Chapter 45: Tsunade's Past
After such a shock, Tsunade suddenly felt much more sober; her previously foggy mind cleared up as she turned to run away.
Seeing Tsunade seemingly about to flee, Nan immediately realized that she probably hadn't recognized him and thought he was a debt collector.
Nan quickly stopped her: "I'm not here to collect debts. I'm a ninja of Konoha, sent by the Third Hokage to find Lady Tsunade."
Upon hearing this, Tsunade stopped trying to escape and turned to look closely at Nan, then noticed the Konoha forehead protector tied to his arm.
At this moment, Minato and Kakashi, who had also heard the commotion, came over.
Blinking vigorously, Tsunade recognized Minato and Shizune and thus was sure of Nan and the group's identities.
Thinking about her own awkward state, Tsunade quickly tried to cover it up, greeting Minato with an embarrassed smile.
"Isn't this Minato? What are you doing here? Shizune, you too? Have you graduated from the Ninja Academy already?"
Shizune had already graduated three years ago and was now a Chunin.
Tsunade couldn't not know this; she was just embarrassed and unsure what to say, so she asked rhetorically.
Hearing Tsunade mention their name, Minato was certain that this elderly woman was indeed Lady Tsunade.
He bowed respectfully and without wasting words said directly,
"Lady Tsunade, we have been looking for you for a long time. Recently, Konoha's war situation has deteriorated badly; Konoha needs your strength. The Third Hokage hopes you will return."
Tsunade had always kept some attention on Konoha, including the troubles caused by the new poison from the Hidden Sand.
Originally, she intended to help, but as someone suffering from hemophobia, she was no longer fit to be a medical ninja, or even a regular ninja. Even with the will to help, her ability was insufficient.
Tsunade didn't directly answer Minato's request but changed the topic.
"It's been such a long time since we last met; don't start with such serious topics. Come, let's sit down and have a drink."
Returning to her seat, Tsunade poured herself a cup of sake and beckoned Nan's group to sit as well.
"We haven't seen each other for years, Shizune. Let's have a drink." She lifted her glass towards Shizune.
Shizune had met Tsunade a few times in her childhood and had learned a lot from her.
She had always regarded Tsunade as an excellent teacher and beloved elder. Seeing the once-admired figure in such a decadent state, she couldn't help but feel disappointed.
"Lady Tsunade, now is not the time to be drinking. Konoha really needs you; you must pull yourself together soon.
Besides, I'm only 12—I can't drink," Shizune said, slightly angry.
Tsunade, certain that Nan and the others weren't debt collectors, relaxed a lot.
She felt the slight sobering on her mind again fade, replaced by a fuzzy, drunken haze. She barely registered Shizune's words.
Changing the subject again, she said, "There's no rush for anything. Let's have a couple more drinks first."
Speaking, she poured herself two more cups to drink.
At this point, Nan and the others noticed that Tsunade was already completely drunk and incoherent, unable to answer clearly.
Minato and Shizune discussed: "Seeing Lady Tsunade like this, we cannot take her back to Konoha now.
Let's find a place for her to rest first. After she sobers up tomorrow, we can talk to her about returning."
To wait for Tsunade to sober up, Minato and the group found an inn on Tanzaku Street and checked in, booking two rooms.
Shizune stayed with Tsunade to take care of her; Nan and the other two stayed in the other room.
"Teacher, does Lady Tsunade not want to return to Konoha?" Kakashi asked Minato, noticing something off about Tsunade during the day.
Minato thought for a moment. He had heard about Tsunade's story from Jiraiya and knew some details. He explained to Kakashi:
Tsunade's younger brother Nawaki died from severe wounds in the early days of the Second Great Ninja War after falling into an enemy trap.
Deeply grieved, Tsunade proposed to the Hokage that every ninja squad be assigned a medical ninja.
However, the plan faced many difficulties and was ultimately not adopted for various reasons.
The only person who supported Tsunade's proposal was her lover, Senior Ninja Dan Katō, but unfortunately, Dan was soon killed in the war.
Tsunade possibly blamed Konoha's higher-ups' wrong judgment for Dan's death, which caused her disappointment in the Hokage and led her to leave Konoha for many years.
Minato told Kakashi that this was his personal understanding; Tsunade might have other reasons as well.
Nan knew the story Minato told. Tsunade's leaving Konoha was partly because of this.
But the most important reason was that Dan Katō's death was extremely cruel—his internal organs were blown out—deeply traumatizing Tsunade.
She developed hemophobia and could no longer be a ninja, which was the fundamental reason she resolved to leave Konoha.
Minato now only hoped that when Tsunade sobered up, Shizune could persuade her properly.
He hoped she could remember old feelings and, for the sake of her former lover Dan Katō and his niece Shizune, change her mind and return to Konoha.
Nan knew Tsunade must have briefly returned to Konoha because she had helped deal with the poison trouble from the Hidden Sand.
But because of Nan's existence, events had changed. The originally terrifying poison was not as deadly as before.
Konoha's main problem now was a lack of personnel. Nan didn't know if Tsunade would still help Konoha like she did in the original story.
Also, how Nan would learn medical ninjutsu from Tsunade was a question worth careful consideration.
Nan's eyes rolled as an idea formed in his mind, but whether it could be realized depended on Tsunade's attitude when they tried to persuade her tomorrow.
The next day, Shizune told them Tsunade had sobered up, and the three met with her again.
Tsunade had just woken up; the hangover headache hadn't fully gone when she saw Minato bringing two youths to visit her.
Though yesterday her mind wasn't very clear, she remembered what Minato said—it was only to persuade her to return to Konoha.
But she clearly knew her own situation. She knew she wouldn't be useful if she returned now.
Sure enough, Minato began again with a request:
"Lady Tsunade, because of the poison from the Hidden Sand, Konoha suffered massive casualties; many comrades have been poisoned and lost their combat ability.
Now Konoha has no one to solve this. Only you, the world's greatest medical ninja, can help. Konoha has hope only if you act!"
Minato repeated the request because he thought Tsunade couldn't communicate well yesterday due to drunkenness. Feeling she was sober now, he believed he could persuade her.
"Lady Tsunade, look, the Third Hokage even wrote you a personal letter hoping you would return."
Hearing the Third Hokage's name, Nan felt secretly delighted—talk about divine assistance.
In Nan's opinion, Tsunade must have some resentment that her master didn't support her.
In the original story, even after more than ten years, every time Tsunade mentioned the Hokage, she would get angry.
Now hearing Minato mention the Third Hokage again, Tsunade's chest must be filled with resentment.
It would be best if she angrily cursed the Hokage like in the original story; Nan could then exploit the opportunity to advance his own plan.
(End of Chapter)