Chapter 279 : Nine Tails Belong To Konoha

Back at the Senju compound.

Riku sat on the edge of the bed in his room, frowning in deep thought. He hadn't moved since Tsunade returned.

After finishing her shower, Tsunade walked in, her eyes falling on Riku's expression. Curious, she walked over and sat beside him.

"What's wrong? You've been frowning ever since we got back," she asked casually.

By now, their relationship had settled into something that resembled an ordinary couple's life. Riku had grown used to it—this peace, this shared routine.

He sighed. "You were right. Sakura really does have feelings for me. But I can't understand why. We haven't interacted much over the past three years."

Tsunade's heart clenched slightly. So it really happened…

She smiled wryly and asked, "So what are you planning to do?"

Riku paused for a moment, then turned to her and chuckled softly. "What should I do? Honestly, I just don't get it. There's no reason for it. How could I possibly have the charm to make Sakura—who used to be obsessed with Sasuke—develop feelings for me?"

"It feels like a bad joke."

Tsunade smirked, pulled the quilt back, and lay down beside him. "You're overthinking it. It's really not a big deal. Like you said, these are just childish feelings. They come and go quickly."

Riku nodded with a faint smile. "Yeah… I was just curious. It doesn't make sense. But I made things clear to her—I told her I already have someone I like."

"Good," Tsunade said, eyes closed. "Let's not have both the master and apprentice fall for the same person. That'd be embarrassing for me as Hokage."

Riku chuckled at that and lay beside her. "Don't worry. I won't let something like that happen. Go to sleep."

They really did resemble an old married couple now. And oddly enough, this quiet domesticity matched Riku's mindset perfectly.

With two lifetimes' worth of experiences, his soul felt older than his body. That passionate love he once chased now felt distant and tiring.

At first, being with Tsunade had been like a dream—her beauty and strength were captivating. But now, his heart had settled. He no longer felt that restlessness.

These days, sleeping together really just meant sleep. The impulsive indulgences of a few months ago had faded.

No one in the village knew about their relationship. Not even Jiraiya.

Even the Senju clan was unaware.

Despite the clan's prestige, the actual number of Senju members was small. Tsunade had arranged it so that no one else lived in the large cluster of homes surrounding her residence.

Within a hundred meters, the only inhabitants were Riku and Tsunade.

So until now, no one had discovered their secret.

The next morning, the two of them arrived at the Hokage's office together as usual.

Riku had already put yesterday's incident with Sakura behind him.

But as they stepped inside, they were met with an unexpected sight—Koharu and Homura, the two Hokage advisors, were already waiting.

Tsunade showed no concern. She walked in casually and asked, "Something you need?"

She took her seat, crossed her legs, and picked up a stack of paperwork. The sight made her sigh.

"Why is there always so much paperwork after just one day?"

She said that every morning.

The two advisors exchanged a glance, then turned to her seriously. "It's about Sora. What are you planning to do with him?"

Tsunade froze for half a second before returning to her usual tone. "What about him?"

Koharu's tone sharpened. "You should know—the Nine Tails' chakra is sealed inside him. That chakra belongs to Konoha."

Tsunade set down the document, leaned back in her chair, and crossed her arms. "Yes, Kyubi is our village's Tailed Beast. But his chakra—once it's extracted—is no longer under our control. Whether it's sealed inside someone else or not, that's not the issue. What matters more is that the corpses from the Temple of Fire are missing. Whoever stole them clearly has an agenda. That's where our focus should be."

The advisors, however, held a very different view.

"If the Nine Tails is ours, then so is its chakra. The Five Tails' chakra would be the same."

Their stance was firm.

But Tsunade wasn't fazed.

"You're telling me the Gold and Silver Brothers used to belong to Konoha too?" she shot back. "Those two had Nine Tails chakra in them, didn't they?"

The advisors scowled. "That's different."

"Oh? So you admit there's a difference," Tsunade said coldly. "Sora has Nine Tails chakra, yes—but it's just chakra, not the actual beast. This kind of thing happens all over the shinobi world. If we chased down every case, we'd burn ourselves out."

From her perspective, as long as Kurama wasn't stolen in his entirety, fragments of his chakra were not worth panic.

Sora's body only held a portion of Kurama's chakra. Not enough to even form a consciousness.

There were many remnants like this throughout history, but none had succeeded in recreating a Tailed Beast.

If it were truly possible to clone them, the world would already be full of Tailed Beasts.

Besides, Sora was a citizen of the Land of Fire. Even if he carried some of Kurama's chakra, there wasn't enough evidence to punish him for it.

He might not even know it was there.

Tsunade had no intention of holding him accountable.

Riku, sitting silently off to the side, hadn't spoken a word. As Tsunade's bodyguard and a high-ranking figure in the village, he was expected to offer input—but he stayed quiet.

The discussion dragged on for a while longer, but Tsunade never gave them the definitive answer they wanted.

Eventually, the two advisors left—furious and empty-handed.

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