Sakuya Chigen's body reacted before his mind could catch up.
He didn't immediately jump up. Instead, he remained flat on his back, channeling chakra to his ears to carefully trace the source and path of the sound.
It wasn't the wind.
The noise was extremely faint—only a brief rustle on the roof tiles, like a night owl landing silently before vanishing again.
Not one person. Two.
Their chakra felt cold and tightly restrained, almost emotionless—like two moving slabs of stone.
Anbu… no. More like Danzo's secret "Root" operatives.
Chigen's heart sank.
He was being watched.
He stayed perfectly still until both presences had completely faded from his sensory range, then slowly released a long breath.
He sat up. A thin layer of cold sweat already coated his forehead.
He'd had a bad feeling the moment he rejected Danzo's implied offer in the Hokage's office earlier that day. He just hadn't expected retaliation to come this fast.
Tonight was only a probe. What about tomorrow night?
He threw off the covers and placed his bare feet on the cold floor.
From a hidden compartment beneath the bed, he retrieved several spools of thin ninja wire and two nearly silent bells.
It took him only a few minutes to rig simple alarm traps at the windows and door gaps.
Only after finishing did he feel slightly safer. He lay back down.
Sleep still wouldn't come easily.
He closed his eyes and forced himself to relax. Just as he began to drift off—
BOOM!
The bed frame suddenly exploded upward. A tremendous force erupted from underneath, launching him into the air.
Chigen's pupils contracted sharply. His body twisted violently mid-flight, preparing to land safely.
Before he could complete the motion, however, a dark figure reeking of strong alcohol shot out from beneath the bed and slammed him to the floor with absurd speed and power.
Bang!
The violent impact between his back and the wooden floor made Chigen feel as though his internal organs had shifted.
A soft yet impossibly heavy body pinned him down—like being crushed beneath a small mountain. He couldn't move at all.
His nose filled with the sharp sting of sake… and an unexpectedly pleasant feminine scent.
"Don't move! I'll break every bone in your body if you twitch again!"
A muffled yet oppressively powerful female voice growled right beside his ear.
Chigen turned his head with difficulty. In the moonlight spilling through the window, he finally saw who was on top of him.
Long golden hair, disheveled and wild, a few strands even brushing against his cheek.
Exquisite features. A distinctive purple diamond mark on her forehead.
Even drunk and disheveled, her beauty was breathtaking.
…Tsunade?
One of Konoha's legendary Sannin—the woman rumored to lose every gamble, flee from massive debts, his long-time dream goddess—Tsunade-hime?
Chigen's mind went completely blank.
What the hell was this?
A sudden disaster?
Or… a sudden wife?
"Ugh… what a shitty place…"
Tsunade muttered under her breath. Then, as though she'd found the perfect pillow, she buried her face against his neck and rubbed against him contentedly.
Chigen felt a warm, wet sensation on his skin. His entire body went rigid.
"Hey—"
He tried to speak.
"Shut up!"
Tsunade lifted her head irritably, grabbed his chin in one hand, and forced his mouth closed.
Her eyes were slightly unfocused, but the overwhelming aura of a top-tier kunoichi remained undiminished.
"Listen, kid. I'm sleeping here tonight. If you breathe a word of this to anyone—especially that old man—I'll stuff you back into your mother's womb, got it?"
She paused, as though remembering something, then added,
"I don't have money for rent, and those debt collectors outside are like rabid dogs. Is it really such a big deal to borrow your bed for one night?"
Without waiting for an answer, she tilted her head and collapsed fully onto him, her breathing quickly evening out into the steady rhythm of sleep.
…She fell asleep?
Chigen stared at the ceiling, feeling both amused and utterly exasperated.
He tried to push her off. She didn't budge.
That seemingly soft body felt heavier than iron.
With monumental effort—like a worm struggling out from under a boulder—he slowly, painfully extricated himself from beneath her.
Chigen stood up, one hand supporting his aching back, every muscle screaming in protest.
He looked down at Tsunade, now sprawled on the floor, fast asleep and completely defenseless.
Her clothes had shifted during the earlier struggle, revealing large swathes of fair skin and breathtaking curves.
This… was one of the Legendary Sannin?
Chigen sighed, resigned. He fetched a blanket from the closet and gently draped it over her.
Throw her out?
Don't be absurd.
Even if he could somehow overpower her (which he doubted), what if debt collectors caught them together? Or worse—what if Danzo's Root agents discovered this scene?
That would be a disaster on an entirely different level.
He gazed at the sleeping Tsunade for a long moment.
In sleep, her usual fierce, aggressive demeanor had vanished. Her brows were lightly furrowed, as though even unconscious she carried an unyielding sorrow.
A faint weariness clung to her exquisite features.
This woman bore far too much.
Chigen shook his head, forcing the chaotic thoughts aside.
He walked to the corner of the room, sat cross-legged against the wall, and resigned himself to a sleepless night on the floor.
…
Some unknown time later, a soft rustling sound pulled Chigen out of his light doze.
He opened his eyes.
Tsunade was sitting up, rubbing her temples with a grimace of hangover pain.
"Water…"
she rasped hoarsely.
Chigen rose silently, poured a cup of water, and handed it to her.
Tsunade downed it in one gulp. She seemed slightly more alert.
She lifted her head and squinted at him, eyes sharp with scrutiny… and a trace of confusion.
"You…"
She appeared to recall fragments of the night—or perhaps not.
"Last night… the service was pretty good."
"Pfft—"
Chigen nearly choked on his own saliva.
Service?
What service?!
Tsunade swayed as she stood, walked right up to him, and hooked a finger under his chin. Another wave of sake-scented breath washed over him.
"Not bad-looking. Just a little on the weak side."
She clicked her tongue like someone appraising merchandise.
"So… how much for a night?"
Chigen's face instantly darkened to the color of the bottom of a pot.
He was being mistaken for a gigolo.
"Lady Tsunade, I believe there's been a misunderstanding—"
"Cut the crap."
Tsunade cut him off impatiently. She rummaged through her clothes for a moment, found nothing, and a flicker of embarrassment crossed her face.
Her eyes darted around the room. Then she suddenly leaned in close, lowering her voice conspiratorially.
"Hey, kid. Do me a favor. If anyone comes looking for me later, just tell them we… you know what happened last night. You'll get your cut of whatever reward they offer."
Before Chigen could even process her words, she made an even more shocking move.
Tsunade shoved him backward onto the bed and pinned him down once again.
"Hey! You—"
His protest was silenced.
Soft, wine-flavored lips crashed against his.
His eyes widened. His mind went blank.
Tsunade's kiss was forceful, reckless, almost desperate.
It wasn't gentle. It was more like she was devouring him.
Chigen could feel her body trembling, and beneath the alcohol-fueled heat, a storm of complex emotions—despair, pain, self-destruction, and raw need.
Alcohol was the spark. Desire was the fuse.
In this moment, she wasn't one of Konoha's Legendary Sannin, nor a peerless medical genius.
She was simply a deeply wounded woman, desperately trying to escape her reality by numbing herself with the most primal distraction available.
Chigen's attempts at resistance felt feeble and meaningless against the onslaught.
Reason burned away.
Instinct took over.
He was a normal man.
And the woman pressing down on him was the very one he had admired and longed for in secret for so long.
His arms wrapped around her tightly.
The air in the small room grew scorching.
Outside the window, the moonlight remained cold and indifferent.
Inside, what had begun as an absurd accident was now hurtling headlong into chaos.
(End of Chapter 4)