The Land of Hot Water was a magical country.
Thanks to its abundance of hot springs, it had become the premier resort destination of the ninja world. It was also a neutral country, a status that had blessedly kept it out of the line of fire during the great wars.
As a result, it was a remarkably safe place. The number of ninjas from the Village Hidden in Hot Water was laughably small compared to, say, the perpetually grim Village Hidden in the Rain.
It was here, in this peaceful oasis, that Kakuzu, a man ironically dedicated to helping others, had established the ninja world's largest orphanage and nursing home. He brought in countless orphans and helpless elderly, providing them with a sanctuary.
Of course, running such an operation put Kakuzu under immense financial pressure. Fortunately, his unnaturally long lifespan meant he had time on his side.
The children in the orphanage could eventually contribute, and his side hustle of constantly killing people for bounties brought in a steady, if bloody, income.
This was also where the largest number of Uzumaki descendants had gathered. They no longer used their clan name, instead working as caregivers and administrators in Kakuzu's orphanage.
Now that the five great ninja villages had mastered the art of sealing jinchuriki, the Uzumaki were no longer prime targets. With a powerful, immortal rogue ninja like Kakuzu as their silent protector, no one dared to mess with them.
Recently, however, there had been a slight disturbance. A blonde woman and her disciple had been living near the orphanage, running a free clinic.
During the day, they kept hearing patients rave about the medical skills of the orphanage's director and her daughter, Karin.
Coincidentally, the blonde woman met Karin, recognized her talent, and began teaching her some medical ninjutsu.
This morning, Karin's mother had come to the inn to express her thanks.
"I am Karin's mother," said the director, an extremely gentle, red-haired woman, a stark contrast to the fiery temper often associated with her clan. She had brought her daughter along. "I heard from Karin that a very skilled medical ninja came to the area..."
"That would be me," the blonde woman replied, not bothering with false modesty. She was holding a wine bottle, even though it was early in the morning, and didn't look much like a proper medical professional.
But the moment she said her name, she gained the director's trust. "I am Tsunade."
She looked at the red-haired woman. "Are you from the Uzumaki clan? We should be distant relatives."
"It really is Lady Tsunade!" the director exclaimed, surprised. "I'm sorry, we no longer use the Uzumaki surname."
She hadn't expected to meet the legendary Tsunade here. Even in the remote Land of Hot Water, they knew of her—granddaughter of the First Hokage, one of the Sannin, the 'Slug Princess.'
"You don't use the Uzumaki name either, huh?" Tsunade took a swig of wine, a hint of melancholy in her voice.
"Yes," the red-haired woman nodded, reluctant to dwell on the past. "The Land of Whirlpools was destroyed long ago. The name Uzumaki only ever brought disaster."
Tsunade knew Konoha hadn't done much to help when the Village Hidden in the Tides fell. She could only take another drink.
"As former relatives, we haven't been able to use the Senju name for a long time either." She sighed. "Anyway, let's not talk about the past. I have a clinic to run. Do you want to bring Karin along?"
Tsunade's days were brutally predictable: free clinic in the morning, lose a fortune at the casino in the afternoon, get blackout drunk at a tavern at night.
"I still have to take care of the orphanage," the director politely declined, carefully taking out a thank-you gift. "Actually, besides thanking you for teaching Karin, I was also sent on an errand. A certain lord heard you were in town and wants to see you."
"Which lord?" Tsunade asked, still drinking.
"It's Lord Kakuzu," the woman said, her expression apologetic. She seemed embarrassed to even bring it up, but more embarrassed to ignore Kakuzu's request.
After all, without him, there would be no orphanage.
Tsunade spat out a mouthful of wine. Pfft!
She knew exactly why he wanted to see her. "Shizune, let's go, let's go!" she said, scrambling to her feet. "We have to hurry! Can't be late for the casino this afternoon!"
"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune yelped, scrambling after her.
"Tell Kakuzu I'll see him!" Tsunade shouted as she bolted out of the inn. "I'll pay him back after I win big this afternoon!"
"No..." the red-haired woman looked at her with guilt. When Kakuzu had asked her to find Tsunade, it was, indeed, to collect a debt.
Little Karin hugged her mother's arm. "Mom, does that Lady Tsunade owe Grandpa Kakuzu a lot of money?"
"A lot," her mother replied, thinking of the astronomical figure Kakuzu had mentioned.
As a gambler with debts scattered across the continent, Tsunade had, of course, borrowed from Kakuzu.
He had even bailed her out once when she was being chased by creditors. K
akuzu was, surprisingly, a helpful guy. Plus, Tsunade's work in the ninja world was similar to Shirou's, and Hashirama had once given Kakuzu a large sum of money, a favor that made it difficult for him to ignore the First Hokage's granddaughter living in poverty.
But this good deed was not repaid with good.
Tsunade, in her less-than-noble past, had immediately identified Kakuzu as a "fat sheep" and promptly borrowed a massive sum from him, only to lose it all at the casino that same day. And so, another name was added to her long list of creditors to avoid.
"I can't believe that guy Kakuzu is here," Tsunade muttered, looking disheveled as she fled. She didn't even dare to make eye contact with the mother and daughter. "I really shouldn't have borrowed his money..."
She knew Kakuzu's bounty hunting funded his charitable work, and she felt a pang of guilt for not paying him back. Unfortunately, her gambling luck was legendarily bad.
"I hope my luck is better today," she said, shaking her empty wine bottle. She unsteadily tossed it towards a trash can and missed, the bottle shattering on the ground.
"Are you still planning on treating patients today?" Shizune asked, worriedly eyeing her swaying master.
"Don't I still have you?" Tsunade grinned, a teasing glint in her eye. "If you don't know what to do, just copy the case scrolls that guy left behind a few more times."
"What if it's a disease we've never seen before?"
"Impossible," Tsunade waved her hand dismissively. She had an almost superstitious faith in the scrolls Shirou had left. "That guy left so many. I've saved countless people, and I've never seen a disease that wasn't in those scrolls."
Shizune could only sigh and follow.
Fortunately, Tsunade's luck held—for the clinic, at least. The patient was difficult, but within Shizune's capabilities. Tsunade, of course, took full credit.
But then, the day took a strange turn. Tsunade's luck at the casino was... good.
Really good.
As the legendary "fat sheep" of the gambling world, her presence usually guaranteed a windfall for everyone else. But today, she was on fire. By the time she was ready to leave that night, she had cleaned out the entire casino.
"My luck is a bit too good today," she said, her fingers nimbly counting her winnings. But when she looked at Shizune, clutching the bulging money bag, a familiar sense of unease crept in.
"Nothing bad is going to happen, right?" The last time she'd had a winning streak this big, the Uchiha clan had been annihilated.
This time, she'd won even more.
"Could it be... that Kakuzu guy is coming to collect?" she wondered. "He's an assassin, after all. He wouldn't kill me if I can't pay, would he? I wonder how much my corpse is worth..."
"Don't say such scary things!" Shizune squeaked, hugging the money bag tighter. "And this should be enough to pay back Mr. Kakuzu's debt, right?"
"Yeah," Tsunade said, looking up at the moon. "So what could it be?"
She decided she'd rather not think about it. "Forget it, Shizune, let's find a tavern. The worst that could happen isn't someone robbing me, right?"