That afternoon, the meeting at Konoha Hospital had just ended.
Tsunade sorted through the reports in her hands alone, stopping only after half an hour.
She slowly stood up and stretched lazily.
Her full and striking figure was fully on display, faintly visible beneath her deep blue robe.
Her slender waist and rounded hips traced a breathtaking curve.
Combined with that fair and delicate face, carrying a faint and enchanting flush, like the face of an angel.
Her every move and gesture carried a presence that could captivate the soul.
Tsunade looked at the time, the corners of her mouth curving up slightly.
"It is getting late. Time to go see the old man."
Tsunade tidied herself up briefly, took the report, and left the hospital.
She walked straight toward the Hokage Building.
Along the way, many villagers greeted her. Tsunade responded to each with a light smile, but her pace did not slow.
Before long she arrived.
When she pushed open the door to the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was seated at his desk reviewing documents, smoke from his pipe drifting around him.
Hearing the sound, he looked up. Seeing it was Tsunade, a warm smile appeared on his face.
"Tsunade, done with the hospital business?"
"Yes, just finished a meeting."
"You have worked hard."
His gaze settled on Tsunade's face, and he suddenly let out a sigh.
"You should already know about what has happened recently. Uchiha Yamauma colluding with an outside village, even targeting your elders."
Tsunade's expression was calm. She nodded at him.
Looking at Tsunade, Hiruzen immediately made a promise.
"Tsunade, do not worry. The village will give your clan an explanation for this matter."
Tsunade did not respond to that, only giving a faint smile.
This matter was something Tsunade did not care too much about.
Because the previous night, in between the time spent fooling around with Chiya, she had used some scattered moments to listen as Chiya laid out in full detail every action Uchiha Yamauma had taken against the Senju clan, down to the smallest thing.
The two of them had gone through the events against the timeline.
The actions Uchiha Yamauma had carried out were not nearly as severe as he had made them sound, and had certainly not caused the decline of the Senju clan.
Many of the schemes had in fact caused no real harm at all, because the Senju clan's people had learned of them in advance and avoided them.
However, the matter of colluding with another village was still something the Senju clan had not known about.
The gradual reduction in Senju clan numbers also had nothing to do with Uchiha Yamauma.
The main reason was simply that many had died fighting in wars.
Even the secret experiment the village had organized some time ago called the "Wood Release Inheritance," meant to study Hashirama's cells, had caused fewer deaths than the wars had.
Seeing Tsunade standing there without moving, Hiruzen paused, then took the initiative to speak.
"Is there something else?"
"There is actually one more thing."
Tsunade walked to the desk and handed him the report.
"This is the recent training progress of the Medical Corps. The overall results are good, but we are still short on personnel."
Hiruzen took the report and scanned it, then nodded with satisfaction.
"I would like to transfer a medical ninja to serve as my assistant, to help cultivate Konoha's medical ninja."
Tsunade's tone was natural.
"The workload at the hospital right now is too heavy. I cannot manage it all on my own."
Hiruzen's eyes lit up.
"That is a good thing. Developing medical ninja is a key priority for the village right now. Do you have a suitable candidate in mind?"
"Most of Konoha's medical ninja currently lack experience. I need someone with sufficient ability."
Hiruzen frowned.
"That is true, but skilled medical ninja are not easy to come by."
"Under Danzo, there is a medical ninja with considerable ability."
Tsunade paused, then said the name.
"Her name is Yakushi Nono."
"Yakushi Nono?"
Tsunade nodded.
"Her level of skill in medical ninjutsu is high. If she can be transferred over, it would benefit Konoha's medical system."
Hiruzen considered for a moment.
If it were someone else requesting the transfer of a Root ninja, he might have hesitated. But Tsunade was different.
She was the granddaughter of Senju Hashirama, a princess of the Land of Fire, and the most central figure in the current development of Konoha's medical system.
On top of that, the incident with Uchiha Yamauma had left him feeling a trace of guilt toward the Senju clan.
"Very well."
He nodded in the end.
"Since it is needed for medical work, I will speak to Danzo about it."
The corners of Tsunade's mouth curved up slightly.
"Thank you, Sensei."
Hiruzen waved his hand.
"This is all for the village."
He picked up the brush from his desk, quickly wrote out a transfer order, then summoned a ninja hawk and tied the scroll to its leg.
The hawk spread its wings and flew off. Tsunade watched its departing shadow through the window, a trace of satisfaction flickering in her eyes.
"Then I will head back."
"Yes, go on. By the way, Konoha's medical system cannot be completed in a single day. You must also remember to rest."
Hiruzen said gently.
Tsunade gave a soft sound of acknowledgment, then turned and left the Hokage's office, her steps light.
She knew that with the old man making his move, it was as good as done.
About ten minutes later, Tsunade arrived outside the Security Force headquarters. A young Uchiha member spotted Tsunade approaching, clearly heading toward the Security Force.
Even though he had no fondness for members of the Senju clan, with Tsunade so obviously coming this way, he had no choice but to brace himself and step forward.
"Lady Tsunade."
Tsunade glanced at him.
"Where is your Clan Head?"
"The Clan Head is not on duty this afternoon. He should have gone home to rest."
Tsunade let out a cold scoff upon hearing that.
"When you go back this afternoon, tell him I will be waiting for him at the izakaya at seven tonight."
The moment those words came out, this Uchiha member was caught off guard.
He had been at the Security Force the day before, so he naturally knew that Chiya had already gone to meet this Princess Tsunade.
Today, why again?
Could it be, the matter Clan Head Chiya had mentioned about normalizing relations with the Senju clan going forward?
Tsunade paid no more attention to this Uchiha. Since Chiya was not here, she had no interest in wasting words with them.
Tsunade did not have any particularly bad impression of the Uchiha, but a good impression was naturally not there either.
In the Uchiha clan grounds, the glow of the evening sun spread across the streets of the Uchiha district, dyeing the stone-paved road a warm orange-red.
In the courtyard of Uchiha Mikoto's home, Chiya was dozing off in a chair.
The door inside opened.
Uchiha Mikoto came quickly to stand before Chiya.
"Chiya-nii, wake up."
Hearing the soft murmured call, Chiya opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was Mikoto's gentle face, looking at him now with curiosity.
Mikoto was wearing a light purple kimono today. The tips of her hair were slightly damp, adding a touch of youthful freshness.
"My new dish is ready."
She reached out and grabbed Chiya's sleeve, pulling him eagerly into the house.
Chiya smiled and let her lead him along.
"So eager to have me taste it. This dish must be something special today?"
Mikoto's cheeks flushed faintly and she said softly.
"Yes, I specifically adjusted the recipe to match your preferences. I wanted Chiya-nii to try it."
A rich aroma drifted through the room. The dining table was filled with carefully prepared dishes.
A touch of yuzu peel had been added to the miso soup to bring out the freshness. The grilled fish was cooked to exactly the right point. Beside it sat a plate of seafood tempura drizzled with a special sauce.
"Looks good."
Chiya sat down at the table. Mikoto immediately served him a bowl of rice and placed a piece of grilled fish in his bowl.
"Try this first. I used a new marinating method."
She rested her chin in her hands, her eyes sparkling as she watched him.
Chiya picked up the fish with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. The tender flesh with its light savory sauce melted on his tongue. He raised an eyebrow slightly.
"It has absorbed the flavor much better than last time."
Mikoto's eyes immediately curved into a smile.
"Really? Then try this too."
She picked up a piece of fried shrimp, dipped it in the sauce, and held it out to Chiya's mouth.
Chiya naturally opened his mouth and ate it. The crispy outer layer and the fresh sweet shrimp made him nod.
"The heat control is very good."
Mikoto was so happy she nearly jumped up. With a flushed face she hurriedly served him a bowl of soup.
"I simmered this soup for a long time. Give it a try."
Chiya had just taken the bowl.
Suddenly, from outside the door came the sound of hurried footsteps, followed by.
"Mikoto! I brought the freshly made red bean pastries."
The door was shoved wide open. Uzumaki Kushina stood in the doorway clutching a bag of red bean pastries, her voice cutting off abruptly.
Her gaze fell on the two people at the dining table.
Chiya was holding a bowl in his hands. Mikoto was right beside him, chopsticks still in her hand. The distance between the two of them was close enough that they could almost feel each other's breath.
The air froze in an instant.
"You two."
Kushina 's eyes went wide. The bag of red bean pastries in her hand dropped to the floor with a thud.