Outskirts of Konoha.
Tsunade stood while leaning against the tree with a sheet of paper in her hand. She looked at the seal tag with some excitement in her eyes. A few moments later, when the tag in her hand lit up, she formed a few seals with some blood in her hand and used the summoning technique.
At her actions, the seals spread on the ground, and Katsuyu appeared at the location with a burst of smoke.
"Katsuyu, Hurry up!" Tsunade exclaimed while looking at Katsuyu, who gave a hum in response. She disappeared from her location, and in return, a pink-haired boy appeared at her place.
"Ak-kun!"
Akane, who had been reverse summoned by Katsuyu, felt someone hugging him and a familiar softness around his head. He understood what had happened to him, and Akane put his hands around Tsunade's waist to hug her in return.
"Are you feeling okay? There weren't any problems in the process, were there?" Tsunade said while checking his body to make sure that it was okay, and her expression changed in between.
"What in the world is this?" She exclaimed when she noticed some scars when she checked his body and hurriedly turned his back to look at them.
"How did you get these scars? No, wait! The injuries have healed, but you didn't remove scars." She said while looking at the scars and looked at Akane with a questioning look in her eyes.
"They are for show," Akane replied with a smile, but Tsunade didn't buy his words. She didn't think they were for sure, and when her eye fell on a particular scar, she remembered something that happened in the past.
"That's where Kana-San was hurt. You little bastard, you made these scars on purpose. Are you an idiot? What do you think she will feel when she knows this?"
"Kaa-chan wouldn't know since I hide them with seals. Something must have happened in between the summoning," Akane said, and he took control of the seal he had placed on him. The scars on his back disappeared, and it was the same for other scars he had on his body.
Tsunade looked at Akane with a frown on her face. She had known him for quite some time, and she understood what Akane was thinking when he made those scars.
"Take a rest for some time, will ya? How long will you keep pushing yourself like this?" Tsunade said with a concerned look, and Akane looked at her. A smile appeared on his face at her caring words, and he said, "These words are enough as they take away all the tiredness I feel."
A silence appeared between them after he completed his words, and Tsunade sighed in response. She understood he wouldn't listen to her, and Tsunade put her hand on his head while looking in a direction.
"Do you want to walk around for some time, or should I take you to Konoha from the secret path?"
A thoughtful look appeared on Akane's face, and a moment later, he said, "Let's walk around. I feel that I will get busy when we reach Konoha."
Tsunade chuckled in response since she knew that they would indeed get busy in Konoha since his identity as Kushina's fiancee made him one of the important figures in the village.
Akane looked at Tsunade, who had a smile on her face, and he looked around. Using the Sensory Perception technique, he looked for Kushina's chakra, and when he noticed that it wasn't in his range, he understood that they were way far from the village.
"Just how far did you come?" He asked with a curious face, and Tsunade looked in the direction of Konoha.
"It isn't far, just fifty kms."
Akane rolled his eyes at her words, and a chuckle escaped his lips. He looked at Tsunade, who nodded in return, and they walked together with Akane following her lead.
Their hands had intervened unknowingly, and they didn't notice it while walking together with a comfortable silence between them.
After travelling for an hour, the group stopped in the middle of a forest and Akane looked at Tsunade. He saw her walking to a tree, and after making some hand seals, she touched the tree. With a curious face, Akane looked at her actions while noting the seals she made, and he saw a hole appearing beside the tree.
"Let's go," Tsunade and she jumped in the hole, followed by Akane, who copied her actions. Moments later, he landed on the ground and saw Tsunade hitting a switch, and the hole above was closed at her action.
Everything around them was dark, and Akane heard her say, "Follow me and remember the path."
Saying those words, Tsunade took Akane's hand, and Akane nodded at her words. He followed her movements, and Akane asked, "Is there a reason why you didn't light fire and use a torch?"
"Hmm, some parts of the wall are covered with explosive material that would burn after some temperature. Also, lighting a fire would burn oxygen in this place faster."
"I planned on bringing a torch since I do remember the parts, but then changed my mind and decided to do it this way. What do you think? Does this feel like a scary-themed date? Those explosives are enough to bury us here."
Tsunade said with a smirk on her face and noticed his hand tightening for a second before it relaxed again.
"I am wondering if I should think that you are bullshitting or if you are speaking truth. If it's later, then I must say that it is quite a scary and life-threatening date."
"Haha," Tsunade laughed as she heard his words, but she didn't say what kind of situation it was. Noticing her lack of response, Akane rolled his eyes, and he closed his eyes.
He used Kagura's Mind Eye and noticed some chakra tags in the cave. Akane understood that she wasn't bullshitting, and opening his eyes, he peered into the darkness with his focus on Tsunade's body.
"Tsunade," "Hmm?"
"Was this the only path?"
Tsunade turned her head when she heard his words, and instead of replying, she just laughed in the response.
"Hah, you really like gambling, don't you?"
"Yeah, and you said you find it cute."
Akane deadpanned at her words and he was waiting for them to get out. As they continued to walk, beside the sound of their steps, they started to hear and feel each other's heartbeats. Tsunade noticed that his heart was beating faster than usual and she understood that he was a bit nervous.
"How cute," She said in a low voice and she knew he would hear her words. Her hand was pinched when Akane heard her words, and Tsunade chuckled at his actions.
In between, Akane noticed Tsunade stopping, and she hit a switch. Above them, a hole appeared, and a rope fell from the top to the ground. Staring at the switch, Akane had a thoughtful face, and he saw Tsunade climbing up using the rope.
Since he was below her, he got a full view of her assets, and only when she was above did he climb up.
"Did you enjoy the view?" Tsunade asked with a mischievous smile on her face, but she didn't receive a response. Instead, she saw him walking towards her with a serious face, and Tsunade unconsciously stepped back when he closed the distance between them.
Her expression changed when she noticed what she did, and Tsunade looked at Akane, who stepped forward to close the distance. Since they were of similar height, Tsunade looked at his eyes and matched his gaze.
Akane looked into Tsunade's eyes, and he asked, "Did you have fun?"
"Huh?"
A confused look appeared on Tsunade's face, and when she understood what he meant, a chuckle escaped her lips.
"Yeah, I had fun. It felt nice to see your other side and know more about you," Tsunade replied with a Cheshire smile, and Akane nodded at her words. A surprised look flashed in her eyes when she noticed something soft on her lips, and Tsunade blinked. She understood what had happened, but before she could process more and do anything, the warmth on her lips had disappeared by the time she had opened her eyes.
She saw Akane staring at her with a mischievous look in her eyes, and laughter escaped her lips. Before Akane could react, her hands had moved to his collar, and she had pulled him to put her lips on his and kissed him.
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Chapter 45 out on p@treon.