Tsunade Can Hear My Inner Voice-Chapter 60: Because of Ramen

[It's one thing for Naruto to eat, but you, Gai, you bastard! Can't you at least eat a little less? How much is one bowl of ramen? You guys actually ran up a bill of a hundred thousand ryo! Are you trying to kill me?!]

A bowl of ramen that normally costs a few dozen ryō had somehow ballooned into a 100,000 ryō tab. Of course, Kamizuki Hikari was annoyed.

But was he really that mad? Not quite.

"Boss, bring me a bottle of sake! Put it on Hikari's tab!" Tsunade added fuel to the fire without hesitation.

Hikari: Σ(°△°|||)︴

[Tsunade, stay away from me!]

"Hokage-sama, Naruto is a kid—it's fine if he eats on my tab. But why are you eating on my tab too? I'm just a regular Chūnin! You're putting me in a really tough spot here."

As he finished speaking, Hikari pulled out his wallet and took out a wad of bills.

"Uncle Teuchi, settle the previous tab and keep the rest as credit. Next time Naruto or Gai come to eat, just deduct it from this."

The moment he received the money, a sunny smile returned to Teuchi's face.

"I knew it, Hikari—you're the most generous!"

"Tch, I don't need praise from an old man like you. But if Ayame would call me 'Onii-chan' a couple of times, maybe my poor little heart would feel a bit better."

"Not a chance, you brat! Go bother the nurses at the hospital instead!" Teuchi huffed before dragging Ayame toward the back.

Ayame looked back, not quite willing to give in. She mouthed the word silently:

'Onii-chan!'

[Wow, Ayame is the best!]

As the two disappeared into the kitchen, Tsunade frowned.

"Hikari, why are you covering Naruto and Gai's meals?"

Hikari picked up his chopsticks, slowly stirring his noodles before answering.

"You should already know about Naruto's situation, Tsunade-sama. I grew up here too. One day I happened to see Teuchi giving him free ramen. That gave me an idea—since I couldn't openly help, I'd just let Uncle Teuchi handle it for me."

"As for Gai... the money his team earns from missions isn't enough to cover their usual expenses. So I told him, 'If you want to treat Tenten and the others, just come to Ichiraku Ramen and put it on my tab.'"

Hikari couldn't stand the thought of the mighty "King of Youth" being forced to kneel before a yakiniku restaurant owner because he couldn't pay the bill. To him, that would be nothing short of an insult.

Within his means, Kamizuki Hikari was more than willing to lend a hand.

"Hikari, you're such a kind person!"

Ayame came out from the back carrying a bowl of ramen and placed it in front of Tsunade.

"Tsunade-sama, please take good care of Hikari. He's too kind for his own good—he'd rather suffer himself than let others go through hardship."

Tsunade stared at the ramen before her, filled with doubt.

'Hikari, kind? Is it my eyesight, or is this guy just that good at acting and fooling everyone?'

'If he's so kind, then why didn't he pay for my drinks and gambling debts? Hmph, scumbag!'

"Ayame, that bottle of sake Tsunade-sama ordered—put it on my tab. But if she wants to keep drinking, she'll have to pay herself." Hikari said as he resumed eating.

Tsunade: 'What the hell?! Can this guy read my mind or something? I only muttered a little complaint—was that really necessary?'

'Ugh, whatever. Just one bottle. Drinking too much wouldn't be fun anyway.'

Silence settled over the table as the three ate.

After finishing their ramen, the three of them lazily slouched over the table.

"Hikari, have some juice!" Ayame kindly brought over a drink—but only one glass.

Tsunade and Shizune locked eyes on the juice like hawks.

Tsunade: "Hikari, I'm thirsty. Give me the juice."

Shizune: "Hikari, I want some too!"

The two women spoke simultaneously, one on his left, the other on his right.

Hikari broke into a cold sweat.

[Why does this feel like I'm in a love triangle death match?]

[But I haven't even touched either of them! Is my charm just too overwhelming?]

Ayame in front of him, Shizune to his left, Tsunade to his right—and only one glass of juice in his hand.

The pressure was real.

What to do?

"Yo! Hikari-senpai, Granny Tsunade! You guys are eating ramen too?"

The sudden appearance of a certain blond knucklehead, Uzumaki Naruto, saved Hikari from his predicament.

More importantly, the white-haired pervert beside him immediately captured Tsunade's attention.

[Perfect chance!]

Hikari downed the juice in one gulp and handed the empty glass back to Ayame, shooting her a look. 'Don't cause me any more trouble, girl.'

Ayame smiled sweetly, reverting to her usual demure self.

"Tsunade, you're here too?"

Jiraiya walked over with Naruto and scratched his head sheepishly when he saw her.

Hikari stood up. "Jiraiya-sama, please have a seat. I'm full. See you later!"

"Don't go!" Jiraiya quickly noticed Tsunade was not in a good mood. When he realized Naruto was no longer a good enough excuse, he immediately changed tactics.

"I've got a bunch of research questions I wanted to consult with you, Hikari!"

"Research? What research?" Kamizuki Hikari asked innocently, acting like he had no idea what Jiraiya was implying.

[You damn perv, trying to ruin my reputation in front of Ayame. Fine. Next time he goes researching, I'll make sure he experiences the Leaf's secret taijutsu firsthand—let's see how he likes the White Fang's techniques.]

Tsunade: White Fang's techniques? What the heck is that?

Remembering how Hikari had once referred to Gai as the successor of the White Fang already told her his mind probably wasn't focused on anything proper.

"Alright, alright, fine! I'll do the research, you stay pure!" Jiraiya conceded, proving once again that his only principle was having no principles.

[You old troll... next time he goes researching, I'll make sure he regrets it.]

Standing up, Hikari shoved Jiraiya down into a seat, then tried to make a quick escape.

"Two special ramens, please! Tsunade, I heard your trip to the Daimyō went well—congrats!" Jiraiya offered his congratulations.

Tsunade pointed her finger. "Another bottle of sake—put it on Jiraiya's tab."

Ayame swiftly brought the sake, watching as Tsunade continued drinking.

"It went fine. But you—ever since I came back to the village and became Hokage, you've been nowhere to be seen. And now you have the nerve to show up? Want me to punch you into a pancake?" She raised her fist to emphasize her threat.

Jiraiya was drenched in cold sweat.

Could he tell her that while he was "doing research", the scenery was so captivating he lost track of time and completely forgot about the Hokage matters?

If it weren't for Naruto being around, Jiraiya might have moved into the "research site" permanently.

Luckily, his lingering sense of teacher-student responsibility reminded him he still had to guide Naruto.

After all, Naruto was his student's son... and his own student too?

"I wouldn't be any help. I figured showing up would just get in your way, so I thought I'd give you some space to focus!" Jiraiya tried to worm his way out.

Tsunade sipped her sake, a mocking smile appearing on her face.

"Great. Then from now on, stay out of my sight. Permanently."

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