The surrounding crowd glanced over, but seeing it was just a pretty girl, they only smiled indulgently before looking away.
"...Yeah." Touye nodded.
"Eh?" Shizune paused, scratching her cheek. "I thought you might not enjoy it..."
The girl looked down. "No... I had fun... Thank you..."
"Don't mention it." Shizune beamed. "Companions don't need to thank each other."
*"Companions... huh?"*
"Alright! It's about time. Let's go pick up (and ransom) Lady Tsunade!"
"Right!"
***
After retrieving—or rather, ransoming—Tsunade from the casino, the three of them returned directly to their inn.
Having lost miserably, Tsunade clamored to drown her sorrows in alcohol. Helpless against her pestering, Shizune went back out and returned with several bottles of sake and some snacks.
A few bottles later, Tsunade's eyes were glazed over. Emboldened by the drink, she began to make a scene, slurring her way through some unrecognizable song while waving a sake bottle so unsteadily it seemed ready to slip from her grasp at any moment.
Shizune, who might have normally been able to calm her down, had been sitting too close and ended up being forced to drink quite a bit herself. Though still upright, her eyes were vacant and her body swayed, on the verge of collapsing.
Because she was young and had sat farther away from the start, Touye hadn't been forced to drink and was still sober.
Watching the two of them, the girl sighed and stood up. She went downstairs to ask the innkeeper for the ingredients to make a hangover soup.
She had been through this scene many times now and had grown accustomed to it. She would prepare the soup so it was ready for them first thing in the morning.
As she reached the staircase, she found her way blocked by a tall, powerfully built man. He was so tall, and because his torso was clad only in an open gray-white jacket, the girl could clearly see the sharply defined muscles beneath. The man was built like a black bear.
His skin was extremely dark, his features fierce. A handlebar mustache adorned his upper lip, its ends curled slightly upward, adding to his menacing air. His white hair was slicked back into an odd style. The man radiated an incredibly terrifying pressure.
Touye froze. Seeing that he had no intention of moving, she had no choice but to step aside.
Only after the man had passed did she notice two other people behind him. His presence had been so overwhelming that anyone would be drawn to him first, completely overlooking his companions.
The fierce man's silhouette vanished around the corner. Touye let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. The pressure he gave off was immense, even stronger than Tsunade's.
Unconsciously, she realized her back was drenched in sweat. She smiled bitterly. "Still too green..."
Turning to find the innkeeper, her mind was still on the fierce-looking man.
*That outfit... and his face... I feel like I've seen him somewhere before?*
With the ingredients in hand, she slowly started back, sorting through her memories, trying to place him.
Suddenly, a figure from her memories began to merge with the man's silhouette. It was...
*The Fourth Raikage!*
The face beneath the girl's mask went pale. Gods, he was a legendary figure, his reputation and power even more fearsome than Tsunade's!
Why was the Fourth Raikage here? Who was he after?
And in this entire area, the only one worthy of the Fourth Raikage's personal attention was...
*Lady Tsunade!*
The ingredients for the hangover soup were crushed in her hand. A sense of urgency seized her, and she broke into a run.
She didn't think Tsunade would necessarily lose to the Fourth Raikage, but Tsunade was drunk right now!
At that thought, the girl's pace quickened. The small inn wasn't large, and she reached the room in moments. The sight that greeted her was the Fourth Raikage's back as he stood before a drunken Tsunade.
Touye's heart nearly stopped. "Stay back!" she yelled.
In a blur, she darted past the Raikage's two followers, positioning herself in front of Tsunade to block his gaze. She held her ice katana horizontally across her chest. "Don't... come any closer. If you take another step... I won't be so courteous!"
"Hm?" The Fourth Raikage frowned, and his full presence crashed down upon the girl.
"Ngh..."
It was like a mountain had fallen on her. Her breath caught in her throat. Like a frog stared down by a snake, all she could manage was a soft cry as the pressure forced her down to one knee.
*This is... Kage-level?! Dammit... Lady Tsunade and Shizune are behind me!*
Gritting her teeth, the veins on her forehead standing out under her mask, she slowly, using her ice katana for support, forced herself back to her feet.
This was different from Zabuza's killing intent. This was pure, unadulterated presence.
The Raikage's expression turned playful as he looked at the crystal-clear ice blade in her hands.
A strange glint appeared in the eyes of one of the followers behind him. He suddenly shot past the Raikage and lunged at the girl.
*A Kekkai Genkai... what a fine prize!*
With the ninja's movement, the pressure on Touye lessened considerably. She raised her blade with both hands to block the overhead slash.
The ninja's downward strike slammed into the flat of her ice blade. Touye's expression shifted; the force behind the blow wasn't that strong.
Before she could think further, the ninja spun his blade and flicked it upward.
Though the pressure had diminished, it hadn't vanished, and it was still affecting her deeply. The sudden change of attack caught her off guard, and her ice katana was sent flying from her grasp.
The ninja didn't stop, thrusting his sword down toward her right shoulder.
A ruthless glint flashed in Touye's eyes. She didn't dodge or evade, letting the blade plunge toward her shoulder as she balled her left hand into a fist and punched at the ninja's chest.
The ninja was delighted. *What an idiot, trading a punch for a sword strike. And even though a fist is faster than a blade, I attacked first. My blade will hit him long before his fist hits me. By then, how much power will be left in that punch?*
With that, the ninja resolved to take the hit and subdue her.
Seeing that he was preparing to clash with her head-on, Touye sneered inwardly. *We'll see who the real idiot is...*
"Superhuman Strength!"
Just as the sword was about to pierce her and her fist was about to slam into the ninja, the crackle of lightning suddenly filled the room.
The ninja's body was yanked back by a massive hand. Then, a figure wreathed in a blue, lightning-like chakra cloak appeared before the girl...
It was the Fourth Raikage!
*So fast!* Touye thought in shock.
Her punch was already thrown and couldn't be recalled. The Raikage met it without hesitation, throwing a punch of his own.
-----
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