Naruto: We Agreed on a Simulation, But They Actually Came to Life? Chapter 28 28: Bastard

Silence fell for about a second.

Then, Tsunade's mind went completely blank.

Heat rushed up from the base of her neck to the tips of her ears, leaving her flushed crimson.

"You—!"

She slamd a fist into his chest.

She didn't go full force, but she hadn't held back much either.

Kitahara Kaede let out a muffled grunt and stumbled back half a step.

*Internal Injury 1.*

From behind the counter, a suppressed laugh escaped. The clerk was covering her mouth with both hands, her eyes curving into crescents and her shoulders shaking—not from fear, but because she was absolutely swooning over the scene.

Tsunade turned away and stared at a row of earrings on the wall, though she didn't actually see any of them. Her ears were so red they looked like they might bleed.

The shop remained quiet for a while.

Tsunade was the first to speak. She cleared her throat, forcing her voice back to a normal frequency.

"Then... how about a necklace for Nawaki?"

A necklace.

Kaede's heart sank slightly.

In the original story, the birthday gift Tsunade gave Nawaki was that green crystal necklace left behind by the First Hokage. That necklace eventually earned a na: the "Death Necklace." No one who wore it survived.

Nawaki died. Later, Dan Katō died.

Whether the necklace itself was cursed was debatable, but it was certainly the starting point for all that misfortune.

"A necklace?" he said casually. "A boy wearing sothing like that... isn't exactly practical."

Tsunade thought about it; he had a point.

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Sothing that can save his life."

He said it lightly, but Tsunade glanced at him. She felt those words carried more weight than he let on.

She didn't press him.

"Fine, I'll listen to you."

Tsunade reached up, unfastened the clasp of the necklace she had been trying on, and placed it back on the counter before turning to leave.

"Co on. To the ninja tool shop."

Kaede didn't follow imdiately. He paused at the counter, and in the brief mont Tsunade turned to push open the door, he tapped the counter twice and nodded toward the necklace.

The clerk froze for less than a second, then her eyes lit up. She quickly swept the silver chain away, pulled a palm-sized deep blue velvet box from under the counter, placed the necklace inside, and snapped it shut.

Kaede placed the money on the counter and took the box.

From the mont Tsunade pushed the door open to when he stepped out, not five seconds had passed.

Tsunade looked back at him. "What are you dawdling for?"

"My shoelace ca undone."

Tsunade glanced down at his ninja sandals. Ninja sandals didn't have laces.

She frowned. "You—"

"Let's go, the tool shop is that way." Kaede had already passed her, hands in his pockets, walking forward.

Tsunade stared at the back of his head for two seconds but didn't question him further.

***

The ninja tool shop was at the end of the comrcial street.

Kaede walked into the protective gear section and crouched down, beginning to flip through the inner armor pieces one by one. He checked the weight, flicked the plates, and stretched the lining. He'd pick one up, examine it, set it down, and move to the next.

Tsunade stood beside him with her arms crossed. At first, she just looked around out of boredom. Then, without realizing it, her gaze drifted back to the boy crouching there.

He looked incredibly serious while picking. His brow was slightly furrowed, and his fingers pressed along the seams of the armor plates inch by inch, as if checking for gaps. He was the sa way when checking his tool kit before a mission—ticulous and never bothered by the effort.

*'Sothing that can save his life.'*

He had said it so casually, yet here he was, picking through every single piece with absolute sincerity.

Tsunade's throat tightened. She looked away, randomly picking up a wrist guard from a nearby shelf to examine before putting it back.

"This one."

Kaede stood up and dusted off his hands.

The inner armor he held looked unremarkable—a dull grayish-black—but when Tsunade tested it, she found the plates were densely packed, the lining was elastic, it was lightweight, and it featured a double-weave.

It was the most expensive kind in the shop.

Tsunade said nothing. They paid and left.

As they stepped outside, Tsunade looked up. The streetlights had co on.

The sky had darkened without her noticing; only a faint, yellowish glow remained beneath the eaves. Street vendors were packing up their stalls, and a few scattered pedestrians walked ho, casting long shadows.

She looked back in the direction they had co and realized they had been shopping for nearly three hours.

"...Is it that late already?"

Kaede also looked up at the sky.

"Let's go. I'll walk you back."

On the way back, they walked side by side in silence. The last rays of the setting sun stretched their shadows long across the road.

Tsunade walked to his left, carrying the cloth bag with the armor. Occasionally, she would glance at him from the corner of her eye, but he happened to be looking away. Just as she looked back, she felt a gaze brush against the back of her head.

This happened several tis. Neither of them called the other out.

When they reached the door to Tsunade's house, she stopped and turned. Kaede stopped as well.

They stood face to face. The sunset glowed from behind his shoulder, bathing her face in warmth.

Tsunade squeezed the strap of the bag. "Thanks for today."

"You picked the gift for Nawaki."

"I wasn't talking about that."

Silence fell for two seconds. Just as Tsunade was about to turn and enter the house—

"Wait."

Kaede produced a small box.

Tsunade stared at the box, her feet rooted to the spot. "When did you—"

"It would look beautiful on you."

He handed the box over. Tsunade took it, her fingers tightening slightly without her even realizing it.

She opened it. A slender, silver-white chain lay quietly against the dark velvet.

It was the one. The one she had tried on in the shop.

Tsunade stared at it for several seconds, her lips parting, but no words ca out.

"...How much was it? I'll pay you back—"

"Are we really counting the cost of a necklace in a relationship like ours?"

Tsunade looked up. The sunset cast a warm hue across his face. His expression was calm, as if he were saying sothing entirely ordinary.

Tsunade didn't respond. She lowered her eyes, closed the box, and tucked it into her clothes, standing there in silence for a mont. Then she turned and stepped over the threshold.

"...Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

The door closed.

***

Behind the door, Tsunade leaned against the wood, the back of her head resting against the doorfra, clutching the small box.

After a mont, she opened the lid and took out the necklace. She wrapped it around her neck and fastened the clasp herself.

The mont it clicked, the back of her neck felt hot again.

Even though she had fastened it herself, that spot rembered the warmth of his fingers from the afternoon.

Tsunade closed her eyes.

"...Bastard."

Her voice was a whisper. Her lips curved into a smile.