Tsunade realized a big problem.
If she had to stay in this world for three, five, or ten years, she could not remain a ghost.
She could not hide in Dale’s apartment forever.
She needed to exist legally.
She needed a real identity.
For a normal person, making a completely fake life from nothing was very hard.
But for a highly trained ninja, it was easy.
Tsunade had a mountain of solid gold.
More importantly, she knew a few simple Genjutsu.
She could use her chakra to create illusions and gently trick people’s minds.
One sunny afternoon, she left the apartment alone.
A few hours later, the front door unlocked.
Tsunade walked in and casually tossed a small plastic folder onto the kitchen table.
Dale put down his textbook and looked inside.
His eyes widened in shock.
Inside the folder was a driver’s license, a shiny new passport, a social security card, and several official papers.
They all had her picture on them.
“How did you get all of this so fast?”
Dale asked, completely amazed.
“This usually takes months!”
“Gold opens many doors,”
Tsunade said, pouring herself a glass of water.
“And a little trick on the mind opens the rest. I just had to find the right people who make these things.”
Dale picked up the dark blue passport.
He read the English words slowly.
“Tsunade Senju,”
He read out loud.
“Medical Doctor from Japan. Visiting for further medical studies.”
“It is the perfect cover,”
She explained, sitting down across from him.
“I am a healer. That is my true nature. If I am going to stay here for years, I might as well learn how your modern medicine works. I can read your medical books to pass the time.”
Dale smiled.
It really was a smart plan.
They lived in America, often called the land of freedom.
It was a huge country filled with different people from all over the globe.
“You picked a good place for it,”
Dale told her.
“America is huge. People come here every day to study and work. A Japanese doctor doing research won’t look strange to anyone. It will be very easy for you to blend in.”
Tsunade nodded.
She took a sip of her water.
For the first time since she woke up in that damp alley, she felt grounded.
She wasn’t just a lost ninja hiding in the shadows anymore.
She was Dr. Senju.
She had a name, a purpose, and a clear goal.
Her long wait had officially begun.
A few days later, Tsunade looked at Dale across the kitchen table.
“Tell me about your university,”
She asked.
Dale explained how big the campus was.
He told her about the science buildings, the large library, and the different classes.
Tsunade listened very closely.
Her sharp eyes lit up with an idea.
“I need a good place to do my medical research,”
She said, tapping her finger on the table.
“I will apply to be a professor there. With my new papers and my real healing knowledge, they will hire me easily. Then I can use their advanced labs.”
Dale felt a huge wave of happiness wash over him.
He smiled widely.
This meant
Tsunade would go to the same university as him.
They could see each other during the day.
He wouldn’t have to be away from her for so long.
“That is a really great idea,”
Dale agreed.
“But the university is far to walk to,”
Tsunade noted.
She could go there by jumping on buildings but doing that would probably get her into unnecessary trouble.
“I will need a car to drive there. I have seen them on the street. Help me pick a good one.”
Dale went to his room and brought back a thick, glossy car magazine.
His dream was to own a car after finishing his degree.
He placed it on the table in front of her.
Tsunade opened the magazine.
She flipped through the pages.
Suddenly, she stopped.
She pointed a strong finger at a bright red, sleek sports car.
It was a Ferrari.
“I want this one,”
She declared instantly.
Dale almost choked on his own spit.
“That… that is incredibly expensive, Tsunade.”
“I have a mountain of gold,”
She reminded him with a confident smirk.
She turned the page and pushed the magazine toward him.
“Now, pick one for yourself,”
She told him.
Dale shook his head quickly and pushed the magazine back.
“No, no. I really don’t need one. I can just ride the bus, or I can just ride with you.”
Before he could pull away, Tsunade stood up from her chair.
She walked behind him and gently wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him from the back.
She leaned close to his ear.
Dale could feel her warmth and smell her sweet scent.
His face turned bright red.
“Pick a car, Dale,”
She teased softly, her voice low.
“If you don’t pick one right now, I will have to punish you.”
Dale felt a cold chill run down his spine.
He knew exactly what her “punishment” meant.
It didn’t mean anything fun.
It meant she would double his physical and chakra training.
Her normal training was already pure hell.
His muscles ached just thinking about doing twice the work.
“Okay, okay! I’ll pick one!”
He said quickly, surrendering immediately.
He looked down at the magazine in a panic.
He flipped past the sports cars to find something more normal.
He found the cheapest looking car in the entire magazine and pointed at the picture.
“This one. I want this one,”
He said, hoping she would agree.
Tsunade looked over his shoulder at the picture.
Even though it was the cheapest option in that fancy magazine, Dale noticed the price tag at the bottom of the page.
It was still more than fifty thousand dollars.
Tsunade smiled happily and patted his shoulder.
“Good choice,”
She said, letting him go.
“We will go buy them tomorrow.”
The next morning, they walked into a huge, shiny car store.
Before coming here, Tsunade had made a few more trips to sell her gold.
She now had a real bank account with more than ten million dollars in it.
She also forced a large amount of money into Dale’s own bank account.
Dale had tried to refuse.
He didn’t want to take advantage of her.
But one sharp look from Tsunade made him stop talking.
He knew she would never accept “no” for an answer.
Inside the store, the bright lights shined on rows of beautiful cars.
Tsunade looked stunning in her modern clothes.
She quickly caught someone’s attention.
A salesman walked up to them.
His name tag said “Allen.”
He was tall, very handsome, and wore an expensive, sharp suit.
He had a smooth, confident smile.
He completely ignored Dale and stood very close to Tsunade.
“Hello, beautiful,”
Allen said, using his most charming voice.
“Are you looking for a fast ride today? I can give you a personal tour.”
Tsunade looked at him with cold, bored eyes.
She was a war veteran and a princess of her clan.
She had met many men who thought a handsome face and sweet words were enough to impress her.
She didn’t care about him at all.
Instead of answering Allen, she turned to Dale.
She smiled warmly and wrapped her hands tightly around Dale’s arm, pressing close to his side.
“Darling, is this the man who will show us the cars?”
She asked Dale in perfect English, making her voice sound sweet and loving.
Allen blinked in surprise, his confident smile dropping a little.
Tsunade then raised her left hand to brush a piece of blonde hair behind her ear.
On her finger, a simple but elegant silver ring caught the light.
Dale looked down at his own hand in shock.
He was wearing a matching silver ring.
Tsunade had smoothly slipped it onto his finger right before they walked into the store, moving so fast he hadn’t even noticed.
She was truly a master ninja.
She had anticipated this exact problem.
She knew beautiful women got unwanted attention in any place.
She also knew that living in the same apartment and going to the same university would make people ask questions.
Being Dale’s girlfriend was the perfect cover.
It kept annoying men away, and it explained why they were always together.
Dale felt his face turn incredibly hot, but he understood her plan.
He stood up straight.
He looked at the handsome salesman.
“Yes,”
Dale said, trying to sound brave and firm.
“We are looking to buy two cars today. One for me, and one for my girlfriend.”
Allen cleared his throat.
His smooth charm was completely gone.
“Of course. Right this way, sir,”
He said politely, finally treating Dale with respect.
Tsunade stepped back a little and let Dale do all the talking with the salesman.
She wanted Allen and everyone else in the store to think Dale was a very rich young man.
It was just an act for now, but it would become the real truth very soon.
Tsunade had a big plan.
She was going to use her medical knowledge and her gold to start a powerful medical company in this world.
She would build an empire.
And when the day finally came for her to open the space-time door and go back to her village, she would leave all of it behind.
Every single dollar, every car, and the entire company would belong to Dale.
All her assets would be his.
But as Tsunade watched Dale bravely sign the papers, a sudden, sharp pain hit her deep in her chest.
It wasn’t a physical wound.
It was her heart.
She thought about that future day.
She thought about walking through the glowing door and leaving Dale completely alone in this giant world.
Dale had truly grown on her.
He was so much like her little brother, Nawaki.
He was cute, kind, and completely innocent.
He also worked incredibly hard without ever complaining.
Dale’s dream was not to become the Hokage, the great leader of a hidden village.
His dream was just to graduate from his university and become a successful businessman.
Even though their goals were different, they had the exact same bright, determined fire in their eyes.
Tsunade looked away from Dale and stared down at the fake silver ring on her finger.
She swallowed hard.
She realized a scary truth.
She couldn’t help it.
She didn’t want to leave him.
They had only known each other for a few short months, and she was already this deeply attached to him.
He was her family now.
She needed to stay in this world to gather an ocean of chakra for her special seal.
It would take three, five, or maybe even ten years.
If she felt this much pain at the thought of leaving him after just a few months…
She really didn’t know what would happen to her heart in the long years to come.