Less Talk, Open Your Mouth

Konoha Hospital, patient ward.

The window was half-open, and the breeze pushed the sheer curtains into an arc.

Tsunade sat by the bedside, her chin resting on the edge of the mattress, staring at Kitahara Kaede's face.

She hadn't moved from that spot since he was brought into the hospital.

When the nurse came to change his bandages, Tsunade watched the woman's hands the entire time.

Unwinding the gauze, applying medicine, re-wrapping—she watched every single step with intense focus.

The nurse, unnerved by her gaze, trembled so much she nearly smeared the ointment in the wrong place.

Jiraiya stopped by once.

With his right arm in a sling and a bag of apples in his left hand, he leaned against the doorframe.

"The doctor said it's just chakra exhaustion. He'll be fine after a few days of rest."

Tsunade didn't move.

Jiraiya scratched his head and set the apples on the nightstand.

"...I'll come back tomorrow."

Tsunade gave a soft hum of acknowledgment.

The door closed.

The ward was left with nothing but the sound of cicadas outside the window and his shallow breathing.

Tsunade buried her face in her arms and stayed that way for a long time.

When she finally looked up, her eyes were slightly red.

When did it start?

Getting used to him being by her side.

Getting used to him knowing what she was thinking.

Getting used to him knowing she was just putting on a brave face the moment she said "I'm fine," even if she only said it once.

And getting used to him getting hurt.

That time at the Ninja Academy, a kunai pierced his palm, blood dripping from between his fingers, and he said it didn't matter.

What about this time? After the Chidori pierced his chest, he collapsed instantly.

She had rushed over, flipped his body, and pressed two fingers to his neck—her hands had been shaking.

His pulse was so weak, so faint, that she almost mistook it for her own heartbeat.

In that instant, her mind went blank.

He was like this every single time.

Every time, he charged in front of her.

By the time she reacted, he was already injured.

Then, with that overly calm expression, he would say—it's nothing.

Tsunade's fingers tightened.

She reached out and brushed the stray hair from his forehead.

Her fingertips paused when they touched his skin.

He was cold.

She didn't pull her hand back; instead, it settled on the back of his hand.

Without even realizing it, her fingers curled inward, bit by bit, until she had his hand gripped firmly in her palm.

She held on tight.

"You always say it's nothing."

Her voice was soft, meant only for herself.

"When you're lying on the ground, motionless, is that 'nothing'?"

No one answered.

She lowered her head, pressing her forehead against the back of his hand.

"I will become stronger."

"Strong enough that you won't have to shield me anymore..."

She didn't know when she had fallen asleep.

When she woke up again, it was dark outside the window.

Only the small lamp on the nightstand was lit in the ward.

Her neck ached terribly.

Tsunade frowned, rubbed the back of her neck, and groggily sat up.

Then, she met a gaze.

Kitahara Kaede's eyes were open.

She didn't know how long he had been awake, just lying there with his head turned, watching her.

Tsunade froze for a second.

Before her brain could catch up, her eyes grew hot.

"You're awake?"

Kitahara Kaede nodded.

Tsunade stared at him for two seconds, confirming he was truly awake and truly looking at her.

A bellyful of words surged up—she wanted to ask if it hurt, wanted to ask why he charged in without saying a word, wanted to call him a liar.

There was too much, all crowding together, and in the end, she couldn't say anything at all.

Kitahara Kaede tilted his head, looking at her reddened eyes.

The corners of his mouth twitched.

"What's this about?"

Tsunade didn't react in time.

"Who died?"

"..."

Tsunade grabbed his collar.

She didn't hold back her strength.

Kitahara Kaede's head was yanked off the pillow, and the movement tugged at the wound on his side, causing him to gasp.

But that slight curve remained at the corners of his mouth.

Tsunade saw it.

"You're still laughing."

Every word was squeezed through her teeth.

"Your chakra was so exhausted your heartbeat nearly stopped, and you're still laughing? You were lying there, motionless, not responding when I called—"

Her voice cut off.

Her hand was still clutching his collar, but her grip loosened.

"Do you have any idea how I..."

The second half of the sentence didn't come out.

Kitahara Kaede looked at her.

"Sorry" was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't say it—not because he didn't want to apologize, but because the word felt too light.

They were silent for two seconds.

Tsunade let go, and his head fell back onto the pillow.

She didn't look at him, keeping her head down.

"From now on, you are not allowed to go in alone."

"Understood."

"You are not allowed to run off without saying anything."

"Understood."

"Keep your word."

"I will."

They were quiet for a few seconds.

Tsunade took a deep breath, forcing back the moisture in her eyes.

When she looked up again, she had regained her composure, her mouth set in a thin line, back to her usual fierce self.

"Are you hungry?"

"A little."

"Jiraiya brought apples."

She turned to grab the bag from the nightstand.

She took one out, peeled it, sliced it into small pieces, and poked a piece with a toothpick, holding it to his lips.

Kitahara Kaede opened his mouth and took a bite.

"Is it good?"

"It's good."

The corners of Tsunade's mouth curled up, then vanished in a flash.

As she held out the second piece, Kitahara Kaede spoke.

"Tsunade."

"Hm?"

"...Thank you."

Tsunade's hand paused.

"What are you thanking me for?"

She poked a third piece of apple and held it out, her voice tight.

"Less talk, open your mouth."

Kitahara Kaede bit into the apple.

A line of text popped up in his mind—

[Simulation Mission Settlement: Land of Birds Escort]

[Rating: S]

[Reward: Permanent Physical Fitness Increase 5%]

He ran through the numbers in his head: Chakra Extraction +5%, Ninjutsu Release Effect +5%, Physical Fitness +5%. Three permanent buffs.

An increase in physical fitness meant enhanced cellular activity, which would also cause his chakra extraction capacity to rise.

He'd hit the jackpot.

Chewing the apple, he subconsciously glanced to the side.

Then he noticed—Tsunade's hand had stopped moving.

The apple was held in mid-air, not being offered.

She was stunned, her gaze fixed on his hand.

To be precise, fixed on the back of his right hand.

Kitahara Kaede didn't think much of it; his mouth was a bit dry, and he opened it to speak—

"Tsuna—"

A piece of apple was shoved into his mouth.

Caught off guard, his mouth was stuffed full, the rest of his sentence blocked in his throat, and he could only stare at her.

Tsunade yanked her hand back, her voice an octave higher than usual.

"Just eat!"

Kitahara Kaede tried to say something, his words muffled.

"Don't talk!"

She slammed the small knife onto the cabinet, turned around, and faced away from him.

The back of her neck was red all the way down to her collar.

Kitahara Kaede was bewildered.

He hadn't done anything; his mouth was just dry, and he wanted her to help him pour a glass of water.

But at this moment, it didn't seem appropriate to say anything.

He slowly finished chewing the apple, swallowed, and looked at her flushed neck and stiff, rigid back.

Suddenly, he felt like laughing.

The corners of his mouth curved up.

Tsunade seemed to have eyes in the back of her head: "What are you laughing at!"

"I'm not laughing."

"You are laughing."

"I'm really not."

"...Try laughing again and see what happens."

He wisely shut his mouth.

The night breeze blew in through the window, making the curtains sway.

What Kitahara Kaede didn't know was that in those few dozen seconds while Tsunade had her back to him, her mind had been in complete chaos.

She was thinking about one thing.

When did her hand separate from his?

Before she fell asleep, she had clearly been holding his hand.

When she woke up, her hand was already resting on her own knee.

What had happened in between?

Did she unconsciously let go when she turned over in her sleep?

Or... did he move her hand away after he woke up?

If he was the one who moved it—

Then he had been awake for at least a while.

He was awake, and she was still sleeping.

Her hand was still holding his.

He had seen it.

And then he had put her hand back.

Tsunade's face felt even hotter.

No, there was another possibility.

What if he hadn't moved it?

What if, after he woke up, he hadn't moved anything at all?

He just let her hold it, all the way until she woke up on her own?

Then that look in his eyes when he turned his head to watch her just now—

How long had he been watching?

Tsunade's ears were practically burning.

Stop thinking about it.

If she kept thinking, she would go crazy.

She desperately tried to fill her brain with white noise, counting the chirps of the cicadas outside the window, counting her heartbeats—

The more she counted, the faster they went.

It was useless.

Tsunade bit her lip.

It took a long time before she turned back around.

The redness on her face had mostly faded, but the tips of her ears were still pink.

She sat down in the chair, two inches further from the edge of the bed.

She placed her hands neatly on her knees.

Kitahara Kaede glanced at the hands resting on her knees, then glanced at the pink tips of her ears.

He said nothing.

He turned his head back and stared at the ceiling.

Everything was quiet.

The slight curve at the corner of his mouth never faded.

Three days later.

The sun was bright outside Konoha Hospital.

Kitahara Kaede's chakra had mostly recovered, though his left arm was still wrapped in bandages, and the doctor had already signed his discharge papers.

Just as they stepped out the main gate, Jiraiya came up to meet them. He had only taken off his sling yesterday, and his right arm was still a bit stiff, but his energy had mostly returned.

"You're out? I timed it just right," Jiraiya leaned in, lowering his voice. "The mission was reclassified as A-rank, so does that mean we completed an A-rank mission?"

"What did you contribute?" Tsunade didn't turn her head.

"Shuriken Shadow Clone! I pinned all three of them!"

"And then you stood there panting for five minutes."

"That's called a tactical rest!"

Kitahara Kaede walked between the two of them, not interrupting.

On the street, vendors were calling out their wares, and children were running past, playing at stepping on each other's shadows.

"You three."

The voice came from ahead.

Hiruzen stood under an old locust tree by the side of the road, a pipe tucked between his fingers, unlit.

He looked at Kitahara Kaede's bandages, then at Jiraiya's right arm, his gaze lingering for a moment on Tsunade's face.

The matter in the Land of Birds had already been handed over to the Anbu. The mission had been reclassified as A-rank.

There was no need to tell these three children about that.

But he remembered hesitating on the day he assigned the mission. A C-rank mission dragging on for two months—it wasn't as if he hadn't sensed something was wrong.

The three children had almost not made it back.

He took the blame for that account upon himself.

"Let's go." He tucked his pipe into his sleeve.

"Where to?" Tsunade asked.

"To eat. You've been eating hospital food for three days; you should have something better."

Jiraiya's eyes lit up: "Is the teacher paying?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Ask one more time and I won't."