Chapter 71: Thanks for the Meal—Now Apologize
"Ngh..."
Tsunade felt like she'd slept for an eternity.
Her eyes fluttered open, consciousness still foggy, unable to remember where she was or what had happened before she lost consciousness.
The next second, her head erupted with needle-sharp pain. She sucked in a sharp breath.
The sensation was intense—like when your leg falls asleep and blood suddenly rushes back when you stand.
Fortunately, the pain came and went quickly.
When it finally faded, Tsunade's memories came flooding back.
Ransacking the chamber. Katsuyu's warning. The salamander bursting from underground. Poison filling her lungs. Hanzo of the Salamander's killing strike. And then Yoru appearing through the purple smoke, risking exposure to the salamander's deadly toxins to pull her away—the images flickered through her mind like a slideshow.
"That kid..."
Tsunade bolted upright, a cry of genuine concern echoing through the cave.
Then...
She locked eyes with a pair of wide, startled ones.
Night had fallen. Outside, rain pounded down in sheets. After recovering his chakra completely, Yoru had teleported to Fire Country to gather dry firewood and built a small campfire.
The burning wood crackled and popped, casting an orange-red glow throughout the dim cave.
Worried Tsunade might catch cold, Yoru had moved her deeper into the cave. The fire burned not far from her feet, and he sat across from her, keeping constant watch.
Tsunade's sudden movement brought them face to face, separated only by the small fire.
Earlier, Yoru had mentioned the jonin vest was quite heavy. The white undershirt beneath, torn open during treatment, had only revealed a modest glimpse when she was lying down—enough for Yoru to confirm the "vacuum seal" situation, but nothing more.
Now, sitting up abruptly, the jonin vest draped over her slipped off instantly. Her figure, diminished by gravity when lying down, returned to its full glory.
The two events coincided perfectly. The falling vest either pressed against or caught on the torn opening, giving Yoru a front-row seat to watch the "vacuum seal" explosively deploy in real-time.
This was, without question, the most visually devastating sight Yoru had witnessed in both lifetimes combined.
Even he couldn't help but stare, completely dumbstruck.
Several seconds of stunned silence passed before Yoru recovered. He raised his thumb toward Tsunade with genuine appreciation.
"Thanks for the meal!"
Then he quickly plugged his ears with his fingers.
When Tsunade finally came back to her senses and followed Yoru's gaze downward—
"AHHHHH—"
The piercing shriek would have been deafening even with his ears plugged. Yoru's face twisted in pain.
The sound of rain pounding outside vanished as if someone had hit a mute button.
The mountain itself seemed to shudder violently.
When the scream finally ended, Tsunade—who'd never even dated anyone, much less anything more—was hugging her arms across her chest, face flushed with humiliation as she glared at Yoru. "You bastard! What did you do to me?"
Hearing this entirely predictable accusation, Yoru spread his hands helplessly. "What could someone my age possibly do to you? How about you remember what happened before you passed out, then check your own body?"
Tsunade calmed down slightly.
Her mind replayed those final moments—the salamander erupting from below to release poison gas, the slash that nearly killed her, and finally the thrust that Yoru blocked with the Sword of Thunder God.
Still not fully conscious, Tsunade actually lowered her arms and began examining her body, giving Yoru another eyeful.
The way her hands moved during the inspection created an even more visually striking scene than moments before.
Suddenly realizing something, Tsunade's movements froze. Her face flushed crimson from bottom to top.
But since this was her own mistake, she could only turn around silently and continue her examination.
After hiding the vacuum seal away, Tsunade discovered the tear wasn't particularly large. What just happened was purely accidental.
Not only had Yoru done nothing inappropriate—he'd actually treated her injuries.
Remembering that Yoru was even younger than her brother Nawaki, Tsunade silently wore the jonin vest backward, then turned around while forcing herself to appear calm. She coughed lightly. "Ahem... I misunderstood you."
As she spoke, her eyes darted everywhere except toward Yoru.
"Tsunade-sama, please apologize to me." Yoru's voice turned serious.
"What did you say?"
Tsunade was genuinely shocked, staring at Yoru in disbelief at his audacity.
A vein bulged on her forehead. A red "#" symbol seemed to appear near her temple.
Before she could explode, Yoru spoke quietly. "I risked inhaling the salamander's deadly poison to race death itself and save you. During treatment, I worried about disrespecting you and carefully tore only a small opening. Yet I still get accused and slandered. Don't you think you owe me an apology?"
"I... I'm sorry."
Tsunade felt genuinely embarrassed by Yoru's righteous tone and apologized instinctively.
But the next second, her anger flared. "Wait—didn't you just see everything?"
"But... I said 'thanks for the meal,' didn't I?" Yoru countered.
"Thanks for nothing! Go to hell!"
Tsunade snapped. She sprang to her feet, preparing to launch a jumping punch.
Yoru seemed to have anticipated this exact moment. His figure appeared without warning beside Tsunade, and he tapped her shoulder.
Tadpole-shaped curse marks spread across her skin immediately, seizing control of her body.
Tsunade glared at him furiously.
"Violent woman. Can't win an argument, so you throw a tantrum."
Yoru made his teasing comment, then released the Four Limbs Seal and returned to his original position.
Her punch frozen mid-strike, Tsunade sat down cross-legged as well, arms folded across her chest, facing sideways away from Yoru in sullen silence.
Then came a loud pop, followed by an enticing aroma.
Tsunade couldn't help but glance over from the corner of her eye.
"Alright, I was just teasing you."
Yoru held out a fragrant roasted chicken toward Tsunade. The firelight illuminated his handsome features, which carried a slight smile. "Come on, petty woman. You were unconscious for hours. Eat something first."
"Gulp."
Staring at the chicken—clearly roasted not long ago and then wrapped for preservation—Tsunade's mouth watered uncontrollably. She swallowed hard, hesitating whether to accept Yoru's peace offering.
Her stomach chose that moment to rumble loudly. Having lost what remained of her dignity, Tsunade finally gave up.
"Listen, brat—make that joke again and I'll send you to the emergency room."
Tsunade shot Yoru a look, using the exact same threat Kushina always made.
Then she snatched the roasted chicken and began devouring it.
Realizing her eating might look undignified, Tsunade's movements slowed. She glanced at Yoru instinctively.
When she saw him sitting with his elbow on his knee, chin resting on the back of his hand, watching her with amusement dancing in his eyes—
Meeting those ice-blue eyes reflecting the firelight, Tsunade's gaze darted away for reasons she couldn't explain. She quickly buried her attention in the chicken.
Perhaps it was sitting close to the fire. Perhaps it was the heat rising from the freshly torn chicken. Either way, Tsunade's cheeks felt warm.
Faintly, beyond the sound of rain, both of them seemed to hear the rhythm of heartbeats—thump, thump—echoing in the cave.
***
20+advance chapters at patreon.com/Eatinpieces