Tsunade Can Hear My Inner Voice

Chapter 105: Chapter 105: The Engagement is Settled

Konoha, Hokage’s Office.

Tsunade sat at her desk, leisurely going through a small stack of documents Shizune had just brought in. With so few on her desk, it made for a surprisingly relaxing afternoon.

*Knock! Knock! Knock!*

A knock echoed at the door. noveldrama

"Come in!" Tsunade didn’t bother looking up. Anyone who could enter the Hokage Building through the front door had already been vetted by the ANBU and posed no threat to her.

"Tsunade-sama!"

"Hokage-sama!"

A woman’s and a man’s voices rang out simultaneously.

"Mikan? And Izumo? What brings you two here?" Raising her head, Tsunade looked at Kamizuki Izumo and Mikan standing in her office, her eyebrows arching in curiosity.

Since giving them the opportunity two days ago, Tsunade hadn’t paid them any further attention. Now, the two had come together, with no visible injuries—clearly not here to fight.

Moreover, the way they looked at each other carried an unmistakable sweetness, as if they were already deeply intertwined.

"Tsunade-sama, I’ve come to ask for your approval of my marriage to Izumo!" Mikan stepped forward, stating her purpose directly.

Tsunade: ???

That fast?

She’d expected the two might hit it off, but going from acquaintances to marriage in just two days? That was surprising even for her.

"Uh... have the two of you... talked to Hikari about this?" Tsunade almost said "family" but quickly remembered that neither Izumo nor Mikan had living parents.

Izumo only had a younger brother.

"Hokage-sama, Hikari hasn’t been home these past two days, so I haven’t had the chance to tell him yet. But I’m sure he’ll bless our union once he finds out!" Kamizuki Izumo stepped beside Mikan, the two standing shoulder to shoulder, exuding an air of unwavering solidarity.

Ah, right. Kamizuki Hikari has been staying at Kakashi’s place these days.

Recalling this, Tsunade didn’t press further.

"If the two of you have made up your minds, I certainly support it. But... are you both absolutely sure about this?" When it came to marriage, Tsunade hoped they would take their time to understand each other better.

Mikan was, in a way, her only remaining clan member. Though she didn’t bear the Senju name, Tsunade still cared deeply for her.

As for Kamizuki Izumo, both he and Hikari were people Tsunade trusted.

Now that the two were coming together, she didn’t want them rushing into this just to please her.

"Tsunade-sama, we’ve already thought it through." Mikan explained with a gentle smile. "Izumo and I might not have interacted much before, but we’ve at least heard of each other and have some understanding. Now that we’ve decided to be together, the only person we need to inform is his younger brother, Hikari. As for me, I have no reservations. Marriage is about the two of us—as long as we’re happy, that’s all that matters."

Tsunade fell silent for a moment before breaking into a smile.

"Well, if you’ve both made your decision, I won’t stand in your way. Hand me the documents—I’ll sign and stamp them. As for Hikari... Izumo, should I send an ANBU to fetch him?"

"No, no! That won’t be necessary!" Kamizuki Izumo nearly jumped in fright.

As an ordinary special jōnin, he wasn’t particularly fond of the ANBU. At the end of the day, the ANBU’s job was to eliminate threats to the village, and in carrying out their missions, they sometimes resorted to extreme measures.

Over time, ordinary shinobi had come to fear the ANBU, wishing they’d never have to deal with them.

Now that Tsunade was suggesting sending an ANBU to summon Hikari, Izumo felt his heart leap into his throat.

Mikan handed over the documents, and after Tsunade signed and stamped them, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Tsunade-sama, we’re planning to hold the wedding this month. The exact date will depend on when ’Hikari-kun’ is available. If you have time that day, we’d be honored to have you attend!"

As the Hokage, even if Tsunade wasn’t as busy as before, she still spent most of her time in the Hokage Tower.

"I’ll be there, no question!" Tsunade assured them.

For shinobi, marriage was usually a simple affair—just informing friends, the woman changing her surname, and that was it. Of course, this applied to ordinary shinobi. Clan shinobi had more complicated procedures.

As for the Hyūga, the oldest clan in Konoha, their traditions were several times more elaborate.

"Tsunade-sama, we’ll take our leave now!"

"Alright, go ahead." Tsunade said, waving dismissively at Mikan. "When you need me, I’m Tsunade-sama. When you don’t, you can’t even stand sitting here for a moment, huh?"

"No, no! I wouldn’t dare!" Mikan was so startled she nearly dropped to her knees.

"Hmph, as if you would!" Tsunade shooed her away. "Go on, settle the date soon so I can make time to attend!"

Seeing that Tsunade wasn’t truly angry, Mikan finally relaxed.

Truthfully, she had been feeling guilty about this matter.

She’d avoided taking on a surname for so long, trying to preserve her Senju identity in her own way. Now here she was, getting married so quickly... she’d feared Tsunade would be upset.

Fortunately, Tsunade didn’t care about such things.

To her, she’d much rather see the people she cared about live happy lives than have Mikan spend hers clinging to the Senju legacy.

The current Senju only needed her to uphold its name. That was enough.

"Oh... Mikan, Izumo, you two...?" Just as Mikan and Kamizuki Izumo were about to leave, they ran into Shizune.

Shizune blinked at them before quickly piecing things together.

"Congratulations! When’s the wedding? Don’t forget to invite me!"

"Don’t worry, we won’t forget you, Shizune!" Mikan replied cheerfully.

The two were connected through Tsunade—both were her "family", so they naturally got along well.

"Oh, by the way, if you’re looking for Hikari, he’s at Training Ground 10. He’s instructing some new recruits there." Shizune added helpfully.

Kamizuki Hikari teaching the Ino-Shika-Chō team was an assignment from the higher-ups. Unless someone was particularly well-informed, they wouldn’t know about it.

"He’s there?"

Mikan suddenly understood. "No wonder Hikari hasn’t been home these past few days—it’s because of work! Seems he’s not as lazy as you made him out to be, Izumo!"

Kamizuki Izumo gave an awkward chuckle. His brother’s true nature was something he could discuss privately with his wife, but in front of Tsunade and Shizune, he had to save Hikari some face.

What he forgot was that Tsunade and Shizune had already spent enough time with Hikari to know exactly what kind of person he was.

"You two go ahead. I still have some matters to discuss with Tsunade-sama." Hearing Mikan describe Hikari as hardworking and not lazy, Shizune almost burst out laughing.

She had seen all kinds of people, but someone like Hikari was a first for her.

And the strangest part? The guy actually had real skill.

"Pfft—!"

After seeing Mikan and Izumo off, Shizune closed the door and finally let out her laughter.

"Tsunade-sama, did Mikan just call Hikari diligent? That’s what I heard, right?"

Tsunade nodded solemnly. "Seems she hasn’t fully grasped what kind of person he is yet. But that’s fine—less trouble. Once Mikan marries, she won’t have to deal with his antics and can save herself some headaches!"

Shizune suddenly remembered something. "Now that you mention it, Kakashi-senpai said Hikari was staying with him to give Izumo some space. Now that Mikan and Izumo are getting married, should we assign Hikari a new place to live?"

"Hmm... that might not be appropriate." Tsunade thought for a moment before shaking her head.

"Housing is village property. I can’t just hand it out as a reward—it’s against protocol. Besides, it’d put Hikari in the spotlight, and he wouldn’t like that. That said... my place has plenty of room. With someone like me around, security wouldn’t be an issue. I could always rent him a place—say, for a modest one million ryō a month. That’s not unreasonable, right?"

Shizune: ...?

Tsunade-sama, as long as you’re happy...!

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