Sure enough, the shop owner laughed after hearing that. "Yeah, with Tsunade-sama in charge, how could anything go wrong? The moment she came back, the village stabilized. Those petty crooks don't even dare to act up anymore!"

See? Tsunade really was more reassuring to the villagers.

Whether it was her reputation or her strength, she could always put hearts at ease.

Convincing the people didn't require complicated reasoning. Just telling them Tsunade was in charge was enough.

Natsuki kept helping out in the shop while casually chatting. To his surprise, the shop owner knew quite a few things—apparently from idle gossip and chit-chat with customers.

Turns out, quite a few incidents had happened in the village during the two months Natsuki had been on his mission.

One time, a bunch of Kibaku Fuda (Explosive Tags) were discovered in the village, and the shinobi had scrambled to find and disarm them. Another time, in the middle of the night, there seemed to have been an attack—some villagers thought the Kyūbi (Nine-Tails) had gone wild again. Luckily, everything was resolved. Oh, and the Hokage building got struck by lightning.

Natsuki was curious and asked around subtly.

He quickly pieced things together—many original plot events had occurred while he was away.

For instance, the large cache of explosive tags was probably tied to the surviving members of the long-destroyed Hien Village, seeking revenge. The midnight intruders seemed related to Asuma, one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. And the lightning strike on the Hokage building was likely part of Kurenai and Kurama Yakumo's story arc.

Honestly, could someone install a lightning rod on the Hokage building? It gets struck way too often, and then there's smoke everywhere.

The hospital too—why no lightning rods?

As for Kurama Yakumo, apparently her Genjutsu (Illusion Techniques) were quite powerful. Now that her issues were resolved and she'd reconciled with Kurenai, maybe she should officially become a shinobi?

Natsuki yawned and let his mind wander. He was interested, but it didn't really involve him.

No need to take it too seriously.

Just then, TenTen walked into the shop with her trademark twin buns.

Today, she wore a white robe over deep red pants—classic look from the original timeline. She looked radiant and confident, turning heads immediately.

"Dad, I won't be home for dinne—ah! Natsuki, you're back!"

Her sentence veered mid-way. The next moment, she Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique)-ed straight into Natsuki's arms. Not caring about her father or the other customers, she dragged Natsuki into the back room.

Two months apart, their longing overflowed, practically drowning Natsuki.

He didn't even get to say a word—just responded in kind, affectionately and fully. It took quite a while before they came back out.

TenTen nuzzled against him, her voice a soft purr. "Husband, when did you get back? Why didn't you tell me first?"

Natsuki chuckled warmly. "I wanted to surprise you. So? Two months apart and suddenly seeing your beloved—surprised to the point of explosion?"

"Mhm. Very surprised. But I'd rather you told me sooner."

"Alright, next time I will. But for now—let's make up for every moment we missed!"

"Wait, I still have work—mmph…"

Much later, both emerged with swollen lips, ignoring the shop owner's glares and the customers' curious stares. TenTen shot Natsuki a glare and rushed out.

Natsuki knew she'd been appointed one of the Chūnin Exam proctors and had work soon.

Now she had to show up with swollen lips—no doubt she'd be teased by her coworkers.

Not that Natsuki cared. Those who'd tease her were just bitter single mutts. Seriously—what couple doesn't kiss? Why hide it?

When things quieted down in the shop, Natsuki arranged a gathering.

Though Neji, Sasuke, and Shino were tied up with work—mainly patrolling the village.

Clearly, Tsunade was taking this Chūnin Exam seriously, afraid of another disaster like last time. If that happened, Konoha's reputation would be in tatters.

More patrols? Good idea.

Thankfully, that didn't interfere with the evening dinner.

The others—like the trio from Aoba's team—quickly agreed.

Asuma's and Kurenai's teams seemed more tense. When Natsuki visited, they were deep in training, clearly trying to cram.

Still, they accepted the dinner invitation.

After all, the Chūnin Exam was a hurdle they had to cross on their own. There wasn't much Natsuki could do. A dinner invite was his way of cheering them on.

That night, the fifteen rookies gathered once more. Laughter and chatter filled the air.

Naturally, they asked Natsuki about his mission, but he kept it vague and simply shared stories about the Land of Earth's culture and customs.

Gradually, the conversation turned to the upcoming Chūnin Exam.

Kiba grumbled, "We used to be in the same class. Now you're our proctor. That just doesn't sit right."

Ino chimed in, "Yeah! And we're still not confident about this exam. Even though we passed the practice test, I still feel like we might fail the real thing."

Natsuki couldn't help but smile.

He understood all too well. It's like being a senior in high school—acing all your mock exams, yet still anxious about the real college entrance exam.

Who knows what kind of questions will appear? Who knows if something unexpected will happen?

Some top students even forget their ID card on exam day!

Ino's lack of confidence stemmed from her team's lack of coordination. If it were still the Ino-Shika-Chō with Shikamaru, things would be fine. But now it was Sakura-Shika-Chō—a different story.

"Natsuki, that smile—are you enjoying our pain?" Naruto narrowed his eyes, tailing off like a sulky fox.

"Must be nice, being a jōnin. No exams to worry about. While we're here stressing over whether we'll pass or stay genin forever. If I don't even make chūnin, how the hell am I supposed to become Hokage?"

Everyone rolled their eyes.

Dreams are fine, but come on, take it one step at a time. Hokage? Please. Try becoming a chūnin first.

Though they didn't know it yet, this yellow-haired knucklehead would one day go from genin to Hokage in one giant leap. But by then, his status as the Child of Prophecy and descendant of the Sage of Six Paths would be even more outrageous.

After dinner, everyone went their separate ways with smiles and full stomachs. Tomorrow would be another busy day.

Natsuki, hand-in-hand with TenTen, walked under the moonlight like it was their first love all over again.

TenTen smiled, "Natsuki, I really like this feeling. Like the whole world has just the two of us, walking hand-in-hand forever."

Natsuki smiled back. "Me too. Though… I like being at home even more. Wife, it's getting late. Time to rest."

TenTen blushed but nodded. "O-Okay… but I still have work tomorrow. So don't go overboard…"

(End of Chapter)

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