The sun had set, and the lights of the Leaf Village shopping district flickered on.
Kitagawa walked with his hands in his pockets, scanning the shops on either side of the street, trying to decide what to eat.
Huh?
His eyes stopped. He'd spotted a familiar figure. That's Shizune, isn't it?
A bar? What's she doing in there?
Kitagawa frowned slightly and headed over.
He pushed through the door and scanned the bar. He quickly spotted Shizune, and then he saw another striking figure.
Tsunade.
Kitagawa was surprised Tsunade was still in the Leaf Village.
More importantly—equipment had popped up.
Equipment: Tsunade's Necklace
Trait: Wood Release Bloodline, Super-Kage Level Chakra Control
Note: Never gamble. Otherwise, you'll question your entire existence.
Wood Release!
And a double trait.
Kitagawa's eye twitched violently. He knew that without the chakra reserves of the First Hokage—something like what Yamato had—it wasn't the same. But still, it was Wood Release.
Plus super-kage level chakra control.
If he could get Tsunade's level of chakra precision, developing Shave would be so much easier.
He took a deep breath. This kind of cursed item—he couldn't let it harm anyone else.
Man, I'm really too kind, Kitagawa thought, almost getting emotional about his own virtue.
He made his way to Tsunade's table. "Shizune!"
Shizune spun around and jumped. "K-Kitagawa, teacher!"
Kitagawa nodded warmly and smiled. "Have you eaten dinner?"
"Um... not yet, because Tsunade-sama..."
Shizune trailed off without finishing.
Kitagawa got it instantly. She'd come to drag Tsunade to dinner.
So he turned to look at Tsunade.
Tsunade also looked up. Their eyes met. "Shizune, who's this guy? He's pretty handsome!"
Shizune's face turned beet red. "Tsunade-sama, this is Teacher Kitagawa."
She quickly explained to Kitagawa, "Teacher Kitagawa, Tsunade-sama has had a lot to drink."
Tsunade pouted. "I'm not drunk."
"Shizune, stay away from this guy. He was staring at my chest for four seconds!"
Shizune's eyes went wide, and she quickly clapped a hand over Tsunade's mouth. Her face flushed with embarrassment. "I'm so sorry, Teacher Kitagawa. Tsunade-sama really is drunk."
Following the principle that if he wasn't embarrassed, then everyone else should be, Kitagawa maintained his gentlemanly composure and waved a hand. "It's fine. What Tsunade-sama said was actually correct. I did look at that area for four seconds."
"But I was looking at the necklace."
He wasn't lying.
Though Tsunade's, uh... assets were also eye-catching.
His honest response left both Tsunade and Shizune stunned.
Kitagawa used the moment to change the subject. "Shizune, your teacher hasn't eaten yet either. How about you go to the sushi shop across the street and place an order? It's my treat."
"And I need to have a word with Tsunade-sama in private."
Shizune hesitated, still holding Tsunade back.
Kitagawa smiled. "Don't worry. It'll be fine. Your reflexes are too sharp for Tsunade-sama to actually be drunk."
Tsunade waved at Shizune. "Go on, order a lot of food. I'm getting hungry anyway!"
Shizune nodded reluctantly and headed out, glancing back several times as she left.
Once Shizune was gone, Tsunade leaned back, her face slightly flushed, eyes a bit hazy as she looked at Kitagawa. "So, you little pervert, what did you want to say?"
"I'm not some naive girl like Shizune. You can't fool me."
Kitagawa sat down across from her, a hint of helplessness in his tone. "Tsunade-sama, an attractive woman like you naturally draws attention, right?"
Tsunade looked pleased at the compliment, but her expression quickly turned serious. "Don't think flattery will get you out of this. Four seconds is too long just to 'appreciate' something. That's not polite."
But Kitagawa's eyes had drifted back to Tsunade's necklace. "I wasn't lying. I sensed something unusual about the necklace—something I can't quite explain, but it's related to chakra."
Tsunade froze, and her look of suspicion shifted to intrigue. Did I misjudge him?
And he can sense my grandfather's chakra in the necklace?
Kitagawa shifted topics. "Let's move on to something else, Tsunade-sama."
Tsunade came back to herself and relaxed into her usual indifferent attitude. She downed the rest of her drink. "What?"
"It's not like we're close or anything."
Kitagawa said calmly. "According to Shizune's file, you're her legal guardian. But..." He pointed at the sake bottles on the table. "Bringing her to a place like this isn't what a guardian should be doing."
"I hope Tsunade-sama will change this situation. Otherwise..."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, her smooth chin tilting up slightly. Under the light, Kitagawa could even see fine peach fuzz. The gesture was provocative, yet somehow compelling.
Kitagawa took a deep breath, narrowed his eyes, and smiled slightly. "Otherwise, I'll petition the Third Hokage to revoke your guardianship of Shizune."
BANG!
The table shook. Tsunade shot to her feet, hands planted on the table, leaning forward with an intimidating presence.
The other customers in the bar turned to stare. The bartender moved quickly to intervene.
Kitagawa calmly stood up and apologized to everyone around them. "I apologize. Tsunade-sama is just emotionally worked up. Sorry for the disturbance."
Tsunade's menacing aura just... evaporated.
She frowned, plopped back down into her seat, crossed her arms over her chest, and let out a small huff. "Fine, go ahead and petition. I'm not scared!"
Kitagawa sat back down, his smile completely serious. "Of course I know that. You're the Third Hokage's disciple, after all, and one of the legendary Three Ninja."
"But as Shizune's teacher, I have a responsibility to her as well."
"I imagine whoever entrusted her to you didn't want her living in a bad situation."
Tsunade's shoulders sagged slightly at his words. She suddenly looked exhausted and slouched back in her chair.
She waved a hand. "Then go file your petition. I'm not suited to be Shizune's guardian anyway."
Kitagawa was taken aback.
Giving up?
He frowned. "You're going to treat someone's trust like this?"
Tsunade's eyes snapped open, and she glared. "You brat, what exactly do you want?"
"Don't think just because you're handsome and quick-witted I won't beat you up!"
Cold sweat broke out on Kitagawa's back. Facing Tsunade's killing intent, he pushed through and kept his voice steady. "At minimum, you should eat normal meals with Shizune and drink away from her eyes."
"Don't project your own emotions onto a child. You need to understand—Shizune is at an age where she's very sensitive."
"And of course, ideally..." Kitagawa pointed at the sake cups. "Drink less."
"Alcohol numbs the nerves and makes a person's consciousness lose control. For a ninja, that's not a good thing at all."
Tsunade gritted her teeth as he spoke, veins bulging on her forehead. Finally, she laughed angrily. "You little brat. Are you really lecturing me?"
"Hah! Even drunk, I could put you down with one hand."
"Actually... to deal with a little pervert like you, I'd only need..."
Tsunade raised a single finger—