Naruto: We Agreed on a Simulation, But They Actually Came to Life?

Konoha Hospital.

This was the seventh consecutive day Kitahara Kaede had stood here.

For the first six days, he had received no response.

Every morning, Tsunade would appear right on time and walk past him without a single glance, as if he weren’t even there.

Then, Nonou would step out from the office and deliver the same sentence.

"Lady Tsunade says she is very busy and has no time for guests."

On the first day, Kaede had simply nodded and turned to leave.

By the third day, he had stood there for a long time before offering a quiet, "Okay."

On the fifth day, he said nothing at all, simply standing in silence for the entire morning.

Today was the seventh day.

The office door opened, and Nonou walked toward him once again. She looked at the young man and sighed softly.

Kaede met her gaze. "The same answer?"

Nonou nodded, her voice tinged with helplessness. "Kaede, just go home for now. Wait a while—come back once Lady Tsunade’s anger has subsided."

Kaede didn’t move. His gaze shifted past Nonou toward the door.

He couldn’t wait any longer.

He walked straight toward the office.

"Kaede?" Nonou called out behind him.

He didn’t stop. He gripped the handle and pushed the door open.

The hinges gave a soft creak.

Kaede saw the scene behind the desk: Tsunade was slumped over, her cheek buried in her crossed arms.

Hearing the noise, she slowly raised her head. Her golden hair was slightly disheveled across her shoulders, and there were prominent dark circles under her eyes.

The moment she realized it was Kaede, she froze. Then, she quickly straightened her back, her look of shock instantly replaced by a layer of icy defensiveness.

"Who let you in?"

Her voice was stiff, designed to keep people at a distance.

Kaede took a step forward. "Tsunade, let me explain."

"Get out," Tsunade interrupted him bluntly.

She looked down and haphazardly pulled a report toward her, flipping it open. Her eyes remained fixed on the paper, refusing to look at him.

"Doesn’t Jonin Kitahara have plenty of ’critically urgent’ matters to attend to? My office is too small to accommodate such a busy man."

Kaede stopped in his tracks.

The explanations regarding Pakura, the memories, and the alliance suddenly caught in his throat.

Logic told him that the current situation was terrible. Now that Tsunade was convinced she had been deceived, she had raised every thorn in her arsenal to protect herself.

If he mentioned another woman’s name now, or tried to explain that the woman was merely an ally, it would sound like nothing more than a cover-up or a flimsy excuse. It would only push her further away.

Kaede swallowed the words he had been about to say and stood there in silence.

After a long while, he spoke softly. "I’m sorry. Please, get some rest."

He turned and walked out of the office, closing the door behind him.

*Click.*

The sound of the lock engaging echoed through the room.

Tsunade stared at the door. Her rigid posture instantly collapsed. She slumped back onto the desk, burying her face in the crook of her arm. A muffled, suppressed groan escaped her throat.

In truth, she desperately wanted Kaede to be thick-skinned enough to keep talking.

But she was afraid.

She was afraid he would actually confess to that woman’s existence. She was afraid he had only come to apologize before turning around to go back to someone else.

So, she had no choice but to drive him away.

Tsunade bit her lower lip. She knew she was being contradictory.

Days turned into weeks.

A full month passed.

Kitahara Kaede truly never stepped foot inside the Konoha Hospital again.

Tsunade sat at her desk. She pushed the documents in front of her away, only to irritably pull them back a moment later. The pen in her hand slashed a heavy black line across the paper.

’That damn idiot,’ she cursed inwardly.

’I told you to leave, and you actually did? Weren’t you usually so persistent? Do I really have to be the one to swallow my pride and go find you?’

The more Tsunade thought about it, the angrier she became. She slammed her palm onto the desk.

The desk took a hit.

Just then, a puff of white smoke rose from the corner of the desk. A small Katsuyu clone appeared atop the pile of documents.

"Lady Tsunade," Katsuyu’s voice was gentle. "That young girl, Nohara Rin, is showing signs of waking up."

Tsunade bolted upright, stunned for a few seconds. She immediately cleared her throat and reached up to tidy her messy hair.

"I see."

She began searching for a justification in her mind.

Rin was a special patient brought in by Kitahara Kaede. Now that the patient was waking up, it was only natural for her, as the lead physician, to notify the family or the sponsor.

This was official business.

Yes, purely official business. It definitely wasn’t because she wanted to see that bastard.

Tsunade found this reason absolutely perfect. She snatched her coat from the back of her chair and strode out of the office.

***

Training Ground.

*Bam!*

Kaede smashed a fist into a wooden post. Splinters flew.

The post was already covered in various fist marks and kick indentations. For the past month, he had vented all his misplaced frustration here.

Kaede retracted his fist, breathing heavily. He grabbed a towel draped nearby and wiped the sweat from his chin.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a figure at the entrance of the training ground.

Kaede froze. He turned his head.

Tsunade was standing there, arms crossed over her chest, her chin slightly tilted up. Having not seen her for a month, she looked as capable and sharp as ever. However, her gaze pointedly avoided his.

Kaede’s heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively took half a step forward.

Just as that familiar name was about to leave his lips, Tsunade spoke first.

"Jonin Kitahara."

Her voice was ice-cold, carrying the detachment of a formal business transaction.

Kaede was effectively nailed to the spot.

Tsunade continued, "Rin’s current condition suggests she could wake up at any moment. I’m just here to notify you."

Her face was stern, her tone rigid. Every word was a deliberate attempt to draw a line between them.

Kaede looked at her, a wave of bitterness rising in his heart. He had thought that a month would be enough time for her to cool down. But now it seemed the ice hadn’t melted; it had only grown thicker.

He draped the towel over his shoulder and nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Lady Tsunade."

*Lady Tsunade.*

Those words hit Tsunade like a sting to the heart.

He used to call her that, too. But back then, it had been filled with playfulness and intimacy. Now, all that remained was politeness and distance.

The update on Rin’s condition took only two minutes. Katsuyu would continue to observe her in the Shikkotsu Forest and notify them immediately upon her awakening.

The official business was concluded.

Tsunade could find no reason to stay, yet she didn’t move. She remained where she was, her peripheral vision locked onto Kaede’s profile.

She was waiting.

Waiting for him to break the deadlock.

Waiting for him to ask how her month had been.

Waiting for him to explain the situation with that other woman.

’No, seriously, say something! You’re usually so talkative! Why are you playing the mute now?’

Kaede likewise didn’t move. He looked at Tsunade’s cold profile.

He wanted to speak. He wanted to tell her how agonizing this month had been. He wanted to explain everything clearly.

But the memory of her icy "Get out" in the office flashed through his mind, along with her current distant attitude.

He was afraid. He was afraid that the moment he spoke, he would touch a nerve again. He was afraid she would look at him with the eyes of a stranger once more.

Without absolute certainty, he didn’t dare risk it.

Kaede lowered his gaze and smiled bitterly to himself.

In the end, he said nothing.

The only sound in the training ground was the wind rustling through the leaves.

Tsunade waited for a long time. She waited until the last shred of expectation vanished.

Biting her lower lip, she turned and strode out of the training ground. Only after she had walked a considerable distance did she stop.

She looked back at the figure still standing in the distance.

"Idiot," she whispered.

Her voice carried a sense of grievance that even she hadn’t noticed.

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