"Um, could you not be so rough?"
Looking at Tsunade who was grabbing his clothes quite savagely, Kamizuki Hikari let out a rather helpless sigh.
"If you handed over the money honestly, would I be doing this?" Tsunade looked at Hikari with disdain, then began patting him down, both upper and lower.
"Don't tickle me, that's too much! Hahaha!"
Her hand accidentally brushed against his armpit, making Hikari burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"Disgraceful!"
After checking Hikari thoroughly—from head to toe, and even the bed he was lying on—Tsunade had found nothing that resembled money or a bankbook. She glared at him furiously.
"Spit it out honestly! Where did you hide it?!"
"I can lend you the money." Hikari said, wrapping himself tighter in his blanket. "But you've got to give me some kind of proof, right? If I just hand things over like this, I'll feel like some simp. There's no dignity in that!"
"What do you mean, simp?" Tsunade gently stroked Hikari's head. "That term is for the Inuzuka clan's dogs. Someone like you..."
"Hm?" Hikari signaled with his eyes—'Careful with your words, I haven't lent you anything yet!'
Tsunade immediately corrected herself. "Someone like you must be one in a million—a true heartthrob. Just look at yourself, so many young women in Konoha secretly admire you. A word like 'simp' has nothing to do with you."
Not bad, not bad.
As expected of a Hokage—she really knew how to talk sweetly.
"Then, about your money... what is this?"
Tsunade watched as Hikari pulled a stack of blank paper from under his blanket.
Instinctively, she yanked the blanket off him... and saw nothing. No bulging pouch, no pocket—nothing at all.
She had just checked everywhere! Yet Hikari had still produced papers—it was bizarre.
"It's paper—for you to write the IOU. Oh, wait, I forgot a pen!" Hikari said, covering himself again. Within five seconds, he pulled a pen out from under the blanket.
"Where did that come from?!"
Tsunade reflexively lifted the blanket again, but still found nothing.
Slowly, she covered Hikari with the blanket, then pulled it off.
Covered him again, pulled it off.
Covered...
"Stop already! Will you listen to me?" Though inwardly smug at how fascinated she was, Hikari kept his face composed.
[True, my treasures are fascinating, but if you're curious, just ask! No need to sneak around like this!]
Tsunade: ???
'There's always someone plotting against the Hokage…'
'Am I interested in you? '
'No! I just want to know where you pulled those papers and pen from!'
'Wait… Could they be hidden in his pants?'
Her gaze shifted—the eyes of someone pursuing truth fearlessly, unafraid of power or sacrifice.
"Alright, you can write down the conditions. If I'm satisfied, you'll get the full loan. If not, rewrite it. I believe in you!"
Saying that, Hikari slid down, lay flat, and closed his eyes.
Terms…
The key wasn't to dictate them himself, but to see how far the other party would bend.
By slowly chipping away at their resistance, the final yield would far exceed his expectations.
But of course, some people never played by the rules.
"Hey! Just say what you want me to write. Stop acting coy, like some woman!" When Tsunade said this, she completely forgot that she herself was the woman she was referring to.
"If I tell you, will you agree?" Hikari opened his eyes, full of helplessness.
He really just wanted to sleep.
"I might! If you don't ask, how would you know?"
"Would you actually agree if I asked?" Hikari sighed.
"Say it, damn it!" Tsunade waved the paper. "Black-and-white agreement, right here! Right now, I'm the one begging you—so man up!"
[I want to be bold, but who said I want to go head-to-head with you?! With that stubborn donkey temper of yours, if I push back, will it be me stepping back or you? A real man needs to have a broader heart!]
Tsunade glanced down at her own "broad heart" and sneered inwardly.
'Broader heart? Don't make me laugh. In the entire shinobi world, there are few women like me.'
"Since you're so sincere… How about you be my maid? In a proper maid outfit. Preferably with black stockings... cough, cough, forget I said that!"
Seeing Tsunade's increasingly murderous gaze, Hikari wisely shut his mouth.
"I'm the Hokage. Don't forget that."
Her expression grew serious, an aura of danger radiating from her.
Hikari trembled. "I-I got it!"
"So, I'll only wear it for you. Got it?" Tsunade added.
"I g—wait, what?" Hikari stared at her, stunned.
This happiness was way too sudden.
"What? Is it really so hard to believe?" Seeing Hikari's stunned expression, Tsunade felt a surge of pride. 'You were looking down on my character and limits earlier, but now I've made you see me in a new light, haven't I?'
"Ahem, no, just… the terms seem too light." Sensing an opening, Hikari pushed further.
Tsunade thought about it—the loan wasn't a small sum anyway—so she nodded. "Fine. But let's hear your real demands first."
Hikari grinned, "The maid outfit... I want it custom-made, a bit more revealing, okay?"
"Fine. Anything else?"
"A dance?"
"Interesting."
"Maybe something... more intimate? I mean, this isn't a small loan."
Hikari knew well—Tsunade's borrowing wouldn't be a mere two or three million. If it were that little, she could just embezzle some funds.
"Kamizuki Hikari—don't push your luck. I will get angry. See these eyes?"
Tsunade glared at him with a fierce yet oddly cute expression, hoping to intimidate him into backing down.
"Alright, alright, we'll stop here for now. But you still have to write the IOU. We can discuss the rest later!" Hikari insisted—he couldn't risk her going back on her word.
She had originally wanted to delay, trying to use her scant remaining credibility to make Hikari trust her.
Unfortunately, her credibility with Hikari was almost in the negatives.
"You'll regret this!"
With a bitter tone, Tsunade sat at the bedside table and began writing.
The moment she wrote "Party A: Tsunade," Hikari snatched the pen away.
"I'm Party A. You're just Party B. Oh, right—I haven't even asked yet. How much are you borrowing?" Only now did it hit him—he had no idea how much she wanted!
"Ah, right!"
Tsunade exclaimed, then scribbled quickly. In less than a minute, the IOU was done.
When Hikari saw the number, he nearly choked.
"EIGHTY MILLION?!?"
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