Chapter 128 : Carrying Tsunade
Riku was a little pleasantly surprised—he hadn’t expected to win so much money gambling with Tsunade in just two hours today.
Truthfully, his interest in medical ninjutsu wasn’t solely about healing the sick or saving lives.
It was curiosity. He enjoyed studying strange, complex forms of ninjutsu. Maybe it was because he hated wasting time—Riku wanted to understand everything.
Tsunade had been drinking while teaching him, and Riku listened intently. With his photographic memory and strong mental focus, everything Tsunade said was instantly understood and memorized.
Over several hours of conversation in the izakaya, Tsunade realized—judging by the kinds of questions Riku asked—that he had a profound understanding of medical ninjutsu. In fact, in terms of theoretical knowledge, Riku had already surpassed Shizune.
And even in practical skill... he might be better than Shizune, too.
Of course, he still wasn’t at Tsunade’s level—but the gap was shrinking.
Initially, Tsunade had assumed that no matter how talented Riku was, he was still just a thirteen-year-old boy. His skills couldn’t possibly exceed Shizune’s.
But now, she was certain—Riku’s grasp of medical ninjutsu was already far above her assistant’s.
While she explained various techniques, Riku absorbed everything with intense focus. Seeing that serious expression on his face, Tsunade was momentarily dazed, almost as if she had traveled decades into the past—back when she herself had studied with the same fiery determination.
The two of them talked until midnight. By the time they stopped, the table was covered in empty side-dish plates.
Riku had eaten while listening; Tsunade had done the same.
Fortunately, both of them had unique physiques—everything they ate was converted into chakra, so they didn’t gain weight at all.
But by midnight, Tsunade’s face was flushed from all the alcohol. Her movements were sluggish, and she was starting to ramble.
Eventually, she slumped over the table and fell asleep.
It was only then that Riku realized how late it had gotten.
He stood up and stretched. "I didn’t expect time to pass so quickly. But I really did learn a lot tonight—especially those details I couldn’t quite grasp before."
"I kind of want to test it out right away."
"Someone like Kakashi or Sasuke... I think I could treat them now."
After all of Tsunade’s instruction, Riku felt his medical ninjutsu had made significant progress.
He was confident he could now handle both of their conditions.
Glancing at the sleeping Tsunade, Riku chuckled. "Your alcohol tolerance is insane. You drank this much and stayed conscious for so long."
Riku himself didn’t drink, but even ninja got drunk. Chakra didn’t make you immune to alcohol—it only slowed the effects.
Otherwise, Rock Lee wouldn’t have been able to create the Drunken Fist style.
Looking down at Tsunade, he hesitated for a moment before walking to the counter and asking, "Boss, do you have any rooms available here?"
The shopkeeper blinked, then looked at Tsunade and said apologetically, "Sorry, sir, we don’t offer accommodations."
Riku frowned. He’d hoped Tsunade could just sleep here. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d passed out in an izakaya.
She could drink all night and crash wherever she landed.
He had to admit—Tsunade had a lot of bad habits.
Drinking. Gambling. A terrifying temper.
Sometimes, she was even more outrageous than Jiraiya.
Standing beside her, Riku muttered, "This Sannin is really something else."
He didn’t bother hiding his thoughts—Tsunade was completely out of it.
Looking back down at her, he sighed. "Guess I’ll just let her sleep here until morning."
But as he scanned the room, he noticed something that made his brow furrow.
Tsunade wasn’t wearing her coat, and several drunken men at nearby tables kept stealing glances in her direction.
"Surely no one would dare touch a Sannin, right?" he muttered. "Unless they’ve got a death wish."
Still... if someone who didn’t know who she was tried something, it would be a real problem.
And Tsunade would definitely blame him for it later.
Normally, when she got this drunk, Shizune would be nearby to look after her. But Shizune wasn’t here tonight.
Riku sighed again, defeated. "Fine. I’ll take you back. Don’t blame me later."
He paid the bill, then sealed the three boxes of cash into his space scroll.
Space scrolls were technically available for sale, but they cost over a million ryō—about the same as an S-rank mission payout.
If Hiruzen hadn’t given him one personally, Riku definitely wouldn’t have bought it.
Once the money was stored away, he walked over to Tsunade and crouched down, preparing to lift her onto his back.
The moment her body pressed against his back, Riku stiffened slightly, feeling a rare sense of awkwardness.
From the day he first met her, he’d never paid much attention to Tsunade’s... figure.
But now, carrying her like this—well, he had to admit, he was a normal guy.
He calmed his thoughts and began walking.
His heart wouldn’t stop pounding.
"Seriously... what is this?" he muttered to himself. "I can’t believe this is happening to me. Her figure really is terrifying."
"No wonder she’s considered the most beautiful woman in the ninja world. She’s definitely got the... assets."
His thoughts spiraled as he made his way down the street.
Riku stood about 175 centimeters tall. Tsunade was around 163—considerably shorter than him.
So as he carried her, no one gave him any strange looks.
But he could feel the jealousy in the eyes of the passersby.
A few minutes later, Tsunade rested her head against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his neck.
It made Riku even more flustered.
Luckily, his years of mental discipline helped him stay calm.
Tsunade slowly opened her eyes, observing their surroundings.
After a few seconds, she leaned her head fully against his shoulder and tightened her hold.
For the first time in many years, she felt truly warm.
Riku was aware she had opened her eyes. He just assumed she’d sobered up a little.
What he didn’t realize was that Tsunade hadn’t been all that drunk to begin with. She had been completely lucid earlier—she wouldn’t have been able to explain complex medical ninjutsu otherwise.
But for some reason, she didn’t want to break the moment.
In fact... she kind of liked it.
Riku wasn’t thinking too much anymore. At first, when he’d touched her, he’d definitely felt something, but now his focus was simply on getting her back.
After about ten minutes, they finally reached the hotel.
Once he found her room, he gently laid her down on the bed.
As he stood, the strong scent of alcohol lingered in the air.
"This woman... she’s a mess when she’s drunk."
Just as he said that, he saw Tsunade staring up at him—eyes wide open.
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