Konoha's Tatsuya

Back at the izakaya, Tatsuya finally understood the true meaning of 'drinking like a fish.' Watching Tsunade throw back cup after cup of sake without pause, the others were stunned; Shizune simply ate her meal beside them, utterly unfazed. Clearly, this was just another Tuesday for Shizune.

Kakashi and Guy remained somewhat stiff at the table, but surprisingly, Mei and Tsunade hit it off, drinking and chatting jovially. Tatsuya mostly observed from the sidelines. He had always found Tsunade fascinating—a legendary beauty, even if she was considerably older. He was under no illusions, however; given her age and general disposition, anything romantic was out of the question. He was purely an admirer.

After the meal was finished, the sky outside had long since darkened. Leaving the izakaya, the two groups parted ways. Tsunade left with Shizune, while Kakashi and the others prepared to return to the inn.

"Hey! Where'd Tatsuya go?" Guy exclaimed suddenly as they reached the inn's entrance. He looked left and right but saw no sign of him.

Kakashi shot the perpetually oblivious taijutsu master a weary glance but kept silent. Terumi Mei chuckled softly.

"Guy-senpai, Tatsuya-san slipped away some time ago," Itachi informed him quietly.

On the dimly lit street outside Taketa Town, Tsunade and Shizune walked one behind the other.

"Lady Tsunade, where are we going?" Shizune asked softly from behind.

"Just walking," Tsunade replied quietly from ahead, not breaking her stride.

"Lady Tsunade, if we go much further, we'll be completely out of town," Shizune pointed out, glancing towards the dark road ahead.

Tsunade waved a hand dismissively and kept walking.

Shizune opened her mouth, then closed it again. She desperately wanted to remind Tsunade that she still had enough emergency cash for a room...

After walking a short distance out of town, Tsunade finally stopped. Shizune scanned their surroundings—dark woods just off the road. Not exactly ideal sleeping arrangements.

"Alright, show yourself!" Tsunade called out sharply.

Shizune jumped, whipping her head around, instantly on alert.

"Lady Tsunade." Tatsuya emerged calmly from the shadow of a large nearby tree.

"Tatsuya-kun!" Shizune breathed, surprised.

"What do you want?" Tsunade demanded, frowning, her tone sharp.

"Just concerned about your accommodations for the night, Lady Tsunade," Tatsuya replied with an easy shrug. As he spoke, however, his eyes did a slow, appraising sweep of Tsunade's figure. The faint moonlight seemed to enhance her famously impressive curves.

An angel's face matched with that body... The perfect mature beauty, Tatsuya thought, feeling an almost imperceptible hitch in his breath.

Across from him, anger flared in Tsunade's eyes before she vanished in a blur of motion. That blatant once-over had clearly irritated the Princess of the Leaf! She decided it was time to teach this disrespectful youngster some manners.

In an instant, Tsunade reappeared directly in front of him, her fist driving straight towards his face. Tatsuya's expression remained impassive as he raised his right palm to intercept.

CRACK!

The sound of impact was sharp as Tatsuya caught Tsunade's notoriously powerful punch squarely in his palm, not budging an inch. Genuine surprise flashed in Tsunade's eyes before she instantly pivoted, launching a vicious roundhouse kick with her left leg, putting her full monstrous strength behind it.

Thud! Crack! Thud!

A rapid-fire series of impacts echoed as the two exchanged dozens of high-speed strikes in mere moments. Watching from a safe distance, Shizune's jaw dropped. Lady Tsunade's monstrous strength was legendary, yet this Tatsuya fellow was matching her blow for blow! Such power was terrifying. And according to Kakashi, he was from their generation?

After one more punch met palm with a resounding clap, both fighters sprang back. Tsunade eyed Tatsuya, who seemed remarkably composed, her own expression turning serious. His raw physical power was clearly on par with hers, maybe even... And judging by his relaxed posture, he hadn't even gone all out.

So this is the strength of ANBU Squad 11's Tatsuya? The Old Man certainly knows how to pick 'em these days! Still, there's something irritating about the way he looks at you!

Deciding teaching him a lesson might be more trouble than it was worth, Tsunade dropped her fighting stance, rolled her eyes, and snapped, "Alright, spit it out! Why did you really follow us?"

Tatsuya's expression turned serious as well. "Lady Tsunade, I want to make a deal with you."

"A deal?" Tsunade looked puzzled.

"I would like to ask Lady Tsunade to teach me the Yin Seal," Tatsuya stated.

"The Yin Seal!" Tsunade scoffed. "That's an S-rank technique. It's not for sale."

"My offer: ten million ryo," Tatsuya stated, holding up one finger.

"Ten million!" Shizune gasped audibly from behind Tsunade. Ten million ryo was a fortune in the shinobi world. Even Tsunade, the Legendary Sucker, had only possessed a little over twenty million when she first left Konoha—wealth accumulated over years of high-rank missions. And ninja had significant daily expenses too.

"Ten million? No deal!" Tsunade repeated firmly, shaking her head. She intended to pass the Yin Seal to her own student someday! She couldn't just sell it off!

Tatsuya frowned slightly; Tsunade's determination was somewhat unexpected. After a moment's thought, he continued, "Lady Tsunade, perhaps an exchange then? I possess an auxiliary sealing technique of comparable power."

"An equally powerful auxiliary sealing technique?" Tsunade stared skeptically at him. If he already has something like that, why does he want the Yin Seal so badly?

"Lady Tsunade, this technique is called the Yin-Yang Seal," Tatsuya explained. "I created it myself based on information related to the Yin Seal recorded in scrolls. It also stores a vast amount of chakra. Its only drawback is that upon release, the entire reserve is expended instantly—it doesn't allow for sustained use like yours."

"You created this... Yin-Yang Seal yourself?" Tsunade scrutinized him, searching for any sign of deception. To reverse-engineer a powerful sealing jutsu from just fragments of information... His talent was astounding.

"Indeed," Tatsuya affirmed. "If you doubt my word, I can show you the scroll right now," he offered, reaching as if to produce it.

"Twenty million!" Tsunade blurted out, holding up two fingers.

"What?" Tatsuya blinked, stunned.

"Twenty million ryo, plus your Yin-Yang Seal," Tsunade clarified.

"Done!" Tatsuya recovered from his surprise and agreed instantly.

Tsunade's abrupt reversal left Tatsuya momentarily speechless. Then, a certain universal truth echoed in his mind: Ah. Just needed to add more money!

Tatsuya's immediate acceptance, in turn, left Tsunade blinking in surprise. She'd thrown out the high number expecting to negotiate down, not for him to agree on the spot!

"Here!" Recovering quickly, Tsunade decisively produced the scroll detailing the Yin Seal.

Not that she wouldn't have preferred to maintain a little more dignity, but honestly? The offer was just too good to refuse.