"I'm leaving. Don't miss me too much."
The next morning, Teizawa pushed open the door to the Hokage's office and strode inside, looking refreshed.
His steps were so light it seemed as if he were walking on clouds.
That signature smile hung at the corner of his mouth.
Tsunade sat in the main seat, several documents spread out in front of her.
But her gaze was not on the papers.
She was only looking at the sky outside the window, where morning light had begun to brighten the clouds.
She turned her head and looked at Teizawa's young face, at the smile in his eyes and the curve of his lips.
A thousand words circled in her throat, but in the end, they condensed into only four.
"Be careful on the road."
For some reason, she felt a faint reluctance to let him go.
And her body...
Tsunade shook her head, not daring to think too deeply.
"Relax."
Teizawa waved and turned toward the door.
His steps did not pause at all. His back showed not the slightest trace of lingering attachment.
The door closed softly behind him.
Tsunade leaned back in her chair.
She stared at that closed door in silence for a long time.
Shizune stood behind her.
Holding Tonton, she looked as if she wanted to say something but held herself back.
"Shizune..." Tsunade's voice was slightly hoarse. "See Kazekage-dono off."
"Yes."
Shizune answered, lowering her head as she quickly left the office.
In the corridor, Teizawa was walking slowly.
As if he were deliberately waiting for someone.
The footsteps behind him drew closer and closer.
Light and hurried, like drumbeats.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and he slowed his pace.
Waiting for her to catch up.
"Kazekage-dono..."
Shizune's voice came from behind him, slightly breathless.
"You haven't left yet."
Teizawa stopped and turned to look at her.
Morning light poured in from the window at the end of the corridor and fell across her body.
Her short black hair shone softly in the light.
There was still an unnatural blush on her cheeks.
Whether from running or from some other reason, even she could not say.
"Shizune..."
His voice suddenly softened.
"Do you want to come with me? To Sunagakure?"
Shizune's heart skipped a beat.
She lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously stroking Tonton's back. Her voice was so faint it was almost inaudible.
"I... I can't leave Tsunade-sama. She needs me."
Teizawa turned around and stopped at the stairwell corner, watching her.
"Then I don't need you?"
Shizune raised her head and met those deep eyes.
There was affection in them. Tenderness.
And a kind of certainty that made refusal impossible.
Her heart suddenly clenched.
As if something had gripped it, sour and swollen.
"You... please don't make this hard for me, okay?"
Her voice was dry, as though it held sand.
Teizawa did not answer. He only walked closer, step by step.
Shizune instinctively retreated.
Her back pressed against the wall. There was nowhere left to go.
Teizawa raised his hand and braced it against the wall beside her ear.
He leaned down slightly.
Trapping her within his arms.
"Then what am I supposed to do when I miss you?"
His voice was soft, like the night wind brushing past her ear.
Shizune's face flushed bright red.
The color spread from her cheeks to her ears, then down her neck.
She did not dare look at him.
She could only bite her lip and turn her head aside.
Her heart pounded like a drum.
Her fingers tightened against Tonton's back.
Tonton let out a small "oink," jumped from her arms, and crouched in the corner.
Its bead-like black eyes widened.
"Looks like you don't like me."
Teizawa sighed and withdrew his hand.
There was a trace of disappointment in his tone.
"N-No!"
Shizune jerked her head back.
Only when she met Teizawa's smiling eyes did she realize she had been tricked.
Her face turned even redder, and her voice grew anxious and soft.
"I just... I just can't stop worrying about Tsunade-sama..."
"I see..."
Teizawa deliberately drew out the words, his gaze circling over her face.
"Then compensate me."
"What?"
Shizune did not understand.
Teizawa leaned close to her ear, lowering his voice until only the two of them could hear.
"I want you."
Shizune froze as if struck by lightning.
A numbness ran from the top of her head all the way to her toes.
Her mouth opened, closed, then opened again. It took her a long while to force out a sentence.
"H-Here?"
"Is that not allowed?"
There was a trace of grievance in Teizawa's voice.
"Someone... someone might come..."
Shizune's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
Her eyes darted around, terrified that someone might suddenly appear around the corner.
The corners of Teizawa's mouth lifted slightly.
"I already checked. No one is coming to this stairwell."
Shizune's lips moved.
She wanted to say something, but swallowed it back down.
She lowered her head and stared at the tips of her shoes.
After a moment of silence, she gently shook her head.
Teizawa sighed and straightened.
"Forget it, then."
"I..."
Shizune suddenly reached out and caught the corner of his clothes. Her voice was soft as a dream.
"Then... be quick."
Teizawa's eyes flickered, and the corners of his mouth slowly lifted.
He wrapped an arm around her waist.
And drew her into his embrace.
The stairwell was very quiet.
There was only the sound of their intertwined breathing.
And the occasional little "oink" from Tonton in the corner.
Morning light spilled in through the window.
It fell across the two of them, casting overlapping shadows on the floor.
Faint footsteps came from the far end of the corridor, then gradually faded away.
No one came.
This stairwell seemed especially quiet today.
Yet strangely heated.
...
A little more than half an hour later, Teizawa left the Hokage Tower.
His steps were light, his mood pleasant.
That brief warmth in the stairwell left a trace of satisfaction still hanging on his face.
Shizune's shy, flustered expression, wanting to refuse yet unable to fully let go...
It really was worth savoring.
Unfortunately, he had to leave.
He silently calculated in his heart.
There were still several important women in Konoha he had not had time to properly draw into his orbit.
Hinata Hyuga, with those pale eyes and timid manner, would likely be interesting to deal with once she came of age.
Tenten, that lively girl with a Chinese-inspired style, should be easy to get along with.
Yugao Uzuki had escaped him last time. Next time, he could not afford to slip up again.
And Anko Mitarashi, that wild, untamed woman, would surely be the most satisfying to win over.
There would be time.
Teizawa told himself this in his heart.
Once he took Konoha one day, would any of them still be able to avoid him?
So, in the end, he still had to develop Sunagakure and strengthen himself.
He had been away from Sunagakure for nearly two months. It was time to return.
That little vinegar jar Temari. After so long apart, who knew whether she had missed him?
And Sen, Yukata, Matsuri, those girls?
They were probably waiting anxiously too.
As he thought this, his gaze casually swept across the street corner opposite him.
Three figures were walking out of an alley.
Two girls and one boy.
The older girl looked around fifteen or sixteen. She had smooth black hair and the distinctive bangs over her forehead.
She wore a pale pink kimono and held the hand of a much younger girl.
The younger one looked seven or eight, with twin ponytails.
She bounced lightly as she walked, humming some unknown children's song.
Following behind them was a boy around seventeen or eighteen.
His ink-black hair was tied into a ponytail behind his head.
A Konoha forehead protector was tied across his brow.
His expression was cool and detached, his eyes closed in a faint, blind smile.
Teizawa's steps paused slightly.
From their clothing, and from the signature white of their eyes...
He instantly knew who they were.
Hinata Hyuga. Hanabi Hyuga. Neji Hyuga.
The main family's eldest daughter and second daughter, and the branch family's genius.
(End of Chapter)
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