Chapter 30: Tsunade
Having made his decision, Shūji first coordinated with Hiroyama Makoto. The merchant was, predictably, unhappy about Shūji leaving and begged him to stay. But faced with Shūji's unmoving gaze, and the fact that he was leaving two other shinobi to guard the warehouse, Hiroyama had no choice but to agree.
It wasn't long before Wasabi Jirōchō returned to the inn, this time to formally invite Shūji to the Wasabi estate.
The "Wasabi Estate" was both the family's name and the name of their manor. It wasn't extravagant, but it housed several dozen of the Wasabi family's core members and their relatives. The outside of the estate was heavily guarded, with men armed with spears and bows. Before he even reached the inner courtyard, Shūji spotted several watchtowers, all fully manned.
Jirōchō was clearly respected by his family, and Shūji, being led by him, was also treated with courtesy.
They passed through an elegant paper screen painted with a pine-and-crane motif. The view beyond was quiet and refined. A corridor wrapped around a small, dry-landscape garden, connecting to several private tea rooms and residences. Shūji's steps faltered slightly. "This is... the inner residence?"
Jirōchō didn't stop. "It is. There is... a certain individual... whom I believe you will want to meet, Shūji-jōnin."
Hearing this, Shūji's guard went up. He prepared himself.
They stopped in front of a particularly secluded, independent courtyard, partially hidden by a small bamboo grove. Jirōchō stopped, bowed toward the inside, and announced, "Shūji-jōnin of Konoha has arrived."
The courtyard gate slid open without a sound. A young woman in a simple, dark blue tunic and short, neat black hair peeked out. She looked to be seventeen or eighteen, with a gentle face and the unique, calm eyes of a medic. The moment she saw Shūji, a flicker of faint surprise crossed her face, which she quickly replaced with a polite scrutiny.
Shi... zune?
It clicked. If Shizune was here, then the person inside... was obvious.
The guard he had just raised, he lowered again.
"Please, come in," Shizune said, her voice calm as she stepped aside.
Jirōchō did not follow. He simply gave Shūji a deep bow and retreated to wait in the corridor outside, leaving Shūji to follow Shizune into the small courtyard. His gaze was immediately captured by the figure at the stone table.
Sunlight filtered through the bamboo leaves, casting dappled shadows on the raked white sand. A woman in a green robe was slouched on a stone stool, her dazzling blonde hair unbound, spilling over her shoulders like molten gold. In front of her were several sake bottles, some already empty. She was holding a thick, ceramic sake cup, tilting her head back to pour the clear liquid down her throat, her movements holding a greedy, drunken satisfaction.
Her profile was sharp and stunning in the light. Her skin was smooth, her features unlined by time. She looked, for all the world, to be in her mid-twenties.
It really is Tsunade.
"Hn?" Tsunade set the cup down, casually wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She turned her head, slowly, drunkenly. Her amber eyes were hazy with alcohol, her gaze unfocused as it swept over Shūji.
"Tsunade-sama, you're drinking too much," Shizune reminded her softly. "Shūji-kun is here."
"Ohhh," she dragged the sound out, her voice thick and hoarse, "that's the brat?"
"Tōka-bā-chan... she's not dead yet, is she?"
Shūji's face couldn't help but twitch. He deeply respected the old woman who had treated him with such genuine care.
"Bā-chan is in excellent health. Her spirit is strong. Compared to your current state, perhaps even healthier."
"Heh... Good to hear." The last princess of the Senju seemed completely unbothered by his sharp retort. Or perhaps, her current state filtered out most outside emotions. She wobbled, pressing a hand on the stone table to push herself up. Stumbling slightly, she lurched forward, her breath, heavy with the smell of sake, hitting Shūji in the face. Her hazy eyes scrutinized his young, but calm, features.
"Heard you were dying... Tōka-bā-chan even sent a message, begging me to save you..." She let out a small, drunken hiccup. "But look at you now... alive and kicking... Guess you're fine."
She raised a finger, as if to poke him in the chest, but stopped halfway, her voice slurring. "Since you lived... why not just stay in the village? She's... 78... She can't handle all this worrying..."
The heavy, perfumed scent of alcohol washed over Shūji. He frowned and took a step back. "The village assigned a mission. It must be completed."
"The village, the village... you people still can't let it go. Even Gramps..." Tsunade muttered, as if chewing on the words. "One after another... what's the point...?"
Suddenly, without warning, she lunged. She moved with a speed that was anything but drunk. A slender, pale hand, containing a terrifying power, slammed down on Shūji's shoulder!
"Ugh!" Shūji grunted. An irresistible, massive force crushed down on him! The stone slab beneath his feet groaned, and a spiderweb of cracks instantly spread out from where he stood!
In Tsunade's hazy eyes, the drunkenness vanished like a receding tide, replaced by a razor-sharp, sober scrutiny. Her gaze locked onto his. "You! Tōka-bā-chan... she used 'that' on you, didn't she?!"
Pinned by her monstrous strength, Shūji was forced to flare his own chakra. An almost physical, dense, blue chakra flame, brimming with a surging life force, erupted from his entire body!
BOOM!
The stone slab beneath him shattered completely, sending shards of rock flying! A shockwave pulsed outward, sending the white sand of the garden flying and making the bamboo leaves rustle wildly. Shūji's body straightened, fighting the terrible pressure, but his feet only sank deeper into the crater he'd made.
"Hmph!" Tsunade let out a scoff, a sound of understanding and some other, complex emotion. The hand on his shoulder instantly released its pressure. The mountain-like weight vanished.
"So, what's this 'important mission'..." Tsunade crossed her arms, leaning back against the table as if nothing had happened. She picked up her cup, took another sip, her amber eyes returning to their previous lazy state, though her gaze remained sharp. "...that made the old man willing to send you out?"
"You misunderstand," Shūji said, brushing non-existent dust from his shoulder. His voice was perfectly steady, as if he hadn't just been nearly driven into the ground. "Tōka-bā-chan's 'attempt' was just a fluke, and it was never made public. The Sandaime Hokage might have his suspicions, but that's all they are."
"As for this mission, I'm sure Jirōchō-san has already briefed you."
Tsunade's beautiful amber eyes narrowed, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow.
The courtyard was silent, save for the sasa of the wind in the bamboo. Shizune stood to the side, her brow furrowed, her worried gaze shifting between Tsunade and Shūji.
Tsunade drained the last of her sake and tossed the cup onto the stone table with a clack. She didn't look at Shūji again. She just waved her hand, her interest gone, and reached for another bottle.
"Alright. Go do what you have to do." Her voice was thick and slurred again.
Shūji said no more. He gave a slight bow. "Yes, Tsunade-sama." He turned to leave with Shizune.
As he reached the courtyard gate, he paused. Without turning back, his voice carried clearly into the garden.
"Bā-chan... she misses you. If you have time, you should go back to the village and see her."