In the afternoon, Takuno sat quietly at the table, continuing to carve a Sealing Jutsu.
Suddenly.
"Bang!!!"
A violent bang tore through the silence. The thin door of the inn was suddenly pushed open, slamming heavily against the wall, causing the entire door frame to tremble.
Hot, humid air thick with the smell of alcohol rushed in instantly, and Jiraiya's tall figure blocked the doorway.
Leaning half of his body against the door frame, he barely managed to steady his swaying body. The pungent smell of alcohol spread even before he did.
His hairline was messy, his face was flushed with a noticeable redness, and his eyes were hazy yet filled with a drunken excitement.
He tried to widen his wandering eyes, searching the room until he finally locked onto Takuno by the table. In his usual voice, made even coarser and hoarser by the alcohol, he announced loudly, "Hehe! Takuno! I found it—hehehe—the great me has finally found news of Tsunade!" As he spoke, alcohol-scented breath puffed out, followed by a small burp.
He grinned with a triumphant look, as if he had accomplished a monumental feat, waiting to see Takuno's pleasantly surprised reaction.
However, Takuno didn't even seem to bat an eye. He merely placed the scroll in his hand gently back on the table; far from the ecstasy Jiraiya expected, there wasn't even a ripple of emotion.
Seeing his expression devoid of any excitement, the triumph on Jiraiya's face froze, and his exhilaration was instantly replaced by deep confusion.
Tilting his head, he asked with thick alcohol breath and bewilderment, "Hey, hey? Why—you kid—aren't you happy?" He instinctively grabbed the door frame and stumbled half a step forward.
Only then did Takuno slowly stand up, his tone flat and calm, even carrying a hint of a subtle jab: "I am happy, Lord Jiraiya. However, I also happened to receive definitive news about Lady Tsunade not long ago."
"Huh?" Jiraiya was stunned for a moment, then let out an even louder, alcohol-tinged laugh: "Ahahaha—!"
"Cough, cough—Interesting! Interesting! So that's how it is! You kid—you have your own—unique way of gathering intelligence! Haha, hic—"
He laughed heartily as if he had heard a wonderful joke, slapping the door frame as he did.
"So," Takuno ignored Jiraiya's laughter and asked casually, "Lord Jiraiya, shall we set off immediately to track Lady Tsunade? Or—"
He paused slightly, his gaze falling back on Jiraiya's visibly unstable legs, "Wait until you've completely sobered up?"
"Now! Of course, we set off immediately, right now!" Jiraiya shouted, waving his hand without hesitation, his tone suddenly becoming urgent, "Find—"
"Finding news of that woman isn't easy—it's once in a lifetime! And—"
As he spoke, a strong sense of dissatisfaction suddenly crept into his tone, as if a major issue of credibility had been questioned. He gave a heavy snort, putting his hands on his hips and puffing out his chest; though his body was still swaying slightly, he tried his best to maintain a dignified posture.
"Humph! The great me isn't drunk! Not at all! This little bit of alcohol—ten more bottles would be the same!" he emphasized, seemingly trying to prove his sobriety, but his wandering eyes and slurred speech were hardly convincing.
Takuno's gaze lingered on his face for less than a second. He didn't reply, but the "I'll believe it when I see it" look in his eyes was almost overflowing.
He shook his head slightly, picked up his pre-prepared luggage without hesitation, and turned to walk around Jiraiya—who was still muttering about "back in the day"—leaving the room first. His figure quickly disappeared into the dim hallway.
"Hey! Hey!! Takuno!" Jiraiya shouted hurriedly upon seeing this, attempting to chase after him, but his body uncontrollably stumbled.
He leaned against the wall to steady himself, complaining loudly, "What kind of look was that, you kid! Wait for me!" while stumbling and staggering down the stairs.
On the afternoon streets of a town in the Land of Fire with a pleasant climate and far from the flames of war, sunlight lazily spilled across the stone path.
Tsunade, a woman with pale yellow hair, was wearing a light sleeveless kimono with a tea-green open-front coat with black trim casually draped over it. At this moment, she lacked any of the composure she once had as one of the Sannin.
She was half-bent over like a thief afraid of being caught, tightly clutching the hand of Shizune, a young black-haired girl in a plain black kimono, as they nimbly dodged and hid among narrow alleys and crowded stalls.
They had just narrowly hidden in a dark corner piled with empty wooden crates, holding their breath.
Outside, there were bursts of clamor. A group of exasperated men, clearly having had a bit to drink, were looking around, shouting in gruff voices, "Don't let that Legendary Sucker get away!" and "We have to make her cough up the money she owes this time!"
The noisy footsteps and cursing gradually faded away outside the wall, finally disappearing completely.
"Hmph, a bunch of fools," Tsunade straightened up after confirming the danger had passed, brushing off non-existent dust, a look appearing on her face.
A triumphant smile, much like a child whose prank had succeeded.
"Want to catch me? In your next life! I'm a Shinobi!" she said with a hint of contempt, as if mocking the mortals' lack of self-awareness.
Little Shizune, standing beside her, was young, but her face was already etched with weariness and helplessness beyond her years.
She gently tugged the edge of Lady Tsunade's coat and asked in a low voice, "Lady Tsunade, how much—did you lose this time?"
Her tone was a mix of worry and habitual resignation.
"Hmph, just a little bit, a drop in the bucket!" Tsunade waved her hand vaguely, easily casting aside the annoyance of losing money. Her gaze was already fixed on a roadside tavern with lanterns hanging nearby, and she started walking toward it.
For her, the next stop after retreating from the gambling table was inevitably the drinking table.
Shizune was startled and quickly jogged to catch up, using all her strength to pull on one of Tsunade's arms.
"Lady Tsunade! Wait! We really, really don't have a single cent left! If you drink more, we'll have to go hungry tonight!" she pleaded anxiously.
Unfortunately, her meager strength was like an ant trying to shake a tree before a Kage-level Shinobi with the title of "Monster Strength."
Tsunade felt almost no resistance, dragging the stumbling Shizune along like a light doll, her pace never faltering as she walked straight into the noisy tavern.
"Boss! A pot of the best sake first! Hurry!" As soon as she entered, Tsunade shouted at the top of her lungs, boisterously occupying an empty table, while Shizune sat at another table so as not to interfere with her drinking.
Just as Tsunade filled a small cup of sake for herself and took a sip to taste it, a tall, burly, white-haired figure sat down boisterously on the bench beside her, bringing a sense of familiarity.
"It's you." Tsunade didn't even look up, her gaze lingering on the rim of her sake cup, her tone as flat as a calm sea.
She seemed to have anticipated Jiraiya's appearance and wasn't surprised at all, only showing a bit of laziness from having her solo drinking mood interrupted.
"Yeah, long time no see, Tsunade." Jiraiya responded heartily, also waving to the boss, "Boss, get me a pot too!"
Although he had only just recovered from his drunken state on the way and the smell of alcohol hadn't dissipated, encountering an old friend and former comrade meant the drinking had to continue. The boss soon brought a sake pot and cups.
"Hmph," Tsunade snorted softly, draining her cup in one gulp, "Coming all this way, it can't be just to drink with me, right?
Something's up?"
She got straight to the point, appearing somewhat impatient.
"Haha, look at what you're saying!" Jiraiya laughed as he filled his own cup and tapped Tsunade's empty one. "Isn't it only natural for old friends to catch up?"
Tsunade let him refill her empty cup. This time, she didn't immediately retort, but silently picked up the newly filled cup.
Deep down, she wasn't unaware of Jiraiya's unspoken feelings that went beyond companionship.
However, on one hand, she had always viewed him as a reliable comrade through life and death; on the other hand, ever since her beloved Kato Dan died tragically on the battlefield, her heart had been frozen, and she had long lost all interest in matters of love.
She glanced at Jiraiya with a cold gaze and said, "If it's just catching up, there's no need to bring a 'sidekick', right?"
She tilted her head slightly, sizing up Takuno with a scrutinizing look. "What? Is this another new little apprentice of yours? He looks a bit more mature than Minato was back then."
"Haha, as expected of Tsunade! Still as sharp as ever!" Jiraiya laughed and clinked cups with Tsunade. "But you've guessed wrong this time. As for this Takuno-kun," he intentionally drew out his words with a mysterious smile, "he's not my disciple!"
Meanwhile, at another small table a bit further away, little Shizune sighed heavily as she watched her mistress start another round of drinking.
She was already worrying about how to get Tsunade, who would likely be dead drunk, back to their lodgings tonight. More importantly, if those fierce debt collectors from the casino found their hiding place—her small face was filled with a sorrow that didn't match her actual age.
Just as she was immersed in this worry, another figure sat down on the stool beside her.
Shizune was startled, thinking the casino people had chased them into the tavern. She instantly tensed up like a frightened little animal.
She looked up sharply, but what met her eyes was an unfamiliar young face with a gentle expression, about twenty-odd years old. There was a steady handsomeness in his features, not at all like the ferocity of a debt collector.
"Waiter, a glass of milk and a fruit tea, please." After the young Takuno gave the order to the waiter, he turned to the nervous Shizune.
"Who are you?!" Despite the other person's upright appearance, Shizune remained highly vigilant, her small hands instinctively clenching.
"My name is Takuno, a Konoha Jonin," Takuno replied clearly and calmly, gesturing with his eyes toward Jiraiya and Tsunade.
"I'm here accompanying Lord Jiraiya to find Lady Tsunade. I assume you know the name of the Konoha Sannin, Jiraiya?" His tone was reassuring.
"Ah, it's Lord Jiraiya!" Shizune certainly knew the Sannin's name, and her tense nerves relaxed slightly.
Since he wasn't a debt collector and was sent by Konoha, he shouldn't be an enemy.
"Then, are you here to take Lady Tsunade back to the Village?" she asked hesitantly, voicing her thoughts.
"Perhaps that's one of the goals," Takuno didn't deny it.
After all, if possible, Jiraiya probably still hoped Tsunade could return to the Village.
Hearing the answer, a maturity and gloom far beyond her years appeared on Shizune's youthful face. "I see... but I think it'll be very difficult."
"Lady Tsunade, she doesn't want to go back to that place full of memories anymore."
Her voice trailed off, carrying a pre-existing bitterness and helplessness.
Takuno said no more, just silently looking at Shizune and shaking his head. She was clearly just a child, yet she was forced to take on the responsibility of caring for an irresponsible adult like Tsunade.
Honestly, if Kato Dan came back to life and saw how Tsunade was taking care of his niece, he'd probably be a bit angry, wouldn't he?
Just then, the waiter brought the milk and fruit tea. Takuno naturally pushed the warm milk toward Shizune and kept the fruit tea for himself.
Even in a tavern filled with the rich aroma of sake, he didn't touch a drop of alcohol.
The numbing effect of alcohol on the brain's nerves made him wary; it was like a key that would loosen the locks sealed deep in the heart by reason.
Takuno had always believed that the misdeeds a person showed after losing control while drunk were not the fault of the alcohol, but rather the evil thoughts already lurking in their nature, suppressed by self-control when sober. Alcohol merely removed that chain of pretense.
A person who truly upholds principles would never cross the line, even if deeply intoxicated.
In both his past and present lives, alcohol always seemed to be separated from him by an invisible wall, unable to spark even a bit of enthusiasm.
During his days as Takuno in his past life, he wasn't completely teetotal; limited by the social landscape, he would raise a glass for necessary social engagements.
Back then, he was considered to have "good drinking manners." After getting drunk, at most his chatter would loosen, with a few more slurred words, but more often he would sink into a deep sleep that no amount of noise around him could wake him from.
When the taste of that celebrated nectar slid down his throat, he never experienced the legendary tipsy pleasure.
By the time the alcohol eroded his nerves, what followed was an accompanying heavy headache and a churning stomach, leaving him in a wretched state.
If not bound by duty, he wouldn't even bother touching the rim of a wine glass.
In this life, he stubbornly pursued experimental mysteries unimaginable to ordinary people and research as precise as a gamble with fate. All of this required his spirit to be like a drawn bowstring at all times, in a peak state of absolute sharpness and concentration.
Alcohol? It would only be a stumbling block on this path of discovery. It dilutes the will and numbs the mind; it was an interference source he absolutely would not tolerate.
And just as the adult and the child were each drinking their own beverages.
"Tsunade, listen to me—!"
"Shut up, Jiraiya! Stop being so self-righteous!"
The waves of the argument suddenly rose, and the drunken clamor rudely broke the original harmonious atmosphere of the Izakaya, causing nearby diners to look over. The emotions of both were clearly intensified by the alcohol.