Uchiha Ryosuke could tell right away—when Tsunade claimed she hadn't heard him clearly, it wasn't that she was deaf, it was that she refused to believe what she heard.
So, he repeated himself without hesitation:
"I admire Lady Tsunade greatly. I want you to become my woman."
The words landed like a thrown kunai.
Tsunade's amber eyes widened in shock, and then narrowed in barely contained fury.
"So you are just a lecherous brat after all. You dare suggest I should become your woman? With my age, I could practically be your mother!"
Ryosuke's face was calm, even playful.
"They say, 'if the woman is three years older, she's worth a golden brick.' I don't mind at all."
Tsunade nearly choked. Worth a golden brick? Was this brat insane? Her beauty wasn't in question—she knew even at forty she was still among the most stunning kunoichi alive, her youthful appearance maintained by her master-level chakra control and Mitotic Regeneration technique—but to have some sixteen-year-old Uchiha outright proposition her was another matter entirely.
Tsunade's face flushed red, half with anger, half with disbelief.
"What kind of twisted nonsense is that? Are you some sort of pervert?"
If this rumor ever spread, if it ever reached the ears of her granduncle Tobirama, she could imagine him climbing out of the grave just to beat her senseless. The granddaughter of Hashirama, reduced to a child's plaything? It was mortifying just to think about.
Beeut Ryosuke wasn't the least bit embarrassed by her insults. His gaze remained steady, almost solemn, beneath the teasing. He wasn't driven purely by lust. His thoughts carried both ambition and conviction.
"Lady Tsunade," he said evenly, "do you know the true origin of our clans?"
That caught her off guard. Her brows furrowed in suspicion.
"What are you talking about?"
Ryosuke's voice grew quieter, but heavier.
"The Uchiha clan and the Senju clan are both descendants of the Sage of Six Paths. My clan descends from his elder son, Indra. Your Senju clan descends from the younger son, Asura."
Tsunade froze. Her breath caught. Indra… Asura… The names were unfamiliar to her, but the idea was staggering. The Senju and Uchiha—eternal rivals—sharing the same root? Descendants of brothers?
But nowhere in her clan's history had such a record existed. Even her grandfather, the First Hokage, never spoke of it. Yet, somehow, Ryosuke's words felt… weighty, almost undeniable.
She exhaled slowly, her lips tightening.
"And if that's true… what of it?"
Ryosuke's eyes sharpened.
"What of it? Then our two clans are nothing more than family divided—brothers torn apart by a feud that was never truly theirs. Indra believed in seeking strength through his own power. Asura believed in unity and cooperation. The Sage favored Asura, so Indra rebelled. Their conflict lasted centuries, and we—their descendants—spilled oceans of blood in a war that wasn't even ours to begin with."
He leaned forward slightly, his voice low and intense.
"Thousands of our clansmen died because of that meaningless grudge. Do you still think it doesn't matter?"
Tsunade was silent. His words clawed at her chest.
She thought of the Senju clan—of her uncles, great-uncles, and cousins, all cut down on battlefields before they ever grew old. Even her grandfather and granduncle had lost countless brothers to the Uchiha. She had grown up surrounded by funerals, surrounded by empty seats at the family table.
The truth was cruel, but she couldn't deny it.
"And so… what are you trying to say?" she finally asked.
Ryosuke's tone softened, but his words carried even greater weight.
"That meaningless war between our ancestors should end with us. Let you and I be the ones to reconcile the Senju and the Uchiha. Our union would mean the feud dies here—and from it, peace could finally be born."
The statement left Tsunade speechless.
Part of her wanted to laugh in his face. What kind of ridiculous solution is that? She had loved once before. Dan's death had shattered her heart, and she had sworn she would never love again. To suggest she simply take another man, especially one so much younger, all in the name of "peace"… It felt like mockery.
Her hands curled into fists beneath the table.
"No. Find another way. I won't be your woman just to satisfy some fantasy of clan reconciliation."
But Ryosuke didn't retreat. His voice grew firmer.
"This isn't a request, Tsunade. For the sake of true peace between our clans—and for Konoha itself—you must be mine. There is no better way."
He even added, almost casually,
"And if you agree, the seat of the Fifth Hokage can be yours. I'll step aside."
That part stung. Tsunade could feel his power pressing down, his confidence radiating. His taijutsu alone surpassed hers, and she hadn't even seen him use his Mangekyō Sharingan or the Eight Gates. This boy… this man… was terrifyingly strong.
And he was serious. Deadly serious.
She tried to scoff, masking the unease in her chest.
"So that's it, then? Just like your ancestor Indra—you think raw power is enough to shape peace?"
To her surprise, Ryosuke nodded without shame.
"Power is the foundation of peace. And our union—Uchiha and Senju—would be the symbol that ends a thousand years of bloodshed. You are the heir of the Senju. I am the hope of the Uchiha. Together, our bond would mean an end to this meaningless feud."
He leaned back, his eyes unwavering.
"If Hashirama and Madara had stood together, united, Konoha's peace would have lasted. Maybe even the entire shinobi world would have found peace. They failed because of their differences. But we don't have to."
Tsunade's lips pressed into a thin line. His words pierced her deeply, because they weren't wrong.
Her grandfather, Hashirama, had been the greatest man she knew. His Wood Release, his Sage Mode, his endless chakra… he was the embodiment of strength and kindness. Madara, on the other hand, had been his equal—another god of their era, whose Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan rivaled even Hashirama's might.
If the two of them had truly united… the shinobi world might already know peace.
Instead, their split had led to endless wars.
And now, Tsunade stood as the last living heir of the Senju line. No matter her strength, her resilience, her sharp tongue—at the end of the day, she was alone. The clan that had once rivaled the Uchiha was gone.
The thought made her chest ache.
Ryosuke's words pressed deeper.
"Don't you see, Tsunade? We can end it here. You don't have to carry that loneliness forever. Together, we can give meaning to the sacrifices of our ancestors."
Tsunade looked away, her heart in turmoil.
He wasn't entirely wrong. But to accept his condition… to let herself become his woman…
It was unthinkable.