"Don't say another word."
Teizawa knew exactly what she was about to say.
It would be about age, status, and all the other reasons she kept trying to put between them.
He cut her off, his tone firm enough to leave no room for argument.
"I told you. I love you. That has nothing to do with age."
He paused, the sharp scent of disinfectant from the hospital still lingering in the air.
"My woman doesn't get bullied. Not while I'm here."
My woman?
The instant Tsunade heard those words, her heart skipped a beat.
With her usual temper, she should have kissed him, stripped off her clothes, then punched him through the wall.
But she did not.
She only stood there, staring at the serious expression on the young man in front of her.
Something indescribable stirred in her chest.
That eternally gentle smiling face in her memories...
At some point, Dan's figure had begun to blur.
In his place was the young face before her.
A little domineering. A little gentle.
And so certain of himself that it made her want to grit her teeth.
When had he started becoming different to her?
From the moment he forced his way into her body?
From the time he said those absurd things in the izakaya?
Or from the instant she agreed to spend one night with him?
Tsunade could no longer tell.
She only felt that she really was shameless.
To actually get involved with someone this young so openly.
Yes. In her eyes...
He was still a kid.
Teizawa watched the complicated emotions surging through her eyes.
He reached out, gently wrapped an arm around her waist, and drew her into his arms.
"Why are you getting sentimental again?"
His voice was low, like the night wind brushing past her ear.
Tsunade bit her lip and buried her face against his chest.
She stayed silent for a long time.
So long that Teizawa thought she would not answer.
Then she finally spoke in a muffled voice.
"One day..."
Her voice was very soft, almost like she was talking in her sleep.
"When I'm no longer Hokage, and you're no longer Kazekage, let's go live in seclusion."
Teizawa's eyes flickered.
He lowered his head and looked at the woman in his arms.
Her golden hair glowed softly beneath the candlelight.
The corners of his mouth slowly lifted.
His arm tightened a little, holding her closer.
"Okay."
His voice was quiet, but it carried absolute certainty.
"Ah..."
Tsunade's startled cry suddenly rang through the room, short and sharp.
Teizawa had lifted her clean off her feet.
His arms were steady, his steps unhurried as he carried her toward the bed.
Tsunade instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.
Her chest pressed against his, her heartbeat pounding like a drum.
She opened her mouth, wanting to curse him.
But her voice came out far softer than she expected.
"Living in seclusion can wait until after the war is over."
Teizawa lowered his head, looked at her flushed cheeks, and smiled faintly.
"Right now, I'm about to leave Konoha. Shouldn't you make good on your promise?"
Tsunade froze.
Promise?
Then she remembered.
The promise to spend one night with him.
Her faint blush deepened into crimson.
Then crimson turned scorching hot.
She buried her face against his chest and let out a muffled "Mm."
The sound was so faint it was barely audible.
Teizawa laughed and laid her down on the bed.
The candle flame swayed gently, casting overlapping shadows across the wall.
Outside the window, moonlight quietly slipped behind the clouds, as though even it had grown shy.
On the table, the chessboard was still scattered with pieces.
Black and white intertwined, much like the figures tangled beneath the dim light.
...
Late into the night.
"I can't anymore..."
Tsunade's gritted voice came from beneath the covers, tinged with a trace of grievance.
"What are you, a bull? You're going to kill me..."
Teizawa's voice was perfectly justified, even matter-of-fact.
"You can't? Then activate Byakugō."
Tsunade's mouth twitched hard.
The Strength of a Hundred Seal?
That was a forbidden technique she used in battle.
It was her trump card for overturning hopeless situations, the ultimate method she had spent years storing chakra to complete.
And now this bastard wanted her to use Byakugō to deal with him?
"You..."
She was so angry she could not speak.
Teizawa turned over and looked at her flushed, furious face. The smile at the corners of his mouth deepened.
"The Strength of a Hundred Technique can regenerate the body, which is terrifying enough already."
"Enhancing stamina, endurance, and resilience should be nothing in comparison."
He analyzed it with complete seriousness, as though discussing some profound ninjutsu theory.
"If you activate Byakugō, we can keep going until dawn. Perfect."
Tsunade's fist clenched.
She wanted to punch this shameless bastard.
But her body was so sore and weak it felt as if her bones had been pulled out. She could not even lift her hand.
She bit her lip, buried her face in the pillow, and muttered one word.
"Get lost."
Teizawa laughed, reached out, pulled her from the pillow, and drew her into his arms.
"Let's see how long you can hold out..."
His voice carried a burning heat.
Tsunade struggled once, but failed to break free.
She closed her eyes.
Her breathing grew unsteady.
No one knew how much time passed.
"You really don't know when to stop," Tsunade snapped.
Then, in the next instant:
"Strength of a Hundred Seal! Release!"
Boom...
A power brimming with overwhelming vitality erupted through the room.
Crash.
The wooden furniture could not withstand that surging force and collapsed outright.
...
Time passed little by little.
In the darkness of night, Tsunade's voice suddenly softened, carrying a rare trace of panic.
"No... I'll get pregnant."
Her hand pressed against his chest, neither too hard nor too weak.
It was like she was pushing against a wall.
Or perhaps testing something.
The dignity of the Hokage had vanished from those amber eyes.
Only a woman's most instinctive nervousness remained.
Teizawa paused.
Not because of her words, but because of the cold, mechanical prompt from the system.
[Ding! The host and Tsunade's power have reached a shared endpoint. Please make your choice...]
The voice was calm and unhurried, like a weather report.
[Option One: Respect Tsunade's wish and withdraw. Reward: Strength of a Hundred Technique.]
[Option Two: Follow your own will and leave fate to the moment. Reward: Hashirama Senju's Wood Release Body.]
Teizawa froze for a moment.
The Strength of a Hundred Technique was Tsunade's signature.
The ultimate form of the Yin Seal.
It allowed automatic healing without hand signs and could greatly enhance taijutsu ability.
In plain terms, it was a lesser version of Hashirama's passive regenerative power.
And now, the other option offered by the system...
Was the real, original Wood Release Body of Hashirama Senju.
Not merely the Wood Release kekkei genkai.
The Wood Release Body itself.
A supreme constitution with vast life force, automatic recovery, and even the ability to use Wood Release secret techniques.
Even a fool would know what to choose.
He lowered his head and looked at Tsunade.
The blush on her face had already spread to the roots of her ears, and her fingers were trembling slightly.
She was not rejecting him.
She was afraid.
Afraid of pregnancy. Afraid of being found out.
Afraid of all the things she had always suppressed and never dared to face.
Teizawa's lips curved faintly.
He lowered his head and whispered beside her ear.
"Too late."
He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his embrace.
Tsunade's startled cry caught in her throat.
All the strength seemed to drain from her body, and she leaned limply against his chest.
Boom...
There was no sound.
No light.
Only a tremor surging from the depths of Teizawa's bones.
His muscles quivered. His bones gave off faint, subtle cracks. Blood thundered through his veins.
It was as if something inside him had awakened, taken root, and begun to grow.
That was the Wood Release Body.
The power of Hashirama.
The highest form of life in the shinobi world.
Faint green patterns surfaced beneath his skin, like roots and vines, glowing dimly in the dark.
Then they slowly faded away.
Tsunade raised her head and looked at his eyes, which were faintly shining in the darkness. For a moment, she was dazed.
This man's presence had changed.
It was not a matter of chakra becoming stronger or weaker.
It was something deeper, something more fundamental.
She could not describe it.
She only felt that he seemed...
Heavier. Steadier.
Like an ancient tree rooted deep in the earth.
Untouched by wind. Unshaken by rain.
But at that moment, she had no mind to care about anything else.
Her thoughts had gone completely blank.
By a woman's intuition, she knew one thing with absolute certainty.
She was carrying his child.
(End of Chapter)
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