Escaping might be shameful, but it's incredibly useful.
Watching the retreating figure growing increasingly distant, Hayato Ren turned to Uchiha Tajima and tentatively said:
"Father-in-law, I'll go find Mikoto now."
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Tajima's face immediately darkened.
Although he had mentally prepared himself for Hayato Ren and Mikoto being together, hearing Hayato Ren use that form of address still made him want to punch him.
If only he had the ability to do so.
So, Uchiha Tajima simply waved his hand and turned to walk in the opposite direction from Mikoto.
After exchanging pleasantries with Uchiha Tajima, Hayato Ren directly used the Flying Thunder God Technique to appear before Mikoto.
With a soft "thud," Mikoto's body collided directly with Hayato Ren's solid chest.
If Hayato Ren hadn't reached out to steady her, Mikoto would likely have fallen flat on her back.
However, it was precisely this pull that drew Mikoto's body into his embrace.
Instantly, the two fell into silence.
Hayato Ren felt the sensation of soft jade in his arms, a secret delight rising in his heart.
Simultaneously, a subtle fragrance, entirely different from Kushina's and Tsunade's, reached his nose.
The scent was very faint—had they not been so close, Hayato Ren wouldn't have been able to detect it at all.
This must be Mikoto's unique body scent. After all, beautiful women are often described as having fragrant sweat.
Meanwhile, Mikoto's face flushed bright red with embarrassment. This was her first time having such intimate contact with a member of the opposite sex.
Before this, Hayato Ren's figure would occasionally drift into her thoughts.
Especially recently, being pressured by Uchiha Tajima to go on blind dates had increased the frequency of Hayato Ren appearing in her mind.
After all, compared to those so-called blind dates, Hayato Ren's excellence was undeniable.
Feeling the warmth of her breath against his neck, a strange expression crossed Hayato Ren's face.
Although he had called him "Father-in-law" earlier to provoke Uchiha Tajima, he wasn't mentally prepared to be with Mikoto so quickly.
This kind of matter really should be discussed with Kushina first.
After all, the current Kushina was a Perfect Jinchuriki, and she had the full-powered Nine-Tails.
Even if Hayato Ren called all three of his Pokémon to help, they might not be able to defeat her.
After a long moment, Mikoto hurriedly sprang out of Hayato Ren's embrace.
She reached up to smooth her hair, wearing a guilty expression.
"Ren, please don't take what my father said earlier to heart. He's getting old—it's normal for him to say crazy things."
Looking at the flustered Mikoto, Hayato Ren suddenly felt an urge to tease her.
As for Kushina... he'd leave that for his future self to worry about.
So, Hayato Ren reached out and grasped Mikoto's right hand, their fingers intertwining.
"If that's the case, then my duel earlier was completely meaningless. As expected, I'm just a simple tool to be discarded after serving my purpose. Sorry, I was overthinking things."
Hearing this, Mikoto hurriedly explained.
"That's not it, Ren, please listen to me. You and Kushina are the best of friends, we shouldn't betray her..."
"It's fine, Kushina will forgive us. She already has experience with this."
Upon hearing these words, Mikoto's eyes widened in shock.
She never would have imagined that Hayato Ren - this guy with such honest-looking features - had already betrayed Kushina once before.
Considering her best friend's fiery temper, the fact that Hayato Ren was standing before her completely unharmed could only be described as a miracle.
"Huh? Who was that woman? How dare she steal from Kushina? Isn't she afraid of dying?"
Facing Mikoto's questioning, Hayato Ren stammered in response:
"You're very familiar with that person too."
Looking at the strange expression on Hayato Ren's face, and recalling how Kushina's attitude toward Tsunade had inexplicably plummeted starting from a certain period, a bold yet absurd thought emerged in Mikoto's mind.
She raised her right hand and pointed at Hayato Ren in disbelief as she asked:
"Don't tell me that the other woman is Tsunade-sensei!!! Isn't the age gap between you two a bit too large?"
Meanwhile, in a gambling den, Tsunade suddenly sneezed loudly while immersed in her games.
"Which bastard is talking about me behind my back?"
After this thought flashed through her mind, Tsunade continued pushing her chips forward.
Originally, she had been very resistant to becoming the head of the Senju clan - after all, she'd rather spend that time playing more games at the casino or drinking at bars.
However, after becoming clan head, Tsunade was pleasantly surprised to discover something.
The ancestral wealth accumulated by the Senju clan since the Warring States period was incredibly substantial, and as clan head, she had the authority to dispose of these ancestral assets as she pleased.
Thus, recently Tsunade had been riding high on her success.
Not only had she paid off all her previous gambling debts, but she also had vast amounts of cash to squander freely.
She successfully transformed from the casino's big fat sheep into the most popular person in any gambling establishment.
Reportedly, whichever casino Tsunade visited, no matter how deserted it was before, would instantly become packed within a short time.
After all, only idiots would pass up easy money.
Setting aside Tsunade who was currently recklessly squandering her family fortune, the scene returns to the Uchiha clan compound.
Facing Mikoto's question, Hayato Ren looked up at the sky and quietly responded:
"That's not exactly how to put it. In a certain sense, Tsunade-sensei was actually the one who came first."
After all, although Hayato Ren's first kiss had been with Kushina, he and Tsunade were the ones who had grown up together.
Mikoto abruptly pulled away her left hand that had been intertwined with Hayato Ren's fingers, then began repeatedly massaging her temples.
There was no helping it - this news was simply too shocking for her.
Her best friend and her most respected teacher were actually sharing the same man.
Moreover, both women had apparently accepted each other's existence.
Is this still the Leaf? Where on earth have I ended up...
But taking a step back, where there's a first time there's bound to be a second. Since Kushina has already accepted Tsunade-sensei, adding me to the mix shouldn't be a big deal anyway.
Hayato Ren naturally had no idea about Mikoto's rich inner monologue, as he simply took hold of her left hand again.
"Alright, don't overthink things. I'll take you to eat some Three-Colored Dango—we can talk about everything after we're full..."