Konoha: Gu Master

Shinho opened his eyes, feeling utterly refreshed.

Last night, Tsunade, without her Yin Seal, had been as pliable as dough in his hands.

How should he put it?

It could be said that justice was served.

Shinho extended his hand and gently smoothed out the strands of hair stuck to Tsunade's forehead.

"No… don't…"

Tsunade's body trembled as her eyes remained shut, her expression one of exhaustion.

She had been genuinely overwhelmed by the strength of her now fully matured student.

"Sleep well," Shinho whispered softly in her ear as he leaned closer.

Gradually, Tsunade relaxed, her breathing returning to a calm rhythm.

Shinho planted a kiss on her cheek before carefully pulling out his hands from her snow capped mountains and getting out of bed.

Returning to his room, he followed the same routine as the day before, using his Primeval essence to cleanse his body and then changing into fresh clothes.

Turning around, he found Ichikishima-hime staring at him intently.

She stood there, her slender body leaning slightly forward, her elegant legs clad in white stockings taut, her toes gripping the floor with a feline agility.

"What are you staring at?" Shinho flicked her forehead lightly.

"Staring at my master!" Ichikishima-hime's eyes sparkled.

"…"

Shinho was momentarily at a loss for words. He reached out, pinched her face a few times, and then let her go.

"Let's go," he said, recalling his plans for the day.

After a while, as he was lounging on the sofa, he saw Shizune walking into the living room.

"Why are you up so early today?" Shizune asked while fastening the buttons on her white blouse.

Although she wasn't as visually captivating as Tsunade, her professional attire, paired with a woman's blazer, gave her a unique charm.

"Nothing much. I just woke up earlier today," Shinho replied after a brief pause. "I asked the teacher earlier; she said she wants to sleep in, so we shouldn't bother her."

"How could she say that?"

Shizune frowned in disapproval upon hearing this.

Her strict and proper nature made it hard for her to tolerate Tsunade's lazy demeanor.

"Shizune-nee."

Shinho rose from his seat and walked toward her.

"…?"

Shizune was puzzled, not yet grasping his intentions.

Shinho stopped right in front of her.

Her delicate features were lovely and unassuming, her body perfectly outlined by the pencil skirt she wore.

Beneath the skirt, black stockings shimmered faintly with an oily sheen, semi-transparent enough to reveal the soft contours of her legs.

"What… what do you want to do?"

Shizune instinctively stepped back, her black-stocking-clad feet retreating a couple of steps.

"Teacher is sleeping; keep your voice down," Shinho said as he pulled her into his arms, his hands gently caressing her skirt.

The scent of him made Shizune's legs go weak.

Instead of being angry, she felt a sense joy in her heart.

It had been two days since Shinho had been this close to her.

Achievement Unlocked: Hinata Hyuga's 'Frozen Beauty' – Reward: Focus Light Gu.

[Focus Light Gu: A Rank 4 Gu insect capable of concentrating immense sunlight.]

Shinho froze momentarily.

The achievement came out of nowhere.

Frozen?

Thinking of Hinata Hyuga, who was currently in the Land of the sea, he roughly guessed how it had been triggered.

The reward, however, seemed rather ordinary.

At most, it could serve as a flash grenade.

Wait a minute.

Shinho's thoughts shifted.

A Rank 4 Focus Light Gu could combine with a Rank 5 Supreme Light Gu and Declining River Gu to form the killer move Heavenly Cascade of Light.

This killer move resembled energy beams seen in Ultraman or Kamehameha from Dragon Ball.

In short, it sent a concentrated blast of light straight at the target.

Returning to reality, Shinho noticed Shizune had closed her eyes, with nervousness and anticipation evident in her face.

Smiling faintly, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

Shizune responded with gentle warmth, offering Shinho sweetness like a tender stream.

Three minutes later, they separated.

"I… I'll go make breakfast," Shizune stammered, her face flushed.

She avoided his gaze, embarrassed by her earlier boldness.

Yet she couldn't bring herself to regret it.

Each time she was around Shinho, her body responded honestly.

Shinho watched her retreating figure and wondered, Does this count as a Honey trap?

He had sacrificed so much for Tsunade.

…

After breakfast, Shinho and Shizune headed to the Hokage's office.

The summer sun grew more brilliant as the day progressed.

Back at the residence, Tsunade, half-asleep, kicked off her blanket due to the heat.

Her jade-like body gleamed under the sunlight.

Moments later, she stirred, finally feeling the discomfort.

Getting out of bed, she went straight to the bathroom.

The warm water cascading over her body washed away her fatigue, and she exhaled deeply, regaining her composure.

Suddenly, her expression turned sour as she bit her lip in frustration.

Last night, under the "dragon's roar," she had agreed to numerous conditions.

Some were reasonable, but others were… difficult to accept.

Tsunade rubbed her temples.

This won't do! I need to reclaim my dignity as his teacher.

An idea struck her.

She planned to use the Yin Seal tonight to force Shinho to revoke some of those conditions.

But first, breakfast.

…

At the Hokage's office, Shinho was also eating, but with Ichikishima-hime.

She floated beside him, dressed in a kimono-style long dress, holding a bowl in her hands. Her slender tongue curled around pieces of chicken as she ate quickly.

Shinho's eye twitched.

He shifted his gaze and continued eating calmly.

As Shinho finished eating, the sound of the door opening caught his attention.

Ichikishima-hime quickly hid inside a pen holder.

"Shinho," Shizune called out, her heels clicking against the floor.

"What's the matter?" Shinho asked with a smile.

"Anbu just delivered a report. Jiraiya-sama is on his way back to Konoha and should arrive tomorrow," Shizune informed him.

"Oh?"

Shinho raised his eyebrows. "How was he discovered?"

Given Jiraiya's capabilities, it was unlikely for Anbu to track him unless he intentionally revealed himself.

Nearly three years had passed.

Naruto's finally returning. I wonder if he's mastered the Nine-Tails' power.

"Jiraiya-sama informed the Anbu himself," Shizune explained. "He also asked them to investigate the Island of Summoning.."

"The Island of Summoning?"

Shinho was interested.

"Yes, it's a unique place inhabited by many powerful beasts," Shizune elaborated. "Many shinobi have gone there to find their summoning animals, so it's also called the Island of Summoning."

Shinho's eyes narrowed slightly.

The Island of Summoning… He recalled the related plot.

It involved a group researching an ultimate summoning beast on the island.

However, what stood out to Shinho wasn't the summoning beast, but the Uzumaki clan member among them.

Her name was Honoka—a red-haired kunoichi around Karin's age, with exceptional talent in sealing techniques.

Looks like I'll have to get involved.

The more Uzumaki clan members, the better.

Moreover, Shinho recalled that Honoka had ultimately been killed by the rampaging ultimate summoning beast.

Perhaps he could arrange for Jiraiya to lead Team 7 to the Island of Summoning under the pretext of a training mission.

Of course, in this case, Team 7 referred to Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and Karin Uzumaki.

Shinho suddenly remembered the time Jiraiya had gone searching for the Giant Chameleon.

Something about it felt off.

Jiraiya was already a summoner contracted with Mount Myoboku.

Logically, he shouldn't need another summoning beast.

The incident with the Hozuki Castle could have been a coincidence.

But this Island of Summoning made it the second time such an incident had occurred.

And it wasn't in the original story.

Could it be related to the prophecy?

Shinho pondered deeply.

Once Jiraiya returned, he would have to ask directly.

After all, he was now the Hokage.

"By the way," Shizune suddenly remembered something and said, "The ninja academy has inquired if you have time to attend the opening ceremony of the new semester."

"The opening ceremony?"

After a brief moment of thought, Shinho agreed.

The Hokage's attendance at the academy's opening ceremony was a tradition in Konoha Village.

After all, children were the future any community.

Establishing the Hokage's prestige in their eyes was an important task.

Shinho recalled that during his years at the academy, Hiruzen had attended every year.

Tsunade had participated a few times but far less frequently.

As for him, he had yet to attend even once.

Both sentimentally and logically, it was time to make an appearance.

"You'll need to deliver a speech at the ceremony," Shizune added after a pause. "Shall I help you prepare the draft?"

"I'd appreciate it, Shizune-nee," Shinho replied with a smile. "But if your 'Will of Fire' isn't up to standard, I'll have to help you correct it."

Shizune froze for a moment.

She glared at him.

This guy was always trying to make her "accept" his Will of Fire.

"I look forward to your speech draft," Shinho said with a straight face, locking eyes with her.

Shizune's heart skipped a beat, her cheeks flushing with red.

She bit her lip, an odd thought suddenly crossing her mind.

Should I… on purpose… Her face turned even redder.

Without another word, Shizune fled in embarrassment.

…

As the sun began to set, a hurried knock sounded at the door.

"Come in," Shinho said, already guessing who it was.

"Hokage-sama!"

Anko Mitarashi burst in, "Here's the mission report."

Shinho opened the report and scanned its contents.

It was mostly consistent with the storyline he remembered.

The only difference was that this time, the antagonist Amachi had been defeated by Hinata.

"Hokage-sama, there's one more thing," Anko said, her hands clasped together as she spoke earnestly. "Could you ask Tsunade-sama to spare some time to check on Isaribi?"

"Of course," Shinho replied with a glance at her.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama!"

Anko sighed in relief.

Isaribi had undergone inhuman modifications, turning her into a mermaid-like creature.

Although she had visited Konoha Hospital, they were helpless with her condition.

As a last resort, Anko had thought of the retired Tsunade.

"Hokage-sama," Anko added, pulling out another scroll, "This is Amachi's research data."

"It's useless. Hand it over to the Anbu for safekeeping," Shinho said after skimming through it quickly.

"Understood."

Anko took the scroll, bowed, and left to carry out his orders.

…

Stretching lazily, Shinho stood up.

Instead of returning to the Senju Residence, he made his way to the Hyuga Clan's compound.

A few minutes later, Shinho stood before the high walls of the Hyuga estate and easily vaulted over them.

With practiced familiarity, he navigated his way to Hinata's room.

The window was open.

Peeking inside, he saw Hinata seated at her desk, diligently writing.

Shinho smiled and pulled out a box of takoyaki.

The savory aroma wafted through the air.

Hinata sniffed the scent, her head turning instinctively.

Her eyes widened when she saw him.

"Shinho-kun!" she exclaimed, rushing to the window.

Her forehead protector bounced against her mesh undershirt as she moved.

Shinho noted that she was becoming more comparable to Tsunade in certain areas.

He held up the takoyaki. "Want one?"

Hinata nodded eagerly.

It had been a long time since she had received a treat from Shinho.

Tucking her hair behind her ear, Hinata leaned forward slightly and took a bite of the takoyaki.

Her soft lips gleamed faintly with oil.

"Ah, it's hot," Hinata said, sticking out her tongue instinctively.

"Are you okay?" Shinho asked quickly.

"I'm..fine," Hinata replied, chewing carefully before swallowing.

"It's my fault," Shinho said, blowing on the remaining takoyaki to cool it down.

Hinata watched him, her fingers clutching her clothes nervously as her face turned pink.

"Here, try again," Shinho said, his eyes bright as he handed her the cooled takoyaki.

Blushing, Hinata accepted it. Her shy, bashful demeanor made her look even more adorable.

"Shinho-kun, why don't you come inside?" Hinata suddenly realized he was still standing outside the window and quickly invited him in.

"Here, take this," Shinho handed her the box of takoyaki before climbing into the room.

Though she was the Hyuga clan's eldest daughter, Hinata's room was simple and unadorned, lacking any particular luxury.

Having visited numerous times, Shinho found nothing surprising.

"Mission report?" Shinho glanced at the scroll on her desk.

"It's an assignment from Yamato-sensei," Hinata nodded.

"I see."

Shinho's gaze drifted downward, noticing that Hinata, being at home, was barefoot.

"Shinho-kun…"

Hinata felt his gaze and tensed, her toes curling slightly as a blush spread across her face.

"Did you just return?" Shinho asked, gesturing for her to sit.

"About half an hour ago," Hinata replied, sitting across from him despite the odd feeling in her heart.

She looked down, catching sight of her bare feet peeking out. Does Shinho-kun like them?

Though embarrassed, Hinata couldn't help but feel a small sense of happiness.

"Why not rest first? Writing the report can wait," Shinho suggested with a smile.

"I planned to finish the report first and then bathe and rest," Hinata replied, unconsciously licking her lips as the smell of takoyaki lingered in the room.

"Go ahead, eat," Shinho said, picking up a skewer of takoyaki and offering it to her.

Hinata didn't refuse. Smiling gently, she took a bite and savored it slowly.

Ten minutes later, Hinata had finished the entire box of takoyaki.

"You're attending the academy's opening ceremony in a few days?" Shinho asked, suddenly recalling Hanabi, who was about to enter her sixth year.

"If I don't have any missions, I'll accompany Hanabi," Hinata replied, tilting her head. "Shinho-kun, are you attending too?"

"I'm the Hokage," Shinho said, tapping her on the cheek. "What do you think?"

"Eh?"

Hinata's surprised reaction turned into understanding after a few seconds.

The Hokage always delivered a speech at the ceremony each year.

"I won't disturb your rest any longer. See you at the ceremony," Shinho said, patting her head before sliding the mission scroll toward her.

Hinata opened her mouth to say that the report could wait, but Shinho didn't give her the chance.