Chapter 56: An Evening with Old Friends
After making sure Sakumo Hatake was safely home and his wounds were properly bandaged, Tenchi didn't stay long. He walked back to his own house at a slow, relaxed pace, the evening air cool against his skin.
Meanwhile, the investigation team sent by Hiruzen Sarutobi had returned from the forest empty-handed. They had found nothing but the massive scar of a battle—shattered trees and torn-up earth. When Hiruzen himself went to see the scene, he found no clear clues about who had fought there.
For more than ten minutes, the Hokage sifted through the wreckage. Finally, under a pile of broken wood and dirt, he found a single, cleanly sliced log. He picked it up, his eyes narrowing in thought.
The cut was perfectly smooth, a clear sign of a powerful Wind Release attack. In all of Konoha, there was only one person known for Wind Style techniques of such immense, destructive scale: Uchiha Tenchi.
*'Tenchi,'* Hiruzen thought, a heavy feeling in his chest. *'What are you doing? And who were you fighting? Someone capable of pushing you to this extent?'*
"Lord Hokage," a ninja interrupted his thoughts. "Should we continue the search?"
Hiruzen sighed, dropping the piece of wood. "No, that won't be necessary. Inform the village that the explosion was caused by one of our own shinobi testing a new jutsu. Tell everyone there is no reason to panic."
"Yes, Lord Hokage!" the ninja replied before disappearing in a shunshin.
And just like that, the incident that had frightened the entire village was quietly swept under the rug, officially labeled as a training accident.
When Tenchi heard the official announcement, he was surprised for a moment, then quickly understood. *'He must have guessed it was me. He's covering for me, even though he doesn't know who I was fighting. If he knew it was Sakumo, he'd probably have questioned him already. I'll remember this favor.'*
A week later, the Sannin returned to the village. Jiraiya came back from his training at Mount Myoboku, and Tsunade and Orochimaru returned from a mission outside the village.
Not long after his return, Jiraiya was summoned for a talk with Hiruzen. During their conversation, the Hokage confirmed the things Tenchi had once said about the toads and Mount Myoboku. Jiraiya was deeply shocked. *'How does Tenchi know so much about the home of the toads?'*
That evening, a group of four people showed up at Tenchi's doorstep. Why four? Because Tsunade had brought her little brother, Nawaki, along.
"Big Brother Tenchi! You home? Hey, Big Brother Tenchi!" Jiraiya yelled as he pounded enthusiastically on the front door.
"I still don't get why we have to see this guy," Nawaki muttered, his face sour. "The village revoked his ninja status. He must have done something really bad. Why are we wasting time on him?"
*WHAM!*
"Shut up, you brat!" Tsunade snarled, punching her brother squarely on the head. "Tenchi would never do anything without a good reason. He's our friend, so show some respect!"
"Tch, whatever," Nawaki grumbled, rubbing the new lump on his skull.
Just then, the door creaked open.
"Who is it?" Tenchi asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He looked like he had just woken up.
"Oh, it's you guys!" he said, his tiredness instantly vanishing when he saw Jiraiya and the others. "Come in, come in!" He warmly waved them all inside.
"Big Brother Tenchi, are you going to bed already? It's only eight o'clock!" Jiraiya asked, his voice full of disbelief. The Tenchi he knew used to stay up late training. *'Has he really become so depressed?'*
"Ah, well, there's not much to do these days," Tenchi admitted, scratching the back of his head a little sheepishly. "I've been going to bed early. But I still get up early in the morning, though!"
The three Sannin exchanged looks of pure skepticism. Nawaki just rolled his eyes, his expression full of contempt.
Tenchi led them into his living room, and they all sat around a low table. Tsunade proudly pulled out a carefully wrapped package. "We brought roast chicken!"
"Oh, roast chicken! Nice!" Tenchi's face lit up. "But you can't have good meat without good drinks! Just the other day, the Great Elder from my clan gave me two jars of his best sake. I'll go get them! Tonight, we drink until we drop!" He hurried off to another room.
Tsunade watched him go, a worried look on her face. "I didn't know Tenchi had started drinking. It seems this whole situation with the village has hit him harder than we thought. We should try to cheer him up."
Jiraiya and Orochimaru nodded in silent agreement. Nawaki, however, just looked more disgusted at the mention of alcohol.
"Here we go! The finest sake!" Tenchi announced, returning with two large jars. He broke the seal on one and grabbed four bowls, filling them to the brim with the clear liquid. "One for Jiraiya, one for Tsunade, one for Orochimaru, and one for me... Huh? There's one bowl left. Wait, where did this kid come from?" He finally seemed to notice Nawaki.
"Tenchi, this is my little brother, Nawaki," Tsunade said, introducing them. "Nawaki, this is Uchiha Tenchi. Say hello."
"Tch. He's just a drunk. Why should I call him 'Big Brother'?" Nawaki turned his head away, stubbornly refusing.
"You little—!" Tsunade raised a fist, ready to teach him another lesson, but Tenchi stopped her with a wave of his hand.
"It's fine, let it be. He's just a kid," Tenchi said, unconcerned. He then raised his bowl. "Now, let's have a drink!"
Tenchi did remember Tsunade's brother. He had seen him once on the way to Lady Mito's house, but they had never spoken. He had zero interest in dealing with a loud, arrogant boy who probably dreamed of becoming Hokage without understanding what it truly meant.
"Alright," Tsunade said, relenting. She turned back to Tenchi. "So, when did you pick up drinking?"
Tenchi looked at her, confused. "What do you mean? This is my first time. I only opened it because you guys are here."
"Your first time?" Jiraiya blurted out without thinking. "Big Brother Tenchi, have you become so decadent after having your ninja status revoked that you're turning to... ow!" He was cut off as two pairs of furious eyes—Tsunade's and Orochimaru's—bored into him.
Seeing their reactions, Tenchi burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Who told you I was decadent? I'm actually really comfortable right now. No missions, no pressure. Why would I be depressed?"
"Really?" Tsunade asked, her voice full of doubt. "You really don't care that the village stripped you of your title?"
"I really don't care. I brought out this good sake today because I wanted to welcome you back and hear about your travels. I can't believe you all thought I was falling apart. I'm hurt," Tenchi said, pretending to be offended.
"Hahaha! I knew it!" Jiraiya boomed, slapping his knee. "I knew a little thing like that wouldn't get you down, Big Brother Ten—" He was silenced by another death glare from Tsunade.
"Tenchi," Orochimaru interjected, his voice calm and curious. "If you are so idle now, what are your plans?" This was the question they all wanted the answer to. Jiraiya and Tsunade leaned in slightly, listening intently.
"Idle? I'm just taking a break because I don't have any missions for a couple of days," Tenchi explained casually, taking a small sip of his sake. "Mmm, this is good! Anyway, I'll probably start taking missions again in a few days."
"Missions?" Orochimaru's eyebrow rose. "But the village revoked your status. You are forbidden from leaving Konoha."
Jiraiya and Tsunade stared at Tenchi, completely confused. A single, shocking thought went through their minds: *'Has the stress broken him? Is he now imagining that he's still a ninja?'*