"Tsunade-sama wants to come to my house for a while. It's an honor."
"This way, please."
Kazuki extended his hand, gesturing for Tsunade to follow him.
Tsunade gave a slight nod and didn't pay much mind to Tenten's words, walking ahead at her own pace.
"Brother, she…"
Tenten hesitated. She wanted to say something, but Kazuki shook his head.
"Tenten, you're overthinking things."
Of course, Kazuki knew exactly what was going through his younger sister's mind. But… how could that even be possible?
What ulterior motives could Tsunade, the "big fat sheep," possibly have? She wasn't here for anything suspicious—she just knew that "the moon is closest to the water first"… No, more likely, she simply wanted to have quick access to Kazuki whenever she lost money gambling, using him as a backup to recoup her losses.
"Master Tsunade, do you want to invite Shizune over as well?"
"She…" Tsunade hesitated.
"Even though she traveled the ninja world with me when she was younger, she still has friends in Konoha…"
"Forget it. Let her catch up with people she knows while we're here."
After saying that, Tsunade muttered under her breath.
"If she knew I was heading to a casino, she'd definitely scold me…"
…So that was the real reason?!
"Master Tsunade, we've arrived. This is my home."
After a few minutes, the group reached Kazuki's house.
"Hmm… Not bad. Your house is pretty big."
Tsunade smirked and glanced at him.
"Don't tell me… You bought this mansion with the money you won gambling?"
Tenten's face darkened.
The legendary Sannin, Tsunade-hime—who revolutionized the medical ninja system and changed the entire course of shinobi history…
The image of her that Tenten had in her heart completely crumbled.
"My family owns the largest ninja tools shop in Konoha! I don't need to rely on my brother's gambling luck to make money!"
Tenten huffed indignantly.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow and looked at Kazuki in surprise.
…This guy… He's been so quiet, but he's actually a second-generation rich kid?!
Kazuki just chuckled.
"Master Tsunade, please, come in."
The three of them entered the house.
As soon as they stepped inside, Kazuki's parents turned toward them.
"Kazuki, where have you and Tenten been so late?"
"Eh? And this is…?"
Seeing Tsunade, his parents were visibly surprised.
Kazuki… brought a woman home?!
She was beautiful, no doubt about that, but… wasn't the age gap between them a bit much?!
Kazuki immediately noticed the strange looks on his parents' faces, and a vein popped on his forehead.
…What the hell are they thinking?!
"This is… a friend of mine. A… very good friend. She'll be staying with us for a few days."
After a brief pause, Kazuki decided against revealing Tsunade's true identity. His parents were respected merchants specializing in ninja tools, and while they often dealt with shinobi, he didn't want them getting too entangled in the affairs of powerful figures like Tsunade.
"Follow me."
Before Tsunade could even greet his parents, Kazuki quickly pulled her toward a guest room.
Watching this unfold, Kazuki's father looked at his wife with a complicated expression.
"Kazuki's… relationship with this woman doesn't seem simple…"
"Damn it… Do you think we should—"
"But… isn't she a little too old for him?"
Kazuki's mother sighed.
"Dear, I think we should leave it up to Kazuki. He's never shown interest in any girl before, and now he's finally brought someone home. Let's not do anything that might upset him."
"This… that… Well, you're right…"
Just as they were having this whispered discussion, a younger voice suddenly interrupted.
It was Tenten.
"Hey! Where is everyone going?!"
She was fuming.
Even though she'd had a bad feeling ever since learning Tsunade was staying over, she hadn't expected things to escalate so quickly!
And now, with her parents' approval, she felt an even deeper sense of crisis.
Her beloved big brother, whom she had always looked up to… was being stolen away right before her eyes!
No way!
Tenten clenched her fists.
She had to change her parents' minds—no matter what!
4o
"My brother won't be with her! That person just now was Tsunade-sama! They can't be together!"
"What?"
"Tsu—Tsunade? That Tsunade-hime of the Legendary Sannin?"
Kazuki's parents were stunned. They could hardly believe it and turned to Tenten for confirmation.
"The Princess Tsunade of the Senju clan?"
"The granddaughter of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama?"
The barrage of questions made Tenten's head spin. Can you slow down? Don't be so anxious!
"Yes, it's the Tsunade you're thinking of!"
"That woman is Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin, the Princess of the Senju clan, and the granddaughter of the First Hokage!"
Tsunade-sama… actually came to their house as a guest!
And she was going to stay for a few days?!
The realization was overwhelming, leaving Kazuki's parents completely speechless.
"Tsunade-hime is a legendary figure from the Second Shinobi War! She's several times older than my brother—there's no way they could be together!"
"Hey, are you even listening to me?!"
"Dad? Mom?"
Tenten waved her hands in front of her parents, but they stood frozen. She shook their arms.
"Ah, ah!"
"We're listening, we're listening!"
"Tsunade-sama is here… Tsunade-sama is visiting our home!"
"Dear, go and prepare some dishes to entertain Tsunade-sama!"
"But… cooking takes time. We don't want to keep Tsunade-sama waiting. Should we just buy something from a restaurant?"
"Yes, good idea! I'll go now!"
"Alright, I'll clean up the house—ah! Why is everything such a mess?"
One parent rushed out the door, while the other frantically tidied a room that wasn't even messy.
"Dad… Mom…"
"Did you even hear what I said?"
Tenten was on the verge of breaking down. The point wasn't that Tsunade-sama was visiting—it was that she and her brother weren't together!
"We heard, we heard!"
Her mother continued cleaning without stopping, casually brushing off Tenten's words.
"Tenten, don't just stand there! Help me clean up!"
"A legendary figure like Tsunade-sama is in our home! We have to prepare properly!"
Tenten: "…"
—
Meanwhile, in the room, Kazuki privately spoke with Tsunade. He didn't want his parents getting too involved with the ninja world, so he asked her to hide her true identity.
Tsunade, a veteran of war and countless travels, understood his concerns immediately.
"Got it. I'll go along with it," she agreed.
To keep up the act, Tsunade quickly came up with a fake identity for herself: Senju Chisame.
According to her, the name had a deep meaning… but Kazuki didn't really pay attention to her explanation.
Instead, he was left speechless when she added, "If I use this name properly, I'll have better luck at the casino next time!"
Kazuki's eye twitched.
Seriously…
"Tsunade-sama, do you not realize that the entire ninja world knows you as the 'Legendary Sucker' at gambling?"
"If luck really worked like that… would you still have that reputation?"
—
Once everything was settled, Kazuki and Tsunade finally left the room.
As a guest, it was only natural for Tsunade to greet Kazuki's family.
But the moment they stepped downstairs…
POP! SNAP!
Two bursts of fireworks exploded in front of them.
"Welcome, Tsunade-sama!!"
Colorful streamers rained down from above.
Kazuki stood frozen in shock.
Tsunade was also stunned.
What the hell is going on…?
Her fake identity Senju Chisame was completely useless now!
How am I supposed to win money at the casino tomorrow?!
That was the only thought running through Tsunade's mind.
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