[Tiline Jump—]
[Your intersection with Tsunade began with a pair of dice, gradually seeping into every corner of her life.]
[You taught her how to control the dice; she dragged you into betting copper coins. You won her sweets; she won your pocket money. Back and forth, the web of debt grew increasingly complex. She even kept a small notebook specifically for accounting, where she wrote in a crooked scrawl: "Kaede owes : 3 dango, 17 candies." When you flipped to the next page, you found that she had scribbled over the parts where she owed you.]
[You accompanied her in practicing chakra extraction. The first ti Tsunade managed to guide chakra into her palm, a leaf stuck to her skin without falling. She held up her hand and bead at you, her grin stretching from ear to ear—but it only lasted two seconds before the leaf fluttered away. She imdiately glared at you, as if it were your fault.]
[Slowly, whenever you visited the Senju estate, the portions of tea and snacks changed from one serving to two. When the maids brought in the tea, they stopped asking, "What would Miss Tsunade's guest like to drink?" and simply placed your cup in its usual spot.]
[During this ti, a tragedy struck. Hashirama Senju passed away.]
[Snow fell over the entire Hidden Leaf Village for three days. Every one of those days, you went to the Senju estate. You didn't say a word; you simply sat outside her bedroom door.]
[On the evening of the third day, the door cracked open. A small hand reached out and gripped the hem of your clothes, holding on for a long ti.]
[You didn't move, nor did you look back. You just let her hold on.]
[By the ti her hand let go, the sky had turned completely black. A piece of paper was slid through the gap in the door. On it were two stick figures: one slightly taller, one slightly shorter. Next to the shorter one, the word "Idiot" was written in a crooked hand.]
[You folded the paper carefully and tucked it into your pocket.]
[After that, she stopped wearing her hair in a top-knot.]
[In your spare ti, you trained alone. You worked on increasing the speed of instantaneous chakra extraction and refining your control. Your taijutsu training never ceased. These beca your daily routine.]
[Tsunade was six; you were seven. The first official intake for the Ninja Academy began. The curtain rose on a legend.]
[The second arc officially begins.]
...
The Konoha Ninja Academy.
The school gates were packed.
Parents led their children inside; so walked with chests puffed out in pride, while others looked timid and hesitant. Those who could afford to send their children to the very first intake generally ca from families with so degree of influence.
Kitahara Kaede stood at the entrance, scanning his surroundings.
In this seven-year-old body, his chakra pathways had already been polished to a state of remarkable fluidity. Ten points of talent were not for show—while his peers were still learning how to extract chakra, he was already capable of instantaneous extraction and precision control.
Dressed in simple deep-blue clothes, he stood with a relaxed posture and a neutral expression.
"Kaede!"
A voice called out from behind.
Tsunade squeezed through the crowd, a thin layer of sweat on her forehead, clearly having run over.
This was the six-year-old Tsunade.
Her blonde hair was tied into a high ponytail, paired with a light green short-sleeved shirt and open-toed ninja sandals. Without the top-knot, she looked much sharper.
"What are you standing here for? Let's go!"
She grabbed his sleeve and began dragging him toward the school gates. Kaede let himself be pulled without resisting.
"You're not late today."
"Obviously! How embarrassing would it be to be late on the first day of school?" Tsunade replied without looking back. "Besides, I bet soone is definitely going to make a fool of themselves today. I need to get a good seat to watch."
"What are you betting?"
"I bet you'll buy dango."
"You bet on that every single ti."
"Because you lose every single ti."
Kitahara Kaede didn't argue.
It was true; he lost every ti.
Part of it was intentional—she was his "idealized first love," after all. Letting her win occasionally was a good way to boost her affection for him.
But the larger part... was simply the fault of having zero luck.
Just as they entered the gates:
"Hey!"
A blur of white lunged from the side, landing firmly in front of Tsunade.
A white-haired boy stood with his hands on his hips, grinning widely to reveal a row of bright white teeth.
Jiraiya.
He had spiky white hair, wore white clothes, and had two red markings painted on his cheeks. His gaze locked onto Tsunade, his eyes shining with excessive intensity.
"I'm Jiraiya! I'm definitely going to beco the greatest ninja ever!"
His voice was so loud that half the people at the school gate heard him. A few passing parents glanced over, then quickly pulled their children further away.
Tsunade stopped in her tracks.
"And?"
"And—" Jiraiya puffed out his chest, his tone far too confident for a child. "If you want to write a love letter, you can just give it to next ti. No need to be shy."
Silence fell for a second.
Tsunade stared at him.
Kitahara Kaede knew that look all too well. It wasn't anger, nor was it shyness. It was pure confusion. She simply couldn't fathom where this person got such confidence.
"Are you ntally ill?"
Tsunade grabbed Kaede and walked around him without slowing down a bit. The movent was as fluid as if she were bypassing a telephone pole.
Jiraiya froze for half a second, then chased after them.
"Hey, hey, hey! Didn't you hear ? I'm Jiraiya! The future greatest ninja! You should at least rember my na!"
"I rember," Tsunade replied without looking back. "The one who's ntally ill."
"You—!"
Jiraiya sprinted ahead of them and began walking backward, pointing a finger at Kitahara Kaede.
"Who's this? Your brother?"
"What's it to you?"
"You two don't even look alike—could he be your boyfriend?"
Tsunade's footsteps stopped.
Kitahara Kaede stepped half a pace to the side. He wasn't dodging; he was clearing a path for Tsunade to strike.
Sure enough—
One punch.
Directly to the stomach.
Jiraiya folded like a shrimp, crouching on the ground with his mouth wide open, unable to catch his breath for a long ti.
Tsunade retracted her fist and flicked her fingers.
"I'll say it one more ti: what is it to you?"
"So... painful..." He hissed through his teeth, but the corners of his mouth were curling upward. "You're so strong... amazing..."
Tsunade glanced at Kitahara Kaede, her expression clearly asking: *Is this guy actually insane?*
Kaede gave her a very flat look. His eyes said: *Don't ask , I'm wondering the sa thing.*
He didn't harbor any particular hostility toward Jiraiya. In the original story, this guy spent his entire life chasing Tsunade and never succeeded, eventually dying in the Village Hidden in the Rain without his body even being recovered.
In terms of being a "White Moonlight" archetype, Jiraiya's level wasn't low. However, Jiraiya played the "sincere emotion" route, while Kitahara Kaede was playing the "scripted" route. Fundantally, they were not the sa kind of person.
Tsunade dragged him forward, leaving the crouching Jiraiya behind.
After a few steps, Kaede's attention was suddenly drawn in another direction.
Under a large tree to the left of the school gate, a black-haired boy stood quietly in the shadows. His skin was pale, and his features were refined to the point of being slightly feminine. He had golden, slit-like pupils.
Orochimaru.
He wasn't speaking to anyone, nor did he seem to have any desire to. He simply stood there, his gaze sweeping across the incoming freshn.
When his eyes landed on Kitahara Kaede, they paused.
Kaede looked back at him.
The two of them locked eyes for a brief mont across the bustling crowd. The corner of Orochimaru's mouth twitched slightly.
It wasn't a smile. It was more like a confirmation—a confirmation that within this crowd, there truly existed an individual worthy of a second glance.
Then, he withdrew his gaze and turned to enter the school. He walked alone, his silhouette appearing thin and solitary.
Kitahara Kaede looked away.
Orochimaru: a pure genius. No bloodline limit, no clan legacy—just raw talent used to crush everyone his age.
"Kaede! What are you looking at!"
Tsunade's voice pulled him back to reality.
She stood at the head of the corridor, hands on her hips, a look of sheer impatience written across her face.
"The classroom is this way. You coming or what?"
"Coming."
Kitahara Kaede followed after her.
From behind them ca the sound of Jiraiya finally scrambling to his feet.
"Wait up, you guys! Aren't we classmates? Classmates are supposed to love and support one another!"
Tsunade didn't even look back.
"Who says I'm your classmate?"
"We enrolled at the sa ti, that makes us classmates! You can't deny the facts!"
"Take one more step and I'll punch you."
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