The night was pitch black, and the frigid northern wind howled like a beast, biting into the skin.
To keep the cold out and retain warmth, people had stuffed thick paper or cloth into window gaps, leaving only the door slightly ajar for ventilation. As a result, the room's temperature would rise significantly.
Just like now.
Under the dim lamplight, Naruto Uzumaki's body temperature was rising rapidly. A soft gleam shimmered in his deep blue eyes, and he swallowed hard.
At that moment, Lady Tsunade was lying beneath Naruto. Her white wrists were pinned under his small hands. Though his body appeared smaller than hers, Naruto straddled her firmly, his knees pressing into the heat of her soft figure.
They were face-to-face.
Tsunade's fair cheeks turned a faint shade of red under Naruto's burning gaze. The atmosphere became utterly still, shrouded in a mysterious tension.
Naruto didn't know how long he held this position, but his palms were sweating. Tsunade's hands were like hot water bottles—warm and tender, breaking down the last shred of resistance in his heart.
He silently wished his system would offer a new, more daring choice at this moment.
Unfortunately, the previous option hadn't concluded yet, and a new one couldn't be triggered.
What a waste. If he had teased her while choices were available, the reward would've been huge.
He glanced at Tsunade's beautiful but dazed eyes. She looked back at him—her gaze caught between confusion and submission.
Naruto let out a breath. He wasn't one to wait patiently. Seeing Tsunade offer no resistance, he bent forward and kissed her soft, peach-colored lips.
"Tsunade-sama..."
Naruto murmured.
Tsunade's body tensed, but when she felt the strength in Naruto's hands, she couldn't resist. Her limbs weakened.
It felt as though the powerful woman who once held the world in awe was no longer the one lying here.
The kiss landed.
In that moment, the enclosed room seemed to fill with an intoxicating scent. Their breathing grew heavier. In Naruto's vision, the world turned pink.
This was life.
Tsunade forgot everything—the scolding she gave Naruto earlier about restraint, her long-lost first love Kato Dan, and her age.
All that remained was the pulsing energy of desire coursing through every fiber of her body.
If you looked closely, her flushed cheeks almost seemed to scream: "Take me."
"Tsunade-sama!"
A loud voice outside suddenly shattered the moment.
Tsunade's eyes widened. The charm disappeared instantly. Her long lashes trembled. In a flash, she pushed Naruto away with tremendous force.
"Boom!"
The kiss stopped abruptly. Naruto was flung into the wall like a ragdoll by Tsunade's terrifying strength.
Dazed, he watched as Tsunade furrowed her brows in frustration. Her gaze darted around. Then she bit her lip and muttered, "Idiot." With the click of her heels, she turned and walked out.
As soon as she left the room, her footsteps sped up—from walking to brisk walking—then to running.
Left alone in silence, Naruto's expression darkened.
"Damn it! Whoever ruined this for me... I swear I'll turn their whole family into dye!"
Still, he sighed.
"It's not a total loss. Lady Tsunade is high-ranking in the Land of Fire. If I had chosen to tease her while a system choice was available, the reward would've been massive."
Naruto crawled off the wall, walked to the window, and stared at the moon.
Still pissed.
(╯'–')╯︵┻━┻
Meanwhile: Tsunade's Rage
After storming out of Naruto's room, Tsunade didn't go to anyone right away. She rushed to her own quarters, changed into black pants and threw on her iconic green cloak emblazoned with the word "Gamble."
She headed out immediately.
Along the way, a ninja called to her twice:
"Lady Tsunade!"
The night was dark as ink, and the ninja didn't see how furious Tsunade looked when she emerged.
"What is it?" she snapped.
"Jiraiya-sama has arrived. He requests to speak with you."
Tsunade clenched her fists.
"Lead the way!"
The Konoha forces were camping in an abandoned village. The command room was formerly the village chief's residence.
As Tsunade entered, the first person she saw was Akimichi Choza, bruised and bandaged from the earlier battle with the Raikage. He hadn't yet recovered.
"Where is Jiraiya?" she asked, her tone sharp.
Choza, intimidated, pointed to a room to the left.
Tsunade didn't wait. She stepped forward and—
"Crash!"
The door exploded into splinters as she kicked it open.
So much for a warm reunion.
"Who the hell pissed you off?" Jiraiya's familiar teasing voice greeted her from inside.
"I'm not angry," Tsunade growled, arms crossed.
Seeing Jiraiya's annoying grin, she scowled, "Wipe that smirk off your face before I do it for you!"
"...Did she eat gunpowder for dinner?" Jiraiya thought, his smile freezing.
Sensing the danger, he straightened up and asked softly:
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Jiraiya had loved Tsunade for years—it was practically an open secret. Even Tsunade knew, though she never returned the sentiment. Still, she occasionally allowed him to show concern.
As long as he didn't get annoying, she usually tolerated him.
But tonight... was different.
That little brat Naruto had pushed the limits—and nearly succeeded.
Tsunade had already given in to temptation once. She was ready to go all the way.
And Jiraiya chose that exact moment to interrupt.
She might have rationalized her way out of it later—avoiding a twilight fling with someone decades younger—but right now?
She was livid.
"If you have something to say, spit it out. If you're just going to waste my time, I'm leaving."
"Come on! I came as soon as I got your letter!"
"If I waited for you, I'd have died 800 times by now."
"Haha… I was a bit far off, okay?" Jiraiya scratched his head awkwardly. Her rage was nuclear.
Still, he swallowed it. He had arrived too late. The war had ended.
He coughed, pulling out a folder and handed it to her.
"What's this?"
Tsunade opened it—and her expression grew even darker.
"Is this accurate?"
"I'm 80% sure," Jiraiya replied seriously.
It was intel about a newly emerging mysterious organization. According to the file, Orochimaru and the Sound Village were part of it—but Orochimaru wasn't the leader. He was just a cadre.
Unbelievable. The once-proud Orochimaru, obsessed with power and once a Hokage contender, reduced to a subordinate?
Either he was after something, or the organization was so powerful even he had to submit.
If it was the latter… things were about to get ugly.
Orochimaru wanted Konoha's research secrets. If this new group was powerful, he might push them into conflict with Konoha.
Another crisis.
"We've barely dealt with the Land of Lightning, and now Akatsuki's after the tailed beasts… and Orochimaru shows up again."
Tsunade rubbed her forehead. Being Hokage was harder than she'd imagined.
She sighed.
"Why is everything going to hell at once?"
"Maybe it's the sign of a changing world," Jiraiya said grimly. "I don't know how long us old-timers can hold on."
"…Huh?"
Suddenly, Tsunade's high heel slammed into his chest, launching him backward like a cannonball.
Crash! He flew through multiple walls before collapsing on the ground, blood gushing from his mouth.
"Tsunade! What the hell was that for?!"
Before he could recover, another flying kick came from above.
"Stop! That could kill someone!" Jiraiya cried.
"You bastard! I'm still young and can date whoever I want!"
"..."
The Next Morning
The sky was overcast—no rain, no sun.
Two big things happened in the Konoha camp.
First, the entire camp learned that Jiraiya had been severely injured the night he arrived. Bandaged from head to toe, he looked miserable.
Officially, Tsunade had lashed out because he showed up only after the war ended.
But rumor had it… he caught Tsunade with a "young hunk," lost his temper, and called her a shameless old hag.
And got pummeled for it.
Second, that afternoon, the new Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village, Yugito, sent a letter of surrender.
She admitted fault in the war and offered reparations to Konoha.
Tsunade agreed to peace talks.
She had never intended to destroy Kumogakure. Her goal was always to reverse the image of Konoha as weak and passive.
Now that this was achieved, it was time to end the war.
That evening, she ordered Naruto Uzumaki to lead a delegation to the Land of Lightning and begin negotiations.
The announcement sparked a wave of celebration across the camp.
Though a few battle-hardened shinobi might have wanted to keep fighting, the vast majority just wanted to go home.
The cannon fodder knew they weren't the protagonists of this world.
They didn't care about honor or ambition—just surviving to sleep in their own beds.
Naruto was thrilled. He had finally completed one of his system options.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing Option 3. Reward: Eight Gates of Dunjutsu – Perfect Version issued.]
The mechanical voice was music to his ears—especially since it included the Perfect Eight Gates.
Perfect Eight Gates of Dunjutsu: When opening the Death Gate, the user no longer pays with their life, but loses chakra temporarily.
As everyone knew, opening the final gate meant overwhelming power—but also certain death.
Now that weakness was gone.
"From now on, I stand among the strongest in this world."
"I finally have the power to fear no one."
With that thought, Naruto Uzumaki led his team toward the Land of Lightning—stronger than ever, but with one final goal in mind:
He still hadn't triggered his active reward.
Yugito might be Raikage in name, but she didn't yet fully control the Land of Lightning.
Naruto had a plan.
And this time… it would pay off.