"What happened?"
The three were eating grilled meat when they noticed Tōshirō's face suddenly change, and sweat began to drip from his forehead, leaving them puzzled.
"Nothing," Tōshirō replied quickly, trying to brush off the situation and return to the topic. "Earlier, you said he turned into a fool. What do you mean by that?"
"Literally. From what I heard, it seems he suddenly went mad."
"Suddenly went mad?"
"Yes, but the madness healed after a day. Now, due to certain reasons, he has left Konoha Village. It seemed strange, but in reality, this is a good thing; I won't have to deal with his harassment anymore."
Jiraiya chuckled mockingly, full of schadenfreude: "What a shame, it would've been nice if he stayed crazy."
"Left Konoha?"
With his sharp intuition, Tōshirō sensed something suspicious. Maybe the man was trying to stage an ambush during his journey or shift the blame onto someone else.
These two men had feelings for Tsunade, and in the end, both ended up dead. When he thought about Dan, who came later, Tōshirō's suspicions deepened.
Tsunade, as Tōshirō described her in his mind, resembled a jellyfish: soft and alluring but poisonous. Whoever touches her, dies.
At that moment, Tōshirō felt relieved that he had never tried to get close to Tsunade, choosing instead to keep a safe distance.
After mulling this over, Tōshirō stood up and straightened his shirt collar.
When everyone saw him stand up suddenly, they asked in surprise, "What happened?"
Tōshirō replied calmly, "I'm full."
Tsunade looked at him curiously. "You only ate two pieces, didn't you?"
Tōshirō smiled and said, "I have training later, so I can't eat too much. A little is enough."
Tsunade was surprised by the change in Tōshirō, who used to be so laid-back and was now serious and diligent.
She asked, "Didn't you hate training? This change seems drastic."
Tōshirō thought to himself, "I can't afford to be lazy anymore. That night, I felt like I was being watched, and then someone might disappear without a trace."
"The situation isn't safe anymore. Even the village may not be safe. At any moment, someone might attack us, and chaos will ensue. I don't want to die without knowing what happened."
Then Tōshirō added, changing the subject: "By the way, you haven't told anyone about my true strength, have you? I don't want to end up on the hit list of other nations."
Tsunade interrupted: "Don't worry, I'll keep your secret."
Tōshirō's true power might be detectable for those who wanted to find out, but he was playing a role. If he was going to play it, he had to play it fully.
"That's good." Tōshirō raised his fingers and put them to his forehead, bidding everyone farewell before turning to leave. He grabbed two bottles of drinks and smiled, saying, "Well, goodbye~~"
But he hadn't taken more than two steps when he heard Tsunade's voice trying to stop him, her tone suggesting she wasn't happy with him leaving.
Tōshirō paused for a moment, understanding that everyone missed spending peaceful time together, but he had no choice. He had to become stronger, so he wouldn't end up like others, weak and powerless.
He said, "I know you don't want me to leave, but…"
Tsunade interrupted: "You can go, but leave the money."
Tōshirō: "What?" They followed a system of splitting the bill.
Tōshirō frowned and said, "Don't you have a lot of money, Tsunade? Why don't you be generous and pay for me?"
Tsunade replied with a sly smile, "And what do I owe you to pay for you?"
With a sarcastic smile, she said with her eyes, "Who are you to expect me to spend on you?"
Tōshirō shamelessly replied, "I'm your boss, of course…"
Tsunade cut him off, raising her small fist that could destroy trees, saying, "Stop the nonsense, or I'll punch you."
"Alright, alright, you're the boss, okay?" Tōshirō gave in, avoiding conflict. "I'm your second-in-command, does that satisfy you?"
"Hmph," Tsunade snorted in annoyance.
"Honestly, with that sharp temper, no wonder you're flat-chested."
Tōshirō said it jokingly, but he unintentionally hit one of Tsunade's sore spots.
"(╬￣皿￣): 'My size is perfectly normal, you idiot!'"
Σ(°△°|||)︴
Tōshirō decided to leave immediately after that.
......
At the hospital, in the treatment room.
Tōshirō placed his hands together over the body of a patient lying still like a dead fish, concentrating intensely. His hands emitted a faint green glow.
Moments later, the patient stirred and suddenly sat up, full of energy.
Tōshirō exhaled in relief. With that, he had become proficient enough in healing techniques and had officially entered the realm of medical ninja.
Biwako praised him: "Well done."
Tōshirō responded with a polite thank you.
Seeing Tōshirō's progress in learning the healing technique, Tsunade felt a small sense of pride. "Not bad, but it seems I'm still more talented in medical ninjutsu."
Tōshirō didn't argue and nodded in agreement, acknowledging that Tsunade was better than him in this field.
If he had activated the Sharingan, he might have learned the healing technique faster than her, perhaps even faster than now.
But this only applied to the beginning stages of learning. To truly excel in medical ninjutsu, one needed not just talent but also a deep passion.
Tsunade, who would become one of the top medical ninja in the future, wasn't just talented. She had a strong interest in the field, driving her forward.
As for Tōshirō, he didn't have that passion and was honest with himself about it.
"Tōshirō, would you like to officially become my disciple?" Biwako suddenly asked.
Tōshirō paused for a moment. Although the healing technique was an A-level jutsu, it was relatively common among medical ninjas.
However, learning other medical ninjutsu techniques wasn't so easy unless one became an official disciple.
Previously, Tōshirō might have seriously considered becoming Tsunade's disciple to share common interests with her. But after everything he had witnessed, he realized it was better to keep his distance.
Silently, Tōshirō expressed his regret without giving a direct answer.
Biwako sighed, saying, "I understand."
Tōshirō offered a brief apology before bidding Biwako farewell and leaving the room.
As Biwako watched Tōshirō leave, she felt a sense of disappointment.
She had thought of taking him as a disciple, not just because he was talented, but also at the behest of her husband, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Tōshirō was different from the rest of the Uchiha clan. He was close to Tsunade and the others. Most importantly, he didn't possess the Sharingan, which made him a target for future political influence and surveillance.
And making him a disciple was part of that strategy.
(End of Chapter)
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