"Is it time?"
Kiyoshi stretched, signaling the end of his day. He delegated the remaining tasks to his wood clones and briefly checked on Moegi.
He could sense the girl's chakra soaring, each cell in her body radiating a vibrant life force. Deciding not to wake her, he disappeared from the base.
Inside a modest inn—
Kiyoshi appeared in the room and immediately froze in surprise.
Shizune was standing there, staring blankly at him, her eyes wide with shock. The sound of running water echoed from the bathroom.
"Ah…. Oh…." Shizune flushed, nearly crying out before Kiyoshi quickly covered her mouth, coughing awkwardly, "Shizune-senpai, this was purely an accident."
"Kiyoshi, how could you…?" she murmured, her face flushed as he released her.
"Well, I didn't know you were in the middle of…."
Kiyoshi glanced at Shizune, her cheeks still rosy, and then, with a teasing grin, leaned closer. "But, Shizune-senpai, it's been a few days, and I missed you a bit."
"Kiyoshi..." Shizune's face softened, but her cheeks turned even redder. She pointed to the door. "Could you…. go out for a minute first?"
"No way," Kiyoshi replied without hesitation, leaning close to her ear and whispering a few words that made her cheeks grow crimson.
She was about to get up, but suddenly she paused, eyes widening with a dazed expression.
For a while, they stayed close, savoring the moment. Finally, Kiyoshi brushed a tender kiss against Shizune's smooth face, his voice soothing, almost enchanting.
"Kiyoshi…. you're so bad…. but, only this once." Shizune whispered, still blushing.
Kiyoshi had come all this way just to see her, even before meeting Lady Tsunade, and her heart felt full and warm.
Some time later—
In the quiet room, Kiyoshi handed a glass of water to Shizune, who was blushing intensely, glancing at him with a mix of shyness and fondness.
He asked casually, "Is Tsunade-nee and Karin off on a mission?"
He had sensed their chakra earlier, noticing they weren't in the inn but somewhere in town. It was only because of their absence that he'd dared to be so bold.
"No," Shizune replied with a helpless sigh. "Today's payday, so Lady Tsunade took Karin to the casino."
Despite being the group's treasurer, Shizune had become slightly bolder under Kiyoshi's influence, often refusing Tsunade's unreasonable requests.
But she still couldn't stop Tsunade entirely.
Kiyoshi shook his head in silent resignation, wrapping an arm around Shizune as they sat. He lifted his gaze, a playful glint in his eye. "Did you miss me these past few days?"
Shizune blushed but boldly sat on his lap, cupping his face.
"You come back, and the first thing you do is ask me to do such embarrassing things. You're such a bad guy."
"Doesn't my dear senpai like it?" Kiyoshi teased, stealing a quick peck.
"Well, I..." Shizune's face grew even redder as she stammered, clearly flustered but unwilling to resist.
Kiyoshi chuckled, full of affection, as he held her close, enjoying a precious moment together.
Shizune trembled slightly, looking into Kiyoshi's eyes, her gaze full of warmth.
"Kiyoshi..."
"Yes?"
…..
Time passed without a sound. By the time Tsunade and Karin returned, the atmosphere in the room had settled.
Kiyoshi and Shizune sat innocently, as if nothing had happened, but they couldn't hide their serene expressions.
"Kiyoshi…. What are you doing here?"
Karin's eyes lit up with delight when she saw him.
"Missed you all, of course." Kiyoshi grinned. "Aren't you moved?" He opened his arms. "How about a hug?"
"Hmph, I don't want one," Karin replied, but her body betrayed her, eagerly leaning in to embrace him.
Before she got close, Kiyoshi put a large hand on her head, ruffling her bright red hair playfully.
"Not so fast. A beauty like me can't be hugged by just anyone."
"Kiyoshi, you... arrogant jerk." Karin's eyes sparkled with frustration.
She lunged to smack him, but he swiftly countered, binding her with vines that lifted her gently off the floor and sealed her chakra, preventing any resistance.
"Alright, enough," Tsunade chuckled. "So, what brings you here?"
It had only been ten days, but she missed this mischievous disciple of hers more than she cared to admit. His absence had even made her restless at night.
"Besides missing you all, I brought a little something." Kiyoshi retrieved two intricate scrolls from his pocket, smiling. "Can you guess what these are?"
Hearing that, Karin blushed, suddenly flustered, any earlier annoyance evaporating.
"I guess…. I can forgive you," she declared, folding her arms and pretending to be magnanimous, though her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she peeked at the scrolls.
"What are they? Explosive tags?"
"Nope, not explosive tags." Tsunade examined the complex designs on the scrolls, her brow furrowing.
The center bore an unfamiliar symbol, distinctly different from the usual "explosive" mark.
"How unusual. I've never seen a symbol like this before," Shizune remarked, her eyes also drawn to the design.
"Just try adding a little chakra to it, Tsunade," Kiyoshi said with a knowing smile, handing one of the Flying Thunder God scrolls to her while holding its paired scroll himself.
He stepped back, motioning for her to proceed.
Tsunade raised a brow, cautiously channeling chakra into the scroll.
In an instant—
Not only was Tsunade affected, but Karin and Shizune, too, as the space around them warped.
A split second later, Tsunade found herself in Kiyoshi's arms, her face inches from his, their gazes locking.
"What?"
---------------
Guys do leave some power stones and reviews.
🤞patreon.com/plotplanner🤞
If you guys enjoy this story, you can support me on Patreon and get access to Advance Chapters, it really helps me to work on new chapters.