Chapter 53

his next words came out direct and without hesitation. 

"I'm not here for alliances or games. I'm here because I want you. I want you to be by my side—not just as an ally, but as my woman."

Tsunade's eyes widened, the shock and disbelief evident on her face. For a moment, she was speechless, staring at him as though he'd lost his mind. Then, her surprise shifted to incredulity, and a derisive laugh escaped her.

"Are you serious?" she scoffed, her hands on her hips. "You're a brat, barely older than my apprentice, and you think you can roll in here and propose something anything?" She shook her head, her amusement tinged with bitterness. 

"I'm over 50, kid. Fifty. What makes you think a kid like you could handle someone like me?"

Hiro didn't flinch at her words. 

"Age is just a number. You're not just anyone, Tsunade. You're stronger, sma.. And I'm not just any brat."

"And you think because you have a pretty face and some power, I'm just going to say yes?" She leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. 

"Tell you what, brat. You cure my fear of blood—something that no one has been able to do for decades—and I'll consider it. But don't expect me to go easy on you, and don't expect to succeed. Not even you can fix that."

Hiro's grin widened, unfazed by the challenge. "Deal. If I can take away your fear, you'll be mine."

Tsunade crossed her arms, still skeptical. "You really think you can do it?"

Hiro took a step closer, his voice lowering. "I know I can."

She raised an eyebrow, still unconvinced but intrigued despite herself. "Fine, brat. You've got yourself a deal. But don't cry when you fail."

Hiro chuckled softly.

Tsunade's gaze lingered on him for a moment, her lips pressing into a thin line. "We'll see about that."

She shot him a look that silenced him for a moment before turning back to Shizune who had just returned.

"By the way," Tsunade said, her tone shifting slightly, "this brat right here is the one we were looking for."

Shizune blinked, her eyes widening as she stared at Hiro in shock. "Him?"

Tsunade waved it off. "Doesn't matter anymore. The search is over. And for now..." she paused, looking back at Hiro, who looked all too pleased with himself, "he'll be sticking around for a bit. So get used to it."

Shizune, still processing everything, nodded slowly, her gaze shifting between the two of them. "Wait... you're letting him stay with us?"

"Yes," Tsunade replied. "He'll be hanging around for a while. No need to ask any more questions about it."

Shizune's eyes narrowed suspiciously as she looked at Hiro, but she didn't argue. "Understood, Tsunade-sama."

Soon Shizune left the room, Tsunade turned back to Hiro, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You know," she said, her voice carrying a note of mild amusement, "you haven't even told me your name, brat."

"Ah, right. I got a little ahead of myself." He stepped forward and locked eyes with her "Hiro."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Hiro, huh?" She seemed to let the name roll around in her mind for a moment before giving a slight nod. "Well, Hiro, you'd better not make me regret letting you stick around."

Hiro smirked. "I won't."

Tsunade's gaze lingered on him for a second longer before she turned away, her mind already whirling with thoughts about how things might unfold. "We'll see," she muttered under her breath, just loud enough for him to hear. 

Tsunade turned her attention to the desk in the corner, shuffling through some papers As Tsunade organized her documents, she spoke over her shoulder. 

"I'll have Shizune fill you in on the details of our daily routine. You'll need to stay out of the way while you're here, and try not to make a mess of things."

Hiro nodded. "Understood."

Tsunade finally turned back to face him, her expression softening slightly. "Good. We have a lot to do, and I don't need any additional complications."

Hiro raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "What kind of complications do you mean?"

Tsunade's eyes flicked to his with a hint of amusement. "Oh, nothing too serious. Just the usual challenges of running this place and dealing with my... personal issues. But you'll see soon enough."

Before Hiro could respond, Tsunade gestured toward the door. "Shizune will be back shortly."

 ...

As Hiro walked through the bustling streets of the village, the chill of the night settling on his skin. 

He had made a promise—a bold one—to cure her fear of blood. But, truthfully, he had no idea how to do it. Zero.

As he walked, he traced the shape of his shadow on the ground.

He had one idea. using his Mangekyō Sharingan.

Could it really work?

The Mangekyō is powerful, there was no doubt about that. 

Its genjutsu could bend reality, make illusions feel as real as life itself. 

But curing a phobia… something buried so deep in Tsunade's heart… that was a different kind of challenge. One mistake, and things could go horribly wrong.

Still, it felt possible. If he could create a world within her mind, one where the blood didn't trigger fear, didn't paralyze her… maybe then, he could free her from it.

Hiro rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing. 

"I'll just have to try," he muttered under his breath.

 ...

In The morning Somewhere in Konoha, the Hidden Leaf Village...

"As of today, you all are ninjas," the instructor, Iruka, said, his voice calm but authoritative. 

He stood before the group of eager students, his Leaf forehead protector gleaming under the midday sun, and the scar across his nose drawing attention as always. 

"To get here, you've all faced difficult trials and hardship. But that's nothing. What comes next will be far more difficult. Now you are Genin, first-level ninjas. 

All the Genin will be grouped into three-man squads. Each squad will be led by a Jonin, an elite ninja."

///

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