Chapter 40 Echo of Past
Akari and Karin ran toward Tanzaku Town, and with their speed, they arrived by noon. Akari smiled. "Well, let's take some rest. You must be tired. Tomorrow morning we'll search for Lady Tsunade, and while we're at it, we can enjoy the town."
Tanzaku Town was one of the major entertainment hubs, filled with all kinds of attractions. Gambling was the biggest draw, but it wasn't the only thing the town had to offer.
Karin nodded, clearly tired from the journey. "I just want to dive into a hot spring and sleep."
Akari laughed softly. "Sure, let's find a bathhouse."
She felt proud of Karin. After training under Hinata and Ino, just being able to run for hours at such high speed was incredible progress.
Soon, they walked toward one of the best bathhouses they had heard about. Karin scratched her head. "Umm… Mom, we don't even know how she looks. How are we going to find her?"
Akari stopped for a moment. "Well… Ren's clone didn't give us a description. He must have forgotten. But he did say she's a very infamous gambler."
Karin shrugged. "She's one of the Legendary Sannin. Ren also said it's fine even if we don't find her. Let's just enjoy the trip… and look for a blonde woman losing all her bets."
Akari nodded as they entered the bathhouse.
Near an alley, a blonde woman was gritting her teeth as a black-haired one tried to pull her away. "Lady Tsunade, please don't go cause trouble again."
"Damn it, let me go! How dare those two say I lose every bet?" Tsunade snapped.
She had overheard Akari and Karin from a distance. Even though they were several buildings away, Tsunade was a Kage-level ninja. Her curiosity was piqued when she noticed two red-haired women talking about her.
Akari and Karin, too excited about the trip, didn't use their sensory abilities. Tsunade huffed. "Let's go see what else they say."
She walked into the bathhouse, with Shizune sighing as she followed. They entered the VIP hot springs, which were expensive and rarely used.
"Ahhh… this feels so good," Karin sighed, relaxing in the water.
Akari closed her eyes. "It really does."
Just then, the door opened, and Tsunade and Shizune entered. Akari nodded politely in greeting.
Tsunade returned the nod and stepped into the spring with Shizune. After settling in, she spoke casually. "Hi, I'm Tsuna, and this is Shizun. Who might you be? You don't seem to be from around here."
Akari smiled. "We just arrived. I'm Akari, and this is my daughter, Karin."
Karin waved absentmindedly, her eyes locked onto Tsunade's chest. Akari quickly bonked her head in embarrassment. "What are you doing, Karin?"
Even Akari couldn't help but feel surprised and slightly envious. Shizune gave them a knowing look, sharing the same thoughts, while Tsunade remained unfazed, clearly used to such reactions.
Soon, the four of them began chatting. As laughter filled the space, Tsunade forgot why she had approached them in the first place.
Most of the stories came from Tsunade and Shizune, as Akari and Karin had little they could safely share. They couldn't exactly talk about being captured and used for healing, or being rescued by a boy who destroyed a village.
Meanwhile, Shizune and Akari bonded quickly. Akari complained about how exhausting it was to take care of Karin, while Shizune finally found someone who understood her struggles dealing with Tsunade.
Tsunade developed a vein on her forehead but chose to ignore it. What truly caught her attention was Karin's knowledge of medical ninjutsu.
"So you started learning medical ninjutsu just a month or two ago?" she asked, clearly surprised.
Karin nodded proudly. "Yep! Me and my mom started recently, and we're learning really fast."
Akari's mouth twitched. That wasn't something to casually reveal, but she didn't feel any hostility from them, so she stayed quiet.
Tsunade grew more interested. "Then your teacher must be quite skilled to teach you this much in such a short time."
Akari scratched her head. Saying that a 12-year-old was their teacher sounded ridiculous. "Ahem… how about we don't talk about that?"
Tsunade and Shizune understood and didn't press further. Every ninja had their secrets.
Soon, the conversation shifted to medical knowledge. Tsunade was impressed by their understanding despite their short training time. Some of their insights even intrigued her.
After some time, they left the bathhouse. "That was the most relaxing bath I've had," Karin said happily.
Akari nodded. "It really was."
"So where are you two staying?" Shizune asked.
Akari scratched her head again. "We just arrived, so we haven't found an inn yet. You know!"
Tsunade froze mid-drink. As she looked at Akari, she saw a shadow of Kushina. Her hands trembled slightly, and she bit her lip.
Shizune didn't notice and clapped her hands. "Then why not stay at the same inn as us? It's a good place, and there's a room available next to ours."
"Sure," Akari agreed.
Soon, they walked to the inn, booked the room next door, and went out to eat together. Tsunade remained unusually quiet the entire time, which Shizune found strange.
Karin excitedly tried different foods, full of energy. Tsunade watched her, reminded of a red-haired girl from her past.
Her fists clenched as she bit her lip. Stop thinking about that, she scolded herself.
After returning to their rooms, Tsunade grabbed a bottle of sake and started drinking straight from it. Shizune was startled. "Lady Tsunade, don't drink like that."
Tsunade ignored her, breathing heavily. "Just go sleep. I need some time alone."
Shizune hesitated but eventually sighed and left for her room. Tsunade sat alone in the living room, drinking in silence.
Drops of sake—or perhaps sweat—slipped down her cheeks as her hands trumbeled.