"Hmph!"
Although Tsunade let out a cold snort, she still let this little brat who liked to act clever off the hook.
"I'm in a perfectly good mood right now. What makes you say I'm not?"
"Instinct!"
Aoba answered decisively.
Just like how, with a simple pat from him, Tsunade would know what knowledge she was supposed to study next.
If Tsunade merely raised an eyebrow, he could also tell how far she had progressed in her studies.
So this kind of tacit understanding didn't need any questioning at all.
Just a tiny change in expression, and he could tell that Tsunade definitely had a bit of a grievance against him today.
"..."
Tsunade felt a little embarrassed and annoyed that she had been seen through so easily, but there was no way she would admit it. She simply glared at this guy who was starting to become a little irritating.
"Then it seems your instincts aren't very good, brat. My mood right now is actually pretty good."
"Really?", Aoba didn't believe her.
"Forget whether it's true or not. First explain your own situation. You just came back from a mission, yet you only came home this late. What big thing were you busy with again?", Tsunade changed the subject.
Though it wasn't exactly changing the subject, since this was indeed something she wanted to ask.
"?", Aoba blinked.
'So Sensei is a little angry because I came back from a mission today but didn't go to the lab to pick her up?'
'Getting sulky over something like that...'
'Sensei's mentality is really getting younger and younger.'
After figuring out the reason, he didn't ask further and began explaining instead.
"I'm planning to organize a Five Kage Summit. Konoha and the Land of Fire have rested and recovered for so long. It's time to move on to the next step of the plan. So I went to notify Kurotsuchi and Mei-nee and the others."
As soon as he said this, quite a few people who understood what it meant showed surprised and worried expressions on their faces.
Tsunade couldn't help but frown slightly as well.
"As for Terumi Mei and Kurotsuchi's side…"
"Mei-nee and Kurotsuchi have no problem with it. Gaara's side is fine too."
Aoba also gave Temari, who looked full of worry, a reassuring smile before continuing.
"So a war between the ninja villages won't break out."
For a moment, quite a few people let out sighs of relief. Even Tsunade's previously furrowed brows relaxed.
Because whether it was Kurotsuchi, Terumi Mei, or Temari, although they represented different ninja villages, they were still family.
After all, no one wanted to take action against a village that belonged to someone they had lived with day and night for so long, even someone who was practically like a sister.
"You little brat actually do have some ability."
After her brows relaxed again, Tsunade patted Aoba on the shoulder with a teasing expression.
After all, he was only delivering a message. There was no way that would take this long. The fact that this brat came back so late meant he must have used some other special method.
Thinking about it that way, this brat really did unify the ninja world using seduction techniques.
Tsunade hadn't expected that a casual teasing remark she made a few years ago would actually come true.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Just as she was recalling the past, she suddenly noticed Aoba staring at her with a strange look in his eyes.
It felt a little baffling, 'Could it be that this brat suddenly awakened some kind of bloodline ability that let him hear people's thoughts?'
'If that is the case, then all those thoughts I have usually been having... Won't my entire image be completely ruined?'
Aoba didn't answer Tsunade's question. Instead, he withdrew his gaze from her and looked around at the others sitting in the living room.
His expression was serious.
For a moment, everyone became a little confused.
"If you have something to say, just say it. Why suddenly make that kind of face?"
Yugito, who had a more straightforward personality, was the first to lose patience and spoke up somewhat unhappily.
Aoba pursed his lips, "Actually, there's something even more important than the Five Kage Summit."
Although Kurenai Yuhi, Anko, Uchiha Mikoto, and the others weren't here, if the people at home agreed, then the others would probably accept it too.
Yugito didn't speak again. The others all became serious as well. Even Karin, who had been busy running around, stopped and looked at him.
Something more important than the Five Kage Summit had to be very important.
"This was something I originally thought could wait. It didn't seem very urgent. But Mei-nee is a bit anxious about it, so I think it's time we discussed it."
Everyone sat upright. Even Uchiha Hikari and Fuu temporarily put down the potato chips in their hands and waited for him to continue.
"It's about getting married!"
Aoba didn't keep them in suspense and said it directly.
"..."
But what he received was complete silence.
Because the others hadn't reacted yet.
They had all been thinking that if it was something more important than the Five Kage Summit, then it must be something like launching a war against some country, or a new enemy appearing in the ninja world.
They never expected Aoba to talk about marriage.
Of course, it wasn't that marriage wasn't important. On the contrary, for many of the girls present, marriage was the truly important matter.
It was just that their brains hadn't processed it yet.
In the end, it was Uzuki Yugao who was the first to recover. Her voice trembled slightly.
"Aoba… when you say marriage, do you mean… our wedding?"
After those words fell, Shizune, Konan, Yugito, Temari, Karin, and even Kin all looked at Aoba with eyes far more eager than before.
Although Kin had always placed herself in the position of a maid, and aside from Yugito, she didn't mind helping anyone whenever they needed it or however they asked.
But as a girl, she must have also fantasized about marriage before.
Only Tsunade, after a brief moment of restlessness, felt like she wanted to escape.
She now understood why this brat had looked at her that way earlier.
Clearly, he had included her in the group of people getting married.
How could that be acceptable?
She could let this brat have his way with anything else, but this one matter.
Although she did have that kind of relationship with him, if they were really going to hold a grand wedding and announce their relationship to the entire ninja world, Tsunade felt like she couldn't do it.
So she sat there fidgeting, really wanting to run away.
But someone wouldn't let her.
A certain lecherous brat was currently threatening her with his fingers in secret.
After glaring at Aoba again, Tsunade could only grit her teeth and continue sitting tightly pressed beside him so no one would notice anything.
As for Uchiha Hikari and Fuu, the two of them looked at each other in confusion.
Since they were discussing marriage, shouldn't they not be here?
Uzumaki Kasui could at least be considered Karin's mother, so it made sense for her to participate in discussing her daughter's wedding.
'But the two of us...'
'Could it be… we are also on this marriage list?'
"I… mmph!"
Uchiha Hikari was about to speak up, planning to explain and then take her snacks and step away.
But Fuu beside her, as if possessed by a ghost, suddenly stuffed a potato chip into her mouth.
Uchiha Hikari: "?"
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