CH41: Wavering Hearts & Minds

A month passed, marking the end of Yuichi's week-long break and the return to his usual routine- practicing at night, taking missions at noon, and wrapping up the day with grueling evening training alongside his squad.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, certain matters reached their conclusions. One such thing was the proposal from Sunagakure. 

Though Yuichi remained unaware, Kagami had already begun considering enrolling their squad in the upcoming Chunin Exams.

For now, however, Yuichi's focus was elsewhere. He was packing for his next mission, one of the easiest yet longest assignments he'd undertaken.

"Four weeks… just for an escort mission?" Yuichi muttered, tightening the straps on his bag. "Tch… What a waste of time."

Kagami had briefed them on the mission details earlier that day. A noble from the Land of Fire was planning a trip to the Land of Tea and required protection during his journey and stay. 

Due to Kagami's long-standing relationship with the noble, declining wasn't an option. Though the mission was ranked C, its length and noble status demanded the involvement of more experienced genin.

Sighing, Yuichi sat down on the floor and reached for his notebook. He flipped through the pages, scanning his notes on the Flying Raijin technique.

"…Still stuck," he murmured, rubbing his forehead.

The theory was clear: unlike other jutsu, Flying Raijin required a unique formula. There were no pre-set hand seals, no universal sequence, it was a personalized technique that only worked for the user who created the formula. It functioned similarly to a summoning jutsu, needing a chakra-imbued seal to trigger teleportation.

Yuichi understood the principles, but creating his own formula was an entirely different challenge. His handwriting grew messy as he scribbled down ideas, crossing them out one after another.

Two hours passed.

He exhaled and set his pen down. His brain felt like it had been wrung dry.

"…Enough for today."

Forming a shadow clone, he ordered it to prepare dinner while he shifted into meditation, focusing on his chakra meridians.

Recently, Yuichi had been working on unblocking smaller pathways to improve his chakra flow. Over weeks of persistent effort, he had managed to open two large meridians—one in his left thigh and another near his pelvis. He had also realized that physical conditioning played a major role in the process.

His mind briefly wandered to the eight major chakra gates.

"…Not yet," he muttered internally, resisting the temptation. He wasn't foolish enough to meddle with them without proper guidance.

Time slipped by unnoticed. When Yuichi finally opened his eyes, his body was drenched in sweat. At the same time, memories from his shadow clone entered his mind, confirming that dinner was ready.

Just as he sat down to eat, the doorbell rang.

Yuichi raised an eyebrow. 'Who would come this late?'

Opening the door, his expression unconsciously softened.

Tsunade.

She stood with her arms crossed, her usual calm and confident aura surrounding her. But beneath it, there was a hint of a quiet hesitation.

"Yo," Yuichi greeted, stepping aside. "Didn't expect to see you here."

Tsunade scoffed lightly, stepping into his apartment without hesitation.

"You're leaving tomorrow," she stated matter-of-factly, eyeing his packed bag.

"Yeah," Yuichi nodded. "Four weeks of guarding a spoiled noble while he enjoys a vacation. Fun, right?"

She rolled her eyes. "Sounds awful."

Yuichi smirked and gestured toward the dining table. "Well, since you're here, wanna join me for dinner?"

Tsunade's lips curved into a small smirk. "If you're offering."

She sat down across from him, her golden hair illuminated by the tinted yellowish light in the living room.

The two ate in relative silence, the only sounds being the occasional clink of chopsticks against bowls.

"Are you still keeping up with fuinjutsu?" Tsunade asked as she looked at the cluttered fuinjutsu books of his in the room, suddenly breaking the silence.

Yuichi got a little flabbergasted but then calmed himself and nodded. "Yeah. Trying to figure out a few here and there. But as you can see I'm still stuck on a formula."

"Of course you are," she teased, smirking. "You're too stubborn to just let it go."

Yuichi chuckled. "Says the most stubborn and warm headed person I know-."

Tsunade tilted her head and with a sharp gaze stopped Yuichi in mid sentence. Watching him intently she spoke. "So… how much longer?"

"Hm?"

"Until you figure it out," she clarified, resting her chin on her palm.

Yuichi exhaled. "Could take months. Could take years." He gave her a sidelong glance. "Why? Are you betting against me?"

Tsunade smirked. "If I were betting, I'd put my money on you. But I guess you'll just have to prove me right."

Their conversation slowed as they finished eating.

Then, as Yuichi reached for the plates, Tsunade suddenly leaned forward.

"…Yuichi."

He paused, plates in hand. "Yeah?"

Tsunade's gaze was steady, unreadable. Then without warning she closed the distance and pressed a soft kiss against his cheek.

Yuichi froze.

His mind stalled, caught completely off guard. His heart skipped a beat, but he didn't move.

Tsunade leaned back, a slight smirk playing on her lips. "What? Stunned into silence?"

Yuichi blinked, still processing. "Uh-"

She leaned in again, her lips brushing the corner of his mouth this time, a deliberate tease.

"T-Tsuna—"

"Shut up," she muttered, this time fully pressing her lips against his.

It was brief, soft yet firm, but it left Yuichi completely off balance.

When she finally pulled away, she was still smirking.

Yuichi, on the other hand, was speechless. His mind was a tangled mess of confusion, warmth, and conflicting thoughts.

"…I should go," Tsunade said, standing up "You've got a long mission tomorrow."

Yuichi stood as well, his brain still playing catch-up. "…Tsunade, what was-"

She placed a finger against his lips, silencing him. "Think about it."

With that, she turned and walked toward the door, leaving a very stunned and very conflicted Yuichi behind. 

Waving her hand to still shocked Yuichi, Tsunade left, clicking the door shut as she moved out. On the other hand with all mangled up thoughts Yuichi ran a hand through his hair, letting out a long exhale.

"…What the hell just happened?"

His heartbeat was still uneven. His lips tingle from the brief contact.

Yuichi sat back down, eyes glued to the table, thoughts spinning wildly. The childish, teenager Yuichi's body was fully excited with a few things here and there standing up on his body. On the other hand, the mature Kevin was confused, depressed and his mind was wavering, unable to comprehend what he should do. 

For once, training, missions, and even Flying Raijin were the last things on his mind.