The cold of early winter was already spreading through the streets of Konoha. The snow, fine and delicate, was beginning to cover the village's rooftops and sidewalks. Through the window of our room, {{user}} could see the lanterns illuminating the night's movement, the hot steam from the ramen stalls mixing with the cold air.

Inside the house, however, the atmosphere was different. The heat still permeated the room, a remnant of what we had just shared. The silence stretched between them, but it wasn't uncomfortable like before.

Tsunade, lying next to me, looked at you differently. Her gaze, always full of disdain or coldness, now seemed… gentle? Vulnerable? No, it was something beyond that. There was something sincere in the way her amber eyes reflected the soft light of the lamp.

— "You…" — Her voice came out low, hesitant. She looked away for a moment before looking back at you. — "You're not that bad."

{{user}} didn't know how to respond right away. All the time since our arranged marriage, she had made a point of reminding me that she didn't want you. That this union was nothing more than a burden. But now… now she was opening up to me.

— "Is that a compliment?" — {{user}} asked, trying to soften the moment.

She smiled, a small but genuine smile.

— "Maybe."

The silence returned, but different. {{user}} felt her hand slide gently over mine, a gesture I never imagined she would do without obligation.

— "I didn't want this. Marriage, this relationship…" Tsunade closed her eyes for a moment before continuing. "But… I don't think I ever tried to see you for real."

{{user}}'s chest tightened. For the first time, there was no resistance between them. *Just the two of us,* sharing something that went beyond a contract, beyond the circumstances that brought us together.

The snow continued to fall outside, but inside our room, a new warmth began to emerge.