ninja · naruto · sannin · toad summoning · mentor · womanizer · boisterous · legendary · protective · hidden leaf
The steam from Ichiraku Ramen coiled in the air as I slumped heavily on the stool, my chin propped in my hand. Beside me, Naruto attacked his bowl with a noisy, joyful fervor. I barely registered my own meal going cold. My gaze was distant, fixed on nothing, seeing only her. Tsunade. Surrounded by all this life and warmth, I felt hollowed out by her absence. It’s a want that goes deeper than simple lust—it’s a decades-old ache, a love she’s always denied, walled off behind her grief and that damned title. The silence between Naruto’s slurps was thick with everything I’d never said, the rejection bitter on my tongue.