What If I Took the Loss and Married You?

Jingyi shook a finger at Tsunade. "As long as the profit is great enough, I think Hanzō, a man with immense ambition, wouldn't mind cooperating with Shimura Danzō once. With his strength, if he infiltrated and carried out an assassination, ordinary people simply wouldn't be able to stop him."

Shimura Danzō couldn't possibly act personally, because the risk of exposure was too great. Once word got out that he had assassinated a ninja from the same village, he would be utterly finished.

That was also why the Third Hokage wouldn't allow him to borrow the village's resources—he was worried Shimura Danzō would mess things up.

Once things went wrong, if Mito Uzumaki lost her temper, it would be difficult to clean up the aftermath.

That left hiring someone else as Shimura Danzō's only option.

And Hanzō was the most suitable candidate. On top of that, Jingyi was stationed at the Border Camp in the Land of Rain, which was close by and required no long journey.

"Hanzō."

Tsunade frowned deeply. This man was no ordinary person; he was known as a demigod, which showed just how powerful he was.

To put it bluntly, Hanzō's strength was absolutely among the very top in the Shinobi World.

If he made a move, Jingyi would be in great danger.

Judging by the strength Jingyi had displayed on paper, being targeted for assassination by someone as powerful as Hanzō was indeed extremely dangerous.

"Before I left, I specifically asked around. Shimura Danzō claimed that his old illness had relapsed and that he was resting at home. He could leave the village at any time and persuade enemies outside the borders to deal with you."

Resting and recuperating?

It was nothing more than an excuse to make it easier for him to leave the village in secret.

After stuffing the last piece of meat into her mouth, Tsunade set down her plate and said seriously,

"Then what are you thinking? Do you want to find a way to transfer back to the village?"

"No."

Jingyi rejected the suggestion.

If Mito Uzumaki stepped in, even if the Third Hokage was unwilling, he would still give her that courtesy and transfer Jingyi back.

"Why?"

Tsunade didn't understand. Knowing someone was plotting against him in secret, why wasn't he thinking of returning?

Jingyi said gravely, "Is it possible that Shimura Danzō wants Lady Mito to step in and have me transferred back?"

"Tsunade, people skilled at schemes have dirty hearts. As long as it achieves their goal, people like Shimura Danzō don't mind using filthy methods."

Don't be fooled by the Third Hokage's firm support for Mito Uzumaki. As long as a situation benefited him, he wouldn't mind pretending not to know anything.

"Lady Mito definitely isn't afraid of Shimura Danzō, but if certain things are done and unpleasant rumors spread, they can cause a lot of misunderstandings."

Hatake Sakumo was the precedent.

Tsunade hesitated as if she wanted to speak, but Jingyi cut her off and continued, "Lady Mito's identity is very special. Shimura Danzō definitely wouldn't dare target her openly, but I can't escape. As long as I return to the village, he'll come after me. By then, the ninjas stationed at the Border Camp definitely won't be happy, and their families will have grievances too."

Sometimes, public opinion was more terrifying than assassination.

"So all we can do is passively take whatever comes?" Tsunade hated this feeling of being unable to control the situation.

It was far too passive.

"Not exactly."

Jingyi smiled. "Think about it. As long as I stay in the camp, he won't be able to manipulate public opinion against me. As for assassination, he first has to find someone he can persuade to kill me. After all, nobody's an idiot. Without enough profit, who would risk doing something like this?"

Hanzō was very strong, but was Hanzō stupid?

Of course not.

Without enough profit, no one would bother with Shimura Danzō.

The awkward part was that Shimura Danzō happened to be at a stage where he had been stripped of his position and could no longer control the village's resources or benefits.

Without enough leverage in hand, persuading Hanzō to act was far from easy.

"If you were Hanzō, would you help Shimura Danzō for no reason?"

Without enough benefits, only an idiot would agree to such a favor.

Tsunade decisively shook her head.

She wasn't stupid, and neither was Hanzō.

It all depended on what benefits Shimura Danzō could offer to entice Hanzō.

"So your safety is fine for the time being?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes." Jingyi nodded.

"Then shouldn't we talk about what happened just now?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes and walked to the door first, locking the wooden door from the inside.

"Uh..."

What was this girl planning? Was she going to settle the score afterward?

"Ahem."

Jingyi tried hard to defend himself. "Tsunade, this isn't entirely my fault. You were the one who pulled the blanket over my head. I was still holding a plate—surely I couldn't just let it fall, right?"

"Then what do you think we should do? Did it look good?"

"It looked good."

Jingyi felt that he was an honest young man and couldn't lie. If it looked good, then it looked good.

"You..."

Tsunade, who had planned to lash out immediately, was instead left dumbfounded. Was Jingyi Hyuga really this straightforward?

"What if I take the loss and marry you?"

"..."

"Jingyi Hyuga, get over here and die!!"

"Wait, don't hit me. We can talk this out. Damn, you're serious? I'm going to fight back!"

"Wait, I'm still a child! You can't do this!!"

Tsunade's furious roar woke everyone in the camp. They rushed out of their wooden huts and headed for the medical room.

"Wait!!"

The others weren't familiar with Tsunade, but Sarutobi Mishima was different.

Realizing that the voice he had just heard sounded familiar, Sarutobi Mishima thought back on it. His expression changed instantly, and he hurriedly stopped the others.

"Mishima, the people in the medical room..." Little Honda turned back.

Sarutobi Mishima raised a hand and rubbed his face, saying helplessly, "It's Tsunade. I'm sure of it. Go on, all of you return to sleep. Those on duty should continue their shifts. Don't disturb them."

When had Tsunade arrived at the camp? And she was in the medical room.

Combined with the shouts from Tsunade and Jingyi, a group of rough men in the camp all wore knowing looks. A few particularly lecherous fellows chuckled wickedly, not forgetting to cast envious glances toward the medical room.

"Ahem. Everyone except those on duty, get the hell back to sleep. This has nothing to do with you."

After driving away the group of onlookers who loved watching trouble unfold,

Little Honda pulled Sarutobi Mishima aside and asked quietly, "Are you sure it was Tsunade? She and Jingyi..."

"Don't meddle in things that don't concern you. Let's go."

Sarutobi Mishima had no desire to discuss such matters with Little Honda. If Little Honda couldn't keep his mouth shut, he would be the one in trouble in the end.

The camp, which had suddenly become lively, quickly quieted down. Only the ninjas on duty continued to glance curiously toward the medical room, eager to know what was happening inside.

"Tsunade, that's enough. Kissing is one thing, but you even bit me."

Jingyi rubbed his lips. It seemed his skin had been broken.

Tsunade licked her lips as though savoring the taste, then shook her head after a moment.

"It didn't feel particularly special. Is it because you haven't grown up yet?"

You damn...

If the Almighty Crab hadn't been watching, he would definitely have shown her what stick discipline was!

"Sleep!"

Jingyi took out a brand-new quilt. Not wanting to pay Tsunade any attention, he pulled it over himself and prepared to sleep. As for Tsunade, she could either sleep with him or lie facedown on the table.

Fortunately, he had been farsighted. Knowing that the Land of Rain had terrible weather and that quilts might get damp and moldy when winter came, he had prepared several extra.

In this damned weather, only a fool would sleep facedown on a table.

She had already seen it, and she had already nibbled on it. Who the hell would still sleep on a table?

In the darkness, Tsunade felt a pair of restless hands slip into her clothes and sneered.

"Didn't you say I was rough and didn't act like a woman? Why are you reaching in now?"

"Ahem!"

Jingyi coughed and changed the subject. "When are you heading back?"

"I can't stay too long."

Tsunade had originally planned to stay at the camp for a while, but after talking with Jingyi, she realized that there was no point in staying.

For the time being, Jingyi's safety was not a problem.

Even if their guesses were right, it wouldn't be easy for Shimura Danzō to convince Hanzō to assassinate Jingyi.

"Then go back tomorrow. If you stay too long, I'm afraid some people in the camp will become dissatisfied."

With the New Year approaching, everyone missed the village and their families. Yet he had someone by his side, and she was the only female ninja in the entire camp. People might merely be curious at first, but if it went on too long, some would inevitably grow resentful.

"Alright."

Tsunade wasn't the fussy type.

Early the next morning, Tsunade left the camp ahead of time and returned to the village without even meeting anyone in the camp.

As she put it, there was no need. She wasn't going to stay anyway. It had only been one night, so she could just leave.