Tsunade's expression changed subtly the moment she heard the terms.
If she won, all the money would be hers. If she lost, all she had to do was drink with him.
Not to mention that Tsunade was a well-known lover of alcohol even if she weren't, this was still an absurdly favorable gamble. A deal where she could only profit.
Without the slightest hesitation, she raised her voice decisively.
"Fine!"
"I'll bet with you!"
Shizune: "..."
Tonton: "..."
Behind them, Mei Terumī understood very well that Chiba's true goal was to win Tsunade over to his side. Even so, when she heard that he intended to drink with Tsunade, a faint trace of jealousy still surfaced in her heart. However, it vanished just as quickly. In the end, everything was for Kirigakure.
And so, Tsunade once again entered into a decisive battle at the casinothis time against Chiba.
The outcome, needless to say, followed the same familiar script.
Tsunade lost everything.
Not only did she fail to recover the money she had lost earlier, but in the end, every last coin she had was won by Chiba. As if that weren't enough, she was also forced to accept the "date" she had agreed to as part of the bet.
Tsunade slammed her hand hard against the table, causing everyone around to tense up, thinking she was about to refuse to honor the deal.
To their surprise, she immediately stood up and declared,
"Let's go! We're drinking!"
Chiba smiled faintly. Tsunade's bold and unrestrained personality was truly one of a kind among the kunoichi of the entire shinobi world.
Naturally, he was more than willing. He stood up at once and left together with her.
Before stepping out, Chiba gave Mei Terumī a subtle look. Mei nodded in response and did not follow them. Instead, she glanced toward Shizune, deciding to talk with her first. Shizune, for her part, was also deeply curious about Chiba and Kirigakure.
The two women left the casino together and found a small tavern where they began to talk.
All of this, however, did not escape the eyes of Jiraiya and Konoha's ANBU operatives.
For a moment, Jiraiya remained silent, saying nothing at all. The ANBU, on the other hand, were keenly aware that everything they had witnessed would need to be reported to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
...
At this moment, on Tanzaku Street, inside a modest tavern
Chiba and Tsunade were drinking cup after cup.
Tsunade's tolerance for alcohol wasn't particularly high, but she clearly didn't care whether she got drunk or not. She drank greedily, pouring it down in large gulps. Chiba, meanwhile, said nothing. He didn't bring up Kirigakure again, nor did he try to persuade her of anything. He simply drank alongside her, matching her glass for glass, allowing her to vent freely.
After seven or eight bottles, a deep flush spread across Tsunade's cheeks, and her body began to sway unsteadily. She pointed at Chiba and burst into loud laughter.
"You're not bad!"
"Good drinkerand you know better than to nag when you're drinking!"
Chiba smiled calmly. "Exactly. When you drink, you drink. Enjoying yourself is what matters."
"Everything else can wait."
Tsunade slammed the table again.
"Well said!"
"Come on, keep drinking!"
"Cheers!!!"
Their cups clinked together, and once more, they drained them in one go.
Before long, Tsunade completely let her guard down and drank herself into a deep stupor. She collapsed forward onto the table, utterly drunk. Her posture was careless, her chest pressing forward without the slightest restraint, and she even drooled openly, utterly unbothered.
Chiba looked at the scene and couldn't help but shake his head slightly.
"Where are you staying? I'll take you back."
Tsunade muttered an address under her breath.
Chiba then scooped her up in his arms and headed in that direction.
Along the way, the softness of Tsunade's body in her drunken state inevitably stirred certain thoughts in his mind. It couldn't be helped. Tsunade's figure was famous throughout the shinobi world even if one tried not to touch her, some contact was simply unavoidable. Even a man like Chiba, who had seen countless women, couldn't help but silently marvel.
A truly devilish figure…
He carried her all the way to the room where she was staying and gently laid her down on the bed.
Tsunade sprawled out shamelessly in a wide, careless posture and immediately fell into a deep sleep, her breathing soon becoming slow and heavy.
Already drunk, and having been carried the entire way, her clothes were now somewhat disheveled. The fabric around her chest had been pulled open quite a bit, revealing a sight that was difficult to put into words.
Chiba looked at her and felt his thoughts waver.
His hand moved almost instinctively.
Yet even in sleep, Tsunade retained her instincts. She suddenly grabbed his wrist with crushing force. Her eyes remained closed, but she spoke sharply,
"What are you trying to do?"
Everyone in the shinobi world knew how terrifying Tsunade's strength was. If not for the fact that Chiba possessed power on par with hers thanks to the integration of Hashirama's cells, that single grab would have shattered bones and dislocated joints. Anyone else would have been crippled on the spot.
Chiba chuckled lightly. "I'm just fixing your clothes."
Only then did Tsunade loosen her grip slightly, allowing his hand to move across her chest as he adjusted her clothing. Chiba did indeed tidy her clothes properly.
Naturally… he also enjoyed more than a few unintended benefits in the process.
Afterward, Chiba sat at the edge of the bed, taking slow sips of his drink while looking at Tsunade, his thoughts turning inward.
His plan was actually very simple.
Because he had finally understood why the Hyūga clan had been so desperate to betray Konohawhy they had even risked their lives to secretly send him a plea for help.
There was only one explanation.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had already begun to suspect them.
The suspicion surrounding his connection with the Hyūga clan had already taken shape. This also meant that his meeting with Hiashi Hyūga that day had most likely reached Hiruzen Sarutobi's ears long ago. Given Hiruzen's inherently cautious and ruthless nature, once doubt had taken root, he would inevitably begin applying pressure to the Hyūga clan without hesitation. The Hyūga were not fools. They understood all too well that once such suspicion was born, there was no way to undo it. That was precisely why they had no choice but to secretly inform him and request reinforcements.
The same logic applied to Tsunade.
At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi was truly on edge, seeing threats everywhere. As long as he learned that Chiba was in contact with Tsunadeand especially if there were signs of intimacyhe would not hesitate to move against her with lethal intent. And when that happened, Tsunade would finally see, clearly and unmistakably, the true face of both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Konoha itself. When that time came, she would naturally make the correct choice.
By now, Hiruzen had certainly dispatched people to monitor the situation in secret. Chiba could already sense at least seven or eight distinct streams of chakra and presence hidden nearby.
...
Sure enough.
At this very moment, Konoha's ANBU operatives stood below the building, staring up at Tsunade's room, unsure of how to proceed. In the end, they summoned Jiraiya and informed him of the current situation. Jiraiya lifted his head and looked toward Tsunade's window, letting out a quiet sigh.
"You're saying the two of them went drinking, Tsunade got drunk, and the Mizukage brought her back?" he asked.
"Yes, Lord Jiraiya."
"…Did the Mizukage come back out afterward?"
"…No."
Jiraiya's heart shook violently. For a moment, whether from duty or from personal feelings, he felt an unprecedented sense of heaviness weighing on his chest. "Tsunade… you couldn't possibly have really…"
The lead ANBU operative spoke carefully, "Lord Jiraiya, Tsunade-sama… no, Tsunade has already gone this far. It's very likely she's been completely swayed by that Mizukage, perhaps even"
"Ahem." He cleared his throat sharply. "According to the Hokage's orders, this is the moment we must make a decision."
Jiraiya fell silent for a long time. "At present, we still can't be certain of Tsunade's choice," he finally said. "Let's wait until she sobers up. I'll speak with her myself."
The expressions of the ANBU operatives changed instantly. When they had received the Hokage's orders, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already warned them that Jiraiya might hesitate because of old bonds. In moments like this, he would need to be properly "reminded."
Thus, the lead ANBU said calmly, "Lord Jiraiya, you understand the Hokage's orders better than anyone."
"And you also understand which carries more weightpersonal feelings, or the interests of the entire village."
"We won't hide it from you. The Hokage sent us here not only to assist you, but also to observe your response."
"Please don't make things difficult for us."
Jiraiya understood perfectly what he meant. In truth, he had already anticipated that Hiruzen would act this way. Even so, when it truly came to raising a hand against Tsunade, he still found it impossible to decide.
"I understand," Jiraiya said slowly. "But even if action must be taken, now is not the time."
"Do you intend to move directly against the Mizukage?"
"Setting aside the fact that such an action would immediately ignite a war between Konoha and Kirigakure, even if it didn'tdo you really think our strength is enough to deal with a Mizukage and Tsunade at the same time?"
The ANBU operatives exchanged uneasy glances. Jiraiya's words were undeniably reasonable. Even if Tsunade was drunk, a shinobi of her caliber would not be truly hindered by alcohol in a genuine life-or-death situation. Moreover, she was a member of the Senju clan, known throughout the shinobi world as the greatest medical ninja alive.
"We understand, Lord Jiraiya," the lead ANBU finally said. "Then tomorrow, once she has sobered up and is alone, please act together with us."
Jiraiya remained silent for a long time before finally nodding.
...
The next morning, early at dawn, Tsunade finally woke from her drunken slumber. She sat up abruptly, glanced around, and immediately saw Chiba's smiling face.
"You"
"You're awake?" Chiba said casually.
Tsunade quickly checked herself but found nothing out of the ordinary. "What happened last night?"
Chiba smiled. "What do you wish had happened?"
Tsunade snapped angrily, "You got me drunkwhat were you trying to do?!"
Chiba burst into laughter. "If I really wanted to do something to you, it would've already happened."
"Why would I wait until now?"
Tsunade came to her senses as well, but the thought still made her uneasy. She had gotten drunk in front of this manan enemy of Konoha, no lessdrunk enough to enjoy herself completely, without restraint, and had even spent the night in the same room with him. If word of this spread, no one would believe that nothing had happened.
"Where's Shizune?!" Tsunade shouted.
Of course, Shizune was nowhere to be found. Chiba had already arranged for Mei Terumī to drink and chat with her; by now, she was likely just as unconscious from alcohol.
"Who knows," Chiba said lightly. "Well, since you're fine, I'll be going."
Tsunade froze. "You're just leaving like that?"
Chiba smiled mischievously. "What, are you disappointed that nothing happened?"
"Want to make up for it now?"
For once, Tsunade actually showed a hint of embarrassment. "Nonsense!"
"Get out of here already!!!"
Chiba laughed loudly and left her room.
For a moment, Tsunade's heart pounded wildly. "What is wrong with me?" she muttered. "Why did I drink so freely with a guy like that, without any guard at all?"
"And he even brought me back to my room, yet last night…"
"…Nothing should have happened."
"Hmph. At least he's not a bad man."
At that thought, an unfamiliar feeling stirred in her chest. Despite everything she had experienced, Tsunade was remarkably inexperienced in this regard. Much like her still youthful, refined features, her heart was just as unguarded and pure. Compared to someone like Chiba, she was utterly outmatched.
She forcibly pushed those thoughts aside, washed her face, and prepared to go downstairs for breakfast.
However, the moment she stepped outside, she saw a familiar figure.
"Jiraiya?"
For an instant, Tsunade felt inexplicably guilty, as if something really had happened between her and Chiba.
At that moment, masked figures appeared one after another around Jiraiya.
They were Konoha's ANBUelite operatives directly under the Hokage.
In an instant, all of Tsunade's earlier confusion vanished, replaced by a sharp, unmistakable killing intent. Realization struck her like lightning, and her expression changed dramatically.
"Jiraiya… you," she said slowly, "are you here to kill me?!"
Jiraiya shook his head. "That's the last thing I want to do."
"But I need an answer from you."
"Have you betrayed Konoha… or not?"
Tsunade let out a cold snort. "And if I say I have?"
Jiraiya sighed. "Then there's no other choice. Tsunade, I'd rather die myself than fight you, but in my heart, the village still comes first."
"So… please forgive me."
Tsunade's voice turned icy. "Hiruzen-sensei… no, the Hokage's orders, right?"
Looking at the ANBU around them, she already understood everything.
"If you had merely been in contact with the Mizukage, Hiruzen-sensei would've only suspected you," Jiraiya said heavily. "But yesterday, you"
"Yesterday, nothing happened!" Tsunade roared.
Yet neither Jiraiya nor the ANBU would ever believe that. And even if nothing truly had happened, the fact remained that the two of them had drunk together so intimately, and that Chiba had carried her back to her room. On Tanzaku Street alone, countless people had witnessed it with their own eyes.
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