At night, in the Kawakaze room of the Hatake household.
A man and a woman were lying on the thick wooden tatami, tangled together like an octopus.
Phone calls kept coming in one after another—each full of gossip and exaggerated excitement.
Tsunade was lying with her back to Kawakaze, her green windbreaker tossed onto the floor, wearing only a thin undershirt on her upper body.
Kawamine's large hand rested on her chest; he had an impish smile on his face, the corner of his mouth twitching as if he were having a pleasant dream.
Tsunade slept like a lazy cat. She had not yet experienced the loss of her two closest family members, so her world was still carefree.
Her thigh was pressed close against Kawamine's, her whole body curled into his arms.
As time passed, perhaps because of the warm weather, Tsunade shifted slightly, and the movement woke Kawamine from his dream.
His hand felt something unusually soft.Did I fall asleep hugging that ghost mastiff again?
Next time I drink too much, I should put it in the kennel. What's the point of sleeping with a dog all the time?
He still hadn't opened his eyes when that silly thought crossed his mind, and he unconsciously squeezed his hand.
The feeling was wrong. A ghost mastiff's fur didn't feel like this.
The moment he opened his eyes, the first thing that appeared in his vision was two pale-yellow ponytails.
He woke up instantly.No way… did my dream come true?!
He instinctively tightened his grip a little. Tsunade slowly woke up, feeling something against her back that made her uncomfortable.
Her hand reached back subconsciously—What kind of strange object is this?
Kawamine's face turned bright red.
Tsunade's memory was still stuck on the drinking contest she had with Kawamine, and how she had thrown an arm around his shoulders as they returned to the room.
They must have collapsed onto the bed afterward.
Thinking of this, her drowsiness vanished, and she jumped out of his arms like a startled mouse.
She landed on the floor and moved with fluid precision, perfectly demonstrating the reflexes of a jōnin.
Kawamine stared at her blankly, his face turning even redder.
He had no idea how to explain what they were doing.
"We didn't do anything."
As soon as he opened his mouth, the first thing he blurted out was a bombshell.
Tsunade looked down and realized her outer coat had simply fallen off. She must have been drunk and flopped on the bed.
Nothing happened.
Still… this is the first time I've slept beside a man, and he even had his arms around me. My poor chest must be sore from being squished…
"Kawakaze-kun… we didn't do anything, right?"
Still embarrassed, she asked anyway.
"I'll take responsibility."
Kawamine jumped to his feet immediately, insisting he wasn't a scoundrel.
"Ahem!"
Tsunade almost choked from shock.
"Kawakaze-kun, that's not what I meant…"
"Where are Shūmāo and Kushina?"
She didn't want to get caught up in this topic. No matter how handsome he was, Tsunade was not someone who said yes so easily.
Shifting the subject eased the awkwardness between them. Fortunately no one had entered Kawamine's room earlier, so no one should have seen them like this.
"I'm not sure. Let's go check."
Outside, the sky was already dark; dinner time had long passed.
Tsunade picked up her clothes from the floor, put them back on, and bundled herself tightly.
Kawamine stood and walked out with her. In the living room, they found the butler.
"Have you seen the two kids who came today?"
Kawamine asked politely—after all, nine years of compulsory education had instilled good manners.
"Master Shūmāo and Miss Kushina have been sent home," the butler replied.
"You both were drunk, so I arranged a room for Lady Tsunade to rest."
"You two didn't think much about it, so I assigned clan guards to escort them back."
"Don't worry—no one will know that you two rested together."
The butler gave Kawamine a meaningful look, his thin mustache twitching. It made him look sly and overly knowing.
Kawamine couldn't help giving him a thumbs-up—the butler really was competent.
No wonder he would later rise in rank.
"What do you mean 'rested together'? You misunderstood!"
Kawamine jumped like a cat that had its tail stepped on, immediately correcting him.
"Yes, yes, I must have misspoken."
The butler bowed politely, admitting fault.
Tsunade rolled her eyes at the master-and-servant duo putting on this little performance. She truly felt she was the innocent one here.
She had already forgotten everything she did while drunk—but she didn't know that in Shūmāo and Kushina's eyes, she still looked perfectly innocent.
"Kawakaze-kun, I'll head back."
Her mind was a mess; she didn't want to stay any longer, so she interrupted their conversation.
"It's late—want to eat something before you go?"
He was being considerate. Eating after drinking helped people feel better. He was even thinking of getting her some yogurt.
"No, I'm just worried about Shūmāo."
Using her younger brother as an excuse, Tsunade declined.
"All right, I'll see you off."
Kawamine led her across the training hall, walked her to the Hatake compound gate, and waved goodbye.
"Kawakaze-kun, I'm going."
Tsunade looked into his eyes, her cheeks reddening again.
She turned and left. She had lost today's battle to the bottle but would fight again someday.
Kawamine didn't say anything, only watched her back as she walked farther down the moonlit road until she turned the corner and disappeared.
"I'll take responsibility, Tsunade-chan."
He didn't know if she heard him. She vanished instantly.
He lifted his right hand and sniffed it.
She really did smell… distinctive.
He almost blurted out something embarrassing, but instead just waved his hand in shame and went home.
After tidying up, he headed to the dining area and happened to meet a now-sober Shūmāo.
Both seemed slightly awkward. Shūmāo gave him a small smile, drank some yogurt, and sat down.
Food was already on the table, though Natsuki was nowhere to be found.
Kawamine sat beside his brother and drank yogurt.
"Kawakaze… did something happen?"
Shūmāo licked the yogurt from his lips, hesitating.
Something about his brother seemed different. Tsunade's earlier reaction only confirmed his suspicion, nearly making his jaw drop.
They hadn't even known each other for long, yet the situation seemed far beyond his ability to comprehend.
He had spent years pursuing Natsuki before finally winning her heart.
"That's right—Tsunade is the sister-in-law I picked for you."
"What do you think? She's beautiful, right? I really like her."
Kawamine didn't hide anything. Even if his brother disagreed—what could he really do?
Even if he lost a fight, he would never truly lose. Both brothers lacked financial sense; without him, the Hatake household would've fallen apart long ago.
"It… really is a match made in heaven."
Shūmāo opened his mouth, but in the end all he said was:"If you're happy, that's enough."
Two troublemakers—one who caused problems, the other who caused even bigger ones. Maybe they really were meant for each other.
Kawamine was satisfied to have his brother's blessing. A marriage supported by family was the happiest kind.
Smiling, he clinked his yogurt cup with Shūmāo.
The two finished dinner quickly and returned to their rooms to rest. Another day passed.
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All the fanfiction is 30-chapter ahead but this "Naruto: Tsunade the Fugitive Healer" is 30 chapters ahead there