Hokage Tower, eting Room.
By the ti Kitahara Kaede pushed the door open, three Jonin were already seated. The head of the Intelligence Departnt stood behind Hiruzen, his face pale with tension.
Kaede took a seat on the right, and Tsunade entered shortly after, pulling out the chair beside him.
Hiruzen wasted no ti with pleasantries.
"Sothing has happened on the Sunagakure front."
A scroll lay open on the table, containing a photograph. It showed a field hospital on the front lines. A Chunin lay in bed, his right arm covered in black-purple veins stretching from wrist to shoulder. The patterns crawled along his ridians toward his torso, looking like so living creature burrowing beneath the skin.
"Chiyo has introduced a new poison into her puppet weaponry," Hiruzen said, his finger tapping the edge of the photo. "It spreads continuously with an incredibly short incubation period. A single scratch is enough for the toxin to travel through the ridians. The frontline dical teams have run through every detox protocol in their inventory."
He paused.
"None of them worked."
Silence fell over the room.
The head of Intelligence stepped forward and unfurled a supplentary report. "Over the past seven days, the number of casualties from poisoning has quadrupled. And the numbers are still rising."
Kitahara Kaede scanned the figures in the report. He was aware of this situation.
The toxins developed by Lady Chiyo during the Second Great Ninja War had caused devastating losses for the Hidden Leaf. Ultimately, it was Tsunade who had gone to the battlefield herself to crack the formulas one by one. It was because of those achievents that her reputation as the "dical Saint" had spread across the shinobi world.
And his job was to ensure that Tsunade ca back alive.
Hiruzen's gaze shifted to Tsunade. "Tsunade."
"I'll go."
She didn't even wait for Hiruzen to finish his sentence before cutting him off. The other Jonin in the room exchanged glances.
Tsunade reached for the photograph, held it up for a few seconds, and then set it back down.
"Prepare live toxin samples and the complete dical records of the poisoned shinobi for ," she commanded. Her voice wasn't loud, but no one mistook her words for a suggestion. "If Chiyo used Sunagakure's specialty Erosion Scorpion venom as a base, then conventional detox thods won't work. I need to verify the exact formula myself."
Hiruzen nodded and turned his gaze. "Kaede, you go as well."
Kaede gave a brief acknowledgent. He had intended to follow her anyway; having Hiruzen arrange it directly saved him the trouble of finding an excuse.
"Once you reach the front, you will not be bound by standard chain of command." Hiruzen pushed a copper plate across the table. "Temporary command authority. You are free to act as you see fit."
Kaede took the plate and tucked it into his clothes.
"Depart tomorrow."
Hiruzen stood up and looked at the two of them. In this mont, he didn't look like the Hokage, but rather a teacher watching his students set off on a long journey.
"Protect the people on the front lines," he said, pausing. "And protect yourselves."
The eting adjourned.
The Intelligence officer handed a stack of docunts to Tsunade. She tucked them under her arm and exited the room with Kitahara Kaede.
The corridor was long, their footsteps echoing between the walls. At the top of the stairs, Tsunade stopped.
"What ti tomorrow?"
"Before dawn, at the South Gate."
"Mm."
She took one step down the stairs, then paused, pulling her foot back. She stood with her back to him for a few seconds. The corridor was empty, lit only by the faint glow of streetlamps filtering through the windows.
"Stop by my house in a bit. I have sothing for you."
Without waiting for his answer, she headed down the stairs.
Kitahara Kaede watched her disappear. *Sothing for ? What could it be?*
***
Tsunade's House.
When the door opened, Tsunade had already changed into ho clothes, her hair loose.
"Co in."
A teapot was still warm on the living room table. Nawaki's door was closed; he had likely already gone to sleep.
Tsunade sat across from him. She held a small object in her hand, clutching it for a mont before placing it on the table and sliding it toward him.
It was a charm.
Small enough to be held between a thumb and forefinger, it was made of blue fabric. The stitching was crooked, and the knot at the end was uneven.
Kaede picked it up. He turned it over, noting the irregular stitches. There was one spot where it had clearly been ripped out and sewn again, with a stray thread still poking out.
He didn't say a word.
Tsunade stared intently at his face. He kept turning the charm over in his hands, his expression neutral—neither smiling nor offering a thank you. The longer he stayed silent, the more she dwelled on it.
*He thinks it's ugly.*
The mont the thought surfaced, she reached out.
"It's nothing special," she said, her tone slightly rushed. "If you think the stitching is ugly, then—"
Kaede shifted his body to the side.
Tsunade's hand grasped empty air. Her montum carried her forward, her hand bracing on the table next to his knee as she nearly tumbled right into him.
When she looked up, he was right there. He was so close that she could see the curve of his eyelashes.
Tsunade froze.
Kaede didn't pull back or dodge; he simply looked down at her.
"I like it very much."
Tsunade remained stunned, her hand still braced on the table in an incredibly awkward position. His eyes were filled with sincerity.
Tsunade opened her mouth. Seven or eight different responses cycled through her head—*'Then keep it safe,' 'I'll beat you if you lose it,' 'Don't make such a big deal out of it'*—but not a single one made it out.
She averted her eyes first.
"...Then just keep it," she murmured, her voice muffled.
Kaede straightened up and tucked the charm into the innermost compartnt of his ninja tool pouch.
Tsunade returned to her seat and took a sip of tea. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that he hadn't just shoved it in; he had placed it in the safest, deepest spot, just as he had with the things she gave him previously.
The corner of her mouth quirked up, but she quickly suppressed the smile.
They sat in silence for a while. The tea was gone, and the night had grown deep.
Kaede stood up. "We have a journey tomorrow. Get so sleep."
Tsunade walked him to the door. Leaning against the doorfra with her arms crossed, she called out, "Kaede."
"Mm."
"You said..." She looked at him, her tone much calr than before. "That after the war ends, you'd give an answer."
Kaede looked back. Tsunade's hair was loose, and the silver chain around her neck was partially visible, the blue pendant resting against her collarbone.
"Don't make wait too long."
Kaede looked at her for a few seconds, then smiled.
"I won't."
He turned and walked into the night.
Tsunade remained at the door, motionless. She watched his silhouette turn the corner of the alley and vanish. She looked down, clutching the pendant of the silver chain at her chest.
She stood there for a long ti before finally closing the door.
***
Pre-dawn.
Outside the South Gate.
Kitahara Kaede had arrived early. He leaned against a pillar, checking his gear. His fingers paused for a mont when they touched the charm in the inner pocket.
Footsteps approached from a distance.
Tsunade walked over carrying her dical kit, with Nawaki trailing beside her. He was still in his pajamas, his hair sticking up like a bird's nest, and his eyes barely open.
As he reached them, Nawaki rubbed his eyes and let out a wide yawn. "Sensei."
"Why did you co along?"
"My sister practically dragged out of bed—"
Tsunade kicked him in the shin.
Nawaki flinched and quickly corrected himself, muttering, "I ca voluntarily."
He yawned again and shook his head, finally waking up a bit. He looked at Kitahara Kaede, then at Tsunade.
"Sensei, I'm leaving my sister in your hands, okay?"
Tsunade raised her hand to swat him. Nawaki hopped back, dodging her.
"I'm serious!" He stood a few paces away, rubbing the back of his head. "Both of you... make sure you co back safe."
Tsunade's hand stopped mid-air. She lowered it.
"Obviously."
Nawaki chuckled and gave Kitahara Kaede a thumbs-up before turning to head back.
After a few steps, he looked back once more.
"Sensei! I want Pacific saury when you get back!"
Kitahara Kaede raised a hand and gave him a wave.
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