Kazuki looked at the table full of dishes, then at Tenten, who puffed out her cheeks and turned her head away as if sulking. He immediately understood.
With a hand on his forehead, Kazuki sighed.
How could he forget about Tenten?
An old horse may stumble, but Kazuki wasn't old yet—so how did he forget this?
"Lady Tsunade, please."
Now that Tsunade's identity had been revealed, Kazuki had no choice but to accept it.
"Lady Tsunade, please sit here!"
His parents hurriedly gestured for Tsunade to take the main seat. After all, given her status, it was only proper etiquette.
Tsunade smiled and waved a hand dismissively. "It wouldn't be right for a guest to take the main seat. I'll just sit here."
She casually chose a spot and sat down.
"How can that be? Lady Tsunade, please—"
"Just treat me like any other guest."
Seeing there was no room for argument, Kazuki quickly found an excuse. "Alright, alright, let's just sit and eat. I'm starving."
He pushed his parents toward the main seat.
"Alright then, let's start dinner!"
With hands clasped together, Kazuki murmured a quick blessing before picking up his chopsticks.
And so, the banquet officially began.
Throughout the meal, his parents conversed politely with Tsunade, though it was clear they were somewhat tense in the presence of such a legendary figure. Noticing this, Tsunade acted carefree, taking big swigs of sake and keeping the conversation light, gradually easing their nerves.
The meal stretched on for over two hours.
"Mom, help Dad back to rest."
Kazuki turned his gaze to Tsunade, whose cheeks were flushed from the alcohol. He sighed.
"I'll take Lady Tsunade to her room."
Both Tsunade and his father had drunk too much.
"Ah… alright."
His mother, a little tipsy herself, giggled. The idea of drinking alongside one of the legendary Sannin had been too tempting to resist.
"Remember what we talked about—"
"Don't tell anyone that Lady Tsunade was here!"
"Yes, yes, I remember!"
After a bit more chatting, his parents helped each other to their room. Kazuki, meanwhile, supported a barely conscious Tsunade, her loose kimono slipping from her shoulders as he guided her toward the guest room.
Tenten mumbled something under her breath as she started clearing the table.
With their parents drunk, the task of cleaning up the dishes, tables, and chairs naturally fell to her.
Inside the guest room, Kazuki let out a breath.
Helping Tsunade to the bed took more effort than expected.
Even with her kimono barely staying in place, her presence was overwhelming. Smooth, fair skin tinged with red, an intoxicating warmth radiating from her…
The way her chest rose and fell with each breath—
Kazuki shook his head fiercely.
He wasn't the type to take advantage of someone in a vulnerable state. If anything, he'd rather be seen as overly cautious than as a hypocrite.
Without another glance, he gently set her down on the bed, turned on his heel, and hurried out of the room.
Once outside, he took a deep breath, trying to compose himself.
"What's with that reaction?"
Tenten, still tidying up, happened to pass by and noticed his flustered state.
"It's nothing," Kazuki muttered quickly. "I'm heading to bed."
His footsteps echoed through the wooden hallway as he made his way to his room. His pulse still hadn't settled.
"Oh, and make sure to rest early after cleaning up, alright?"
Kazuki called over his shoulder before disappearing into his room.
"I know, I know…" Tenten grumbled.
After replying with just one sentence every day, a small face grew worried.
"Brother... something's wrong with him!"
The next morning
Tsunade left early at dawn.
Without even thinking, Kazuki assumed she had rushed off to the casino, likely offering herself up as easy prey for some wealthy gambler.
As for Kazuki…
A Konoha ninja like him rarely got a proper vacation. But instead of going out to relax, he had something more important in mind.
At the break of dawn, he headed straight for his personal forging room.
During his last mission, he had obtained blueprints for a puppet doll—an opportunity he couldn't pass up. He needed to tinker with it.
Noon arrived.
His parents suddenly burst into the forging room, looking anxious.
"Kazuki, I heard from Tenten that your last mission was S-rank?" his mother asked, worry evident in her voice.
His father stood beside her, fists clenched tightly. He was nervous, though his face remained serious.
"Kazuki… is it true that you're being promoted to Anbu Captain?"
Kazuki paused in his work, then turned to them with a reassuring smile.
"Mom, Dad, you're misunderstanding the situation. The mission was originally classified as B-rank. I didn't lie when I told you that before leaving. But due to some unexpected complications, things escalated… and when we returned to the village, Lord Hokage reassessed the mission and reclassified it as S-rank."
"As for the Anbu Captain thing—Tsunade-sama only mentioned it to me last night. I wouldn't have known otherwise."
His father exhaled deeply, then looked at his wife. "See? I told you. Kazuki is always careful. He wouldn't recklessly throw himself into danger."
Then, after a brief silence, his father spoke again, this time with a rare softness.
"Kazuki… We don't expect anything from you. Whatever path you choose, we'll support you. But… please, be careful in the future."
"We may not understand the full scope of the shinobi world's dangers… but if you ever struggle with something, don't keep it bottled up. Talk to us. We may not be strong, but we'll do our best to help you."
Kazuki felt warmth bloom in his chest.
"I understand. Thank you, Father. Thank you, Mother."
"Don't worry, I have no reckless ambitions. I won't seek out unnecessary danger. This Anbu Captain position and the S-rank mission… both were just coincidences."
After reassuring them, Kazuki stayed to chat a little longer. Once his parents left, he returned to his work, hammering away at his forge.
Night fell.
Suddenly, the door to his forging room slammed open.
A tall, busty woman with a distinctive golden ponytail stood there, arms crossed, looking agitated.
"Kazuki! Help me!"
Kazuki sighed. He knew it.
If Tsunade was staying at his house, sooner or later, she'd come dragging him into some gambling mess.
"The bastards at the casino… They were cheating!" she fumed.
"Cheating, huh?"
"It's not just that! Those brats had the nerve to mock me!" Tsunade's fingers twitched like she was itching to punch something. "So I smashed their shop! But that old man, Sarutobi, stepped in and mediated…"
"Even after trashing their place, I still don't feel satisfied!"
Kazuki rubbed his temples.
"How much did you lose this time?"
"Just… one…"
"One million ryo?"
"…Twelve million ryo."
Kazuki: "…"
"He was definitely cheating!"
Kazuki chuckled dryly. He wasn't saying he didn't believe Tsunade, but… this was a casino. Their whole business revolved around making money. If a casino didn't have ways to tilt the odds in their favor, that would be unusual.
"Fine," he sighed. "I'll come with you… but just this once!"
He wanted to refuse. He wanted to tell Tsunade to quit gambling, to remind her that it never ended well.
But… if even Shizune, after decades at Tsunade's side, had never managed to break her habit, what could he do?
Gambling was in Tsunade's blood. Quitting wasn't something that could happen overnight.
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