After some commotion, the group returned to the izakaya and sat down. Looking at the many empty liquor bottles left on the table, Ren sighed, his hand on his forehead.
"So, how much did you guys actually drink?"
Tsunade rested her chin on her hands and mumbled, "Not much..."
Jiraiya, next to her, picked up a half-empty bottle of sake, chugged it down, and then let out a familiar burp. He looked at Ren drunkenly and said, "What's wrong with having a few drinks? You're still a kid, go home. You're far too young to be coming to an izakaya."
A vein throbbed on Ren's forehead as he retorted grumpily, "Yes, yes, I'm so sorry for interrupting your pleasant gathering."
As he spoke, Ren seemed to remember something. He turned to look at Orochimaru and grinned, "Speaking of which, it's quite a surprise to see Lord Orochimaru here."
Orochimaru, being a research fanatic, had holed himself up in his laboratory ever since the battle ended, eating and sleeping there. He only emerged when he needed supplies. Since returning from the battlefield, Ren had only encountered him once.
"Heh heh, sometimes one needs to relax."
Orochimaru chuckled twice, then picked up the cup in front of him, took a small sip, and a look of contentment appeared on his face.
Although he also drank, he would never drink to the extent of the other two. Alcohol numbed one's nerves and led to a loss of reason. His meticulous nature would not allow such a thing to happen to him.
Ren looked at the two muddled individuals in front of him, spread his hands, and said helplessly, "So, can't you just call it a night today and drink again tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?"
Hearing this, Tsunade raised her head, her eyes hazy with drink, and glanced at Ren. Then she patted Jiraiya beside her and smiled charmingly, "This guy is leaving tomorrow. Who knows when I'll see him again?"
"Hahaha!"
Jiraiya laughed a few times, then put down the empty bottle in his hand, turned to look at Tsunade, and burped, "Tsunade, are you going to miss me? If you beg me, maybe I won't leave."
Upon hearing this, both Orochimaru and Ren, among others, instinctively moved away, a hint of pity in their eyes as they looked at Jiraiya.
Sure enough, just as Jiraiya was feeling smug, a fist had already cut through the air, hitting his abdomen with a whooshing sound. A roar simultaneously erupted, "Die, you bastard Jiraiya!"
No sooner had the words fallen than Jiraiya was sent flying backward, crashing onto another table. With a crack, the wooden tabletop split in half from the middle, and a large thud brought up clouds of dust.
"Hiss!"
Seeing this, everyone in the shop, including Orochimaru, collectively broke into a cold sweat. The owner watched it all with a pained expression, but dared not make a sound, fearing that the terrifying fist would land on him.
As the smoke cleared, it revealed Jiraiya lying motionless on the ground. Ren quickly went forward, crouched down, and began to examine him.
"Gulp!"
After the examination, Ren looked up at his sensei's retracted iron fist and Jiraiya, who was still twitching beneath him, and couldn't help but swallow.
Organ damage, rupture, and bleeding. In this condition, he would definitely need to be hospitalized.
Just as Ren was about to help Jiraiya up for medical attention, Orochimaru suddenly walked quickly over, helped the other person up, and nodded, "Leave him to me."
After saying that, Orochimaru used Instantaneous Body Technique to disappear from the spot with Jiraiya, leaving the others standing there, looking at each other.
"Serves him right!"
Tsunade snorted coldly, then turned and walked to the table, sat down, and opened another bottle of beer, drinking it. Seeing this, Ren rubbed his temples, then looked at Shizune and Yuhi nearby, and said with a headache, "Yuhi, Shizune, take Tsunade-sensei back first. I'll handle things here."
"Okay."
The two wasted no time, helping the muddled Tsunade and walking out.
After watching the three walk away, Ren turned and walked over to the owner, bowing slightly and apologizing, "I'm sorry for causing you trouble. I will compensate for all the damages at their assessed value."
"N-no problem."
Hearing that the other party was willing to compensate, the owner immediately breathed a sigh of relief. After all, he really couldn't afford to offend those three. Even if they smashed the shop, he wouldn't dare to say anything and could only accept the loss in silence.
Although he knew the Sannin weren't that kind of people, the owner only felt relieved when the other party offered to pay.
The cost of the alcohol, plus the table and two chairs crushed by Jiraiya. When the owner listed the bill and handed it over, Ren immediately rubbed his eyes, then opened them again, looking at the numbers and shouting in disbelief, "What the heck, boss, did you make a mistake?!"
One hundred ninety-four thousand three hundred ryo. How could the alcohol for three people, plus some tables and chairs, be so expensive?
"Huh?"
The owner was first stunned, then took the bill, looked at it again, and handed it back, confirming, "No mistake. Lady Tsunade and Lord Jiraiya ordered every single one of our alcoholic beverages. Lord Orochimaru only ordered one bottle of sake, but it was the best, most prized one in the shop."
"..."
Looking at the long string of numbers on the bill, Ren immediately felt a toothache. This money he was spending felt incredibly unfair, but he couldn't not pay.
If word got out that the Sannin smashed tables and chairs without compensation, what about his own reputation as their disciple?
Ren, with a pained expression, took out several bank notes from his wallet and handed them over. A moment later, he walked out of the shop with the five thousand seven hundred ryo change, a dark look on his face, heading towards the hospital.
He definitely didn't want to take this loss. He had to get reimbursement from these elders.
Who knew that as soon as he reached the entrance, he bumped into Sakumo.
"Uncle Sakumo, are you bringing food to Kakashi?"
Ren asked, looking at the thermos held in the other person's hand.
"Mm."
Sakumo nodded, then looked at Ren and asked hesitantly, "Ren, are you here to see Kakashi?"
"No, I already visited him at noon. Right now, I'm here to see Lord Jiraiya."
After hearing this, Sakumo was first stunned, then frowned, saying somewhat seriously, "Jiraiya is injured?"
"Mm."
Ren nodded, then added, "My sensei did it."
"..."
At these words, Sakumo immediately understood the situation. As he walked up the stairs, he couldn't help but smile wryly, "Did Jiraiya make Tsunade angry again? Young people certainly have a lot of energy."
The two walked and chatted. Just as they reached Kakashi's hospital room door, an Anbu suddenly appeared in front of Sakumo and respectfully said, "Lord Sakumo, Hokage-sama has an urgent matter. Please come over."
"Hm?"
Hearing this, both of their expressions became serious. Sakumo looked at the Anbu and said in a deep voice, "Alright, I'll go now."
After speaking, Sakumo turned to look at Ren and nodded, "Ren..."
"I'll go too."
Ren scratched his hair and said, "Anyway, Jiraiya is lying in the hospital and can't run away. It's not too late for me to come see him tomorrow. As for here, Ren wants to go and see if there's anything he can help with."