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Ch. 98: The Slug's Adventure: Tanzaku Town
🕑 Added 2024-09-21 16:00:36 +0000 UTC"Are you sure about these two?" Hiruzen held his pipe and pointed at the two application forms Tsunade had just submitted.
"Yes," she nodded affirmatively.
"Hmm." Hiruzen exhaled a large puff of smoke and said, "It's understandable for Shizune. After all, she's Dan's niece."
"But this Mitarashi Anko... she used to be Orochimaru's student."
"But didn't Orochimaru erase her memories?" Tsunade asked.
"Yes, he did," Hiruzen nodded. "Since he defected, her personality has changed. She hardly speaks. And even though she's cleared of suspicion, it's difficult for others in the village to approach her. This past year must have been quite hard on her."
"Taking her out of the village with you might actually be good for her. But I never thought you'd care about Orochimaru's student," Hiruzen added, a hint of teasing in his tone.
Tsunade blushed and quickly retorted, "I'm not concerned about Orochimaru's student at all."
Knock. Knock.
"Come in," Hiruzen called after putting away his pipe.
Two kunoichi entered the Hokage's office. One had traditional, neat short hair and was dressed in a purple fitted kimono, giving her a pure and gentle appearance. The other was dressed more masculinely, in short-sleeved men's clothing and shorts that seemed ill-fitting, making her chest look more pronounced in the men's shirt.
"These are Shizune and Anko," Hiruzen introduced, gesturing to each in turn. "And this is Tsunade."
Both Shizune and Anko respectfully bowed.
"Becoming an excellent medical ninja is not easy. It requires both innate talent and hard work."
"To determine if you have the potential to become medical ninjas, I will be testing both of you for one month. At the end of the test, only one of you will be able to stay and become my apprentice."
"Understood?"
Neither Shizune nor Anko objected to Tsunade's words and obediently nodded.
Next, she laid down some rules for the two of them, her tone softening slightly but still maintaining an air of authority.
"During this month, you had to listen to me no matter what, and both of you needed to learn to observe and understand my... needs."
"For example, if I'm tired, you should immediately find a place for us to stay."
"If I'm thirsty, you should bring me tea."
"When I bathe, you'll scrub my back; when we travel, you'll carry my luggage; and when we eat—"
"Ahem," Hiruzen interrupted her with a cough, his face slightly red. Are you really recruiting apprentices? This sounds more like you're hiring servants, he shook his head slightly.
"That should be enough," Tsunade said, satisfied. "If you understand, pack your things and get ready to leave!"
---
Leaving Konoha, Tsunade led Shizune and Anko to a nearby town called Tanzaku, known for its busy shopping district. The journey was filled with an excited tension, Shizune and Anko exchanging nervous glances as they followed their new master.
By evening, they arrived at Tanzaku Town.
Although Konoha also had a shopping district, it was nothing compared to Tanzaku, especially with the many gambling dens and entertainment venues lining the area.
Seeing the scantily clad women standing in front of the pink-curtained doorways, trying to attract customers, both Shizune and Anko blushed and lowered their heads in embarrassment.
Anko, in particular, with her bold, masculine appearance, was mistaken by these women as a beautiful young boy.
"Why don't you come in and take a look?" one woman called out.
"We've got something nice inside too," another added with a wink.
Anko had encountered such situations during previous missions, but they were always brief encounters. This time, however, it seemed Tsunade was intentionally leading them around Tanzaku, as if searching for something.
Not this again. Why can't they see I'm a woman? Anko's cheeks burnt with embarrassment. She tugged at her shirt self-consciously, acutely aware of how her appearance was being perceived.
"Here we are. I have a feeling my luck will be great today." Tsunade then stopped in front of a doorway. She lifted the curtain and walked in, leaving her two apprentices no choice but to follow.
Shizune and Anko looked up and saw the signboard read 'The Golden Kunai'.
So we had traveled all this way from Konoha just for her to gamble? Shizune exchanged a worried glance with Anko.
The interior was dimly lit and smoky. Tsunade smiled confidently and made her way to a poker table.
The dealer shuffled the cards. "The game is Texas Hold'em. Minimum bet is 100 ryo. Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen,"
Tsunade pushed forward a stack of chips. "1000 ryo."
A man with a mustache chuckled. "You sure you want to start that high?"
"Can't keep up?" Tsunade smirked.
"Hahaha! Alright, you're on."
As the game progressed, Shizune and Anko stood behind Tsunade, trying to remain inconspicuous while observing the scene.
Something's not right here, Anko saw another lucky hand go to Tsunade.
She won several hands in a row, her pile of chips growing steadily.
"See? I told you my luck was good today," she said over her shoulder, grinning at her apprentices.
Her initial wins had bolstered her confidence, and she was betting more aggressively with each hand.
"Full house!" Tsunade exclaimed, revealing her cards with a grin. The other players groaned as she raked in a substantial pot.
But then, her luck began to turn. Her wins became less frequent, and her stack of chips dwindled steadily.
This is it. I can feel it.
"All in," she declared.
Some folded, others alled her all-in bet.
The dealer slowly revealed the community cards. Tsunade's face fell as the final card was turned over, her hope for flush nowhere in sight.
"House wins," the dealer announced, revealing a full house.
Tsunade slumped in her chair. Shizune whispered, "Tsunade-sama, perhaps we should call it a night?"
"No, not yet. I was so close. Just a few more hands and I'll turn this around!"
---
Tsunade stood outside the gambling den, her fists clenched in frustration.
"Damn it! I was so close to winning big!"
"I'll definitely come back to this place. There's no way I'll keep losing!"
She declared her intention to return, while Shizune and Anko looked at each other, speechless.
While Tsunade was gambling, the two had been secretly observing the owner of the den, whose smile never left his face. They had noticed the subtle signals between the dealer and other players, the too-convenient shuffles that always seemed to favor the house.
Several times, Shizune and Anko wanted to intervene and teach those swindlers a lesson, but remembering Tsunade's instruction to obey her while outside, they held back their impulses.
I could teach those cheaters a lesson they'd never forget, but Anko restrained herself, honoring Tsunade's orders.
"Let's rest for the night," Tsunade said.
---
"Welcome! How many rooms for the night?" the innkeeper asked.
"One for me, one for the girls," Tsunade replied casually.
The innkeeper nodded, making a note in his book. "That'll be 4,900 ryo. Thank you."
The innkeeper extended his hands toward Tsunade, assuming, from the way she carried herself, that she was the wealthy employer and the other two were just her assistants.
However, she spread her hands and said, with a hint of embarrassment, "I lost all my money at the gambling den."
The innkeeper's smile faltered, his eyes narrowing slightly. He turned to Shizune, who was slightly older, expecting her to pay. Shizune froze, her cheeks flushing as she realized she had hurriedly left the village and didn't have enough money with her.
"I'll pay," Anko pulled out her wallet and handed a large bill to the innkeeper.
"Wow! How do you have so much money?" Shizune asked, peeking at Anko's wallet, which was full of large bills, more than what most average families in Konoha could save.
Anko was secretly rich? Tsunade raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"These are from missions I did with-," Anko began to say, but quickly corrected herself. "I mean, from missions I've completed."
Though Anko didn't finish her sentence, Tsunade understood. Orochimaru used to take Anko on missions, which were often high-level and well-paid, so it was no surprise that she had more money than her peers.
At least Orochimaru took care of his student financially.
---
After dinner, Tsunade opened her suitcase and took out two scrolls, handing them to Shizune and Anko respectively.
"These are medical scrolls that can help novice medical ninjas better control their chakra," she explained.
Next, she knocked out two live carp that she had received from the innkeeper and placed them on the opened scrolls. The fishes flopped weakly.
"Your task is to revive these fishes from a near-death state. The usual method is to stimulate their heart and brain with chakra. One wrong move, and you'll kill them. If you were genin, I would give you three months to master this basic medical technique."
"But since you're both chunin, I'll only give you one month. And during that month, you'll be traveling with me during the day, so you'll only have time to practice at night."
"Anyone who can't master it within a month doesn't have the talent to become a medical ninja."
"Understood?" Tsunade's tone was strict, as even the slightest mistake in medical ninjutsu could have serious consequences, requiring utmost seriousness.
"Understood," Shizune and Anko nodded simultaneously. "We won't let you down, Tsunade-sama."
Pale green chakra emerged from their palms, as they placed their hands on the fish.
Meanwhile, Tsunade sat on the balcony window, sipping sake and enjoying the view. Two apprentices. What am I getting myself into?
After some time had passed, the gentle evening breeze brought Tsunade out of her slightly tipsy state. She glanced down at the street below; the usually lively Tanzaku Town was now deserted, indicating it was quite late.
This town... it never changes. Unlike us.
Her curled-up body, combined with the weight on her chest, made breathing uncomfortable, so she decided to move to the bed to sleep.
As she stood up, a blanket slipped off her shoulders.
Who covered me?
Tsunade turned to see that both Anko and Shizune had fallen asleep at the table during their training. However, Shizune had a blanket draped over her back, while Anko had nothing.
It was obvious that Anko had been the last to fall asleep and had covered the other two with blankets.
Dedication or desperation?
In front of both of them were the carp they had been practicing on. As expected, neither of them had managed to revive their fish overnight.
However, when Tsunade touched Shizune's carp, she could still feel a faint breath of life, while Anko's fish had already completely died.
Anko's carp had completely succumbed under her 'treatment'.
Does this child really not have the talent to be a medical ninja?
From Tsunade's understanding, if Orochimaru had an excellent medical ninja for his human experiments in the village, many aspects of his research would have progressed much faster.
Yet, when Orochimaru defected, he abandoned Anko.
This suggested that he had long known that Anko lacked the talent to be a medical ninja and couldn't become his valuable assistant.
Tsunade looked at the sleeping Anko, noticing the strange, three-tomoe-shaped curse mark on the back of her neck.
Is this the curse mark?
After Orochimaru defected, Konoha found some incomplete experimental data in his secret lab. Though the data didn't reveal where the seal came from or its exact use, Orochimaru had called it the Heavens' Curse Mark.
Even the Third Hokage and many other ninjutsu experts had studied this seal on Anko, but they found nothing suspicious, so the matter was temporarily shelved.
Out of curiosity, Tsunade reached toward the mark.
At first, it felt like cool skin, but after about half a second, she felt a surge of heat from it. The heat was like touching the surface of a recently extinguished light bulb—burning hot.
Instinctively, she pulled her hand back and saw a faint reddish glow flash over the three tomoe of the curse mark. The light vanished as soon as Tsunade removed her hand.
At that moment, Anko muttered something in her sleep.
"Oro... Orochimaru-sama..."
Tsunade's expression softened. Even now, she calls for you. Damn you, Orochimaru.
The next day, the three set off south from Tanzaku Town.
This time, Tsunade was headed for a mountainous area in the southern part of the Land of Fire, having been invited to visit an old friend she hadn't seen in many years.
According to her, this old friend owed her a life-saving debt from many years ago.
Besides the visit, there had recently been some unusual occurrences near her friend's home, causing a fair amount of local panic. Her friend hoped Tsunade could investigate while visiting.
This friend was well-known and wealthy in the area. As long as they visited and helped resolve the local issues, they could receive a significant amount of travel funds.
Shizune found this suspicious, as after spending a day with Tsunade, she suspected that her master might have financial troubles.
So, Shizune thought the real reason Tsunade was headed south was simply to raise travel funds.
"Don't you think it's odd?" Shizune whispered to Anko as they walked. "Tsunade-sama suddenly deciding to visit an old friend?"
Anko shrugged, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. "Maybe. But we're here to learn, not question."
What Shizune didn't know was that Tsunade had spent many years 'drifting' and was able to make a living not only by borrowing without paying back but also through her renowned medical skills and wide network of friends.
For non-shinobi civilians, the title Medical Sage was far more recognized than her ninja status.
Even though they had a clear destination, Tsunade remained relaxed during the journey, taking time to sightsee and show no sense of urgency.
In the evenings, Tsunade occasionally guided Anko and Shizune in their training.
"Focus, Anko," she instructed, watching as the girl struggled with the healing technique. "The chakra needs to heal, not harm."
"I'm trying, Tsunade-sama. It's just... difficult."
Of course, the travel expenses for the journey came from Anko's wallet. After traveling for more than a week, they finally arrived at their destination.
It was a mountain village in the southern Land of Fire. The village wasn't as developed as Konoha. There were no outsiders, billboards, factory smoke, or wide roads—just the indigenous villagers and old, worn-down houses.
Shizune and Anko were a bit surprised, as Tsunade had mentioned that they were visiting a wealthy person.
This village didn't seem like a place where wealthy people lived.
After asking around, Tsunade soon met with their contact.
The contact was a man in his forties, dressed in a sharp, fashionable suit, with a small black mustache, looking nothing like a local.
"You must be Tsunade-sama? My father often spoke of you. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Abe Heiji, son of Abe Ishitaro." Heiji greeted Tsunade with a very formal handshake, clearly well-educated.
"And who are these two?"
"Shizune and Anko," Tsunade replied.
"Nice to meet you," he nodded to Shizune and Anko, then turned and led them to a carriage.
"We're on a tight schedule. I'll explain everything on the way. Please, make yourselves comfortable."
