Chapter 40 - Encounter with Tsunade
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With a dramatic flair, the big man knelt down with a thud that echoed through the street, shouting, “I can see a Konoha ninja!”
“Yes?” Naka replied, totally baffled by this unexpected turn of events. She stared blankly at the large man kneeling before her as if he were proposing marriage or something equally absurd.
Then, in an act worthy of a theatrical performance, the big man dramatically pulled out a massive wad of papers from his clothing, practically spilling them onto the ground as if they were the keys to a treasure chest.
He handed them over with both hands while practically wailing,
“Lord Konoha, please take a look! These are all the gambling debts that Tsunade-sama owes us at our casino, totaling three hundred seventy thousand taels!”
“We’re at our wit’s end! Our casino isn’t even legitimate, and we barely have any family background. We’re just trying to make a living here!”
“But Tsunade-sama? She gambled with us for three whole months and lost every single time! I mean, come on! While I’m partly to blame for lending her money, I’m not a flipping bank!”
“Konoha Ninja, have mercy on me!”
The big man was crying so hard that Mi Blade was genuinely concerned he might drown in his own tears. Here was this seven-foot-tall giant, reduced to a blubbering mess on the ground before Naka , who was now staring at him in a mix of confusion and sympathy—probably wondering if this was what they meant by “dramatic ninja encounters.”
Naka stared at the IOU in her hand like it was a rare treasure, wide-eyed and breathless, as if she had just discovered the secret recipe to the world’s best ramen. She then turned her gaze to Mi Blade, her expression shifting from excitement to sheer panic.
Mi Blade shook his head in disbelief and muttered,
“There’s nothing we can do. I don’t have that much money. The cash I have on me is only two million taels.”
At this, the big man wiped his tears away in a flash, as if someone had suddenly dumped a bucket of ice water on his sob story.
“That’s plenty! We won’t even charge interest! I’ll take one for the team; just hand over two million taels!”
Mi Blade stood there, mouth agape. “Did you just take a look at my assets? I'm not running a charity here!”
Just then, Tsunade, who had been watching this entire circus unfold, sauntered over like she was the queen arriving at her royal gala. She snatched the IOU from Naka ’s hand with all the grace of a cat burglar and turned her cheeky grin on Mi Blade.
“Hey, you little devil, help me pay off my gambling debts, and I promise I’ll pay you back when I get back to the village… with interest!”
She winked at him, leaving Mi Blade in a state of confusion, unsure if she was joking or if she was trying to up the stakes in this bizarre game of financial chicken.
Mi Blade struggled to pull out the money from his pockets, handing it over to the big man with all the enthusiasm of a cat being bathed—lots of resistance and very little joy. Instead of feeling sympathetic, he was hit with a wave of frustration.
After all, Tsunade and Orochimaru were tight, and if he ever returned to the village, he’d have to deal with that friendship drama. It was like returning to school only to find out your best friend had become besties with your ex and was now wearing their clothes!
At the rate she was going, Tsunade would soon become the Fifth Hokage. If she blamed him for not helping her sooner, he might as well start shopping for the smallest shoes available—because he’d never wear his own again!
The big man took the money and backed away, showering Mi Blade with thanks like confetti at a parade, completely oblivious to the chaos he had just created.
Once the casino crew had scuttled off, Tsunade turned to Mi Blade, narrowing her eyes and sizing him up like he was a suspicious-looking snack. This made Mi Blade feel like a deer caught in headlights, about to be turned into a fancy dinner.
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“Tsuna-sama, what are you looking at?” he stammered, suddenly very aware of the two swords hanging from his waist, wondering if they were making him look extra suspicious.
Tsunade nodded, a knowing smirk on her face. “You’re the second son of Sakumo Hatake.”
“Tsunade-sama, you know me?” he asked, his voice cracking like a prepubescent boy who had just been told he couldn’t have dessert.
She scoffed, “White hair, two swords hanging off you, and one is a short blade. Pretty obvious."
“Tsunade-sama, about that money…” Mi Blade started to say, but she waved him off like he was a pesky fly buzzing around her face.
“Just come back to the village, and I’ll pay you then,” she said casually, as if she were discussing the weather and not her massive gambling debts.
Suddenly, Mi Blade recalled that his master, Orochimaru, had never once asked Tsunade for her gambling debts when they exchanged pleasantries.
It felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on him, and the realization hit harder than any ninja technique he’d ever faced. This was the kind of debt that could come back to bite him in the butt, and he wasn’t sure if he was ready for the chaos that would ensue when they returned to Konoha!
Facing the legendary ninja Tsunade, Naka felt a mix of admiration and nerves swirling in her heart like a kunai in a blender. She thought,
“Tsunade-sama, my name is Uchiha Naka , and I’m a newly graduated ninja!” It was like declaring herself an apprentice to a rock star!
Tsunade smiled down at her, a grin that could charm a snake into doing a happy dance.
“So, you two aren’t in the village, and you’re not even wearing your forehead protectors? What brings you to the Land of Hot Water?”
“Just traveling,” Mi Blade said, clutching the meager amount of cash he had just surrendered like it was the last piece of pizza at a party—sweaty palms and all.
Naka jumped in, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
“Tsunade-sama, it was Mi Blade who said he would take me sightseeing! We’re going to visit the attractions of the Five Great Nations.”
A heavy silence fell over the group, and everyone nearby looked at Naka as if she had just proposed a trip to Mars. The collective thought was clear: Do you even have money for that?
Tsunade’s reputation was so notorious that she could probably convince a kid to trade their last cookie for a ‘magical ninja charm’—or worse, a ticket to a reality show featuring her gambling habits!
“Is it just the two of you on this trip?” she asked, raising an eyebrow, her skepticism practically radiating off her like chakra.
Tsunade studied the two teenagers, shaking her head in disbelief as if they were two puppies trying to take on a bear.
“Aren’t you afraid of being attacked on the road?”
Naka shook her head vigorously, hugging Mi Blade’s arm like it was a security blanket that could ward off any dangers.
“Mi Blade will protect me!”
Feeling flattered and slightly heroic, Mi Blade puffed out his chest like a peacock showing off its feathers.
“I will protect her!” he declared, channeling his inner hero.
Tsunade, however, was unimpressed. With a quip that could cut through steel, she raised an eyebrow and asked, “Just you?”
It was as if she were saying, “Really? You’re the great protector? You might as well be a guard dog!”
Tsunade had heard of Mi Blade, one of the Konoha Twin Stars—a duo so famous they might as well have their faces plastered on a cereal box.
But she never expected that teenage Mi Blade would be this strong. I mean, come on, the kid looked like he just discovered protein powder!
With all the enthusiasm of a puppy who just found its favorite toy, Mi Blade nodded eagerly and threw his arm around Naka ’s shoulders, acting like they were lifelong buddies.
“My master is Orochimaru; I still have two things!”
“Orochimaru?” Tsunade raised an eyebrow, trying to suppress a chuckle.
“Well, good luck with that!” She decided it was best to just drop it and let him wallow in his own confusion.
“Since you two helped me today, I can’t be stingy,” she declared with all the dramatic flair of a telenovela star.
She called out to Silent, who had been hovering nearby like a loyal puppy waiting for a treat.
“Shizune, come here! Invite them to dinner!”
“Now, you two, feel free to join me. Just don’t order the entire menu,” Tsunade added, looking like she’d just won the lottery.
With that, she seemed to forget all about being chased, her spirits lifted like a hot air balloon. Shizune led Mi Blade and Naka to a wine shop as if it were the most normal thing in the world, where Tsunade practically sprinted inside like a kid on Christmas morning.
“Last wine pot!” she exclaimed, eyes gleaming with excitement.
After entering, Tsunade plopped down at a table, her grin stretching from ear to ear, practically drooling at the thought of wine. It was her beverage of choice, and she treated it like a sacred elixir—probably because, you know, it was!
“What are you two eating?” she asked, eyes glinting like a hawk spotting dinner.
Mi Blade sighed dramatically, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“What can I do for you? I’m not made of money!” He looked around, trying to avoid anything that might remotely resemble a seafood barbecue buffet or anything weird.
“Just give me regular sashimi and plain rice, please.”
There was no way he was getting any money back from that food; Tsunade’s cash flow was about as reliable as a weather forecast during monsoon season.
So, in a moment of culinary bravado, Mi Blade decided to flex his eating skills instead. After polishing off fifteen rice balls and two sashimis, he finally threw in the towel, gasping for air like a fish out of water.
“Okay, eat slowly!” Tsunade chided, shaking her head.
“After you’re done, I’ll take you two to the hot springs. You should know that the hot springs in the Land of Hot Water are the best in the world!” She declared this with the kind of enthusiasm usually reserved for five-star resort advertisements.
Mi Blade could only hope that after all this feasting, he’d still be able to enjoy the hot springs without bursting!
At the simple hot spring hotel, Mi Blade and Naka wandered around, their initial excitement slowly deflating like a balloon with a slow leak.
They felt a wave of disappointment wash over them like cold water—no luxurious decorations, hidden pools, or romantic candlelit settings awaited them. Instead, they were greeted by a few tired-looking chairs and a suspiciously bubbling hot spring that looked more like a science experiment gone wrong than a luxurious spa.
Tsunade, blissfully oblivious to their dismay, changed into her swimwear with all the grace of a majestic hippo.
“Did you all bring your swimwear?” she asked, as if they were headed to a gala instead of a shabby hot spring.
Naka , feeling a surge of enthusiasm, nodded eagerly.
“I brought it!”
“Great! Go change; see you by the pool in a bit!” Tsunade declared, before cannonballing into the pool with all the finesse of a meteor crashing into Earth, splashing water everywhere like a kid on summer vacation.
As water dripped from the ceiling and flew in every direction, Naka couldn’t help but feel a little disillusioned. The legendary, untouchable Tsunade she idolized had morphed into a playful cannonball enthusiast. Where were the tales of epic battles and heroic deeds?
While changing clothes, Naka gathered her courage and turned to Silent, who was desperately trying to focus on a wall rather than the bizarre spectacle unfolding.
“Is Tsunade-sama always like this?”
Shizune Blushed a deep shade of crimson and nodded helplessly, “She just laughs; Tsunade-sama is… well, she’s like this.”
He couldn't even begin to explain it. Given Naka ’s previous fangirl attitude, it was clear she was a die-hard fan of Tsunade.
But after today, she worried she might lose her fan status. Sure,she loved being a fan, but it felt a bit too serious when your idol turned out to be a goofy, wine-loving cannonball enthusiast.