Faced with Tsunade's questioning, Hiruzen Sarutobi could no longer defend Orochimaru even half a word.
After a moment of silence, he recounted to Tsunade exactly what he had learned from the Anbu about Orochimaru's night attack.
Shinji, standing nearby, timely supplemented the details of the battle, allowing Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tsunade, and Shizune to fully understand the entire sequence of events.
However, a new question also surfaced in Tsunade's mind.
Why did Orochimaru attack Shinji at night?
Frowning, she quickly pondered before turning to Shinji.
"Orochimaru's goal was likely to force you to reveal your Storm Release in front of everyone."
Shinji shrugged lightly, tacitly acknowledging her guess.
He had no intention of voicing his suspicion that Orochimaru might covet his flesh and blood and want to extract his cells.
For one, there was no concrete evidence, and secondly, Orochimaru had not yet defected and still held considerable prestige in Konohagakure.
Exposing Orochimaru now would only leave him in a thankless position.
Tsunade snorted coldly, her face contorted with anger.
"Next time I see Orochimaru, I'll beat him to a pulp!"
She clenched her fists, knuckles cracking, as a suppressed, fierce aura faintly emanated from her.
Her gritted-teeth expression even made Shizune, standing nearby, tremble with fear.
Hiruzen Sarutobi cleared his throat softly, attempting to soothe Tsunade. "I will personally warn Orochimaru and restrain his actions."
Shinji silently scoffed inwardly—someone like Orochimaru would never heed his words.
He quietly calculated that he would need to take extra precautions to prevent Orochimaru from finding any opportunity.
That guy was a complete mad scientist; who knew what terrifying experiments he would conduct after obtaining his flesh and blood cells.
Wasn't the future Uchiha Shin created by Orochimaru through cloning? He certainly didn't want to end up with numerous clones related to himself in the future.
Tsunade clicked her tongue. With the old man's assurance, she temporarily suppressed her anger toward Orochimaru.
She waved her hand and instructed Shizune and Shinji:
"Let's go."
With that, she turned and left the Hokage's office without looking back.
Shinji and Shizune exchanged a glance, both bowing respectfully to Hiruzen Sarutobi before quickly following her.
Inside the office, Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a soft sigh of relief.
A moment later, he stood up and walked to the window.
Under the streetlights, he watched the receding figures of Tsunade and the other two, murmuring to himself, "Orochimaru seems to be getting closer and closer to Danzo lately."
A soft sigh escaped him.
He turned and gazed at the portraits of the First and Second Hokage on the wall, falling into silence once more.
...
On the way back, Shinji was about to bid farewell to Tsunade.
But Shizune suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm.
"Shinji, why don't you stay with us tonight?"
"Huh?" Shinji was slightly taken aback.
Shizune continued with a smile, "Your house was destroyed during the fight with Orochimaru-sama, right? You probably have nowhere to stay now."
She had kept Shinji's mention of his destroyed residence in mind ever since hearing about it in the office. Seeing him about to leave alone now, she immediately spoke up with a suggestion.
Shinji quickly waved his hands in refusal. "That would be too inconvenient. I can just find an inn to make do for the night."
"Besides..."
His gaze swept over Tsunade and Shizune, his meaning clear—as a man, living with two women would inevitably invite gossip.
Tsunade saw right through his thoughts, a slightly teasing smile curling at the corner of her lips as she reached out and ruffled the top of his head.
"Such a little kid with such big thoughts. You're still far from that!"
"Stop fussing. Just stay at my place. Shizune and I don't mind."
"Besides, I can check on your progress with Medical Ninjutsu while we're at it."
"Well..." Shinji hesitated, his eyes shifting to Shizune.
Shizune also quickly nodded vigorously, her expression full of agreement.
"Alright then."
Shinji finally agreed. To be honest, such an invitation was truly hard to refuse.
...
Shizune walked down from the second floor carrying a stack of clean cotton bedding and handed it to him with a smile.
"Shinji, you can use these for now."
"Thanks, Shizune."
Shinji reached out to take them, thanking her with a smile.
His palm brushed over the bedding—it felt incredibly soft and carried a faint, lingering fragrance.
Tsunade also slowly descended from the second floor, wearing a light white silk nightgown that draped closely against her body. The smooth fabric outlined her delicate and alluring curves beautifully.
She casually brushed aside the strands of hair falling against her cheek, the gesture of tucking her hair behind her ear carrying a casual yet captivating charm.
Shinji's heartbeat inexplicably quickened. He instinctively averted his gaze and coughed awkwardly.
Tsunade walked straight to the sofa and sat down, leaning lazily against the backrest before pointing toward the end of the first-floor hallway.
"The room at the very end is empty. You can sleep there tonight."
"You can stay as long as you like. Feel free to come anytime in the future, too."
"Okay! Thank you, Tsunade-sensei."
Shinji replied with a smile.
He glanced at the wall clock—it was already 2 a.m.
After the long night, exhaustion seeped from every pore, and he just wanted to catch up on sleep.
As for Fugaku's request for him to go to the Police Force later, he planned to put it off until tomorrow.
Shinji yawned and headed toward the room Tsunade had indicated.
Tsunade watched his retreating back, her gaze growing slightly distant.
"Tsunade-sama!"
A gentle shake on her shoulder snapped Tsunade back to reality.
Shizune was standing beside her, calling softly with a hint of concern on her face.
"It's so late. We should get some rest, too."
"Oh... right."
Tsunade responded, her expression slightly unnatural. She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the emotions swirling inside her.
She turned off the lights on the first floor and went upstairs with Shizune.
Meanwhile, Shinji entered the room and looked around.
It wasn't small, with clean tatami flooring, warm and soft lighting—overall tidy and comfortable.
Satisfied, Shinji nodded, laid out the bedding Shizune had given him, took off his outer clothes, and slipped under the covers.
His mind involuntarily replayed everything that had happened that night.
As he thought, he suddenly remembered the moment in the Hokage's office when Tsunade had gently brushed his cheek.
In her eyes, besides gentleness, there had also been a trace of indescribable nostalgia.
"Was she thinking of Nawaki?"
Shinji opened his eyes, gazing at the ceiling, lost in thought.
He could clearly sense the complexity and tenderness in Tsunade at that moment, and he could also perceive that her concern for him was growing deeper.
Whenever he faced difficulties, she would always be the first to arrive, and her guidance in daily life was given without reservation.
"Hemophobia..."
Shinji gently closed his eyes, silently making a resolution in his heart.
No matter what, he must find a way to cure Tsunade of this psychological burden.
The entire mansion gradually sank into darkness, and everyone slowly drifted into slumber.