Out of nowhere, Nawaki Senju emerged from a training ground, still holding his tool pouch.
He looked a bit disheveled from training, covered in dust, but his eyes were round as saucers, and his mouth was open wide enough to fit an egg.
His trembling finger pointed at the two people walking almost side by side, his face etched with shock as if the sky had just collapsed!
His gaze swept back and forth, especially lingering on Night with immense confusion. The build, the aura... the face had vaguely familiar contours, but...
"Nawaki, just finished training?"
Night's voice, tinged with helpless amusement, broke the awkward silence.
The familiar voice and address made Nawaki shudder. Only then did he fully confirm that this man, who was now a full head taller than him, was really the "Night-nii" he knew.
"Night? Night-nii? It really is you? How did you... grow so tall?"
Nawaki looked up at Night's face, stretching out his arm to measure the height difference, his voice cracking slightly.
Before he could digest this shock, the back of his head received a solid, "loving" slap, causing him to stagger.
"Stupid brat! What nonsense are you spouting? Is your skin itching again?"
Tsunade retracted her hand, glaring at him. Her face held a trace of imperceptible redness, and her tone was genuinely flustered and annoyed.
Nawaki shrank his neck from the slap. Seeing his sister's fierce expression and Night's innocent look that seemed to say, "You're on your own, buddy," he instantly felt he must have overthought things. Training had clearly addled his brain.
He waved his hands frantically, laughing dryly to explain, "Misunderstanding! Definitely a misunderstanding. Haha, how could Night-nii possibly be with the tigr... uh... I was just passing by."
As he spoke, he shot Night a stealthy look that screamed, "I get it, I get it all," as if to say, "Night-nii, you poor soul, running into my sister like this."
Night found Nawaki's self-deluding clowning hilarious.
Keeping a straight face, he extended an invitation naturally. "Since we ran into each other, wanna grab dinner together? I know a new place that's pretty good."
Hearing this, Nawaki's eyes lit up. He was just about to agree when he felt a "kind" gaze from his sister beside him. He felt like he was standing at a crossroads of life and death.
A chill ran down his neck. His survival instinct kicked into overdrive, and he shook his head vigorously. "No, no, no. I'm all sweaty from training. And... Grandma... right! Grandma seems to have something for me. I won't disturb you guys. I'll head out first."
Before he even finished speaking, he bolted as if a terrifying beast were chasing him. Whoosh. In a few breaths, he vanished around the street corner.
His speed was so fast Night almost exclaimed that he had the potential to be the second "Ninja World Speedster."
Watching Nawaki's fleeing back, Tsunade was exasperated. The subtle atmosphere that had just started to build up was completely scattered by this knucklehead, ruining the mood.
Night just smiled, nonchalantly taking a natural step closer to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Tsunade again. He said lightly, "Let's go, Lady Tsunade. I know that place has amazing beef tongue. If we're late, they might run out."
With a bit of teasing, he cleverly dissolved the awkwardness and pulled the focus back to "dinner."
Tsunade rolled her eyes at him. Seeing his calm demeanor, as if it really was just a trivial misunderstanding, the embarrassment from being caught by her brother gradually faded.
She wasn't one to be coy. She stopped dwelling on it and nodded. "Lead the way."
They walked side by side into the brightly lit commercial street. Night, seemingly knowing the way well, led her to an izakaya full of lively, smoky atmosphere.
He pulled out her chair, invited her to sit, took the menu, and accurately ordered several dishes Tsunade preferred. He even considered her drinking habits, ordering sake but not forgetting to thoughtfully prepare tea to help sober up later.
The whole process flowed smoothly, as if rehearsed countless times—considerate and thorough without seeming overly obsequious.
Seeing this, Tsunade couldn't help but tease, "You're clearly just a brat. If I didn't know better, I'd think you come to places like this often."
Night just smiled silently. To him, having lived two lives, this was just "basic operations."
The charcoal fire was lit. Meat slices changed color on the grill, emitting a tantalizing aroma.
Night skillfully flipped the meat, placing the perfectly grilled slices onto Tsunade's plate until they piled up like a small mountain.
He wasn't in a hurry to eat. occasionally raising his tea cup to toast with her, he spent most of the time smiling and sharing his experiences in the Mist.
Of course, even with Night's "artistic processing," a top-tier ninja like Tsunade could hear the danger underlying the mission.
Night also asked timely questions about Tsunade's work in the medical department and Nawaki's training, offering well-placed suggestions during the conversation.
During this time, Tsunade found that communicating with Night was incredibly comfortable. He could always catch her drift without probing too deeply, keeping things light and pleasant.
Under the influence of alcohol, Night's figure gradually blurred. In her daze, Tsunade felt that the person sitting opposite her wasn't a teenage boy, but a reassuring companion.
Dinner ended in a subtle and harmonious atmosphere. The night was deep, and they strolled through the increasingly sparse streets of Konoha.
Night walked Tsunade to the vicinity of the Senju clan grounds, stopping under a streetlamp near the gate.
"This is far enough," Tsunade said. For once, she hadn't drunk too much.
"Alright." Night nodded. He looked at her with clear eyes and continued, "Today... I was very happy."
His words were simple, but they carried the weight of sincerity.
Tsunade nodded slightly. After exchanging wishes for a good rest, Night turned and left, his conduct perfectly appropriate.
Returning to her slightly empty house, the surroundings instantly fell quiet.
Lying in bed, she recalled the events of the day: their comfortable interaction at dinner, Nawaki's shocked and noisy reaction, and the mature, silent strength Night had displayed in the Hokage's office, far beyond his age.
These images wove together.
Finally, her grandmother Mito Uzumaki's knowing smile and the whispered words in her ear seemed to ring out again.
"Don't worry too much. Follow your heart. Don't miss out and regret it later."
At the time, she had only felt embarrassed. But combined with today's interactions, that sentence seemed to carry a certain magic, creating ripples in the lake of her heart that were hard to calm.