Chapter 86 – Tsunade: Shizune, You're Too Good
After finishing those D-rank missions around 5:40, Shizune bought food and returned to the inn, thinking that Lady Tsunade must surely be hungry by now.
She had no real faith in Tsunade's talk of "winning big" through gambling. If Lady Tsunade could make money so easily, the past seven years wouldn't have been filled with so many nights of sleeping rough, scrounging meals, and living from bet to bet.
Looking at the gradually cooling food on the table, Shizune hesitated.
Should I eat first?
No… I'll wait for Lady Tsunade to come back so we can eat together.
Two little voices argued fiercely in her mind, pulling her in opposite directions.
Finally, after waiting another hour and still seeing no sign of Tsunade, Shizune gave in and ate the cold meal herself.
At that very moment, Tsunade was walking out of Pansi Cave.
Having enjoyed a full meal and a relaxing foot bath, she was in a very good mood. But the moment she stepped back into the night air, regret set in.
Damn it, I should've gone to the casino one last time. If I had money to spend, that means my luck was still there. What a wasted chance to turn everything around!
Shaking her head, she wandered aimlessly through the streets before finally making her way back to the inn.
Circling outside, she hesitated to go in—until she heard Shizune's voice.
"Lady Tsunade? Why aren't you going upstairs?"
"Uh…" Tsunade stammered, scratching her cheek. "Well… Shizune, my luck wasn't good today. I… lost fifty thousand."
Shizune only sighed, her tone calm. "It's fine. Let's not talk about that now. Lady Tsunade, have you eaten?"
Seeing Shizune completely unconcerned about the loss, Tsunade was struck by a wave of emotion. "Shizune… you're too good."
Before Shizune could react, Tsunade pulled her into a tight hug, squeezing so hard that Shizune was left breathless against her mentor's chest. Struggling free, she quickly asked, "Lady Tsunade, have you eaten yet? If not, let's go eat together."
Too embarrassed to admit she had already eaten, Tsunade remained silent and simply nodded.
Then a thought struck her. "Wait, Shizune… didn't you run out of money? Do we still have enough to eat?"
A glimmer lit up in Tsunade's eyes. If Shizune still had money, perhaps…
But Shizune shook her head. "I only had fifty thousand left before—and you took it all. What I have now is from the reward money I earned this afternoon. It's not much, but it'll cover food and lodging for a few days."
Tsunade blinked in surprise. "Ah, so that's how it is. You actually went out and did missions?"
Her expression softened into a smile. "How was it? It's been a long time since you did any. Did it feel strange?"
Shizune returned a small smile. "It was fine, just so-so. But mission rewards have gone up a lot compared to before."
Tsunade chuckled and nodded. "That's true. Even restaurant prices have shot up."
Shizune raised an eyebrow. "Restaurant?"
Tsunade quickly covered. "Didn't we eat eel rice this afternoon? Remember how expensive it was? Back in our day, eel rice was cheap."
"Oh…" Shizune accepted the explanation, then asked again, "Lady Tsunade, if you really haven't eaten, let's go now. There's a restaurant right next to the inn."
Rubbing her nose, Tsunade hesitated. She was already full from Pansi Cave's buffet, but she couldn't refuse Shizune's kind offer. So she nodded, resigning herself to force down a little more.
Inside the restaurant, when Tsunade noticed Shizune had only ordered one meal, she asked, "Shizune, aren't you eating?"
Shizune explained that she had already eaten earlier—after waiting a long time for Tsunade to return. She had finished both portions of the cold dinner herself, so her stomach was still full.
"Ah…"
Tsunade fell silent, embarrassed. Shizune had waited patiently for her, eating cold food in the end—while she had been enjoying herself at Pansi Cave. I really am terrible…
Her heart filled with guilt and affection as she made a silent vow: Once I strike it rich at the casino, I'll make sure Shizune eats the best meals every single day.
"Lady Tsunade, the food's here," Shizune said warmly as the waiter brought over the dishes. "Eat while it's hot. Once you're done, we can get going."
"Going? Where?" Tsunade blinked, chopsticks halfway raised.
Shizune tilted her head. "Really, Lady Tsunade? Did you already forget what you said this afternoon?"
Tsunade frowned. "What did I say?"
"You said we'd leave the village tonight," Shizune reminded her.
"Ah, that…" Tsunade coughed awkwardly as the food was placed before her. "Let's eat first. We'll talk about it after."
A flicker of suspicion crossed Shizune's eyes. Normally, Tsunade would have already rushed them out of the village. Why was she stalling now?
"Lady Tsunade," she pressed gently, "did you manage to borrow money from your old classmates?"
The question brightened Tsunade's mood for a moment, but then her expression dimmed.
"No… After being away so long, I realized—aside from Jiraiya and Orochimaru, all my other old classmates are gone."
"Gone?" Shizune's eyes widened.
Tsunade nodded quietly. "Yes. They died in the last great war."
Shizune lowered her gaze. She understood all too well. Many of her own classmates had perished on the battlefield too. If Tsunade hadn't taken her in, she herself might have died like her uncle, Kato Dan.
It was because of Tsunade that she was still alive, and that was why Shizune followed her so loyally, through hardship and wandering, for more than seven years.
For Shizune, Tsunade was no longer just a mentor—she was her only living family.
"It's okay," Shizune said softly. "Lady Tsunade… how about we wait a few days before leaving? I can keep taking missions to earn money. It won't be too late to go after that."
Tsunade didn't answer, lowering her head to eat instead.
Shizune smiled faintly and added, "Or… we don't have to leave at all. What do you think? Do you really want to keep wandering the world?"
---