Konohagakure's Kakashi Hatake & Nina Sarutobi have only lived & prepared to die by the Shinobi rules.
Amid an intensive investigation into a spate of mysterious deaths, a birthday party for the elusive Copy-Nin sets off a chain reaction no one quite...
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(Friday> September 26> Morning> Outskirts of Amegakure> Random Inn > Room Unknown)
~Tsunade~
The world spun the moment Tsunade cracked her eyes open, and she immediately regretted it. The dim light filtering through the window felt like a kunai stabbing directly into her skull. Her mouth was dry, the bitter taste of stale sake clinging to her tongue. Pressure pounded through her head, every throb exacerbating the nauseating rolls of her stomach.
"Ugh," she groaned, squeezing her eyes shut and gripping the edge of the futon as if it would stop the room from spinning. She cursed herself for not stopping after the third bottle. But, in the heat of the night, after Jiraiya had found her in that blasted gambling house, she'd been too far gone to care.
Now, the hangover was punishing her for every drink she'd thrown back.
"Morning, sunshine," came Jiraiya's annoyingly chipper voice from somewhere far too close for comfort.
Tsunade groaned again, clutching her forehead. "Shut up, or I swear I'll kill you."
Jiraiya chuckled, not at all deterred. "You look terrible, even by your standards."
"Thanks," she mumbled, her stomach turning over. She barely made it to the side before nausea overtook her, and she heaved into the bucket Jiraiya had—thoughtfully or mockingly—set beside her.
"Whoa there," he said, crouching beside her and, to her absolute mortification, holding her hair back with one hand. "Take it easy."
Her body trembled as she gagged again, her stomach rebelling against the night of excess. "I hate you," she rasped weakly between retches.
"You'll hate me more when I tell you what I found out the other night," Jiraiya teased, his tone laced with that infuriating mix of humour and concern he reserved for her. "But let's get you through this first, shall we?"
Tsunade squeezed her eyes shut again, gripping the edge of the bucket, willing the nausea to pass. She was going to kill him. Not now, because she could barely keep her head upright, but soon. The moment she was back on her feet.
"I don't need your help, you arse," she grumbled, but the usual bite wasn't there.
Jiraiya smoothed her hair back, his hand warm against the nape of her neck. "Maybe next time, don't try to out-drink the entire bar."
Tsunade wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She leaned back, the exhaustion pressing into her bones. "Don't tell me how to drink."
Jiraiya snuffled a laugh through his nose as if biting back the obvious retort. "Wouldn't dream of it."
He stood up with a grunt, grabbed the bucket, and disappeared into the bathroom. Tsunade listened to the quiet splash of water, the only sound in the room aside from her own uneven breathing. When he returned, he set the bucket down and slid back onto the futon next to her, saying nothing, just... there. Like he always was.
