It was late at night; the streetlights had begun to flicker out, and very few pedestrians remained on the streets as shops closed one after another.
Inside a tavern that was still open for business:
"Owner, another bottle!"
A voice rang out—boisterous, yet clearly slurred as if the speaker were biting their tongue. Tsunade reeked of alcohol, her cheeks flushed a deep crimson and her eyes hazy with intoxication. Every time she opened her mouth, a heavy cloud of liquor-breath escaped.
At a power level like Tsunade's, she could easily use her chakra to purge the alcohol from her system; it was actually quite difficult for her to get drunk.
Evidently, in her quest to numb her own mind, she had deliberately suppressed her chakra. She had clearly put away a massive amount, as the table was already cluttered with empty sake bottles.
Hearing Tsunade's boisterous shout, the waitresses were too terrified to approach. Only the tavern owner, wiping cold sweat from his forehead, walked over with a trembling, forced smile. "Lady Tsunade, you really cannot drink any more!"
As the granddaughter of the First and Second Hokage, the Princess of the Senju, and one of the Sannin, Tsunade's reputation in Konoha was immense. Moreover, as a regular at the casinos and taverns, almost everyone recognized her.
Given Tsunade's notorious temper and her monstrous strength, the owner lived in constant fear that if she became unhappy, she would level his entire establishment.
Hearing his plea, Tsunade lifted her head and glared at the owner. She let out a loud, wet belch before shouting with a thick tongue, "Cut the crap! Bring me the booze, or I'll tear this shitty shop apart!"
The owner broke into a cold sweat, but he still tried to reason with her. "Lady Tsunade, you truly shouldn't have any more."
Tsunade might have been prone to smashing things, but given her prestige and rank in the village, the owner genuinely respected her and worried for her wellbeing.
However, Tsunade was in a foul mood and utterly wasted. "I said, bring me the wine!"
Seeing that Tsunade was truly furious and heavily intoxicated—entirely beyond the reach of reason—the owner could only let out a long sigh and obediently go fetch more sake.
Over at the small cottage near the Hot Springs.
Opening his eyes, Saiki sat up in bed. After a long sleep, the exhaustion of the past two days had vanished, leaving him feeling refreshed and invigorated.
Glancing out the window, he saw that the sky was pitch black. His stomach began to growl in protest, so he changed his clothes and headed downstairs.
On the dining table in the living room sat several covered plates, likely placed there to keep the food from getting cold.
Shizune was there, her arms folded on the table and her head resting on her sleeves. She was fast asleep, with a thin trail of drool escaping the corner of her mouth. She looked both adorable and heartbreakingly loyal.
She had clearly been waiting for Saiki to wake up so they could eat together, and when he didn't wake, she simply waited until she collapsed.
Looking out the window, Saiki wondered where Tsunade had run off to again since her return. He walked over and squatted down beside Shizune.
"Shizune, Shizune!" Saiki called out, gently patting her back.
Hearing his voice, Shizune lifted her head groatily. A thin string of saliva stretched from her lip to her arm. Seeing Saiki squatted right next to her, she finally snapped awake.
"Saiki, you're awake?" she asked, immediately noticing her numb arm and the wetness on her lip.
She let out a small "Ah!" of embarrassment and frantically tried to fix her disheveled state. She wiped the drool from her mouth and then rubbed her hand against her pants to dry it, her small face turning a violent shade of red.
Seeing her cute reaction, Saiki smiled. He reached out to rub her head and asked, "Have you had dinner yet?"
"Mm." Shizune nodded obediently, looking up at the clock on the wall. It was nearly midnight.
Noticing the food on the table was still untouched, she said worriedly, "Saiki, you haven't eaten, have you? The food is probably cold. Let me go heat it up for you."
She was still just a child, in the middle of her growth spurt and needing plenty of sleep. Even as she spoke, her face was heavy with exhaustion. Saiki shook his head with a smile. "No need. I can handle it myself. You should go to bed."
"I'm not sleepy. I'll go heat the dishes right now." With that, she let out a huge yawn and stood up to head for the kitchen.
Saiki didn't argue. He simply leaned in and swept her up into a princess carry. Shizune let out a startled cry and looked at Saiki with total confusion.
Saiki said helplessly, "Just go to sleep. I've got this. Look at you—you're so tired you can barely stand."
Tucked into Saiki's arms, Shizune stopped resisting and leaned her head against his chest, nodding submissively.
He carried her upstairs, but before they even reached her bedroom door, Saiki realized she had already fallen asleep in his arms.
Although Saiki had been the one on watch the previous night, Shizune and the others hadn't rested well either. After the trauma of being forced to kill for the first time and the long journey today, she was utterly spent.
He placed Shizune on her bed, removed her shoes, and tucked her under the covers. Then, he went back downstairs to heat up the food they had packed at lunch. He was halfway through his meal when he sensed Tsunade's chakra.
In truth, he didn't even need his sensory skills. From a distance, he could hear Tsunade's boisterous, drunken shouting. Her path through the streets was marked by a chorus of barking dogs.
The moment Saiki set his chopsticks down, a loud, heavy pounding began at the front gate.
Saiki was actually quite used to Tsunade getting drunk. Every year on the anniversaries of the deaths of the First and Second Hokage, as well as Nawaki, she would inevitably drown herself in liquor.
"Seriously, today isn't even a special occasion," he grumbled. He stood up quickly; if he didn't open the door soon, Tsunade was likely to kick it off its hinges.
Before heading to the gate, Saiki used his Flower-Flower Fruit ability to sprout a hand next to Shizune's bed and press her sleep points to ensure she stayed under. She had just fallen asleep; Tsunade's racket would surely wake her otherwise.
Bang! Bang!
Thud! Thud!
If he hadn't recognized her chakra, Saiki would have thought a group of thugs was trying to break in at midnight.
Creak...
The moment the door opened, Tsunade—who had been leaning heavily against it for support—lost her balance and fell forward, her reeking, drunken body plunging directly onto Saiki.
Tsunade's chest was magnificent and incredibly soft as it pressed into him, but the overwhelming stench of sake meant there was very little to actually enjoy about the contact.
"Tsunade? Sister Tsunade?"
Holding her up with both hands as she hung off him like a wet blanket, Saiki called her name twice. The smell of alcohol coming off her was suffocating.
Hearing his voice, Tsunade managed to brace herself enough to stand, though she kept herself a few inches from him. Catching his face in the light of the streetlamp, she let out a drunken giggle. "Heh... it's you, you little brat. Why can't you just be a good boy and listen to me? Always making things difficult for me..."
Saiki's face darkened. Knowing how Tsunade bullied Shizune into submission in the original story, he knew exactly how stubborn and abrasive her personality could be. She had a lot of nerve lecturing him.
Suddenly, Tsunade began to sway backward. Saiki reached out to catch her. This was the first time he had ever seen her this far gone; she couldn't even keep her feet.
The fact that she had found her way home at all was a literal miracle.
"Tsunade? How much did you drink? How did you get like this?" Saiki asked.
Instead of answering, she began to complain. "See? There you go again, always talking back. Shizune! Shizune, where are you?"
Saiki felt his irritation rising. It was a good thing he had knocked Shizune out, or she'd be dealing with this mess.
"Enough shouting. Shizune is asleep. You're going to wake the neighbors," Saiki said with a sigh.
Seeing her on the verge of collapsing, Saiki hooked her arm over his shoulder and hoisted her up.
Tsunade huffed in protest. "No... I don't want you touching me. I want Shizune."
Saiki's face went black. Fine, if you don't want help, I'll just drop you on the floor. The stench of booze was making him want to vomit.