Konoha Notes

Chapter 259 Daily Life in the Office
Tsunade leaned back in her large office chair, her fingertips tapping unconsciously on the armrest, her gaze unfocused, fixed on the ceiling. Hearing the door hinges turn and familiar footsteps approach, her eyes flickered, but she didn't turn her head.

"How about it?"

Xiu Si walked straight to his desk, picked up a document from the pile of processed files, quickly scanned the annotations on it, and then put it back.

"agreed."

As he spoke, he walked to the window and looked down at the brightly lit street below.

The Chunin Exams weren't over yet, and even the village was unusually lively.

After watching for a while, he strolled over to the sofa, sat down, then leaned back, lay down, put his arms behind his head, and closed his eyes.

Tsunade remained in the same position, motionless, her gaze slowly shifting from the ceiling to the figure occupying the entire sofa. He lay there peacefully, his breathing steady, as if he had instantly fallen into a light sleep.

She watched for a while, her gaze lingering on his closed eyelids.

"The meeting with Iwagakure has been scheduled."

The sound echoed in the quiet office.

"By the end of next month."

Shuji didn't open his eyes, not even his eyelashes trembled, but a short, indistinct syllable escaped from his throat.

"Ah."

“In the Land of Grass,” Tsunade added.

"understood."

His response remained concise.

Then, the sounds around me became more concrete—the light tapping of ceramic against a wooden tabletop, the subtle gurgling of liquid being poured.

At the same time, he caught a whiff of the crisp aroma of wine.

Shuji's eyelids finally twitched, but he didn't open them.

Tsunade had somehow moved from her office chair to the short single sofa next to her, her posture less than elegant, with one leg casually bent.

On the coffee table, there was a white porcelain bottle, a wine glass, and a small ceramic dish. On the dish lay several skewers of dark-colored, seemingly cold grilled chicken.

She picked up a skewer, took a bite, and frowned. The cooled chicken fat had solidified, making the texture somewhat stiff and greatly diminishing the flavor.

She found a small brazier in some corner of the office and pulled out a few spare pieces of charcoal.

"Let's light a fire."

A small flame was shot out and landed on the charcoal in the brazier.

Flames licked the surface of the charcoal, making a soft crackling sound, and orange-red light began to flicker, radiating heat.

Tsunade squatted in front of the brazier, rolled up her sleeves, and carefully flipped the skewer of cold chicken over the embers, maintaining a safe distance.

The aroma of smoky food, a blend of sauces and meat, began to permeate the office, which had previously only smelled of ink and paper.

"This year is almost over." She slowly turned the bamboo skewer in her hand, watching the grease drip and stir up wisps of smoke on the charcoal fire. "So many things have happened."

Shuji sighed and sat up, picked up a skewer of grilled chicken, and squatted on the other side of the brazier.

"Eating while others are sleeping is one thing, but heating it up is another. It's incredibly rude."

"It's rude to take other people's food without permission." Tsunade scoffed at such accusations. Seeing that the meat skewers were almost cooked through, with the edges slightly curled up and emitting an enticing aroma, Tsunade was too lazy to sit back on the sofa. Instead, she sat on the floor, leaning against the sofa base, by the warm brazier. She picked up the bottle with one hand, took a swig from the bottle, and then took a bite of the cooked chicken skewer with the other.

"Unbeknownst to me, it's already the third year. You tricked me into coming back to be the Hokage." She swallowed her food and exhaled a puff of white mist reeking of alcohol.

“Judging from the facts,” Shuuji sniffed the perfectly cooked chicken in front of him, took a bite, and chewed slowly, “I was dragged into this mess too.”

"It's shameless for someone who takes long leave every year to say something like that." Tsunade glanced at him sideways and took another swig of wine.

"It is those who frequently neglect their posts who should be condemned for criticizing an unemployed villager for not working hard enough."

After exchanging a few words, the office fell silent again, with only the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire and the soft sounds of their chewing.

Xiu Si finished his skewer early, got up and walked to his desk, picked up his teacup, took a sip of water to clear his mouth, and then lay back down on the sofa, resuming his previous posture, as if the incident had never happened.

Tsunade ignored him and continued eating her skewers and drinking her wine. After a few skewers, the alcohol began to take effect, dispelling some of her fatigue. She tossed the empty bamboo skewers into the brazier, watching them curl up, turn black, and eventually turn to ashes in the embers.

"Today, Hagi Uzumaki told me that Karin wants to become a medical ninja."

She paused for a moment, then seemed to remember something and chuckled softly.

"I heard that she beat up the youngest son of the Uchiha Fugaku family twice at school."

Shuji replied, his voice coming from the sofa: "It's true, I saw it, I saw it twice."

Upon hearing this, Tsunade's laughter grew louder, sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet office: "Well done! That little girl will definitely become an outstanding medical ninja."

“Speaking of which, you’ll be an adult next year, right?” She stood up, walked to the sofa, and poked Shuji’s arm with her fingertip. “How do you plan to pass on the Wood Release?”

Shuji turned his back to her, showing her the back of his head.

"Don't stay silent."

She poked Xiu Si's back again, this time with more force.

"If Wood Release could be stably inherited through bloodlines, there wouldn't be so many problems."

"How indifferent, even though she's at the age where she's in heat." Tsunade sat back down on the short sofa, crossing her long legs, looking bored. "Let's have some fun, Shuuji-sama. There aren't enough gossips to hear in the village. Life is so boring."

"Lady Tsunade, we've had enough of this kind of fun already, like that guy who still looks young and vibrant, but is actually already..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

A fist, carrying a sharp gust of wind, slammed into the back of the sofa, grazing his hair with a dull thud. The entire sofa shook violently.

“Just like now.”

Shuji's eyes remained closed.

"Hmph, who do you think has delayed me these past few years again!" Tsunade retracted her fist and said irritably, "If it weren't for wanting to become Hokage..."

He finally opened his eyes, turned his head, and looked at her calmly with his dark eyes: "Speak with your conscience."

"I can't touch it." She immediately retorted, her tone matter-of-fact. "You go and handle the talks with Iwagakure!"

After saying that, she still seemed unsatisfied, so she kicked the sofa lightly, causing it to creak in protest once more.

"I've got it."

Shuji closed his eyes again, turned over, and left Tsunade with a silent back view, which could be considered as acquiescence.

(End of this chapter)