Having regained control, she pulled Tsunade's hand from her body.
At the same time, Tsunade instinctively lifted her head from Azula's shoulder, allowing Azula to turn and face her.
That was when Tsunade noticed the streak of blood on Azula's face.
"Huh? Looks like you're not as 'strong' as you pretend to be." She teased, putting on a casual front that she didn't actually feel.
A casualness Azula saw right through.
Facing each other naked, Azula still found it easier to keep her emotions in check than Tsunade, who was still out of her depth with all of this.
She cupped Tsunade's face, their eyes meeting before she smiled. "Guess you're right. You were stronger than I gave you credit for."
The last thing she ever expected was for Tsunade to be the one to make the first move when it counted, while she herself had been in trance.
"But I guess this is a good outcome too," she continued, her voice softer now.
"I do have feelings for you, honest feelings, from the heart. Things are complicated, sure, but still… I like you. Obviously not just as a friend."
"But for now, I want to keep things more under control," she added.
A blush crept across Tsunade's face as she realized exactly what Azula meant.
"I think it's better if we're a little older for… you know, some things."
Still, Tsunade's heart soared. Just as she'd hoped, she wasn't strange for loving her childhood friend, because that friend, the one who was always right, felt the same way.
Now that everything was out in the open, Tsunade moved hesitantly, slowly, trying to give a hug to Azula, this time face-to-face.
But she paused, unsure just how much 'control' Azula wanted.
Azula, seeing her hesitation, took charge.
She reached out and pulled Tsunade close without a second thought.
She did feel shorter in this life, she realized—but even the older Tsunade only stood 163 cm tall at her peak, and Azula had already surpassed that.
•••
•••
•••
(Tajima's POV)
Sigh, why does everything have to be such a mess?
I looked around at the Jōnin presents, each of them arguing, pushing their own agendas.
But punishing Azula for 'leaving camp' without 'permission'? That's a whole new level of ridiculous.
I couldn't help turning to Yuko Shimura. "Are you seriously trying to punish her for leaving without the commander's so-called permission?"
Then my gaze shifted to Shizuoka, the one currently in command.
He'd held that role when we were fighting against Kiri, and by convention, he kept it even after I arrived.
I don't have a problem with that.
But with his intelligence, he has to know that picking a fight with Azula over something this petty could easily become the worst mistake of his life.
I'm not exaggerating when the said person is practically guaranteed to be the next Hokage.
He felt my eyes on him and gave me a wry smile, a silent message.
It meant this wasn't his idea.
Which meant someone else was targeting Azula.
Someone above him. Add in the Shimura clansman fanning the flames, I didn't need much more to put the pieces together.
Danzō Shimura.
And by extension, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
So now they're setting their sights on Azula? That doesn't add up. The monkey has shown more sense than this.
"The Uchiha Matriarch and the Senju Matriarch are entering," the guard outside announced abruptly.
For an emergency meeting, it wasn't unusual for shinobi returning from outside to arrive late. The protocol was simply to announce them before they stepped in.
But seeing the constipated look on most faces in the room like they'd just heard a ghost walk in, I couldn't help feeling deeply satisfied.
That's my daughter.
She walked in with a smile so genuine it short-circuited my brain. I have never seen her smile so 'sincerely'.
"Did I just hear someone talking about punishing me?" she asked, that 'sincere' smile still in place.
Honestly, I think they would've preferred if she'd looked angry. At least then they could argue back or something.
Not that it would matter. An angry Azula doesn't argue.
But whatever.
Yuko, who was sweating buckets, probably wouldn't agree with me.
"It was a rule set by the previous Hokage," he said, trying hard not to cave. "In times of war, no shinobi may leave the frontline without a direct order. Do so, and you're considered a spy."
Azula just looked confused. "Times of war? What war?"
Then her face lit up like she'd just remembered something.
"Oh! Don't you know?" she said. "We just came from the Kumo army camp. After some intense 'discussion', I 'convinced' the Raikage to pull all his troops out of the Land of Frost, stop hostilities, and form an alliance with Konoha."
She spoke like she was mentioning the weather, not dropping news that could shake the entire ninja world to its core.
I'm confident in her, I really am.
But even I have to admit: resolving a conflict with the most aggressive nation in the world in a single day? That's just jaw‑dropping.
"You've got to be joking, right?" one Jōnin asked.
He clearly had no idea who he was dealing with.
She fixed him with a cold, dead-serious stare.
"What do you mean, 'joking'? Do I, Matriarch of the Uchiha clan, Head Chef of the Konoha Police Force, and the Konoha Minister of Justice, look like someone who would joke about something this important, in a meeting this important?"
He froze, then quickly backpedaled. "My apologies, I meant no disrespect. I'm just… shocked by the news."
"I've been on this front line since day one," he continued. "I was there to see the Raikage fight twice. Especially the last time, when he took on Tsunade-sama and her support. So excuse me if I don't exactly see him as the 'reasonable' type."
As he spoke, many in the room nodded in agreement.
I couldn't help it either. My mind went straight back to that unkillable monster.
The guy could shrug off anything, while one solid hit from him was a one-way ticket to the Pure Land.
"It doesn't matter whether you see him at this or that," she spoke, still as direct as ever. "What matters is the fact that it happened. The village should prepare to send more people to negotiate things thoroughly."
(END OF THE CHAPTER)
SO FUCKING TIRED, BUT HERE WE GO!!!