Chapter 282: Completely Outclassed

Kitahara Kaede froze in place.

What had she just called him?

Kaede?

How many days had passed since their cold war began without her addressing him that way?

And this reaction was wrong.

Mei had been standing extremely close and behaving with unmistakable intimacy. Tsunade must have seen everything clearly.

Given Tsunade's usual temper, how could this possibly be her response?

Kaede studied her face.

He searched her normally sharp eyes, the slight lift of her brows, and the naturally pressed corners of her lips.

He tried to find even the smallest spark of anger being forcibly suppressed.

There was nothing.

He found absolutely nothing.

That was far too abnormal.

Her calm, easygoing demeanor made it seem as though they had never argued and had merely happened to meet while leaving home on an ordinary morning.

The more composed she appeared, the less secure Kaede felt.

"M-Morning."

He opened his mouth and answered with a stammer he didn't even notice.

Mei heard the response perfectly.

Anger shot straight toward her head.

This man had been brushing her off the entire time.

Yet Tsunade offered one simple greeting, and he could no longer speak properly?

From the instant Tsunade appeared, Kaede's emotions had been completely drawn toward her.

Mei bit her lip and straightened.

She abandoned her clingy behavior and entered the alert state she reserved for powerful enemies.

She absolutely couldn't show weakness now.

After receiving Kaede's answer, Tsunade shifted her gaze away from his slightly guilty face.

Her eyes moved sideways and settled on Mei.

She looked Mei over from head to toe.

Her gaze carried extreme politeness while simultaneously maintaining a distance of a thousand miles.

That calm, superior assessment made Mei deeply uncomfortable.

Kaede noticed the two women's eyes meet, and the surrounding atmosphere became strange.

His body's instinctive desire to survive told him he needed to say something.

"Right, her name is—"

He tried to redirect the conversation toward safe official business by introducing Kirigakure's representative.

"There's no need to introduce her name," Tsunade interrupted.

She gave Kaede no opportunity to continue.

His mouth remained open as he forcibly swallowed the rest of his sentence.

Tsunade looked directly into Mei's faintly challenging eyes.

"I know who she is."

She gave a slight nod.

"Good morning, Representative Terumi."

Mei frowned inwardly.

That statement—"I know who she is"—combined with the formal title of "Representative" completely disrupted every plan she had made.

She had prepared several rounds of seemingly sweet but subtly barbed remarks.

She intended to mock Tsunade gently and boast without appearing obvious about how much time she and Kaede had spent together.

Now every one of those words was trapped in her throat.

Tsunade hadn't acknowledged her as a romantic rival at all. Instead, she had firmly pinned Mei into the role of a visiting official from another village.

That meant Tsunade had not only investigated her background but also possessed exceptionally refined methods.

Since Tsunade had greeted her by her official identity, continuing to cling to Kaede and act coquettishly would make Mei look like an immature joke incapable of distinguishing personal matters from state affairs.

She could only suppress her frustration and produce a flawless, dignified smile.

"Good morning, Princess Tsunade."

Even after responding, Mei remained confused.

What exactly was Konoha's princess planning?

Wasn't she said to have an explosive temper?

Why wasn't she angry?

Why didn't she declare her claim over Kaede?

Was she forcing herself to appear generous for Konoha's reputation?

Or did she simply consider such jealousy beneath her because she was certain she already occupied Kaede's heart?

At Mei's response, the corners of Tsunade's lips curved almost imperceptibly.

She paid no further attention to Kirigakure's representative and returned her gaze to Kaede.

The cold, official pressure surrounding her instantly dispersed.

She raised the document in her hand and passed it over.

"Since I ran into you here, I can save myself a trip upstairs."

Her casual tone carried the effortless familiarity of ordering around someone from her own household.

"This is the hospital's supply report for next month. It's meant for Hokage-sama."

She paused and lightly swept the corner of her eye toward Mei.

"Since you're accompanying this representative, I assume you're also going to see Hokage-sama."

"Take it up for me while you're there."

Her tone made it sound perfectly natural.

With only a few words, Tsunade placed herself and Kaede inside the same circle of daily life.

The "representative" who had worked so hard to attach herself to him became nothing more than an outsider who required an escort.

It was a completely overwhelming advantage.

Kaede instinctively accepted the report.

He looked down at the medical supply list, his mind full of questions.

A report?

The interaction was so ordinary—nothing more than casual conversation between familiar colleagues—that he couldn't determine what direction this was taking.

He even began suspecting it was the final calm before a storm.

Would a chain of devastating punches be waiting for him after he finished his work?

Tsunade gave him no time to think.

After handing over the document, she didn't waste a single word.

"That's settled, then. Continue accompanying Kirigakure's representative."

She turned around.

"I'm going back to the hospital."

Her departure was clean and decisive, without the slightest visible reluctance of a jealous woman.

Kaede nodded.

He held the report while his heart remained suspended awkwardly in the air.

His eyes stayed fixed on Tsunade's retreating figure.

Only when she had gone far down the street did he secretly release a breath, believing the deadly encounter had ended safely for the moment.

Then the figure ahead suddenly stopped.

Kaede's heart immediately leaped into his throat again.

Tsunade didn't turn around. She remained with her back toward him.

Her question sounded casual.

"By the way, when are you coming to see me?"

She appeared certain that he would come and was merely confirming the time.

Kaede answered without thinking.

"As soon as I finish this."

Hearing the reply, Tsunade lightly nodded.

Still without turning, she added in an indifferent tone,

"There's a loose thread on your collar. Remember to cut it."

With those words, she resumed walking, her steps noticeably lighter than before.

She soon disappeared around the corner.

Kaede instinctively raised his hand to his collar.

His fingertip brushed against a tiny loose thread.

He stood motionless.

The panic inside him transformed into an uncontrollable flutter.

That ordinary reminder...

Mei had endured the confrontation, which lasted less than three minutes.

The official smile on her face was nearly impossible to maintain.

As she watched Tsunade disappear, she finally understood.

Tsunade hadn't become angry, hadn't questioned her, and hadn't even considered her worthy of a direct look.

That was the most terrifying method of all.

Mei thought of everything she had done recently.

In Kirigakure, she had used every method imaginable to force her way into Kaede's life.

In Amegakure, she had fought Pakura in the wilderness merely to declare her position.

She believed such actions proved her importance.

Yet today, Tsunade had done nothing.

She had merely asked when Kaede would come see her and casually mentioned a loose thread on his collar.

Those few words perfectly displayed how thoroughly she had infiltrated and understood every detail of Kaede's daily life.

Mei loosened her clenched hand.

Tsunade was extraordinarily difficult to deal with.

She was a truly ruthless opponent.

After the brief sense of defeat passed, the resilience in Mei's bones was ignited again.

No matter how formidable Tsunade was, Mei wouldn't give up.

The corners of her lips rose again, restoring a flawless smile.

She turned toward Kaede, who was still staring blankly into the distance.

"Kaede, let's go upstairs."