Chapter 76 — Tsunade: "Yujiro… Could Be the Kind of Man I'd Call Father"
The strange effects of Yujiro's new ability — "Child Affinity" — were immediate and unexpected.
Of all people, the first to fall under its influence was… Tsunade.
Or rather, "young Tsunade," who was once again disguising herself as a little girl to hide from her creditors.
Yujiro had no idea.
He simply walked up to her like a parent scolding a naughty child and said,
"Chiko, you've been misbehaving again~"
Then, grabbing her by the collar, he lifted her clean off the ground.
"Ehh?! A-Ah… Yujiro-nii~"
It had to be said—Tsunade was truly a professional.
After so many years of running from loan sharks, acting cute was second nature to her.
The moment Yujiro spoke, she instantly caught on to his play, clasping her hands together and acting every bit the innocent, wide-eyed little sister.
She even threw in a few adorable head tilts for good measure.
The debt collectors took one look and groaned.
"Tch. Just a pair of clingy siblings. Nothing to see here. Let's move on."
And just like that, they were gone.
Shizune stood in the corner, absolutely stunned.
"…Seriously? I can't with this woman."
The urge to vomit blood was real.
"You're a fully grown woman with giant—ugh, never mind—and you're still out here pretending to be a loli?
What's next, Tsunade-sama? Gonna add 'innocent schoolgirl' to your resume too? There's a limit to shamelessness!"
---
Meanwhile, Yujiro, still holding the "little" Tsunade by the scruff, sighed as he walked down the road.
"Tsunade, didn't I already pay off all your debts?"
Granted, "paying them off" had been… creative.
He'd used a few tricks to convince the debtors that forgiveness was a moral imperative.
Same difference.
"So why are you in debt again?"
Tsunade, still in loli form, laughed awkwardly.
"Ahaha… well, you know how it is. I was bored after we got back to the village, so I dropped by the casino just to look around—and then I… uh… tried a few hands. Hehehehe…"
Yujiro's hand dropped sharply onto her head.
"Hehehe your head! You damn money pit!"
His voice rose with every word.
"Didn't I tell you to report to the Hokage's office? Did you?"
"Didn't I tell you to gauge the elders' attitude toward the Senju Clan Restoration? Did you?"
"Didn't I tell you to contact the remaining Senju living in hiding? Did you?"
"You think rebuilding a clan is child's play?!"
Tsunade puffed out her cheeks, whining in protest.
"Ugh, just thinking about all that gives me a headache! I'm not built for that kind of stuff, okay?"
Her tiny body wriggled helplessly in his grip, looking for all the world like a pouting daughter being scolded by her father.
"You're doing it whether you're built for it or not! Or do you expect me to do it?"
"That's not… impossible," she mumbled.
"Impossible my ass! I'm not even a Senju!"
"Well…"
The words hung in the air. Tsunade fell silent.
She did know of one way to make him a Senju—
but saying it aloud made her face flush bright red.
After all, The New Konoha Times had been publishing wild gossip about her and Yujiro for months now,
calling him her "adopted wolf cub" turned "dangerous lover."
All tabloid nonsense, of course.
…Though, if she were being honest, she did think about it sometimes.
Too bad her wallet couldn't afford romance.
She was drowning in debt, while Yujiro—wealthy, confident, and infuriatingly composed—could probably afford to "raise" several wives if he wanted to.
And then there was the age gap…
She wasn't that old, but the thought still made her hesitant.
---
This was still Year 50 of Konoha.
Tsunade hadn't yet become the mature, world-weary woman the world would later know.
Back now, she was still fiery, emotional, and prone to blushing at things she'd later brush off with laughter.
There was no way she could have imagined just how dangerously chaotic Yujiro's mind truly was—
how casually he entertained thoughts that would make the Sage of Six Paths faint.
---
Yujiro finally sighed.
"Alright. For now, you're sticking with me. I'll keep an eye on you so you don't wander off to gamble again."
"Oh…"
On the surface, Tsunade looked disappointed.
But inside—where she'd never admit it—something fluttered warmly.
For just a moment, she wasn't the great Sannin or the last Senju.
She was simply a girl, being gently scolded and protected by someone strong enough to make her feel safe.
She stole a small glance up at Yujiro,
and the thought she'd been denying whispered once more through her mind:
"Yujiro… he could be the kind of man I'd call father."
Uchiha Yujiro: "Also, leave the task of gaining support from the ninja clans to me. Stay by my side and watch how I get things done!"
Tsunade: "Oh."
And with that, Yujiro dragged Tsunade all the way back to the Uchiha compound to meet Uchiha Fugaku, where she got a front-row seat to his next performance.
"Hey, Fugaku! Long time no see—how's everything been? Hahaha!"
Tsunade and Fugaku, of course, already knew each other, though their relationship had never exactly been warm. After all, one was the head of the Uchiha, the other the princess of the Senju—it would be strange if they got along.
Still, for Yujiro's sake, Tsunade greeted Fugaku properly this time.
Fugaku's expression, however, was rather complicated—mainly when his eyes landed on Yujiro.
It was the kind of look that said: "I thought all those Konoha gossip jokes about you and Tsunade were just rumors, but you actually did it?!"
Along with the shock, there was a faint trace of admiration.
So he actually went through with it. Uchiha Yujiro… what a man.
Unlike Fugaku, Yujiro's close friend Uchiha Shisui was simply happy to see him.
Yujiro was glad too.
Shisui had been driving all over the Land of Fire, living rough on the road—he was tanned, muscular, and tougher-looking than before. Dye his hair blond and he could pass for a Cloud ninja.
Shisui ran big missions outside.
Yujiro ran big "operations" at home.
Both were chasing bright futures in their own ways.
Yujiro turned to Fugaku. "So, Clan Leader, as we agreed, I've brought back Lady Tsunade. You'll fulfill your part too, right? The Uchiha clan will support the revival of the Senju."
Fugaku hesitated. "Well, you know… things between the Uchiha and the Hokage office are very delicate. If we publicly back the Senju revival, it could strain our relationship with the Fourth Hokage."
Just as Yujiro had expected. Fugaku, ever the cautious traditionalist—always worrying about consequences and never daring to act unless pushed.
Yujiro's smile didn't waver. "Oh? Then what about my proposal to reform the Police Force? What's the point of our Uchiha boys rotting away in a few city blocks? Do it as I said—give one-third of the spots to the ANBU, bring in ninja from other clans and even civilians into the force!"
Fugaku visibly flinched. "…You know what? Maybe we should revisit that whole Senju revival topic."
Tsunade blinked. "Huh?!"
And just like that, the first major Konoha clan was successfully handled.
Granted, Fugaku's stance was the usual reserved one: he'd wait to see which way the wind blew. If other ninja clans supported the Senju, the Uchiha would follow. If not, no need to be the first bird to stick its head out.
But Yujiro didn't care about such details. He immediately grabbed Tsunade again and marched straight to the Hyuga compound to meet Hyuga Hiashi. No testing the waters—he went straight in, slammed his hand on the table, and declared:
"Clan Leader Hiashi! Right now, the Uchiha and even the Fourth Hokage himself are backing the revival of the Senju. So—will the Hyuga clan support us or not?!"
Hiashi blinked, at a loss for words. "…Excuse me, what revival?"
Yujiro leaned in, full of swagger. "As a proud ninja clan—and descendants of the Sage of Six Paths—surely the Hyuga won't refuse to support us, right?"
Hiashi gulped audibly.
Tsunade's eyes widened. "Wait, what?!"
And so, next stop: the Hokage's office.
Yujiro pushed open the door with a grin.
"Minato! Great news—I just got us the backing of three major clans in one go!"
Minato's eyes lit up. "As expected of you, Yujiro! You never disappoint!"
Tsunade, standing beside them, could only stare in pure disbelief.
"…What?!!!"