Just as Konoha was undergoing a tense entrance exam, Tsunade woke up in the Kawanoguni Hotel.
Princess Konoha turned over and looked at the clean table blankly——
There was no empty wine bottle, there was no sweet and bitter smell in her mouth, and there was no sound that seemed to be deafeningly bombarding in her head. This was not the feeling of getting up after a hangover, and Tsunade had not experienced it for a long time.
.
She stood up in silence and gently opened the paper door in the inner room with her fingers. There was no one in the room, except for a table that was different from a few days ago in the center of the room, with the breakfast prepared for her on it.
"Whose subordinate is this guy Shizune?"
As soon as Tsunade guessed, she knew that she had gone to take care of the "patient" for the firecracker-headed brat again. She held her forehead and was quite speechless.
But since she didn't drink, it seemed that she didn't need Shizune to take care of her. Tsunade sat down unhappily and stared at the breakfast in front of her in a daze——
I don’t know the last time I had the first meal of the day during breakfast time.
The night before yesterday, Tsunade, who was in a daze after drinking, was woken up again by Infernal Anjurou who had returned from making money and said he wanted to have dinner with her.
Tsunade was so angry that she made a bet with the other party even though she didn't eat much for dinner.
The two agreed to an arm-wrestle. If the firecracker-headed brat could hold on for half a minute, she would stop drinking before leaving the country. If Anjuro could hold on for less than half a minute, the cost of medical treatment would be doubled.
Both of these bets were proposed by Anjuro, but no matter whether he lost or won, they seemed to bring him no practical benefits, so Tsunade agreed based on the principle of "if there is an advantage, why not take advantage of it"
.
But who would have thought that without the use of chakra, Tsunade would be no match for Anjurou. That brat's strength is really terrifying.
After a brief contact, Tsunade felt the majestic physical energy and extremely strong vitality from Anjuro's body, which meant her previous guess that Anjuro might be a member of her grandmother Uzumaki Mito's tribe.
——It was confirmed.
Various thoughts flooded into her mind, and Tsunade's heart panicked at that moment.
But when she remembered to use chakra, the fragile wooden table immediately collapsed in two, and Shizune happily announced that the thirty seconds had expired.
As expected, Tsunade lost the bet again.
When she came to her senses, she wanted to regret it, but when she looked at those eyes that looked like the rising sun, full of care like family members, she couldn't say the shameless words, so she had no choice but to admit her defeat.
By now, she had not drank for nearly thirty-six hours, but the ghosts of the past she imagined had not broken into her dreams to haunt her.
In front of the dinner table, Tsunade squeezed her fingers nervously.
Even if you didn’t come yesterday, what about today and tomorrow?
As long as that brat is still here, the memories buried deep in her heart will sooner or later be brought to light.
Thinking of this, she didn't care about eating. She quickly opened the paper door of the living room and wanted to go to the hotel yard to take a breath. But when she opened the door, she was surprised to find that Shizune was holding Dodo and sitting quietly outside.
On the terrace.
In the middle of the courtyard, the children who had been detoxified were sitting on the landscape stones, and Purgatory Anjuro was sitting opposite them with the sun on his back.
"Tsunade-sama."
Tsunade had not seen a smile like Shizune's for a long time. The pride and satisfaction contained in it were completely different from the apologetic fake smile and bitter smile she usually used when facing her creditors.
However, this expression is quite common on the face of that firecracker-headed brat.
【Is this infected...】
"What the hell? Didn't that kid go make money today?"
Tsunade's eyes narrowed and she looked over, her tone still very impatient, "Why is he here during the day now!"
Just seeing Tsunade for an hour or two every night was uncomfortable enough.
They were clearly not relatives, but the way the kid looked at her was like a child looking at a seriously ill parent. In addition, those overly positive and irrelevant words were constantly pushing the limits of Tsunade's tolerance.
The result is great now, he is actually here during the day!!!
She didn't know that the color of her hair, her drunken and careless speech pattern, the way she lay in her room killing time, and even her open-minded dressing style were all the same as those of Anjuro's father, Purgatory.
Makijuro is very similar.
"That's it, Tsunade-sama! Anjuro exchanged the remaining detonating charms for money last night, and helped the town guards catch a fugitive on the way, and was rewarded by the mayor."
Shizune happily recounted, touching the pocket where she kept the banknotes, "Now, all the medical fees have been collected!"
When she said this, she was not happy that she had received the money, but she was excited because Anjuro had achieved the harsh conditions.
Tsunade raised her eyebrows and said: "Then we can leave today?"
The smile on Shizune's face faded, and the reluctance shown in her eyes strengthened Tsunade's determination to leave as soon as possible.
If Shizune is allowed to get along with that brat any longer, I'm afraid she will soon be brainwashed by that inexplicable positivity and optimism.
"Only the child with the most unstable poison sac is left, and his operation has not been performed yet."
Shizune replied, "He is the last one."
"Then why don't you get ready?"
Tsunade looked at the six children sitting together in the courtyard, and the impatient tone in her tone could be clearly detected.
"The problem now is, the kid doesn't want the surgery."
Shizune shook her head, "Anjuro called them over, probably to persuade him."
"You're really nosy... Wouldn't it be better to just knock him out?"
On the one hand, Tsunade really complained about Anjurou, but on the other hand, she regretted giving the antidote formula.
Detoxifying these children will certainly facilitate silent surgery, but when they wake up and have their own ideas, the trouble will increase.
She sat next to Shizune, scooped up the dolphin and coiled it up for herself, but her energy was focused on where Anjurou was, listening quietly.
…
"You don't have to do anything for me anymore, because I don't want to live anymore."
The conversation that was taking place in the courtyard sounded too ordinary in the Land of Rain, but in this prosperous town that had not seen a war for a long time, it was a bit shocking.
"Why would you say that?!"
Purgatory Anjuro's eyes were piercing, and even though he had fire-like hair, he didn't show any violent emotions.
"I don't know what your purpose is in saving us. But I have nothing left, and this life is not worth a hundred thousand taels."
The child who refused the surgery was the oldest of the six, and the one who had known the world the longest. His pessimism was a bit scary.
At this time, there was no joy of surviving the disaster in his eyes at all, instead they were lifeless and gray.
"People like us will not die because of the things in their bodies, but will also be killed for various other reasons without any reason.
"In this world where ninjas are rampant, the lives of ordinary people are worthless, especially helpless orphans like us. You saved us today, but you just delayed something that will definitely catch up. It has no meaning at all...
"
His words obviously stirred up the restless hearts of other children.
Their expressions gradually showed signs of fear, and Shizune, who was listening, also clenched her fists nervously.
After working so hard to treat them and hearing such words, it is inevitable that they will be touched.
But Purgatory Anjuro still had no intention of stopping him from talking.
"All in all, I don't want to owe you anything, and I don't want to do anything for you. I'm just a kid that no one cares about, and no one will care if I die. If you really want to do something, just let me fend for myself.
Bar."
The young man lowered his eyelids, "At least dying under the anesthesia of poison sounds less painful."
The whirlpool of despair spread out from his body, and even the grass and trees in the courtyard seemed to droop a little.
The other younger children, who had no firm ideas to begin with, looked gloomy at this time, full of fear and wariness about the unknown future.
"How do you know no one cares about you?!"
Purgatory Anjuro's voice was loud, but his tone was as steady as the smoke rising up into the clear sky from the roof of the hotel, making people wonder whether he was alive or not.
The boy had an exhausted expression, obviously remembering something extremely painful.
Before he could speak again, Xingjulang had already said: "This is just your idea, not the truth!
"Not only do I care about your life and death, but the person who helped us escape from the fortress also cares about your safety!
"Besides, the cost of your treatment also contains the thoughts of the 'angels' from the Kingdom of Rain!"
Anjuro's answer surprised them a little. The existence of "angels" has always been an important consensus among the children of the Land of Rain.
Hearing that people like that had contributed to their treatment, the eyes of several children finally brightened up.
"So, don't be immersed in the desert-like world of your imagination and belittle yourself!
"The fact that you are still alive means a lot to me! I feel honored to be able to play some role in saving your lives. Based on this alone, you are nothing to me.
There is no debt at all! I don’t need any other reward!”
His voice was full of sincerity and inspiring, and his unwavering smile was like sunshine dispelling the surrounding gloom.
But because Anjuro's speech was so contrary to common sense, the children felt dizzy for a while. Even Tsunade on the terrace narrowed her eyes in confusion, with an expression like "I drank too much in a dream."
On the contrary, Shizune, who has gradually synchronized with Anjurou these days, seems to be able to fully understand what he means.
"Did you make something wrong..."
The young man looked around and said, "We are not children of a noble family. How can we be so honored to have saved us?"
Xingjuro was silent for a while, then narrated with an expression of reminiscence.
"Before she passed away, my mother once told me that the reason why I was born with a strong body was to protect those who were weaker and unable to protect myself, but I must not rely on this power given by God to satisfy my own selfish desires.
!We must not let this power be abandoned and idle just because we fell into the quagmire of sorrow!"
When Tsunade heard the last sentence, her eyebrows twitched for no reason and her lips pursed tighter.
"At that time, I understood that I, who was born stronger than others, must regard saving the fragile lives of others as my survival goal and mission! As far as possible, let everyone live until the day they find their mission, so that they can
My life can also be perfected! Isn’t this worthy of making me feel honored?!”
"..."
The young man was slightly shocked, and seemed to understand the reason why Anjuro wanted to save them, but he still retorted: "You are very strong, but we are very weak. It is very difficult for the weak to survive, so how can we talk about such high-sounding words as mission?"
…”
"The word powerful is not just used to refer to the physical body, young man!"
Purgatory Anjuro stood up, and his golden-red eyes swept across the faces of all the children one by one.
"Among more than a hundred people, only a few of you have survived! At such a young age, you have escaped the pursuit of death. Do you really think that this is just luck?
"Perhaps for the time being, you just think of yourself as a victim, and sooner or later you will die in other disasters, meaninglessly!
"But if you can regard the pain you have encountered as food for growth instead of an excuse to stop moving forward, then you will understand that you are still a survivor, and the disasters you have endured will give birth to a new self.
You are stronger than others, you know better how to struggle to get up from the quagmire of despair, and you know how to deal with difficulties. This is your strength, and it is not fundamentally different from my strength!"
Anjuro walked among the children and knelt down, half squatting and half kneeling. The children seemed to be touched, and their faces turned red with excitement.
"I know that you are all in pain now because you have lost your parents and because you have been treated cruelly.
"You will imagine this, what will happen if the reality is not like this? You will also think, what should you do if you encounter this kind of thing again in the future? To be honest, I can't teach you to withdraw from this fantasy world and accept it.
Cruel reality!
“But I know that when a person is more vulnerable, how he chooses to use his time is particularly important!
"The longer this state remains, the harder it will be to get rid of it. Even a powerful person like my father is still dragged into it and cannot extricate himself. But you still have a chance, at least, while you can still recall their appearance...
Think about your family members who have lost their parents. If they knew that after their death, you would find yourself in such a state of despair and despair, would they be able to find peace?"
All the children raised their eyes, and Tsunade clenched her fists as if she had been hit hard.
"Don't hide in a pond to escape a heavy rain. You can be sad, but don't be sad for too long.
"As long as you don't lose yourself, your deceased relatives will understand that they have not really lost you! Even in hell, they will smile with relief."
Anjuro's words are so certain because he has personally experienced them, so their appeal is extraordinary.
He put his hand on the oldest boy's shoulder.
"So, accept the surgery, remove that dangerous thing, and prolong your life as much as possible until the day you find your mission, okay? At that time, if you are willing to sacrifice your life for your mission, I will never
stop you.
"Only by giving up survival by doing nothing, everything you experience will be truly meaningless, what do you think?!"
The strange warmth gradually filled the young man's body along his shoulders. He did not answer, but nodded heavily, and then tears poured out in a steady stream, and then he burst into tears.
The other children looked similar. It was obvious that the memories of their families touched their hearts.
However, Anjuro just looked at them gently and did not stop them. The release of emotions at this time was of far-reaching significance to them.
Shizune watched everything quietly, her heart racing. The next moment, she noticed that Lady Tsunade stood up suddenly, took out a handful of change from her and left.
"Tsunade-sama——"
"It's ready for surgery. I'll wait for you at the inn at the outermost edge of the town."
Tsuna said without looking back: "Don't keep me waiting too long, got it?"
With that said, she opened the curtain of the courtyard and strode out, but when facing the sun, Shizune saw a reflection in the corner of her eyes.