Hinata pressed one hand against her chest to keep her front from floating up too much, while holding a wine cup in the other.
After a few cups of mellow wine, the heat of the hot spring seeped into her limbs and bones, and the atmosphere grew increasingly relaxed.
"Um, can I have a little bit too... It looks so delicious..."
Tenten's courage grew slightly, and she leaned closer to Hinata, sniffing the aroma of the wine.
Hinata glanced at Tenten: "No, you're not an adult yet, you're too young."
Tenten's face instantly fell, her cheeks puffing up like little steamed buns.
She reached out, grabbed Hinata's hand, shook it gently, and pouted in protest.
"What's that supposed to mean? You're about the same age as me, why can you drink..."
That's not the same; I'm a cultivator, I could chug medical alcohol and be fine.
"Hahaha, alcohol is the kind of thing that only those with stories can truly savor," Lady Tsunade said with a laugh.
Tenten immediately wilted.
Seeing her pitiful, drooping head, Hinata finally handed over the wine cup in her hand.
"Then give it a taste, only a small sip, just try it."
Tenten's eyes instantly lit up like stars, and she hurriedly leaned in, carefully taking a small sip from the cup Hinata had used.
The moment the liquid touched her tongue, a choking spiciness rushed straight into her nasal cavity.
She scrunched up her face, her features contorting, and she instinctively opened her mouth to exhale, her tongue sticking out, looking just like a kitten that had been scalded.
"Cough, cough—so spicy! What, what is this stuff? It doesn't taste good at all!"
Watching Tenten's expression, Hinata and Lady Tsunade both burst into laughter.
Tenten behaved herself after that, deciding to just stick to fruit juice.
She looked at Lady Tsunade, who was lounging lazily by the edge of the pool, and couldn't help but start a new topic, her tone full of admiration.
"Lady Tsunade, do you know? Your methods for pacifying the villagers and your other decisions are all excellent; they are being implemented very well in the Village now."
Tenten's eyes sparkled as she counted on her fingers, mentioning Lady Tsunade's past achievements and her unparalleled Medical Ninjutsu.
Lady Tsunade listened, her face showing no particular expression, just taking another sip of wine.
"Those are all old stories. As for the decisions in the Village, they were just things I wrote down casually; don't pay them too much mind."
Despite saying this, a faint glimmer flashed in her eyes.
"No way! Those decisions are really amazing! Everyone was very pessimistic at first, but since Lady Tsunade appeared, you've turned the tide!" Tenten said earnestly.
Lady Tsunade waved her hand and looked at Tenten, "You little one, you care about these things?"
"Because I think it's amazing!" Tenten's face flushed red.
Lady Tsunade was slightly taken aback, then shook her head with a laugh.
She didn't say anything more, just finished the wine in her cup, seemingly lost in a brief moment of memory.
Just then, at the wrist where Hinata had been resting her hand on her chest, a flash of white seemed to shift.
"Hm?" Lady Tsunade noticed it first. With her sharp gaze, she immediately caught the anomaly in that unnatural movement.
Following closely, Tenten also looked in the direction of Lady Tsunade's gaze, her eyes widening in surprise.
On Hinata's snow-white wrist, what had originally been thought to be a simple white jade bracelet actually moved slowly!
The "jade bracelet" stretched slightly, revealing an exquisite, tiny head covered in fine white jade scales.
It began to move, blinking its large eyes as it looked at them.
It seemed to have just awakened from a deep sleep.
Lazily, it slid a short distance around her wrist, then affectionately rubbed its cool little head against the skin on the inside of Hinata's wrist before becoming still again, coiling back up like an exquisite living bracelet.
"A… a snake?!" Tenten exclaimed in a low voice, instinctively shrinking back.
She wasn't particularly afraid, but rather amazed.
After all, she was a Ninja and was used to Summoned Beasts, but a snake this small, this exquisite, and even looking a bit cute, coiled so docilely on Hinata's wrist?
This was truly unexpected.
A flash of surprise also crossed Lady Tsunade's eyes, immediately turning into intense interest; she certainly didn't think this was just an ordinary pet snake.
The color of those jade-like scales, its appearance, and the incredibly natural intimacy between it and Hinata... she could tell this was by no means an ordinary creature.
"Oh? Is this your… Summoned Beast? Are there snake-type Summoned Beasts like this?" Lady Tsunade raised an eyebrow, looking at Hinata, waiting for an explanation.
She could even feel that the little snake seemed to sense her and Tenten's gaze, but it showed absolutely no vigilance or hostility, just lazily lifting its eyes to look before shrinking back.
Hinata lowered her eyes, looked at the Little White Snake on her wrist, and extended her right index finger to gently tap its little head.
The snake obediently raised its head and rubbed against her fingertip.
"No, it was a gift from a friend." Hinata said concisely, without specifying what kind of friend.
"It has a very gentle temperament, kept as a pet. How about it, cute, right?"
"A friend?" Lady Tsunade repeated the word, her eyebrows raising even higher.
Someone who could give away such an obviously extraordinary pet, and something she would keep by her side, certainly wouldn't be a simple person.
She almost immediately thought of a certain Rogue Ninja who had a soft spot for snakes, though he didn't seem to have a snake like this.
Could it be that Orochimaru is actually a closet softie?
Next time they meet, won't he summon a bunch of pink, tender, and cute snakes to attack her?
In her mind, Lady Tsunade pictured Orochimaru wearing a pink kimono, surrounded by a bunch of cute creatures, and got goosebumps.
"Quite a unique little creature, looks pretty pleasing to the eye—much more pleasing than the things belonging to a certain Rogue Ninja."
Tenten, meanwhile, had already curiously leaned in closer and couldn't help but ask.
"Does it… does it have a name? What does it eat? Will it bite people? It looks so pretty!"
Her shock was quickly replaced by curiosity and the exquisite appearance of the Little White Snake.
"It's called Little White. As for what it eats, hmm, it's quite varied, it can eat anything, but it mostly eats food that is cooler in nature."
She paused, then added, "As for whether it bites or not, you'll know if you touch it."
Little White raised its head, met Tenten's gaze, and flicked its tongue.
"Little White, huh…"
Tenten wanted to touch it but was a little afraid.
She felt the name was a bit hasty, but it did suit it well.
Hinata lowered her hand, and Little White's body made contact with the hot spring, so it crawled toward Hinata's shoulder to continue sleeping.
Looking at the snake's quiet and well-behaved appearance, the earlier shock had completely turned into affection.
"So cute… it's not like any snake I've ever seen…"
"It's my first time seeing one too, and snakes shouldn't like environments like hot springs. It seems your little pet isn't affected at all." Lady Tsunade continued to observe it.
"Does Lady Tsunade also have research on such creatures?"
Lady Tsunade shrugged and poured herself another cup of wine.
"Not really, but Medical Ninja inevitably have to deal with poisonous species like snakes. Still, I really haven't seen a snake this beautiful."
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