"...You are so childish."

Suzuki sighed helplessly, deliberately turning his head away from Tsunade. He couldn’t afford to look at her. Her beautiful face exuded a potent, mature charm that was definitely—absolutely—far from his type.

No, he definitely didn’t like mature women like Tsunade. Definitely.

At least, in his mind, a mature woman was supposed to be dependable, warm, and gentle. She wasn’t supposed to be a heavy-drinking, gambling addict who smelled of sweet sake and dangerous temptation.

"It’s fine. You’re generous, after all," Tsunade chuckled, her voice a low, throaty purr.

She knew better than anyone that money didn’t come easily to a shinobi. Their income relied entirely on grueling missions, turning them into glorified mercenaries, soldiers, or outright assassins depending on the scroll they picked. For Suzuki to branch out and build his own business was not only unorthodox, but incredibly impressive. The result? He was raking in hundreds of times more wealth than a standard ninja, saving both his physical health and his conscience in the process.

"Say..." Tsunade began, trailing off.

"Hmm?"

"Why do you love money so much?"

Suzuki didn’t miss a beat. "Why do you love gambling and drinking so much?"

"..." Tsunade went silent, her golden eyes narrowing slightly.

"In the end, whether it’s throwing dice or downing cups of sake, you do it because you’re chasing peace, right?" Suzuki’s posture relaxed as he analyzed her vices. "I don’t know the full extent of what happened in your past, but if those habits are the only way you can feel at peace, then I can afford to take care of them for you."

Tsunade’s breath hitched faintly. "...Then, is hoarding wealth your way of buying peace?"

"Money. And power."

"You are so hopelessly pragmatic that your life is practically bone-dry!" Tsunade couldn’t help but sigh at his bleak outlook. "Haven’t you ever thought about just having fun? There has to be something you actually want to do."

"There is."

"And that is?"

"Live a peaceful life."

Tsunade stared at him, waiting for a punchline that never came.

"I don’t like fighting, and I don’t particularly like working," Suzuki confessed smoothly. "But I know I don’t have a choice right now. So, my plan is to grind as hard as I can early on. That way, when I get older, I won’t have to break my back or risk my neck. I can just... live comfortably, without the fear of poverty or a kunai to the throat."

"Have you ever thought about becoming the Hokage?"

"Hokage?" Suzuki blinked, genuinely caught off guard.

"Yup." Tsunade traced the sharp profile of his jawline with her gaze. "If it were you, I think you could lead Konoha better than anyone."

She meant it. Suzuki was neither aggressively militant nor foolishly naive. He walked a perfect, razor-thin line—a flawless balance between the ideals of her First and Second grandfathers. He didn’t possess Senju Hashirama’s blind faith in others, nor did he share Senju Tobirama’s inherent darkness. Suzuki was ruthless when required, yet fiercely kind to those he claimed.

To Tsunade, a man like that sitting in the Hokage’s chair sounded like a dream.

"No."

"No?!" she echoed, utterly dumbfounded by his flat rejection. "Really? You haven’t entertained the thought even once?"

"I’ve watched Hiruzen-sensei work. The man is chained to his desk from dawn until midnight." Suzuki shuddered at the thought; he possessed absolutely zero ambition for the hat. "I’m pretty sure I’d die an early death from the paperwork alone."

"..."

Tsunade opened her mouth to argue, but snapped it shut. She couldn’t even lie to him—the Hokage’s workload was notoriously soul-crushing.

"It’s a shame, though. You have the potential."

It was true. Suzuki was exceptionally strong, mentored by both the Third Hokage and a Sannin. More importantly, he was civilian-born. That lack of clan affiliation made him a neutral party, giving him the potential to be universally favored across the village factions.

"Do I?"

"You do." Driven by a sudden surge of affection, Tsunade wrapped her arms around him from behind, pulling him flush against her chest.

Suzuki stiffened immediately.

"So," she whispered softly, her breath tickling his ear, "if you ever change your mind, don’t be afraid to take it. If you become Hokage, you could erase the village’s troubles. Everyone could live in that peace you want so badly."

"Sorry. Still no."

"Why?!"

Suzuki kept his mouth shut. He had no intention of voicing his true ambitions. Why would he want to be the Hokage—a glorified public servant and the village’s ultimate punching bag? He wanted to be the shadow governor. The man pulling the strings from the dark; the one whose whispers dictated the flow of the entire nation.

Why limit his authority to the walls of Konoha when he could control the global economy? If he held the world’s purse strings, the world was his. If a nation crossed him, he could choke their supply lines, halt their food shipments, and crash their currency overnight. He aimed to be the living embodiment of a secret society.

"I would just be way too busy. I want to live well, Tsunade."

Suzuki kept his darkest ambitions locked away, leaving Tsunade to sigh helplessly. She realized then that despite his similarities to the men she had loved and lost, Suzuki was fundamentally different.

No... it’s exactly because he is like this...

The others had blindly chased the title of Hokage, believing it held a magical power to fix the world’s tragedies. But being Hokage only invited more problems, and reality remained unchanged. Suzuki saw through the illusion. He knew his limits, rejected the fantasy, and focused on his own pragmatic solutions.

"Just... don’t tell Hiruzen-sensei about any of this, okay?" Suzuki asked.

"Why?" Tsunade asked, tilting her head.

"Because I always maintain my ’good boy’ persona in front of Sensei."

"...So, you’re only showing your true self to me?" Tsunade asked, a mix of shock and warmth blooming in her chest.

"Yeah." Suzuki finally turned his head slightly, offering her a rare, impossibly soft smile. "If it’s you... I feel like I can be completely honest."

"..."

Tsunade’s heart skipped a dangerous beat. This was perhaps the first time he had ever shown her such a raw, unfiltered emotion. Usually, his face was an unreadable mask of business and calculation. Seeing that gentle smile broke down her final remaining inhibitions.

She tightened her arms around him, pressing the heavy, plush weight of her breasts deliberately against his back.

"Stop hugging me all the time!" Suzuki choked out, his voice cracking slightly.

He tried to squirm away, but her grip was like a vice, and her hands were dangerously close to slipping into forbidden territory. His body was already betraying him, the heat rushing south at an alarming speed. It was impossible to stop.

"I can’t help it. You’re just so cute," Tsunade teased, her voice dropping an octave into something dark and husky.

She knew she shouldn’t be playing with him like this. She was older, she was his mentor—it was wrong on so many levels. Yet, she simply couldn’t restrain herself. Suzuki’s passive nature, the way he drew her in without even trying, was intoxicating. The more he resisted, the more tempted she felt.

And as she held him tightly against her, the evidence of his arousal pressing firmly against his pants was impossible to ignore. A heavy, pulsing heat that radiated through the fabric.

"It’s... hard," Tsunade whispered, a wicked smirk playing on her lips.

"..."

Suzuki squeezed his eyes shut, feeling utterly defeated.

"Don’t cry about it, Suzuki. It’s not weird," she cooed, her hands trailing tantalizingly down his stomach. "It’s a perfectly normal reaction for a healthy young man."

"...Just kill me, Sensei."

Suzuki felt like throwing himself off the Hokage monument. Between his previous encounters with Shizune and now this, his body was entirely out of his control. But then again, a man would have to be dead to not react to Senju Tsunade pressing her legendary curves against him in a dark room.

"Don’t blame yourself. I really don’t mind it," Tsunade murmured.

She knew her teasing was the direct cause of his embarrassment, but she loved the power she held over him right now. Suzuki, ever the respectful junior, viewed his bodily reaction as an insult to her honor, rather than the ultimate compliment to her feminine allure.

"...But I mind it," Suzuki gritted out, his face burning hot.

"Shh. It’s fine. Let Sensei help."

"But, Sensei—"

Suzuki’s words died in his throat as a soft, experienced hand slipped over his trousers, giving his aching length a firm, possessive squeeze. His entire body went rigid, a jolt of pure electricity shooting up his spine. Her lush chest was plastered against his back, trapping him, while her hand began a slow, agonizingly good rhythm over the fabric. His brain short-circuited entirely.

"You won’t be able to sleep like this, right?" Tsunade whispered right against his ear, her breath hot and sweet. "So just be quiet... and relax for me."

Suzuki couldn’t believe this was happening. Despite the weak protests leaving his lips, his body was brutally honest, arching into her touch. He was completely at the Sannin’s mercy, and her skills were undeniably, terrifyingly superior to Shizune’s.

But all good things had to come to an end.

His peaceful, self-indulgent days outside the village boundaries were abruptly cut short a few days later, interrupted by the sudden arrival of familiar faces. Team 8—Shino, Hinata, and Kurenai—stood before him, bringing the reality of the shinobi world crashing back down.

"Will you be returning to the village for the Chunin Exams?" Kurenai asked, her red eyes locking onto his.

"Hmm?"

---

Ahem!

I know it might be sudden, and I apologize in advance, but I will take a week or ten days off.

Let’s see how it goes later, but I will try to return as soon as possible. I took a break because I have an end-of-term or final exam on Monday. It will start on Monday, the 15th, and end on Tuesday, the 23rd. While I have learned a bit, I wanted to focus on the exams, so I am sorry I might not be able to write on those days.

Still, I will try to return as soon as possible.

I will start taking a break on Sunday, so I will still update tomorrow. I am sorry for not being able to write, and thank you for your understanding.

From your lovely author, Akikan40!