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…
Tsunade stepped through the orphanage gates with a furrowed brow, fully prepared to be assaulted by the dull, depressing image she'd always associated with such places.
Runny noses, broken toys, tired caretakers, and rows of listless kids who just lost their parents.
Instead, what she found made her pause mid-step.
The courtyard wasn't chaotic or sad like she imagined. It was full of energy, but not the kind that made your head hurt. Kids were everywhere, quietly focused on their own things.
Some scribbled on parchment with surprising focus, others, majorly the females carefully practiced stitches with old but neat fabric.
A group huddled around a small easel, taking turns painting with charcoal sticks, while one older girl calmly instructed two smaller boys on how to balance cups of water using only their fingers and concentration.
It was… peaceful and organized.
Tsunade blinked in confusion, uncertain for a moment if she'd wandered into some hidden school or civilian workshop.
"…Is this really an orphanage?" Tsunade muttered.
She stood there for a second in confusion, until a small figure marched right up to her like he owned the place.
"Hey," said the ten-year-old boy with spiky black hair and too much attitude. "You're standing in the training square."
Tsunade blinked down at him. "The what now?"
"The square," he repeated like she was slow. "Where we train. If you're not here to help, you're in the way."
She stared. This brat was talking to her like she was the nuisance?
He crossed his arms. "You don't look like a helper. Or a sensei. Are you lost or just nosy?"
Tsunade's eyebrow twitched. "What did you just say to me?"
"I said—"
"I heard you," she cut in, stepping closer. "Who put you in charge, huh?"
"I did," he said proudly. "Name's Hiro. Murakami-nii said I was supposed to look after everyone when he's not here."
Tsunade's lips curled into a grin despite her rising anger. "Ohhh, so you're the little tyrant."
"Flattery would get you nowhere." Hiro's eyes narrowed. "But I prefer captain."
She leaned forward with a bratty smirk to match. "Well, I'm Princess Tsunade of the Senju Clan. And I'm here on a royal mission to deliver fruit to your boss. So maybe you should step aside."
That finally made Hiro blink. His arms lowered an inch. "…You know Murakami-nii?"
Tsunade tapped her finger to his forehead with a smirk. "Know him? I brought him fruit."
Hiro looked at the bag on her shoulder, his expression softening a bit, but the next moment, he scoffed, unimpressed. "Senju or not, you've got a bad attitude."
Tsunade huffed. "Tch. Look who's talking."
Before they could continue their banter, another one of the older kids walked over to them and slapped Hiro at the back of his head. "Enough you brat."
"Oi Masaki! What the hell was that for?" Hiro held his head and glared at the newcomer who ignored him and turned to Tsunade. "Welcome to the Lotus Orphanage. I couldn't help but overhear your discussion, however, I should inform you that Murakami-nii isn't here at the moment."
"Oh. Isn't he supposed to be recovering here or something?" Seeing the boy's polite attitude despite being of the same age as her, Tsunade couldn't help replying in a softer tone.
The boy, Masaki, gave her a curious look. "Why would you think Murakami-nii lives here?"
"He doesn't?" Tsunade blurted out.
"See? I knew she was suspicious the moment I laid my eyes on her." Hiro immediately chimed in. "I bet she isn't even who she says she is."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed as both boys stared at her like she was some intruder. Hiro crossed his arms again with renewed suspicion, and Masaki, though quieter, tilted his head in silent doubt.
"What's with those looks?" Tsunade snapped, annoyed. "I didn't sneak in or anything!"
"You're acting kinda shady," Hiro said flatly. "And carrying fruit doesn't make you less suspicious."
Masaki didn't say anything, but his gaze lingered on her a little too long for comfort.
Tsunade's hands clenched. Her patience, already thin from wandering around the village, was just about to snap—
"Honestly, the two of you are too much."
A new voice rang out, this one calm but stern.
Tsunade looked up to see a middle aged woman stepping down the wooden steps of the main building. She wore simple robes and carried the air of someone used to managing trouble.
"Hiro, Masaki," she said as she approached, "is this how you treat guests?"
Hiro turned immediately, his voice rising in protest. "But Hoshino-san, she was being—!"
"I was watching the entire time," she cut in smoothly. "You were being dramatic again."
Masaki stayed quiet, lips pressed together. He clearly knew better than to argue.
With practiced ease, Hoshino-san reached out and gave Hiro a light knock on the back of the head.
"Ow!" he cried, rubbing the spot. "That's child abuse!"
"That's discipline," she replied coolly. "Something you've been asking for all morning."
Then she turned to Tsunade, her expression softening into a warm smile. "Forgive them, Lady Tsunade. They mean well… most of the time."
Tsunade blinked in surprise. "You know who I am?"
Hoshino-san chuckled. "Of course. I've seen you once in passing, when you visited him at the hospital with Lady Mito, right?"
Tsunade nodded, shifting the bag of fruit on her shoulder. "Yeah... I, uh, picked these and wanted to drop them off. Thought he was still recovering here."
"Ah, I see." Hoshino-san gave a small nod, then said gently, "Murakami doesn't live here anymore. He visits often, but he has his own place now, a small apartment not far from the civilian market."
Tsunade frowned. "Seriously? Then I walked all the way here for nothing?"
"Not quite," Hoshino-san said with a smile. "It was very thoughtful of you to come." She glanced at the two boys. "I would have offered to escort you myself, but I can't leave the children unsupervised."
She turned to Hiro and Masaki.
"Masaki, Hiro, escort Lady Tsunade to the Lotus Store. And please behave this time."
Masaki gave a respectful nod. "Yes, Hoshino-san."
Hiro groaned. "Do I have to?"
"You were happy to act like the captain a moment ago," she said, arching an eyebrow. "So act like one."
"Fine," Hiro muttered and walked past her. "But I'm walking in front."
Tsunade rolled her eyes and turned to follow the boy "Tch. Just don't slow me down."
Masaki just sighed and followed behind the two after giving Hoshino a quick nod.
Hoshino-san smiled again, watching them leave.."And do try not to argue the whole way there!"
The walk from the orphanage to the Lotus Store was quieter than expected.
For all their earlier noise, the two boys walked in a surprisingly steady rhythm, flanking Tsunade without crowding her. She didn't mind the silence. It gave her time to think.
Still, something felt… off.
Every few steps, Hiro would glance over his shoulder at her. Not sneakily either. Just a bold, full turn of the head and a squint, as if he were inspecting a suspicious cabbage.
By the third time, Tsunade's brow twitched.
"Oi," she snapped. "What's with the constant staring?"
Hiro looked back again, this time slowing his pace just enough to meet her eyes. "Just trying to figure out what the big deal is."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
He shrugged. "You're nothing special."
Tsunade blinked. "Excuse me?"
"I mean," Hiro said, waving vaguely at her. "You're kinda plain. Dunno why Murakami-nii would even bother with you."
Tsunade's fists clenched. "What?"
The boy didn't stop. "You don't even have curves. Murakami-nii always says he'll marry someone with hips like a mountain pass…whatever that means. You're… too flat."
She was mid-inhale, chakra flaring hot in her fists when—
Smack!
Masaki didn't even break stride as he delivered a sharp cuff to the back of Hiro's head.
"Stop spouting nonsense."
"Ow! Again?!" Hiro whined, holding his head. "Why is everyone always hitting me?!"
"Because you never shut up," Masaki said coldly.
But Hiro wouldn't be silenced. He pointed a finger back at Tsunade. "I'm just saying! Aiko-nee is way more beautiful. She has a scar and everything!"
Tsunade's eye twitched. "A scar?"
"Yup! Right across her arm. It looks cool. Way cooler than anything you've got going on."
"Hiro," Masaki warned, voice low.
But Tsunade had already picked up a pebble from the road.
"You keep talking," she said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eye. "Let's see if your big brother likes dentures."
Masaki sighed.
The walk was no longer quiet and although he didn't explicitly agree with Hiro, that didn't mean he disagreed so he couldn't just tell him off.
After all, other than being a bit cute, Tsunade really had nothing going for her.
…
Murakami POV
Back at the Lotus Store
By midday, the effects of the poison had fully settled in.
I lay on a futon in one of the back rooms with a blanket loosely pulled over me. Sweat clung to my forehead, and every few moments, a faint tremor passed through my fingers.
The room wasn't spinning at least, not continuously. It simply refused to remain where I expected it to be.
I stared at it for several seconds. "The ceiling is moving."
Aiko, seated beside the low table and recording my reactions, didn't even look up. "The ceiling isn't moving."
I watched it for another moment. "…Then I've discovered something worse."
She sighed.
Hina, sitting across the room with a scroll spread across her lap, glanced at me. "How bad?"
I considered the question.
"Nausea is manageable. Tremors get worse when I move quickly." I paused, searching for the right description. "My balance is… unreliable."
"That's one way to put it." She said but I ignored her, not intentionally, but because my thoughts felt strangely loose.
Not absent or confused enough to lose myself, they simply refused to move in the straight lines I was accustomed to.
Yet beneath the haze, my awareness remained intact.
That was interesting.
I slowly raised my hand, but halfway up, my fingers began trembling and I had to set it back.
"Motor function is being affected more than cognition."
Aiko finally looked up from her notes. "You're analyzing the poison effect right now?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Because you're currently intoxicated."
I frowned slightly. "I'm not unaware of that."
"You're lying on a futon staring at the ceiling."
"I can do both."
Aiko shook her head and returned to her notes. "Fine. Continue."
I closed my eyes for a moment to observe my body but that caused the nausea to come in waves. 'I guess I can't even manipulate spiritual energy in this state.'
The nausea wasn't constant. It rose, peaked, then gradually receded before returning again.
My muscles felt heavy, but not weak.
There was a distinction.
Weakness suggested a reduction in physical capability, this felt more like interference.
My body still possessed strength but my ability to coordinate that strength was what had been compromised.
I opened my eyes. "The poison isn't suppressing my strength."
Aiko's brush paused and turned to my direction.
"It's interfering with how efficiently my body responds to commands."
"That's what the tremors suggest." she said and returned to writing.
I glanced towards her "And the nausea?"
"Likely a secondary response." she answered.
I nodded slowly in understanding but that action made me feel like my head suddenly felt heavier.
I stared at the wall. "…I dislike this."
Hina raised an eyebrow. "Finally, some wisdom."
"I don't dislike the experiment," I said.
"Of course not," Hina replied dryly.
"I dislike the poison."
Aiko gave me a flat look. "They're the same thing."
"No."
I shifted beneath the blanket and immediately regretted it as my stomach twisted.
I closed my eyes. "…They're related."
Hina laughed softly.
I waited for the wave to pass before continuing. "How long since ingestion?"
"About forty minutes."
"Peak effect?"
"Probably another ten minutes."
I frowned. "Record that."
"I already did."
"Good."
Silence settled over the room.
I slowly raised my hand again, watching the faint tremor in my fingers.
Interesting.
Even while intoxicated, I could still observe myself.
My thoughts were slower, but they hadn't disappeared. My awareness remained sharp enough to recognize the changes.
That made the poison more useful than I'd initially expected.
Not because the effects were pleasant, but because now I knew exactly what I needed to train against.
A poison that impaired the body without immediately destroying cognition was dangerous precisely because it left the victim conscious enough to understand what was happening while stripping away their ability to respond properly.
I smiled faintly. "Useful."
Aiko stared at me. "You're smiling."
"Am I?"
"Yes."
I considered that. "That may be the poison."
"I hope so."
I closed my eyes again. For several minutes, the room remained quiet.
Then my voice came softly from beneath the blanket. "Aiko."
"Yes?"
"Next time, slightly less."
She blinked. "You're already planning the next dose?"
I opened one eye. "I need a baseline first."
"You're unbelievable."
"I've been told."
Hina rolled up her scroll.
"You're not taking another dose until your current reaction is fully documented."
I gave a small nod.
A few seconds passed.
Then: "Hina."
"What?"
"The ceiling really is moving."
Hina looked up then sighed. "It isn't."