The heavy rain lasted all night, only gradually clearing by noon the next day.
Warm sunlight poured over the earth, the air washed clean and fresh with that unique post-rain clarity.
Water droplets still fell from the eaves, striking the bluestone pavement with crisp sounds.
Birds sang from the treetops in the distance, a refreshingly clear chorus.
“That damn woman!” A roar exploded through the air, startling flocks of birds from the trees.
In the clearing behind the commercial street, the Fourth Raikage threw his head back and bellowed at the sky.
His golden hair seemed ready to ignite in the sunlight.
He had waited here all night.
An entire night, standing beneath the pouring rain.
And that damned woman had slept through it all in a warm tavern.
“R-Raikage-sama…” Amai ventured carefully.
“Want me to check again?” “No need.” The Fourth Raikage ground out the words through gritted teeth and strode toward the tavern.
His steps were heavy, each footfall splashing water high into the air.
His white great cloak, soaked through by rain and now dried, hung wrinkled and crumpled on his frame, a far cry from last night’s imposing presence.
But his eyes were sharper than ever.
…
Inside the tavern.
“Lady Tsunade…
Shizune-san…
are you awake?” No response.
Souji sat quietly in the corner, a bowl of congee gone cold beside him.
He had stayed awake until the early hours, occasionally dozing off against the wall.
His eyes were hidden beneath the black cloth, but his hearing remained sharp.
All he could hear were two steady breaths.
Lady Tsunade lay sprawled across the table, still in the same position as last night, her golden hair scattered everywhere, covering her entire face.
Shizune curled up on the tatami beside her, holding Tonton, a line of drool at the corner of her mouth.
No sign of waking at all.
Souji sighed and was about to rise to rouse them.
*Bam!* The door was shoved open violently, both wooden panels slamming against the walls, sending dust raining down from the ceiling beams.
The Fourth Raikage’s roar exploded inside the small tavern, rattling the sake bottles on the table.
Souji’s eye twitched.
His voice was ridiculously loud.
“Mmn…?” Shizune reacted first.
She blinked groggily.
The first thing she saw was a towering, muscle-bound figure standing in the doorway.
Sunlight streamed in from behind him, leaving his face in shadow, only his eyes blazing bright.
Shizune blinked.
Blinked again.
Then her gaze traveled up to the forehead protector on his head, the symbol of the Hidden Cloud Village, and higher still, to that sharply defined face, now livid with fury.
“Ah…” Shizune’s mouth opened, but her voice caught in her throat.
She turned her head stiffly toward the golden head sprawled across the table.
“L-Lady Tsunade…” Her voice was barely a mosquito’s whine.
Lady Tsunade didn’t move.
“LADY TSUNADE!” Shizune raised her voice, trembling visibly.
Lady Tsunade still didn’t move.
“TSUNADE!” The Fourth Raikage roared again, rattling the window frames.
This time, the golden head finally stirred.
Lady Tsunade lifted her head slowly, her golden hair falling away to reveal a face still heavy with sleep.
Her eyes were half-open, unfocused, staring at the imposing figure in the doorway for a full three seconds.
Then she spoke, her voice hoarse as sandpaper on wood.
“Who’re you?” Amai resignedly introduced him once more.
“This is the leader of the Hidden Cloud Village, the Raikage-sama!” Lady Tsunade rubbed her eyes, yawned, then propped her chin up lazily, looking at the livid man in the doorway.
“Oh, a truly impressive figure has arrived…” “That’s exactly what you said last night!” A vein bulged on the Fourth Raikage’s forehead.
“Lady Tsunade.” His voice dropped low, like the low, oppressive rumble before a storm.
“You promised me last night.” “What exactly did I promise?” The Fourth Raikage’s eyes narrowed.
“Oops.
I drank a little too much last night.
I don’t really remember.” Lady Tsunade waved dismissively, her tone as perfunctory as brushing off a beggar.
“And who says I ever promised you anything?
Got any proof?” Amai’s face flushed red with anger beside her.
“How could you do this?
The Raikage-sama waited in the rain all night, and you…” “Amai.” The Fourth Raikage raised a hand to silence him.
His gaze fixed on Lady Tsunade’s face, those hawk-like eyes gleaming with dangerous light.
“So what is it you want?” Lady Tsunade smiled, a hint of lazy amusement in her expression.
“What do I want, huh?” She pushed herself up from the table, swaying slightly, the hangover clearly still lingering.
“It’s simple, Raikage.
I, Lady Tsunade, have never saved anyone just because of their status.
Whether I save someone has always depended on my mood.” She walked around the table, step by step toward the doorway.
Sunlight streamed in from outside, falling upon her.
Her rumpled gray-white short kimono still hung loosely open at the collar, revealing her delicate collarbones and a pale expanse of skin.
Her golden hair was tousled, strands clinging to her cheeks, others falling across her chest.
Languid.
Alluring.
Yet her eyes held complete clarity.
“You chose to stand out there all night.
I never asked you to.” She stopped three paces before the Fourth Raikage, crossed her arms, and looked at him.
“Still…
since you’re so sincere, how about a bet?” The Fourth Raikage said nothing, just stared at her.
“Arm wrestling.” Lady Tsunade raised one hand, fingers spread, then slowly curled them into a fist.
“If you win, I’ll save your people immediately.
If I win, you and your people get the hell out of the Land of Gold and never show your faces in front of me again.
How about it?” “L-Lady Tsunade…” Shizune wanted to speak, but the words died in her throat.
She looked at Lady Tsunade’s smiling face and suddenly didn’t know what to say.
The Fourth Raikage studied Lady Tsunade.
His gaze moved from her face to her raised hand.
That hand was pale and slender, looking like it had nothing to do with strength.
But who was she?
One of Konoha’s legendary Sannin.
Granddaughter of the First Hokage.
He was silent for a moment.
He was silent for a moment before saying, “Agreed.” Amai froze.
“R-Raikage-sama?!” The Fourth Raikage ignored him, his eyes fixed on Lady Tsunade.
“Fine.
We have a deal.” Watching this, Souji finally recalled this part of the story.
The secret arts of the Land of Cedar…
the Shinobi Assassins, a group that specialized in killing shinobi…
the clash of strength and speed between the Fourth Raikage and Lady Tsunade…
This was merely a minor interlude in the original story.
In the end, it was Shizune who performed the surgery and treated the Hidden Cloud shinobi.
And what could he gain from all this?
Yamada Souji looked at the Fourth Raikage, silently plotting.