The Stray Cat He Brought Home

The gates of the Senju ancestral estate stood half-open in the twilight. The stone lanterns in the courtyard had already been lit, their warm yellow glow spreading across the bluestone ground and reaching exactly three steps beyond the threshold.

As Chiba stepped over the threshold, Anko followed half a step behind on his right. She was still draped in that oversized short robe, its loose collar hanging off one shoulder and revealing her collarbone and the upper edge of her fishnet undershirt. Her short purple hair clung to her neck, its ends still damp with lingering hot spring mist.

Tsunade sat beside the stone table in the middle of the courtyard.

The Fifth Hokage held a celadon teacup, leaning against the wisteria trellis Chiba had grown with Wood Release two days ago. Her posture was utterly casual, one long leg crossed over the other. Her gray coat hung over the back of her chair, while the dark, form-fitting clothes beneath outlined her curves especially clearly beneath the lantern light.

Tsunade's gaze swept over the rim of her teacup. It first landed on Chiba and paused for half a second, then shifted to the right and settled on Anko.

From head to toe—from her damp purple hair to Chiba's coat, from the fishnet undershirt visible beneath its collar to the untreated scrapes on her legs.

Tsunade's fingers tightened around the teacup.

"Chiba."

"Lady Tsunade, I'm back."

"You went to soak in the hot springs behind the mountain for three hours."

"There was a reason."

"Mm. I can see the reason." Tsunade's gaze paused briefly at the side of Anko's neck, where a faint red mark remained from Chiba's palm. "You went to soak in a hot spring and somehow brought back a wild woman. Senju Chiba, that's a talent I'm seeing for the first time."

A crisp crack rang out from the celadon teacup in Tsunade's hand.

She had not thrown it. She had crushed it. A crack now ran from the rim to the bottom, and tea seeped down through it, dripping onto her knee.

Anko stood half a step behind Chiba. Her brow twitched, and the corner of her mouth curled slightly. Her expression held a complicated mix of tension and amusement, like someone being watched by a big cat.

Chiba walked over, picked up a dry cloth from the stone table, and handed it to Tsunade to wipe the tea from her knee.

Tsunade did not take it.

"Lady Tsunade, this is Mitarashi Anko, a Konoha special jōnin. Starting today, she'll be the Senju Clan's personal close-protection guard."

"I know who she is." Tsunade set the broken teacup on the stone table, and shards of celadon scattered across its surface. "Orochimaru's last disciple, bearer of the Heavenly Curse Mark, third on ANBU's active surveillance list. When I was the Fifth Hokage, I reviewed her file no fewer than ten times."

Anko's brow twitched again, but she said nothing.

Chiba placed the cloth back on the stone table and stepped half a pace closer to Tsunade.

"I ran into her when her Curse Mark flared up at the hot springs behind the mountain. I used Wood Release to suppress it. Her Heavenly Curse Mark contains residual sage energy from Ryūchi Cave, and it's highly compatible with my Wood Release. Clearing it over the long term will benefit both of us."

Tsunade withdrew her gaze from Anko and looked at Chiba. Now that he was closer, she could smell the lingering sulfur scent on him, as well as another scent that did not belong to him—wild, with a trace of blood and rust.

"You helped her suppress the Curse Mark."

"Yes."

"With your hand pressed against her neck, in the hot spring."

"Yes."

"She was dressed in fishnets, and you were holding her down in hot water."

"Lady Tsunade's focus is remarkably precise."

Tsunade stood.

She was half a head shorter than Chiba, but when she rose, her presence seemed to lower the temperature of the entire courtyard by three degrees. Even the flames in the stone lanterns tilted outward.

"Senju Chiba, you'd better give me a reason convincing enough, or you'll be sleeping in the doghouse tonight."

"The Senju Clan doesn't have a doghouse."

"Then I'll build you one out of wood right now."

Chiba lowered his head and leaned closer, his lips brushing Tsunade's ear as he lowered his voice until only the two of them could hear.

"She's top-tier combat power I recruited for the Senju Clan—an A-rank special jōnin, among Konoha's best in close combat and infiltration. If Lady Tsunade is jealous, I can smooth out your chakra tonight too."

The tips of Tsunade's ears turned red.

It was not the red of embarrassment, but the kind that came from being both angry and teased. The flush spread from the tips of her ears all the way to her earlobes.

Her fist clenched, then loosened. In the end, she reached out and smacked the back of Chiba's head. Her strength was controlled precisely—loud enough to make a sound, but not enough to hurt him.

"Get lost."

Chiba straightened while rubbing the back of his head, the smile on his face never fading.

Anko watched the entire exchange from three meters away. The curve of her lips grew wider and wider until she finally could not hold it in and laughed.

Tsunade's gaze snapped toward her at once, the pressure of one of the Sannin crushing down like a tidal wave.

Anko's laughter stopped abruptly, though the corners of her mouth did not completely fall. Her body instinctively took half a step back.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing, Lady Tsunade." Anko pulled Chiba's coat tighter around herself. "I just think the Senju Clan's family atmosphere is rather interesting."

Tsunade stared at Anko for three seconds, then turned to stare at Chiba.

"Chiba."

"Yes?"

"Why is she wearing your coat? What are you wearing?"

"An undershirt."

"Is it wet?"

"Half dry."

Tsunade's temple twitched. She took a deep breath, sat back down on the stone bench, and poured herself another cup of tea from the other intact teapot on the table.

"Come sit, Mitarashi. Since Chiba wants to recruit you as a guard, we should clear things up."

Anko glanced at Chiba, who tilted his head toward the stone bench in the courtyard.

Anko walked over and sat across from Tsunade.

Tsunade looked her over from top to bottom, her gaze moving twice between Chiba's loose coat and Anko's figure. Then she muttered—

"They're pretty big."

Anko blinked.

"What?"

"Nothing. Drink your tea."

Chiba coughed beside them, dragging the conversation back on track. He began reporting to Tsunade about what had happened behind the mountain, from Anko's Curse Mark flare-up to its suppression with Wood Release, then the two Root Organization scouts being buried alive by the Scaled Wood Dragon. It took less than five minutes in total.

After hearing it, Tsunade fell silent for a while, circling the rim of her teacup with a finger.

"Danzo has been using her as an experimental observation subject."

"Most likely."

"By bringing her into the Senju Clan, you're effectively cutting off Danzo's line of sight."

"Yes, and gaining an A-rank combatant in the process."

Tsunade turned to Anko. The jealousy in her gaze faded somewhat, replaced by the sharp scrutiny of a superior evaluating a subordinate.

"Mitarashi, how much control do you have when the Curse Mark flares up?"

Anko's expression turned serious.

"I can endure a mild flare-up. A severe one means I lose control completely and can't tell friend from foe."

"What about after Chiba suppresses it with Wood Release?"

"It's very quiet now." Anko touched her neck. "For the first time in twenty years, it's this quiet."

Tsunade was silent for a few more seconds before placing her teacup back on the table.

"Fine. Since Chiba has made his decision, I won't oppose it. But there's one condition."

"Please say it, Lady Tsunade."

Tsunade tapped the stone tabletop, her fingertip producing a solid knock.

"You may live in the Senju Main Residence, but your room will be in the east-wing guest quarters. It's separated from Chiba's main courtyard by two courtyards and a covered corridor. Don't wander around at night unless you have a reason."

The corner of Anko's mouth rose again.

"Lady Tsunade, what exactly are you worried about?"

Tsunade did not answer. She lifted her teacup and took a sip, looking at Chiba over its rim. The meaning in her gaze was obvious: keep your stray cat under control.

Chiba raised both hands in surrender.

The stone lanterns in the courtyard swayed in the night breeze. The shadows of the three of them overlapped across the bluestone ground as twilight finally gave way to night.

Shizune poked half her head out from the direction of the back kitchen, took one look at the scene in the courtyard, and silently withdrew. She added another set of bowls and chopsticks to the dinner tray in her hands.