Shinichi meets Tsunade

In the early summer of Konoha Year 15, a gentle breeze brushed through Konoha, and the village brimmed with life.

At the Uchiha estate, beneath a lush cherry tree, Uchiha Shinichi lounged in the shade with a bottle of ice-cold strawberry milk in his hand and a lollipop in his mouth, gazing lazily at the clear blue sky.

"The clouds really look like cotton candy today... I wish I could take a bite..."

Ever since the system had forcibly activated its so-called "ninja training" mode on his third birthday, he had gradually grown used to the routine, despite his complaints—but no matter what, his deeply ingrained slacker nature hadn't changed in the slightest.

Just as he closed his eyes, ready to enjoy a nice nap, suddenly—

Bang!

Someone shoved the courtyard gate open, and a sweet yet energetic voice rang out through the grounds. "Uchiha Shinichi, are you here?"

Shinichi frowned and opened his eyes lazily, looking across the courtyard at the spirited little girl standing by the gate.

Golden twin ponytails, large sparkling eyes, and a young face full of pride—he recognized her immediately.

Princess Tsunade, granddaughter of the First Hokage and princess of the Land of Fire.

"To what do I owe this visit, little princess?" Shinichi asked languidly, a hint of teasing slipping into his lazy tone.

Tsunade lifted her chin slightly and planted her hands on her hips, speaking without a trace of courtesy. "Hey, you're the Uchiha Shinichi Grandpa praised, right? You don't look that special. I heard you're strong, so I came here today to spar with you!"

Shinichi immediately felt a headache coming on, his dead-fish eyes narrowing slightly. "Little princess, why come looking for a fight with me when you've got nothing to do?"

Tsunade stared stubbornly at him. "You're not scared, are you? How could someone this cowardly deserve Grandpa's praise?"

Shinichi's mouth twitched at that, and he sighed inwardly. As expected of the future Fifth Hokage. She's already this good at goading people at such a young age.

Besides, why would Hashirama Senju be praising me?

He and Tsunade had been born on the same day, which had caused quite a stir within the Senju Clan.

As the First Hokage's granddaughter, Tsunade's birth naturally attracted plenty of attention, and the Uchiha child born on the same day had drawn some extra notice as well.

Then there was his father, Uchiha Raishin. Though he wasn't the most respected figure within the Uchiha Clan, he was an elite jonin with repeated achievements on the battlefield, more than enough for Hashirama Senju to mention his name.

Dad probably keeps calling me a "genius" in front of other people. That must be why Hashirama Senju took notice of me, Shinichi mused.

Outwardly, however, he looked utterly unconcerned and let out a lazy yawn. "Fine, I admit it. I'm just a slacker. Fighting is way too much trouble. No thanks, no thanks."

Tsunade froze at his words, then stared at him in bewilderment. "Hey, hey, hey! Don't you feel even a little ashamed of turning down my challenge?"

Shinichi blinked and drawled, "Ashamed? Can you eat a ninja's honor?"

"Huh?!" Tsunade faltered, hardly believing her ears. "Of course you can't eat honor!"

"There you go, then." Shinichi raised a finger and gave it a little wag. "If I can't eat it, I'm not interested."

Tsunade gaped at him in shock. "You... you really are a weirdo!"

Shinichi shrugged lazily, unfazed. "Thanks for the compliment."

His indifference left Tsunade fuming, but then her eyes shifted, and a sly smile appeared on her face. "All right, then. Since honor doesn't matter to you, if you beat me, I'll treat you to grilled meat at Yakiniku Q, plus red bean buns!"

"Deal!" Without another word, Shinichi shot upright, his eyes instantly sharpening.

Tsunade's mouth twitched. "That attitude changed way too fast..."

"Can't help it. There's good food on the line!" Shinichi nodded as though it were only natural. "All right, little princess. Make your move."

Tsunade gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and charged without hesitation, her little fist whipping through the air toward Shinichi's cheek.

Shinichi turned slightly and shifted his feet, dodging the blow with effortless grace.

"Huh?!" Tsunade's eyes widened in surprise. A second later, she stubbornly swung again, yet she couldn't so much as touch him.

Shinichi casually offered commentary as he dodged. "Hmm, plenty of power, but not enough speed. Your punches are too straightforward, too. Easy to predict."

Tsunade's little face flushed with anger, and she shouted, "Hey, take this seriously!"

At that, Shinichi suddenly stopped, raised a hand, and gently rested it on her little head with a faint smile. "I never pick on girls, you know."

The gentle, doting gesture caught Tsunade off guard. Her face instantly turned scarlet, and she hurriedly stepped back. "Y-you! Don't suddenly get so close!"

Shinichi smiled and shook his head, giving her golden hair a casual ruffle. "Come on, the match is over. Today, I'll treat you to Konoha's best, Ichiraku Ramen. Consider it a gift to mark our first meeting."

"Huh?! Wasn't it supposed to be grilled meat?" Tsunade blurted out.

Shinichi answered calmly, "Oh, I suddenly felt like ramen."

"Hey, hey, hey! Isn't that a little too arbitrary?!"

Tsunade didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but the corners of her mouth still lifted slightly as she followed Shinichi toward the village.

Along the way, the sun shone brightly, and birds sang sweetly.

Tsunade stole a sideways glance at Shinichi and grumbled inwardly, This guy is so strange... but maybe he isn't that bad?

Looking ahead, Shinichi also wore a faint smile, though he sighed helplessly to himself. Ah... looks like living a quiet life might be out of the question...

Their figures gradually disappeared into Konoha's bustling streets, and amid the swaying shadows of the trees, a legendary tale of the future quietly began.

Shinichi lay back down beneath the tree, and scenes from his earlier walk with Tsunade drifted unbidden through his mind.

The little girl always held her head up stubbornly, her golden twin ponytails bouncing gently with her steps. The way her little face flushed whenever she refused to admit defeat was both adorable and amusing.

Remembering Tsunade's sulky yet defiant expression, Shinichi couldn't help a faint smile tugging at his lips.

"What a troublesome little princess. Still... that strawberry daifuku today was pretty good."

He gently closed his eyes, the blade of grass between his lips swaying slowly, his heart full of satisfaction and ease.

Maybe days like this weren't so bad...

Suddenly, a familiar mechanical notification sounded in Shinichi's mind without warning. "Ding—host detected spacing out. Daily task issued: 'Take the initiative to hold hands with Tsunade while strolling for 30 minutes.'"

Shinichi froze, his dead-fish eyes snapping open in disbelief.

"Hey, hey, hey, system, did you get something wrong? You actually dare to issue a task this embarrassingly over the top?"

The system replied in its usual indifferent tone. "Heh, this is one of your few chances to advance your romantic storyline. Make the most of it."

Shinichi tilted his head toward the blue sky and sighed. "Ugh, romantic storylines really are too much trouble..."

Yet, for some reason, he once again pictured Tsunade's bright, stubborn eyes as she clutched the hem of his clothes.

"Ahh... fine, fine. I'll just sacrifice a little dignity..."

He gently spat out the blade of grass and closed his eyes again, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

"Anyway, the little princess today... was pretty cute."

Shinichi hesitated briefly, then reached out and gently took Tsunade's little hand.

The instant their palms touched, a faint blush spread across Tsunade's face, gradually reaching her ears.

She looked up at Shinichi, her lips trembling slightly, but said nothing, her expression both shy and conflicted.

Shinichi put on a calm front, his lollipop still in his mouth and his dead-fish eyes fixed ahead, his expression perfectly composed.

A closer look, however, would have revealed his slightly stiff movements and the faint pink creeping onto the tips of his ears.

The two walked slowly along Konoha's lively streets, hand in hand.

Residents on either side of the street saw them and began murmuring in surprise...

"Huh? Look! Princess Tsunade is holding hands with that little monster from the Uchiha Clan?"

Hearing the whispers around him, Shinichi couldn't help grumbling inwardly, Hey, isn't that a little harsh? What's so evil about me? All I've got are dead-fish eyes!

He glanced sideways at Tsunade. The little girl kept her head lowered and bit her lip, her normally fair face now as red as a ripe apple. Tiny beads of sweat dotted her forehead, yet she never let go of his hand.

As they walked, Tsunade finally couldn't help muttering, "Hey... Shinichi, these people are so annoying. Why do they have to gossip so much?"

Shinichi glanced around, unconcerned. "Let them. I've got thick skin, anyway. I'm used to hearing it."

Tsunade raised her head and looked at his face, still listless yet somehow reassuring. For some reason, warmth stirred in her heart, and a relaxed smile gradually appeared on her little face. "You really never care what other people think."

Shinichi shrugged casually and spoke with exaggerated gravitas. "Why should I care? They're just jealous of me."

"Jealous of what?" Tsunade blinked curiously.

Shinichi lowered his head slightly and gave her his signature dead-fish-eyed smile. "Of course they're jealous that I get to openly hold hands with Konoha's cutest little princess!"

Tsunade's face instantly turned bright red. She yanked her hand away and snapped, "Y-you idiot! I'm never talking to you again!"

Watching Tsunade hurry away, Shinichi rubbed the tip of his nose, a faint smile curling his lips.

Just then, the system's mechanical yet teasing voice sounded in his mind. "Congratulations, host, on completing your daily task. Reward: 3.1415926 units of chakra. Please collect it!"

Shinichi's expression instantly darkened, his mouth twitching violently as he spoke through gritted teeth. "System, get back here! Are you serious about this reward? 3.1415926 units of chakra?! Are you messing with me?!"

In his mind, the system replied calmly, "The rewards are random. You know that, host. The system puts plenty of thought into its rewards—perfect completeness, understand? π is a good number..."

Shinichi trembled with anger, another furious roar erupting in his heart. One day, I swear I'll take this lousy system apart and reinstall it!

In the courtyard, Tsunade stood some distance away and secretly glanced back at the boy still sulking by himself. The shyness on her face slowly softened into a gentle smile, and she murmured:

"What an idiot..."