[belch--]
[Tsunade, nestled in his arms, lightly covered her mouth and let out a burp.]
Her pretty face was already flushed with a rosy blush.
["hateful!"]
"Damn old monkey!"
"And that beast Danzo!"
Tsunade cursed twice in anger.
He continued, "Back then, when I made the suggestion, either an old monkey or an old beast refused to listen."
"The reasons given were war, insufficient funding, and the project was also quite time-consuming... a whole host of reasons!"
"Looking back now, it feels like they deliberately dragged me along!" (
Reading novels every day -> ⓣⓣⓚⓢ.ⓣⓦ)
[Gurgle—]
The bottle of sake that was just full was completely empty.
[It all went into Tsunade's little belly.]
Suddenly, Naruto felt his hand being grabbed.
At the same time, a small hand grabbed her collar and pulled it down.
They were almost touching.
"Naruto, what is it?"
"Because of Nawaki's death, my career has been constantly delayed despite the opportunities to change things, with all sorts of righteous words used to pressure me... How can I be in a good mood?"
"I..." Tsunade seemed to have returned to her former self, her eyes reddening.
"That's when he appeared, just when we were at our most vulnerable!"
"Uncle Duan... there's no such thing as real love, it's impossible!" Shizune suddenly shouted.
"Because this is based on impure motives...it's very likely just lust at first sight!"
[The voice, though mute, was full of energy, as if the answer had been found and the problem was being solved.]
Tsunade remained silent.
Naruto raised an eyebrow, surprised that Shizune would say something like that.
If Mom were still here... well, there would be a little trouble.
Tsunade shook her head.
"At the time, although I gambled, I still had a lot of assets."
"Whether it was my great-grandfather or my second great-grandfather... they both left me with so much. Even after the Senju clan merged with Konoha, my wealth accumulated to a terrifying degree."
Tsunade suddenly tilted her snow-white neck back and looked at Naruto.
"Do you know why I'm in such a sorry state?"
"Even so, I am also one of the legendary Sannin, and in terms of medical skills... I am equally unparalleled in the ninja world."
"But I always end up with a mountain of debt, partly because I have terrible luck gambling..."
Tsunade paused.
[Shizune added, "Because of the medical ninja warfare you promoted back then."]
Tsunade nodded, her eyes dimming.
[Fingers circled on Naruto's chest.]
"Back then... I always got turned down by those old folks."
They also said the village's finances and manpower were insufficient to support it.
"Therefore, I could only keep striving for support...and I spent all the savings left by Senju."
"That is, when I was at my most powerless... the break occurred."
[Silently close your eyes.]
She never imagined it would end like this.
"After having my suggestion rejected yet again."
"During the meeting, Duan stepped forward."
"She's the only one who supports me."
"Looking back now, many people had strange looks in their eyes and seemed hesitant to speak. I suppose they were given orders."
Tsunade gave a wry smile.
Like a kitten, she kept snuggling into Naruto's arms.
[Mute sighed silently.]
"Lady Tsunade."
"Isn't it obvious already?"
Then, Shizune shook her head and said, "No wonder I don't have the surname Kato... and no wonder there's almost no news of the Kato clan in the village."
"It seems Uncle Duan failed...and was purged."
"No, that's not right." She shook her head in denial immediately after saying that.
"It wasn't that Uncle Duan failed, but rather that he developed inappropriate thoughts."
"Otherwise, he wouldn't have died so inexplicably, and it even has similarities to what Naruto-sama said."
[After waiting a moment, seeing that Tsunade remained silent, Shizune's heart skipped a beat.]
Her eyes were slightly red.
["Shimura Danzo was obsessed with the Hokage."]
"The others also tacitly approved of this plan..."
"There are only two possibilities right now: Uncle Dan has conceived the idea of using Tsunade's status to become Hokage himself."
"Another possibility is..."
"Uncle Duan's death was also part of the plan."
"Of course, it's also possible that Dan's death is part of the plan, and inevitable," Naruto said.
"Because he harbored inappropriate thoughts, he wanted to use Tsunade's identity to become Hokage, that is, he wanted to make the charade into reality and become Hokage."
"They've angered Danzo...and even some old fogies, because if left unchecked, he could very well succeed."
"Thus, not only did Kato Dan die, but he also implicated the entire Kato clan."
"However, it seems the Kato clan already knew, and they likely still support Kato Dan."
"Before he died, perhaps Kato Dan knew it would turn out this way, which is why he asked Tsunade to take care of Shizune, right?"
[Naruto finished speaking.]
[Silent sound closed her eyes, two lines of clear tears streaming down her face.]
Tsunade didn't answer, she just kept snuggling closer to Naruto.
[Naruto felt it and tightened his grip on his arm again.]
The texture was as soft as jade, very comfortable, and the air was filled with a fragrance reminiscent of wine.
The three of them remained silent for a long while.
[Until Tsunade suddenly trembled.]
Naruto coughed lightly, about to speak, when suddenly his eyes widened.
[Look down.]
His gaze fell upon that almost perfect face.
Their eyes met.
Naruto could see a hint of shame and indignation in Tsunade's eyes.
Naruto gave a slight smirk.
This time, it was his turn to avoid eye contact.
With his vital point controlled, there was nothing he could do.
Naruto then awkwardly touched his nose.
They've certainly gone too far.
[It wouldn't have been a problem if we hadn't moved.]
But...the distance was getting closer and closer, and I couldn't help but instinctively knock on the door.
It's no wonder Tsunade suddenly intervened.
"Judging from the fact that the Kato clan was wiped out without a trace..."
The possibility of a double agent is increasing.
"And so, with the old man's tacit approval, Danzo's Root organization wiped out the Kato clan overnight, without a sound the next day."
"Even now, probably no one remembers the Kato clan anymore."
"Even if it's brought up, many ninjas probably wouldn't know what happened, or when the Kato clan disappeared."
"Furthermore, the Kato clan is merely a small ninja clan that has only recently acquired a surname; they are not worthy of much attention."
[Silent sigh.]
[Continuing from Naruto's words.]
"Lady Tsunade...this is the main reason you suffer from hemophobia."