"Hss… my head…"
Tsunade kneaded her throbbing temples and blinked awake to a strange inn room. "Huh? Why am I here? I remember—ugh, hurts—can't remember."
The door slid open.
"Good timing—I was just about to—eh? Who's she?"
Uchiha Sogetsu stepped in. Behind him stood a pretty, well-behaved girl of twelve or thirteen with a high ponytail and a simple black outfit.
"Oh, good morning, Lady Tsunade. You finally woke up." Sogetsu arched a brow, deadpan. "Another hour and I'd have started wondering if you were dead."
"Uh…" She heard the needle in his tone and scratched her nose, oddly guilty. "Did I… drink?"
"What do you think?" Sogetsu's mouth slanted. "This room reeks of alcohol. You can't smell that?"
"Cough, cough…" Tsunade hacked twice, guilt deepening. "People who've been drinking can't smell the booze," she muttered—then frowned at the girl. "Hold on. Weren't we headed to the Forest of Spirits? How did that turn into drinking? What happened in between? Why is there just… nothing in my head?"
"Try harder, Lady Tsunade?" Sogetsu flicked a glance at the girl, then said evenly, "We checked the seal at the Forest, you tugged me off to 'celebrate,' and then you drank yourself legless."
Tsunade shut her eyes and searched.
Sure enough—the memory surfaced: after fixing the seal, the heaviness in her chest made her drag Sogetsu into the nearest entertainment street. They drank in a tavern until her vision doubled. At some point she'd gone on a bender and… smashed the place.
"Gomen nasai!" Tsunade bowed her head at once. "I swear I won't drink next time—er, this mission—"
"Heh. I'll believe it when I see it," Sogetsu said.
"D-Don't nitpick, brat. Girls hate that~" She coughed and pivoted, studying the well-mannered girl. "So who is she?"
"Oh. Her name is Hikari," Sogetsu said. "After you got plastered last night… you took her as a disciple." He tugged his collar aside under Tsunade's widening stare to show a deep bruise. "I advised against a rash decision. You answered by punching me a few dozen meters."
"I—I'm not that violent… right?" Tsunade stared at his chest, guilt spiking. With evidence that obvious, even she couldn't deny it.
"Mm. Not that violent. Only three streets." Sogetsu fixed his glasses, lip twitching. "If I hadn't been lucky, you'd be arranging my funeral today."
"Th—Three streets?!"
"Heh. Not much. Just three million ryō." He added, perfectly polite, "I've already forwarded the bill to the Hokage's office—plus my medical expenses. Also, I finally had the pleasure of witnessing one of the Legendary Sannin's Yin Seal in the wild. Truly eye-opening."
"Gome—gomen—gomen nasai!" Tsunade dropped into a textbook dogeza. "Sogetsu-kun, forgive me—I didn't mean it!"
She checked her Yin Seal—yeah, a big chunk of stored chakra was gone.
"Forget it. I'm alive," Sogetsu sighed, letting it drop. "So… about Hikari. Do you want to take it back? You were drunk."
"Ugh…" Tsunade's molars ached. Smash three streets, almost kill Sogetsu, and somehow accept a disciple?
"Lady Tsunade… please don't force yourself." The quiet girl finally spoke. She bit her lip, fingers twisting together, eyes welling as she glanced up timidly. "I've caused you trouble. I… I'll leave."
Her voice cracked; tears spilled down a small, pitiful face.
Poor kid… Tsunade's heart was soft to begin with, and this time she was the one at fault. Seeing the girl like that hit the one spot she couldn't armor. She ground her teeth, slapped her thigh, and declared, "No forcing, none at all! Tsunade keeps her word. From today on—you're my disciple!"
"R-Really?" Hikari covered her mouth, eyes blazing with hope. "You truly… want me as your student?"
"Of course!" Tsunade thumped her chest. "From today, you're my first disciple!"
Hikari dove into her arms and wept. "Hikari has a master—Hikari has a master…!"
"Silly child, what are you crying for?" Tsunade stroked her hair and held her close, eyes warm. "With your master here, no one will bully you again."
A lovely scene.
The director of this little play—Uchiha Sogetsu—admired the result in silence. Hikari really was a natural-born Spectator. Every expression, glance, and line had been tuned to Tsunade's soft spots—sympathy and guilt. (And yes, Hikari's Eight-Thorn Mark had quietly edited Tsunade's memories.)
Thus he'd handed Uchiha Hikari a new life:
—Legendary Sannin Tsunade's first disciple.
—Princess of the Senju's successor in medical ninjutsu.
—A very large, very fluffy sheep under Konoha's protection…
Even in the Leaf, few would dare touch her now.
A stray thought pricked him.
By birth year, Hikari predated even Hashirama's childhood. Which meant…
Doesn't that make Tsunade's brand-new disciple… her great-grandma?
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