Naruto: Paws and Whiskers

"Meow?" Tsunade carried Takeshi away from the forest, heading with purpose in one direction. It seemed she had located a tavern in the area on her way to border camp and knew precisely where to find the finest alcohol.

Takeshi couldn't help but think, 'She's a complete alcoholic! She might empty my wallet before she satisfies her thirst!' The thought was accompanied by a knot in his stomach, as he worried about the impending damage to his wallet.

"Are we there yet, meow?" Takeshi asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"It's just ahead," Tsunade replied, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Do you hear the sound of running water? After crossing the river, you'll see the village. And in that village, there's a tavern. The owner is a skilled winemaker. His wine is top-quality. Most people can't buy it due its cost. He usually reserves most of it for Nobles in capital." Her voice laced with excitement.

As they crossed the river valley, Takeshi saw a picturesque village nestled beside the river. The villagers had reclaimed many fields, and as they arrived, a group of farmers were still tending to their land.

They had no ninja to aid them, relying solely on their own labor. In this ninja world, such farmers were treated vastly differently within and outside the ninja villages.

Takeshi felt fortunate to have ended up in Konoha. If he had been transported to a remote corner of this world, he might have perished or even died in a desert. He shuddered at the thought of such a bleak fate.

"This is it, eh... the building looks a bit different, but I know his family, so it's not a problem," Tsunade said confidently, she led Takeshi to a sturdy wooden table.

With few other customers in the establishment who glanced her way warily as she loudly ordered, "Barkeep, bring your biggest bottle of wine!"

'Biggest bottle? How am I supposed to drink that much?' Takeshi's tail squished nervously as he asked, "I may not be able to finish a whole bottle," his voice barely a squeak.

"Don't worry, that big bottle is for me. You'll get a small cup or something," Tsunade replied haughtily with waving a dismissive hand not caring about his opinions.

'Like hell! I'm paying for it, so why shouldn't I drink it? Even the Third Hokage couldn't stop me!' Takeshi's mouth twitched, and he prepared for confrontation.

The barkeep had served Tsunade before. When he saw her, his face lit up with a mix of enthusiasm and trepidation, and he sent bottles after bottles to their table, his movements almost frantic.

In less than a minute, three large bottles were brought out, their glass surfaces glistening under the dim light. Ordinary restaurants usually had small wine bottles, but this one obviously knew Tsunade wasn't an ordinary customer. 

The last time he had served her small bottles, the type usually served to normal customers, she had been angry, so he made sure to bring out the large ones.

As soon as they were opened, the aroma of wine filled the air. 'It's over. My money... But I can't let it go to waste,' Takeshi thought, feeling suffocated.

Tsunade poured a large bowl for Takeshi and said, "Come on, drink up!"

"This cat drinks alcohol?" The barkeep was a little surprised, but Tsunade reassured him, "Don't worry. I'm in charge of him. With me around, there won't be any risk to his health. Alcohol poisoning is not a problem for me, as long as it doesn't kill me first," she added with a chuckle.

Takeshi took a sip, the liquid coating his tongue with a surprising intensity, but found it difficult to swallow, and he started coughing, his small body shaking with the force of it. While the taste was initially spicy, the wine had a depth of flavor.

"How is it? Good wine, right? Today's our lucky day." Tsunade propped up her chin, pouring wine into her mouth with a practiced ease. Though she said "lucky," her tone was tinged with sadness and disappointment, likely due to Orochimaru's imminent arrival and the memories it stirred.

Takeshi also felt a pang of sadness. From Tsunade's words, Orochimaru and Jiraiya would be arriving soon. The three of them would likely spend a small fortune drinking together. 'I don't want the "honor" of paying for the Three Sannin's drinks!' he thought, his tail drooping in despair.

"Barkeep, get some snacks and two more bottles of wine. My friends are coming,"

"Okay, right away, Tsunade-sama!" The barkeep replied, his voice slightly trembling as he rushed to fulfill her order. She downed half a bottle quite quickly, leaving Takeshi stunned. Her drinking speed was unimaginable.

He couldn't understand her. Soon enough, Orochimaru joined them, his elegant demeanor radiating an aura of quiet menace, with Jiraiya following behind him, looking disheveled and slightly panicked.

As he entered Jiraiya gave a subtle nod at barkeep.

Tsunade tapped the table lightly with her fingers, signaling that he should sit. "Hey, Tsunade-hime, I didn't come here to escape your punishment, I just... cough, Orochimaru said he had something important to discuss, and Minato and the rest of the Jonin were busy with something else, so I had to come," Jiraiya saw Tsunade and immediately shrank back in fear, hurriedly explaining, his words tumbling over each other in his haste.

"Sit down. The three of us haven't been together in a long time, and with Takeshi paying, you can drink as much as you want." Tsunade, offering bottles to Jiraiya and Orochimaru as they took their seats.

The three of them met and each took a bottle of wine, drinking first before talking.

Takeshi watched, feeling a pain in his heart. 'What did I do to deserve this? The three Great Sannin of perversion, gambling, and experimentation are downing several bottles of wine on my tab,'

Orochimaru finally spoke, "Now that you've returned, are you planning on leaving again anytime soon?"

"I'll stay for the time being… Haha, though don't expect me to join any battles. I'm going back to the village to retire and look after a couple of students," Tsunade scoffed, her demeanor far from pleasant.

Orochimaru was used to it. Hearing this, he didn't press the issue, knowing that Tsunade's hemophobia likely hadn't been resolved, making her unable to participate in combat. He then considered whether he should bring up the next topic.

"Hey, Orochimaru, why don't you share your thoughts on the latest mission?" Jiraiya said with a light tone, nudged his old friend, trying to lighten the mood and steer the conversation away from the sensitive topic of Tsunade leaving. After he said this, both Orochimaru and Tsunade glared at him. 

Tsunade ate her snacks, then said impatiently, "Just spit it out if you have something to say. Don't waste our time."

"Shikaku has returned, and I visited Kusagakure couple hours back to confirm the intelligence we received from you Jiraiya, I have eliminated the faction that was advocating for joining Iwagakure. Although the village leader himself was the mastermind behind that movement, he wouldn't dare to try anything like that again, unless we are in a weaker position." Orochimaru took a refined sip of his drink, sharing the information in a low voice.

There were no other patrons around, as the barkeep, one of Jiraiya's spies, had discreetly nudged all the customers away upon seeing Jiraiya and Orochimaru arrive. They didn't detect anyone eavesdropping nearby, so they could speak freely. 

"That's good news." Jiraiya gave a thumbs-up. This would at least ensure that if a war broke out, the battles wouldn't be fought on the Land of Fire. But there was also bad news.

If the Kusagakure were truly determined to betray them, stretching their front line and cooperating with Iwagakure to launch a major attack, Konoha could suffer significant losses. Therefore... "Are you certain that Kusagakure is sincere?"

"No, I'm not," Orochimaru licked his lips, his voice cold and laced with killing intent. "So I'd prefer to eliminate the current leader of Kusagakure and replace him with an obedient puppet. But I am waiting for approval from Sensei for that."

Jiraiya was taken aback and remained silent for a long moment, saying nothing. Tsunade paused, shook her wine bottle, and said, "I'm just here to pass the time. You guys can decide on the major strategies yourselves."

"This idiot, Jiraiya, is in solitary confinement by your order, so his opinion doesn't count. You are neutral and intelligent, so you should be more inclined to listen to my idea," Orochimaru said half-jokingly.

"What if Kusagakure joins Iwagakure because we kill him? I think this matter still needs further consideration," Jiraiya said after pondering and shook his head to express his disagreement.

"Now it's 1-1, 1 for and 1 against, and with Tsunade being neutral, we'll ask the fourth one here..." Orochimaru raised his bottle and pointed towards Takeshi.

"Meow?" Takeshi was confused. 'Isn't this something that you higher-ups should decide? Why are you asking me?' But before he could voice his thoughts, the serious expressions from Jiraiya and Tsunade stopped him.

"Go ahead. After all, you are now a Special Jonin, qualified to participate in such discussions," Tsunade said, taking another sip of wine.

"Meow~ I think both sides make valid points, but that guy doesn't seem like someone who would make such a major decision of supporting Iwagakure on his own, to me it seemed that way when I saw him, he seemed like a coward." Takeshi said, giving an ambiguous answer.

Tsunade was silent for a few seconds and then finally said, "Let's wait for the news from above. This will be a headache for the old man, and we can just drink."

"Hehe, indeed." Orochimaru pondered for a moment and then agreed before continuing to drink. Letting the topic rest for now.

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