Noon, Senju Compound.
Nawaki and Kaori were setting dishes on the table.
"Sis, you finally woke up," Nawaki said without looking up, focused on arranging the food. "Skipped breakfast again, huh? Knew you wouldn't get up."
Ryo's appearance in the Senju compound didn't surprise Nawaki at all.
Back when Kushina was staying here to study sealing techniques, Ryo would often come around too.
Last night, his sister went drinking with Ryo, got drunk, and stayed the night. Perfectly normal.
Nawaki just thought his sister looked especially radiant today. Her cheeks were flushed, her usual sharpness softened by a subtle and unfamiliar gentleness.
"Mm." Tsunade gave a vague response, her gaze slightly unfocused. She pulled out a chair and sat down. Even the way she picked up her chopsticks had a faint, barely noticeable stiffness.
Nawaki finally looked up and studied her. "Huh? Sis, why's your face so red? Still hungover?"
At sixteen or seventeen, the boy's thoughts were as simple as a blank page. He figured she looked this happy because she was relieved he had fully recovered.
Kaori, only eleven or twelve, nibbled at her rice while darting glances between Tsunade and Ryo. She could sense something weird in the air.
Nawaki's words pierced straight into Tsunade's heart like a needle.
Her cheeks flushed hotter. A wave of heat rushed to her head.
"Can't you eat without running your mouth?" she snapped, face darkening as her voice rose. There was a trace of anger in her tone, masking the embarrassment beneath.
Nawaki shrank back and instantly shut up, burying his head in his bowl without another word.
Just after silencing her brother with force, Tsunade caught a glimpse of the true culprit—Ryo—sitting beside her, calmly picking up dishes like nothing had happened.
That infuriating calm only made her angrier.
It was all his fault.
The more Tsunade thought about it, the more furious she got. She swung a fist straight at Ryo's shoulder.
"This is your fault," she growled through clenched teeth, voice low. The punch carried force.
As if expecting it, Ryo flipped his wrist, not even putting down his chopsticks. His forearm moved with ease.
Thud.
The force was effortlessly deflected. Tsunade's punch hit his arm, and the recoil left her knuckles numb.
The entire table wobbled from the impact.
An awkward silence fell over the table.
Nawaki and Kaori kept their heads down, eating quietly, not daring to make a sound.
Tsunade absentmindedly poked at her rice with her chopsticks, avoiding eye contact. Every now and then, she would glance at Ryo, then quickly look away. All trace of her usual bold, commanding Sannin demeanor was gone.
Her face burned. She couldn't sit still and just wanted the meal to end.
Ryo, however, ate calmly. From time to time, he glanced at Tsunade's awkward behavior. A faint, nearly invisible smile tugged at his lips.
Just as Tsunade was about to be driven mad by the silence, a shadow appeared at the doorway of the dining room.
The figure wore an animal mask and the uniform of the Anbu. He bowed respectfully to Tsunade.
"Tsunade-sama. The Hokage requests your presence at the Hokage Tower immediately."
Tsunade practically sighed in relief. She slammed her chopsticks down and stood up abruptly.
"Got it!" Her voice was firm and filled with an eagerness to escape.
She strode out quickly, almost fleeing the scene.
Ryo watched her slightly flustered back disappear, eyes narrowing slightly.
Nawaki had just recovered. And it was thanks to Tsunade's modified version of Earth Grudge Fear. For Hiruzen to summon her at a time like this… he didn't need to think hard to guess what it was about.
And now, Tsunade… was his woman.
Ryo put down his chopsticks and followed naturally.
Nawaki and Kaori exchanged looks as they watched the two leave one after the other, the table still full of untouched food.
At the Hokage Tower.
Tsunade kicked open the heavy door.
Hiruzen, who was sitting behind his desk smoking his pipe, was startled by the loud bang. Ash dropped from his pipe.
He glanced at the familiar footprint now freshly stamped on the doorframe and twitched at the corner of his mouth. His first thought—he'd have to pay to fix the door again.
Headache.
But when he saw Ryo following behind Tsunade like a shadow, the headache instantly escalated to a full-blown migraine.
His heart sank.
Tsunade and Ryo, this so-called "teacher-student" pair, had always acted as one. Now that the sensitive matter of Earth Grudge Fear was involved, and with this "Konoha Asura" who had no regard for the village's leadership standing here, this wasn't going to be easy.
His eyes instinctively flicked to the shadowed corner of the room.
Sure enough, Danzō stood there, face half-covered in bandages, his missing arm hidden beneath his cloak. He stood like a silent statue, eyes gleaming faintly in the dim light.
Hiruzen never would have imagined that the "teacher-student" pair before him had already crossed the line last night and become true lovers.
Ryo's gaze lingered for a moment on Danzō's empty sleeve and bandaged face. A flicker of knowing passed through his silver eyes.
So it was about that, after all.
"Ahem," Hiruzen cleared his throat, trying to maintain a composed and cordial expression. "Tsunade, I called you here about Nawaki's recovery. I heard… you successfully modified the Earth Grudge Fear technique?"
Tsunade stood in the center of the office, arms crossed. The faint blush on her face hadn't completely faded, but facing Hiruzen, she'd recovered some of her usual confidence.
"So what if I did? Nawaki's able to be a shinobi again. That's enough."
"Indeed… that's an extraordinary achievement," Hiruzen said with a smile, voice full of praise. "This technique is of great importance to Konoha. Tsunade, you are the pride of the Senju clan. You've inherited the Will of Fire from the First Hokage. Nawaki's recovery proves the value of your improved version of Earth Grudge Fear. A technique that can save lives and restore fighting strength should, of course… be used for the greater good."
He paused, then glanced at Danzō in the shadows. His tone shifted, becoming more "solemn" and "sincere."
"You see, Danzō served as commander on the battlefield in the Land of Rain. He made great sacrifices and unfortunately lost an eye and an arm for the village's victory. He is exactly the kind of hero who most needs the help of this technique. Tsunade, for the good of the village, for all the shinobi who've shed blood like Danzō, I hope you'll understand and generously share your modified Earth Grudge Fear with the village. Let it be researched and applied under unified management, to benefit more of our comrades."
It all sounded righteous, draped in the noble tone of "sacrificing for Konoha."
Ryo stood slightly behind and to the side of Tsunade. Listening to these hypocritical words, especially while watching Danzō pretend to restrain his greedy desire, his stomach churned with disgust.
All for that?
Tsunade's expression darkened.
She looked at Hiruzen's face, full of so-called "for the greater good," then glanced at Danzō's single eye gleaming with hunger in the shadows.
She knew exactly what "share with the village" meant. It meant losing control of the technique. It meant it would end up in the hands of Root.
She was just about to respond when Ryo took a half-step forward, now standing almost shoulder to shoulder with her. He didn't look at Hiruzen or Danzō. His silver eyes calmly stared ahead, but that quiet move forward made his position clear.
In the past, when Tsunade was only his nominal sensei, Ryo wouldn't have interfered.
Whether she gave it away or not, that was her decision.
But now, things were different.
Tsunade was his woman.
Deep in Ryo's eyes, a dangerous light flickered.
He would never allow anyone, under the guise of "greater good" or "village unity," to force his woman into doing something she didn't want to do.
Especially not for someone as disgusting as Danzō.
(To be continued.)
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