"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
"To life!"
"To freedom!"
Karin shivered slightly as she huddled in the corner, nibbling small bites of grilled meat while her eyes filled with worry.
She had no idea how things had escalated to this point.
Just half an hour ago, Naruto and the busty woman at the next table, who introduced herself as Tsunade, had seemed on the verge of a full-blown argument.
Yet somehow, as their debate raged on, the two seemed to reach some kind of understanding, and the atmosphere suddenly turned harmonious.
They began toasting each other, drink after drink, first to tomorrow, then to peace, as if every beautiful thing in the world could serve as an excuse for them to share another round.
The earlier dispute about gambling seemed to have been completely forgotten.
It's normal that Karin doesn't understand.
After all, these two are all adults who had been through a lot. It wasn't as if they'd start throwing punches over a minor disagreement.
At the very least, Tsunade, with her pride as one of the Sannin, wouldn't attack Naruto, a 'civilian' who didn't have any Ninja's markings.
As for Naruto, he never really cared much about clashing viewpoints.
After all, as a former Pirate King's crew member, he'd even clinked glasses with Marine Admiral, Aokiji.
No need for lengthy explanations, everything was said in the drink.
The two chatted and complained over their alcohol, hitting it off splendidly.
Especially when Tsunade started cursing out certain Ninja, Naruto eagerly refilled her cup.
Just as the two seemed to be getting along better than ever, a group of thugs dressed in Ronin attire suddenly burst into the restaurant.
The other ordinary people in the restaurant immediately fell silent in fear.
As a result, the two who continued drinking and eating meat as if nothing had happened stood out even more.
"There she is!"
"You owe us money and yet you dare to run away?!"
"Catch her!"
The leader of the thugs pointed a short sword at Tsunade and shouted, "Looking for you?"
Naruto didn't seem the least bit surprised by the sudden intrusion, as if he'd sensed it coming.
"Looking for me."
Upon hearing this, Tsunade scratched her cheek awkwardly, and then, she let out a series of half-incomprehensible excuses… "Losing money doesn't count as debt…", "Yakuza money… can that even be called debt?" and the like.
Of course, aside from Naruto, no one else in the room found the situation amusing.
Seeing the thugs about to rush forward, Tsunade didn't hesitate. She flipped over the partition, took a few quick steps, and dashed out the door.
The group of thugs didn't even spare Naruto a second glance as they all chased after her.
That saved Naruto some trouble.
Having witnessed the whole scene, Karin stood frozen in shock.
It wasn't until Naruto lightly tapped her head that she snapped out of it.
"Eat up, the meat's about to burn."
With that, Naruto picked up a few slices of grilled meat with his chopsticks and placed them in Karin's bowl.
Seeing this, the girl simply kept her head down and continued eating.
Back in Kusagakure, she'd never had food this delicious… those bastards would only give her and her mother some rotten vegetable scraps boiled into a tasteless gruel.
She couldn't even remember the last time she'd eaten meat.
Watching Karui stuff herself even when she was clearly full, Naruto couldn't help but sigh.
Then, in a gentle voice, he said, "It's okay, Karin. Take your time. You don't have to finish it all."
"It's all in the past now..."
Naruto didn't say anything more, and Karin didn't respond either, simply lowering her head in silence.
A long while passed, and even after the two had finished eating, there was still no sign of Tsunade returning.
Naruto decided there was no point in staying in the shop any longer.
'But speaking of which, has the granddaughter of the First Hokage actually been staying so close to Konoha Village this whole time?'
Of course, Naruto had recognized Tsunade as the target of his current mission.
…But so what? He had no intention of completing it anyway.
Even though Hiruzen had stepped down, the old man was still alive and well.
With him around, Konoha wouldn't fall into chaos anytime soon.
As far as Naruto was concerned, this mission could remain unfinished for the next decade without any real consequences.
When Naruto took Karin to settle the bill, he couldn't help but chuckle wryly at the two separate orders on the receipt.
'It has always been Uzumaki Naruto who eats other people's food, so when did someone actually eat my food for free?'
Well, it didn't matter. Naruto still had plenty of money left, so treating someone to a meal wasn't a big deal.
After leaving the restaurant, the two went to buy some supplies… a map, a few changes of clothes, and other essentials.
Since Naruto and Tsunade had spent quite a while drinking in the barbecue restaurant, by the time they finished shopping, the sky was already growing dark.
Glancing at the little girl beside him, Naruto decided to find an inn and stay the night before setting off again tomorrow.
But before they had taken more than a few steps, a familiar figure suddenly vaulted over the nearby wall.
The moment the other party landed, the two sides stared at each other in surprise.
"Ah! It's you!"
"We meet again. Did you shake off those guys from earlier?"
Naruto recognized the newcomer immediately, while Karin gaped at them in disbelief.
The person who had dropped down was naturally Tsunade. At this time, she had already taken off her outer robe with the 'Gamble' character on it.
What shocked Karin the most was that Tsunade had now turned into a girl in her late teens.
She was left utterly speechless, stammering and not knowing what to say.
"Yeah… Hah, you don't seem surprised at all."
Since Naruto hadn't introduced himself earlier, Tsunade still only referred to him as 'you'.
Naruto's lack of reaction to her transformed appearance piqued her interest, though inwardly, her guard went up.
'As expected, this young brat wasn't an ordinary person.'
In response, Naruto didn't answer directly.
"A woman's age... is a secret not to be pried into. I at least know that much."
Having said that, he nodded at her and prepared to leave with Karin, showing no intention of continuing the conversation.
This reaction actually made Tsunade relax slightly.
But just then, several unfamiliar figures suddenly appeared at the mouth of the alley, blocking their path.
Judging from the way they were dressed, they were completely different from the group of thugs who had been chasing Tsunade earlier.
Tight-fitting clothing that facilitates movement, strangely shaped weapons, and Ninja's markings inadvertently revealed in some places-
There is no doubt that they are completely different from the previous group of people.
"Uzumaki Naruto, bounty: 100 million Ryo... We'll be taking your head today!"
The moment the leading Ninja spoke, the others vanished from sight alongside him, and attacks rained down on Naruto from all directions.
"Looks like this time, they're here for me."
On the other hand, Naruto remained completely unfazed, even pushing Karin toward Tsunade.
"Mind watching her for me? I'll deal with these guys real quick."