Strolling leisurely toward the entrance of his clan's compound,
Kei Yamanaka looked toward the thin trail of smoke rising from the direction of his mansion, and at several elder clan members who shot him teasing glances as soon as they saw him.
Even his toes could've guessed—Kushina must definitely be at his house already.
Recalling what Minato Namikaze had mentioned earlier about his experiences at the temporary Jonin Dispatch Office when leaving Konoha,
Kei felt a knot of anxiety tighten in his gut.
Considering Kushina's usual habit of constantly dropping by the Jonin Dispatch Office for no good reason,
There was no way those rumors hadn't reached her ears by now.
Loans magically became wedding gifts; bank deposit slips were turned into undeniable proof of their relationship; a single overnight stay was twisted into undeniable evidence of cohabitation…
"Sansui, over here!"
Kei waved toward Yamanaka Sansui, who was just returning from outside, holding a basket full of vegetables.
"Clan Uncle, what is it?"
Yamanaka Sansui, a brand-new sixth grader at the ninja academy this year, still had that bright, somewhat innocent look in his eyes.
Seeing his clan uncle call for him, he nearly skipped right over.
"During the time I was away, did any of our Ino–Shika–Cho triad clan heads get beaten up?"
"What? Who would dare hit our clan head?"
"…Do you know where the new temporary Jonin Dispatch Office is now that the original one was destroyed?"
"I-I do know…"
"Has it been demolished yet?"
"What? N-no, not yet…"
"Keep that innocent look of yours. Go home early for dinner."
Without hesitation, Kei pulled out a few two-hundred ryō bills from his pocket and stuffed them into Sansui's hand.
"Hehe~ Thanks, Clan Uncle!"
Sansui grinned widely as he accepted the money, then bounced off toward home.
Just answering a few small questions netted him so much pocket money—his clan uncle was truly the most generous man in the entire clan!
With just a few subtle hints, Kei Yamanaka obtained the answer he wanted.
Suddenly, his heart steadied, his face stopped blushing, his breath slowed, and his steps grew brisk and full of vigor!
If Shikaku Nara, Hayato Yamanaka, Choza Akimichi, and the other gossipy instigators hadn't been beaten up, that could only mean Kushina hadn't taken out her anger on them.
And if the temporary Jonin Dispatch Office remained undestroyed, it meant only one thing—that Kushina had already known about these rumors in advance.
Or perhaps, these rumors were spread only after she had given her approval.
Although it was unclear how Nara Shikaku and others had communicated with Kushina,
the fact that she had agreed to such a thing could only mean one thing—she had revealed her hand and dropped all pretense!
She simply wanted to be with him!
Otherwise, which girl could possibly accept such rumors?
Ahahaha～(´▽｀)
In the future, should he be more proactive?
The girl had gone to such lengths—on his part, as the male, he needed to show enough sincerity and willingness.
After all, emotions were mutual.
He couldn't even let the girl take the initiative in confessing first!
Kei Yamanaka strolled toward home with hands in his pockets, humming a cheerful tune from a past life, striding confidently as if oblivious to everything around him.
The several elders sitting by the entrance of the clan grounds exchanged puzzled glances.
"What's gotten into him?"
"Who knows, but I saw him giving money to that girl for three days straight. He must've gotten what he wanted."
"Has Lady Tsunade really lost so much intimidation?"
"I thought he'd run off at the mention of Lady Tsunade. Last time Lord Jiraiya upset her, that single punch..."
"My mom... cough, I mean my wife just called me for lunch. Gotta head back."
"Same here! It's already noon. Time for lunch!"
"That's right! That's right!"
The gathered clanspeople who had been lingering by the clan compound's entrance scattered like birds and beasts.
But before Kei Yamanaka could even reach his doorstep...
Numerous Sensor Ninjutsu, each with distinct chakra signatures, steadily locked their detection range onto his home.
"???"
Kei furrowed his brows.
Are you people actually this bored? Most of you can't even walk properly!
You gossip every time someone starts a relationship.
Are you saying if my house didn't have an active sensing barrier, you'd try to peek inside directly?
And those supposedly subtle Sensor Ninjutsu...
One or two would be fine.
Most people in Konoha wouldn't notice them.
But *eight* at once—seriously? Even a normal person would feel that creepy gaze!
He gave the heavens a silent salute with one finger.
Kei firmly decided—he definitely needed to open that breakfast shop sooner rather than later.
Are these old geezers so bored they're going stir-crazy?
Tofu-making, soy milk grinding, steaming buns, folding dumplings, frying dough sticks, flipping pancakes, pan-frying shrimp dumplings...
No rush. There's plenty of work waiting for you!
Right now though, better make them behave first.
[Demonic Illusion: Here Comes the Little Flying Stick~!]
Still keeping his middle finger raised, Kei directly injected the mental fortitude shockwave generated from his genjutsu into over ten different sensory techniques.
"Ouch! You little brat, playing dirty!"
"Waaah! My hemorrhoids went haywire!!"
"Pfah! You rotten kid! Your great-auntie was only peeking a bit, and you actually used such a vicious technique!"
"Honey! Come help me check on him!"
"You're not even fifty yet! Did you soil yourself?! Y-you-you..."
"Honey please listen to me explain..."
What was originally quiet Yamanaka Clan territory suddenly erupted into noisy chaos.
Especially at one household where that poor uncle lost control completely after being hit by [Demonic Illusion: Here Comes the Little Flying Stick~!].
Total bedlam followed.
Kei sensed all the Sensor Ninjutsu disappearing and nodded satisfactorily.
Standing in front of his door, he took several deep breaths.
After calming himself, he finally turned the knob and pushed open the door.
"I'm back."
His voice carried unusual tenderness absent in daily speech.
That is, until he saw the golden-haired woman sprawled arrogantly in the living room beyond the entryway, holding a bottle of sake, obviously drunk.
Shit!
Even his toes guessed wrong!
"Hm? Bastard kid! I've been waiting for you forever!"
Tsunade's hand hesitated slightly as she held the sake bottle.
Her crimson lips curved into a delighted yet cruel smile. With a single slap on the coffee table, she sprang forward like a tiger ambushing its prey.
Chakra coiled around her right fist, generating a sharp, piercing gust as it hurtled toward Kei Yamanaka's face!
What the hell?!
She's already using Chakra Enhanced Strength?!
Thanks to the red skill listing [Zero-Frames Start], Kei's hyper reaction speed allowed him to clearly see the dense chakra concentrated in Tsunade's punch.
Even a glancing blow—from this strike—could instantly knock out an average Jonin!
The force of her punch blocked his escape inside, surging outward directly toward the front door.
Trying not to damage the house—so she wants to send him flying outside?
She kept some power in reserve beneath her feet, ready to evade at any moment—is she anticipating his clan's secret techniques?!
Her forehead had shifted from light blue to jet-black, pulsing rhythmically with small bursts of chakra—the Yin Seal.
Countering his Genjutsu?
Heh…
Missy, ever heard the saying "a person deserves a fresh perspective after just three days"?
[Water Release: Great Water Arm Technique]!
Snap!
Kei's arms swelled with muscle as his strength surged through his body. Rather than retreating, he charged forward, lowering into a bow stance and forcefully grabbing Tsunade's wrist with his right hand.
Feeling the immense power emanating from that seemingly frail arm.
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