On Tsunade's side, she was lying on her back on the cushion, one arm resting over her forehead, while the other hung loosely by her side, an empty wine bottle hooked between her fingers.
More empty bottles were scattered around her; the pungent scent of alcohol mixed with a faint fragrance of incense, permeating the air.
From downstairs came the sound of footsteps, deliberately softened yet still steady. Shizune's ears twitched, and she looked up toward the stairs.
The footsteps stopped outside the door, and there was a light knock.
"Tsunade, are you in?" came the voice of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Shizune hurriedly looked at Tsunade, but Tsunade didn't even lift her eyelids, merely waving her hand impatiently.
"I'm not! Old Man, stop bothering me! I was just dreaming that I won money!"
The Sandaime outside seemed to have expected this and was not annoyed.
"There's some serious business regarding the recent situation in the Village, and I wanted to hear your thoughts. I also brought some newly arrived wine, said to be a top-tier vintage aged for thirty years."
The figure on the tatami moved slightly; Tsunade shifted her arm away, revealing half-lidded eyes.
"A top-tier wine aged for thirty years?" She smacked her lips, then slowly sat up, her long golden hair cascading down in a slightly messy state.
"...Come in. Shizune, tidy up."
Shizune hurried to speed up, gathering the empty wine bottles into a corner and quickly wiping down the table.
The Sandaime opened the door and walked in, carrying two pottery wine jugs that looked quite old. Seeing the scene inside the room, he just smiled, unfazed.
"Speak up, what kind of nonsense requires you to seek out an unemployed drifter like me?" Tsunade yawned, took one of the wine jugs handed to her by the Sandaime, pulled out the stopper, and took a sniff. Her eyes lit up slightly, but her tongue remained sharp.
"Hasn't the Village entered the highest state of alert? The Anbu, Jonin, and all the major Families have already mobilized. One more of me doesn't make a difference, and one less doesn't matter."
The Sandaime sat down opposite her, and Shizune silently presented two clean cups.
The Sandaime poured a cup for himself and one for Tsunade; the liquid rippled in the cups, emitting a mellow aroma.
"Alert status is necessary, but it has also brought new problems," the Sandaime said slowly, taking a sip of wine.
"Hearts are restless, rumors are spreading, ordinary villagers are anxious, and Ninja at all levels are on edge. We need ways to stabilize morale, and we need someone who can examine this massive amount of intelligence and response measures from a more detached perspective to check for gaps."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, scoffed, and pointed toward Hokage Rock.
"Stabilize morale? Look, do you see that thing over there? With heads that big hanging there, isn't that enough? Old Man, you've got the wrong person. I don't know how to pacify people."
"I'm not asking you to pacify anyone," the Sandaime shook his head, set down his wine cup, and his expression became more serious.
"I would like to invite you to serve as Konoha's Special Wartime Advisor."
"Special Wartime Advisor?" Tsunade swirled her wine cup.
"Sounds troublesome. Not doing it."
"It's a nominal position. You don't need to participate in specific command, you don't need to lead teams, and you don't even need to go to the Hokage Building every day. It's just for the title, so the outside world and the people in the Village know that in times like these, one of the legendary sannin, Tsunade, is still standing on Konoha's side. That in itself is a powerful reassurance."
He observed Tsunade's expression and continued.
"As for the specific work... every afternoon, the Anbu will deliver filtered, non-core daily report scrolls involving the Village's overall situation and defense adjustments to a location you designate. You only need to take a look. If you have any thoughts or concerns, or feel something is off, you can jot down notes or just have Shizune tell me. You don't even have to look at them; treat them as scrap paper if you want."
"Oh? Is it that good? And what about the salary?" Tsunade looked at him sideways.
"It will be paid at the highest rate. Additionally," the Sandaime pointed to the wine jugs on the table.
"These working reference materials will be provided in unlimited supply. Every day, someone will bring you the freshest and best wine from all over, for you to choose from."
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