Chapter One Hundred Sixteen: The Tigress and the Autumn Heat

Wherever leaves dance in the wind, fire will burn, and the shadow of that fire will shine...

Kato Miyakaze lounged in a perfect relaxed pose on the soft, spacious sofa, gazing out the window at the pale yellow leaves drifting down in the courtyard of the Konoha Hospital. His mind, empty and unfocused, involuntarily flickered back to the speeches about the Will of Fire delivered by the Third Hokage.

Outside, the sun was already leaning toward the west. Kato had just woken from his afternoon nap, still nestled in Tsunade’s office, staring blankly. Though his droopy eyes were wide open, anyone could tell he was lost in thought.

“The Will of Fire, huh? Just because leaves are flying around doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the light of the Will of Fire shining through—it could simply be because autumn has arrived…” he muttered casually, unsure whether he was poking fun at Konoha’s famed Will of Fire or complaining about how, despite it being late autumn, the weather was still unbearably hot.

As if responding to his words, a warm autumn breeze swept through, blowing even more leaves from the trees outside, twirling gracefully in the air.

Kato was certain that if a ninja were to cast the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique right now, it would surely receive a power boost of ten—a true manifestation of the Will of Fire.

By this time, the season in Konoha had shifted from midsummer to late autumn, nearing winter, yet the weather remained strangely hot, lacking the crisp, refreshing coolness that autumn usually brought.

Reluctantly shaking off his wandering thoughts, Kato prepared to get up, though he longed to remain a little longer in his lazy, relaxed state—to steal a bit more rest, to laze about.

It had been quite some time since Kato had gained his “lazy fish” power, and by now he had mastered perfect control over it, able to switch effortlessly between his normal and “lazy fish” states.

Even when not in his normal mode, sometimes, perhaps due to browsing the memories of other ninjas, strange and random thoughts would pop into his mind—like the Will of Fire and the Great Fireball Technique that had just flashed through his head.

Judging by the time, Tsunade was likely nearing the end of the afternoon’s busiest work period and would soon return to her office. Not wanting to get into trouble, Kato quickly shifted his posture, twisting and straightening his waist, springing up from his leisurely recline and heading over to Tsunade’s desk.

Tsunade’s mood in these past days was as fierce as the autumn tiger winds outside—far from pleasant.

Not wanting to provoke his girlfriend’s temper, Kato sat properly and idly toyed with a pair of stone couple figurines from the Land of Wind before standing again to fetch a chilled iced tea from the corner refrigerator. A swirl of wind chakra in his hand adjusted the tea’s temperature perfectly to Tsunade’s liking.

Holding the tea without returning it to the fridge, he maintained control over the wind chakra as he returned to sit at Tsunade’s desk.

After finishing these tasks, Kato summoned a sealing scroll and pulled out a stack of mission lists, beginning to study them attentively.

These mission lists had been obtained over time from an old acquaintance at the mission gathering hall—Furuotani—and were all completed tasks.

To thank Furuotani for his dedicated help, Kato had taken him numerous times to a high-end club for baths and entertainment—a fact evident in the deepening dark circles beneath Furuotani’s eyes and his slightly herniated lower back, a testament to their enduring friendship.

Looking at the thick stack of mission lists on the table, one could tell that Kato’s gains were considerable.

In truth, his rewards had indeed been substantial. Though finances were occasionally tight, overall, his harvest was quite impressive.

Seated there, flipping through the mission lists, Kato contemplated whether to grant his “lazy fish” clone a longer vacation when it returned, as a reward for all their recent hard work.

Ahem, no—since the lazy fish clone was actually himself, he was considering giving himself a longer holiday for all his toil.

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“Click.”

Before Kato could decide whether to give himself that extended break, the office door suddenly opened.

In strode Tsunade, her face stern and brows furrowed, clutching a clipboard under her elbow.

Upon entering, she glanced at Kato, who was seated in her chair, head bowed over the documents. Her beautiful brows relaxed slightly, suppressing some of her own fiery temper.

Then, her gaze fell on the sofa in the lounge area, where a distinct impression was left—a deep depression from someone having slept there for a long time, the mark still evident.

Her relaxed brows twitched again, and the recently quelled fire within her flared anew as she strode swiftly toward Kato.

“Move!” she demanded.

“Tea,” Kato replied simultaneously.

With a “thud,” Tsunade placed the clipboard on the desk.

With a “pop,” Kato inserted a straw into the sealed cup of iced tea he had prepared earlier.

“You just woke up again…”

“Calm down first…”

Both said in unison.

“I didn’t…”

“I won’t drink…”

Again, both spoke simultaneously for a third time.

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Outside the office window, a warm autumn breeze swept through, stirring a cascade of fluttering leaves from the tall trees—another gentle rain of dancing foliage.

Though breezy, the autumn tiger winds made the office air feel even more stifling and heavy.

“Sip… sip…”

Tsunade sat comfortably behind her desk, savoring the iced tea Kato had carefully prepared, her pale, delicate feet resting atop Kato’s shoulders, gently swaying.

That cup of iced tea was not wasted; Tsunade’s temper had noticeably cooled from earlier.

Meanwhile, Kato had been banished once again to the corner. Half of his body was slumped on the desk while the other half hung suspended in mid-air, deliberately returning to his earlier, perfect lazy recline.

But now, Kato was no longer in a lazy daze. His eyes were clear and a calm pale blue, the normal gaze of a starry-eyed man.

Half reclining there, hands outstretched holding the stack of mission lists, he read them in a rather awkward posture.

In Tsunade’s words, this was the real Kato Miyakaze, diligently busy at work.

“Wife… may I get up now?”

“Sip… sip…”

Tsunade continued sipping her iced tea, ignoring him.

“Princess… your Wind Knight’s eyes are failing him.”

Still no reply.

“Queen, it’s late autumn, yet Konoha remains so hot. Simply drinking iced tea won’t quench the fire inside you. I even prepared chilled grapes in the fridge—shall I peel them for you to enjoy with your tea?”

At the mention of chilled grapes and glancing at the cup in her hand, Tsunade finally responded.

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P.S.: Some readers may have noticed the cover has changed—apparently, it was reported by the neighborhood watch.

A rookie like me already struggles this much, and there are still people reporting me. Tsk tsk, much appreciated...

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