Who is she? Konoha's strongest Medical Ninja.
Alcohol poisoning was child's play to her. As long as he didn't drink himself to death, he'd be fine.
Raj lit a candle for himself.
Revenge had arrived.
Jiraiya could take a beating, so his revenge was getting beaten up.
Raj, barely a year old, was considered nearly an adult by cat years, but he couldn't withstand such punishment.
So, he opted for drinking instead.
Life was truly hard.
He endured a few licks before immediately coughing.
The taste was fiery yet carried a mellow fragrance.
It was indeed fine sake.
"How is it? Good sake, right? Heh, you're lucky. You get to treat all three Legendary Sannin to dinner tonight. That's a privilege most people never get."
Tsunade propped her chin on her hand, gulping down sake.
It was clear that despite her words of "luck," she wasn't happy at all.
In fact, Orochimaru's arrival seemed to have left her feeling a little sad and lost.
Raj was equally heartbroken.
Judging by her words, Orochimaru and Jiraiya had probably arrived too.
Drinking with all three of them would undoubtedly cost a fortune.
'The honor of treating the Three Legendary Sannin to sake? I don't want it!'
"Boss, get some snacks and two more jars of sake. My friends have arrived."
"Right away!"
Tsunade had already drained nearly half a jar in no time, her drinking speed leaving the cat speechless.
He couldn't help but wonder if she could even taste the sake at this pace.
Truly baffling.
Before long, Orochimaru appeared at the tavern entrance.
He entered with a measured, graceful stride, exuding an air of refined elegance.
Tsunade tapped her fingers lightly on the table, gesturing for him to sit down.
"Ah! Orochimaru, couldn't you consider the wounded? I only... cough... Tsunade, I didn't come out here on purpose! This bastard Orochimaru said he had urgent business with you, and Minato and the others were busy, so I had no choice but to come."
Jiraiya immediately ducked his head in fear upon seeing Tsunade, scrambling to explain himself.
"Sit down. It's been ages since the three of us gathered like this. Raj's treating, so drink as much as you want - don't hold back."
Tsunade moved Raj's sake bowl closer to her side, arranging Jiraiya and Orochimaru in a row.
The three of them each grabbed a jar of sake, drinking first before speaking.
Raj watched, his heart aching.
What kind of suffering is this?
The Three Legendary Sannin - renowned for their vices of gambling, drinking, and drugs - had drained several jars before Orochimaru finally spoke.
"Now that you're back, do you plan to leave again soon?"
"I'll stay for now. Leaving at this point... hmph, but don't count on me for the battlefield. I'm going back to the village to retire and take on a student or two."
Orochimaru was used to it.
He didn't press the matter further, understanding that Tsunade's hemophobia likely hadn't improved.
Knowing she couldn't participate in combat, he paused, considering whether to bring up the next topic.
"Orochimaru, didn't you have something important to discuss?" Jiraiya blurted out, already half a jar deep in sake and clearly tipsy.
Both Orochimaru and Tsunade glared at him simultaneously.
If he'd just eaten a few bites of food, he wouldn't be this drunk.
Tsunade picked at her food impatiently.
"Just get to the point. Stop beating around the bush."
"Shikaku has returned. Kusagakure has purged the faction advocating for alliance with Iwagakure. While Osamu was the mastermind behind this pro-Iwagakure movement, this purge effectively signals his abandonment of any further attempts to align with Iwagakure."
Orochimaru sipped his sake delicately, relaying the intelligence in a low voice.
With no other customers present, the owner had wisely retreated, leaving them free to speak without restraint.
"Good news," Jiraiya said, giving a thumbs-up.
This at least ensured that even if war broke out, the Land of Fire's territory wouldn't be ravaged.
But there was bad news too.
If Kusagakure was truly determined to betray them, stretching their battle lines thin before coordinating a major attack with Iwagakure, Konoha could suffer devastating losses.
Therefore...
"Are you sure Kusagakure is sincere?"
"Uncertain," Orochimaru replied, licking his lips.
His voice was cold and brimming with murderous intent.
"That's why I'd rather eliminate Osamu and install a more obedient leader."
Jiraiya froze, remaining silent for a long moment before taking a swig of sake.
Tsunade pondered briefly, swirling her sake cup.
"I'll just go through the motions. You two decide what to do."
"Jiraiya's a fool under house arrest, so he doesn't count. You're neutral, so we'll go with my plan," Orochimaru said, half-jokingly.
"What if killing Osamu drives Kusagakure to ally with Iwagakure instead? I think we need to consider this more carefully," Jiraiya argued, shaking his head after a moment's thought.
"Now that it's one-on-one, there's still a fourth person on our side..." Orochimaru raised his cup and gestured toward Raj.
"Meow?"
Raj was bewildered.
'Isn't this something you leaders should decide? Why are you asking me?'
To make matters worse, Jiraiya and Tsunade were actually looking at him with serious expressions.
'Should I really answer?'
He hesitated, torn.
"Speak up," Tsunade said, pouring more sake into her mouth.
"You're a Special Jonin now, qualified to participate in these discussions."
"Meow~ I think there's a case to be made for both killing him and sparing him," Raj mused, offering a deliberately ambiguous answer.
"But that guy doesn't seem like someone who'd be content to live in obscurity."
Tsunade remained silent for a few seconds before taking a few more gulps of sake.
"Let's wait for orders from above," she finally said.
"Let the old man worry about the headaches. We'll just keep drinking."
"Heh, true enough," Orochimaru agreed after a moment's thought, then continued drinking.
"Check, meow~"
"Uh, right away."
The owner's expression froze momentarily.
Three esteemed ninja had been sitting there, yet in the end, it was this talking cat who settled the bill...
Never mind, it's not important.
Getting paid is all that matters.
These turbulent times have hurt his sake sales, but these three or four customers drank ten casks and took three more to go.
Big spenders!
"Meow?!"
Raj stared at the bill, dumbfounded.
"Sir, these are rare, aged sakes. We wouldn't sell them to just anyone, even for the money. This price is more than fair for such quality."
Sensing the cat's unspoken protest, the owner quickly explained, launching into a detailed breakdown of the charges.
Raj had no response.
The Three Legendary Sannin were all heavy drinkers.
Even Orochimaru, who seemed the least fond of alcohol, had downed two jars on his own.
All that sake added up to a hefty bill, draining at least a tenth of Raj's savings.