đšInsert Some Funny Memes or GIFđš
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Same night. Different place.
At that moment, in Sarutobi Hiruzen's home, he was still seated alone in his study.
He was flipping slowly through a thick, weathered notebookâeach page packed with handwritten notes and quotes.
They were the teachings and sayings of Hashirama and Tobiramaâwords that had shaped his path for decades.
He murmured to himself, repeating the words he'd spoken not long ago.
"Even if I make a thousand mistakes⊠I will never regret it."
Tears welled up in his aged eyes, spilling freely down his wrinkled face.
But how could he truly not regret it?
As the Hokage, he had no right to indulge in regret. Regret was a luxury. Whenever it surfaced, he would pluck a strand of hair from his own head to snap himself out of it, using the pain to kill the weakness.
There was no time for regret. The Hokage had to be ruthless.
He never forgot Tobirama-sensei's teachings.
"No matter the cost, never sacrifice the village's greater good."
But now⊠he was no longer the unshakable Third Hokage. No longer the pillar holding the village aloft.
Now, he was just an old man nearing the end of his life.
How could everything he'd said truly be the whole truth?
How could the bond between master and disciple really just vanish after all these years?
When he'd first taken in Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru as students, yesâthere had been calculation in it.
But time⊠time had worn down those layers.
People have hearts. Even the coldest. Even a man as old as him.
As you grow older, memories become clearer. He found himself yearning for the days when he trained with the three of themâlaughing, sparring, teaching jutsu with joy in their eyes.
But now⊠it was all just memory.
The next morning, for once, it wasn't Uchiha Hikaru who woke up first.
Tsunade stirred alone beneath the covers, curled up in the aftermath of a brutal "battle" the night before.
Hikaru was still reeling. He had not expected Tsunade to take the initiative like that.
His combat effectiveness had taken a severe hit.
They sat at the breakfast table, recovering their energy with the food Shizune had prepared.
Tsunade sipped her hot milk and couldn't help but recall last night's events⊠then shot a provocative look at Hikaru across the table.
Hikaru rolled his eyes, exasperated.
Great⊠looks like I'll have to show her the legendary Eighteen Moves next time. She's way too cocky after barely tying with me.
Meanwhile, Shizune sat silently at the table, quietly chewing her toast and drinking her milk, unsure whether she should say anything at all.
Once breakfast was over, Uchiha Hikaru got up first and left.
Only then did Tsunade drop the act and quietly begin using medical ninjutsu on herself.
The pain had lessened⊠but it still lingered, just enough to affect her walking posture.
Shizune came over and sat down across from her, her cheeks faintly flushed.
"Lady Tsunade, the Senju ancestral home has been cleaned. You can return there anytime."
Tsunade hesitated, then waved her hand dismissively at the thought of going back to that big empty place to sleep alone.
"I'll stay here for a while longer. It's pretty comfortable."
Shizune fell silent, uncertain how to respond. Her face turned a deeper red, eyes darting away.
Tsunade raised a brow at her strange expression.
What's this?
Could it be that little Shizune wants to fall in love too after watching me and Hikaru together?
Her face took on a twisted grin, like a perverted old man making a crude joke in his head.
But Shizune knew Tsunade all too well. Just one look at that expression, and she knew what her master was thinking.
Panicked, Shizune blurted out, "Lady Tsunade! You and Hikaru are being way too loud at night!"
â
The silence that followed was deafening.
Even the dust in the air seemed to freeze mid-float.
Shizune immediately regretted it. She was certain she was going to die. Lady Tsunade was going to kill her.
But Tsunade was focused on something else entirely.
Wait⊠was I really that loud?
She blinked seriously and turned her gaze to Shizune.
"Be honestâhas it been getting louder these past few days? Or staying the same?"
Her tone was entirely sincere. For her, this was part of evaluating her strengthâif she couldn't even outperform Hikaru in that regard, how could she hope to defeat him elsewhere?
Shizune's face turned bright red. Her temperature skyrocketed.
Her brain involuntarily pulled up vivid memories from the past few nightsâTsunade's voice echoing in her earsâand she reflexively compared the decibel levels.
"âŠIt's getting louder!" she squeaked, before bolting from the room and slamming her bedroom door behind her.
Inside, she dove face-first into the bed, utterly mortified.
Tsunade sat alone in her chair, deep in thought.
Looks like I still need to improve. Gotta train moreâtactically and physically.
Just then, the alarm went off.
Tsunade snapped out of her thoughts and made her way toward the Hokage Building.
That morning, she struggled to focus on paperwork. Her mind was all over the place, her thoughts muddled. She processed less than half her usual workload.
Finally, lunchtime came.
She ate a quick meal, then leaned back in her chair, letting her mind wander again.
The verbal attack technique she used last night had been effective⊠but her follow-up had been slow. Why? Was her reaction speed declining?
BANG!
The Hokage office door slammed open.
Tsunade's eyes snapped open, rage already bubbling inside her. Her quiet lunch breakâher precious moment of peaceâwas shattered.
Then came the voices.
"Tsunade! You little girl! You're not even officially Hokage yet, and you've already dared to cut funding from my medical department! You've got some nerve!"
"Tsunade! You ungrateful brat! The Civil Affairs Department oversees the livelihoods of Konoha's civilians! It's bad enough you didn't increase our fundingâwhy would you cut it?!"
"You better give us a damn good explanation!" x2
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura barged into the office, shouting in unison.
They believed Tsunade was already crumbling under their scolding. She kept her head down, her shoulders trembling.
Hmph. Just a girl after all. A few harsh words and she folds. This so-called Fifth Hokage? Not so impressive. Konoha's power will return to us!
They began daydreaming of the wealth and power that would flow back into their hands soon.
Then Tsunade raised her head.
Her eyes were wild, her aura dangerousâlike a beast awakened mid-slumber.
What she hated more than anything⊠was someone interrupting her one hour of lunch during the day.
Even worseâsomeone interrupting her plans for defeating Hikaru!
She stood up.
And threw a punch.
A hurricane-force wind roared through the room.
The ANBU guard outside the Hokage building heard a deafening BOOM and turned to see the wall across from the office explode into rubble.
The crowd rushed over to investigate.
Inside, the room was a messâdocuments scattered, dust swirling, the office torn apart.
Tsunade stood in the middle of the chaos, teeth clenched, fists still glowing.
Her eyes were locked on the two elders, now coughing in a crater of their own making.
"Didn't you see the damn sign on the door that says Do Not Disturb During Break Time?!"
"I hate people interrupting my lunch."
Her voice dropped an octave, deadly serious.
"But more than that⊠I hate people interrupting my thoughts."
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