Tsunade Can Hear My Inner Voice

"I'm done eating. I need to go relieve myself. Don't any of you dare follow me!" Koyuki declared, shooting a fierce glare at Hikari before stomping off toward the nearby woods.

Sandayū watched her retreating figure and sighed but said nothing.

Nearby, Shikamaru paused mid-bite. "Hikari-senpai, that woman is trying to run away!"

Ino nodded. "Should I go after her?"

"No need. You two just focus on eating. Once she's tired herself out, I'll bring her back." Hikari replied, casting an approving glance at Chōji. He admired the boy's carefree attitude—easy to handle.

Shikamaru and Ino exchanged puzzled looks but silently resumed their meal.

---

In the Forest

Koyuki sprinted desperately, her sense of direction long lost. Over the past half-hour, she had zigzagged multiple times, hoping to throw off the Konoha shinobi and escape their clutches.

Even after all these years, the Land of Snow remained a painful knot in her heart.

The image of her father's murder at the hands of Dotō haunted her. She had dreamed of revenge, but she knew she couldn't do it.

That man was too terrifying.

If she returned, everyone would die.

She couldn't bear the thought of dragging others to their deaths because of her.

"Huff... Huff... Huff..."

Exhaustion weighed heavily on her. Thirty minutes of running had pushed her body to its limit, but she couldn't stop—not when those shinobi could catch up at any moment.

"Tired? Here, have some water." A gentle voice made her lower her guard instinctively.

She accepted the water and gulped it down greedily.

"Pfft!"

The moment she saw the handsome face before her, she spat it out.

"Y-You! How are you here?!"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Hikari took a step closer, smirking. "I've been waiting for you this whole time."

"Stay back!" Koyuki instinctively crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at the lecherous shinobi. She felt like there was no escape now.

"Done drinking? Good. Time to head back." Hikari said, snatching the water pouch from her hands and tossing it into a sealing scroll.

"I don't want to go back! Just let me go, please!"

For the sake of her freedom—and even for this infuriating man's safety—Koyuki decided to try a different approach. She pouted, putting on her most pitiful act.

"No."

Hikari's refusal was immediate and firm.

"You—!" Koyuki jabbed a finger at him. "You're unreasonable!"

"That's right, I am. But tell me this—after all these years away from your homeland, don't you miss it even a little?" His gaze was serious now. "If you say no, I'll let you go right now. And I'll never take another mission involving you again."

"I don't! I don't miss it at all! There, happy? Now leave me alone!"

"That... was fast." Hikari blinked, caught off guard by the sheer bluntness of her rejection.

"Yep! So now you can—Eek! Put me down!"

Before she could finish, Hikari scooped her up in a princess carry.

Her feeble attempts to smack his chest felt more like a massage than an attack.

"Alright, time to go back."

"But you promised to let me go!" Koyuki batted her big, pleading eyes at him.

Unfortunately, Hikari remained unmoved.

"And that's your first lesson—never trust a man's words. Got it?"

"Liar!" Enraged, she opened her mouth and bit down on his shoulder.

"Let's move. If we don't hurry, we won't find shelter before dark." With a single leap, Hikari landed atop a tree branch. Koyuki, still in his arms, gaped at the scenery rushing past.

Despite the speed, she felt no wind against her skin—as if an invisible barrier shielded her.

"How—"

"Don't talk. We're on the move."

Hikari cut her off, his thoughts elsewhere.

'Ugh, princesses are such a pain. I wouldn't take one even if she were free!'

For once, Koyuki stayed quiet, letting him carry her through the forest.

In under five minutes, they were back at the carriage.

"You three, keep an eye on her. If she escapes, no dinner for any of you—got it, Chōji?"

Other punishments Chōji might endure—but withholding food? Never.

"Got it, Hikari-senpai! I won't let her out of my sight!" Chōji declared, now wide awake, his eyes locked on Koyuki.

The intensity made her shrink into the corner, but even then, his gaze followed.

"Uh... miss?" Koyuki turned to Ino, desperate. "Could you tell your friend to stop staring at me like that?"

Ino stifled a laugh. "Sorry, but food is everything to him. Right now, you're directly tied to his dinner. So he won't let you out of his sight."

"So... in his eyes, I'm just a meal?" Koyuki was floored.

She was a princess, yes, but she was also undeniably attractive—the kind of woman men fawned over.

Yet to Chōji, she was just... food?

How insulting!

"Then at least make him turn around! I promise I won't run. It's just... creepy!"

Ino shook her head. "We're equals here. I can't order him around. Only Hikari-senpai's words carry weight with him."

Koyuki glanced toward the carriage door, then ducked behind Ino.

"I'm not talking to that jerk again!"

"Oh?" Ino's eyes gleamed with curiosity.

Even as a shinobi, she couldn't resist gossip.

"What did Hikari-senpai do to you? If he acted inappropriately, I can report him. He'd face severe punishment."

"Would it... really be that bad?" Koyuki asked hesitantly.

"Of course!" Ino decided to exaggerate for effect. "Shinobi live to follow orders. Harming a client during a mission is a grave offense. The worst punishments are a hundred times more brutal than execution!"

Koyuki paled.

As much as she disliked Hikari, she didn't want him tortured over this.

"I-It's nothing, then!"

She'd find another way to teach him a lesson.

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