As Kei Yamanaka executed a back throw, he felt a fleeting softness pressed against his spine, causing his body to stiffen for an instant.
Tsunade—now that's the real Tsunade!
Just a back throw, yet it felt insanely powerful!
Stepping forward through the doorway, Kei couldn't help but shake his shoulders slightly, trying to shake off the tingling on his back.
He exhaled inwardly. Even at his age, his vitality was absurdly strong.
A little stimulation like this was enough to distract him completely.
["Hozuki Clan's secret techniques?"]
Tsunade twisted midair, landing with both feet sliding backward as her left hand touched the ground. She landed gracefully, stabilizing herself after a textbook-perfect roll.
Her eyes locked onto Kei's bulging muscles and the faint mist rising from his body.
That was definitely a secret technique of the Hozuki Clan.
"Been gone a while—but I've got some new tricks. Up for testing them?"
Kei raised an eyebrow, taunting, beckoning with a single finger at Tsunade.
"Hmph~ I'll go easy on you… for once!"
Tsunade scoffed, a rare flicker of seriousness lighting her coldly beautiful face.
Her feet erupted with chakra, propelling her forward like an arrow released from a bow.
"Don't cry if you lose, Senpai!"
Kei didn't hesitate either. He sidestepped her incoming punch while lifting his knee straight into Tsunade's waist.
Tsunade missed her strike but slammed her left hand down to block the knee.
Using the momentum, she spun around and kicked toward Kei's head.
But under the effect of the red skill listing [Zero-Frames Start], Kei had already predicted her move.
Ducking in time, he formed a one-handed seal as Yin Release chakra gathered rapidly.
[Demonic Illusion: Reversed Realms]
Even amidst the flurry of punches and kicks, Tsunade never took her eyes off Kei.
Almost instantly, she found herself caught in the genjutsu.
The serious expression on her face shifted to surprise, then quickly turned into excitement.
The chakra slowly being released from the Yin Seal on her forehead—meant to disrupt her own chakra flow to break free from illusions—she deliberately stopped it.
...
Name: Tsunade
Occupation: Konoha Ninja
Skill Listings: Miracle Healer (Purple), One of the Sannin (Purple), Overflowing Power (Blue), Sealing Mastery (Blue), Precision Expertise (Blue), Titan Rush (Blue), Ageless Grace (Blue), Family Legacy (Green), Hemophobia (Gray), Reverse Gambling King (Black).
...
Two purple, five blue, one green, one gray, one black.
Sister, amazing! Just amazing!
Even Hey Sunshine only has eight—you've got ten!
Granted, two are negatives, but still—that's insane!
Kei looked at Tsunade's dense cluster of skill listings with genuine admiration.
He had to admit, this older sister truly was unmatched in Yang Release and medical techniques.
And that [Ageless Grace] trait?
As long as her chakra remains full, her youth never fades—her beauty, charm, and allure only grow stronger over time.
She'd be just as stunning at eighty as at eighteen—with even more elegance.
This...
If Kushina ever found out something like this exists, she'd flip!
"HAHAHA! Losers pay up—come on, cough it up!"
"Hahahaha~!"
Tsunade was trapped in the genjutsu, standing barefoot in the courtyard with her hands on her hips, laughing loudly at the sky, completely indifferent to her appearance.
"Huh? No way! Even with your Yin Seal active, Big Sis Tsunade got caught?!" Kushina peeked her little head out from behind the entrance hallway.
Looking at Tsunade trapped under the illusion, Kushina gave Kei Yamanaka a thumbs-up with an expression full of surprise and admiration.
Earlier, Tsunade had specifically brought two senior jonin from the Yamanaka Clan to practice with, familiarizing herself with the clan's secret techniques just to counter Kei Yamanaka. She'd even devised an auxiliary technique to enhance the Yin Seal's ability to break minor genjutsu.
It had been worrying her for days, unable to sleep peacefully at night, fearing Kei Yamanaka might get hurt.
Yet... this was the result?
"That's right."
Kei Yamanaka turned around to face Kushina, who was wearing an apron and holding a spatula in her hand.
After lightly coughing once, a faint smile appeared on his face as he spoke again.
"Kushina, I'm home."
"Wel-welcome back home. I-I've already finished cooking," Kushina stammered, her cute face turning bright red as if steam were rising from her head, gazing into Kei Yamanaka's shining eyes.
That was so unfair!
Why did Kei Yamanaka suddenly look at her like that?
And weren't lines like that something only married couples said?
Like a dutiful wife welcoming her hardworking husband back from work.
Imagining wildly, Kushina instantly turned into a complete steam girl, completely too shy to see Kei Yamanaka's reaction.
After turning around and taking Kei Yamanaka's slippers from the shoe cabinet by the entrance, she hurriedly ran into the kitchen.
Patting her burning cheeks with both hands, Kushina couldn't hide the joy showing in her eyes.
Nya-nya-nya-nya-nya~!
Today! Kushina Uzumaki is finally starting her sweet love story!
"Um, do you need help bringing the food out?"
Kei Yamanaka's voice came from near the kitchen door.
"No-no! It'll be ready immediately!"
Kushina splashed cold water onto her face, trying desperately to cool down her flushed cheeks.
Taking several deep breaths, she clenched her fists tightly to psych herself up before finally carrying the dishes out of the kitchen.
Stir-fried green pepper with shredded pork, twice-cooked pork, sautéed broccoli, crispy potatoes stir-fry, West Lake beef soup.
As one dish after another was placed on the table, Kei Yamanaka's expression became increasingly gentle.
Of course, in the ninja world, there were no Chinese-style dishes.
Kushina managed to learn how to cook these because he gifted her a recipe book he personally wrote when they graduated.
Never did he expect that simply from this recipe book,
she could become this skilled in cooking.
"Who would've thought that Kushina, who used to confuse salt with sugar, has become so good now?"
Kei Yamanaka gave her high emotional praise with his words.
"Hmph~ Of course I am! There are so many people who want to taste my cooking but never get the chance!"
Puffing her chest out proudly with a flushed face, Kushina was completely helpless against that kind of praise.
Back when they attended the Ninja Academy,
his bentos had completely conquered Kushina, so much that she mooched off his lunches for years.
Who would've thought that immediately after graduating, Kei Yamanaka's missions never stopped,
forcing her to develop culinary skills from that cursed recipe book since she couldn't stand her family's meals anymore.
She had also suffered endlessly from vague recipe terms like "a little," "an appropriate amount," and "some."
When you're just starting out in cooking, how are you supposed to know what "a little" means or what counts as "an appropriate amount"?
Fortunately, perseverance paid off.
With Elder Sister Tsunade constantly volunteering to taste-test her food, she suddenly achieved enlightenment and became a master chef overnight!
Now even Mikoto couldn't stop heaping praise on her dishes!
"Huh? Care to tell me who exactly these 'many people' are?"
Kei Yamanaka raised her eyebrow slightly, pretending to be heartbroken.
"Are you jealous, Kei-kun? Ge ge ge ge~ I can't keep up the act anymore. That look you just gave me was way too fake!"
"That's unavoidable. With The Red-Hot Habanero's reputation spreading far and wide, I don't even have the chance to be jealous."
"Don't call me that! It sounds so awful!"
"But I think Red Pepper is super cute."
"The Red-Hot Habanero and Red Pepper aren't even close! Plus, I'm already nineteen years old. Do you really think it's still okay to call me 'cute'?"
"If anyone says you're not cute, just punch them right in the face."
"Eh~ Isn't that supposed to *your* job?"
"No reward, no action."
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