The office fell quiet.
Sunlight filtered in through the window and spilled across the floor, drawing a bright line between the two of them.
Tsunade stood behind the desk, both hands braced on its surface, her chest still rising and falling.
Teizawa stood by the door, leaning against it as he watched her.
"Say it. What do you want?"
Tsunade's voice was icy.
But beneath that chill was something she did not want to admit.
Teizawa did not answer.
He walked over, circled around the desk, and came to a stop in front of her.
Tsunade instinctively took a step back.
Her calf struck the chair with a creak.
"What are you doing?"
Her voice tightened slightly.
Teizawa stood before her and lowered his head to look at her.
Sunlight streamed in from the window and fell across him.
His dark-gold hair carried a faint golden sheen in the light.
His face was against the light, making his expression hard to read.
But his outline was sharp and distinct, as if carved by a blade.
"Tsunade."
He called her name softly.
Tsunade's heart skipped a beat.
"What are you trying to say?"
Her voice grew even colder.
But she did not move, nor did she push him away.
Teizawa reached out.
He gently pinched her chin, his thumb brushing over it.
Tsunade's eyes were full of wariness and embarrassed anger.
And something else she could not quite explain.
She felt she should shove him away, punch him, call the ANBU in and have them throw him out.
But at that moment, she did none of those things.
She only stood there, frozen in a stiff stalemate, her face lifted as she looked at him.
Perhaps it was because of the bond formed through repeated intimacy.
By now, she had somehow become able to accept certain physical touches from this man.
"I missed you."
Teizawa's voice was very soft, but every word was clear.
Tsunade's pupils contracted slightly.
Her lips moved.
She wanted to say something, only to find that she could not say anything at all.
It was as if something had blocked her throat. Her voice was tight.
Her heart was pounding so hard it seemed ready to leap out of her chest.
"You..."
At last, she squeezed out a single word.
Her voice was so hoarse it barely sounded like her own.
Teizawa released her chin, then wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her straight into his embrace.
Tsunade's body stiffened.
Then, slowly, she softened.
She buried her face against his chest and muttered in a muffled voice, "You bastard. What exactly are you trying to do?"
Teizawa smiled and lowered his head to kiss the top of her hair.
Tsunade said nothing more.
She only reached out and lightly clenched the corner of his clothes.
The sunlight outside the window was just right.
It fell over the two of them, warm and soft.
Shizune stood outside the door for a long time.
When she heard nothing, she quietly left with Tonton in her arms.
Inside the office, silence lingered for a moment.
Then Teizawa sighed, his tone carrying a trace of reluctance.
"I originally planned to leave directly, but I couldn't quite bear to part with you. So I came to see you."
"Save that line for little girls."
Tsunade's voice was muffled.
Her face was still buried against his chest, making it impossible to hear her emotions clearly.
Teizawa chuckled.
"Aren't you a little girl?"
Tsunade lifted her head and glared at him.
"I'm old enough to be your grandmother."
"Grandmothers are great," Teizawa said, his smile growing even brighter. "I happen to like grandmothers."
The corner of Tsunade's mouth twitched.
"You are the Kazekage, and I am the Hokage. Have you forgotten who you are?"
"Can't a Kage look for a wife?"
Teizawa looked innocent.
Tsunade trembled all over and gritted her teeth.
"Wake up. You are the Kazekage. I am the Hokage. We are destined to be impossible."
She paused, and her voice lowered.
"And our ages are too different..."
"I see."
The smile on Teizawa's face slowly faded. He put on a wounded, dejected expression and lowered his head, looking at the floor.
He was silent for several seconds.
"I knew you would reject me."
Tsunade's heart clenched.
She wanted to say something.
Her mouth opened, then closed again.
She did not understand how she had developed such unusual feelings for this younger man.
Perhaps those repeated intimate encounters had formed a different kind of bond between them.
She understood very clearly that he had already become different to her too.
"But it's fine."
Teizawa suddenly raised his head and looked at her, a sly glint flashing through his eyes.
"Even if you reject me, before I leave..."
He paused.
"I'll still help you clear away an obstacle."
Tsunade froze.
"What do you mean?"
"Danzo."
Teizawa uttered the name lightly, as if he were commenting on the weather.
"I know he has been making trouble behind the scenes and interfering with your position as Hokage."
"Since I'm leaving, I can't exactly tolerate leaving a ticking bomb here to affect you."
Tsunade's expression changed.
She straightened up from Teizawa's arms and grabbed his arm.
"Don't do anything reckless." Her voice was urgent and tight. "Danzo is one of Konoha's elders and the leader of Root."
"If you move against him, Konoha won't let it go. When that happens..."
"What will happen to me?"
Teizawa finished her sentence with a perfectly natural tone.
"Are you worried about me?"
Tsunade shot him a reproachful look.
But there was no anger in her eyes, only anxiety.
"Be serious." She sharpened her tone. "What exactly are you planning?"
Teizawa took a scroll from his robes and handed it to her.
"Look at this first."
Tsunade frowned, took it, and unrolled the scroll.
The paper was densely filled with writing.
There were also several blurry photographs.
Her gaze swept over the first line.
Her brows drew tighter and tighter, and her fingers clenched the edge of the paper until they turned pale.
From time to time, she looked up at Teizawa.
Shock and anger surged through her amber eyes.
Along with something she could not explain.
Then she lowered her head and continued reading.
The office was so quiet that a falling needle could have been heard.
Only the faint rustle of turning pages remained.
After a long while, Tsunade suddenly lifted her head, her voice trembling.
"Is... is this true?"
Teizawa still had an arm around her waist and did not let go.
"Of course it's true."
His voice was calm, but carried an unquestionable certainty.
"I have evidence."
He took another scroll from his robes and opened it.
Inside were even more detailed records.
Records of human experiments. Research materials on forbidden jutsu.
And those inhuman experimental samples that could never be shown in the light.
Piece by piece, they were laid out before Tsunade, like bloody scars being torn open one after another.
"Little Tsunade..."
Teizawa's voice softened.
"With Danzo harboring this kind of malice, how can I leave with peace of mind?"
Tsunade fell silent.
She stared at the evidence, at those appalling records, and her chest rose and fell violently.
Of course she knew Danzo was not a good person.
She knew he had always been scheming in the shadows and trying to undermine her position as Hokage.
But she had never imagined that he would dare...
That he would dare go this far.
Human experimentation, harming shinobi from his own village, colluding with outside enemies. Any one of those crimes was enough to have him executed a hundred times over.
Her fists clenched, her knuckles turning white.
Her nails dug deep into her palms.
Teizawa's hand covered hers.
He gently pried open her fingers and held her hand in his palm.
Tsunade lifted her head.
She looked at him, and a complicated light churned in her eyes.
"This is Konoha's affair."
Her voice was hoarse, but carried an unquestionable firmness.
"You don't need to interfere from here on."
"Oh, come on..."
Teizawa cried foul.
"Isn't this what people call burning the bridge after crossing it?"
Tsunade pressed her lips together.
An unnatural blush rose across her cheeks.
She turned her face away, not daring to look at him, and lowered her voice.
"After... after this matter is finished, I'll... I'll spend one night with you."
Teizawa's eyes lit up.
"Only one night?"
Tsunade's face turned even redder.
The blush spread from her cheeks to her ears, then down to her neck.
She bit her lip.
She did not answer.
Nor did she deny it.
Teizawa still wanted to say something.
But Tsunade had already released him and taken a step back.
The redness on her face vanished in an instant.
In its place was the authority of the Hokage.
"Come in."
The door opened, and several ANBU flashed inside, dropping to one knee.
"Hokage-sama!"
"Summon the heads of every major clan, the heads of every department, and the elders..."
Tsunade's voice was cold and steady.
"To the Hokage's office for a meeting. Immediately."
"Yes!"
The ANBU accepted the order and vanished beyond the door.
Tsunade turned and looked at Teizawa.
The blush on her face had already faded completely, leaving only the calm and decisiveness of the Hokage.
"Lord Kazekage..."
Her voice was neither loud nor soft, carrying a distant courtesy.
"Please leave now."
Teizawa shrugged, knowing when to stop.
He turned and walked toward the door.
When he reached it, he stopped without looking back.
"Little Tsunade..."
His voice was very soft, tinged with a smile.
"I'll be waiting."
Tsunade did not answer.
Teizawa opened the door and walked out.
The door gently closed behind him.
Tsunade stood behind the desk.
She looked at the closed door and remained silent for a long time.
Then she lowered her head and looked at the scrolls on the desk, at those horrifying records, and took a deep breath.
That bastard had thrown her such a massive bombshell right before leaving.
But there was no denying it.
This was a bombshell she needed.
She picked up the topmost scroll.
Opening to the first page, her gaze darkened.
Danzo, it was time to settle accounts.
(End of Chapter)
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