Graduation was close… and so was trouble.
The practical exam was done in the morning, and by afternoon the instructor had switched to lecturing—everything newly minted genin needed to know after graduation.
With the end in sight, the classroom buzzed nonstop. The chūnin teacher slammed his desk more than once just to restore order.
When dismissal finally came, the students poured out like a broken dam.
"See you tomorrow!"
"See you tomorrow, Adrian!"
At the school gate, Adrian waved goodbye to Rin, Kurenai, and a few other girls before turning to leave with Shizune.
Shizune blinked, a little confused. "Adrian… you're not going to train today? You didn't even send a clone to the back mountain."
"Nope." Adrian smiled, ruffling her hair. "Graduation's tomorrow. I'm a little nervous, so I'm taking it easy. Come on—let's go home. I'll cook something good."
Shizune's worries about team assignments—about whether they'd end up together—didn't disappear, but the promise of dinner made her brighten immediately.
Behind them, Rin and Kurenai watched Shizune cling close to Adrian and couldn't hide the envy in their expressions.
Living together was a brutal advantage.
Some of the girls even silently "cursed" Shizune in their hearts for having the best spot at Adrian's side every day.
…
Back at the small house on the hot-spring street, Adrian slowed at the entrance.
There was chakra behind the door—familiar, carefully suppressed… but not enough to fool him.
Shizune didn't notice a thing. She was still talking excitedly about the exam, her eyes fixed on Adrian like the rest of the world didn't exist.
Click.
Shizune pushed the door open—
"BOO!"
A blonde figure lunged out from behind it with both hands raised, voice booming.
"Aaah!"
Shizune shrieked and instinctively threw herself straight into Adrian's chest.
Adrian caught her around the waist with one arm and sighed, looking at the grinning culprit.
"Tsunade—was that really necessary?"
He'd tried calling her "Lady Tsunade" once.
He'd been punched for it.
Apparently it made her feel old.
So now he called her Tsunade… or "Tsunade-neesan" when he felt like living dangerously.
Tsunade clicked her tongue, clearly unimpressed by his calm face. "You're no fun. Look at Shizune—that reaction is normal."
"L-Lady Tsunade…" Shizune squeaked, eyes watery, half embarrassed and half wronged.
But if anyone looked closely, they'd see the tiny spark of happiness in her expression—because she was still clinging to Adrian.
In the sea of girls at school, she might not have "progressed," but she'd just gotten a hug on the doorstep.
That was a win.
Tsunade laughed loudly and strode in, wrapping both kids in a crushing hug as if she were trying to prove a point.
Shizune went bright red.
Adrian… stayed oddly composed, like he'd decided his dignity was worth more than reacting.
That only made Tsunade squint at him suspiciously.
"Annoying brat," she muttered.
Adrian tilted his head, smiling innocently. "What did I do?"
Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "With that attitude, are you even going to be able to find a girlfriend when you grow up?"
Adrian's smile widened. "If I can't, it's fine. Didn't you bring me home as your future husband anyway? I don't mind your age."
Silence.
Then—
THUNK!
A fist landed on Adrian's head.
"Ow!" Adrian grabbed his scalp and bared his teeth. "Tsunade-neesan, I said I don't mind! Why are you so offended? Am I not handsome enough?"
Tsunade's knuckles stung like she'd hit a steel plate—because she basically had.
She rolled her eyes hard enough to count as a technique.
"Idiot. Get inside. Cook. I'm starving."
She hooked an arm around each of them and dragged them in, powerfully, like a marching commander hauling supplies.
As Adrian stumbled along, he silently swore that someday—when he was older and stronger—he'd make her pay for every head-smack she ever gave him.
Tsunade didn't go near the kitchen. Her hemophobia made anything involving blood—or even raw meat—unpleasant.
So Adrian cooked.
And because he was in a good mood and didn't have training scheduled, he cooked big.
Braised pork. Sweet-and-sour ribs. A table full of rich, steaming dishes.
There was an old saying: if you wanted to win someone over, you started with their stomach.
That didn't apply only to men.
"Haah… this is the good stuff," Tsunade said between mouthfuls, fully satisfied. "These past few days were torture. I missed your cooking."
Adrian cleaned up the table afterward, refusing to waste food, while Shizune packed away what little remained.
When the dishes were done and Tsunade had finally sipped some tea to settle her stomach, she leaned back and looked them over.
"So. Practical exam today, right?" she asked casually. "How'd it go?"
"We passed two rounds easily," Adrian answered.
Tsunade nodded like it was obvious. "Figures. With your ability, your classmates aren't even a warm-up. Honestly, your chūnin teacher wouldn't last against you either."
Adrian didn't hesitate. "If it were a real fight, I could drop him in seconds."
Tsunade's eyes sharpened. She stopped pretending it was small talk.
"Then answer me, brat. Last night, at the back mountain… did you kill a Sand scout?"
Adrian blinked. He'd expected the Third Hokage to sniff around eventually. He hadn't expected this to come from Tsunade first.
"…Yeah," he admitted. "I killed a Sand chūnin scout. How did you know?"
Tsunade gave him a smug grin. "Because I covered it for you."
She explained what had happened at the Hokage Tower—how Hiruzen had been told a Sand scout died near the back mountain, and how the trail led right to her place.
Hiruzen had assumed she did it.
And she hadn't corrected him.
Adrian exhaled quietly, relief loosening the tension in his shoulders.
He didn't want fame.
Fame got people watched.
Watched got people used.
Shizune, hearing it out loud, finally understood why Adrian had barely eaten last night… and why he'd seemed distracted no matter how hard she tried to get his attention.
Her eyes shone—part admiration, part determination.
Next time, I'll do better. I'll get even closer.
Adrian looked at Tsunade and said sincerely, "Thanks, Tsunade-neesan."
Tsunade waved it off with a grin. "Don't thank me yet."
Then she leaned forward slightly, voice turning playful.
"Want to know who your team leader will be?"
Adrian and Shizune both perked up.
"Who?" Shizune asked quickly.
Adrian's eyes narrowed a fraction. "Who is it?"
Tsunade just smiled like she'd been waiting for this moment.
"Nope," she said lightly. "Not telling. You'll find out tomorrow. It's a big surprise."
Adrian forced a smile, but in his chest, a bad feeling began to spread—slow, cold, and certain—and he suddenly understood that "surprise" was never a word you wanted to hear from Tsunade.
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