Mito-sama, Lady Tsunade is here."
In the living room sat Senju Mito—the wife of the First Hokage, and princess of the Uzumaki Clan. Though now aged, her once fiery red hair faded with time, her spirit remained vigorous. As a Jinchūriki, she still held the Nine-Tails firmly at bay. According to Tsunade, she could "still fight for another five hundred years."
Upon hearing the maid's report, Mito made no comment and simply waited in silence.
After a while, Mito opened her eyes, surprised. Tsunade still hadn't barged in like usual. This strange behavior had lasted for a full week now.
"Little Tsunade, come in."
Only then did the door slowly creak open. Tsunade stepped in gracefully, walked over to her grandmother, and knelt down properly—her hips resting on her heels, back straight, hands placed neatly on her knees. Her pink-and-white kimono was tailored to perfection, radiating elegance and poise.
"Good day to you, Grandmother."
Looking at the calm and composed young girl before her, Mito's gaze turned complicated. Tsunade, princess of the Senju Clan, had spent her childhood during the brutal First Great Ninja War. Even upon hearing of her beloved grand-uncle's death, she had maintained a cheerful demeanor, never shedding a tear in front of others.
But now, she appeared so... different.
What on earth had happened?
"Little Tsunade, did something happen?"
The Senju Clan had fallen on hard times. Tsunade was the only one capable of holding the family's legacy, while the clan's last hope, Senju Nawaki, had only just been born. Whether he could one day lead the clan to resurgence remained uncertain. Naturally, Mito cared deeply for both Tsunade and Nawaki.
"No, nothing happened."
Tsunade shifted her position slightly to get more comfortable. Sitting in seiza like this was torture. She couldn't fathom how others managed to endure it for years. Her long legs were simply not suited for this pose.
For the record, just a week ago, Tsunade had always sat cross-legged, casually and boldly. To avoid any wardrobe malfunctions, she never wore skirts back then.
"Then why are you—"
"I'm a girl, a princess of the Senju Clan. One day, I'll be married off, just like you were, Grandmother," Tsunade said calmly, her voice soft. It sounded like she was stating a fact... about someone else. "Nara, Akimichi, Nakayama, Aburame, Hatake, Hyūga... even Uchiha. Eventually, I won't be a Senju anymore."
Hearing this, Mito's expression softened with understanding. She quickly grasped the deeper meaning—perhaps Tsunade had changed because all hopes had now shifted to Nawaki. Once the sole center of affection, Tsunade now had to share that spotlight. It couldn't have felt good.
Then, Mito thought of her own youth. Before her engagement, she had never even met Senju Hashirama. It was a political match, one forged out of duty, not affection. Such was the fate of those born into great clans.
Mito looked closely at Tsunade's calm face.
No... this wasn't entirely the same.
Mito gently clutched the necklace around her neck and smiled wistfully. It was a keepsake from the First Hokage.
"Little Tsunade, this necklace was your grandfather's," she said, removing it and placing it around Tsunade's neck with a warm smile. "Now I will pass it to you. One day, if you meet someone who can truly fill your heart with love, give it to them. Your grandmother believes you'll find happiness."
That kind of 'being filled with love' happiness? I'd rather die like a dog...
Of course, Tsunade didn't say that aloud—especially not when she noticed the progress bar for her "Chameleon Persona" mission tick upward.
All in all, the plan was a success!
After bidding her grandmother farewell, Tsunade visited the supposed "hope" of the Senju Clan—Nawaki. Staring at that little tuft of poop-colored hair atop his head, Tsunade just couldn't associate this tiny thing with the clan's future.
Finally, after saying goodbye to her blissfully happy parents, she began a new day of training.
It was Year 20 of the Hidden Leaf calendar. The First Great Ninja War had recently ended. Under the newly appointed Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi—who was also Tsunade's teacher—Konoha had entered a relatively peaceful period of development. Though there were still many missions, high-risk ones had become less frequent.
However, Tsunade was only allowed to take D- and C-rank missions, which paid pathetically little. For her, it was like trying to quench a fire with a cup of water. So, she usually just accepted them as a formality, fulfilling her duty as a ninja of Konoha. The rest of her time was spent on "training."
And today's training target was—Jiraiya.
The mission: "Following in the Sannin's Footsteps."
Back when they were six, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru had graduated from the Academy and became students of then-Jōnin Hiruzen Sarutobi, embarking on their shared ninja journeys.
Unlike Tsunade, who had a system to rely on, and Orochimaru, whose "gifted genius" status was maxed out, Jiraiya was impulsive, mediocre, and something of a hopeless pervert. Among the three, he was clearly dragging the tail. His only redeeming quality was his unwavering determination once he set his mind to something.
From her years of observation, Tsunade knew Jiraiya was probably still snoring in bed. Without hesitation, she headed straight to his place. As an orphan, Jiraiya had been living alone from a young age, and Tsunade often barged in without a second thought. She knew the way like the back of her hand.
Soon, Tsunade arrived at Jiraiya's front door.
She raised her foot to kick it open by reflex, paused for half a second, and instead lowered her leg. Then she gently knocked on the door, placed her hands politely over her abdomen, and waited patiently.
Patience...
Patieeence...
Paaaatieeence...
At 2 minutes and 59 seconds, the door finally opened. A half-asleep Jiraiya stood there, rubbing his eyes.
Since it hadn't reached the 3-minute limit, Tsunade decided to forgive him. Just this once.
At that moment, Jiraiya finally noticed Tsunade. He froze.
Tsunade looked... normal today. Yes—normal by female standards. And that, in itself, made it strange. In Jiraiya's mind, Tsunade was always in some ugly, unflattering pants, completely lacking in femininity. A kimono? That was a miracle.
Yet here she was. A miracle, in the flesh.
Without thinking, the first words slipped from his mouth:
"Did you take off your underwear under that kimono?"
"..."
Tsunade took one step forward, clenched her fist, and with a swift, sharp punch, drove it into Jiraiya's gut. His eyes bulged wide in shock. Clutching his stomach, he crumpled to the floor beside the door.
"Excuse me."
Ignoring the twitching figure on the ground, Tsunade stepped over him and entered the house.
As always, Jiraiya's place was a disaster—instant noodle cups and food wrappers everywhere. The air carried a strange stench. Luckily, Tsunade wasn't a neat freak, just mildly annoyed by the smell. She opened the windows, found a clean enough spot, and sat down.
In seiza, of course.
Honestly, since she'd already committed to "Following in the Sannin's Footsteps," Tsunade didn't have to keep up the ladylike act around Jiraiya. But thanks to his earlier comment, she now realized other sitting poses just didn't suit her current image.
Must maintain dignity.
"You violent tomboy!"
Jiraiya finally recovered, groaning as he crawled off the floor, glaring at her as if he wanted revenge.
"You deserved it."
Tsunade huffed, unbothered by his tantrum. Honestly, she still couldn't understand how, in the original timeline, Jiraiya managed to be grouped with her and Orochimaru as the "Legendary Sannin."
Looking at him now, with his limited talent, even under the guidance of the Hokage, it would be impressive if he became a Jōnin. More likely, he'd top out at Special Jōnin.
Still, if he was destined to be one of the Sannin, there had to be a reason. Maybe he'd get some divine cheat code down the road?
Regardless, right now, Jiraiya still lived in fear of Tsunade's fists.
"Hmph! Violent girls stay violent—doesn't matter what you wear."
Jiraiya snorted and plopped down cross-legged, sulking.
"I'm a girl, and I'll get married someday," Tsunade said, using the same line she'd used on her grandmother.
"Who are you trying to fool?" Jiraiya gave her a skeptical look. "And who'd even dare marry you?!"
"..."
The wise are deceived by lies. The fools see through the truth. What kind of messed-up world was this?
For the first time, Tsunade thought maybe Jiraiya wasn't as worthless as she believed.
"Fine. I'll just be honest about why I came today."
"Go ahead, Princess Tsunade. What can I do for you?"
Jiraiya picked his ear casually, acting completely indifferent.
"Jiraiya, let's go peep at the women's bath together."
(End of Chapter)
Tsunade might be cheating her way through the exam, but I need to pass the real-life survival test called "rent and caffeine."
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