Iavern.

  Tsunade and Shizu on one side of the table, while Kanda Kyoichi occupied the other. Two bottles of sake sat oable between them.

  “Kid, you’re way too young to be drinking. Focus on your training ihat’s the right path,” Tsunade said as she pulled both bottles toward her side.

  Kyoichi eechless.

  If you just want to drink more, just say it. I’m paying anyway. I ’t cover your debts, but I afford some sake.

  “Lady Tsunade, who is this…?” Shizune asked curiously.

  “ht. I fot to introduce him. This is Kanda Kyoichi, the ohe old man wrote to me about a few days ago. Teically, he’s a retive,” Tsunade said casually, her tone softening after a sip of sake.

  Though she found his overly serious demeanor annoying, she appreciated his straightforwardness iio drinks.

  “Oh, so it was the Hokage who wrote about him. No wonder he specifically asked you to lead this mission.”

  “Lead a mission?”

  Tsunade paused, then g Kyoichi with renewed i. “You’re a jōnin now?”

  “Yes, I just got promoted,” Kyoiodded.

  Tsuared at him for a few moments. Her expression dimmed slightly, and she tilted her head back to take a few more sips.

  Shizune observed this and nodded silently to herself. Indeed, he’s clearly part of the .

  But…

  Kyoichi’s demeanor and as seemed to resemble the Sed Hokage far more than the First.

  Tsunade finished her first bottle, then reached for the sed and poured herself anss before speaking again. “Let me guess, the old man asked you to vince me to return to the vilge?”

  “Not at all. In fact, I didn’t even know I’d run into you,” Kyoichi replied.

  But internally, he couldn’t help w.

  I wasn’t pnning to seek her out just yet—though I was sidering learning some teiques from her. But if that’s my pn, there’s no way the Third Hokage would’ve known about it.

  What’s his angle here?

  “He didn’t, huh? Hah, I see.”

  Tsunade sneered and reached over to pour him a drink.

  “Sorry, I don’t drink,” Kyoichi deed politely.

  Although most alcohol in the ninja world was fairly mild, he hadn’t been a drinker in his previous life, and he certainly wasn’t starting now.

  Tsunade froze for a sed, then poured the drink for herself.

  After downing it, she suddenly smmed the bottle onto the table with a loud crack. The gss fractured, and the remaining alcohol began to seep through the fissures.

  Shizune flinched in surprise.

  She had been with Tsunade for three years and had never seehis upset while drinking—not even when she was drinking alone.

  What’s going on?

  “Enough of this. It’s b. Let’s go,” Tsutered, grabbing her green coat and leaving her seat in frustration.

  Kyoichi’s mind raced.

  Judging by her mood, it seemed that the Third Hokage must’ve talked to her about something. Though he hadn’t assigned Kyoichi any specific mission, it was clear he wao use Kyoichi as a bridge to coax Tsunade back to the vilge.

  Moreover, building a closer retionship with Tsunade would alsthen Kyoichi’s ties to the Hokage fa.

  Tch.

  He sighed, got up, and followed her.

  Tsunade walked dowreet, heading toward the area where Asuma and the others were w. Eventually, she stopped at a spot near a railing overlooking the se.

  She gazed at the three young ninja hard at work.

  The Hokage’s kid? One of the others must be from the Yūhi … and the shorter one—

  “An Uchiha?”

  “Yes, Uchiha Shisui. He’s a desdant of Kagami-senpai. He’s only five,” Kyoichi expined.

  “Kagami…” Tsunade murmured, her tone softening. Then, after a moment, she turo him and asked seriously, “Do you want to bee Hokage?”

  The question seemed abrupt and out of pce, but there was a certai behind it.

  Kyoichi uood immediately that she must be thinking of her brother, Nawaki. After a moment of thought, he shook his head.

  “No, I have no i in being Hokage. To be ho, I just want to be a teacher.”

  “Oh?”

  Tsunade raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by his answer. She studied him for a moment and saw that he was telling the truth.

  Her curiosity piqued, she momentarily set aside her lingering thoughts.

  “Why is that?”

  “Hokage seems like way too much work. If you’re the Hokage, you barely have time to focus on what you want to do. That’s just how I feel right now—maybe I’ll ge my mind someday, but who knows?”

  Kyoichi spoke pinly.

  Tsunade chuckled softly, brushing her hair behind her ear as she g him. After a moment, she sighed.

  “The Senju has long since bee part of Konoha as a whole. But to think, after all these years, someone who awaken the power of the Senju still exists… And you really do remind me of the Sed Hokage.”

  “My grandmother was said to resemble the Sed Hokage a lot.”

  “That’s not what I mean. I’m talking about your personality and the way you carry yourself,” Tsunade said lightly.

  As a child, she used to g to Tobirama occasionally, but no matter how much she g to him, he would remain focused on studying ninjutsu, reading, and strategizing—always disciplined aiculous.

  In that regard, Kyoichi was exactly the same.

  Shizune’s eyes widened in surprise.

  So Kanda Kyoichi has awakehe Senju bloodlihat expins everything!

  She had been w why Tsunade suddenly ged her pns to return to this area after mentioning visiting the Land of Waterfalls.

  It turns out she had specifically e to meet Kyoichi.

  And now it all made sense—fifteen years old and already a jōnin.

  How impressive!

  The two stood by the railing, chatting casually. Thanks to their shared lihey quickly became more familiar with each other.

  In terms of bloodlihey were teically cousins.

  Tsunade seemed to cheer up a bit. Notig a medical book stig out from Kyoichi’s pouch, she pulled out a key from her waist.

  “Kid, staying out here is probably for the best. This is the key to my house in Konoha. There are some secret teiques and books inside—you take a look.”

  “I’m not going back to Konoha,” she added firmly, tossing him the key.

  Leaning against the railing, Tsunade seemed lost in thought.

  Kyoichi g her, then quickly averted his eyes.

  Even with a serious gaze, his peripheral vision seemed to always nd there.

  Taking a deep breath, he forced the image from his mind and said seriously, “Lady Tsu’s fio enjoy life outside the vilge, but gambling… isly ideal. If I recall correctly, both you and the First Hokage have notoriously bad luck.”

  “Hey, kid! I just plimented you, and now you start this?” Tsunade gritted her teeth.

  “os are full of trouble. With your lud skill, it’s like throwing money away,” Kyoichi shrugged.

  As he spoke, a pying card flicked out from his sleeve and danimbly between his fingers, almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

  Tsunade narrowed her eyes.

  Shizune checked her poud froze.

  The card was theirs.

  “Kid, you’re pretty quick, huh?” Tsunade’s expression shifted to one of intrigue.

  She hadn’t expected him to be so skilled with cards.

  “Basic tricks, nothing more. But Lady Tsurust me—os are not something you handle.”

  “Why didn’t I think of this before? You’re absolutely right, Kyoichi! os are too dangerous for me. Quick, show me a few more tricks so I defend myself! What about dice?”

  Her eyes sparkled with gehusiasm, her tone and even the way she addressed him suddenly ging.

  The siy in her voice was unmistakable.

  “…Uh.” Kyoichi was at a loss.

  Is she trying to defend herself—or just pnning to learricks to use herself?

  Gcell