Sakura looked at the older Tsunade and thought, What a beautiful woman.
Meanwhile, Tōshirō noticed Sakura's pink hair. Remembering the original storyline where she was described as a beauty, he thought, In person, she's not bad at all.
The older Tsunade approached the hospital bed, where a handsome young boy lay unconscious. With her unparalleled medical expertise, she identified the problem with just a glance. Instead of treating him herself, she turned to her younger self.
"Rangiku, it's up to you. You can handle this, right?"
In recent days, Tsunade had passed on all her medical knowledge to her younger self without reservation. Now was the perfect time to test the results.
The younger Tsunade stepped forward, assessed the condition, and responded confidently, "I should be able to manage."
Naruto, however, was skeptical. "Wait, Tsunade-neechan, why aren't you doing it yourself?"
Naruto dared not be rude, considering her age and the risk of being hit.
"Shut up and watch. Rangiku has perfectly inherited my skills. This is nothing for her," the older Tsunade declared confidently.
Jiraiya observed the younger Tsunade's every move. It didn't take long before her treatment yielded visible results.
As expected of Tsunade's protégé, Jiraiya thought. She's so young yet already possesses such advanced medical skills. I wonder if she's inherited that monstrous strength as well.
These musings were interrupted when Sasuke woke up. Groggily, he sat up, only to be embraced by a figure.
Naruto's pupils trembled as he froze in place. Despite standing just a meter away, he felt as if they were separated by miles. Heartbroken, he left in silence.
Tōshirō watched Naruto's sorrowful retreat and shook his head. What's the point?
It was said that in the original storyline, Sakura was designed to be Naruto's future wife. But looking at how things were unfolding, Tōshirō could only sigh at how poorly that was handled.
After treating Sasuke, the team moved on to Kakashi. The process went smoothly for both. However, when it came to Rock Lee, even the older Tsunade found herself struggling.
Fragments of bone were embedded around crucial nerves. Even with her exceptional skills, Tsunade estimated only a 50% success rate—any failure would mean Lee's death.
Hearing the low odds and high risks, Lee stood up with his crutch, silent and crestfallen, and walked past Tsunade without a word.
His master could only watch helplessly, his heart aching for his student.
Before long, only Tōshirō's group remained in the room.
The older Tsunade turned to her younger self and remarked, "Those two are in similar situations, aren't they?"
She was referring to the younger versions of Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
The younger Tsunade nodded.
Even her future self wasn't confident in treating such injuries, underscoring their complexity.
This was why the younger Tsunade wasn't rushing to return to the past. She intended to master this surgical procedure to perfection before making any moves.
The older Tsunade sighed. "As harsh as this sounds, if that kid decides to go through with the surgery, you should observe the entire procedure to gain experience. It'll increase the success rate when you return."
"I understand," the younger Tsunade said with a determined nod.
"For now, let's proceed as if he'll agree to the surgery. We need to research a treatment plan," the older Tsunade said, stretching her arms. "Rangiku, follow me. We've got work to do."
Still, they decided to stop by their home first. Leading the group to her old residence, the older Tsunade said, "From now on, the two of you will stay here for the time being."
The younger Tsunade shared a room with her older self, while Tōshirō and Shizune were assigned their own rooms.
While the three medical experts busied themselves with researching Lee's treatment, Tōshirō—who was only a novice in medical ninjutsu—wandered around the village to explore its changes.
Unconsciously, his steps led him to the Uchiha district. But things had long since changed—what was once a proud and prominent area had become a secluded corner of the village, abandoned after the clan's massacre.
Sharing the same timeline as the younger Tsunade, Tōshirō began thinking of ways to guide her subtly. At the very least, he needed to ensure she wouldn't remain so naïve about the village.
Whether or not she would clash with Konoha's upper echelon in the future was uncertain, but it was always wise to prepare.
If Tsunade ended up opposing the village, it would put Tōshirō in a difficult position.
His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden voice. Turning, he saw a blond-haired, blue-eyed boy greeting him, accompanied by several peers.
Tōshirō's gaze swept over the group, stopping at a girl with pure white eyes.
If he wasn't mistaken, this was the future princess, Hinata Hyuga.
Having been influenced by the anime, Tōshirō had high expectations for Hinata's appearance. While she wasn't stunning, she was indeed delicate and graceful. What surprised him, however, was another blonde girl with bangs covering her eyes—she caught his attention more.
Noticing Tōshirō's gaze, the girl with bangs grew excited. "Wow, what a handsome guy!"
At her age, she was easily drawn to appearances.
Naruto, annoyed, scoffed. "Ugh, you fangirls are the worst. He probably has a girlfriend already!"
"Hey, who are you calling a fangirl?" the blonde girl retorted angrily.
Tōshirō glanced at Naruto, whose brash personality reminded him of Tsunade.
The blonde girl clasped her hands in a prayerful gesture. "Besides, my heart will always belong to Sasuke-kun!"
Naruto, with his hands behind his head, sneered. "I don't get why you girls are so obsessed with Sasuke."
The blonde girl immediately shot back, "Because he's handsome, you idiot!"
"Being handsome doesn't put food on the table!"
"But being handsome makes food taste better!"
"Fangirl."
"Idiot."
"Fangirl."
"Idiot."
…....
The two argued endlessly, prompting a pineapple-haired boy to interject, "Come on, you two. Can't you stop fighting for a second?"
Naruto and Ino
The two of them, who couldn't see eye to eye, turned their heads in opposite directions with a huff.
"So troublesome..."
The boy with the pineapple-shaped hairstyle let out a sigh.
From their appearances and speaking habits, Tōshirō had roughly identified who these people were. The boy trying to mediate must be Shikamaru.
Since Tōshirō didn't belong here, he had no intention of delving deeper into conversation with them—except for one exception.
"Naruto, I just arrived in Konoha and am not familiar with many places. Could you show me around?" Tōshirō expressed his request.
Before Naruto could respond, Ino interjected enthusiastically, "Naruto's just terrible with directions! If you want to explore Konoha, I can guide you!"
Ino's enthusiasm was evident, but Tōshirō shook his head. "I appreciate your kindness, but I'd rather have Naruto as my guide."
Being directly rejected like that was something Ino hadn't expected. She looked visibly hurt and asked, "Why?"
"If you're asking why, it's because I'm afraid of being beaten up," Tōshirō replied.
Ino tilted her head in confusion. "Beaten up?"
Tōshirōchuckled. "Yeah, because my girlfriend, Rangiku, is a very jealous woman. If she saw me walking around with another girl, she'd probably attack me first and ask questions later."
That was part of the reason. The other part was that Tōshirō knew himself all too well.
After all, what man doesn't like the idea of a harem?
Tōshirō was no exception.
But unfortunately, his girlfriend definitely wouldn't allow that.
With her strong and assertive personality, dreaming of having a harem was nothing but a foolish fantasy.
Tōshirō was wise enough to keep his distance from other women, especially those who were even remotely attractive.
Naruto seemed to pick up on this as they walked. "You're really scared of your girlfriend, huh?"
Tōshirō replied earnestly, "In this world, there's no such thing as men afraid of women—only men who respect them."
Shikamaru mentally rolled his eyes. That line sounded exactly like something his dad would say. Clearly, it was just a fancy excuse for being afraid of their wives.
Though Shikamaru hadn't met Rangiku, with his intelligence, he could already imagine the dynamic between Tōshirō and his girlfriend.
Naruto then asked, "By the way, where is Rangiku?"
Tōshirō replied, "She's busy researching medical techniques with Tsunade."
"Really? That's amazing," Naruto said. "Alright, let's go! I'll take you to the best food spot in Konoha."
"The best food spot?"
"Yep, Ichiraku Ramen!"
Of course...
At Ichiraku Ramen.
This was one of the most iconic food spots in the Naruto series.
By the time of Tōshirō's original era, no one even knew where the Ichiraku stall was. Naturally, this dish hadn't been invented yet.
"I'm telling you, this is the most delicious thing in the world," Naruto boasted, thumping his chest. "As your host, I'm treating you—don't hold back!"
Tōshirō nodded in gratitude and ordered a large bowl of ramen.
Before long, a steaming bowl of ramen was placed in front of him.
Clasping his hands together, Tōshirō gave a small prayer: "Thank you for the meal."
Just as he was about to dig in, Naruto suddenly stopped him. "Wait!"
"What's wrong?" Tōshirō asked.
Naruto explained, "You're eating ramen wrong."
"There's a right way to eat ramen?"
"Of course!" Naruto grinned and began his elaborate explanation. "Let me teach you the proper technique for enjoying ramen."
He picked up his bowl of Ichiraku Ramen and brought it close to his nose, inhaling deeply. "First, start by appreciating the aroma of the broth. Begin from the part of the bowl with the most intense scent—usually near the red ginger. Take small bites while imagining the flavor filtering through your senses. Then, move on to the noodles. Grab a small amount, slurp it up, and let it glide down your throat. Finally, drink water to cleanse your palate and experience the ramen in its full glory."
Listening to Naruto's thorough guide, Tōshirō was dumbfounded. If someone had walked in on this conversation, they might've thought it was some academic lecture.
This guy eats ramen so much that he's come up with an actual theory about it...
Following Naruto's instructions, Tōshirō tried the ramen.
"How is it?" Naruto asked eagerly.
"Not bad," Tōshirō replied honestly.
"See?" Naruto said with a wide grin. He loved the feeling of being appreciated.
After finishing his ramen, Tōshirō drank a glass of water and expressed his thanks.
He had a pretty favorable impression of Naruto. Considering how much rejection and ostracization he'd faced growing up, it was incredible that he hadn't turned bitter. If it were Tōshirō's son in Naruto's place, the kid might've become a villain by now.
Naruto waved it off casually. "No need to thank me."
"You might think that, but I don't," Tōshirō said with a smile. "So, what do you think? Want me to teach you a ninjutsu?"
Naruto froze for a moment. "Teach me a ninjutsu?"
"Yeah. From our fight earlier, it seemed like you're only good at shadow clones. It might help to expand your repertoire."
Tōshirō recalled that Naruto's chakra nature was wind.
His own ice style also included wind chakra, so he knew a few wind-release techniques. Though he wasn't particularly skilled with wind-style jutsu, he was more than capable of teaching Naruto the basics. Right now, Naruto's foundation was far too weak.
Of course, teaching him these techniques wasn't just about repaying him for the ramen. The main reason was that Tōshirō wanted to see if he could glean the secrets of the Rasengan during their training.
Since he was in this world, he wanted to make the most of the advantages it offered.
The Rasengan might not be of much immediate use to his current abilities.
But it was a highly valuable jutsu to study.
There are two primary ways to enhance a jutsu: shape transformation and nature transformation.
And the Rasengan was a masterpiece of shape transformation.
(P.S. author: Give Boruto a break this time.)
(P.S.2 author: The recently released "Minato's Story" seems quite interesting. Maybe I could incorporate some elements from it—but then again, it's all about tweaking the lore…)
(End of Chapter)
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