Kitahara Kaede froze for a mont.
Twenty-five-year-old Tsunade had her long blonde hair tied in a high ponytail. She wore a loose white V-neck tee with the collar casually open, revealing the line of her neck and collarbone.
Below, she wore a burgundy mini-skirt that reached mid-thigh, paired with black fishnet stockings.
She looked capable and sharp—hard to believe she was the sa woman who could shatter boulders with a single punch on the battlefield.
And yet, she felt different.
Kitahara Kaede's gaze involuntarily drifted downward for a split second.
The curvature of her chest was mostly hidden by the loose fabric, but the silhouette remained unmistakable. The white material was slightly taut in that area, shifting with a subtle, almost imperceptible arc as she breathed.
Further down, where the edge of the burgundy skirt t the black fishnets, a sliver of thigh was exposed.
His gaze lingered there for less than half a second.
'Holy crap.'
While she hadn't yet reached the exaggerated proportions of her pri in the original series, she already possessed a surging montum. Compared to the flat-chested girl who used to chase him through the streets in her teens, she was like a completely different person.
He suddenly rembered a long ti ago, when a fourteen-year-old Tsunade had asked him if he preferred his fruit big or small.
At the ti, she had been worrying for nothing. There was absolutely no need to fret over that question.
Tsunade's eyebrow twitched.
She had noticed.
The path of this guy's gaze—first the chest, then the legs.
Although he had looked away quickly, she wasn't blind.
A flush of heat surged from the base of her neck to the tips of her ears. She was genuinely angry. They had been partners for over a decade, and this man had always been as steady and focused as a rock, never casting a sideways glance. And yet today...
But at the sa ti, sothing indescribable bubbled up from the depths of her heart. It was light and small, like a bubble that would burst at the slightest touch.
'So, it's not that he doesn't know how to look.'
'He just hasn't looked before.'
Tsunade tightened her jaw, her gaze cooling by a fraction, and her lips pressed into a thin line.
Kitahara Kaede realized his mistake instantly.
He had been careless. He'd forgotten the most basic rule: when looking at a girl, the first glance should be at the eyes to confirm whether they are looking back at you. Only after that can you appreciate other things.
He had skipped the first step entirely. He'd been caught red-handed.
Without changing his expression, Kitahara Kaede pulled his gaze back to Tsunade's face, his tone as steady as if nothing had happened.
"Did you need sothing?"
Tsunade stared at him for two seconds. In those two seconds, she was judging whether he was playing dumb or actually was dumb.
Ultimately, she didn't press the issue—not because she didn't want to, but because she didn't know how to wrap things up if she did.
She crossed her arms and tilted her chin up slightly.
"Nawaki's birthday is coming up. Co with to pick out a gift today."
It wasn't a question; it was a notification.
Kitahara Kaede leaned against the doorfra. "Isn't it still a few days away?"
"You know how that kid is. Last ti, he complained the kunai I got him were too light. The ti before that, he said the wrist guards were ugly. If we don't pick sothing out early, just imagine the lip he'll give us when the day cos."
...
Hidden Leaf Comrcial Street.
Tsunade walked ahead with a fast pace and a strong sense of purpose. Kitahara Kaede followed behind, hands in his pockets.
At the first weapon shop, she combed through an entire wall of kunai; not a single one caught her eye.
At the second, she picked up a set of shuriken, weighed them in her hand, frowned, and put them back.
At the third, she held up a short sword and turned to ask him what he thought.
Kitahara Kaede glanced at it. "Nawaki can't even throw a shuriken straight, and you're getting him a short sword?"
Tsunade glared at him and slamd the blade back onto the shelf.
After leaving the weapon shop, they ducked into a ninja tool general store. Headbands, wrist guards, tool pouches—she touched every item and shook her head at every single one.
Kitahara Kaede leaned against a shelf with his arms crossed, watching her pace back and forth in the aisle, silently counting how many tis they had co up empty today.
The seventh.
As expected. Accompanying a woman while shopping was more torturous than an S-rank mission.
"Let's go, there's nothing good here either," Tsunade said, tossing her ponytail as she walked out the door.
Kitahara Kaede followed. "What exactly do you want to give him?"
"If I knew, would I still be shopping?!"
"...Fine."
The two of them turned into a small alley. At the entrance was a jewelry store. It wasn't a large storefront, but the window displayed various necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. The afternoon sunlight stread through the glass, making everything sparkle.
Tsunade had only intended to glance at it, but her pace suddenly slowed. She stopped in front of the window.
It was a fine silver-white chain with a teardrop-shaped, pale blue fluorite pendant. It wasn't particularly expensive, but it was clean and beautiful, emitting a cool tone under the light.
"Want to go in and take a look?" Kitahara Kaede asked.
Tsunade hesitated for a second before pushing open the door. Kitahara Kaede followed a step behind.
The shop was small but exquisitely decorated. Behind the counter sat a woman in her thirties with a round face and eyes that curved into crescents when she smiled.
When she looked up and saw Tsunade enter, she imdiately stood up. Who in the Hidden Leaf didn't know her? The granddaughter of the First Hokage and one of the village's youngest Jonin.
"Lady Tsunade!" the clerk greeted her enthusiastically.
Tsunade pointed to the necklace in the window.
The clerk efficiently retrieved it, presenting it on her palm. "You have excellent taste. This just arrived; the pendant is natural fluorite and complents skin tones beautifully."
Tsunade took it and turned it over, her fingertip rubbing the teardrop-shaped stone. It felt good.
The clerk was about to continue the introduction when she caught a glimpse of the movent at the door—a tall young man had just stepped inside, standing quietly to the side, his gaze fixed on Tsunade.
The clerk's pupils contracted slightly.
She recognized him.
Hagoromo Kaede. Lady Tsunade's long-term partner.
Rumors had circulated in the village for years that the relationship between these two was unusual. She had previously dismissed it as gossip, but seeing it with her own eyes now...
Well, well.
One was picking out jewelry, and the other was watching from the side. He didn't rush her, nor did he leave. That positioning, that distance, combined with that look in his eyes—
This wasn't just a partnership.
The clerk let out a silent scream in her mind, though she maintained a professional smile on her face.
"You can try it on to see the effect," she told Tsunade, then added in a tone that sounded like a casual suggestion, "But this kind of clasp is a bit difficult to do yourself... perhaps he could help you?"
She said it lightly, as if simply providing a service.
Tsunade's fingers stiffened. She instinctively glanced to her side.
Kitahara Kaede t her gaze and was already slowly approaching. It was natural, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Tsunade was about to say it wasn't necessary—
But he had already reached out.
Naturally, as if it were a matter of course, his fingertips took the necklace from her palm. His fingers brushed against her skin, seemingly unintentional, yet perhaps deliberate.
The words caught in Tsunade's throat, leaving her speechless.
He stepped in front of her. He was half a head taller than her.
With one hand holding the clasp of the silver chain, he raised the other, his fingertips grazing the side of her ear as he tucked a few stray strands of blonde hair behind her shoulder.
The mont his fingertip touched the shell of her ear—
Tsunade's mind went blank.
She was forced to tilt her face up slightly. At this distance, there was nowhere for her gaze to hide; she looked directly into his slightly lowered eyes.
He wasn't looking at her. His gaze was focused on the side of her neck.
His hands moved behind her neck, carefully fastening the clasp. The warmth of his fingers pressed against the nape of her neck, and a small patch of skin felt as if it had been branded.
Tsunade froze completely. Her heart began to hamr against her chest, each beat heavier than the last.
She didn't know where to put her hands; she clenched them once and then let them go, eventually leaving them stiff at her sides. She could feel his breath brushing against the stray hairs on her forehead.
Behind the counter, the clerk suppressed a widening smile.
She desperately averted her gaze, pretending to fuss with the jewelry box, though she was listening with an intensity that would put a rabbit to sha.
*Click.*
The clasp snapped shut.
His fingers pulled away, yet the warmth on the nape of her neck lingered, a heat that surged upward along her spine.
A silver-white chain rested against her collarbones, its blue teardrop pendant settling just above her chest, swaying slightly with every breath.
Kitahara Kaede took a half-step back, his gaze drifting from the necklace up to her face.
Tsunade shifted uncomfortably under his stare. Her heart was racing with an embarrassing intensity, but she forced herself to hold her ground. Lowering her voice, she asked, "...Does it look good?"
She regretted the words the mont they left her lips. Her voice had sounded so soft, so vulnerable, that she felt like slapping herself.
Kitahara Kaede studied her: the long golden hair, the blue pendant, the white collar—and a face flushed a deep red from her neck to the tips of her ears.
He spoke.
His tone was steady, but his words were anything but.
"The necklace isn't the only thing that looks beautiful."
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