Chapter 283: The Loser's Mountain-Climbing Benefit
What could one do in a week?
The answer was: travel across the ninja world.
On the first day, Akiyama Makoto and Tsunade went shopping in the Land of Fire.
Food, wine, clothes, jewelry.
The Tsunade of the past, although wealthy, didn't care about these things.
But now, with Makoto footing the bill, Tsunade indulged in "revenge spending." She thought she was taking advantage of him, but instead put on a fashion show for him.
With her figure, no matter what she wore, she exuded a mountainous charm. Everywhere she went, she drew cheers from the shop assistants, as if she had become a super-fat sheep in the fitting room.
On the second day, Makoto took Tsunade to the Land of Snow to admire the snowscape.
Wearing thick cotton clothes, holding warm tea, staying in an igloo and watching the snowy scenery, Tsunade and Makoto experienced a quiet but wonderful feeling.
Also, due to limited conditions, Tsunade had to sleep in the same igloo as Makoto.
Although Tsunade saw through his scheme, she was surprised that he actually behaved himself and made no extra moves.
However, finding various reasons to kiss every day was an indispensable daily operation.
On the third day, they went to the Land of Waterfalls to admire the waterfalls.
The sound of the huge water flow was incessant all day long. In this environment, Tsunade and Makoto could only shout when facing each other, and finally got used to whispering in each other's ears.
He didn't forget to show off his cooking skills either. As a result, the firelight and aroma of grilled fish attracted the attention of the Hidden Waterfall Village.
Not wanting to attract attention, Tsunade and Makoto played hide-and-seek with the Waterfall ninja in the forest and waterfalls, and finally, soaked to the bone, they still enjoyed themselves tirelessly.
On the fourth day, he took her to the desert.
The desert scenery was endless, quiet and lonely, but the world could change color in an instant. They just happened to encounter a sandstorm.
Looking at the world-destroying natural landscape, Tsunade had a whim to go to the center of the storm.
He naturally risked his life to accompany his wife. So the two of them activated their Yin Seals, bracing against the wind, sand, and damage, and walked step by step into the center of the storm.
Here, it was quiet. The sunlight beamed straight down from above, making the two of them, whose clothes were already ragged, look like beggars.
They lay on the sand, smiling at each other. At this moment, Tsunade didn't even notice that half of her peaks were exposed.
Of course, maybe she didn't care anymore.
On the fifth day, he took her onto a ferry owned by his company.
The blue ocean calmed the mind, the magnificent ferry decorations made the trip worthwhile, and the attentive service of professionally trained attendants allowed them to experience the luxurious life of nobles.
Tsunade changed into a silver-white evening gown. As soon as she appeared at the cocktail party, she became the focus of the audience.
Unfortunately, her only dance partner was Makoto. Faced with annoying inviters, she took the initiative to kiss Makoto in front of everyone, which allowed her to enjoy a moment of peace.
On the sixth day, the two went to the Land of Hot Water to soak in hot springs, enjoying the liveliness and prosperity there, while washing away the fatigue of several days of non-stop travel.
This time, the hot spring inn they stayed at had mixed baths. Looking at the mixed bath sign, Tsunade stared at him with a smile, as if to say, I know what you're thinking.
But he calmly booked two separate rooms and didn't pester her to go to the mixed bath together. This made her somewhat astonished, and even a little unbelieving.
Did he have enough fun and want to stop here?
Or did her keeping her distance all along hurt his feelings?
It wasn't until she changed clothes that she froze, because she felt a few wrinkles appearing between her brows—the life force in her body was running low!
She quickly activated the auxiliary function of the Yin Seal to restore her original youthful appearance. However, the feeling that she was aging and her youth was gone still tightly gripped her heart.
She had gotten used to aging; she just didn't want others to see her aged appearance.
However, he had returned her to her youth and taken her to enjoy the joy of traveling the world in her youth. Was her youth going to end now?
Soaking in the hot spring alone, at this moment, she felt very lonely, even wanting someone to accompany her, or to drag him out to get drunk.
Just then, a large fireworks display lit up overhead. Tonight, the Land of Hot Water was putting on a fireworks show.
"A little surprise. Do you like it?"
Makoto's voice came from a distance. The confused Tsunade immediately smiled all over her face, nodded, and said, "I like it. Thank you."
Her charm was still there, he still liked her, and the relationship between her and him could last for one more day—
She breathed a sigh of relief, but what followed was an even stronger sense of loss and urgency.
What should she do on this last day? Just let it all end so peacefully?
She didn't know. Perhaps he would give her the answer?
However, on the seventh day, he just took her towards Tanzaku Town, clearly having no other arrangements.
Around his neck, Hashirama Senju's necklace fluttered, making her anxious, but she didn't know how to speak up.
She clenched her fists and bit her lip. Trailing a step behind him, she looked at his profile, feeling the unwillingness of a beautiful dream about to wake up.
She had to admit that this week, she had indeed almost forgotten her past, and forgotten the distance between him and her, immersing herself in the pleasant date.
However, dreams always wake up.
He had actually planned to take her to a temple today to pay respects and write an ema (wooden prayer plaque) as lovers, as a kind of commemoration.
But to his surprise, Orochimaru and Jiraiya had already arrived in Tanzaku Town. This speed was faster than he had expected.
It seemed that because of his intervention, Orochimaru was much more impatient, and Jiraiya's training for Naruto was much simpler.
In addition, Sasuke had still been hit by Itachi's Tsukuyomi.
However, because Makoto was there, Jiraiya and Naruto hadn't returned to support Konoha. Makoto had used a shadow clone to help stabilize Sasuke's mental injuries.
As for the physical pain, he didn't intervene excessively.
Sasuke needed such pain to face the gap between himself and Itachi. Without enough motivation, it would be almost impossible for him to break through to Kage-level within a few years.
In this regard, Makoto really couldn't compare to Orochimaru, because he wouldn't dare use the lives of hundreds or thousands of ninja to train Sasuke, nor could he let his own spirit be devoured by Sasuke.
As for whether Sasuke would die directly after finding Orochimaru, he wasn't too worried about this.
On one hand, Sasuke was also a protagonist and had a protagonist halo.
On the other hand, Makoto was constantly simulating. If Orochimaru really devoured Sasuke, he would know in advance, and it wouldn't be too late to intervene then.
"Hey!"
Tsunade's voice came from behind. He ignored it, but she said angrily, "Akiyama Makoto, stop right there!"
He turned back to her side and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
"Are we... going back to Tanzaku Town just like this?"
"Can't bear to leave?"
Looking at his smiling face, she was furious, but she just held out her hand. "Can I have the necklace back now?"
"Today isn't over yet, is it? I'll give it back to you tomorrow."
He responded casually. He knew she hadn't stopped him for this reason.
Seeing that he didn't take the bait, the fire in her heart made her chest heave, but she didn't know how to speak.
After all, given her status, she shouldn't take the initiative, nor should she indulge in this illusory feeling.
She didn't even know what she wanted to say; she had just instinctively stopped him, subconsciously resisting the end of this week.
Her heart was completely in turmoil, chaotic beyond calming.
She hoped he could give her an answer, but she didn't know what that answer was.
"Is there anything else?"
He asked. She didn't answer. Then he suddenly hugged her waist and lowered his head to kiss her.
Her body stiffened, then relaxed. She put her hands on his shoulders, responding skillfully.
She had gotten used to all this, and could even taste pleasure from it. This was something she couldn't have imagined a week ago.
A long time later, their lips parted. He suddenly kissed her forehead. This action made her whole body tremble.
Without lust, but with an added affection, this was exactly the temptation she couldn't refuse.
"Then let's not go back. Let's continue traveling the ninja world until you get tired of me."
"Of course, if you don't dislike me, then we'll travel forever. Ten years, a hundred years, I'll accompany you."
Her eyes wavered, and she had the urge to agree immediately.
But in the end, she held back.
She still had to give Shizune an explanation, and Konoha also needed an answer from her.
Finally, she shook her head slightly. "No—"
He thought to himself, As expected. Although the two were only a step away from defining their relationship, he knew she still couldn't forget Konoha.
What's more, Konoha currently needed her to be Hokage. This was a fate she couldn't escape.
Knowing this, he wasn't anxious or impatient. But this calmness annoyed her instead.
He suddenly grabbed at her chest with one hand. Her body immediately tensed up.
Her proud size became her huge weakness at this moment, and she looked at him with disbelief.
Before she could get angry, he said, "You're always like this, reluctant to let go but unable to hold on. Now I've broken the agreement, giving you a chance to end all this. Is that okay?"
Hearing this, her pupils constricted, and a look of apology flashed in her eyes.
The anger of being sneak-attacked by him had disappeared, replaced by guilt for her own indecisiveness.
As for his mischievous hand, she didn't stop it. She treated it as a small benefit for him becoming a rule-breaker.
He kissed her again, letting her lie in his arms, tormenting her for a full hour.
When he had teased her until her back arched, she suddenly pushed him away and said, "Enough! That's it!"
She blushed as she straightened her clothes. If she let him continue to act recklessly, she felt she would be taken by him right there and then.
Then she said seriously, "You broke the rules, so you lost. Remember to give the necklace back to me tomorrow."
However, her still somewhat messy collar was enough to show who the real loser was.
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