For all their so-called experience, the two councilors—Koharu and Homura—were far from their prime, and it showed.
Yet here they were, still fighting to control Root's power.
Did they have any shame left?
Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but feel a flicker of nostalgia for Shimura Danzō.
If Danzō were still alive, he would've probably mocked the whole situation outright.
Now the "best tool man" was gone, and Sarutobi's patience was wearing thin.
"That's enough. If there's nothing else, you two should leave," he said flatly.
The meaning was clear—no matter what arguments they made, Danzō's power would never fall into their hands.
Fuming, the two elders left with a huff.
Sarutobi didn't even spare them a second glance.
Frankly, he didn't care what they thought.
"Man, this surveillance is just getting dull…"
Back in his own yard, Shiki had just finished a day of training. He tossed aside a broken ninja blade, scanning the outer wall with a lazy look.
Thanks to his Observation Haki, he could clearly sense someone had been watching him for days now.
He didn't even have to guess—it was obviously Sarutobi's handiwork.
With Root gone, who else would be so persistent about keeping tabs on him?
"What's up?"
Tsunade, lacking Shiki's sensory abilities, couldn't tell anything was off. She noticed his gaze and tilted her head in concern.
"It's nothing," Shiki said, shaking his head.
A little surveillance didn't bother him but if it kept up, he'd just "deal with the bug" himself.
As for Sarutobi's motives? Shiki could only shrug.
If the spy got caught, that was on them.
Tsunade nodded, deciding not to press further.
She knew Shiki well enough to trust him—if he wasn't worried, neither was she.
Suddenly, something occurred to her.
"Oh right! Jiraiya invited me to a get-together. Want to come?"
"Me?"
"Of course! You're my guy now, aren't you? And he never said I couldn't bring my family!"
Tsunade smirked.
Honestly, if Shiki wasn't going, Tsunade didn't feel like going either.
And with Kurenai busy training in genjutsu, it was a good time for her to push her own skills.
"Let's go, then."
A little social time sounded better than endless training for once.
"Great! I'll go run a bath for you, then we can head out together," Tsunade grinned.
Fresh from training, Shiki couldn't say no.
He watched her walk away, a warm smile tugging at his lips.
Who'd have thought Tsunade could be so gentle when she wanted to be?
She was honestly starting to feel like the wife he'd always pictured.
With one last glance at the outer wall, Shiki followed her back inside.
Outside the courtyard, a masked figure lingered.
It was Minato Namikaze.
Even from a distance, he'd noticed Shiki's sharp gaze, and the two locked eyes for just a moment.
"Was I discovered…?" Minato wondered, mildly surprised.
But he didn't dwell on it.
For someone who defeated the Shukaku in battle, this level of perception was hardly shocking.
"Ah, shoot! I promised Jiraiya-sensei I'd be at his party tonight!"
Golden light flickered as Minato vanished from the spot, making a mental note:
He hadn't found anything suspicious about Shiki so far.
If Lord Hokage wanted him to keep watching, he'd need a better plan.
After freshening up, Shiki and Tsunade changed into casual clothes for the evening.
Shiki left his two swords at home, it was just a simple dinner, after all.
"You look great," Tsunade said with a satisfied nod, eyeing him up and down.
Even in plain clothes, Shiki had a kind of lazy Lion King vibe—proud, confident, impossible to ignore.
Shiki grinned.
"And you're beautiful as ever."
Home-life Tsunade was a lot gentler than her battlefield self, and he appreciated it.
"Let's head out," she said, and together they walked into town.
Passersby couldn't help but stare—a couple that handsome and charismatic looked like they'd stepped out of a storybook.
"It's so slow! Where is Tsunade?"
Inside the cozy restaurant, Jiraiya tapped the table impatiently, eyes scanning the street outside.
"Don't worry, Jiraiya-sensei. She should be here any minute," said Minato, trying to calm him.
Sitting nearby was Minato's girlfriend—none other than the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, Uzumaki Kushina.
Unlike Minato's gentle tone, Kushina was relaxed and loud—her spirit reminding everyone of Tsunade.
"I heard Tsunade's got a boyfriend now. Wonder what he's like?"
Kushina was genuinely curious, she'd only heard rumors so far.
Minato smiled.
"Lord Shiki is a hard worker, that's for sure. Even with all his power, he never slacks on sword training."
Kushina nodded thoughtfully.
"Well, guess I'll meet him soon enough."
While they talked, Jiraiya grew increasingly frustrated.
He'd accepted that Tsunade had moved on, but hearing about her boyfriend was still a stab to the heart.
Can we please change the subject? he thought, glancing away.
He turned to the other side of the table, where Orochimaru sat sipping tea in silence.
"Honestly, I didn't expect you to show up for something like this," Jiraiya remarked.
Normally, unless something was important, Orochimaru skipped these gatherings.
"There was simply nothing else to do," Orochimaru replied coolly.
With Danzō gone, his… projects… were all on hold.
After all, the resources for those "experiments" had all been under Danzō's control.
He sounded almost disappointed.
"Man, I can't believe Tsunade—the monster strength woman I know—has finally settled down!"
Jiraiya gave a theatrical sigh,
But he didn't get a chance to finish before...
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