The atmosphere was somewhat heavy, with only the lively chatter and laughter of guests at nearby tables and the sizzling sound of roasting meat.
Shinichi drank his juice quietly, not taking the initiative to speak.
He could tell that this legendary member of the Sannin was in a terrible mood and definitely hadn't come just to drink.
Sure enough, after gulping down two more cups, Tsunade glanced up at him through a drunken haze, her lips curling: "Kid, tell me, what's so good about being a ninja?"
"Working yourself to death, endless training, ruining your body with injuries... what's it all for in the end? A few lousy missions, a bit of money with blood? Or is it for those high-sounding principles that are actually complete bullshit?"
She took another swig of sake, her eyes drifting toward the gloomy sky outside the window.
"Living every day with your head on the line, not knowing if you'll see tomorrow... maybe one day you'll die in some unknown corner, and you'll rot before anyone even collects your body. Companions? Hah! The companions you're drinking with today might be nothing more than a name carved on a stone tomorrow..."
Her tone grew lower and lower; she wasn't so much asking Shinichi as she was questioning herself—questioning the profession she once fought for and now only wanted to escape.
Shinichi remained silent, not immediately responding.
He could feel that Tsunade's words weren't directed at him; rather, her long-suppressed emotions had found a vent through the alcohol, and he just happened to be the listener sitting across from her.
Seeing that Shinichi didn't reply, Tsunade suddenly leaned in closer, her breath heavy with the scent of sake almost brushing against his face: "What about you? Kid, why become a ninja? Why does a big genius like you work so hard at training day and night?"
Without waiting for Shinichi's answer, she seemed to have already decided on it, her voice suddenly rising with a mocking certainty: "You must want to be Hokage, right? Haha! Of course, that's it! Kids your age have nothing in their heads but being Hokage or dreams of being a hero... thinking that after becoming a ninja, you'll quickly become famous throughout the ninja world and be admired by everyone, right?"
The incoming smell of alcohol caused Shinichi's brow to furrow imperceptibly. He leaned back slightly to create some distance: "Lady Tsunade, you're drunk."
"I'm not drunk!"
Tsunade slammed the table suddenly, making the bowls and dishes clatter, which drew the attention of the surrounding diners.
Disregarding them, her voice became louder and sharper due to excitement and alcohol: "Am I wrong? Hokage? That's just a bullshit position! Only naive fools and brainwashed idiots would want to be it! And that Will of Fire... burning yourself to light up others? It's all pretty words to fool people! It's a curse to make people go to their deaths willingly!"
"Lady Tsunade!"
Shinichi stood up abruptly, the legs of his chair scraping against the floor with a piercing sound, as he interrupted Tsunade's increasingly out-of-control venting:
"I don't know what happened to you today or why you're in such a mood, but please, enough is enough! I will not allow you to insult the Hokage like this, or the Will of Fire passed down by the village!"
"What? Kid, you want to lecture me?" Tsunade tilted her head and glanced at him, her body swaying slightly from the alcohol as she sneered.
Facing one of the famous Sannin, Shinichi did not back down. He looked her straight in the eye and said: "The Hokage is the pillar of the village, the banner of Konoha! The Will of Fire was personally ignited by the First Hokage, and it's a flame that has been passed down to this day using the blood and lives of countless predecessors as fuel! It is what every name on the memorial stone was willing to..."
"Shut up!"
Tsunade seemed to have been pricked by something sharp. The drunkenness on her face was partially dispelled by intense emotion, replaced by a expression that mixed immense annoyance and even rage.
"It's not your place to lecture me, kid! What do you know? What have you seen? You know absolutely nothing!"
She irritably reached out to grab the sake bottle on the table, but her fingertips grasped at empty air.
Shinichi had already moved the bottle away, placing it at a corner of the table far from her.
"Give me the sake!" Tsunade stared at him, her voice suppressed with anger.
Shinichi shook his head, his tone calm but firm: "Lady Tsunade, you're drunk. You really can't drink anymore."
"I said I'm not drunk!"
Shinichi still shook his head.
Seeing this, Tsunade laughed, her eyes narrowing with a dangerous intent.
"You... really want to cross me?"
Shinichi shook his head again: "Lady Tsunade, you are the granddaughter of the First and Second Hokage, the disciple of the Lord Third Hokage, and a hero of Konoha. Every word you say here, even if it's just angry talk while drunk, will turn into rumors once it spreads, bringing a great negative impact to the village."
"I said! Don't lecture me!!!"
Tsunade's patience seemed to have completely run out. Her pent-up emotions exploded along with her drunkenness as she slammed her fist toward the table in front of her.
However, in a flash, a palm blocked the space between her fist and the tabletop.
BOOM!!!
With a dull, heavy thud, two massive forces collided and canceled each other out in that small space. The resulting shockwave sent the bowls, dishes, and cups from several surrounding tables flying.
The nearby diners and the owner turned pale with fright, backing away repeatedly as they watched this terrifying scene in horror.
The drunkenness in Tsunade's eyes dissipated quite a bit, replaced by an unmistakable surprise. She was shocked that the boy before her could actually catch her punch. Although she hadn't used her monstrous strength, the power behind it was by no means negligible.
Under Tsunade's surprised gaze, Shinichi slowly and firmly lifted her fist away from the table.
"Lady Tsunade." He glanced around and spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but echoing clearly in the now-silent shop: "Didn't you ask me before why I became a ninja, and why I work so hard?"
"I am an orphan. The village raised me, and for that, I am deeply grateful."
"From as far back as I can remember, I always saw the adults around me occasionally showing expressions of worry and sorrow. The playmates I had in the courtyard would change every so often, with a few timid new faces appearing while some familiar smiling faces never showed up again."
"Later, I slowly came to understand that the ninja world was still at war at that time. There was constant fighting outside the village. They were worried about their relatives and friends on the front lines, and those new playmates were children who had lost their parents."
Shinichi withdrew his gaze and let it fall back on Tsunade's face, his eyes clear and honest:
"At that time, I wondered: what protected children like me, allowing us to grow up safely in the village? What allowed those adults to keep working hard every day even when they were afraid and sad? Later, I figured it out. It was the seniors fighting on the front lines—it was Sakumo Hatake, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Nawaki, Kato Dan..."
Tsunade's eyes grew wider as she listened, the drunkenness mostly fading from her face. When the names 'Nawaki' and 'Kato Dan' clearly left Shinichi's mouth, she felt as if she had been stabbed by an invisible needle and interrupted him sharply:
"You! How do you know?! Who told you?! Was it Shizune?!"
Shinichi didn't answer the question, as if it weren't important. He simply continued in a steady tone, as if stating a simple fact:
"It was countless senpai's like them—people I've never met, whose names I don't even know—who used their lives as a wall to keep war and death outside the village, maintaining the peace here."
"So, from that moment on, I made up my mind." Shinichi met Tsunade's stunned gaze with a settled, almost pure determination: "I want to be someone like that too! I want to become strong enough—strong enough to protect those who come after me, just like the senpai's who protected the village and me back then. I want to give more people a world where they can live peacefully without being in constant fear. I want this place that raised me to have more peaceful daily lives and fewer tears of parting."
"This is my reason for becoming a ninja and for constantly growing stronger!"
The barbecue shop was silent, save for the occasional crackle of the charcoal fire.
Tsunade stared blankly at the boy before her, whose face was still youthful but whose eyes were exceptionally calm and determined. For a moment, she was speechless.
Shinichi slowly released his hold on Tsunade's fist and took half a step back: "So, Lady Tsunade, please think carefully. What you wanted to deny and mock is exactly what countless Konoha predecessors—including your closest kin and your beloved, as well as the slug princess who brought hope to the lives of countless Konoha compatriots in the last shinobi world war—fought with their lives to protect."
With that, he said no more, nor did he look at Tsunade's current expression. He turned and left the barbecue shop, his figure soon disappearing into the snowy night outside.
"Something important that they fought with their lives to protect..." Tsunade watched the boy's departing back, her lips moving slightly, though it only turned into a faint murmur.
"Higashino... Shinichi..."
---
The news of the conflict at the barbecue shop between the princess of Konoha, Princess Tsunade of the Sannin, and the rising young genius Higashino Shinichi, was like a small flame flickering in the winter.
Although the details were unclear, the rumors that spread still added an inexplicable ripple to the peaceful village.
People speculated about the reason: was it the genius's improper behavior that angered his senior? Or was it the displaced anger of the Konoha princess who was in a bad mood?
Opinions varied, but there was no definitive answer.
Meanwhile, in the Hokage Office, under the warm yellow light, the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen received the detailed report presented by the Anbu.
"Sigh..."
After a long time, he let out a long, complex sigh.