A Meaningless Big Boot

The little girl was clearly in low spirits. She said nothing and trudged along ahead of them.

Yusuke had already figured it out: this girl would grow up to become the White Tiger of Akatsuki.

He hadn't expected her childhood to be so bleak. If Tsunade hadn't been there, her father probably wouldn't have made it.

There were plenty of ninja squads patrolling the streets. Yusuke cautiously surveyed his surroundings. As expected, Amegakure was on high alert.

He took the opportunity to gently take Konan's hand and ask, "Is there anything you especially like to eat, Konan? I'm quite good at cooking."

The little girl looked up at Yusuke, her amber eyes meeting his. A little embarrassed, she murmured, "G-grilled fish is fine."

"Okay. Konan, take me to a shop nearby that sells ingredients."

"By the way, is there anything you especially like?"

Yusuke smiled gently, like a warm breeze.

The little girl's expression turned distant. How long had it been since anyone other than her father had smiled at her like that? Usually, all she got was being chased, beaten, and scolded.

The two figures, one big and one small, walked through the rain. They chatted and laughed, looking just like a pair of siblings.

When the ninja patrolling the streets saw them, most chose to ignore them and continued on their rounds.

After all, as far as they knew, no undercover agent would bring a child along on a mission.

Yusuke had successfully lulled the patrol ninja into complacency. From beneath the edge of his rain hat, he watched their movements.

He memorized their patrol routes and listened for any useful information in their conversations.

"They caught another spy trying to escape through the village exit today."

"Right. I hope they catch all those spies."

This is bad. Have they sealed off the exits? Yusuke's last bit of hope died.

His hand tightened unconsciously. That had completely cut off his chance of slipping away unnoticed.

Am I just going to have to cling to Tsunade now? Yusuke wondered.

Feeling the pressure of his hand, Konan glanced at him, puzzled.

Yusuke smiled and patted her head. "A cold wind just blew past. Are you cold, Konan?"

Konan shook her head. A faint smile played on her lips as she continued leading him along by the hand.

She didn't notice that as they passed a fish shop, Yusuke quickly scratched a mark into a nearby wall.

By the time the two of them returned, an hour had passed.

They'd bought plenty of food and daily necessities. The stubborn little girl had insisted on helping, and now she was tired and sweating, but her face was beaming.

Seiichi relaxed when he saw his daughter skipping back.

Konan hasn't been this happy in a long time. He looked at Yusuke and thought to himself.

Yusuke looked at Tsunade and gave her an almost imperceptible nod, signaling that the mission was complete.

Then, using a clay pot and the stove, Yusuke showed off his cooking skills.

Tsunade, who'd been hungry for ages, turned into a merciless eating machine and devoured her food without a shred of decorum.

Yusuke had no doubt that if they were in Konoha, she'd be shouting, "Bring me two more bottles of sake!"

"I didn't expect you to be such a good cook." Tsunade hugged her rice bowl and gave him an approving look.

Yusuke took out a piece of paper and wiped the grease from her face. They looked just like a loving couple.

The gesture caught Tsunade off guard, and a faint blush spread across her cheeks.

The rain grew heavier in the afternoon. Yusuke and Tsunade used it as an excuse not to go out and buy ingredients.

Tsunade continued tending to Seiichi's health. His complexion had improved considerably, and he no longer looked as pale as before.

As evening approached, Yusuke made up a bed.

The Ninja World of this era had no entertainment to speak of. If you really had to name something, there was always the nightly huff, ha! of people making babies.

Yusuke lay beside Tsunade, catching whiffs of her sweet fragrance now and then.

The cold, rainy night grew hot in an instant.

Tsunade was clearly uncomfortable too. Her breathing grew slightly uneven, and she put a hand between them to keep some distance.

Yusuke looked at the fist held up in front of him. He had no doubt that if he made a move—

Tsunade would punch him, giving him a taste of the Senju Clan's ultimate Taijutsu technique.

What was this? Did even a gentleman have to guard himself?

Yusuke took Tsunade's hand and traced out a coded message on her palm: The rendezvous point is the fish shop. There are a lot of patrols on the streets today, though, so we'll have to be careful when we move.

Tsunade thought he was letting his beastly urges get the better of him and was just about to teach the little punk a lesson when she received the message.

Tsunade replied: All right, I understand.

Yusuke: These are the patrol routes I saw. You can use them as a reference.

Then he traced out the Amegakure patrol routes he remembered on Tsunade's palm.

Neither of them noticed that as they exchanged messages, the distance between them kept shrinking.

Suddenly, Tsunade sensed something stirring.

Blushing, she sent Yusuke a message: You bastard, keep your weapon under control! Believe me, I'll rip it off!

Only then did Yusuke realize that as they'd passed on intelligence, they'd unconsciously drawn closer. They were now less than two fists apart.

He silently apologized for the near mishap. His long-sealed weapon had almost wounded an ally.

He let out a breath and curled up. What a feisty woman!

His warm breath brushed across Tsunade's ear, making her shiver. She glared at Yusuke before pretending to fall asleep.

Yusuke instantly felt the satisfaction of getting revenge for a long-standing grudge, and a smile crept onto his face.

Time passed quietly. One or two in the morning was when people slept most deeply. A masked figure slipped out of the run-down house and melted into the rain.

Seiichi, lying in bed, peered at Yusuke's bed through half-closed eyes.

As someone who'd survived for years at the bottom of Amegakure, he was a light sleeper by nature, always alert to thieves sneaking in at night.

He'd vaguely sensed that something was off about the two of them during the day. Now he was sure: they were spies from another country.

But Seiichi turned and looked at his sleeping daughter. His eyes flickered, his thoughts unreadable.

Tsunade didn't return until three or four in the morning. Only then did Yusuke relax.

To avoid exposing their identities and implicating others, team members communicated only with their captain.

So when Tsunade returned, she didn't tell Yusuke any details.

Feeling a block of ice squeeze into the warmth of the blankets, Yusuke reached for Tsunade's hand.

Maybe they'd been too close too many times that day, because Tsunade didn't pull away.

Neither of them said another word. They soon fell asleep.

The next morning, the clouds were especially heavy, though it wasn't raining.

Tsunade felt like she was lying somewhere warm. The sensation put her at ease, and she unconsciously curled up.

But her muddled mind soon cleared. Without thinking, she swung a huge kick at the man in front of her.

"Ow!"

A cry of pain rang out, followed by the thud of something heavy hitting the floor.

Yusuke lay sprawled on his back, his mind still wrestling with the philosophical questions, "Who am I? Where am I?"

Tsunade, still fully dressed, sprang up in a fury. "You..."

But when she glanced at the space she'd occupied in the bed, she suddenly felt guilty and couldn't finish what she'd been about to say.

She had to admit, she'd been a little loud just then.

Blushing, Tsunade said sheepishly, "I... I had a nightmare."

But from her guilty expression, Yusuke knew she'd done it on purpose.

At breakfast, Yusuke sulked the whole time.

Tsunade wasn't eating with the gusto she'd shown the day before either. Guiltily, she took tiny bites, looking more like a meek newlywed than herself.

Last night, you were the one who crossed the line and climbed into my arms. Then you kicked me this morning.

All right, Tsunade. Just you wait. Yusuke wrote down her offenses in his little book.

Using shopping for local specialties as an excuse, Yusuke left the house to gather intelligence.

Tsunade stayed behind in the wooden house, using the excuse of tending to Seiichi's health to keep watch over the two of them.

The streets were unusually quiet that day, with fewer patrols than before.

The atmosphere feels a little strange today, Yusuke thought.

He pretended not to notice anything and went into a busy shop to buy some things.

Meanwhile, he kept his ears open, listening to the people around him talk.

"Those damn great-nation ninja don't treat the people of Amegakure like human beings. There was a fight in the western district last night. A lot of people died."

"Damn it, how much longer does Lord Hanzo have to put up with this?"

"Shh! Don't you dare speak ill of Lord Hanzo unless you want to die!"

Yusuke furrowed his brow. Something was wrong—very wrong.

If there'd been an uprising, security should've been tightened again, not left with fewer patrols like this morning.

So where had the ninja who'd been pulled from patrol gone?

Unable to learn anything more, Yusuke quietly left. But as soon as he stepped out of the shop, he ran into a lone Amegakure ninja.