The single word "watch"—spoken softly by Ayame—made Hyūga Shigeo's heart tighten suddenly.
Ever since childhood, it felt as though he had always owed her something.
When he didn't respond for a long time, Ayame shook her head and turned away.
"If I'd known you were coming back today, I would've never come to your house," she said softly. "I hate awkwardness… like this. Shigeo, promise me—even if we can't be lovers, let's not become strangers, okay?"
Shigeo followed her, saying, "We won't be strangers. And I wasn't embarrassed earlier. It's just… I haven't really planned for marriage yet. If one day I do decide to marry, you'll definitely be on my short list."
Ayame glared at him. "Has anyone ever told you that you're narcissistic? A short list? How many women even like you? Tch… I must be stupid to keep waiting. Anyone else would've given up already…"
Then she thought about it and sighed inwardly.
In truth, none of the girls their age in Konoha had married yet. Even those who used to chase after Shigeo as kids were still single.
Competition's tough, she thought helplessly.
"What would they do then?" Shigeo asked with a teasing smile.
"Nothing! Enough talking—come on, let's eat!" Ayame said, pulling him toward the street corner.
At Ichiraku Ramen, Shigeo slurped down a steaming bowl of noodles made by Teuchi and placed a small gift box on the counter.
"This is for you, old man. Please accept it."
Years ago, Shigeo had given them a necklace worth tens of millions, but they had refused to take it. He'd pretended to accept it back—only for them to later find it hidden in their cupboard after he left the village.
From then on, Teuchi understood: anything given by Shigeo could not be returned.
So now, seeing him hand over another gift, Teuchi's expression turned wary.
"Don't tell me this is another thing too valuable for us to afford. If it is, I'm not taking it! I've got my own hands, I can work and eat without your expensive presents."
"It's not that kind of gift. Go on, open it," Shigeo said with a grin.
He sat there, tall and striking, over 1.8 meters, with long black hair, clear skin, and deep blue eyes. His effortless charm was enough to make girls outside the shop squeal.
Even Teuchi heard the faint shrieks from the street and sighed, glancing at his daughter.
If only Ayame were a ninja… maybe she'd be closer to his world.
He opened the box. Inside lay a simple, elegant wristwatch.
"This looks nice," he said, smiling. "I like it. I'll keep it."
The next morning, when the jewelry shop owner across the street saw the watch on Teuchi's wrist, his jaw dropped.
"Where did you get that?!"
"What do you mean? My daughter's friend gave it to me. Just an ordinary watch."
"Ordinary?! That thing's worth tens of millions!"
"Ah—!"
…
The following morning, while Shigeo was still asleep, he sensed someone enter his room. He sat up instantly—only to see Tsunade and Shizune standing at the door, smiling.
"It's been a couple of years. You've filled out nicely," Tsunade remarked.
Shizune chuckled softly, setting Ton-ton down. The little pig trotted straight toward Shigeo and burrowed into his blankets.
"Hey, hey…" Shigeo grabbed the sheet and covered himself quickly. "Tsunade-sensei, Shizune-nee-san, shouldn't you… maybe turn around?"
He gestured toward the door, trying to hint that he was half-naked.
But neither of them moved.
"What's there to be shy about? We've already seen everything back when we bathed together at the hot springs. We're both women. You're the one acting bashful—"
Before Tsunade could finish, Shigeo jumped out of bed wearing only shorts.
Shizune squeaked, spun around, and covered her eyes, while Tsunade simply smirked and nodded approvingly.
"Not bad," she said.
"Ugh! Sensei, could you be any more shameless?!" Shigeo's voice echoed angrily from the bathroom moments later.
A short while later, the three of them were in the Hokage's office.
Shigeo sat back, yawning lazily, while Tsunade stared miserably at a mountain of paperwork.
On the other side, Jiraiya grinned broadly and pushed a box toward him.
"Shigeo, try this! The village's newest creation—rice cakes! They're amazing! Come on, try one!"
He had rushed over with breakfast as soon as he heard Shigeo was back, just for a chance to chat with him.
After the Third Hokage's death and Tsunade's rise as Fifth Hokage, relations between Shigeo and Konoha had gradually eased.
Jiraiya had never dreamed he'd live to see the day Shigeo sat in the Hokage's office, casually eating breakfast with them.
Shigeo took a rice cake, bit into it, and smiled. "Delicious."
Then he promptly snatched the whole box and began eating it himself.
Just then, two Konoha shinobi entered the office, carrying documents.
They bowed and said, "Fifth Hokage-sama, we have something urgent to report. We just met Haruno Sakura at Konoha Park. She said Uchiha Sasuke left the village last night!"
"What?!" Tsunade shot to her feet.
Shigeo froze mid-bite. He had left a note for Naruto specifically warning him to keep an eye on Sasuke. Could it be…?
Then realization hit him, and he smacked his forehead.
Right… with Naruto's temper, he probably challenged Sasuke to a fight instead.
Just like before—their battle ended with Sasuke leaving the village.
"According to Sakura, it's true," one of the shinobi confirmed.
Tsunade's face darkened. Orochimaru had begun to move.
She immediately summoned Nara Shikamaru and explained the situation.
Shikamaru frowned. "Shouldn't we send jōnin or at least chūnin for this? They'd be faster."
Tsunade fell silent.
Seeing this, Shigeo stood up. "I'll take my leave. You've got things to handle. Until next time."
He leapt through the window and vanished.
Once he was gone, Tsunade turned back to Shikamaru. "All our jōnin are deployed on missions. The ones left in the village can't be mobilized freely."
Shikamaru sighed, shrugging.
"Understood."
He turned to leave, realizing he'd have to lead a squad of talented genin himself.
He could only hope they would succeed.
(End of Chapter)
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