<h4>Chapter 78 - 78: Marriage Talks</h4>


    Up ahead, Tsunade couldn''t help but smirk after hearing Kamizuki Hikari''s inner thoughts.


    ''You little brat, trying to outy me? I can hear everything you''re thinking now. In the end, I''ll leave you in pieces. Hmph!''


    Watching Tsunade''s excited expression, Mikan couldn''t help but wonder why she had summoned her here.


    Running into each other at Konoha Hospital was one thing, but today, Tsunade had openly called for her. Something about this felt unusual.


    Ten minutester, the three of them entered a barbecue restaurant.


    "Hikari, you said you''d treat us, right? No problem with that, yeah?" After ordering arge spread of food, Tsunade finally turned to Kamizuki Hikari with a grin.


    "If I say there''s a problem, can I leave?" Hikari stared at the mountain of meat in front of him, his heart bleeding.


    This was his hard-earned money!


    [So much food and drink... Are you a pig?!]


    Tsunade''s eyebrow twitched. She knew Hikari was unhappy.


    But so what if he was? Was he going to stand up and fight her over it?


    She loved watching him seethe withints he couldn''t voice, forced to silently curse her in his mind.


    And that just gave her another reason to mark it down against him.


    "Rx, this meal won''t be for nothing. Let''s get to the main topic." As she spoke, she ced the meat on the grill, stopping Mikan''s eager hands and taking over the task herself.


    Hikari nced at Mikan, then back at Tsunade. Though he and Mikan knew each other, they belonged to different departments. What kind of "main topic" could there be?


    Mikan looked just as confused as he did, her eyes nk, having no idea what Tsunade was about to say.


    "Mikan, you''re not exactly young anymore. Have you thought about marriage?"


    Marriage!


    At that word, both Hikari and Mikan instinctively leaned back.


    [Is Tsunade trying to make me marry Mikan?!]


    Mikan: ''Is Tsunade-sama seriously trying to marry me off to that jerk Kamizuki Hikari?''


    No way!


    No matter who they were meant to marry—it couldn''t be each other.


    In that moment, the two longtime rivals found themselves in rare agreement.


    "Ahem, Tsunade-sama, my heart belongs to the Senju. I''d prefer we didn''t bring up marriage." Mikan dered firmly, shooting a haughty look at Hikari.


    ''If you think I''d ever marry you, keep dreaming!''


    Tsunade handed the barbecue tongs to Hikari, signaling him to take over grilling duties.


    "Just answer me one thing. From childhood until now, have you never thought about getting married?" Her expression suddenly turned serious. Hikari realized this might be the first time he''d seen Tsunade like this.


    Even when dealing with the Daimyō or tedious paperwork, she had never been this solemn.


    Mikan fell silent.


    As a woman, it wasn''t like she had never considered marriage.


    But she had grown ustomed to being alone. The idea of suddenly epting a man into her life felt... strange.


    "I understand. As a woman, I''ve been through the same thing." Tsunade''s voice softened.


    Mikan''s experiences mirrored her own past. She might not know every detail of Mikan''s thoughts, but she understood them well enough.


    "I''m nning to gather all the eligible young men and women in Konoha for matchmaking. Mikan, as a Senju, I know your worth, so I want you to have the first pick."


    Mikan''s lips moved slightly, but she ended up shaking her head again.


    She genuinely felt lost.


    What kind of man should she even look for?


    Tall? Short? Fat? Thin?


    "Fine. As the head of the Senju n, I''m giving you an order, Mikan. And as a member of the Senju, shouldn''t you obey it?" Seeing Mikan''s hesitation, Tsunade pressed further.


    "Tsunade-sama, I''ll always follow your orders. Even if you told me to die right now, I''d do it without hesitation!" Mikan answered firmly, her loyalty to the Senju n unwavering.


    Hikari couldn''t help but admire her dedication.


    After witnessing so much scheming and self-interest, such pure devotion to one''s n was truly something to respect.


    "I don''t need you to die. I need you to find a man, get married, have a couple of kids, and live happily!"


    "Stop treating death so lightly."


    "Life isn''t that long, but it''s not that short either. Sometimes, you have to live for yourself too."


    These were Tsunade''s sincere words.


    Her own life had turned out this way, and because she understood the pain of it, she didn''t want Mikan to end up alone and regretful.


    "I''ll listen to Tsunade-sama. But... marrying Kamizuki Hikari is absolutely out of the question!"


    Perhaps feeling she hadn''t made herself clear enough, Mikan added—"Anyone but him!"


    "Oh? Then how about marrying old man Kosuke? I''ll even pay for the wedding. How''s that?" Hikari shot back.


    As if he''d ever want to marry her in the first ce!


    "You—go die!"


    "No way, nah nah nah~"


    "I''ll beat you to death!"


    "Whoa, can''t catch me, can''t catch me~"


    "You—!"


    "Both of you, sit down!" Tsunade''s sharpmand silenced them instantly.


    Hikari and Mikan immediately straightened up, looking as proper as two scolded children.


    "You two..."


    Tsunade massaged her temples, feeling a headacheing on.


    Thank goodness she hadn''t actually considered pairing these two up. The chaos would''ve been endless.


    "Mikan, as long as it''s not this guy, you''re fine with it, right?" Tsunade repeated.


    "That''s right!" Mikan wanted to say more, but seeing Hikari''s infuriating smirk, she impulsively agreed.


    The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted it.


    ''Tsunade-sama, please be reasonable! If you actually make me marry old man Kosuke, I''d rather die!''


    Maruboshi Kosuke was a good man, well-known among Konoha''s ranks.


    But the problem was... he was nearly sixty.


    Mikan was still in her prime—she had no intention of marrying an old man.


    Luckily, Tsunade wasn''t that unreasonable.


    From a n standpoint, Mikan was her kin.


    From a strategic perspective, Mikan''s marriage would set an example for other single shinobi in Konoha.


    In this era of peace, if these unmarried shinobi weren''t willing to settle down and contribute to Konoha''s future generations, what was the point?


    This kind of selfish mindset went against the Will of Fire.


    Konoha needed to grow—not just in numbers, but in strong shinobi bloodlines.


    "The man I''m introducing to you is an outstanding young talent. He''s a Special Jōnin, good-looking, well-respected, and currently has a younger brother. Though the brother''s a bit of a troublemaker, I''m sure you''ll get along."


    Something about this description felt oddly familiar...


    Wait—


    Hikari''s head snapped up as he stared at Tsunade in disbelief.


    Tsunade smiled.


    "It''s Kamizuki Izumo!"


    -----


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