Tsunade's sudden outburst of rage gave Minato a huge fright. But at this moment, she didn't have the time to bother with him.
Because she felt an overwhelming sense of being played with, a fury that burst out uncontrollably.
The more she thought about all the effort she had put into Shin, all the guilt she had borne, only to realize this guy had been putting on an act for her all along, the more the anger in her heart surged uncontrollably.
Her thoughts were like a Pandora's box that had been opened, impossible to stop.
This guy had been lying to her all along, deceiving her about so many things.
Why did he lie to me? To stay alive?
Alright, she could truly understand how hard these past seven years must have been for him.
Even if she realized it only in hindsight, she couldn't blame him for doing everything he could to survive, even manipulating her into helping him escape danger.
In fact, that wasn't really what she cared about, some things she could reason through.
What she truly cared about was: the increasing concern, the acceptance, the change in attitude, and those occasional moments of closeness that made her heart race, were they real?
If all of that was real, then now that he was clearly out of danger, why was he still lying to her? But if it was all fake... The mere flash of that thought made her mind go completely blank, her body a little unsteady.
All fake? All of his feelings for her were fake? Everything, was it all deception and manipulation? And if she hadn't come to see Minato today, hadn't coaxed a few words out of him, she would still be completely in the dark.
Some things were like a thin sheet of window paper, she had suspected for a while, but kept lying to herself, comforting herself. But now that the paper had been torn, she couldn't even fool herself anymore.
Her mind was in complete chaos.
"Are you okay?" Minato asked cautiously from the side.
It wasn't just Tsunade whose head was spinning, his was too. Because he realized he might have said something wrong. Or rather, let slip something his brother had deliberately kept from Tsunade, sparking a terrible realization in her.
Crap. He'd really messed up!
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At Konoha Hospital, Shin had finally finished work. Glancing again at the desk across from his that had been empty all day, he felt strangely uneasy.
What am I thinking? Nothing should be wrong.
Am I… missing Tsunade?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible!
Besides, they were going to meet tonight, what was there to be anxious about?
After filing away some documents and adjusting his mindset, he happily left work. However, when he got home, his father told him that Minato was staying over at a classmate's house tonight and wouldn't be back.
Shin was immediately amused. He has caused trouble, afraid I'd scold him? Seriously, is that really how you see me? When have I ever truly gotten mad at you?
He didn't dwell on Minato's little schemes.
Kids, they were always a bit odd sometimes.
Around 9 PM, as usual, he prepared to reverse-summon himself to the Shikkotsu Forest. But no matter how long he waited, the summon from Katsuyu never came.
Frowning in confusion, he expanded his sensing range and detected Tsunade's chakra near the riverside where they had once had a secret conversation.
Puzzled, he left the house that very night and appeared beside her.
But before he could say anything, he was met with her furious, tear-reddened eyes and an expression that looked like she was about to devour him.
Shin instantly realized she had discovered something. His heart clenched tightly. But then he quickly composed himself.
Why am I panicking? Wasn't this bound to happen sooner or later? And only by doing this could I leave without any burdens, right? But then… why this sudden heart-wrenching pain?
That doesn't make sense!
At that moment, Tsunade angrily spoke. "You're leaving?"
Shin was stunned when he heard that. His eyes instinctively avoided hers, as if he were trying to think of how to talk his way out of it.
At the same time, he cursed Minato a hundred times in his heart. At this point, how could he not know who had let the secret slip? No wonder he suddenly didn't come home, turned out he was genuinely afraid of being scolded!
This isn't over until I smack your butt!
Ten seconds later, he let out a long sigh and nodded. "Can you not be so sharp? It puts a lot of pressure on me, okay?"
What he didn't know was that Minato had used this as a strategy to deflect Tsunade's anger, by revealing that Shin was planning to leave, it shifted her focus away from the fact that he had been lying to her.
But Tsunade, of course, wouldn't betray Minato.
She just asked, unwilling to let it go, "Why?"
"What other reason could there be?" Shin gave a bitter smile. "Konoha is home and a place of belonging for all of you. But for me, it's a cage. I've wanted to leave for a long time. I didn't leave before simply because I had no chance. Now that the opportunity is here, why wouldn't I take it?"
"So the moment you fully master the Flying Thunder God Technique, you're leaving?" Tsunade asked again.
"According to the plan, yes." Shin didn't hide it. He sighed and said, "At that point, I'll fake my death to escape."
"Because I'm not a ninja, I'm just a doctor. Even if they suspect I faked my death, they'll only investigate quietly. They won't make it public. So you just have to pretend you don't know anything."
"But the situation has changed!" Tsunade nearly shouted. "You already have the power to protect yourself, and I would risk everything to protect you too. Why do you still have to leave?"
"Because I don't want to lose control one day and kill Koharu, Hiruzen, and Danzō. Is that reason enough?" Shin replied with a bitter smile.
"Not enough! You're not that impulsive. Did they do something to you again?" Tsunade asked urgently.
"No." Shin shook his head and sighed. "Koharu still wants me to work for her for free, and I'm done with that. Hiruzen is still trying to get his hands on the medical ninjutsu I developed, and I don't want to give it to him. Danzō is always telling Hiruzen they should kill me off early, this evil Uchiha. Five years ago, it was him and Koharu who persuaded Hiruzen to change his mind about me. Even Homura, who usually tries to stay neutral, thinks I shouldn't stay long, saying my presence threatens the unity of the village's leadership."
"Everything seems calm now, and yes, I've made it through the latest crisis. But conflict is inevitable. As soon as tensions escalate, they will come after me. And I won't just sit and wait for death. So when I'm facing a foreseeable and terrible future, why wouldn't I leave?"
"Is it because of me?" Tsunade suddenly interrupted.
"What?" Shin asked, surprised.
He was genuinely shocked. Why was she so sharp today? Why couldn't he hide anything from her anymore?
"Did you give up on revenge because of me?" Tsunade had talked to Minato for a long time earlier. Combined with some hints from grandmother, she had figured out many things.
Namely, that while Shin wasn't inherently bad, he was the type to hold grudges and repay them harshly. He had wanted to kill Koharu for a long time. As soon as he gained power, he would absolutely act on that desire.
But why had he suddenly changed his mind?
Aside from considering her feelings, she couldn't think of any other reason. And Minato had said the same thing.
Now that she had exposed his thoughts, Shin fell into a long silence.
It was true, he no longer wanted to hold himself back. That would inevitably put him at odds with Konoha's higher-ups. But he also didn't want to put Tsunade in a difficult position. So sticking to the original plan was the best option.
"I won't let you leave!" Having gotten the answer she wanted, Tsunade stepped forward and grabbed Shin's hand, her tear-filled eyes blurring. "You're so smart, there must be another way, right? Tell me, what can I do?"
Shin shook his head. "Why bother?"
"Tell me!" Tsunade demanded again, her voice unwavering.
"There is a way... but it's too hard. You'll suffer a lot. It's really not necessary."
"I want to know!" Tsunade said firmly once more.
"Sigh..." Shin let out a long breath and asked, "Tsunade... do you want to become Hokage?"
"What?" Tsunade was stunned, she wondered if she had misheard him.
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I don't think it will be popular cause there is already someone doing this story with way more popularity. Anyway, this was a request. Be the first to leave a review, or tell me how you find the cover!
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