"Arisu, I like you!"
Tsunade's face was bright red, but she still tried to act carefree as she shoved the bouquet she had been hiding behind her back into Arisu's hands.
"Tsunade..."
Arisu looked down at the flowers, then raised his eyes to her nervous gaze.
He had lived for far too long. He had seen countless meetings and partings and had long grown used to being alone.
However...
In the end, Arisu still nodded lightly.
He possessed a nearly eternal lifespan, while Tsunade only had about a hundred years.
For him, setting aside a few decades to accompany Tsunade through this part of her life did not seem impossible.
It was a very short time. He had once spent decades governing Konoha for its sake.
"I accept, Tsunade."
Arisu smiled and naturally accepted the flowers.
"Arisu, you!!!"
Tsunade froze in place at first, as if she could not believe what she had heard. Then she let out a cheer and threw herself into Arisu's arms, wrapping both arms tightly around his waist.
The next second, Tsunade started crying. Hot tears fell onto Arisu's shoulder.
"Why are you crying?"
Arisu awkwardly patted her back.
He thought Tsunade would be overjoyed after a successful confession.
And with Tsunade's strong and tough personality, she did not seem like someone who would cry so easily.
"Because... I finally have family again..."
Tsunade choked out between sobs, her shoulders trembling slightly.
"Nawaki is gone. Grandma is gone too. For all these years, I've been alone... Now I have a boyfriend."
Arisu instantly understood.
In just two years, Tsunade had lost her younger brother and grandmother, the two most important people in her life.
For someone with no one else to rely on, it was indeed a huge blow.
Arisu smiled helplessly and sympathetically, then wrapped his arms around her a little tighter.
But Tsunade was not satisfied.
She suddenly stood on her tiptoes and kissed Arisu without giving him a chance to react.
"Mmph..."
Arisu's pupils suddenly contracted.
At the same time, a cold gaze filled with intense possessiveness instantly surrounded him from all directions.
'That old man Hiruzen? He's spying even on this?'
Arisu felt speechless.
He did not need to think to know it was definitely that guy's Telescope Technique. Every day he used the excuse of "observing Konoha's younger generation grow" to watch people everywhere. It was unbelievably boring.
Arisu ignored the hidden gaze. He lowered his head and wiped away the tear marks on Tsunade's face.
"Shall we go inside and talk?"
"Hmm? You want to... I get what you mean."
Tsunade blinked slyly and grinned as she gave him a push.
"But I'm not ready yet."
Arisu's expression did not change as he nodded.
At the same time...
On the other side of the crystal ball.
The one spying was not Hiruzen Sarutobi...
It was...
Otsutsuki Kaguya!?
Watching the embracing and kissing couple inside the crystal ball, Kaguya's beautiful face instantly twisted into something terrifying from overwhelming jealousy and anger.
Bang!
She smashed the crystal ball onto the ground, shattering it into countless glittering fragments.
"You said you needed some time to prepare! You told me to wait for you!"
Otsutsuki Kaguya screamed hysterically. Her white hair flew wildly in her violent chakra, and her Byakugan was bloodshot from extreme hatred.
"I obediently waited for you in Mount Myoboku, and this is how you repay me?!"
"You actually went and fell in love with a lowly mortal ant!"
"Arisu, you heartless bastard! I hate you!"
"That woman named Tsunade doesn't deserve it! It should all have been mine!"
At this moment, Kaguya's emotions had completely collapsed into rage.
Arisu had originally corrected Kaguya's obsessive and extreme personality.
But after seeing Arisu agree to become someone else's boyfriend...
Seeing Arisu go out and flirt with a mortal... Rather than return to Mount Myoboku to find her, he would rather go looking for wildflowers outside.
Did her thousand years of companionship really mean less than Tsunade's few years?
Kaguya, who had always believed Arisu was a good man, instantly broke down. Her personality returned to its former extreme obsession.
"I hate you! I hate you!!!"
"I'm going to lock you up! I'm going to kill that woman named Tsunade right in front of you!"
Otsutsuki Kaguya's eyes turned cold.
Extreme love had given birth to extreme hatred.
At this moment, Kaguya both loved and hated Arisu.
She even began thinking about imprisoning Arisu and turning him into her own caged bird.
She even imagined capturing that woman named Tsunade and then forcing herself on Arisu right in front of her...
However...
With her current strength, could she really resist Arisu?
Otsutsuki Kaguya clenched her fists.
Forget her current self, even her peak self might not be guaranteed victory against the current Arisu...
———
Meanwhile, Arisu and Tsunade were baking together at home.
Tsunade ate a cupcake Arisu had made and showed a satisfied expression.
"Mmm! Arisu, your cakes are so good!"
Tsunade said with a smile while eating the cupcake.
Arisu smiled slightly, "As long as you like them."
———
[In The Pure Land]
Hashirama, Tajima, and the others had successfully found the Sage of the Ninja Sect through their connections.
In other words, Otsutsuki Hagoromo.
Looking at the group, Otsutsuki Hagoromo wore a helpless expression.
He had promised the Sage that some things could be revealed.
But some things absolutely could not.
For example, the Sage's disguise and true identity.
Those secrets absolutely could not be revealed to people of the mortal world.
Besides, this concerned the chess game of the ninja world.
He could not interfere with the Sage's grand plan.
If he disrupted the Sage's arrangements, that would be bad.
"I can't tell you about this. Those people still have historical missions to complete.", Otsutsuki Hagoromo said.
Tajima, Hashirama, and the others exchanged glances.
"Then what's going on with our clan elder? He's been living happily for two hundred years already, hasn't he? Isn't that a bit..."
Uchiha Yuto stopped halfway through his sentence.
Hagoromo immediately pressed his palms together.
"This is a topic that absolutely cannot be touched."
Seeing that, the group could only leave empty-handed.
Otsutsuki Hagoromo shook his head slightly. It was better not to interfere in these matters.
He only needed to focus on his own job of managing the Pure Land.
At that moment, Hagoromo's wife walked over with a smile, "Husband, what's wrong?"
She asked with a smile.
Hagoromo smiled slightly, "It's nothing. Just matters of the mortal world."
———
[Mountain Graveyard]
"We found him. This guy called Nagato Uzumaki.", Uchiha Madara said.
Senju Tobirama looked over the gathered information and nodded slightly.
"Alright. We should hurry and pick one. There aren't many Uzumaki left now."
Uchiha Izuna also nodded.
Uchiha Madara clapped his hands.
Tobi slowly emerged from the ground.
"Lord Madara!", Tobi spoke while pretending to be foolish.
At this point, Tobi had already blended in and made Uchiha Madara believe he was a special product of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
"Transplant these eyes into him."
Uchiha Madara tossed a scroll to Tobi.
Tobi nodded, then disappeared together with the White Zetsu.