Just as the crowd was about to disperse, a massive robot suddenly burst out from among them.
Inside, a man wearing sunglasses shouted,
"Miss Shizuka! Please accept my proposal!!!"
Kiyosuke twitched his fingers, and several Uchiha quickly rushed forward, smashing the robot apart and subduing the man.
"Hey, who the hell are you? You dare cause trouble in Konoha? Tired of living already?" Kiyosuke tilted his head, eyeing the man.
"Let me go! Let me go!" the man roared, struggling with fury in his eyes. "My entire plan—ruined by you damned Konoha ninja!"
"Enough. Take him away, find out what's going on, and lock him up for a few days first."
"Yes!"
Several shinobi escorted the man off. Then Miss Shizuka stepped forward and said apologetically,
"I'm terribly sorry, Kiyosuke-sama. That man came for me. I've defeated him dozens of times, but he just won't give up. I didn't expect him to chase me all the way to Konoha. I've caused you trouble."
"It's fine. This is Konoha—there's no way he'd be allowed to make a scene here," Kiyosuke waved his hand dismissively. "Go get some rest. You've got another match this afternoon."
"Understood."
Nadeshiko Shizuka nodded slightly and left with her subordinate, Tokiba.
The crowd dispersed.
Naruto ran up, grumbling,
"Kiyosuke-san, I really don't want to fight Miss Shizuka! I don't want to marry her!"
"Now, now, how can you say that, Naruto?" Kiyosuke said with a smirk. "She came all this way to see you. You can't just send her off without saying anything—that's not how a gentleman acts."
"But beating her up before she leaves is even worse!" Naruto protested helplessly.
"Tch, listen to this kid talk. What do you mean 'beating her up'? It's called sparring! You know what that is? That's social etiquette!"
Kiyosuke put on a wise, mysterious expression and turned to the rest of the Twelve Young Ninjas watching nearby.
"Everyone, remember to come cheer him on this afternoon! If Naruto loses, he'll have to become the Nadeshiko Village chief's husband! Of course, if anyone wants to fight in his place, I've got no objections."
As he said that, he even winked at Hinata.
Her face instantly turned scarlet, her Byakugan spinning into spirals as she fell into a flustered panic.
Everyone except Naruto could see Hinata's inner turmoil. They all sighed silently.
At this rate… how long was this going to take?
"Lady Hinata," Neji whispered, "perhaps I should fight Miss Shizuka in Naruto's place?"
"N-no, it's fine, Neji-san, I-I…"
Hinata stammered incoherently. Naruto suddenly having a fiancée had completely overloaded her brain.
Kiyosuke sighed and rubbed his forehead.
Looked like he'd have to talk to the Hyūga Clan about these two. He'd need to give them a little push. Otherwise, with Naruto's emotional intelligence, he'd never find a wife.
Thanks to his own teaching, the boy hadn't fallen for Sakura—or any girl at all, for that matter.
That just wouldn't do.
And Kiyosuke wasn't about to allow it.
He clapped his hands.
"Alright, alright! Everyone, get ready for the show this afternoon!"
"Kiyosuke-san, seriously? You're doing it again? Messing with my life like it's entertainment?!"
Why was everyone out to get him?!
If it was the Pervy Sage, fine—but now even his guardian uncle wanted to set him up?
Naruto felt so done with everything.
He was tired. Let the world burn. Nothing mattered anymore.
"You can't look at it that way, Naruto," Kiyosuke said cheerfully. "Jiraiya-sama and I are doing this for your own good! All you have to do is win, and you won't have to marry her!"
At that moment, an ANBU appeared beside them.
"Kiyosuke-sama! Hokage-sama requests your and Jiraiya-sama's presence immediately."
"Ah, looks like we're in trouble."
Both men sighed and headed toward the Hokage's office, already feeling a sense of doom.
The moment they stepped in, Tsunade's furious voice exploded.
"Are you two out of your minds?! You actually let someone from Nadeshiko Village fight Naruto? What's this about a marriage promise?! How did that even happen?! Jiraiya—was this your doing?!"
"Y-yes!" Jiraiya admitted, shrinking his neck like a scolded child. All his earlier swagger was gone.
If Tsunade ever found out the real reason behind the engagement, he was dead for sure.
He wasn't about to tell her that truth—if she punched him, he might not survive to see tomorrow.
"What's the meaning of this? Explain!"
"Haha… well, it's like this," Jiraiya began nervously. "When I was gathering inspiration for my research, I met Miss Shizuka's teacher. We fought, and made a deal—if our battle wasn't settled, our disciples would finish it for us. And, well, there was also… a little marriage agreement. But only between the disciples!"
Kiyosuke shot him a sideways glance but said nothing.
If he exposed Jiraiya now, he'd be resurrecting him with Edo Tensei tomorrow.
"And you, Kiyosuke? What the hell are you plotting this time?"
Tsunade turned her sharp glare on him next.
"Nothing serious, Tsunade-sama. It won't affect our relations with Nadeshiko Village," Kiyosuke said casually. "It's just a match, after all. And it'll take place right here in Konoha's training grounds—no big deal."
He chuckled.
"If Naruto really does lose, that just means he's still inexperienced. If he ends up joining Nadeshiko Village as a son-in-law, that's fine too. Worst case, I'll just go there and snatch him back myself. How about it? Want to make a bet?"
At the mention of a bet, Tsunade's eyes lit up immediately. She thought for a moment, then grinned.
"Alright then. I'll bet on Nadeshiko Shizuka."
"Huh? Why?"
"No reason! When it comes to gambling, you have to trust your instincts!" Tsunade declared confidently.
"Fine. Then I'll bet on Naruto."
Kiyosuke and Jiraiya exchanged a knowing glance.
This one was already in the bag.
Tsunade—the great gambling addict—never won a thing. One look at the losing lottery tickets scattered across her desk confirmed it.
Naruto's chances of victory had just skyrocketed.
With all those buffs stacked on his side, how could he not win?
Kiyosuke chuckled.
"Alright then, Tsunade-sama. Just sit back and watch—I guarantee victory this time!"
"Hah! Don't make me laugh. I'll win for sure!" Tsunade said defiantly.
After they left, Shizune whispered,
"Tsunade-sama, we didn't actually get any answers out of them…"
Tsunade froze. Then she frowned.
"…Shizune, I'm going to win."
No, Tsunade-sama, that's not what I meant!
...
"Got away with it," Kiyosuke said lightly.
"What do you think about the fight between Nadeshiko Shizuka and Naruto?"
"I'll watch it sitting down," Kiyosuke replied with a small smile. "Naruto's not going to lose to Miss Shizuka. So I'll just sit back and enjoy it. But honestly…"
He paused.
"I'd rather see someone else fight her instead."
"That little Hyūga girl, right?"
"Exactly."