Steven's boots scuffed the alley's grime, his mind spinning—maybe a pawn shop for the Rolls-Royce keys, or somewhere to hole up with the gun now heavy in his backpack. A sharp *ding!* cut through his thoughts, the system's glowing screen flickering into view.
[*Ding!*]
[New Member "5th_Hokage" Joined!]
"5th Hokage? Tsunade?" he muttered, stopping dead. His pulse kicked up. *No way.*
---
Tsunade's office was a rare pocket of quiet, the usual chaos of reports and nagging aides replaced by the soft clink of her sake cup. She leaned back, chair groaning, blonde hair slipping free as she sipped. The warmth eased the day's knots.
"Finally," she said, propping her boots on the desk. A pile of scrolls teetered but stayed put—close enough. Shizune was off scolding someone else, and Jiraiya hadn't popped up to ruin her mood. She could actually breathe.
Then a shrill *ding!* ripped through the silence, sharp as a blade. Tsunade's grip tightened on her cup. "What the—?" She froze as a blue screen shimmered into existence, hovering like no genjutsu she'd ever seen.
[*Ding!*]
[You Just Joined The Group]
[Welcome to the Dimensional Chat Group, User "5th_Hokage"!]
"What is this nonsense?" she growled, rubbing her eyes. She slammed the cup down, sake sloshing, and leaned in. No chakra, no telltale flicker of illusion—just a glowing box that wouldn't go away.
---
Steven crouched in the alley's shadows, back against a damp wall. "Her? Really?" he whispered, a grin creeping up. Tsunade—the *Tsunade*—in a chat group with him? This was wild. He pulled up the chat, keeping it light, like texting a buddy.
[Admin_Tarnished: Hey, 5th_Hokage? You there?]
He sent it, easing back with a huff. *Hope she doesn't think I'm some weirdo.*
---
Tsunade's eyes narrowed as the screen pinged, her sake cup paused halfway to her mouth. She scanned the message, boots still up. "Admin_Tarnished?" she muttered, setting the cup down with a sharp *clink*. The tone was too casual, like some cocky genin mouthing off.
[5th_Hokage: Yeah, I'm here. Who're you, 'Tarnished' guy? If this is Jiraiya's idea of a prank, cut it out—I'm not playing.]
She hit send, folding her arms with a scowl.
---
Steven's grin grew as Tsunade's reply lit up the screen. "That's her, alright," he said, catching that biting tone even in text. He stood, moving deeper into the alley, eyes scanning for a spot to ditch the key—maybe a shady shop would take them.
[Admin_Tarnished: no clue about jiraya. this chat thing links people from different worlds. that's all i got, and i don't even know how it works.]
He sent it, cringing at his typos but too wired to fix them.
---
Tsunade's brow arched as the screen pinged again.
[Admin_Tarnished: no clue about jiraya. this chat thing links people from different worlds. that's all i got, and i don't even know how it works.]
Messy, nervous—or just dumb. Maybe both. She smirked faintly.
"Different worlds?" she said to the empty room, tapping her chin. She'd faced demons, madmen, and Orochimaru's creepy labs—dimension-hopping wasn't the craziest thing she'd heard. Still, she wasn't buying it blind.
[5th_Hokage: Different worlds? Sounds like you took a bad hit to the head. Prove it.]
She sent it, leaning forward, elbows on the desk. "Show me something, Tarnished."
---
The screen pinged as Steven slipped through the alley's gloom. Tsunade's challenge glowed in front of him.
He laughed softly. "Prove it? Yeah, okay." But how do you convince a ninja you're from another world? He had no fancy powers—just a backpack full of trouble and a glowing chat tying him to her.