A breeze swept over the water. The river murmured, and willow leaves swayed along its banks, as though time had turned back to the past.
Shinichi stopped and turned toward Tsunade beside him, a smile on his lips as he called softly:
"Tsunade, do you still remember the old days by the Naka River?"
Tsunade paused, then a hint of nostalgia entered her eyes. She gave a soft huff. "Of course I do."
She tilted her head, the corners of her lips lifting as she changed tack with a teasing note:
"If you ask me, what I remember most isn't how impressive you were back then. It's the first time you used Ryujin Jakka and burned every scrap of your clothes off, then stood there naked, begging Orochimaru and me to find you something to wear."
At that, she raised an eyebrow at him, half smiling. "You probably don't know this, but I was going to find you some women's clothes and see whether you'd be so embarrassed you'd crawl into a hole. Unfortunately, Orochimaru was too quick and sorted it out for you first."
Shinichi blinked, then broke into a helpless laugh and shook his head. "So you were already that mischievous back then. If I'd known... I would have gone along with it and worn them, just to grant your wish."
Tsunade rolled her eyes at him but offered no further retort. Her gaze quietly softened as she looked at the familiar river before them, seemingly remembering the little moments of their youth.
Shinichi's gaze settled on her face, tenderness in his eyes.
He had succeeded as clan head today, basking in unmatched glory, yet what he most wanted to share with her was still this little stretch of riverbank they had walked countless times, and the years