The moment she saw the puppet, Anya immediately recalled the ancient vow she made with Sasori. Now that the mark on this puppet had been activated, did it mean Sasori was in trouble?
Anya stopped what she was doing and followed the little bird's flight direction out of the room. However, the bird soon slammed into the outer barrier and didn't get one inch past it.
Tsunade also came out after sensing the disturbance in the barrier. She eyed the hovering bird and spoke with slight hesitation, "This bird... could it be a puppet?"
Anya's chakra threads glowed as she guided the bird back to herself while nodding, "Yes, a puppet given to me by a friend."
"Why did you let it out then?" Tsunade asked, puzzled. "It can't even fly outside."
Letting out a sigh, Anya said, "I think I might have to go out for a bit."
Tsunade's face darkened and she shot her down flatly, "Absolutely not."
Helplessly, Anya glanced at her and asked, "How many days are left for my three-year imprisonment?"
"Sixty-two days," Tsunade blurted out without thinking.
Anya looked slightly surprised, "Surprisingly, you remembered that clearly."
Tsunade's face turned red before she quickly replied firmly, "Of course! I'm specially assigned to supervise you, so forget about going anywhere—just wait patiently until your time is up."
Anya probed carefully, "What if I insist on leaving?"
Tsunade gave a dangerous smile and strode toward Anya. She gently stamped her heel on the ground, causing the ground to shatter with a massive crack, stretching all the way to the edge of the barrier.
Wow, terrifying monstrous strength—no one could possibly deal with Tsunade easily. Besides, the Third Hokage was probably keeping a tight watch on this place around the clock. There was zero chance of forcefully breaking out.
Guess I'll have to play the pity card then.
With a pout, Anya said, "Sis, just let me go out for a bit. One day only, okay? I'll take a quick look and come right back."
Tsunade coldly stared at Anya and said, "Don't try that cute stuff with me—it won't work. Absolutely not."
"But my friend must be in danger, otherwise this puppet wouldn't activate," Anya quickly changed tactics. "Can you bear letting my friend die without me even seeing him one last time?"
"Keep acting," Tsunade remained unmoved. "I'll just enjoy the show." After spending so much time together, she practically knew Anya like the back of her hand. Having been tricked several times before, she'd completely become immune to these methods.
This wouldn't do at all—if Sasori really followed his bird puppet here to Konoha, there would be huge troubles ahead. Anya needed to leave immediately. Her mind raced quickly, and soon a plan formed.
She didn't say another word and turned around, heading back into her room to tinker with things.
Thinking she had given up, Tsunade stopped paying attention. Instead, she plopped herself down right in front of Anya's door—it seemed like she intended to prevent Anya from stepping out altogether.
About ten minutes later, Anya carried out various large and small items from her room and sat down opposite Tsunade.
Seeing these objects, Tsunade felt an intense surge of excitement deep inside.
On the tray were dice, playing cards, and mahjong tiles, accompanied by a few bottles of alcohol and cups.
Seeing Anya bring them out, Tsunade remained silent at first before half-heartedly saying, "What are you planning? I won't play games with you."
Anya nodded understandingly and said, "Yeah, I know. Tsunade-sama is an officer now, and you've got your responsibilities. I won't make you do anything against your principles. But you're researching all day long—it's only normal to relax once in a while, right?"
With that, Anya started playing by himself in front of Tsunade. First came the dice, shaking them and guessing whether the number would be big or small. Next came the poker cards. He made two Shadow Clones, handed them each a set, and they went wild with it. Finally came the mahjong...
Just as Anya finished setting up the tiles, Tsunade could no longer hold back. She grabbed some tiles and said, "You playing alone looks too boring. I'll join in—just to feel sorry for you."
"Oh?" Anya said, surprised. "Is that okay? What if it goes against..."
"This is normal entertainment. No one can say anything about it," Tsunade interrupted him. "Come on, it's your turn to draw a tile."
Anya smirked slightly as he spoke, "No stakes involved?"
"You still have money?" Tsunade knew very well about Anya's finances—practically nonexistent.
"Money's too vulgar," Anya replied.
Anya pointed at the alcohol bottles, poured a cup for each of them, and said, "How about this? One cup for whoever loses a round. Whoever falls down first is the loser. Isn't that more fun?"
"Hmm?" Tsunade looked at the cup of alcohol hesitantly.
Anya teased, "Oh, scared to lose? Then forget it. I'll just keep playing by myself."
Tsunade slammed her fist on the ground and growled, "Wh—who's scared? Let's do it. Come on—draw your tiles."
Ten more minutes passed. By now, Tsunade's face was flushed red, reeking of alcohol, with a dazed and dreamy look in her eyes. She murmured, "Hey, Anya, why are you doubled? Did you use Clone Jutsu to peek at my tiles?"
Anya rolled his eyes. "Come on, do you really need to do that? With your luck, I'd have to cheat just to lose."
"Hmph." Tsunade sounded annoyed, her tone slightly whiny as she said, "Don't forget who was desperate enough to lose it years ago."
"Why do you always drag up something from years ago?" Anya muttered, recalling the memory that still gave him a headache. With both hands, he pushed the mahjong tiles forward and declared, "Tsumo. I win again. Drink up."
"Drink it then."
Tsunade snatched up her cup and chugged it down like a champ. With the alcohol rushing into her system, she swayed back and forth, barely able to sit upright anymore. As she was about to fall, Anya quickly reached out and held her up. "Onee, looks like you're really drunk."
"I'm not drunk. Come on, let's keep going. Next round," Tsunade insisted, throwing a bit of a tantrum, kicking her feet and scattering the mahjong tiles all over the floor. She was completely wasted.
Seeing this, Anya naturally lifted Tsunade's chin with his hand and locked eyes with her.
Tsunade, already tipsy, stiffened suddenly, her mind going completely blank.
Anya... what are you trying to do?
You wouldn't possibly...
Before Tsunade could finish her thought, an image of a Three-Comma Sharingan appeared in her mind, and then she fell into complete unconsciousness.
Anya carried the unconscious Tsunade into the room, leaving behind an apologetic note. After repeatedly promising her return soon, she formed hand seals and said, "Transformation Jutsu."
[Transformation Jutsu.] Instantly, there were two Tsunades inside the room. Anya scanned Tsunade's body from head to toe, then adjusted the size of her transformation to match perfectly before leaving the room satisfied.
She already knew how to release the barrier seal. After disabling it, she mimicked Tsunade's walking posture and strutted confidently out of that prison-like mansion, heading straight toward Konoha's village gate.
"Huh? Tsunade-sama, are you going out?" A guard ninja greeted her.
Anya replied calmly, "Hmm, I need to go get some herbs."
After putting some distance between herself and the mansion, Anya released the Transformation Jutsu. She pulled out the small bird puppet gifted by Sasori, channeled chakra to activate the Mark on it, and summoned the Eagle Puppet. Then she soared into the sky on its back and vanished from sight.
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