First Meeting

"Two women?"

Dongfang Mao's brows knitted slightly.

"Yes, one big and one small..."

After listening to the messenger describe the two women's appearances, Dongfang Mao's heart gave a sudden lurch.

A blonde, busty woman in a green robe, and a little girl with short black hair who was carrying a pink pig?

Wasn't that Tsunade and Shizune?

What were they doing here?

Dongfang Mao's mind went blank for a moment. He had just captured Konoha's ninja, and now Tsunade had come knocking. It was hard not to suspect that she'd discovered something and come for revenge.

With Tsunade's strength, couldn't she punch the hill they were on to pieces?

Was there really no chance of making it out of the Land of Fire alive?

But after a brief moment of panic, Dongfang Mao quickly calmed down.

According to the information he'd received, the Second Great Ninja War had only recently ended. Tsunade should have already developed Hemophobia.

The fact that she hadn't stormed in and had sent someone to announce her arrival was probably because of that.

"Go invite those two ladies up. And don't you dare treat them poorly!"

"Yes!"

After the messenger left, Dongfang Mao still felt restless. He looked down at his bloodstained clothes and decided he couldn't take any chances. The blood had dried, after all. It wasn't fresh. Would Tsunade faint when she saw it?

After mulling it over for a moment, Dongfang Mao abruptly stood up.

"Yasuke, hurry! Bring all the wounded brothers into the cave, then take off their bandages."

At Dongfang Mao's order, Yasuke looked completely bewildered.

"Don't ask questions. Just do it."

Seeing Yasuke hesitate, Dongfang Mao waved him away.

"Yes..."

Muttering under his breath, Yasuke headed outside the cave.

Though Yasuke didn't understand Dongfang Mao's decision, he moved quickly. Before long, wounded men lay scattered all over the cave floor.

The cave filled with their cries of pain. To Dongfang Mao, though, they sounded like heavenly music. The thick stench of blood in the air was as sweet as perfume, filling him with a deep sense of security.

Tsunade followed the sentry into the cave, and a thick, nearly suffocating stench hit her at once.

Before she could react, her eyes fell on the wounded men sprawled across the ground, groaning.

They were unbandaged, their ghastly wounds exposed right before Tsunade's eyes. On top of that, foul black blood flowed across the ground, nearly enough to form a stream.

Tsunade's vision immediately went dark. Her head spun, her body trembled uncontrollably, and her chest heaved violently.

Dongfang Mao had been watching Tsunade closely from the moment she entered. Seeing her reaction, he finally let out the breath he'd been holding.

But he didn't push his luck. He hurried to his feet and went over to greet her.

"Lady Tsunade of the famed Sannin! It's my great fortune to meet you today!"

Dongfang Mao wore an extremely obsequious smile on his handsome face.

He might not have cared about anyone else, but Tsunade's strength spoke for itself.

Besides, people from Konoha had a certain reputation.

What if he pulled something and Tsunade got so angry she overcame her Hemophobia ahead of schedule? Then he'd be left crying with regret.

But Tsunade had no time to pay attention to Dongfang Mao's attitude. She gave Shizune a look, then turned her back to the bloody scene ahead.

Shizune immediately understood. Holding the little pink pig, she warily watched Dongfang Mao as if facing a great enemy, ready to alert Tsunade at the first sign of trouble.

"Since you know who I am, hand over the Konoha children you captured. I won't hold you responsible for what you've done so far."

Though Tsunade was an expert in Taijutsu, she also knew a little basic Genjutsu. Back at the foot of the mountain, she'd already used it on the sentry to learn the general situation here.

"Lady Tsunade has spoken, and I naturally wouldn't dare disobey. However..."

As he spoke, Dongfang Mao's eyes unconsciously drifted to the graceful, curvy figure visible from behind. He couldn't help clicking his tongue in admiration.

"However what?"

Tsunade's voice turned sharp.

"However, please wait a little while, Lady Tsunade. I need to ask the three little ninja to help me with something. I promise they'll all return unharmed afterward!"

Dongfang Mao quickly pulled his gaze away. The prize was about to slip through his fingers; he had no time for such distractions.

He would return the children, of course, but he wanted to buy himself a little time. At the very least, he needed to make those three boys write down the Chakra extraction technique first.

"And what if I say no?"

Tsunade didn't know what Dongfang Mao was plotting, but she could guess it wasn't anything good.

"Hmph! If you were in your prime, Lady Tsunade, you could say whatever you wanted. But from the moment you came in until now, you haven't looked too well.

"So, will you wait a little while, or will you insist on crossing swords with the hundred or so brothers at my back?"

Seeing that Tsunade wouldn't budge, Dongfang Mao couldn't help snorting.

"Bastard!"

At Dongfang Mao's words, Tsunade flew into a rage. From childhood to adulthood, not even the Third Hokage had dared threaten her so openly. And now some petty bandit had the nerve to do it.

Her blood surged, and even her Hemophobia seemed to be suppressed for a moment. She whirled around, anger cutting through the air like a blade on her delicate face.

Dongfang Mao couldn't sense the tremendous Chakra, but he could feel the air around him vanish in an instant. It was as if he'd plunged to the bottom of an unfathomably deep sea. An invisible pressure threatened to crush him to pieces.

His eyes widened in alarm.

He couldn't understand it. Orochimaru had pulled her former husband out of the underworld right in front of her, and Tsunade had fainted on the spot.

So why had she suddenly snapped at him over one little remark? Wasn't she being a bit too touchy?

Dongfang Mao regretted his words and hurriedly tried to speak, ready to return those three troublemakers to Tsunade and be done with it.

But before he could open his mouth, the terrifying pressure around him suddenly vanished. Everything became calm in an instant, as if nothing had happened.

Dongfang Mao froze. Then he noticed that Tsunade, who had been on the verge of flying into a rage just moments earlier, was now staring straight at his face. Emotions seemed to churn in her bright, almond-shaped eyes.

Dongfang Mao instinctively touched his face.

Could Tsunade have spared him because he was so handsome?

"What... is your name?"

Tsunade's voice was no longer as forceful and sharp as before, nor did it carry the same pressure. Instead, there was something strange in it.

That only made Dongfang Mao more certain of his guess. Though it had caught him by surprise, he quickly recovered.

He hurriedly ran his fingers through his disheveled hair and tipped his head up a little, trying to show off his handsome face as much as possible.

Then he gave her what he thought was a perfect smile and introduced himself in a deep, breathy voice.

The chance to win over a rich older woman was right in front of him. He had to seize it. Whether his brothers would get to live in comfort and eat well from now on depended on this.

"Dongfang Mao?"

Tsunade looked stunned when she heard his answer. Then, as if she'd figured something out, she pressed him further.

"Is your father's name Yosuke?"

Tsunade's question left Dongfang Mao, who'd been busy showing off, completely dumbfounded. What did his dead father have to do with any of this?