The next day, in the backyard of the Yuhi residence.
Seiryū was guiding Kurenai through her training when he suddenly glanced toward the edge of the courtyard.
"Come in."
The moment his voice fell, a shadow flickered into view.
An Anbu operative appeared before him, dropped to one knee, and bowed respectfully. "Lord Seiryū, Lady Tsunade has requested your presence at the Hokage's office."
Seiryū nodded. "Understood."
After the Anbu vanished, Seiryū turned to Kurenai. "That woman is looking for me. Some new intelligence must have come in. I'll go see what she wants."
With that, he left behind a Shadow Clone to continue instructing Kurenai, while his real body disappeared in a flash.
Before long, he arrived at the Hokage Residence.
He knocked on the office door. After Tsunade's voice gave him permission to enter, Seiryū pushed the door open and walked inside.
Tsunade was seated behind the Hokage's desk.
Seiryū raised an eyebrow. "Hold on. You haven't even officially become Hokage yet, and you're already sitting in the main seat? Did your coup succeed?"
He looked around with exaggerated seriousness. "Is that why you called me here? Are you planning to ascend the throne tomorrow?"
The Hokage was the leader of Konoha. In other words, once Tsunade took office, she would be…
An empress?
Seiryū liked that kind of aura.
Queens, empresses, adopted sisters, childhood sweethearts, the girl next door—he had a broad appreciation for many types.
Tsunade shot him a flat sideways glance and chose to ignore his blatantly treasonous nonsense.
Instead, she got straight to the point. "The matter in Amegakure… was that your doing?"
Seiryū casually found a seat and sat down without waiting to be invited. "If you're talking about Hanzō's death, then yes. That was me."
Seiryū had been busy these past few days.
Not long ago, he had made a deliberate trip to Amegakure to deal with Hanzō.
There was no helping it. The old man had hired assassins.
The last person who tried that had been dead for quite some time.
It was only fair to send Hanzō to keep Danzō company. The two of them had colluded enough while alive. They should have plenty to talk about in the afterlife.
"I knew it…" Tsunade rubbed her temples.
Of all the people Hanzō could have provoked, he had chosen this vengeful man.
So far, not a single person targeted by Seiryū had managed to escape unscathed.
Even Tsunade herself was often driven half-mad by him.
And the worst part was that she could not do anything about it.
Seiryū asked, "Don't tell me Hanzō's death is enough to throw the situation into chaos again. He didn't have that much influence left, did he?"
"I only suspected it had something to do with you, so I called you here to confirm it."
Tsunade waved a hand.
The war had settled into a fragile pause. Every village was alert and watching the others, so no one would make a reckless move in the short term.
Hanzō's death would certainly have an impact, but it was not enough to plunge the region back into open conflict.
Seiryū leaned back. "You called me here just for that? If there's nothing else, I'm leaving. I have plans this afternoon."
"What? Does spending time with me make you that uncomfortable?"
"Huh?"
Seiryū stared at her in confusion.
Was this woman plotting something?
That sentence sounded far too much like a girlfriend complaining that her boyfriend never spent time with her.
Could Tsunade really say something like that sincerely?
Seiryū did not believe it.
His expression immediately became wary. "Are you sick? Or is this some kind of trap?"
Tsunade narrowed her eyes. Her tone became unfriendly. "I'm buried in work all day, while you're living comfortably. If I don't call you over, you won't take the initiative to help at all, will you?"
During this relatively stable period, Hiruzen had gradually begun transferring authority to her.
She still lacked experience in wartime strategy and large-scale deployments, so Hiruzen remained in charge of those matters for now.
However, Tsunade had already begun taking over many of the village's internal affairs.
Recently, she had been unbelievably busy.
Meanwhile, Seiryū's life had been far too relaxed.
That made her feel deeply unbalanced.
Why was the future Hokage's assistant allowed to be this idle?
"There's an old saying," Seiryū said solemnly. "The royal consort must not meddle in politics… Wait, no, that's not it. I mean, people who are still wet behind the ears can't be trusted with state affairs."
He spread his hands with a perfectly reasonable expression. "I'm only eleven. This is the age for training, relaxing, and enjoying life. You want me involved in national administration?"
He scoffed. "Be serious."
Seiryū had no interest in drowning himself in village paperwork.
He had plenty of his own things to do.
Tsunade leaned back in her chair. She was wearing a fashionable pale-green kimono, her legs crossed elegantly.
Her sandal-clad foot swayed lightly as she looked at him and said, "I certainly wouldn't trust most people, but I trust you. That brain of yours is useful when you actually bother to use it."
Seiryū's gaze betrayed him for half a second.
Tsunade noticed.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
"I can help," Seiryū said, quickly regaining his composure. "But what's the reward?"
"What kind of reward do you want?"
Tsunade's toes curled slightly in her sandal as she rested her chin on one hand. She looked at Seiryū with a meaningful smile.
"A foot massage?"
Seiryū immediately made a disgusted face. "Are you crazy? What kind of reward is that?"
"Really?"
"Obviously."
He looked perfectly righteous.
But soon, he caught the hidden meaning in her words.
His expression changed. "Wait… why would you mention something like that?"
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Why would Tsunade suddenly bring up her feet?
Could it be…
"Heh."
Tsunade smiled with satisfaction, letting her foot sway lazily. "Who would have thought? The famous Shinigami of Konoha, Seiryū, actually has such a delicate little preference."
Her smile became charming, but there was a playful sharpness in it.
"Seiryū-kun, you probably don't want anyone else finding out about this, do you?"
Did he really think she, Tsunade, had no way to deal with him?
She had already discovered one of his weaknesses.
Seiryū fell silent.
That line sounded familiar.
Hadn't he said something like that before?
More importantly…
Damn it. How had she found out?
When had he been exposed?
Although he felt a trace of embarrassment, he had clearly hidden it well.
Still, Seiryū was not the type to be threatened. He sneered. "Blackmailing me? You're underestimating me. Do I look like someone who can be cornered that easily?"
Since she already knew, there was no point pretending.
He might as well be shameless.
"Besides," Seiryū continued, "I bet you wouldn't dare say it out loud. If that information comes from you, what do you think people will assume?"
He deliberately raised his voice, imitating the tone of gossiping villagers.
"Oh my, how does Lady Tsunade know Lord Seiryū likes women's feet? Could the two of them be…"
Seiryū dragged out the last words suggestively.
His acting ability was surprisingly impressive. He perfectly captured the expression and mannerisms of people whispering about scandal.
Tsunade's face twitched.
Good grief.
This man had actually found a way to turn her attack back on her.
Still, he was too inexperienced if he thought that was enough.
Seiryū's gaze made Tsunade feel a little strange inside, but her expression did not change. She pretended not to care and continued swaying her foot lightly.
"Who said the rumor would come from my mouth?" she asked. "Do you think I wouldn't have considered that?"
"Do you think I wouldn't have considered what you considered?"
Seiryū finally shifted his gaze away and looked into Tsunade's golden-brown eyes. He spread his hands and laughed.
"If you dare say it, I dare admit it."
His smile became wicked. "In the end, I'll tell everyone myself that what I admire most is your feet. What do you think they'll say then?"
He leaned forward slightly. "Come on. Let's destroy each other."
Tsunade fell silent.
Her expression darkened.
That line had real destructive power.
It was hard to say whether anyone else would dare do such a thing, but Seiryū absolutely would.
Just imagining that scene made Tsunade feel so embarrassed and furious that she wanted to leave the world behind entirely.
She might as well move to the moon.
Seeing Tsunade's gloomy silence, Seiryū happily pressed his advantage.
"That's it? Oh my, why aren't you speaking anymore? Don't tell me you're backing down."
He smiled smugly. "If you don't even have the courage to go down with me, how are you supposed to fight me?"
The roles between them had long since reversed.
Did this woman still think she could handle him?
In the past, when she could not win an argument, she could still rely on her fists to gain the upper hand.
Now that even her fists could not suppress him, she had nothing left.
Tsunade's face darkened further.
She had underestimated him.
So hateful.
So infuriating.
She had failed to deal with him and had instead been angered by him. Why was this man so difficult?
In the end, Tsunade could only let out a cold snort. "Fine. You win this time. But this isn't over. Don't let me find a real weakness, or else… hmph."
Even this weakness could not threaten Seiryū.
She had no idea how she was supposed to handle him in the future.
Was she going to be suppressed by him forever?
Just thinking about it made her angry.
"You can only talk tough," Seiryū said, provoking her again.
Then he abruptly changed the subject and put on a righteous expression.
"That said, as the future Hokage's assistant, I really can't sit by and ignore Konoha's affairs, can I?"
He tapped the armrest and continued, "So let's talk about the reward. Like I said, I can help, but I want compensation."
"So you're accepting my earlier proposal?"
Tsunade dangled her foot lightly, her eyes fixed on Seiryū with playful amusement. The corners of her mouth curled upward.
"Heh. You really are shameless."
Seiryū clicked his tongue. "Who said my reward was giving you a foot massage? Although, yes, that would count as a reward for me, it's far too cheap for you. I want more."
Tsunade tilted her head slightly. A few strands of golden hair slipped across her cheek.
"More?" she asked. "Two massages?"
Seiryū stared at her.
What kind of logic was that?
He emphasized his words. "No. I said I want more."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes. A dangerous light flashed in them.
"More? You shameless man. Where exactly did you learn to be so bold?"
Her tone grew sharper. "Have you been sneaking around with Jiraiya behind my back?"
Seiryū looked confused.
What was she talking about?
"I have no idea what's going on in your head," he said. "By 'more,' I mean…"
He rubbed his hands together and grinned shamelessly.
"Money."
Tsunade fell silent.
She had almost forgotten.
Among Seiryū's weaknesses was another very important one.
Money.
This guy was a complete money-grubber.
But the moment money was mentioned, Tsunade remembered Seiryū's previous "business plan," and the corner of her mouth twitched.
She snorted. "If you dare try to make money under my nose, I'll smash your head open."
"It's not that plan. The time isn't right yet."
Seiryū waved his hand, indicating that the money-making scheme had not reached its proper moment.
He was not even officially the Hokage's assistant yet.
He continued, "Didn't I mention this before? Hand the Forest of Death over to me for development. I'll make it serve its true purpose, and it can bring in a steady stream of income. We split the profits eighty-twenty."
Tsunade looked at him. "I get eighty, you get twenty?"
"Damn. You're even more ruthless than I am. Wouldn't that mean I'm working for you?"
"Aren't you supposed to?" Tsunade asked. "The Hokage's assistant works for the Hokage."
"I'm completely speechless."
The corner of Seiryū's mouth twitched. Then he shook his head. "No. Absolutely not. You get eighty and I get twenty? I'd lose a fortune."
"Without my permission, the Forest of Death will never be in your hands," Tsunade said calmly. "I am the Hokage."
"Tsunade, you'll regret this."
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Seiryū paused.
His head suddenly hurt a little, as if some strange thought had tried to grow roots in his mind again.
He shook it off, spread his hands, and slumped back with the weary tone of an old man.
"This won't work. That won't work. With you being like this, it's very hard for me to get anything done."
"Hmph."
Tsunade gave a light snort.
Then, as if she had thought of something, a faint blush touched her cheeks. She quickly forced it down and beckoned to Seiryū.
"Come here."
Seiryū immediately became guarded. "What for?"
"If I tell you to come here, just come here. Why so much nonsense? Do you think I'm going to beat you?"
"That's only because you can't beat me anymore," Seiryū muttered.
He had no idea what this woman wanted to do.
Still, he was not afraid. He stood up and walked over.
As soon as he came close, a soft fragrance brushed past him.
Then a warm, gentle touch landed on his forehead.
Tsunade had leaned forward and kissed him.
Only on the forehead.
After kissing Seiryū's forehead, Tsunade felt her heartbeat quicken slightly, but her expression remained calm.
"Is this enough?" she asked. "Be good and help me."
Seiryū touched his forehead, then looked at Tsunade's soft red lips with a complicated expression.
"You… Are you treating me like a three-year-old?"
This level of intimacy was supposed to fool him?
"Don't push your luck."
Tsunade had already returned to her seat. She snorted coldly. "I still haven't settled the score with you for all the nonsense you said in front of my great-grandfather. Who gave you permission to introduce yourself with that identity?"
"Fine, fine. Since you've put it that way, can I still refuse?"
Seiryū looked at Tsunade and did not continue provoking her.
Thinking about it, this counted as the first time Tsunade had taken the initiative, right?
Although it was just a forehead kiss, and although she had done it as if coaxing a child, it still showed that Tsunade's feelings were gradually changing.
Seiryū then added, while instinctively glancing at her nearly flawless feet, "But don't forget the other reward."
Tsunade noticed his gaze and fell silent.
Did this man really like them that much?
He had even reminded her on purpose.
But in any case, she would not be losing out. Seiryū's massage skills were actually quite good.
It benefited him.
It benefited her.
A win-win.
Yes.
A perfect win-win.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)