Tsunade's grip loosened, and she set Kaito down slowly. The tension in her expression softened into relief.
"Since you're back, that's what matters," she said. Then, with a sudden glare, she jabbed a finger at him. "But if you disappear without a word again, Ayanami Kaito, I'll make you regret it."
"Don't worry," Kaito replied with a disarming smile. "I won't."
Without warning, he pulled her into a light embrace. A flicker of guilt crossed his mind—Hinata was waiting for him at home, yet here he was holding Tsunade. It felt… complicated.
"Right," Kaito said, breaking the moment. "Nothing major happened in the shinobi world after I left, right?"
(Why aren't they talking about him being her student! 😐)
"There's been a lot," Tsunade replied. "What do you want to hear first?"
"Start with the most important."
For the next several hours, Tsunade recounted the events that had unfolded during his absence. Shizune entered once, but Tsunade sent her away, claiming the conversation was private.
Listening intently, Kaito found himself both relieved and unsettled. Overall, things had followed the same course as the events he remembered from the original timeline. After the war, Namikaze Minato had risen to prominence, eventually becoming the Fourth Hokage. The Sannin had drifted apart.
The only significant deviation was that his own name—once hailed as the "God of the Ninja World"—had faded from history. Years without news of him had led people to assume he was dead. Younger generations didn't even recognize the name the Kaito from then.
But Kaito didn't mind. As long as the important events stayed the same, the rest didn't matter.
"Alright," Tsunade said at last, her voice softening. "Since you're back, you should go see Kushina."
"Yeah, I will," Kaito nodded, though his lips twisted into a small, uneasy smile.
"Don't give me that look," Tsunade said, crossing her arms. "You've made a mess of things. Kushina and I can let the past go—it's been years—but Hinata and Ino? That's another story."
Kaito sighed. "I'll go now."
He left the office in slight embarrassment, heading back home. By the time he arrived, it was midday. Hinata had already prepared lunch and was waiting, seated neatly like the perfect hostess.
After they ate together, Kaito stayed with her for a short while before stepping outside. Locking on to Kushina's chakra signature, he vanished in a flicker.
He appeared in front of a sprawling courtyard, at least five times the size of his own home. Yet despite its grandeur, the place felt empty—no attendants, no movement.
Opening the gate, he muttered to himself, "So this is where the First Hokage once lived."
Konoha had rebuilt the Senju compound after the clan's decline, but its territory had been drastically reduced—first to a tenth of its former size, then even smaller over the years. Now, only this courtyard remained. The Hokage at the time, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had dared not reclaim it completely because Kushina lived here.
As Kaito walked, memories of the place returned. Finally, he stopped at Kushina's door. But for the first time in years, he hesitated. Tsunade had told him that Kushina had withdrawn completely from the world. She had waited here, alone, for over a decade.
A voice broke the silence.
"What's wrong? Don't have the courage to knock? Or do you want me to drag you in myself?" Kushina's voice was laced with irritation, but beneath it, something warmer lingered.
With a sigh, Kaito pushed the door open.
Kushina looked unchanged from the last time he had seen her—still radiant, still strong. A small, diamond-shaped mark glistened faintly on her forehead.
"So, you've mastered the Hundred Healings Mark," Kaito thought aloud.
"You've been to the past," she said calmly, pouring tea for him.
"Yeah. As soon as I returned, I came back to Konoha."
"Planning to leave again?" she asked, her tone sharp.
"No. Never again," Kaito said gently, brushing a hand against her cheek.
"Hmph. I'm not Hinata—you can't win me over with a couple of sweet words."
Kaito blinked in surprise. "How did you—?"
"You don't need to know," Kushina cut him off. "You should be thinking about how to explain yourself to Hinata and Ino."
Kaito groaned inwardly. That was a problem he hadn't solved yet.
Seeing his expression, Kushina smirked slightly. "Need my help?"
"Not yet. Ino's still away on a mission. I'll talk to them together when she's back."
"In that case…" Kushina's eyes gleamed with challenge. "Let's settle something between us. This time, I'll beat you."
Without warning, she closed her eyes and addressed the Nine-Tails inside her. "Kurama, my man's back. Take a nap for a while."
"Tch. I'm not interested in watching your human squabbles," the fox grumbled before going silent.
Soon, Kaito's lips found Kushina's in a slow, hungry kiss, his hands roaming as each layer of clothing fell away. Their bodies tangled in a fevered rhythm that lasted for hours, every touch and moan pulling them closer to the brink. By the end, they lay breathless and spent, the room heavy with the intoxicating scent of their passion.
___
Thanks for the Power stones.