The Harem Begins to Take Shape

Anko's first dinner after moving into the Senju Main Residence was anything but harmonious.

There were four people at the table. Chiba sat at the head, Tsunade on his right, Anko on his left, and Shizune at the end. Anko ate quickly, her chopsticks whistling through the air. By the time she had polished off three bowls of rice, Tsunade had only finished one and a half.

Tsunade's chopsticks paused twice while reaching for food, both times because Anko's arm had crossed the table's midpoint to grab a dish.

Chiba ate quietly throughout, wearing the calm expression of someone enjoying the show and hoping it got worse.

After dinner, Chiba made tea in the courtyard while Tsunade and Anko changed into dry clothes inside before coming out.

Tsunade wore loose gray loungewear, her hair draped over her shoulders, with a bottle of sake she had pulled from a sealing scroll in hand.

Anko had changed into a spare set of ninja clothes Chiba had asked Shizune to find: a black short-sleeved outfit with mesh armguards. It was far neater than her waterlogged trench coat from before, though the fitted clothes made the contours of her upper body even more pronounced.

When the two women sat facing each other beneath the veranda, their eyes met for a moment.

Tsunade spoke first.

"Mitarashi, who taught you your taijutsu fundamentals?"

"Morino Ibiki trained me in basic hand-to-hand combat for two years. After that, everything was just wild fighting learned on missions."

"Wild fighting got you to A-rank special jōnin?"

A smile tugged at Anko's lips as her fingers tapped against her knee.

"Lady Tsunade, are you testing me, or are you just curious?"

Tsunade spun the sake bottle once in her palm without opening it.

"Chiba said you were top-tier combat power. I want to see it for myself."

Anko sprang up from the stone steps, her movements sharp and clean, completely unlike the limp state she had been in by the hot spring.

"Then shall we?"

Anko walked three steps toward the center of the courtyard, planted her feet, put her left hand on her hip, and crooked the fingers of her right hand at Tsunade.

Tsunade set the sake bottle on the stone steps. She rose with the unhurried composure of one of the Sannin, walked two steps into the courtyard, and stopped three meters in front of Anko.

Chiba sat on a crossbeam beneath the eaves with a teacup in hand, his legs dangling as he enjoyed an unobstructed view.

"Keep it to sparring. Don't tear up the courtyard—it'll be a pain to repair."

Tsunade glanced back at him, her eyes plainly saying, Shut up.

Anko gave no warning. As her body leaned forward, her left foot kicked off the ground, sending her lunging low and fast enough to leave a white scrape across the stone pavement.

Tsunade did not move an inch. She only raised her right hand when Anko's fist came within thirty centimeters of her face.

It was not a block. It was a slap, precisely striking the outside of Anko's forearm. The force was controlled with extraordinary finesse; it caused no injury, yet knocked Anko's entire attack line off course.

Anko spun halfway with the redirected momentum, then whipped her right leg up in a roundhouse kick. The toe of her shoe swept past Tsunade's waist.

Tsunade barely shifted aside. A slight drop of her waist was enough to evade it. Then she caught Anko's ankle and pulled it forward, dragging Anko's center of gravity ahead as her shoulder crashed toward Tsunade.

In that instant, the distance between them shrank to less than half a meter.

Anko's chest nearly hit Tsunade's arm. She twisted in midair, flipped, planted her left hand on the ground, and sprang back out of contact range.

Chiba took a sip of tea beneath the eaves. It was a little hot, and his lips remained against the rim of the cup for a moment.

This angle was perfect.

The two women moved faster and faster. Anko's fighting style was as wild as her personality: no formal opening stance, every punch and kick driven by instinct and battlefield experience. Fists, elbows, knees, and kicks flowed together, her attack rhythm impossible to predict.

Tsunade, on the other hand, followed an entirely different path. She used minimal movements to deflect every attack, applying small force to overcome great strength. Even when she countered, it was only with a light slap or shove. She did not use Monster Strength, yet every strike landed on the most unstable point of Anko's body structure.

After more than a dozen exchanges in the courtyard, sweat began to bead on Anko's forehead and her breathing quickened, but her eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"Lady Tsunade, are you holding back?"

"If I weren't, you'd be embedded in that wall already."

Anko laughed and pressed forward again. This time, she used the close-quarters style meant for infiltration, sticking close as she mixed elbow strikes with knee attacks.

Tsunade retreated half a step while dodging one of Anko's elbows. Lantern light shone over them from the side, casting the silhouettes of their entwined limbs onto the courtyard's white wall.

Chiba watched the shadows on the wall and took another sip of tea.

Deep in his mind, a golden panel quietly lit up.

[Tsunade Affection +5. Current Affection: 72. Trigger condition: sense of competitive crisis. Note: When a bound character in the Beauty Register senses the threat of a potential rival, her possessiveness and dependence toward the host will rise in tandem.]

[Mitarashi Anko Affection +10. Current Affection: 42. Trigger condition: sense of belonging and the thrill of provocation. Note: Anko has received her first social experience of being accepted rather than rejected in the Senju Main Residence. Combined with the excitement of sparring with a strong opponent, her affection has risen substantially.]

Chiba closed the panel, and the curve of his smile widened slightly.

The spar continued for several more minutes before ending with Tsunade pushing Anko two meters back with a palm strike to the shoulder. Anko slid half a step across the ground before steadying herself. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, her breathing uneven, but her mouth remained as sharp as ever.

"Lady Tsunade really is a monster on the level of the Sannin. I went all out for so long, and you didn't even mess up your hair."

Tsunade tucked a strand of hair that had fallen before her face behind her ear, then brushed away the nearly nonexistent sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Your taijutsu foundation is good, and your explosive power is sufficient. But when you shift your center of gravity, there's a 0.3-second opening. If an expert catches it, that's an instant kill."

Anko crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head at Tsunade.

"Lady Tsunade, are you giving me pointers?"

"I'm confirming whether the guard Chiba paid to hire is worth the price." Tsunade glanced back at Chiba. "She is. Her taijutsu offense is indeed at A-rank level. Her defensive awareness is a little lacking, but that can be trained."

Chiba jumped down from the eaves. Not a single drop spilled from his teacup when he landed.

"Lady Tsunade has given her approval, so it's settled. Anko, move your equipment and personal belongings from the Hokage's direct subordinates' dormitory tomorrow. I'll handle the paperwork to transfer your assignment into the Senju Clan."

Anko's lips curled upward. She gave Tsunade a hand-sign bow.

"Thank you for your guidance, Lady Tsunade. Please take care of me from now on."

Tsunade looked at the angle exposed beneath Anko's collar as she bent over, and the corner of her mouth twitched. She turned and walked back beneath the veranda, picking up the bottle of sake.

"Chiba."

"Here."

"Reinforce the lock on the corridor door to the eastern guest house tomorrow."

"Why?"

Tsunade unscrewed the cap and took a swig, her gaze lingering on Anko for a beat.

"To keep thieves out."

Anko rolled her eyes in the middle of the courtyard.

Chiba walked to Tsunade's side and pressed down lightly on the sake bottle in her hand.

"Drink less. We might be busy tomorrow."

"With what?"

"Not sure yet. I have a feeling Konoha's about to get interesting these next few days."

Tsunade pulled the bottle back and took another drink, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand in the carefree manner unique to the Sannin.

"I'm not afraid of excitement. Just don't bring home any more women for me."