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Tsunade - Ch 21
🕑 Added 2025-03-27 16:02:00 +0000 UTCChapter 21: Utatane Koharu and Asuma
"Can I just say that nothing happened between us, and I'm still pure?!" Looking at the shameless Kakashi and Gai, Hikari decided to defend his innocence.
Maito Gai nodded with a face full of agreement. "Don't worry, no one is doubting your purity."
Kakashi sat up, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Hikari. "Hikari, Gai told me about your identity. I've collected every single one of your masterpieces. When are you releasing the next one?"
Urging for an update.
"It's not that I don't want to update, but I've been lacking inspiration recently. So, you know how it is!" Hikari casually made up an excuse.
Inspiration was something that didn't exist for him at all.
Back when he debuted with the book 'The Pure Maiden' his mind was filled with countless classic stories.
But Hikari himself was quite lazy. He mostly followed Jiraiya’s release schedule, publishing whenever there was a hype, using the opportunity to gain some recognition.
Later on, he didn’t even need to do that anymore. As the only author who could compete with Jiraiya in the shinobi world, known as 'Holy Light', Kamizuki Hikari was confident that the moment his work was released, people would rush to grab it.
However, by that point, he had already earned enough and lacked the motivation to continue writing.
So, things naturally got delayed.
"Alright then!" Kakashi looked a bit disappointed.
Originally, he only recognized Jiraiya as a master, but now with Hikari’s emergence, it was double the joy.
As a single older man, such happiness was something most people couldn’t experience.
"My body has mostly recovered, so I'll be returning to duty soon. To be honest, lying here has been quite relaxing." Kakashi scratched his head and smiled. Staying in the hospital had given him a rare sense of peace.
"Speaking of which, where are your troublesome students? Why haven't they come to visit you?" Hikari asked curiously.
Before Kakashi could answer, Maito Gai spoke up.
"Naruto is training with Jiraiya-sama, while Sasuke is focusing on mastering Chidori. As for Sakura and Tenten, they’re learning healing techniques at the hospital! I heard it was Tsunade-sama’s idea—she wants to find a worthy successor among the younger generation. Hinata from Kurenai’s team and Ino from Asuma’s team are also participating."
"I see. I really didn't know about this. As for matters that involve the Hokage, it's best for a small fry like me to stay out of it." Hikari defended himself.
He couldn’t exactly say that working in the office was even more relaxing than guarding the village gates. Every day was filled with idling around—life was great.
It's important to stay low-key.
Wealth should not be flaunted—this is a universal truth.
"Well, you two stay here. I'm heading back to work."
"Take care!" Maito Gai saw Hikari to the stairway before returning.
Kakashi got out of bed and walked to the window, looking outside.
"Gai, how much do you know about Kamizuki Hikari?"
Gai scratched his head and looked at Kakashi in confusion. "Well, other than being a bit weaker in strength, he's quite friendly. He’s Kamizuki Izumo's younger brother and spent most of his time guarding the village gates. I’d often see him when I went out for my morning training."
"Lately, I haven't seen him there. He was transferred to the Hokage’s office by Tsunade-sama."
"Is there a problem?"
Maito Gai instinctively trusted Kakashi.
They had been friends for years, sharing everything with each other.
Kakashi frowned. He recalled the moment he had just woken up, when his left eye saw a layer of white mist surrounding Hikari.
At first, he thought it was just a groggy illusion, but as time passed, he felt increasingly uneasy.
His Sharingan could even see through Tsunade’s chakra, so why had it failed on Hikari?
There had to be something off about this.
But Hikari’s identity was clear. He was just a gatekeeper—if he were a spy from another village, he’d gather less information than someone simply wandering around Konoha.
"Never mind, I was just surprised to find a writer like him emerged from our generation."
---
Sarutobi Clan.
Asuma looked at Koharu Utatane standing before him, his face filled with confusion.
"Koharu-sama, what brings you here?"
Koharu Utatane smiled warmly. "I'm here to give you a reminder, so you don't end up dead without knowing why."
Asuma blinked in confusion.
"Koharu-sama, I am a Konoha jonin, and I’m inside the village. Who could possibly harm me here?"
"If you really think that, then I won’t say anything more! Just pretend you never saw me today." Koharu Utatane was a person of few words. She turned to leave, leaving Asuma standing there, dumbfounded.
Watching her retreating figure, Asuma felt his heart racing—a rare occurrence for a jonin like him.
Could this be... love?
Shaking his head, Asuma tried to clear his thoughts. This was Koharu Utatane, an old hag! He was in love with Kurenai, not her. Don't get things mixed up.
"Koharu-sama, please wait. The wind is strong outside. Let’s talk inside."
In the end, Asuma decided to hear her out.
Without saying much, Koharu glanced around before stepping into Asuma’s private quarters.
An elder and a young man, sitting face to face.
Koharu got straight to the point. "Asuma, have you noticed any changes around you lately?"
Asuma nodded. "Back when my old man was Hokage, plenty of people tried to get close to me. Now that he's gone, those people have disappeared."
"Anything else?" Koharu pressed further.
She needed to gauge how much Asuma had realized before deciding how to steer the conversation.
"Nothing much, I guess. The Sarutobi clan has been getting more missions, but that’s normal, right? It’s always been like this."
Koharu smirked.
She knew Asuma wouldn’t have noticed more than that.
"And you haven't noticed that the Ino-Shika-Cho trio isn't as warm towards you anymore?"
Asuma frowned and thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Not really."
"Still denying it?" Koharu saw an opening and grew more confident.
"Everyone knows the Ino-Shika-Cho trio has always been the Hokage’s loyal aides. Originally, Hiruzen brought you back and even made you the teacher of this generation's Ino-Shika-Cho. His intentions were clear. Even we old folks agreed to it."
"But no one expected that Orochimaru would take advantage of the Chunin Exams to kill Hiruzen, rendering all his preparations meaningless."
Hearing this, Asuma's heart trembled.
If he wasn't mistaken, Koharu was implying that he was meant to become Hokage.
Hokage!
