After a long while, Tsunade suddenly said with a hint of relief, "I believe you, and I trust my instincts."
To be honest, Tsunade was acting like a hopeless romantic at this point.
But if you were the one she was hopelessly in love with, then there was only one word for it: awesome.
Yusuke let out a long breath, and the tense atmosphere between them eased.
"After all that work, I'm getting a little hungry. What do you want for dinner?" Yusuke asked.
"Sashimi, dumplings..."
Before Tsunade could finish, Yusuke cut in. "No sashimi or dumplings. More meat, and maybe some sake, right?"
Tsunade's mouth fell open slightly in surprise, then she gave him a satisfied look. "Whatever."
"So you're acting all tsundere now." Yusuke stepped up to that golden head of hair and vigorously ruffled it, something he'd wanted to do for ages.
Just as Tsunade was about to blow her top, Yusuke flashed out of the house.
"Feels pretty nice," Yusuke called out from outside.
"Damn it!" Tsunade shouted.
After a long while, though, the corners of her mouth curled into a smile.
After this incident, the trust between them had deepened a little more.
After dinner, one of them sprawled across the sofa like the character for "wood," while the other lay spread-eagled like the character for "big."
Their eyes were half closed as they enjoyed the peace and harmony. They looked just like an old married couple.
"Little Tsunade, do you know how I could improve my physical fitness quickly?"
Yusuke asked with his eyes half shut.
"Improve your physical fitness?"
"Certain drugs can do that, but if you want a lasting improvement, you'll need to train and use drugs to stimulate your body."
"I remember a forbidden technique called the Eight Inner Gates. It includes some medicines that can improve physical fitness."
Tsunade turned her head toward Yusuke. "If you want, I can look into it and see if I can develop something suitable for you."
"The Eight Inner Gates?" Yusuke looked at Tsunade excitedly, his eyes shining.
The Eight Gates technique had already been part of Yusuke's plans. After all, it was a technique that had almost kicked the story into its finale.
Both in terms of spectacle and the boost it gave to one's strength, it ranked among the best.
"Don't look at me like that. Even if you do, I'm not giving you that forbidden technique," Tsunade refused without hesitation.
"I've studied it before. The first three gates are still within safe limits. At worst, they have a temporary effect on the body, and you can recover."
"Starting with the fourth gate, the damage is irreversible. Opening the Eighth Gate means certain death."
"You can gain a tremendous boost in a short time, but if you use it repeatedly, you could end your career as a ninja."
She suddenly reached out and cupped Yusuke's face. "And that strange transformation you used when you fought Hanzo was much the same as the Eight Inner Gates."
"Both force your body to release its potential in order to greatly increase your combat strength."
"When I treated your injuries, I noticed that your entire network of meridians and your internal organs were working beyond their limits."
"If you hadn't had a decent constitution, and if you hadn't kept it up for so long, you might have died right there."
Tsunade's expression grew very serious. "You need to use that transformation less often, too. Otherwise..."
She didn't finish, but her meaning was clear.
Yusuke knew about Incursio's drawbacks. But the ultimate consequence wasn't death from overuse, as Tsunade had said.
Incursio was an Imperial Arm made using the dragon-type Danger Beast Tyrant as its material.
This strange creature was extremely adaptable. Even after it had been made into an Imperial Arm, it was still "alive."
The consequence of using Incursio for a long time was that it would steadily consume its wearer until they became a dragon-like monster with no consciousness of their own.
Without Incursio, he couldn't survive in the dangerous Ninja World. But if he wore it, he would eventually become a monster.
That was the biggest problem Yusuke would have to solve later.
"Okay, I understand." Yusuke gently took Tsunade's hand from his cheek and kissed it.
"You really... I'm trying to have a serious talk with you, and all you can think about is this sort of thing."
Tsunade quickly pulled her hand back. Her face reddened, and she lowered her eyes. Her shy, bashful expression was utterly captivating.
"Come with me tomorrow morning. I'll take you to meet someone," Tsunade continued a moment later, having composed herself.
"That old bastard Danzo has his eye on you. If you don't have a powerful enough backing, he'll come after you again."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed, a trace of coldness flickering in them.
She still couldn't understand why Sarutobi Hiruzen had allowed an organization like Root to exist.
"Okay," Yusuke replied.
Having Shimura Danzō, that crafty old fox, set his sights on him was dangerous. He could be stabbed in the back at any moment.
And looking at Konoha's current power structure, the Uchiha and Hyuga were the two biggest clans on the surface.
In reality, after seventeen years of Sarutobi Hiruzen's rule, who knew how much the Konoha F4 Group had built up their own clans?
A civilian ninja like him trying to deal with those tangled-up clans would be walking straight to his doom.
Looking at the woman who was doing everything for him, Yusuke felt touched.
The mood was just right, and, on a sudden impulse, Yusuke said, "How about tonight..."
Yusuke's invitation made Tsunade instantly wary.
She stuck out her small foot and planted it against Yusuke's chest, stopping him from moving closer.
Tsunade gave him a knowing smile. "You're just like Jiraiya, you know. A lecher."
"First, figure out where that perfume on you came from the day we attacked the Amegakure Building."
Sure enough, women loved bringing up old grievances.
She pushed with her foot and sent Yusuke back to where he'd been lying. Watching him fall silent, she gave a soft snort. "Heh. Think it over before you talk to me again."
With that, she put on her shoes, clasped her hands behind her back, and walked out of Yusuke's house.
Yusuke lay back in his original spot and sighed. "Just as I thought. When you get involved in this sort of thing, you have to pay for it eventually."
In a dim underground base, the light was faint. Only a few torches illuminated the place.
A ninja wearing a white mask knelt before a seat. His attire made it clear that he was the Root ninja who had left Yusuke's house.
The masked ninja addressed the man seated there. "Lord Danzo, Ji refused to come to the base with me. There's a good chance he's already betrayed you."
He kept his head bowed low, clearly in awe of Shimura Danzō, who sat before him.
Shimura Danzō was only forty years old, in the prime of his life.
Throughout Sarutobi Hiruzen's seventeen years as Hokage, he had also served for seventeen years as Hokage Assistant.
As he gained more access to power, he could no longer keep his restless ambition in check.
"Anyone who betrays Root must die. That goes for Ji, even if his relationship with Tsunade has become rather ambiguous."
"Shadow, you go. Take him out, and make sure you leave no trace."
"Remember, you must not let him leak any information about the mission to 'assassinate Tsunade.'"
"Yes!" The Root ninja named Shadow immediately responded. Then his figure vanished, disappearing from the base in an instant.
"Teacher Tobirama, it's not that I've forgotten our old ties."
"You disbanded the Senju Clan publicly back then, but in reality, you had them infiltrate every department."
"They've become a serious threat to Konoha's security."
"The Hokage's power should be concentrated in the Hokage's hands. It shouldn't be divided up again and placed under the Senju Clan's control."
"Teacher Tobirama, forgive me. Everything I do is for Konoha."
The gleam in Shimura Danzō's single eye looked especially eerie in the empty hall.
Before you continue