Naruto: Starting with Tsunade-san

Early the next morning.

Big Tsunade proactively approached Little Tsunade to ask if she had considered yesterday's proposal.

Without hesitation, Little Tsunade nodded and agreed.

Big Tsunade smiled warmly.

"Stare…"

Noticing a pair of eyes fixed on her chest, Big Tsunade immediately understood and couldn't help teasing her younger self. She puffed out her chest slightly. "Jealous, huh?"

The teasing didn't provoke much of a reaction from Little Tsunade.

"Uh…"

It was like punching a pillow of cotton—completely ineffective. Big Tsunade was confused.

ω

Little Tsunade's gaze was sly, her expression mischievous like a cat's.

Big Tsunade was even more baffled, as she caught a fleeting maternal kindness in the younger one's eyes.

Recalling how Little Tsunade had just been staring at her chest, Big Tsunade glanced down at herself.

All she saw was a deep, white cleavage and a turquoise crystal necklace dangling on her chest.

It was the First Hokage's necklace, an incredibly valuable and recognizable heirloom.

Big Tsunade's heart skipped a beat.

Oh no, could she have figured something out?

"Let's go, my dear… uh, no, Sister Rangiku. Let's get started with today's lessons."

Tsunade slipped up and blurted out something inappropriate before quickly correcting herself.

Big Tsunade heard it loud and clear, and her lips twitched uncontrollably.

D-Daughter…

That morning, Big Tsunade took time to carefully examine Orochimaru and Jiraiya's injuries and then crafted a precise treatment plan. She explained every detail of the process to her younger self.

Perhaps because they were essentially the same person, Little Tsunade picked up the knowledge with ease.

In no time, it was already midday—time for lunch.

Big Tsunade paused the lesson. "Let's stop here for now."

Little Tsunade left the room. "I'm going to check on Tōshirō . I'll be back soon."

Big Tsunade watched her leave, shaking her head slightly.

"Tsunade-sama, earlier this morning, did you hear what Little Tsunade called you?"

Shizune, who had been holding back laughter for a while, finally couldn't suppress it and let out an ungraceful snort. "She called you her daughter…"

Big Tsunade: …

"Do you think it's because Little Tsunade saw the First Hokage's necklace around your neck, combined with the Yin Seal on your forehead, your appearance, and your exceptional medical ninjutsu skills? After all, in this era, your actual age is over 50…"

Tsunade's ear twitched, and she let out a deliberate "Ah~," her tone drawn out with a hint of menace.

Shizune shrank her neck, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She knew Tsunade hated it when people mentioned her real age. "Uh… but your current appearance, with flawless skin and beauty, makes you look just like a twenty-year-old! It's only natural for her to think that way."

Big Tsunade pursed her lips in frustration, her expression gloomy. "What a troublesome little brat…"

"Tsunade-sama, how do you plan to handle this?"

"What else can I do? Let's just silently agree to disagree for now…"

Shizune couldn't hold back a giggle. Being mistaken as her own daughter by her past self was simply too amusing.

"Shizune, I've noticed you've been slacking off lately. Let me give you some special training."

Big Tsunade clasped her hands together, cracking her knuckles, a faintly ominous smile spreading across her face.

"Uh…"

Shizune's laughter froze.

"Let's begin immediately."

"No, please, Tsunade-sama, I was wrong!"

Shizune cried out in despair and tried to flee.

Tsunade pressed a single hand on her shoulder, her strength surging through her fingers, making Shizune wince in pain.

"My special training is a little painful. You'll need to endure it."

"Eeeeeek—!"

.....

A few days later, Tōshirō was discharged from the hospital without issue.

Stretching his body, Tōshirō felt fantastic and couldn't help but sigh, "It's great to be alive..."

Big Tsunade subtly observed Tōshirō , her curiosity about him growing. She decided to use the occasion of his discharge celebration as an opportunity to probe for information about him.

Tōshirō leaned sideways and expressed his gratitude once again, showering her with exaggerated compliments.

"You've got quite the sweet tongue, huh? You must be very popular in your everyday life," Big Tsunade remarked, forming a rather favorable impression of him.

Tsunade, however, pouted and mercilessly exposed his true nature: "He's not like this at all. Back in the village, he's super annoying."

Big Tsunade's interest was piqued even further.

To celebrate his discharge, the four of them went to a barbecue restaurant together.

Naturally, the conversation over the meal flowed freely.

"Sister Rangiku, you're so sneaky. You get to dig into our business, but we can't dig into yours," Tsunade complained, puffing her cheeks.

"That's different," Big Tsunade deflected. "Tell me more about the two of you—I'm really curious."

Tsunade gave her a brief rundown of their story.

"Classmates, huh..."

Big Tsunade, slightly tipsy and flushed from drinking, tried to recall if she remembered someone like Tōshirō , but no matter how hard she thought, nothing came to mind.

She remained composed while listening—at least until she heard that Tōshirō was from the Uchiha clan. She nearly choked on her drink.

"Are you okay?"

Tsunade asked with concern.

"I'm fine, just drank too fast," Big Tsunade replied, wiping the spilled alcohol from her lips. On the surface, she appeared calm, but internally, her emotions were in chaos.

The idea that Tōshirō was her past lover was shocking enough, but to discover he was also an Uchiha?

Big Tsunade took another sip of alcohol to calm herself.

In her time, there had been a rift between the Senju and Uchiha clans. Given their respective backgrounds, a relationship between the two would undoubtedly face significant opposition.

"Uh, there's something I'm not sure I should ask..."

"What is it?"

Tsunade and Tōshirō asked simultaneously.

"You two are together? Hasn't there been any opposition from your families?"

Tsunade's cheeks turned slightly red as she traced circles on the table with her finger, speaking shyly, "We only confirmed our relationship recently after going through some things together. Neither of our families knows yet."

"Oh, that explains it..." Big Tsunade nodded, keeping her expression calm. Of course, she thought, it was only natural for their families to oppose.

But something still didn't add up. Why couldn't she remember anything about Tōshirō ?

Big Tsunade racked her brain trying to figure it out.

Suddenly, a thought struck her: If she hadn't saved Tōshirō, wouldn't that mean he wouldn't exist in her present, bringing events closer to how they were historically?

The idea made her regret saving Tōshirō , if only briefly.

But that didn't explain why she had no memory of him at all.

The more she thought, the more puzzled she became.

She wasn't someone who liked overthinking, but the situation in front of her was simply too bizarre.

If she couldn't figure this out, she feared she wouldn't be able to eat or sleep in peace.

Her head began to ache, so she turned to alcohol for relief.

If only Big Tsunade had known about the concept of parallel universes, she might not have become so fixated.

Instead, her thoughts shifted. Could it be that during their trip to the past, something went wrong? Perhaps Tōshirō disappeared or died, leaving only Little Tsunade to safely return to the past.

Maybe the grief was so overwhelming that the people in the village deliberately erased her memories of Tōshirō and ensured no one brought him up again.

If that explanation were true, then her lack of memories about Tōshirō made perfect sense.

And if that were the case, then Dan Katō wouldn't have been her first love—this Uchiha boy, Tōshirō , would've been. Was Dan just the third wheel all along???

(End of Chapter)

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