Mid-July, the sun was scorching.
Land of Fire, Hidden Leaf Village.
At the main gate, two guards stood side by side, each holding a jitte in their hands.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, they looked into the distance. At the edge of their vision, they saw a four-person squad slowly approaching the village entrance.
Recognizing them as fellow Leaf shinobi, the two guards smiled. Their safe return meant the mission had likely been completed without incident.
Before long, Tsunade, leading her squad, arrived at the gate.
"Welcome back from the mission," one of the guards greeted.
"Thanks. Though the heat's been rough," Tsunade replied.
The air was stifling, and Tsunade lightly fanned her face with her hand. She couldn't help but think how nice it would be if that ice-wielding guy were around—at least he could cool her down.
For ease of combat, Tsunade usually wore a tight-fitting undershirt, but in this heat, combined with her frequent movement, certain areas became uncomfortably warm and damp.
After exchanging a few casual words with the guards, a surprised voice suddenly called out from nearby: "Oh? What a coincidence."
Tsunade turned to look. Another four-person squad was approaching, clearly also returning from a mission.
Four-man squads were the standard for missions.
The leader of this squad was a slender, handsome man with long, pale blue hair.
Tsunade recognized him and called out his name: "Dan."
Since the path to the village center was the same, the two squads ended up walking together for a while.
Dan made small talk: "Tsunade, your reputation has been growing lately. Especially your medical skills—even enemies have started treating you with respect. You're undoubtedly the strongest medical ninja in the village."
Everyone liked hearing praise, especially at Tsunade's age. In a good mood, she replied, "I wouldn't go that far. I'm just doing my job. The title of 'strongest medical ninja' is still beyond me."
Dan said sincerely, "I'm not just flattering you. At just twelve years old, you healed injuries that even Chiyo, the strongest medical ninja from the Land of Wind, couldn't treat."
"That was a team effort."
Her humble attitude only deepened Dan's admiration. He swore to himself that he would win her over—not just because of her personality, but also because of the immense political benefits she represented.
Dan's life goal was to become Hokage.
Though his skills were exceptional among jonin, that was about as far as he could go.
Realistically, given his background and abilities, he'd never have a shot at the Hokage title.
In this world, people only had three chances to change their fate:
Birth.
The mentor they chose after graduating from the academy.
Marriage.
The first two were out of Dan's reach.
First, his lineage was nowhere near as prestigious as Tsunade's.
Second, after graduating, he hadn't been taken under the wing of anyone from the Hokage's inner circle.
That left marriage as his only path to power.
Fortunately, Tsunade was still single, with no obvious romantic ties.
The only real "threat" was someone like Jiraiya—a man who came off as a bit of a goof.
Dan, confident in his looks and skills, felt even more impressive in comparison.
With all this in mind, Dan mustered his courage and took the first real step in pursuing Tsunade:
"Tsunade, if you're free later, would you like to grab a meal with me?"
Tsunade's brows furrowed slightly in confusion. "A meal?"
Dan flashed a bright smile. "A new restaurant just opened. I have a free coupon, and it'd be a shame to let it go to waste."
The atmosphere instantly turned awkward. The squad members on both sides stared at Dan in surprise—he was clearly making a move on Tsunade.
But honestly, it wasn't that shocking.
Tsunade was stunning, with a perfect figure, incredible strength, and unparalleled medical skills.
Female shinobi were already a rare resource, and one as exceptional as Tsunade was practically a goddess in the eyes of many young men.
Add in the fact that she was the granddaughter of the First Hokage, and marrying her meant skipping at least thirty years of struggle.
But precisely because she was so perfect, she was like a flower growing on a cliff—admired from afar but nearly impossible to reach.
Any man without serious credentials who tried to confess to her would only be humiliating himself.
But if that man was Dan? Well… that was a different story.
Tsunade understood his intentions but didn't dwell on it. "Sorry, I've been away on missions for too long. My little brother's probably crying for me by now. I really can't spare the time."
Her impression of Dan wasn't bad, so she let him down gently.
"No worries. Taking care of family comes first. You're really a devoted sister, Tsunade."
Dan forced a smile. Maybe he'd been too hasty.
Still, the fact that she hadn't outright rejected him meant there was hope.
He just needed to wait for the right moment—like when she was feeling down. That'd be the perfect opportunity to swoop in.
The others, sensing the drama, couldn't resist teasing: "Oof, rejected, Dan-senpai?"
Dan's face twisted into a bitter smile.
Tsunade shook her head and was about to step forward when a lean figure suddenly appeared in front of her.
The man pressed two fingers to his forehead in a casual greeting. "Yo, kitten."
Then, as if performing a magic trick, he produced a bouquet of roses and held it out to her.
Tsunade's squad members, seeing this overly familiar stranger, immediately scowled. Who the hell was this guy? They'd never seen him in the village before, and here he was acting so flippant?
Before Tsunade could respond, they snapped: "Hey, who the hell are you?"
Tōshirō barely glanced at them. "I don't recall owing you an answer."
"Wha—?!"
The group bristled, ready to explode, but Dan studied Tōshirō's face and ventured a guess: "You're Uchiha Tōshirō, aren't you?"
Tōshirō lazily half-closed his eyes. "Not bad. You guessed right."
Tōshirō had spent the last three years in the Forest of Death, so it was impressive that Dan recognized him.
"Wait—you're that monster?!"
Tōshirō's name was legendary. Hearing it, the squad members gasped in shock.
Tsunade's brow twitched slightly. She took the roses, sniffed them, and smiled. "You snuck out again?"
"Not this time." Thanks to the Hokage's approval, Tōshirō spoke with confidence. "I got official permission."
Tsunade was puzzled but didn't press for details here. Instead, she chuckled. "Well, congratulations then."
"You free later?" Tōshirō asked. "If not, no big deal."
Without hesitation, Tsunade grinned. "I just got back from a mission, so I've got plenty of time."
Nawaki: ???
Huh?
The group froze.
Wait, what…?
Tsunade noticed their stunned expressions and tilted her head. "What's wrong?"
"Uh, Captain… didn't you just say you had to go take care of your little brother?"
Tsunade: "…"
She coughed lightly, covering her slip. "I, uh, have some business with him first."
The group let out a collective "Ohhh," their eyes darting between Tsunade and Tōshirō.
Something's going on here.
Normally, they wouldn't have thought much of it. But after the stark contrast with Dan's rejection, it was impossible to miss.
As the two walked away, one of the female squad members sighed dreamily. "You know… Tōshirō's actually pretty handsome. You think the Captain's got something going on with him?"
"Are you stupid? He's an Uchiha. The Captain's a Senju. They're polar opposites."
"Eh? But didn't they grow up together?"
"And didn't you hear they hated each other as kids?"
"…Really? Because the way Captain Tsunade was looking at him just now didn't seem like 'hate' at all. More like—"
The girl trailed off, suddenly noticing Dan's darkening expression.
(End of Chapter)
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