Tsunade sat with her hands clasped, her chin resting on her knuckles as she stared sternly at the man and two women standing before her.
"So, what you’re saying is, you cured Kurama Yakumo, and now she’s moving into Yūhi Kurenai’s house, and you’ll be dropping by to check on her from time to time—is that correct?"
That was the gist of it, but hearing it phrased like that from Tsunade made it sound oddly suggestive.
Kamizuki Hikari scratched his head. "More or less. Yakumo has now gained control over her mental abilities. The only issue left is her frail physical condition, which will take some time to recover."
"Hokage-sama, Hikari-senpai promised to help me regain a normal body condition within six months." Yakumo added softly.
Beside her, Kurenai watched with deep concern.
At this point, Hikari wasn’t even sure if Kurenai’s care for Yakumo was genuine or if her thoughts had already been warped by the girl’s influence.
"Is that so?" Tsunade mused.
She had heard about Yakumo’s situation before.
A prodigy of the Kurama clan, she had awakened her Kekkei Genkai at a young age but was constantly on the verge of losing control due to her immaturity. Kurenai had been assigned to care for (and monitor) her under those circumstances. Later, under the influence of the mental monster "Ido", Yakumo had an outburst that resulted in the death of her parents.
From that perspective, Yakumo was indeed a pitiable figure.
But Tsunade wasn’t just any ordinary woman—she was the Hokage. She had to consider things from a broader perspective.
"Kurenai, take Yakumo to Konoha Hospital for a full physical examination. Have the doctors draft a recovery plan for her."
As for Hikari, Tsunade didn’t mention him, but Kurenai understood the unspoken message.
With that, Kurenai led the reluctant Yakumo out of the Hokage’s office.
Once outside the Hokage Building, Yakumo’s smile faded, replaced by an inexplicable gloom.
"Kurenai-sensei... Hokage-sama seems hostile toward me."
Kurenai patted her head reassuringly. "Hokage-sama is just concerned about your condition. She’s actually a very kind person."
"Kurenai-sensei, you’re just too kind-hearted."
Yakumo muttered under her breath.
Thanks to her Kekkei Genkai, she was exceptionally sensitive to people’s emotions.
Kurenai’s care for her was genuine, free of any ulterior motives. Hikari, true to his name ("Hikari" meaning "light"), radiated a gentle warmth toward everyone, like sunlight.
But Tsunade? Her shifting emotions during their talk left Yakumo uneasy. If Hikari hadn’t been there, she might’ve tried some mental suggestion on the Hokage.
"Let’s go. First, we’ll get your physical condition checked at the hospital."
Back in the office, Tsunade rubbed her temples, feeling like Hikari had brought nothing but trouble her way.
Just moments ago, she’d been happily slacking off in her office—until Hikari showed up with Kurama Yakumo, a walking disaster.
A Kekkei Genkai focused on mental abilities was an incredibly dangerous thing.
If someone like that harbored ill intentions, they could easily manipulate a person’s entire life, distorting their values and inducing drastic psychological changes.
Precisely because of this, Tsunade had never taken the initiative to treat Yakumo before.
Someone like her was simply too difficult to control.
"Do you have any good ideas for handling Yakumo?"
"Nope." Hikari shrugged, completely unbothered.
’Seriously? You have no plan, yet you went ahead and dragged this girl out here? Do you have any idea how dangerous she is?!’ Google seaʀᴄh 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩
She wanted to snap at him, but she held back.
"...Will Kurenai be affected by having Yakumo stay with her?"
"Who knows? We’ll have to wait and see after some time passes."
Hikari’s reply remained as indifferent as ever.
Defeated, Tsunade slumped onto her desk, looking up at him with pitiful eyes.
"Can’t you at least offer something useful? Keeping Yakumo isolated was for everyone’s good."
"But what about Yakumo herself? Is that fair?" Hikari countered. "I’m not trying to play the hero here. But keeping her isolated when her mental state is already fragile... what if it makes her worse? What then?"
Sacrificing one person for the sake of the village—she could make that call.
But only if the risks were minimized, ensuring no further negative consequences.
Yakumo’s situation was far too complicated.
Even Tsunade couldn’t guarantee that leaving her alone wouldn’t make things worse.
’Being Hokage is such a pain... I really miss my carefree days...’
"That’s why I brought her here." Hikari continued. "Let Kurenai take her in, show her some warmth, and help her feel like she belongs in Konoha. Oh, and don’t send too many ANBU—that’ll just make her paranoid."
Given the Third Hokage’s secret orders, even if Yakumo had figured things out now, who could say how she’d react if Tsunade sent ANBU to monitor her again? It might just push her further into darkness.
"...Fine, we’ll do it your way for now."
Tsunade lifted her head, looking visibly exhausted.
"Ugh, I need a drink..."
Hikari pretended not to hear that last part.
[Please—does she think money grows on trees?]
Seeing that he wasn’t taking the bait, Tsunade reluctantly returned to business.
"About Yakumo—I want you to keep an eye on her. If she starts developing dangerous thoughts, I expect you to intervene early. If necessary... take extreme measures."
"Wait, you want me to kill her? Do you really see me as some kind of bloodthirsty murderer?"
(A certain well-flourishing tree on the training grounds: "You hypocrite! Weren’t you the one who killed me, you punk!?")
"Aren’t you?" Tsunade shrugged, her ample chest bouncing slightly. "Quit joking. I mean using a sealing jutsu to lock away her mental abilities. That shouldn’t be a problem, right?"
[Oh, so that’s what she meant!]
[Here I thought Tsunade was planning to use me as a honey trap!]
[If I told her the real reason Yakumo came out of hiding was because she was thirsting over my handsome face and perfect body... Would that be enough for Tsunade to make the first move?]
That familiar tone, that familiar inner monologue.
Hearing Kamizuki Hikari’s mental ramblings about her again, Tsunade didn’t feel annoyed—instead, she almost laughed.
’No matter how sly you are, in front of Tsunade-sama’s mind-reading abilities, you’re an open book!’
"Just keep an eye on her. As for her treatment plan, I’ll make sure it’s prioritized so she can recover as soon as possible."
After all, people with healthy bodies were much less likely to develop mental instability.
If Yakumo could live normally, maybe she’d focus on typical things—like romance—instead of spiraling into dark thoughts alone.
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