Are you thinking about another woman?

Inside Tsunade's house, within the dining room, Nawaki had already slipped away early, leaving only Tsunade and Kato Yufeng sitting opposite each other at the dining table.

Kato Yufeng was still carefully reviewing yesterday's events, trying to figure out why Tsunade's mood had been so abnormal today. His eyes, usually gleaming like brilliant stars, lacked their former luster as he stared blankly at the instant noodles in the bowl before him, lost in thought.

From morning to noon, from noon to night, and then from night to noon and morning again, he had replayed yesterday's happenings back and forth in his mind several times, yet he still couldn't grasp the crucial point.

In the process of a romantic relationship, men and women view the exact same matter from different perspectives.

Men mostly look at things from a rational standpoint, being more direct and caring about the most intuitive feelings of the matter—simply put, one is one, and two is two.

Women mostly look at things from an emotional standpoint, being more subtle and caring about the underlying implications and effects—simply put, one is one, but one is also two.

As for what "two" is? Well, when "two" actually happens, you look at the woman's mood at that moment to decide what "two" really is...

Kato Yufeng had turned over the events of yesterday back and forth in his head multiple times. To him, the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen promoting him to deputy commander of the Northwest Fortress Garrison was simply a straightforward work-related promotion with a pay raise, which counted as a joyous occasion.

In Kato Yufeng's train of thought, it had never crossed his mind that his promotion to the Northwest Fortress Garrison would result in a long-term separation between him and Tsunade. In his view, that wasn't even an issue, as he simply hadn't thought that far ahead.

The difference in thought processes between men and women is sometimes just that miraculous.

Despite Tsunade's usual carefree, heroic, and seemingly indifferent demeanor, she was ultimately a woman with a woman's unique, delicate emotions.

Especially after she and Kato Yufeng officially became a couple, that delicate, little-woman side of her manifested more and more clearly.

It wasn't just reflected on the surface in her attitude toward Kato Yufeng—growing increasingly gentle and kind—it also included that special, romance-driven thought process unique to women in love.

Upon hearing that Kato Yufeng had been promoted as the commander of the Northwest Fortress Garrison, Tsunade instantly associated it with the prospect of long-distance separation between the two of them.

*How does that lyric go? Don't try to guess a girl's mind, for try as you might, you'll never figure it out.*

This lyric suddenly popped into Kato Yufeng's head. Right now, he almost didn't want to guess Tsunade's thoughts anymore; he was tempted to use his soul clone to drill into Tsunade's little head and flip through her memories.

---

Ever since Nawaki had snuck away, Tsunade had been waiting for Kato Yufeng to speak up, but after waiting and waiting, Kato Yufeng was still just sitting there staring blankly at the bowl in front of him.

Finally, Tsunade's last shred of patience was exhausted.

*This blockhead, this idiot!*

Tsunade held the pair of chopsticks she had been using to eat noodles. Initially, she wanted to knock Kato Yufeng on the head, but recalling that she had already hammered her younger brother's head earlier, she still couldn't bear to strike her boyfriend's head with the chopsticks, so she redirected the blow to the instant noodle bowl in front of him instead.

"Clink, clink."

"Is there a female ninja inside the bowl? What are you spacing out for, early in the morning?" Tsunade asked, her tone laced with annoyance.

"Huh? Oh?"

Kato Yufeng snapped out of his trance. Just then, he had been debating whether to use his soul clone to search Tsunade's memories.

"I'm talking to you! Spacing out again, first thing in the morning!" Tsunade gave Kato Yufeng a sideways glance. "Is there a female ninja in that bowl? You've been staring right into it!"

"Don't talk nonsense, what female ninja would be in there!"

Kato Yufeng looked at the chopsticks in Tsunade's hand, remembering the massive bump on his brother-in-law's head from earlier, and hurriedly slurped down a couple of mouthfuls of instant noodles.

Looking at Kato Yufeng, who wore a bewildered expression with his handsome eyes looking blank and unfocused, Tsunade suddenly felt that the temper tantrum she had thrown earlier this morning was somewhat boring and comical. In an instant, she didn't feel nearly as angry or worried anymore.

*This idiot, this fool! Blockhead!*

Tsunade watched Kato Yufeng hurriedly eating his noodles before her, mentally complaining once more. She had already given up on the notion that Kato Yufeng could figure out her quirky moods and subtle thoughts.

Once Tsunade figured things out, her bad temper came quickly and went just as fast. Pouting her cheeks, she asked in a soft, reproachful tone, "Can those noodles still be eaten? Aren't they cold and mushy by now?"

"Burp!"

Out of a guilty conscience, Kato Yufeng swallowed a huge clump of noodles along with the broth in one go, and then let out a loud belch.

"They're all right, the taste isn't bad actually, burp..."

Kato Yufeng held the empty noodle bowl with both hands, blinking his attractive starry eyes with a bewildered expression as he looked at the suddenly gentle and lovely Tsunade, and let out another burp.

Looking at Tsunade, who was softly showing concern for him, even though Kato Yufeng still hadn't figured out the reason behind her earlier abnormal mood swings and temper tantrums, his instinctive masculine intuition as a man told him that it seemed—quite possibly—Tsunade's mood had improved again?

"Burp!" Almost instinctively, Kato Yufeng let out yet another burp. "Tsunade, have you finished your soup? If not, let me finish it too. Cold instant noodles actually taste really good."

As he spoke, Kato Yufeng genuinely reached out, intending to grab the noodle bowl in front of Tsunade.

"Idiot, the soup is cold and the noodles are mushy, how could they possibly be good!"

Tsunade gently tapped her boyfriend's hand with her chopsticks. Looking at the bewildered and foolish boyfriend sitting across the dining table, her mood suddenly brightened up even more.

"Hehe."

Instead of minding being tapped by Tsunade's chopsticks, Kato Yufeng just let out a silly chuckle. Although he still hadn't figured out why Tsunade's mood kept fluctuating, he was now certain that she was in a good mood.

For no particular reason, watching her boyfriend—who looked so goofy and foolish, bearing no resemblance whatsoever to the sharp and eager-beaver demeanor he had displayed while riding horses earlier—Tsunade simply wanted to laugh.

"What are you giggling at?"

Infected by Kato Yufeng's smile, the corners of Tsunade's mouth turned upward involuntarily. However, instead of laughing out loud, she turned the question back on her boyfriend across the table.

"Uh... cold instant noodles really do taste quite good."

Looking at the gentle smile hanging on the corners of her boyfriend's mouth, Kato Yufeng certainly wasn't going to foolishly bring up the fact that he had been spacing out thinking about things earlier.

Relationships are wonderfully strange: Kato Yufeng wanted to drop the subject, but Tsunade brought it right back up, persistently chasing after the reason why he had been spacing out just now. However...

The corner of her cherry-red lips curled slightly upward as Tsunade said with a mischievous smile, "What were you thinking about while staring blankly at your noodle bowl just now? Were you thinking about Yamanaka Chizuru, who was making a fool of herself over you yesterday?"

Though she had claimed she wouldn't count on her boyfriend Kato Yufeng figuring out her quirky temper and subtle thoughts, Tsunade still unconsciously steered the conversation toward the topic of separation that she actually cared about.

Thinking of Kato Yufeng's infatuation with her own ample assets, Tsunade was reminded of Yamanaka Chizuru, who was equally well-endowed yesterday, figuring she made the perfect tool to guide that blockhead sitting opposite her.