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Tsunade - Ch 84
🕑 Added 2025-05-14 16:00:16 +0000 UTCChapter 84: A Gentle Night
After refusing Kakashi’s request for an all-night chat, Kamizuki Hikari shoved him out the door and collapsed onto the futon with a long sigh.
He had seriously underestimated the curiosity of a hardcore fan.
Especially someone like Kakashi — not only was he a die-hard, but he was also strong. Hikari couldn't even kick him out if he wanted to. It was seriously frustrating.
‘Forget it. Tomorrow, I’ll just buy a house and leave the Kamizuki residence to my brother and Mikan.’
Originally, Hikari had planned to stay here for a few more days—but that was under the assumption that Kakashi would ignore him or treat him coldly.
Now that Kakashi had gone from a stoic loner to a chatterbox, Hikari would’ve already booked a hotel if not for the fear of hurting Kakashi’s fragile feelings by leaving so abruptly.
Not that he’d ever admit he was just trying to save a bit of money on lodging.
‘Ah, whatever. Time to sleep. At least I rested enough during the day—otherwise, I’d definitely have a headache tomorrow!’
---
Hatake Residence, Master Bedroom.
Kakashi lay on his back, staring blankly at the ceiling, the corners of his masked mouth curling upward as if recalling something delightful.
‘Hikari mentioned earlier that Tsunade-sama wants to introduce me to Shizune... Did I agree too quickly?’
Something about it didn’t sit right.
‘Could this go wrong?’
‘Hikari is planning to write another book. Wonder what it’ll be about. Hopefully not about the academy. A teacher-student theme might be a bit too much...’
‘Especially considering the academy girls don’t really look any different from the boys physically. Surely no man would be that twisted... Right?’
‘No, no. The academy is the foundation of the village. There’s no way Holy Light-sensei would take such a risk.’
‘But if not the academy, then what?’
His head ached from overthinking, but his excitement kept him wide awake.
‘Should I go talk to Hikari again? As a long-time reader, giving the author some feedback isn't too much to ask, is it?’
‘But judging by his expression earlier, he didn't seem too happy. If I bother him now, he might get mad...’
‘Forget it. Time to sleep.’
‘Yeah, sleep...’
...
‘Can't sleep at all!’
---
Kamizuki Residence.
Startled awake from his dreams, Kamizuki Izumo frantically reached out, his hand brushing against smooth skin.
He let out a sigh of relief.
‘Scared me for a second. I thought everything that happened was just a dream.’
Just yesterday, he had been single. Now, he had bid farewell to his left and right hands, married a beautiful woman, and reached the pinnacle of life. The thought alone was enough to stir excitement.
"Stop it... I’m tired... Let me rest."
Mikan murmured, nestling her head against Izumo’s shoulder, her warm breath tickling his skin.
"Mikan?"
Izumo called softly, rolling over to gaze at the woman beside him.
The darkness of the room only allowed a hazy outline, lending her an alluring, mysterious beauty.
"Wife?"
As the words left his mouth, a hand began creeping stealthily under the covers toward Mikan.
"Stop messing around, or I’ll get angry!"
"Heh, alright, alright."
Izumo chuckled foolishly. As a nearly thirty-year-old man who’d been single all his life, the sudden presence of a beautiful woman beside him had unleashed a surge of untapped energy.
This night... is going to be long.
---
Yūhi Residence.
Click.
With the flick of a switch, warm orange light flooded the bedroom.
Yūhi Kurenai lay on her bed, her long black hair splayed over the pillow as she stared blankly at the ceiling.
"Asuma... where have you gone?"
Her whisper was barely audible as she turned toward the window.
Lately, life hadn’t been kind to her.
Asuma had left without a word, and rumors were spreading that he had defected—that he would never return to Konoha.
When the Third Hokage was still in power, the Sarutobi clan had treated her like family. But now, with Hiruzen dead and Asuma gone, their attitudes had turned cold overnight.
The stark contrast stung. Even if Kurenai didn’t care much for superficial pleasantries, the loneliness weighed heavily on her heart.
The Yūhi household now consisted of just her. She was practically alone in the world.
As a traditional woman, Kurenai simply wanted someone to spend the rest of her life with. Whether that person was the son of a Hokage didn’t matter to her.
Right now, she desperately wished Asuma were here beside her. She dreamed of a simple life—mentoring young genin during the day and coming home to someone who cared for her at night.
That was all she ever wanted.
"Asuma... where are you...?"
Bathed in the dim light, Kurenai was like a painting of a slumbering beauty—radiant yet tinged with sorrow.
But this heartbreaking masterpiece would never be seen by the one who mattered most.
---
Land of Bears – Hoshigakure
A small shinobi village with a population of a few hundred, it was a place that arrogantly referred to its leader as a Kage. A village that had once—for a brief moment—enjoyed a flicker of glory.
In the village square, four bonfires burned brightly in the darkness. A group of star shinobi stood in formation, vigilantly guarding the civilians, their eyes burning with hatred toward the demon before them.
A man with wild, ape-like features and cold, predatory eyes stood with a short blade in hand.
"Why resist? Just give me the correct method to train with the ‘Star’, and I’ll spare you. A village without even a single jonin is easy to wipe out."
Asuma twirled an irregularly shaped Asuma twirled an irregularly shaped stone in his hand.
This was Hoshigakure’s treasure — the Star.
He had already obtained their Mysterious Peacock Method and a portion of the chakra guidance techniques tied to the Star.
But it wasn’t enough.
According to the Third Hokage’s records, the Star’s power could induce mutations in the body, enhancing chakra flexibility and strength—at the cost of one’s lifespan.
In the past, Asuma would never have considered such a reckless path.
He had too much to live for—a beautiful girlfriend in Konoha he hadn’t fully explored, dreams yet unfulfilled. Why would he throw his life away for an unstable power?
But that was before.
Before his father died.
"We don’t know what you’re talking about!" Seething with rage, the acting Hoshikage, Akahoshi, glared at Asuma.
He had finally obtained the Star and was on the verge of gaining immense power—only for this monster to appear.
No matter how they attacked, it was like children trying to fight a grown man.
"You don’t know? Then where is the Third Hoshikage?" Asuma demanded.
Records indicated that the Third Hoshikage had lived over a hundred years—despite training with the Star, which normally shortened one’s lifespan.
That anomaly suggested he possessed some hidden secrets.
But as Asuma scanned the crowd, he didn’t see a single person who looked over a hundred. The oldest among them was barely in their sixties.
"The Third Hoshikage is dead. I’m the acting Hoshikage now. If you have questions, ask me!" Akahoshi stepped forward, teeth clenched.
"Dead? He can’t be dead!"
Asuma’s expression twisted, his killing intent erupting unchecked.
His hope had been crushed.
"You weaklings... why must you ruin everything? If the Hoshikage is gone, then what use do any of you have?"
