Naruto Birdcage

That day, after Tsunade returned home, she found that Biwako was unexpectedly waiting for her there, with Shizune by her side, attending to her and keeping her company.

"You came all of a sudden?" Tsunade asked with a slight smile.

"Am I not allowed to?" Biwako replied as she slowly sipped her tea.

"I never said that."

As Tsunade took off her thick outer coat, Biwako's gaze carefully examined her outfit.

She found the black stockings and tight skirt rather out of place on Tsunade, completely different from the image she had of her.

Noticing Biwako's gaze, Tsunade felt slightly uncomfortable and said, "I'll go change my clothes first."

With that, she walked into her bedroom.

A few minutes later, she returned wearing a comfortable set of loungewear, then sat down beside Biwako and poured herself a cup of tea.

Biwako then turned to Shizune and said, "Shizune, go prepare dinner. You don't have to make any for me—I won't be eating here tonight."

However, Tsunade asked, "Why not? There's no reason you can't eat here."

"Asuma is still waiting for me at home."

"He's a grown man. He won't starve—he can just go out and buy something to eat."

"I just need to say a few things and then I'll leave."

Seeing that she couldn't convince Biwako otherwise, Tsunade stopped insisting.

"Alright, then. What do you want to say?"

Holding her teacup in both hands, Biwako sat quietly for a moment before finally speaking.

"The day after tomorrow is Jiraiya's execution, isn't it?"

The moment those words left Biwako's lips, Tsunade froze.

Her expression quickly fell into sadness.

It sounded like a question, but it was something everyone in the village already knew.

"Yeah."

"You've seen Jiraiya, haven't you?"

"I have."

"How is he?"

"How else could he be…" Tsunade let out a long sigh and slowly said, "Still the same as always. He actually seems pretty carefree."

"..."

The atmosphere instantly became heavy.

The two of them sat side by side on the couch in silence.

One was Jiraiya's teacher's wife, the other his dearest friend—both were people deeply connected to him.

After a long period of quiet, Biwako spoke again.

"You've been staying by the Hokage's side this whole time, haven't you?"

"…Yeah."

Biwako traced her fingers along the rim of her teacup, her gaze fixed on the distorted reflections in the liquid inside.

"Any progress?"

"…No."

Tsunade took small sips of her tea as if she were drinking alcohol.

A few strands of golden hair hung down over her forehead, and her unfocused gaze wandered across the surface of the table.

"Maybe… you're going about it the wrong way," Biwako suddenly said.

Tsunade's hand holding the teacup paused.

She seemed to want to look at Biwako, but halfway through turning her head, she lowered it again.

Biwako also avoided her gaze.

The living room was utterly silent.

Only the sounds from the kitchen broke the stillness—the crackle of the stove lighting up, the sizzle of hot oil, the clatter of the spatula against the pan…

In this environment, where it was unclear whether it was silent or noisy, Tsunade asked, "Do you… know what I'm doing?"

Biwako hesitated for a moment before slowly saying, "I think… you should do something more direct and useful."

"..."

Tsunade's grip on her teacup suddenly tightened, then slowly loosened again.

She buried her head low, her upper body slumped forward, supported only by her arms.

"You're right… I understand now."

"..."

Biwako gently placed her teacup on the table, then slowly stood up.

"I'll be going now."

Tsunade didn't respond, sitting there motionless with her head lowered, as if she hadn't heard anything.

Biwako didn't say anything more.

She watched Tsunade for a moment, her gaze flickering, then turned and left.

Halfway through cooking, Shizune came out and, seeing that only Tsunade remained in the living room, asked, "Has Lady Biwako already left?"

Tsunade didn't respond.

She lay down on the sofa, facing inward, as if she had fallen asleep.

"Lady Tsunade?"

Shizune hesitated for a moment, then took a thick blanket and gently draped it over Tsunade.

............

The Day Before the Execution.

In the morning, while Tsunade was attending to Makoto, she seemed somewhat distracted.

When serving him tea, she accidentally knocked over his cup.

It had been a long time since she last made such a mistake, but she skillfully knelt down to apologize without hesitation.

Makoto, however, was not angry.

He calmly wiped his pants with a napkin, dabbing at the tea that had dripped onto the table.

"Yesterday, Lady Biwako invited me to her home as a guest," he suddenly said.

Tsunade was caught off guard by his unexpected remark and, still kneeling, lifted her head to look at him.

"She begged me to spare Jiraiya and even offered a rather valuable bargain."

"But I refused."

Tsunade remained stunned for a long moment before silently lowering her head again.

Makoto told her not to kneel there any longer, as it was disrupting his work.

She got up and went into the lounge.

Just then, Samui walked in carrying a stack of documents.

Noticing a few wet pages on the table, she asked in surprise, "How did these get wet?"

"Tsunade knocked over the cup," Makoto replied.

Samui gave him a knowing look and asked, "Did you do something to her?"

Makoto glanced at her and said, "What do you think?"

Samui pressed her lips into a smile. "No particular reason. I'll go get some new documents."

At noon, after finishing his lunch, Makoto lay down on the bed, preparing for a nap, only to find that the bedding was cold.

For the past few days, Tsunade had always taken the initiative to warm his bed, but today, for some reason—whether she forgot or something else—she hadn't done so.

Makoto didn't say anything, but then he suddenly heard the faint sound of a door being locked.

"Sorry, Lord Hokage, I forgot to warm your bed."

Tsunade stood behind the door, facing away from him.

She was the one who locked it.

The sound of her high heels tapping against the wooden floor was clear as she took measured steps toward him.

As she walked, she unbuttoned her blouse, unzipped her skirt—each piece of clothing slipping to the floor, one by one.

Eventually, she climbed into the bed, pressing her body against Makoto's.

"Is it still cold now?"

Makoto looked at her with an unreadable expression. "What are you trying to do?"

Tsunade pursed her lips. "Nothing… I just want to make sure you're warm and comfortable."

Makoto, however, smirked mockingly. "What, don't you want to get something from me anymore?"

"..."

"Haven't you always treated this as your trump card? Your last bargaining chip?"

Beneath the covers, Tsunade's body shifted slightly as she murmured, "No… I just want to serve you well, Lord Hokage."

Makoto reached out, lifting her chin so that she had no choice but to meet his gaze.

From his elevated position, he looked down at her.

"But your eyes… they bore me."

"..."

"Samui." Makoto's voice suddenly rose slightly, and with a mere wave of his hand, the locked door clicked open.

Moments later, the sound of approaching footsteps grew nearer, and Tsunade instinctively curled up slightly.

Samui stepped into the room, her expression composed as she looked at the two on the bed.

"Teach her," Makoto said.

"Teach her how she should be looking at me."

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