Day 1 - Iron Will of Determination
Sakura knew, theoretically, that this was a bad idea. She also knew that there was no way she was going to back down.
Sure, all the other contestants had larger BMI, which meant a higher tolerance - she would know - but they hadn't all been trained by someone who seemed immune to alcohol. She did have medical jutsu on her side, but if Sakura was going to win this, she wanted to earn it.
The drinking contest was a local event in the land of tea, and she'd be damned if it wasn't a stupidly fun way to wind down after her god-awful mission. Maybe it wasn't the healthiest coping mechanism, but for a shinobi it it definitely wasn't the worst.
The mission was supposed to be simple. Get to the location, heal the patients, get home. But no, a couple of surprise A-rank missing nin later led to torn clothes, blood soaked hair, and the stress levels of an active volcano. This competition was the perfect opportunity to forget about the trip, especially if nobody recognised her as a loyal Konoha shinobi when she got absolutely smashed.
She made it to the inn, and quickly showered off the blood covering her before heading off to the bar. In her civilian clothes and with her hitai-ate tucked under her shirt, she blended right in. Except for the hair, of course, but that was easily fixed with a light henge. Sakura slipped up to the bar behind what seemed like the rest of the town and flagged down the bartender.
"I'll take whatever's the strongest you've got. And make it the whole bottle, I don't want to be sober after ten minutes."
One of the large, burly men leaning against the bar snorted at her words.
"A little girl like you wouldn't be able to handle a few drinks, let alone the strongest whiskey in the country."
Sakura, tired as she was, had to struggle not to just punch him for insulting her drinking ability, but no. If she wanted to stay as anonymous as possible, she would have to keep her strength to herself. Instead, she just ignored him completely and kept her attention on the bartender.
"Sorry lady, all the whiskey's being used for the competition."
Sakura started to get a little agitated.
"You can't spare one."
"Unfortunately not. If you want to drink it, then you have to compete."
"Fine. I want in. Anything I gotta do or can I just start drinking?"
The man from before scoffed again. "Three drinks in and you'll be a slobbering mess on the floor."
"Oh really? Challenge accepted asshole. I'm going to drink you under the goddamn table. So bartender, what's the price?"
"It's twenty Ryo for entry, but drinks are on the house if you win."
Free booze as long as she kept drinking? This contest was a fantastic idea.
"Why do we begin? I'm extremely thirsty."
Ten minutes later and half of the competition was already passed out. Sakura, however, was still going strong. The shots were giving her a pleasant burning sensation down her throat and numbing her memory, and she had no intention of having to fork out the cash for it when she woke up the next day. It had gotten to the point were there were so few people left that they could all sit at one table. After a few more shots, men started to drop like flies and Sakura was eventually face to face with the man who had talked shit to her at the bar.
He was definitely starting to look woozy, way more than she was. Throwing back another one each, the man slurred out a few choice words on how he was going to beat her and how a girl should know better than to try drinking against a man. He was clearly too intoxicated to see that they were the only two left. After another comment about the incompetencies of women, Sakura narrowed her eyes; this was starting to get a little too personal for her to brush off.
"Well, maybe if you got your head out of your ass, you'd see that I'm four shots ahead of you and you're just about ready to clock out."
"Nuh uh. I'm-m gonna win an- and then I'll be better and you'll see-." The man stopped mid-sentence to hiccup, pass-out on the table, and start snoring like a foghorn.
Sakura stood up from the table, letting the applause of the equally drunk crowd wash over her, and grabbed the opened bottle of whisky off the table before stumbling - only slightly mind you - to the door.
"It was fun, but I'm drinking till I pass out and there's no point sticking around here if I can get trashed in my room."
"But the contest is over! Your drinks aren't free any-."
Sakura, in the midst of forgetting to keep a non-shinobi profile, interrupted the barkeeper my slamming her fist into the wall and making the entire building shudder. Taking the stunned silence as a lack of protest, she sauntered back to the inn and proceeded to finish the bottle and collapse in her bed.
The next morning, Sakura was cursing the gods, but a little medical ninjutsu later fixed her pounding headache, and she was simply left with a hole in her memory from the entire day. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember what she did nor how she got to this inn, but if the date was correct, she was late back to Konoha and she speedily left the village with her clothes stinking of booze and an odd sense of victory.
For years to come, the bar in that village had an unattainable record for the drinking contest, achieved by an unknown woman and although greatly contested, her legend remained unbeaten.