Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Money’s a Curse, Even Tsunade Can’t Beat It
"Look at you, passed out like a dead pig. I was actually worried you'd embarrass yourself."
"I knocked you out and brought you back to your room out of the goodness of my heart, and you repay me by kicking down my door and accusing me of who knows what?"
"Doesn't your conscience hurt? Aren't you worried about setting a bad example for the kid?"
"..."
Takuya's string of complaints left Tsunade speechless.
She had come to pick a fight, but somehow, it seemed like she was the one being scolded.
It hit her that maybe she had gone a bit overboard, even though she was a woman.
Theoretically, she should have felt more wronged, but Takuya was just a kid.
The memory of stripping down right in front of a child and hopping into the hot spring made Tsunade cringe with embarrassment. She almost wanted to dig herself a hole and disappear into it.
She might as well have lost all her dignity.
"And another thing," Takuya added, pointing to the shattered door.
"Do you even have the money to pay for that?"
Kicking doors, huh? Go ahead, keep kicking them. Just remember, this isn't the Leaf Village where an ANBU squad would come to fix it for free.
Here, if you break it, you pay for it.
"..."
Money?
The word alone made Tsunade's head spin.
She didn't have a single cent left—she'd lost it all the night before, down to the last penny.
"Looks like someone lost all their money gambling. How tragic."
Getting up and dressing himself, Takuya glanced at Tsunade's messy hair and the reek of alcohol clinging to her. He clicked his tongue in mock pity.
"Now you're in trouble. Judging by the quality of this inn and its decor, that door is going to cost you."
"Don't rub it in."
Tsunade was practically ready to cover her face in shame.
"Why don't you cover the cost, and I'll pay you back later?"
"In your dreams!"
She could forget it. Takuya wasn't about to fall for that.
Counting on Tsunade to pay back money? That was as likely as a snowstorm in summer.
Scooping up Snowy, Takuya sternly refused.
"I paid for the food, I paid for the drinks, but that door? That's on you. Maybe you'll think twice before kicking doors down next time."
"Hey, don't get violent now, or I won't even cover your meal."
Tsunade looked like she was about to lose it and take a swing at him.
But Takuya wasn't about to give her the chance. If she wanted to pay for the damages, that was her problem.
Fine! Have it your way!
Glaring at Takuya, Tsunade clenched her teeth and stormed off.
After cleaning up, Tsunade went out to find some money. What she did, Takuya had no idea. He only knew that she managed to scrounge up enough to pay for the door.
As a result, Tsunade barely spoke to Takuya for the rest of the trip, and he wasn't about to start the conversation.
Uzumaki Nami kept glancing between the two, wanting to say something but too scared to open her mouth.
And so, the three of them traveled in silence all the way back to the Leaf Village.
Once back in the village, Tsunade headed to the Hokage's office while Takuya took Nami to find Kushina.
"Master Takuya, are you and Lady Tsunade okay?"
After the long, silent journey, Nami was worried that something was seriously wrong between them.
"We're fine." Takuya reassured her with a smile, ruffling her hair.
"Tsunade's already over it. She's just waiting for a way to smooth things over, that's all."
Compared to the shamelessness of the Third Hokage or Jiraiya, Takuya's teasing was nothing. Tsunade was more upset about how much face she'd lost. Without Takuya offering her an out, she couldn't bring herself to speak up.
Despite her usual boldness, Tsunade had been completely thrown off by this.
"Come on, let's go find your clanswoman. Her name's Kushina—you've heard of her, right?"
"Don't worry, Kushina's really easy to get along with."
Nami shook her head.
The Uzumaki clan was wiped out when she was just a toddler, too young to remember much.
With her parents always on the run, they never talked about the clan, leaving Nami in the dark about her heritage.
They arrived at Kushina's door, and Takuya knocked twice.
When Takuya wasn't in the village, Kushina rarely went out, spending most of her time at home. So, finding her here was a safe bet.
"Who's there?"
Kushina's voice called out from inside. She shuffled to the door in her slippers, and when she opened it and saw Takuya, her face lit up with joy. "Takuya, you're back?"
"Uh..."
Just as she was about to invite him in, Kushina noticed Nami standing behind him.
Red hair, the same shade as hers.
Kushina's smile slowly faded as a guess formed in her mind.
"Takuya, is she from the Uzumaki clan?"
Kushina felt a strange tension, though she couldn't quite say why.
"This is Uzumaki Nami. My team found her in the Land of Grass during a mission, so I decided to bring her back here."
"It gets lonely with just you in the village, so having a fellow clan member around could be nice, right?"
Takuya gently pushed the shy Nami forward.
"H-Hello, my name is Uzumaki Nami."
"M-My name is Uzumaki Kushina."
Tears streamed down Kushina's face.
She had once believed she was the last Uzumaki left in the world.
But today, Takuya had given her a surprise—a wonderful, unbelievable surprise.
She wasn't the only Uzumaki left. She still had a clan member.
"This is amazing."
Kushina, overwhelmed with emotion, hugged Nami tightly, laughing and crying at the same time. Nami, completely bewildered, hesitantly wrapped her small arms around Kushina's waist and hugged her back.
Having another Uzumaki with her in the village, Kushina was as happy as a little bird, chirping nonstop and circling around Nami, already treating her like a little sister.
Are women really made of water?
Takuya thought as he watched the two of them cry and cling to each other. He couldn't take much more of this. Watching them brought back too many memories of his past life.
He decided to head home and make himself something nice to eat as a distraction.
"Am I getting too old? Why am I getting all sentimental? Ugh, I'm still just a kid."
"..."
Back home, Takuya opened the fridge to find it completely empty. Sighing, he decided lying down and doing nothing was the best option.
"Old man, I'm back."
Tsunade pushed open the door to the Hokage's office, looking around to make sure no one she disliked was there before flopping onto the couch like a beached fish.
"?"
She didn't kick the door open or barge in demanding to fight about Danzo.
The Third Hokage looked at Tsunade lying on the couch and thought something was off.
"Did something happen on the way back?" he asked.
"Nope."
Tsunade sat up lazily.
"I lost a lot of money. I'm in a bad mood. How about you give me a little something to help me out?"
"Cough, cough!!"
The Third Hokage choked on air, his old face turning red from the shock.
***********
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