At the entrance to Konoha Village, a black-haired girl clutching a small pink piglet looked around anxiously.
"Tonton, are you sure Lady Tsunade's scent leads this way?"
Shizune gently stroked the piglet's head, her face full of worry.
She had barely escaped those ruthless debt collectors and followed Tsunade's trail all the way to the village—only for the scent to become muddled here.
Tonton sniffed the air hard, squealed twice with confidence, and pointed its tiny hooves deeper into the village.
"Okay, let's go look inside!"
Shizune hugged Tonton tightly and hurried through the village gates.
…
The first rays of morning sunlight slipped through the crack in the window and fell across Sakuya Chigen's face.
He wasn't woken by the light, but by a piercing soprano scream.
"Ah—!"
Chigen's eyes snapped open. A hangover-like headache throbbed behind his temples, making him frown.
He sat up and looked toward the source of the sound.
Tsunade sat on the bed, clutching the blanket tightly around herself. Her beautiful face was a storm of shock, confusion, and rising horror.
Fragments of last night crashed into Chigen's mind like broken glass—chaotic, scalding images: the desperate kiss, burning breaths, tangled limbs, and finally that last, choked, tearful sob…
His gaze dropped instinctively to the sheets.
A vivid crimson stain bloomed across the pristine white fabric—like a winter plum blossom in full flower.
Chigen's mind went completely blank.
You've got to be kidding me.
The legendary Sannin of Konoha, the unparalleled medical genius, the fearless gambler Tsunade-hime… this was her first time?
His throat felt painfully dry.
This was serious.
[Ding!]
[Detected an exceptionally deep bond formed between the host and the special target "Tsunade," surpassing the completion requirements of the hidden mission "A Chance Encounter."]
[Mission Rating: Mythical.]
[Reward: 5000 EP points.]
[Special Reward: The host's bloodline has integrated a trace amount of the "Senju Forest" factor. Physique and natural chakra recovery speed permanently increased slightly!]
The system notification rang in his head, but Chigen had zero capacity to feel happy about it.
He looked at Tsunade—still hugging the blanket, her expression shifting from shock → embarrassment → icy, murderous cold—and felt a genuine chill crawl down his spine.
This wasn't just trading lifespan for a paycheck anymore.
This was gambling his actual life on romance.
"Um… Lady Tsunade…"
Chigen started, voice hoarse, desperately searching for words.
Tsunade didn't look at him. Her eyes remained fixed on the bloodstain. Her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Hemophobia.
Chigen's heart lurched. He understood instantly.
Without another thought, he leapt out of bed, ripped the stained sheet off in one swift motion, balled it up, and shoved it into the hidden compartment under the bed. He grabbed a fresh sheet from the wardrobe and quickly remade the bed.
Only after everything was covered did he let out a shaky breath and turn back to her.
Tsunade's face was still pale, but her breathing had steadied. The violent trembling had stopped.
She finally lifted her head and looked at him with an expression so complex it defied description.
Chigen quickly dressed, walked to the bedside, and gently pulled the blanket up to cover her exposed shoulders.
"Last night… you were very drunk."
He chose his words with extreme care.
"It was an accident."
Tsunade said nothing. She just stared at him.
There was no killing intent in her eyes anymore—but something else. Something Chigen couldn't decipher.
The silence in the room was so thick it felt like the air itself might freeze.
Chigen felt he ought to say something responsible—like "I'll take responsibility"—but the words refused to come out.
Take responsibility toward one of the Legendary Sannin?
He'd probably be turned into paste in the next second.
Just then—
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound came steadily, cutting through the oppressive quiet like a blade.
Chigen's heart skipped.
Who—?
He shot a quick glance at Tsunade. She immediately understood, held her breath, and shrank completely beneath the covers.
"Chigen-senpai, it's me. Hatake Kakashi."
A calm, cool teenage voice came from outside.
Kakashi?
What was he doing here?
Chigen's mind raced as he walked to the door.
He cracked it open just enough to see out, positioning his body to block any view inside.
"Kakashi? Is something wrong?"
Kakashi stood in the morning light, silver hair glinting. He gave Chigen a slow once-over.
"The Chunin promotion exam. Today at nine o'clock. Third Training Ground."
His tone was flat, matter-of-fact.
"The Hokage's order. It seems no one bothered to inform you."
Danzo.
Chigen understood instantly.
The old shadow wanted him to miss the exam in front of the entire village—cementing the narrative that he "disregarded rules and duty."
"I understand."
Chigen nodded. All he wanted was to get rid of this walking disaster as quickly as possible.
"I'm heading there now."
He started to close the door.
Kakashi suddenly spoke again.
"The smell on you…"
Chigen froze.
Kakashi's nose twitched faintly. A glint of curiosity passed through his dark eyes.
"Strong alcohol… and…"
He seemed to be analyzing it.
"…a woman's perfume."
Chigen's heart slammed against his ribs.
He forced his expression to stay neutral and lied smoothly:
"Oh, I was drinking with some friends last night. Spilled some sake on myself."
Before Kakashi could respond, Chigen pushed the door wider, stepped out, and pulled it firmly shut behind him.
"Let's go. Didn't you say the exam's about to start?"
He slung an arm around Kakashi's shoulder and half-pushed, half-dragged him away—moving like someone fleeing the scene of a crime.
Kakashi let himself be pulled a few steps, glanced once more at the closed door, but asked no further questions.
The two had just exited the courtyard when they spotted a black-haired girl clutching a piglet pacing anxiously at the mouth of the alley.
Shizune noticed them and hurried over.
"Excuse me, have you seen a blonde woman—?"
Her sentence died halfway.
Tonton suddenly squealed excitedly and rubbed its nose frantically against Chigen.
Chigen's face instantly turned the color of old spinach.
Shizune froze. She looked from the piglet's reaction to Chigen, then back again. Her gaze slowly turned strange.
Why… was Lady Tsunade's scent so overwhelmingly strong on this man?
…
Third Training Ground.
A sizable crowd had already gathered—mostly curious villagers hoping to watch the show, along with a number of ninjas who came to observe.
Nohara Rin stood on her tiptoes in the crowd, craning her neck to search for her teammates.
"Rin!"
A familiar voice called out. Shizune pushed through the people, still clutching Tonton.
"Shizune? What are you doing here?"
Rin asked, surprised.
"I came looking for Lady Tsunade," Shizune replied anxiously.
"Tonton said her scent was very strong around here… and then it just disappeared."
Rin looked around but saw no sign of the legendary Sannin.
"Don't worry. Maybe she was just passing through," she said gently, trying to comfort her friend.
At that moment, a stir rippled through the crowd.
"Look! Kakashi's here!"
"Who's that next to him? Messy hair, looks half-dead."
"That's Sakuya Chigen! The infamous 'super repeat student'!"
Amid the murmurs, Chigen and Kakashi walked side by side onto the training ground.
Chigen yawned widely, looking like he hadn't slept in days. Inside, however, he was screaming.
Damn it—he'd left Tsunade alone in his house.
What if she sobered up fully and decided to demolish the place in rage?
And that pig's nose was terrifyingly accurate.
Right now, all he wanted was to finish this ridiculous exam as fast as humanly possible, rush home, and start begging for mercy.
…Maybe he should ask the system if there was a skill that let him "not feel pain when getting beaten half to death."
(End of Chapter 5)
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