Bastard

The silence lasted for about a second.

Then, Tsunade's mind went completely blank.

The blood rushed to her head all at once, turning her skin a deep, burning red from the base of her neck to the tips of her ears.

"You—"

She threw a punch at his chest.

It wasn't a real attack.

But she didn't hold back much, either.

Kitahara Kaede let out a muffled grunt and took half a step back.

Internal injury +1.

A stifled laugh came from behind the counter.

The clerk had both hands pressed tightly over her mouth, her eyes curved into crescents, her shoulders shaking—not from fear, but from being completely overwhelmed by the scene.

Tsunade turned away and stared at a row of earrings on the wall.

She didn't actually see a single one.

The tips of her ears were red enough to bleed.

The shop remained quiet for a long while.

It was Tsunade who spoke first.

She cleared her throat, forcing her voice back to its normal frequency.

"Then... how about getting a necklace for Nawaki?"

A necklace.

Kitahara Kaede's heart sank slightly.

In the original story, the birthday gift Tsunade gave to Nawaki was exactly that green crystal necklace left behind by the First Hokage.

That necklace later earned a name—the "Death God Necklace."

Not a single person who wore it had survived.

Nawaki died.

Later, Kato Dan died as well.

Whether the necklace itself was cursed was hard to say, but it was undeniably the starting point of all that misfortune.

"A necklace?" he said, his tone casual. "That's not really... practical for a boy to wear."

Tsunade thought about it, and it did seem that way.

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Something that can save his life."

He said it lightly.

But Tsunade glanced at him.

She felt those few words carried more weight than they sounded.

She didn't ask further.

"Fine, I'll listen to you."

Tsunade reached up to undo the clasp, took the necklace off, placed it back on the counter, and turned to walk out.

"Let's go, to the ninja tool shop."

Kitahara Kaede didn't follow immediately.

He paused at the counter. In the brief moment while Tsunade was turning to push the door open, he tapped his fingertips twice on the counter surface and tilted his head toward the necklace.

The clerk was stunned for less than half a second.

Then her eyes lit up.

She quickly tucked the silver chain away, pulled a palm-sized, dark blue velvet box from under the counter, placed the necklace inside, and snapped it shut.

Kitahara Kaede placed money on the counter and took the box.

From the time Tsunade pushed the door open to the time he followed her out, no more than five seconds had passed.

Tsunade looked back at him.

"What are you dawdling for?"

"My shoelace came undone."

Tsunade looked down at his ninja sandals.

Ninja sandals didn't have laces.

She frowned. "You—"

"Let's go, the ninja tool shop is that way." Kitahara Kaede had already walked past her, his hands in his pockets.

Tsunade stared at the back of his head for two seconds, but didn't press him.

The ninja tool shop was at the end of the commercial street.

Kitahara Kaede walked into the protective gear section, squatted down, and began to examine the inner armor piece by piece.

He weighed them, flicked the plates, and stretched the lining.

He would pick one up, look at it, put it down, and pick up another.

Tsunade stood nearby with her arms crossed, initially just looking around out of boredom.

Then, her gaze drifted back, landing on the person squatting there.

His expression was very serious as he picked out the items.

His brows were slightly furrowed, his fingers pressing inch by inch along the seams of the armor plates as if checking for gaps—he was the same way when he checked his ninja tool pouch before a mission: meticulous, never finding it a bother.

"Something that can save his life."

He had said it so casually.

But while squatting here to choose, he was doing it piece by piece, with genuine care.

Tsunade's throat moved.

She shifted her gaze, picked up a wrist guard from the shelf, flipped it over, and put it back.

"This one."

Kitahara Kaede stood up and clapped his hands.

The inner armor in his hand looked unremarkable, a dull black, but Tsunade tested it with her hand—the plates were densely arranged, the lining had good elasticity, it was light, and it was double-woven.

It was the most expensive kind in the shop.

Tsunade didn't say anything.

She paid the bill.

When the two of them pushed the door open to leave, Tsunade looked up.

The streetlights had come on.

She didn't know when it had gotten dark; only a faint, dim light remained under the eaves. Vendors were packing up their stalls, and a few scattered pedestrians were walking home, their shadows stretching long behind them.

She looked back in the direction they had come from and realized—they had been out for nearly three hours since the afternoon.

"...It's this late?"

Kitahara Kaede also looked up at the sky.

"Let's go, I'll walk you home."

On the way back, the two walked side by side, neither saying much.

The last light of the sunset stretched their two shadows long, casting them side by side on the road.

Tsunade walked on his left, carrying the cloth bag with the armor.

Occasionally, she would steal a glance at him, only to find he wasn't looking at her.

But as soon as she looked away, she felt as if a gaze brushed against the back of her head again.

This happened several times.

Neither of them called the other out.

They arrived at Tsunade's door.

She stopped and turned around.

Kitahara Kaede stopped too.

The two stood facing each other.

The sunset shone from behind his shoulders, warming her face.

Tsunade squeezed the strap of the cloth bag.

"Thanks for today."

"You picked out the gift for Nawaki."

"That's not what I meant."

Two seconds of silence.

Tsunade was about to turn and enter the house—

"Wait a second."

Kitahara Kaede took out a small box.

Tsunade looked at the box, her feet rooted to the spot.

"When did you—"

"It looks good on you."

He handed the box over.

Tsunade took it.

She didn't even notice her fingers tightening slightly.

She opened it.

The thin silver chain lay quietly against the dark velvet.

It was that one.

The one she had tried on in the shop.

Tsunade stared at it for several seconds, her lips moving, but nothing came out.

"...How much was it? I'll pay you back—"

"Are we really going to settle the bill for a necklace, given our relationship?"

Tsunade looked up.

The sunset cast a warm glow over his face.

His expression was calm, as if he had said something perfectly ordinary.

Tsunade didn't argue further.

She lowered her eyes, closed the box, tucked it into her chest, and stood there for a moment with her lips pressed together.

Then she turned and stepped over the threshold.

"...Good night."

"Good night."

The door closed.

Behind the door.

Tsunade leaned against the door panel, the back of her head resting against the wood, clutching the small box in her hand.

She stood there for a while, opened the lid, and took out the necklace.

She reached behind her neck and fastened the clasp herself.

The moment the clasp clicked shut, the back of her neck felt hot again.

She had fastened it herself, of course.

But that spot remembered the temperature of his fingers from the afternoon.

Tsunade closed her eyes.

"...Bastard."

Her voice was very soft.

The corners of her mouth curved upward.