"Tss…"
It felt like Tsunade had slept for a very long time.
When she opened her eyes, her mind was still hazy, as if she didn't know why she was lying here—or what had happened before she fell asleep.
The next second, a needle-like pain stabbed through her head, making Tsunade suck in a sharp breath.
It was a strangely "refreshing" kind of pain—like when you've been stretching your legs too long and stand up, and blood suddenly rushes back.
Luckily, it came fast and faded fast.
When the sharp pain subsided, Tsunade finally remembered what happened before she passed out.
Emptying the storeroom, Katsuyu-sama's warning, the salamander bursting from the ground, poison entering her body, Hanzō's killing strike… and then Gojo Yoru appearing in the poison mist, risking inhaling the salamander poison to carry her away—those images flickered through her mind like slides.
"Gojo brat…!"
Tsunade shot upright with a worried shout, echoes bouncing around the cave.
And then—
She met a pair of eyes widened like bells.
It was already night. Outside, rain was pouring.
After recovering to full strength, Gojo Yoru had blinked back to the Land of Fire, gathered dry firewood, and built a small fire in the cave.
The burning wood crackled, and in the dim cave it cast an orange-red veil of light.
Worried Tsunade would get cold, Yoru had moved her deeper into the cave. The fire was built not far from her feet, and he sat opposite her, watching her condition the whole time.
When Tsunade suddenly sat up, she ended up facing Yoru directly—with only a small campfire between them.
As mentioned earlier, a jōnin vest is thick, and Tsunade's white undershirt had been torn open a modest amount for treatment.
When she was lying down, the tear only revealed a little "holy light"—just enough for Yoru to confirm she was going commando, not exactly a feast for the eyes.
But now she sat up suddenly, and the jōnin vest draped over her slipped down at once. The figure that had been "suppressed" while she lay down instantly returned to its full force.
With everything aligning at the worst possible angle, the vest either pressed down or caught the torn opening—letting Yoru witness, in full explosive glory, exactly how "commando big ball" came roaring out.
It was the most shocking visual impact Yoru had seen in two lifetimes.
Even he went slack-jawed.
After several seconds of stunned silence, Yoru finally snapped back. He raised a thumbs-up at Tsunade with heartfelt gratitude.
"Thanks for the treat!"
And then he preemptively plugged his ears with his fingers.
When Tsunade came back to her senses, she followed Yoru's gaze and looked down.
"AAAAAH—!"
Even with his ears plugged, Yoru's face twisted in pain at the piercing scream.
Outside, the sound of the downpour seemed to hit a mute button and vanish.
Even the mountain that held the cave felt like it shook.
When the screaming stopped, Tsunade—still a pure maiden who'd never even dated—was sitting there with her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at Yoru with furious embarrassment.
"You bastard—what did you do to me?!"
Hearing that completely predictable accusation, Yoru spread his hands helplessly.
"What could I possibly do to you at my age? Why don't you think back to what happened before you fainted… and then check your body?"
Tsunade calmed down a little.
The images returned: the salamander bursting up and spewing poison, the slash that nearly killed her, and the final thrust that Yoru blocked with the Sword of the Thunder God.
Still not fully awake, Tsunade actually dropped her arms again and started checking herself—
giving Yoru another full-course "treat."
And the way she used both hands to check was somehow even more visually devastating than before.
Then Tsunade suddenly realized something. Her movements froze.
Her cheeks flushed red from the bottom up.
But since it was her own fault, she could only turn her back in silence and keep checking.
After finally covering herself properly, she found that the tear wasn't even that big—what just happened was purely an accident.
Yoru hadn't done anything to her. He'd actually healed her.
And thinking about how Yoru was even younger than her little brother, Tsunade silently put the jōnin vest on backward, turned back, and forced herself to cough calmly.
"Ahem… I misunderstood you."
As she said it, her eyes darted away. She didn't dare look at Yoru.
"Tsunade-sama, please apologize to me," Yoru suddenly said seriously.
"What did you say?"
Tsunade was stunned, staring at the audacity of this brat.
A vein popped on her forehead; it practically felt like a red "anger symbol" appeared at her temple.
Before she could explode, Yoru spoke in a gloomy tone:
"I risked inhaling the salamander's poison and raced the god of death to save you. When I treated you, I was worried about disrespecting you, so I carefully tore only a small opening—yet I still got slandered. Shouldn't you apologize?"
"S-sorry."
Yoru's shamelessly righteous speech made Tsunade feel awkward, and she apologized on instinct.
But in the next second she flared up again.
"Wait—what do you mean?! Didn't you see what you saw?!"
"But… didn't I say 'thanks for the treat'?" Yoru shot back.
"Treat my ass—go to hell!"
Tsunade finally snapped, jumping up to throw a leaping punch.
But Yoru seemed to have predicted it. His figure appeared beside Tsunade without warning, and he patted her shoulder.
Tadpole-like sealing markings spread instantly, stealing control of her body.
Tsunade glared at Yoru, fuming.
"Violent lady—can't win an argument so you throw hands," Yoru teased. Then he released the Four Limbs Weighting Seal and returned to sit down.
Tsunade, unable to land her punch, sat cross-legged too, arms crossed, turning her body to the side in a sulk.
Then—
Pop.
A sound came, followed by a mouthwatering aroma.
Tsunade couldn't help flicking her eyes over.
"Alright, alright—I was just messing with you."
Yoru held out a steaming, fragrant roast chicken toward her. His handsome face, lit by the fire, carried a slight smile.
"Petty adult. You've been out for hours—eat something first."
"Gulp."
Looking at the roast chicken—clearly cooked not long ago, then sealed and stored—Tsunade's mouth produced saliva on its own. She swallowed and hesitated, torn between pride and hunger.
Then her stomach betrayed her with an audible gurgle-gurgle.
With her dignity utterly shattered, Tsunade gave up completely.
"You brat—pull this kind of joke again and I'm sending you to the ER."
She rolled her eyes at Yoru, saying the exact same thing Kushina always said.
Then she snatched the roast chicken and started devouring it like a wolf.
Maybe she realized her eating looked a bit ugly—her movements slowed, and she glanced at Yoru.
Yoru was resting his elbow on his knee, cheek supported by the back of his hand, smiling as he watched her.
When Tsunade met those ice-blue eyes reflecting the firelight, her gaze inexplicably slipped away again, and she hurriedly buried her head back into the roast chicken.
Maybe it was because she was close to the fire, or because the hot steam rose as she tore the meat—Tsunade felt her cheeks heating up.
Faintly, besides the sound of rain, it seemed as if there was also a thump, thump heartbeat echoing in the cave.
~~~
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