work hard to be a mature greeter!"
Tobirama closed his eyes for a moment.
"Brother, you can start being mature by letting go."
Zhang Yu waved at Tobirama.
"Tobirama, help your brother back."
Tobirama looked at Hashirama, who was still clinging to him, and his voice turned cold.
"Boss, I don't think this counts as helping."
"This is transporting a large, drunken source of trouble."
Hashirama immediately looked up.
"Tobirama, how can you say that about your big brother?"
"You've been no fun since you were little."
A vein throbbed at Tobirama's temple.
"Brother."
Hashirama suddenly grew sentimental again.
"But you're still my favorite."
Tobirama: "..."
Zhang Yu nearly lost it.
Tobirama went completely rigid.
Once Hashirama Senju got drunk, his destructive power was downright unreasonable.
Madara reached the foot of the stairs with Izuna's support and snorted when he heard Hashirama.
"How embarrassing."
Hashirama immediately turned his head.
"Madara, don't go either!"
"You're my favorite too!"
Madara stopped in his tracks, his face instantly darkening.
Izuna's grip on him tightened.
Tobirama raised a hand to the back of Hashirama's neck and said through gritted teeth, "Brother, shut up."
Zhang Yu finally couldn't hold back his laughter.
That night, the tavern's main hall was in an uproar.
Izuna helped Madara back to his room, and all the way there, Madara kept muttering about the Uchiha Clan Massacre.
But with Izuna at his side, his anger subsided.
Tobirama, meanwhile, half dragged and half supported Hashirama up the stairs.
Hashirama waxed sentimental all the way.
"Tobirama."
"I really let you down back then."
"It must have been hard after you became Hokage, right?"
"Look at you, you have so much white hair already."
Tobirama stopped.
"Brother, my hair was white when I was alive too."
Hashirama studied him for two seconds.
"Was it?"
Tobirama took a deep breath.
"Yes."
Realization dawned on Hashirama.
"So you worked so hard as a child that your hair turned white."
Tobirama nearly threw him straight down the stairs.
Zhang Yu leaned back behind the bar, his shoulders shaking with laughter.
Once everyone had returned to their rooms, the tavern finally fell quiet.
Cups and plates lay scattered across the table, and the vodka bottle was more than half empty.
Zhang Yu belched and rubbed his temples. He had only one thought.
This liquor's kick really isn't fit for human consumption.
Even top-tier powerhouses like Hashirama and Madara got tipsy from it.
It'll definitely fetch a high price in the future.
The night passed without incident.
When Zhang Yu woke early the next morning, his head still felt a little heavy.
When he went downstairs, Izuna was already busy in the kitchen.
Fried meat, hot soup, rice, and side dishes-nothing was missing.
Most remarkably, Izuna showed no signs of a hangover at all. There was only a little more softness in his expression than usual.
Zhang Yu sat down at the bar, rubbing his head.
"Izuna, you recovered pretty fast."