The next evening.
Yoru watched the angelic woman in front of him with a helpless smile as she loudly demanded another toast.
Resting his head on one hand, he looked at her—beautiful, drunk, and muttering nonsense—with clear amusement in his eyes.
Earlier that morning, he had gone to Kushina's place and spent an enjoyable day there. Talking about life, dreams, and everything in between, he had teased the three girls until they laughed shyly and blushed nonstop.
After dinner, he had planned to return home to train.
But the moment he reached his door—
He saw Tsunade sitting outside, looking dejected.
The instant she spotted him, she didn't say a word—she simply dragged him away.
And now…
Here they were.
She hadn't spoken much since arriving, only ordering drink after drink and downing them one after another—until she ended up like this.
To be honest…
Tsunade like this was completely different from her usual self.
There was a soft, almost fragile femininity to her now.
The longer Yoru looked, the deeper the smile in his eyes became.
After more than two years together, he understood her well—
A woman who was incredibly fragile inside, yet forced herself to appear strong.
With a drunken gaze, Tsunade looked at him.
"Yoru… those old fossils… they're already so old… why don't they just go home and retire?"
Her voice carried frustration.
Recently, the pressure on her had been overwhelming.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had questioned her about why the Senju clan had suddenly reduced their support for the front lines.
She had barely managed to deal with that.
And when she returned to the clan—
The elders criticized her relentlessly.
They accused her of failing her status as the granddaughter of Hashirama Senju… called her the "Princess of the Land of Fire" in mockery…
She had nearly lost control and attacked them on the spot.
If not for others stopping her—
Those old men would've already gone to meet their so-called great First Hokage.
"I did this for the Senju clan!" Tsunade's eyes reddened, her emotions surging. "You tell me… why did I even believe you back then?"
She stared at Yoru, confusion flickering in her beautiful eyes.
Then suddenly—
She waved her hand boldly.
"Forget it! Drink! Yoru! Tonight we're not stopping until we're drunk!"
Yoru chuckled softly.
He moved beside her and sat down.
Under her puzzled gaze, he gently brushed her slightly messy blonde hair aside.
"Had enough?" he said with a warm smile. "Let's go home."
Tsunade froze.
She stared blankly at Yoru's gentle expression.
For some reason—
Her eyes stung.
"Eh… why am I crying?"
She touched her face.
Her hands came away wet.
"I'm Tsunade… how could I possibly cry?!"
She tried to wipe the tears away, shouting stubbornly—
But the tears wouldn't stop.
Yoru gently pulled her into his arms.
Leaning close, he whispered softly:
"Of course… our Princess Tsunade isn't crying. She's just tired."
His hand gently stroked her golden hair.
"Sniff… sniff…"
Tsunade rubbed her small nose and closed her eyes.
Leaning quietly against his shoulder, she murmured:
"That's right… I'm Tsunade… I wouldn't cry…"
"…Yoru… I'm so tired…"
Yoru looked at her—now like a fragile little girl.
Smiling faintly, he adjusted her head to a comfortable position and simply watched her peaceful, angelic face.
Morning.
Tsunade's brows twitched slightly as she slowly opened her eyes.
Yoru smiled at her.
"Good morning."
"Mm… good morning…"
She was still groggy—
Then suddenly froze.
"X-Yoru?!"
Like a startled cat, she jumped out of his arms.
"I… I drank too much last night! What happened?!"
She covered her face, muttering rapidly:
"I definitely didn't do anything weird! My drinking tolerance is famous! Yes! That's right!"
But soon…
Fragments of last night began to return.
Her face instantly turned bright red.
Blushing furiously, she glared at him.
"Forget everything that happened yesterday!"
Yoru only smiled casually.
He stood up, walked over, and gently smoothed her hair again despite her awkward expression.
"Alright, Tsunade."
Then he turned and walked toward the door.
Tsunade stood there, covering her burning face.
So embarrassing… how could this happen…
At that moment—
She had truly felt…
That Yoru was someone she could rely on.
"Tsunade!"
She turned.
Yoru stood there, smiling.
A warm smile—
One she would never forget for the rest of her life.
"Wait for me," he said.
"Until the day I can carry everything."
Tsunade froze.
And in that moment—
Though it felt unbelievable—
Her heart… moved.
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