My Techniques are a bit off

Final-Chapter World – Land of Hot Springs, Hot Springs Inn, Women's Bath

Swoosh—

Tsunade #1 scooped up a ladle of hot spring water and slowly poured it over herself, letting her body adjust to the temperature. "Anko, you're…twenty-six now, right?"

"Twenty-five!"

Already seated in the spring, a towel on her head, Anko Mitarashi immediately corrected her. "My birthday's still a ways off. I'm an October—"

"—Twenty-fourth," Tsunade #1 finished for her, then stretched out a pale, pearly foot, gradually dipping it into the water. Smiling, she asked, "So, do you have someone you like?"

Sploosh—

Because of Tsunade's rather voluptuous figure, a considerable splash followed her into the spring.

Anko shielded herself from the spray, clearly not interested in a "beautiful-woman hot spring" moment. After a beat of thought, she said, "I—I guess not, really."

(Obviously, she couldn't admit to anyone that she liked Link, who was more than a decade younger than her in physical age…)

"Mm~" Tsunade #1 could tell she was being evasive but didn't press. She just gave a lazy smile, shut her eyes, and enjoyed being immersed in the soothing warmth.

"…"

Their guide, Kazematsuri Moe (Moegi), stayed silent. Mist wafted through the hot-spring air. Supposedly, this particular spring, known for skin-rejuvenation, carried a distinct sulfur smell.

After a long hesitation, Anko finally ventured, "So, Tsunade-sama, how come you and Dan-sama had a fight?"

She had a decent friendship with Shizune and admired this former Fifth Hokage. Dan Katō was indeed a bit too gentle, but it wasn't like he was the cheating type.

"Mmm…" Tsunade #1's anger had mostly faded by now. She gave it some thought and answered, "Probably… our age difference."

She let out a heavy sigh.

She'd never considered herself the jealous type; at most, she got a little hot-headed now and then. Overall, she prided herself on being an understanding, gentle, well-rounded woman. But since Dan's reincarnation, the massive gap in their ages had always hovered between them.

Going out together, they looked like a mother and child. People's stares and remarks made it hard for either of them to publicly call each other boyfriend or girlfriend. No matter how open-minded a person might be, that kind of pressure weighed heavily on them both.

As a result, there was hardly any physical closeness. They rarely kissed, even hugging or holding hands grew infrequent. Their relationship had slipped into more of a roommate dynamic.

For over a year, the strain had built up. All sorts of issues kept cropping up, but she valued their relationship and never said anything, always searching for a solution—candlelit dinners, homemade bentos from the heart, romantic vacations…

"I've done all I can," Tsunade #1 said wearily, leaning back. Whether it was the mist or something else, her vision blurred. Yesterday's fight had just used that Uchiha girl as a trigger.

The real problem was that they'd both been watching their bond inch closer and closer to a cliff, with no idea how to pull it back. After so long holding it in—Tsunade's temper had boiled over in a flash.

Even now, she didn't know how she'd face Dan once she got home.

"Tsunade-sama…"

Anko wiped away tears, genuinely moved. It reminded her of a heartfelt, emotional video recently circulating on Web Net.

"Anyway, let's just relax," Tsunade #1 murmured gloomily. Her anger was gone, but life had to go on. She'd keep at it, hoping a path would show itself—if she had to wait another ten years, so be it.

Still, it hurt. She'd already waited so many years, endured so much hardship. And now, she was being asked to wait yet again.

"Mmgh…" A faint, frustrated whimper escaped her throat, painfully audible in the quiet atmosphere of the hot springs.

(I'm just the guide, I'm just the guide. Can't go making emotional connections with people from another world…)

Kazamatsuri Moegi inhaled slowly, resisting her urge to comfort Tsunade.

Anko leaned against the edge of the pool, feeling sorry for Tsunade. A part of her wanted the Hokage to just ditch that man who clearly couldn't fix their problems. But then again, Shizune was her good friend… She clenched her fists.

Splish!

Rising from the water, Anko said, "I—I'll just excuse myself for now."

Ugh, that heavy mood completely ruined any chance of relaxing. Tension always made her crave sweets. Damn it, so much for a good vacation…

Sighing, Anko left the inn, still in a light yukata. She strolled idly along the roadside.

In the Main World, Land of Hot Springs was nicknamed "the Village That Forgot War." That name carried both praise and criticism: on one hand, it was peaceful and carefree—ideal for a resort; on the other, the lack of military power put it at risk, and should war ignite, it might become a battlefield due to "forgetting war."

But in the peaceful Final-Chapter World, Land of Hot Springs had flourished. Thanks to its abundant natural resources and prime location, the entire nation had grown quite prosperous. The hot springs inn Tsunade chose was well-known. About a five-to-ten minute walk away lay a bustling commercial district—everything from sweets shops and teahouses to restaurants.

On the far side of the district was a famed temple said to bless couples with fertility and safe childbirth.

Honestly, the Shinobi World always had a certain unity at its base. On Earth, you'd have widely different civilizations, languages, customs—no easy way to unify them all.

But in the Naruto world, outside of country boundaries, language, culture, customs, social structure, ideology…everything was basically the same. That made unification relatively straightforward: unite the ninja first, gathering them into one super-elite class that gradually spread peace from the top down. That was the Alliance's plan.

Not that it guaranteed peace forever. The Alliance leadership was pessimistic—when generations passed, eventually peace would fade. People were never truly content.

"…Let's head back."

Wait, what?

Recognizing a familiar voice, Anko realized it was Asuma Sarutobi—he'd come along with Kurenai. But what's going on? I thought they had a mission here?

Overcome with curiosity, she slipped into the small crowd gathering nearby.

~~~

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