The moonlight streamed through a break in the clouds and bathed the entire Hidden Leaf Village in silver.
But to Uchiha Hikaru, it felt different from the home he had left behind.
Before he left Konoha, this hour would have seen warm lights still glowing in windows, the streets alive with chatter and movement.
Now, even a year after the war had ended, there were still foreign shinobi harassing the borders. Small-scale conflicts continued to break out. The village no longer rested easy.
A breeze stirred Uchiha Hikaru's long black hair as he stood overlooking the village. A flicker of longing passed through his eyes.
"Is this your village, Lord Hikaru?"
"Yes," he replied quietly. "This is my village."
"Our village," Saya corrected, standing beside him.
Uchiha Hikaru glanced at her, then nodded.
With that, both figures vanished from the top of the Hokage Rock.
...
In the Senju clan compound, a familiar figure sat alone at a desk. Her beauty, even in the dim candlelight, was striking.
Tsunade frowned slightly as she scanned the scroll in front of her. Without even glancing, she reached for the sake bottle beside her desk and brought it to her lips.
"Hmm?" she blinked.
"Empty again?"
CLANG!
She slammed the jug onto the desk with a frustrated growl and shouted toward the office door.
"Shizune! Bring me another bottle of sake!"
Clack clack clack…
Rapid footsteps approached from outside.
"Lady Tsunade, that's already your fourth bottle tonight," Shizune said breathlessly as she entered. "You really shouldn't drink anymore."
"Tomorrow—"
BANG!
Tsunade slapped the table, making the nearby documents flutter. Even her vest-bound weapon shook from the force.
"Fine! I get it!"
"I won't drink. I'll just sleep, alright?"
She kicked her chair back and stood, muttering as she stormed toward her bedroom.
"Why hasn't that bastard come back yet? What's he doing out there?"
"The entire shinobi world's in chaos, and he still hasn't returned?"
"Tch… So annoying…"
Shizune watched Tsunade's retreating back with an awkward expression, then sighed and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"Ugh… I wonder when Lord Hikaru will finally come home…"
She collected the empty sake bottles and straightened the desk before heading back to her room.
Just as she reached the hall, there was a sudden knock at the door.
Tsunade was already irritated—and the sound made her scowl deepen.
She leapt out of bed, threw on her long green robe, and marched toward the entrance with fury brewing on her face.
"I swear, if anyone's disturbing my sleep for nonsense—!"
She yanked open the door with a growl.
"What is it?! What emergency could possibly justify waking me in the middle of the night?!"
"Don't tell me Iwagakure is causing trouble again at the border—!"
But her rant came to a sudden halt.
Standing at the threshold was the man she'd dreamed about day and night for the last three years.
Her chest tightened as all the suppressed longing surged to the surface. She opened her mouth to speak—
But then she saw the woman standing beside Uchiha Hikaru.
Young. Slender. With long black hair and flawless skin that looked softer than hers. And beautiful—damn it, really beautiful.
Crack.
Her fist clenched so tightly it trembled.
Tsunade bent at the knees and launched herself forward, crushing the door sill beneath her with the force of her movement.
"Uchiha Hikaru! I've worked my ass off in this village for three years!"
"And you—YOU went off and started picking up girls?!"
Her punch, wreathed in blazing blue chakra, rocketed toward Hikaru's chest.
But before it landed, an eruption of chakra surged from Saya beside him.
A massive red skeletal arm materialized in front of Hikaru—Susanoo—and caught Tsunade's fist in its palm.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed, locking onto the woman standing beside Hikaru. That red chakra. Those enchanting scarlet eyes—
"Mangekyo Sharingan?" she muttered. "Uchiha?"
Her fury reignited.
"Where the hell did you come from, little girl?! Get out of the way!"
"This is between me and him! It has nothing to do with you!"
Saya's eyes grew cold.
A second Susanoo arm formed, this one holding a massive blade. She swept it toward the blonde woman without hesitation.
"Everything concerning Lord Hikaru is my business."
"If you want to hurt him, you'll have to go through me first."
At that moment, caught between the two, Uchiha Hikaru sighed quietly.
His Mangekyo eyes lit up with a deep blue glow. Black mist began to drift from both of his wrists.
"Sword—restrain them."
The mist surged forward and condensed into two pitch-black chakra shackles.
They snapped around Saya's wrists, lifting her into the air and freezing her in place.
Tsunade, meanwhile, found her own arms pinned and her body slammed down to the floor—her limbs bound in a very... compromising turtle-shell tie.
Uchiha Hikaru opened his mouth to explain—
But then he felt it.
Tsunade's chakra exploded outward, wild and furious.
Her hands, despite being bound, locked together in a precise seal, and an enormous pulse of chakra surged through the floor.
"Wood Release: Iron Pear Flower!"
Dozens of thick, green wooden thorns erupted from the ground, twisting and arcing like serpents as they stabbed toward him.
"Tonight—I'm beating the hell out of you!"
Tsunade wasn't truly upset about the other woman. Uchiha Hikaru had always attracted too much attention from female shinobi—she'd long accepted that.
But what enraged her… was the pain of being left behind.
For three years, she'd borne the weight of the Hokage's duties alone.
Before Hikaru left, he had shared her burden—missions, strategy, crisis management. But after his disappearance, the load had doubled.
And just recently, the entire shinobi world had come close to another war.
She'd pulled her hair out trying to hold the village together.
And now—now—this bastard showed up with a girl on his arm?
Her grief, frustration, and resentment burst free in a single, devastating attack.
Hikaru, sensing everything in her chakra, softened.
He waved his hand, releasing the chains around both women.
Given the situation, he understood—she needed to vent.
Besides, it was the perfect opportunity.
He could observe Tsunade's use of Wood Release.
And gauge Saya's current strength.
Without another word, he turned and sprinted toward the Uchiha Clan's southern training grounds.
"You bastard! Don't run!"
"Lord Hikaru, wait for me!"
Tsunade and Saya both chased after him.
The three of them arrived at the deserted training field.
Saya moved immediately in front of Hikaru, raising both arms in a defensive stance, her Mangekyō glowing with intensity.
Tsunade cracked her knuckles, eyes blazing with fury.
...
(to be continued)
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