Chapter 178: Chapter 178: Not Betraying Them
Kitahara Kaede came to a halt as he and Tsunade reached the front door of Kushina’s house.
The door was slightly ajar.
No lights were on inside, but the aroma of a home-cooked meal was already wafting through the gap. Kaede glanced into the darkened interior and then looked back at Tsunade.
"Why aren’t the lights on?"
Tsunade’s gaze flickered for a moment before she quickly regained her usual composure. "Kushina is probably busy in the kitchen and forgot."
It was a flimsy excuse.
Kaede looked at her intently. "Are we really just here for dinner?"
Feeling a bit uneasy under his scrutiny, Tsunade reached out and gave him a light shove. "Why are you asking so many questions? Just get in."
Kaede didn’t press further. He stepped out of his shoes and entered the entryway. In the next instant, his world went dark. Tsunade had moved in behind him, her palm covering his eyes. Her breath brushed against his neck, tickling his skin.
Kaede stiffened for a second, but he soon relaxed. "Do I have to be blindfolded just to eat dinner?"
Tsunade leaned in closer, her voice low and laced with a hidden smile. "Don’t worry about it. Just keep walking forward."
Following her lead, Kaede walked slowly into the quiet living room.
"Alright," she whispered.
*Click.*
The lights flashed on, flooding the room with a warm, golden glow. Kaede squinted against the sudden brightness.
By the table, Kushina stood with her arms raised high, her eyes curving into crescents as she beamed at him. Tsunade stood by Kaede’s side. The two women exchanged a look and burst into laughter.
"Kaede, happy birthday!"
Kaede froze in place.
The table was laden with steaming dishes. Kushina quickly strode over and put her hands on her hips. "What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?"
Kaede looked at her, then at Tsunade.
*Birthday?*
He thought for a moment before digging up a date he had long since forgotten. Having lived two lives, he had never really celebrated his birthday. In his previous life, hardly anyone remembered. In this one, it was even less likely.
Kaede’s throat tightened. He was usually eloquent, but in this moment, only the simplest words would suffice.
"Thank you."
Kushina paused, then immediately waved her hands. "Don’t thank me! It was Lady Tsunade’s idea."
Tsunade gave a soft cough and looked away. Kushina’s smile only widened. "She came running to find me first thing this morning, telling me it was your birthday, and dragged me along to prepare all day!"
Tsunade shot her a look. "Kushina!"
Kushina immediately covered her mouth, but the mirth in her eyes was impossible to hide.
Kaede turned to Tsunade. Feeling the heat rise in her cheeks under his gaze, she simply glared back. "What are you looking at?"
Kaede’s voice softened. "Nothing."
Tsunade stepped closer. "Why have you never mentioned your birthday?"
Kaede paused. "I’m used to it."
The smile on Kushina’s face slowly faded, and Tsunade grew quiet.
"I used to spend it alone," Kaede continued calmly. "I didn’t really care about it."
Tsunade watched him for a moment. Suddenly, she reached out, pressed her hand against his shoulder, and pushed him into a seat.
"If you didn’t care before, that’s fine," she said. Her voice was soft, yet earnest. "But from now on, there are people who care."
Kaede sat in the chair, silent for a long time.
The words had been spoken lightly, yet they felt like a brand, searing a spot in his chest that had remained cold for years. He looked up at Tsunade, but she had already turned back toward the kitchen.
Beside him, Kushina nodded vigorously. "Exactly! From now on, you have to celebrate every year. If you dare forget, we’ll come drag you out of your house."
Kaede looked at her. "That bossy."
Kushina huffed. "You got a problem with that?"
Kaede looked back at Tsunade as she emerged from the kitchen. She was carrying a bowl, raising an eyebrow at him.
Kaede was wise enough to know when to yield. "No problem at all."
Satisfied, Kushina sat back down. Tsunade placed the bowl of noodles in front of Kaede. "Eat while it’s hot."
Kaede looked down at the meal. "What is this?"
Kushina jumped in immediately. "Longevity noodles! Lady Tsunade made them herself."
Tsunade set the chopsticks aside. "Make a wish first."
Kaede nodded. He pressed his palms together and closed his eyes.
Tsunade’s face appeared in his mind. He remembered her on the Hokage Rock, her eyes red as she asked him if it had all really just been a dream. He remembered her in the hospital—how she had been absolutely furious, yet her first priority was confirming he wasn’t injured.
And now. She had personally prepared this bowl of noodles for a birthday he had forgotten himself.
In the past, Kaede’s only goal had been survival. Missions, rewards, strength, intelligence—those were the tools that allowed him to stand firm in the shinobi world and avoid danger.
But after Tsunade entered his life, things had changed. This world was no longer just a dangerous place he had to navigate to survive.
There were lights here. There was warm food. There were people waiting for him to come home. There were people who remembered his birthday.
As the thought settled, the faces of Terumi Mei and Pakura flickered through his mind. Kaede’s eyelids trembled. He knew that this feeling of being cherished was a result of the simulations. Because of that, he felt a profound sense of responsibility.
Kaede made his wish in his heart.
*I hope that in the future, I can live up to their feelings.*
Once the wish was made, he opened his eyes. Kushina immediately leaned in. "What did you wish for?"
Kaede picked up his chopsticks, his expression returning to its usual composure. "If I tell you, it won’t come true."
Kushina pouted. "Stingy."
Tsunade didn’t press him. She simply pushed a plate of side dishes toward him. "Eat more."
Kaede took a bite of the noodles. The taste was stunning. As the hot broth warmed his stomach, a sense of warmth spread through his entire being. He ate slowly. Tsunade glanced at him several times, a small, lingering smile on her lips.
The dinner table soon became lively. Kushina complained about how the Nine-Tails had recently found the seal space too boring and had been causing trouble all day. Tsunade teased her for being unable to control a tailed beast. Kushina slammed the table, shouting that she would make the Nine-Tails behave eventually.
Sitting beside them, Kaede chimed in occasionally, and the laughter in the room never ceased. To celebrate, Tsunade brought out some sake. In her high spirits, she drank glass after glass until her cheeks were flushed a deep red.
Kushina tried to stop her, but Tsunade waved her off. "I’m happy today."
Kaede didn’t want to kill the mood, but whenever her glass was empty, he helped refill it, subtly sliding the sake bottle closer to himself.
Tsunade narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you doing?"
Kaede remained deadpan. "It’s more convenient over here."
Kushina nearly burst out laughing. Tsunade stared at him for a few seconds before letting out a soft huff.
By the time dinner ended, Tsunade was slightly tipsy. Her steps were still steady, but her gaze was far softer than usual.
Standing at the door, Kushina waved. "Kaede, walk Lady Tsunade home."
Kaede nodded. "I will."
Tsunade looked back at Kushina. "I’m not even drunk."
Kushina closed the door with a giggle. "Yes, yes, you’re definitely not drunk."
The night breeze blew through the streets. The lights of Konoha flickered on one by one, and the moonlight cast a peaceful silence over the roads. Kaede and Tsunade walked side by side. Neither was in a rush to speak.
When they reached Tsunade’s front door, she stopped. Kaede stopped with her.
Tsunade looked down and pulled a hand-woven cord from her clothes. It was a slender string of intertwined blue and black, with a tiny fluorite bead fastened in the center. As the moonlight hit the bead, its color was so pure it was impossible to look away.
Ties and Doubts
Kitahara Kaede looked at the wristband, his heart stirring once more.
Tsunade hadn’t simply handed it to him. Instead, fueled by the alcohol, she had reached out, grabbed his wrist, and leaned down to tie it for him.
Her movements were gentle and focused. As the thin cord wrapped around his wrist, her hand occasionally brushed against his skin.
Kaede looked down at her—at her lowered lashes and the way she concentrated on tightening the knot. In that moment, an indescribable feeling welled up inside him.
Once the knot was secure, Tsunade looked up. Her eyes were hazy with drink, but there was a flicker of nervousness she couldn’t quite hide.
"Do you like it?"
Kaede looked at the blue cord on his wrist, then back at Tsunade under the moonlight.
"I do."
The tips of Tsunade’s ears slowly turned red.
Kaede lowered his voice further. "As long as it’s from you, I love everything you give me."
Tsunade’s gaze wavered, and she quickly turned her head away. "Stop with that cheesy stuff." She reached out and tapped the fluorite bead. "Take care of it. If you break it, I won’t forgive you."
Kaede gazed at her. "I won’t break it."
A smile tugged at the corners of Tsunade’s lips, though she tried to maintain a calm expression. "Go on back now."
Kaede nodded. "Goodnight."
Tsunade opened the door and looked back at him one last time. "Goodnight."
***
Sunagakure Village.
Pakura stood by the window, clutching a newly issued medal in her hand.
*Hero of Sunagakure.*
Earlier that day, Rasa had personally presented the medal to her. Everyone around them had offered their congratulations, but as Pakura stood before the crowd, those gazes felt strangely alien.
Since the defeat at Mount Kikyo, she had noticed more than once that the attitude of the village leadership had shifted. Conversations stopped the moment she entered a room. Eyes would land on her, only to be quickly averted.
The old Pakura wouldn’t have overthought it. She would have believed the village had a plan and that a shinobi’s only job was to complete the mission. But certain images kept resurfacing, planting seeds of a complexity she didn’t even want to admit to herself.
The things that happened in her dreams might actually come true. She could no longer trust everything as she once had.
Pakura looked toward the Land of Fire, her gaze gradually turning cold. She would keep a close eye on every single order from the village elders. If the day from her dreams ever arrived, she would make sure to survive.
And then, she would find that bastard Kitahara Kaede and demand some real answers.
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