Chapter 58: Lessons and a Kiss
"Um... I want to apologize for what my grandfather did to you," Tsunade said, her voice soft. Thinking about how the Second Hokage had treated Tenchi, she felt it was deeply unfair. She started to bow formally to him.
Seeing her bend over, Tenchi quickly stopped her. "Hey, it's okay. What your grandfather did was his own choice. It has nothing to do with you. Besides, he was doing what he thought was best for the village. I stopped holding a grudge against him a long time ago. If I were the Hokage back then, I might have done the same thing."
"Thank you, Tenchi," she said, relief washing over her.
"It's nothing," he replied with a small smile.
For a moment, they just stood there, looking at each other. The world around them seemed to fade away, and the night grew quiet.
Watching them, Nawaki finally couldn't take it anymore. "Sister, why are you apologizing to him? Grandfather Tobirama was the Second Hokage! He was always right! I agree with everything he did! He was the strongest shinobi after Grandfather Hashirama!"
"Rope Tree!" Tsunade snapped, her anger flaring up again.
But Tenchi just held up a hand to stop her. He turned his calm gaze to Nawaki. "Your grandfather Hashirama was truly powerful. Everyone knows he was the God of Shinobi. And while Senju Tobirama wasn't as strong as your Grandfather Hashirama, he was still an amazing shinobi."
"Hmph! It's good that you know that!" Nawaki said, puffing out his chest with pride. As the grandson of two Hokage, he felt superior.
But his pride was short-lived.
"Senju Tobirama was clever, I'll give him that," Tenchi continued, his tone shifting. "But his methods were often underhanded." He looked directly at Nawaki, a clear challenge in his eyes.
"What?! How dare you say that about my grandfather! He was the Second Hokage! You'll be punished for speaking like that!" Nawaki shouted, his face turning red with anger.
He was incredibly proud of his heritage, and he was determined to become Hokage himself one day. To hear someone insult his grandfather was something he would never accept.
Tsunade was stuck in the middle, feeling torn. On one side was her little brother, and on the other was the boy she had feelings for. She didn't know who to side with.
"Tenchi..." she said softly, tugging on his sleeve, begging him to let it go.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Tenchi said, turning to her. He gently patted her hand to reassure her.
Then he looked back at Nawaki, his expression full of disdain. "Punish me? Who is going to punish me? I wasn't wrong in the first place. Your grandfather was underhanded."
"You bastard! How can you say that?!" Enraged, Nawaki threw a wild punch at Tenchi.
Tenchi didn't even flinch. He simply caught Nawaki's fist in his hand, holding it tightly. He then slowly began to squeeze.
"Ah! You villain, let me go! I'm the First Hokage's grandson! If you hurt me, you'll be thrown in prison!" Nawaki yelled, the pain making his threat sound weak.
Tenchi just let out a cold laugh. "Hmph. I don't care if you're the First's grandson. Even if Hashirama Senju himself were standing right here, he wouldn't dare to threaten me."
He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a serious, cutting tone. "Who do you think you are? What do you have besides your famous name? Your strength is pathetic. A loudmouth with no power. With skills like yours on a real battlefield, you wouldn't just be a failure. You'd be dead." With that, he shoved Nawaki's hand away.
"Let's go, Tsunade," Tenchi said, taking her hand and leading her away. He left Nawaki standing alone in the street, completely stunned.
Nawaki stood frozen for a long moment. Then, two tears rolled down his cheeks. He wasn't sobbing, but the tears wouldn't stop. He had been born into privilege, always admired and envied wherever he went. No one had ever dared to speak to him like that. Everyone, upon hearing he was the First Hokage's grandson, treated him with respect and special favor. No one had ever been as disrespectful as Tenchi, insulting both him and his grandfather.
"Tenchi, wasn't that a little too harsh?" Tsunade said after they had walked a little way. "Nawaki is still just a child."
"It's fine," Tenchi replied calmly. "Nawaki's spirit isn't that weak. He's just been trapped by his noble status, unable to see past it. He'll be okay after he thinks it over. If he can learn from what I said, his future achievements won't be low." He explained this to Tsunade patiently.
"Alright then," Tsunade said, finally relenting. It was clear that in this argument, her heart was leaning toward Tenchi. Nawaki really had been acting spoiled and unreasonable.
Soon, they reached the gate of the Senju compound.
"Okay, you're home. You should go inside. I'll head back now," Tenchi said. He turned around, ready to leave.
"Wait!"
*'Huh?'* Tenchi stopped. Unhealthy thoughts suddenly flashed through his mind. *'I can't believe it! Tsunade is stopping me. Is she going to ask me to stay the night? A young man and a young woman, alone this late... could it be that she wants to...?'*
*'No, no, how could my thoughts be so dirty? Tsunade wouldn't be like that,'* he told himself. But another part of his mind giggled. *'Then again, maybe even Tsunade has those kinds of needs... Hehehe.'*
"Hey! Tenchi! Are you even listening to me?" Tsunade said, snapping her fingers in front of his giggling face.
"Ah! Yes! What is it?" Tenchi snapped back to reality. He put on a serious face, completely burying the silly daydreams he was just having.
"What were you grinning about?" Tsunade asked, looking at him suspiciously. "I was saying, Nawaki still isn't back. On your way home, can you please check on him? I don't want him to do anything stupid or get lost."
"Oh, that's all? Sure, I understand. I'll go look for him on my way back," Tenchi said. He couldn't hide a flicker of disappointment in his voice and prepared to leave again.
"Wait!" Tsunade called out once more, stopping him in his tracks.
"What is it now? Is there something else?" Tenchi asked, turning back with a puzzled look.
Tsunade didn't answer with words. Instead, she quickly stepped close to him, stood on her toes, and gave him a quick, soft kiss on the cheek. Her face instantly turned a bright red, and without another word, she turned and ran into her house, slamming the door shut behind her.
Tenchi stood frozen on the spot. "Wow... I didn't see that coming. A sneak attack kiss? I'm so lucky!"
He slowly raised a hand and touched the spot on his cheek where her lips had been. "Hehe... Life in Konoha is going to get more and more interesting from now on. Very, very interesting." With a wide, happy smile on his face, he finally started walking toward his own home.
After a short walk, he found Nawaki, right where they had left him, still wiping his tears away.
"Oh? A big man, crying in the street in the middle of the night? Aren't you embarrassed?" Tenchi said, his voice blunt.
"Hmph! I'm not crying! Something just got in my eye!" Nawaki retorted stubbornly, even though it was obvious to anyone what was happening.
"Heh, you don't have to explain yourself to me. I don't really care," Tenchi said. "If you want me to look at you differently, then work hard. Get stronger. When you're strong enough to beat me, then you can pay me back for today. But if you want my respect, you're not qualified yet." He spoke seriously, without any mockery.
"Hmph! Don't get so full of yourself!" Nawaki yelled, his voice cracking with emotion. "One day, I will defeat you with my own power! I'll make you bow down to me and my grandfather! I will become the greatest Hokage! You just wait and see!" He shouted the last words with all his might.
"I'll be waiting, Senju Nawaki," Tenchi replied, his tone almost... encouraging. "But for now, the 'Future Hokage,' you should go home. Your sister is worried about you." His voice softened, sounding almost like an older family member urging a child to come inside.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Nawaki shot back. But he then turned and ran, sprinting all the way back toward his house.