Hidden Leaf Hospital, patient ward.
The window was halfway open, the breeze pushing the sheer curtains into a soft arc.
Tsunade sat by the bed, her chin resting on the edge as she stared intently at Kitahara Kaede's face. She hadn't moved from that spot since he was admitted.
When the nurse ca to change the dressings, Tsunade watched every single movent of the nurse's hands. Removing the bandages, applying the dicine, re-wrapping them—she tracked every step with a piercing gaze. The nurse's hands trembled under the pressure, nearly smudging the ointnt.
Jiraiya had stopped by once.
His right arm was in a sling, and he carried a bag of apples in his left hand as he leaned against the doorfra.
"The doctor said it's just chakra exhaustion. He'll be fine after a few days of rest."
Tsunade didn't move.
Jiraiya scratched his head and placed the apples on the nightstand.
"...I'll co back tomorrow."
Tsunade gave a soft grunt of acknowledgnt.
The door closed.
The room fell silent, save for the distant drone of cicadas outside and the sound of Kaede's shallow breathing.
Tsunade buried her face in her arms, staying like that for a long ti. When she finally looked up, her eyes were slightly red.
'When did it start?'
She had grown used to him being by her side. Used to him knowing exactly what she was thinking. Used to him knowing she was just acting tough the mont she said, "I'm fine."
She had also grown used to him getting hurt.
That ti at the Ninja Academy, a kunai had pierced through his palm, blood streaming between his fingers, and he had simply said it was nothing.
And this ti? After the Chidori tore through the enemy's chest, he had collapsed instantly.
She rembered rushing to him, flipping him over and pressing two fingers against his neck—her hand had been shaking. His pulse was so weak she almost thought she was feeling her own heartbeat.
In that mont, her mind had gone completely blank.
He was always like this. He always threw himself in front of her. By the ti she reacted, he was already wounded. And then he would use that infuriatingly calm expression to tell her it was okay.
Tsunade's fingers tightened.
She reached out and brushed the stray hairs away from his forehead. Her fingertips paused slightly as they touched his skin.
He was cold.
She didn't pull her hand away, letting it drop onto the back of his hand instead. Without even realizing it, her fingers slowly closed, gripping his hand tightly within her palm.
"You always say it's nothing," she whispered, her voice so low it was ant only for herself. "So, when you're lying there motionless... is that 'nothing' too?"
There was no answer.
She lowered her head, resting her forehead against the back of his hand.
"I'll get stronger. Strong enough that you'll never have to save again..."
She didn't know when she fell asleep.
***
When she woke up, it was dark outside. Only the small lamp by the bedside cast a dim light in the room. Her neck was stiff and aching.
Tsunade frowned and rubbed the back of her neck, blinking groggily as she sat up. Then, she felt a gaze upon her.
Kitahara Kaede's eyes were open.
She didn't know how long he had been awake, but he was lying there, head turned to the side, watching her.
Tsunade froze for a second. Before her brain could process the situation, her eyes grew hot.
"You're awake?"
Kaede nodded.
Tsunade stared at him for a few seconds, confirming that he was truly awake and truly looking at her. A flood of words rushed to the surface—she wanted to ask if it hurt, why he had charged in without a word, and she wanted to scream at him for being a liar.
There was too much; it all crowded together, leaving her unable to say anything at all.
Kaede tilted his head slightly, noticing her reddened eyes. The corner of his mouth twitched.
"What's with the face?"
Tsunade didn't react.
"Did soone die?"
"..."
Tsunade suddenly grabbed him by the collar. She didn't hold back her strength.
Kaede's head was yanked up from the pillow, pulling at the wound in his side. He hissed, sucking in a sharp breath, but that faint smirk remained on his lips.
Tsunade saw it.
"You're still laughing," she spat, each word squeezed through gritted teeth. "Your chakra was so depleted your heart almost stopped, and you're laughing? You were lying there motionless, not even responding when called—"
Her voice broke. Her grip on his collar loosened.
"Do you have any idea how I..."
The rest of the sentence never ca.
Kaede looked at her. An "I'm sorry" reached his throat, but he couldn't force it out—not because he didn't want to apologize, but because those two words felt far too light for the situation.
After a few seconds of silence, Tsunade let go, and his head sank back into the pillow. She didn't look at him, keeping her head lowered.
"Don't go in alone from now on."
"Mm."
"Don't just run off without saying anything."
"Mm."
"Keep your word."
"I will."
Silence returned for a few monts. Tsunade took a deep breath, forcing the tears back into her eyes. When she looked up again, her expression was composed, her lips pressed into a thin line, returning to her usual fierce deanor.
"Hungry?"
"A little."
"Jiraiya brought apples."
She turned to grab the bag from the nightstand. She took one out, peeled it, sliced it into small pieces, and speared a piece with a fork, holding it to his lips.
Kaede opened his mouth and took a bite.
"Is it good?"
"It's good."
The corner of Tsunade's mouth curved up for a split second before vanishing. As she offered the second piece, Kaede spoke.
"Tsunade."
"Yeah?"
"...Thank you."
Tsunade's hand paused.
"For what?" she asked, her voice strained as she offered the third piece of apple. "Less talk, open your mouth."
Kaede bit into the apple. In his mind, a line of text popped up:
[Simulation Task Settlent: Land of Birds Guard Mission]
[Evaluation: S]
[Reward: Permanent 5% increase to physical fitness]
He quickly calculated the gains in his head: Chakra extraction 5%, Ninjutsu release effectiveness 5%, Physical fitness 5%. Three permanent buffs. An increase in physical fitness ant enhanced cellular activity, which would in turn increase his chakra extraction capacity.
This was a massive win.
Chewing the apple, he subconsciously glanced to the side. He noticed that Tsunade's hand had stopped moving. The apple was held mid-air, not moving toward him.
She was frozen, her gaze fixed on his hand. More specifically, the back of his right hand.
Kaede didn't think much of it. His throat felt a bit dry, and he opened his mouth to speak.
"Tsun—"
A piece of apple was suddenly shoved into his mouth.
Caught off guard, his mouth was stuffed full, cutting off the rest of his sentence. He could only glare at her.
Tsunade yanked her hand back, her voice an octave higher than usual.
"Just eat!"
Kaede tried to say sothing through the mouthful of fruit.
"Stop talking!"
She slamd the small knife onto the cabinet and turned around, facing away from him. The back of her neck was flushed crimson, all the way down to her collar.
Kaede was utterly bewildered. He hadn't done anything; his throat was just dry, and he had wanted to ask her for a glass of water.
But at this mont, it seed like saying anything would be a mistake.
He slowly chewed and swallowed the apple, staring at her reddened neck and her stiff, rigid back. Suddenly, he felt like laughing. The corners of his mouth curled up.
It was as if Tsunade had eyes in the back of her head. "What are you laughing at!"
"I'm not laughing."
"You totally are!"
"I'm really not."
"...Try laughing one more ti and see what happens."
He wisely shut his mouth.
The night wind blew in through the window, swaying the sheer curtains.
What Kaede didn't know was that during those few dozen seconds she spent facing away from him, Tsunade's mind was a complete ss.
She was thinking about one thing.
'When did my hand leave his?'
Before she fell asleep, she had clearly been holding his hand. When she woke up, her hand was resting on her own knee.
What had happened in between? Did she let go unconsciously while tossing and turning? Or... did he move her hand away after he woke up?
If he was the one who moved it—
So, he had been awake for quite so ti.
He was awake, while she was still asleep. Her hand was still clutching his.
He had seen it. And then, he had gently released her hand.
Tsunade's face grew even hotter.
'Wait, there was another possibility,' she thought. 'What if he hadn't moved? What if, after waking up, he hadn't moved a muscle? What if he had just let hold his hand until I woke up on my own?'
Then that look he just gave her, glancing sideways... just how long had he been watching?
Tsunade felt like her ears were on fire.
'Stop thinking. If I keep this up, I'll go crazy.'
She desperately tried to flood her mind with white noise, counting the chirps of the cicadas outside the window, counting her heartbeats—only for them to quicken as she counted.
It was useless.
Tsunade bit her lip, waiting a long ti before finally turning back. The flush on her face had mostly faded, but the tips of her ears remained pink.
She sat down in the chair, positioning herself a few inches further from the edge of the bed, her hands resting primly on her knees.
Kitahara Kaede glanced at the hands on her knees, then at the pink tips of her ears. He said nothing. He simply turned his head back to stare at the ceiling in silence, the slight curve of a smile never leaving his lips.
...
Three days later.
The sun was shining brightly outside the Hidden Leaf Hospital.
Kitahara Kaede's chakra had mostly recovered. His left arm was still bandaged, but the doctor had already signed his discharge papers.
As he stepped through the main gates, Jiraiya ca rushing toward him. His sling had been removed only yesterday; his right arm was still a bit stiff, but his usual energy had largely returned.
"You're out! I tid my arrival perfectly," Jiraiya whispered, leaning in close. "The mission was reclassified as A-rank. Does that an we've officially completed an A-rank mission?"
"And what exactly was your contribution?" Tsunade asked without looking back.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone! I pinned all three of them down!"
"And then you stood there panting for five minutes."
"That's called a tactical rest!"
Kitahara Kaede walked between them, remaining silent. In the streets, vendors called out their wares, and children ran about, playing a ga of stepping on each other's shadows.
"You three."
A voice called out from ahead.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood beneath an old scholar tree by the roadside, an unlit pipe held between his fingers. He glanced at Kitahara Kaede's bandages, then at Jiraiya's right arm, before his gaze lingered montarily on Tsunade's face.
The matters regarding the Land of Birds had already been handed over to the ANBU, and the mission had been officially re-ranked as A-rank. There was no need to tell the children all that.
But he rembered his own hesitation on the day he assigned the mission. He hadn't been blind to the anomalies when a C-rank mission stretched into two months. The three of them had nearly failed to return.
He held himself accountable for that.
"Co along," he said, tucking the pipe into his sleeve.
"Where are we going?" Tsunade asked.
"To eat. You've spent three days on hospital food; it's ti you had sothing decent."
Jiraiya's eyes lit up. "Sensei's treating?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
"Ask one more ti, and the offer is gone."
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