Chapter Ninety-Three: The Kato Family’s Secret Body Technique

Tsunade stood at the doorway of her office and swept her gaze around the room.

The only thing out of place was the pair of hand-carved dolls, which had been moved from her desk to the coffee table in front of the sofa.

Other than that, nothing in the room was any different from when Tsunade had left. Before she stepped out, Kato Mikaze had been sitting in the sofa, idly toying with the dolls. In other words, it was very possible that however long Tsunade had been busy just now, Kato Mikaze had been lying there for just as long.

...

"Hey, you there, sprawled out on the sofa!"

"What kind of pose is that? You look awfully comfortable, with your leg crossed up on my coffee table..."

"Didn’t you say you still had to go see my master this afternoon? What time do you think it is already?"

"And now you’re still lounging on my sofa and refusing to leave. Seems like you’re hoping I’ll come wake you up!"

While Tsunade jeered at Kato Mikaze’s posture with a tone of mockery, she stormed over to the sofa in the lounge area, fuming.

Kato Mikaze, who looked like a dead fish: "..."

Kato Mikaze clearly heard Tsunade’s teasing scolding, and while his mind was busy running through a hundred thoughts, he deliberately stayed silent.

What pose...? Damn... Isn’t this the lazy lounge pose? Before I absorbed those memory fragments, I was clearly lying on the sofa properly. When did my feet end up on the coffee table?

There’s no way a man as breezy and unrestrained as me would ever make a move like this! Does the aftereffect of the new Secret Art, Spirit Shadow Dead-Fish Clone Technique, hit this hard? Why are my legs still bouncing on their own? I can’t control myself... This posture is way too comfortable...

Uh, Tsunade’s still not close enough. Wait a little longer. Stay quiet for now; let her come a bit closer first.

Tsunade saw that Kato Mikaze was still lying there in that same pose, giving her no response at all, and then glared at the stray lock of hair above his forehead that was twitching along with the motion of his foot. Her temper only rose higher.

"Haah...!"

Tsunade bit her lip, her cheeks puffing up in displeasure, and let out a long breath.

At first, she had intended to swing a punch. She raised her fist, then hesitated, deciding that a punch would not vent her frustration enough. So she lifted her leg and kicked straight toward Kato Mikaze’s feet, which were resting on the coffee table.

Even as she made the kicking motion, Tsunade did not forget to use a voice that was absurdly gentle and sweet, almost coquettish, to deceive him.

"Come on, get up already. I’ve already run all over the wards and the operating rooms and come back. It’s so late already, so get up, Fengfeng!"

Tsunade controlled the force of her kick with exquisite precision. It was a strength she had refined through countless prior times of "affectionate contact" with Kato Mikaze. Just enough to make him hurt, but not enough to injure him.

Kato Mikaze, still lying there like a dead fish without moving: "..."

Huh... that tone, tsk. And that movement...

Just wait until I deal with you later, you tiger of a woman... I’ll endure. A ninja must know how to endure...

"Mm?" Tsunade blinked in confusion.

She had complete confidence in the force she had used. By all rights, with that kick just now, Kato Mikaze should already have been springing up, clutching his foot and yelping in pain.

Could he really have been worn out because he only came back from outside the Leaf Village yesterday, after being on a mission trip?

That shouldn’t be right. He had rested all night and all morning. He should be recovered by now.

Puzzled, Tsunade frowned slightly and could not help leaning in closer to the reclining Kato Mikaze. She bent down and reached out to shake his arm.

"Wake up, Mikaze. Was that trip really so tiring?"

This is it, Tsunade. Come here.

"Ah!"

Tsunade gave a startled cry.

Kato Mikaze, who had been pretending to sleep and pretending that nothing hurt, finally waited for the perfect moment.

The instant Tsunade bent over to shake his arm, Kato Mikaze followed the force of her movement, suddenly seized her wrist with one hand and yanked inward toward the sofa. At the same time, he trapped her arm beneath his armpit on the inside and pinned it under his body.

In the same motion, his waist twisted inward with a sudden surge of strength.

He drew the bent-over Tsunade into his embrace, her body wedged between him and the sofa back.

Then Kato Mikaze wrapped his other arm around her from the outside, grabbed the arm that was pinning her wrist below, and freed the first arm on his inner side.

Finally, he wound both legs around Tsunade’s waist and locked them behind her back.

Kato Clan Secret Body Technique: Reclining Cuddle Vajra Lock!

Tsunade Special Edition, Version 1.0.

At that moment, Tsunade’s front was tilted forward and pressed into Kato Mikaze’s embrace, while her back was braced against the back of the long sofa. Her legs were locked by his, one arm was pinned beneath him, and the other was held by his arm around her body. All four of Tsunade’s limbs were completely restrained by Kato Mikaze.

And Kato Mikaze still had one arm free. A perfect controlling technique!

Only after confirming that Tsunade was fully secured did Kato Mikaze slowly open his eyes, wearing an expression of utter bewilderment.

Those starry eyes—no, those sleepy dead-fish eyes—held a trace of wicked amusement as he stared directly into Tsunade’s eyes, which were no more than inches away.

"Huh? Tsunade, when did you get back? Why are you in my arms?"

Tsunade: "..."

"Weren’t you just pulling on my arm? I wasn’t sleeping to rest; I was practicing one of our Kato Clan’s secret taijutsu techniques."

"This secret technique is designed to stop people from ambushing you while you’re asleep, and it can even instantly seize the attacker with a locking hold."

Caught off guard by Kato Mikaze’s sudden attack, Tsunade was now held tightly in his arms. Their posture was extremely intimate, chest to chest and face to face.

Listening to Kato Mikaze speak nonsense in a dead-serious tone by her ear, Tsunade immediately understood that she had been played.

"I’ve never heard of any family’s taijutsu being practiced while lying down, let alone used to pull someone into your arms! Were your clan’s ancestors all this bizarre?"

"Heh... That’s why it’s called a secret Kato Clan technique. Want to learn it? I can teach you."

As he spoke, Kato Mikaze used the one arm he could still move to gently brush aside the loose strands of golden hair that had fallen by Tsunade’s cheek.

He did not stop there. He then placed his hand on the top of her head and slowly smoothed down her ponytail from crown to tip.

Tsunade’s cheeks grew a little red: "..."

Having been held in Kato Mikaze’s arms for quite a while, she had not felt especially shy at first. But with the way he was tidying her hair, she began to feel somewhat embarrassed instead.

A moment later, Tsunade struggled in Kato Mikaze’s embrace, but there was no way to break free. Unless she used her monstrous strength to the absolute limit, she could not escape his restraint.

"Let me go already. This is the office. Someone could walk in at any time. What would it look like if they saw this?"

Tsunade began to plead softly with Kato Mikaze, turning her face away to avoid that aggressive yet gentle, mischievous gaze of his.

"Heh heh... Kiss me. Kiss me and I’ll let you go."

As he spoke, Kato Mikaze used his hand to turn Tsunade’s face back toward him, preventing her from dodging his eyes, and continued smoothing out her golden ponytail.

"My princess, kiss me. Kiss me and I’ll let you go."

Tsunade struggled again, but still could not break free of Kato Mikaze’s control.

She widened her bright eyes and looked at the handsome face so close to hers. Listening to those tender, sweet words by her ear, she finally resigned herself and leaned toward Kato Mikaze’s face.

I’ll just call it payment for last night’s beating and that kick just now.

...