Opening

[Timeline jump--]

[Your connection with Tsunade began with dice, gradually permeating every corner of her life.]

[You taught her how to control the dice, and she dragged you into betting copper coins. You won her candy, and she won your allowance. Back and forth, the debt grew increasingly complex. She kept a small notebook specifically for accounting, scribbling crookedly, "Kaede owes me: dango x3, candy x17." You flipped to the next page and found she had scribbled out the part where she owed you with a blob of ink.]

[You accompanied her as she practiced chakra extraction. The first time Tsunade channeled chakra to her palms, the leaf stuck to her skin without falling. She held her palm up to show you, her mouth stretching to her ears—but it only lasted two seconds before the leaf drifted away. She turned to glare at you, as if it were your fault.]

[Slowly, every time you visited the Senju Mansion, the portion of tea and snacks grew from one serving to two. When the maid brought the tea in, she no longer asked, "What would Miss Tsunade's guest like to drink?" but simply placed your cup in its designated spot.]

[A major event occurred during this time. Senju Hashirama passed away.]

[It snowed in Konoha Village for three days. You went to the Senju Mansion every day for those three days, saying nothing, just sitting outside her bedroom door.]

[On the evening of the third day, the door opened a crack, and a hand reached out to grab your sleeve, holding on for a long time.]

[You didn't move, nor did you look back. You just let her hold on.]

[By the time she let go, the sky was pitch black. A piece of paper was passed through the crack in the door, with two stick figures drawn on it. One was taller, one was shorter. Next to the shorter one, the word "idiot" was written in crooked letters.]

[You folded the paper and put it in your pocket.]

[After that, she stopped wearing her hair in a high ponytail.]

[In your spare time, you trained yourself. You improved your speed of instant chakra extraction and polished your precision in chakra control. Taijutsu training never ceased. These became your daily routine.]

[Tsunade was six, and you were seven. The Ninja Academy held its first official enrollment. The prologue to the legend had begun.]

[The second chapter, officially opened.]

Konoha Ninja Academy.

The school gate was packed with people.

Parents led their children inside; some held their heads high, while others looked timid.

Those who could send their children to the first enrollment all had some background.

Kitahara Kaede stood at the gate, observing his surroundings.

In his seven-year-old body, his chakra meridians had already been polished to a state of considerable fluidity.

The 10 points in talent weren't given for nothing—while his peers were still learning how to extract chakra, he was already capable of instant extraction and precise control.

He wore simple dark blue clothes, standing with a casual posture and a calm expression.

"Kaede!"

A voice came from behind.

Tsunade squeezed out of the crowd, thin beads of sweat on her forehead; she had clearly run over.

Six-year-old Tsunade.

Her golden hair was tied into a high ponytail, and she wore a light green short-sleeved shirt and open-toed ninja sandals.

Since she stopped wearing the high ponytail, she looked much sharper.

"Why are you standing here? Let's go."

She grabbed his sleeve and dragged him toward the school gate.

Kitahara Kaede let her drag him, not pulling away.

"You weren't late today."

"Duh, being late on the first day of school would be so embarrassing," Tsunade said without looking back. "Besides, I bet someone will make a fool of themselves today, and I want a good seat to watch."

"What did you bet?"

"I bet you'd buy me dango."

"You bet that every time."

"Because you lose every time."

Kitahara Kaede didn't argue.

He did lose every time.

Part of it was intentional—she was his "white moonlight," after all; letting her win occasionally could boost her favorability.

But a larger part... was the fault of having 0 luck.

The two of them just walked through the school gate.

"Hey!"

A white blur rushed over from the side, planting itself firmly in front of Tsunade.

The white-haired boy stood with his hands on his hips, grinning to reveal a mouthful of white teeth.

Jiraiya.

He had spiky white hair, wore white clothes, and had two red markings painted on his face with some unknown substance.

His gaze locked directly onto Tsunade, his eyes excessively bright.

"My name is Jiraiya! I'll definitely become the greatest ninja in the future!"

His voice was so loud that half the school gate heard him.

A few passing parents glanced over, then quickly pulled their children away.

Tsunade stopped.

"So?"

"So—" Jiraiya puffed out his chest, his tone so confident it didn't sound like a child's, "if you want to write me a love letter, just give it to me next time. No need to be shy."

A second of silence.

Tsunade looked at him.

Kitahara Kaede knew that look all too well.

It wasn't anger, and it wasn't shyness.

It was pure confusion.

She couldn't fathom where this person got his confidence.

"Are you sick in the head?"

Tsunade pulled Kitahara Kaede around him, her pace never faltering.

The movement was as fluid as walking around a utility pole.

Jiraiya froze for half a second.

Then he chased after them.

"Hey, hey, hey! Didn't you hear me? I'm Jiraiya! The future greatest ninja! You should at least remember my name, right?!"

"I remembered it," Tsunade said without looking back. "The one who's sick in the head."

"You—"

Jiraiya ran in front of the two, walking backward, and pointed a finger at Kitahara Kaede.

"Who's he? Your brother?"

"What's it to you?"

"You two don't look alike—could it be your boyfriend?"

Tsunade's pace stopped.

Kitahara Kaede stepped half a step to the side.

Not to hide, but to give Tsunade room to strike.

Sure enough—

One punch.

It landed squarely in the abdomen.

Jiraiya folded into the shape of a shrimp, crouching on the ground with his mouth wide open, unable to catch his breath for a long time.

Tsunade retracted her fist and flicked her fingers.

"I'll say it again, what's it to you?"

"So painful..." he hissed, gasping for air, yet the corners of his mouth were curling upward. "You're so strong... that's amazing..."

Tsunade turned to look at Kitahara Kaede, her expression asking—is this guy actually sick?

Kitahara Kaede gave her a very flat look in return.

Meaning—don't ask me, how would I know?

He didn't actually have any hostility toward Jiraiya.

In the original story, this guy chased Tsunade his whole life without ever catching her, and eventually died in the Rain Village without even his body being recovered.

In terms of "white moonlight" status, Jiraiya was actually quite high up there.

It was just that he followed the path of true emotion.

While Kitahara Kaede followed the path of the script.

Essentially, they weren't the same type of person.

Tsunade dragged him forward, leaving the crouching Jiraiya behind.

After a few steps, Kitahara Kaede's attention was suddenly drawn in another direction.

Under a large tree to the left of the school gate.

A black-haired boy stood quietly in the shadows.

His skin was pale, and his features were delicate to the point of being effeminate.

Golden slit pupils.

Orochimaru.

He didn't speak to anyone, nor did he have any intention of doing so.

He simply stood there, his gaze sweeping over the new students passing by.

When his gaze landed on Kitahara Kaede, it paused for a moment.

Kitahara Kaede looked at him as well.

The two of them locked eyes for an instant across the bustling crowd.

The corners of Orochimaru's mouth moved slightly.

It wasn't a smile.

It was more like some kind of confirmation—confirming that there truly existed an individual in this crowd worth a second glance.

Then he withdrew his gaze and turned to walk into the school gate.

Alone, his silhouette thin and lonely.

Kitahara Kaede looked away.

Orochimaru, a pure genius.

No bloodline limit, no family background, relying solely on talent to crush his peers.

"Kaede! What are you looking at!"

Tsunade's voice pulled him back.

She was standing in front of the hallway, hands on her hips, her face full of impatience.

"The classroom is this way, are you coming or not?"

"Coming."

Kitahara Kaede followed.

From behind came the sound of Jiraiya finally climbing to his feet.

"Wait for me! Aren't we classmates? Classmates should be friendly to each other!"

Tsunade didn't even look back.

"Who's your classmate?"

"We enrolled together, so we're classmates! You can't deny that fact!"

"Follow me again and I'll beat you up."