Perfectly Innocent

That night, in Kawafune's room at the Hatake Clan estate.

A man and a woman slept tangled together like an octopus on the large solid-wood tatami.

Snores rose and fell. Jiangxiang YYDS.

Tsunade lay with her back to Kawafune. Her green coat had fallen onto the floor, and she wore only a short undershirt on her upper body.

Kawafune's large hand was gripping her ample chest. An evil smile still lingered on his face, and the corners of his mouth twitched as though he were having a wonderful dream.

Tsunade slept like a lazy cat. Having yet to experience the deaths of two important people, she was currently carefree and without worries.

Her thigh rested over Kawafune's leg, and her entire body was nestled in his embrace.

As time passed, she might have gotten a little hot. Tsunade shifted her body, and the slight movement woke Kawafune from his dream.

The thing in his hand felt soft. Was he hugging the Ghost Mastiff again?

Next time I get drunk, I need to chase it far away. What kind of nonsense is this, always sleeping while hugging a dog?

Before even opening his eyes, that pointless thought flashed through Kawafune's mind, and his hand gave it another two squeezes.

Something's not right. The Ghost Mastiff's fur doesn't feel like this.

The moment Kawafune opened his eyes, he saw pale blond twin ponytails.

He woke up completely in an instant. Well, damn, had his beautiful dream come true?

His hand unconsciously tightened, and Tsunade slowly woke as well. Something behind her was pressing against her, making her very uncomfortable.

Her hand reached back on its own. What kind of Qi Men Bing Qi was this?

Kawafune's expression changed drastically, his face turning the color of pig liver.

Tsunade's memories were still stuck on drinking with Kawafune, then slinging an arm around his shoulder as they returned to the room together.

After returning to the room, she had collapsed onto the bed.

At that thought, all drowsiness vanished from Tsunade. Like a startled mouse, she shot out of Kawafune's arms in a flash.

She landed on the floor, the entire sequence smooth and effortless, perfectly displaying the prowess of a Jonin.

Kawafune stared at Tsunade blankly. Her face instantly reddened all the way to the roots of her ears.

How could she not know what he had been holding now?

"Um, we're completely innocent."

Kawafune had no idea what to say for a moment, yet the first thing out of his mouth was a Wang zha.

Only then did Tsunade look herself over. Her outer coat had merely fallen off; presumably, they had just drunkenly ended up lying on the same bed.

It wasn't a big deal.

Pah! This was this old lady's first time sleeping with a man, all right? And he even held me in his arms. My big white rabbit was probably swollen from all that kneading.

"Kawafune-kun, we're completely innocent?"

Tsunade was somewhat at a loss too, and her words came out as a question.

"I'll take responsibility."

Kawafune hurriedly climbed out of bed, making it clear that he was not some scumbag.

"Cough, cough."

Tsunade choked in shock.

"Kawafune-kun, that's not what I meant."

"Where are Nawaki and Kushina?"

Tsunade did not want to keep arguing over this matter. Even if you were handsome, she, Tsunade, would not agree to you that easily, all right?

Changing the subject resolved the awkwardness between them somewhat. Fortunately, no one had come to Kawafune's room, so no one should have seen them.

"I don't know either. Let's go take a look."

It was already late outside, well past dinnertime.

Tsunade picked up the clothes from the floor and put them on, wrapping herself up tightly.

Kawafune got up as well and left the room with Tsunade. In the Living Room, they found the butler.

"Have you seen the two little brats who came today?"

Kawafune asked in a gentle tone. After all, having received nine years of compulsory education, he still maintained proper respect for other people.

"Second Young Master, Young Master Nawaki and Miss Kushina have already been sent home."

"You two had too much to drink, so I said that Tsunade-sama had been assigned a room and was resting."

"Neither of them thought much of it, so I had Clan Samurai escort them home."

"Absolutely no one knows that you two were resting together."

As he spoke, the butler gave Kawafune an ambiguous wink. Paired with his handlebar mustache, he looked downright sleazy.

It had to be said, this butler was quite good at handling matters. He had dealt with everything beautifully, and Kawafune could not help but give him a mental thumbs-up.

No wonder he had become the butler.

"What do you mean, we were resting together? You saw it wrong."

Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Kawafune immediately jumped up to correct the butler's mistaken statement.

"Yes, yes, this humble servant saw it wrong."

The butler was quite tactful. He lowered his head and immediately admitted his mistake.

Watching the master and servant put on their double act, Tsunade rolled her eyes. My innocence...

She had already cast her drunken behavior from her mind. How could she know that, in Sakumo and Nayuki's eyes, she no longer had any innocence left to speak of?

"Kawafune-kun, I'll be going back too."

Tsunade's mind was a mess, and she did not want to stay here any longer, so she interrupted the conversation between Kawafune and the butler.

"Ah, it's so late. How about eating something before you go?"

Kawafune meant well. Eating something after drinking would make her feel better, and he could arrange for some yogurt as well.

"No need. I'm worried about Nawaki."

Tsunade used her younger brother as an excuse and declined Kawafune's goodwill.

"All right, then I'll see you off."

Kawafune led Tsunade through the Training Hall and out the gates of the Hatake Clan estate, then waved goodbye to her.

"Kawafune-kun, I'm going back now."

Tsunade looked into Kawafune's eyes, and her face began to flush again.

With that, she turned and left. Today, Tsunade had truly fallen to Sauce Fragrance. She would fight again when she got the chance.

Kawafune said nothing as he watched Tsunade gradually disappear into the distance beneath the moonlight. She was about to turn a corner and vanish from sight.

"I'll take responsibility, Tsunade-chan."

He did not know whether Tsunade had heard him. He only saw her use the Body Flicker Technique and vanish outright.

Only then did he raise his right hand and sniff it at the tip of his nose.

This woman's scent had quite the staying power. His whole hand smelled of Sauce Fragrance.

Kawafune nearly threw up. He shook his hand in disgust and went home.

After washing himself thoroughly, he headed to the dining room and ran into the now-sober Sakumo.

Perhaps they each had their own awkwardness. Sakumo gave his younger brother a faint smile, drinking yogurt as he sat down at the dining table.

Food had already been laid out, but Nayuki was nowhere to be seen.

Kawafune sat beside his older brother and began drinking yogurt as well.

"Kawafune, do you perhaps have feelings for Tsunade...?"

Sakumo licked the yogurt from his lips and voiced the question in his heart.

He had sensed that something was off with his younger brother at the drinking table, and Tsunade's actions had further confirmed his suspicions. His jaw had nearly dropped.

They had only known each other for a few days. He felt as if he had already grown old and could no longer keep up with the times.

After all, it had taken this dull and taciturn man several years of pursuing Nayuki before he finally won her over.

"Mm, that's right. Tsunade is the sister-in-law I've picked out for you."

"What do you think? Isn't she gorgeous? She's a perfect match for me."

Kawafune did not hide it at all. What could his older brother do even if he disagreed?

He could not beat him, and neither Sakumo nor Nayuki had much head for managing money. It was no exaggeration to say that without him, the Hatake Clan would fall apart.

"A good match."

Sakumo opened his mouth, but a thousand words ultimately condensed into two. As long as his younger brother was happy, that was enough.

Those two oddballs really were a good match. One was good at causing trouble, and the other was even better at it.

Kawafune was quite happy to receive his older brother's approval. After all, only a marriage blessed by family could be truly happy.

He even smiled and clinked his yogurt with his brother's in celebration.

The two hastily ate a little dinner, then returned to their rooms. Another day had passed.