Mikoto, What Are You Going to Do! A Spy?

Mikoto, What Are You Going to Do?! A Spy? Inside Konoha's bustling barbecue restaurant.

Grease sizzled on the grill, and the rising steam blurred the faces of the three diners.

"Another ten plates!"

Tsunade slapped the table boldly, making the seasoning jars rattle.

Rarely, she wasn't wearing shinobi attire today. A light-purple kimono set off her snow-white skin, its collar revealing and concealing just enough to make one's blood race.

Chiyo smiled as he turned the meat on the grill. As he moved, his sleeve slipped down, revealing the red marks left behind by last night's hard battle after the clan leader succession ceremony.

Tsunade caught sight of them with her sharp eyes, and her face flushed.

Under the table, she lightly nudged his calf with the tip of her foot.

"Hiss."

Chiyo's hand trembled, and he nearly burned the meat.

"Oh my, be careful!~"

Tsunade blinked, picked up a piece of grilled meat, coated it in sauce, and held it to Chiyo's mouth.

"Clan Leader~ Ah."

Kushina, who was drinking miso soup, suddenly choked, her bright red hair nearly standing on end.

She hurriedly wiped the corner of her mouth, but her eyes remained fixed on the intimate scene between them.

Lord Chiyo had actually bitten down on the meat held by Lady Tsunade's chopsticks, then casually licked away the sauce that had gotten on her fingertips!

Lord Chiyo and Lady Tsunade... could they be...?

Kushina's eyes widened, and the chopsticks in her hand nearly slipped free.

She instinctively turned her head away, her heart pounding like a drum.

Lady Tsunade had mentioned this Chiyo Uchiha before, so Kushina Uzumaki had been somewhat prepared.

But seeing the two of them being so intimate with her own eyes still shocked her beyond belief.

Mikoto's shy smile whenever she mentioned Chiyo surfaced in Kushina's mind.

Mikoto was her best friend. Whenever Chiyo came up, Hikari shone in her eyes.

But now, Chiyo and Lady Tsunade...

Am I still dreaming?!

This was the Princess of the Senju Clan, the renowned Lady Tsunade of the Shinobi World...

How had she gotten involved with Uchiha's newly appointed clan leader?

Could he have been deceiving Mikoto all along?

Kushina's fists clenched unconsciously, and her breathing grew rapid.

Thinking of Mikoto's trust and admiration for Chiyo, a nameless anger rose within Kushina.

Mikoto was so innocent. If she found out that Chiyo was this intimate with Lady Tsunade...

She bit her lip, even picturing Mikoto crying in heartbreak.

This scumbag!

She cursed him fiercely in her heart, and her impression of Chiyo instantly plummeted to rock bottom.

Kushina wrestled with whether she should tell Mikoto the truth.

She knew how much Mikoto cared about Chiyo. If she exposed him rashly, Mikoto might break down.

But if she hid the truth, she would feel as though she had wronged her best friend.

Maybe... this is just a misunderstanding?

She tried to convince herself, but the way Tsunade and Chiyo fed each other grilled meat, along with the expressions on their faces, didn't look fake at all!

If she hadn't been here, they would have practically been pressed together, holding each other and kissing by now, wouldn't they?!

"Kushina? The meat's about to burn."

Chiyo reminded her nonchalantly. He casually placed the grilled pork belly into Tsunade's bowl, then naturally took the half-finished cup of wine from her hand and drained it in one gulp.

The Red-haired Girl lowered her head and stared wide-eyed at the barbecue.

She turned it mechanically, but Mikoto's gentle smiling face kept flashing through her mind.

That girl, gentle to her very bones... ah.

How am I supposed to tell Mikoto?!

She suddenly found the tender grilled meat in her mouth completely tasteless.

"Lady Tsunade, I'm full. I'm going to train first!"

Not long after.

Kushina suddenly stood up, her chair scraping harshly across the floor.

She hastily grabbed her ninja tool pouch and bolted out the door as if fleeing, without taking even a sip of the drink she had ordered.

Chiyo stared blankly at her retreating figure.

"What's wrong with that little girl?"

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Tsunade was equally baffled.

"I don't know. Maybe she just graduated and wants to improve herself?"

Chiyo withdrew his gaze and paid it no further mind.

He rose and walked over to Tsunade, casually wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Forget about her. She's just a brat. Let's continue..."

Before he finished speaking, he picked up a slice of grilled meat, coated it in sauce, wrapped it in lettuce, and brought it to Tsunade's mouth.

Seeing a streak of sauce trickle from the corner of her mouth, Chiyo reached out to wipe it away.

Suddenly, he turned toward the window with a wary look.

Three black figures were darting past from the direction of the Orphanage, the leader wearing a mask.

"Anbu or Root?"

Chiyo frowned slightly.

Tsunade followed his gaze.

"Probably Anbu. They came from the direction of the Hokage Building!"

"You think they did it? Should we follow them?"

Tsunade's smile vanished, her expression turning serious.

"If it's Anbu, we shouldn't get involved!"

Tsunade furrowed her brows.

"What do you mean? You don't think it's Anbu? Then could it be..."

Chiyo's gaze fell on the grilled meat on the table. He picked up a piece and placed it in Tsunade's mouth.

"There's no evidence."

Tsunade's cheeks puffed out like a hamster chewing on nuts.

"If it really was them, then I'll have to give that old man a proper grilling!"

The old man she meant was Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage.

"No rush. Eat first. They won't give up on continuing to commit crimes."

Tsunade looked at Chiyo in surprise.

"You really seem to know something!"

"Yeah, I've more or less figured it out. But I can't tell you yet—I'm afraid you won't be able to eat afterward!"

Tsunade's curiosity only grew stronger.

But seeing the serious look on Chiyo's face, she did not press him further.

The grilled meat sizzled, and Tsunade lowered her head to look.

She quickly picked up her chopsticks and flipped it over, then grabbed the meat that had already cooked around the edges, coated it in sauce, and held it out before Chiyo with expectant eyes.

"Here, I'll feed you!"

Chiyo did not stand on ceremony. He opened his mouth and swallowed it in one bite, mumbling as he spoke.

"This sauce tastes pretty good, but I prefer drinking milk."

At the mention of milk, Tsunade's face flushed red. She slammed her chopsticks onto the table.

"Hm? Milk? You're shouting about drinking milk in broad daylight? I think you're just itching for a beating!"

Outside on the street, vendors were packing up their stalls.

Five people were mingled among the crowd. They looked like ordinary travelers, but they were actually Kumogakure spies who had been lying in wait for over half a month.

The leading vendor lowered his bamboo hat and swept his gaze over the dessert shop at the street corner.

That was a place Kushina Uzumaki frequently visited.

He spoke softly to the companion beside him.

"The target habitually buys sweets every Wednesday evening. This evening is our best chance."

One of them nodded.

He pretended to arrange the goods, but his eyes swept over the surroundings.

He was clearly looking for an escape route.

"Anbu patrols pass by every fifteen minutes. We must capture the target and leave Konoha within ten minutes."

"Konoha's barrier has blind spots. The eastern alley has already been confirmed... There are no jutsu in place today."

The leader's eyes gained a trace of mockery.

"What happens today must succeed—failure is not an option! Whether we can get that orphan of the Uzumaki Clan out of the Land of Fire depends entirely on us!"

"Yes!"

The four people around him turned solemn, then scattered to make their final preparations.

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