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Chapter 18: Tsunade's (Not So Stealthy) Surprise Visit
Tsunade's POV
Weekends are so boring. Most of the kids in the clan are either afraid of me or respect me way too much to actually hang out. Like, come on, I'm not some scary princess. Even in school, I barely have any friends. Hana Uchiha? She's about as close as it gets, but we're more rivals than anything. Jiraiya? Don't even get me started—he's an absolute idiot. And Orochimaru? Let's just say he's... unsettling. Yeah, that's the nicest way to put it.
Honestly, I spend most of my time with Akira. But every weekend afternoon, he just has to run off to train by himself, talking about "creating a new jutsu" like he's mass-producing them or something. Who does that? He's not even from a clan like I am, yet he's stronger than me! Of course, he has to be the best at everything. It's annoying. And don't get me started on how he teases me. But... it's not that bad... Ugh, no, I don't like him. Definitely not. I mean, sure, he's ridiculously handsome and all, but he's also so annoying, always trying to act cool.
You know what? I've decided. I'm going to give him a surprise visit today. Let's see how "cool" he is when I show up out of nowhere.
After telling the guards I was heading to see Akira, I took off running toward his house. But when I got there... it was locked. Ugh, I should've known! He said he was training, of course he wouldn't be at home. Alright, think, Tsunade... Where does he usually train? The riverbank! Right! That's where he's probably hiding out.
With renewed determination (well, mostly curiosity), I made my way to the riverbank. But this is a surprise visit, so I couldn't just walk up and announce myself. Nope, I had to sneak in. Like a ninja. I found a spot up in the trees, hidden perfectly where I could watch him train. He'd never know I was there. Hehe...
I peeked through the leaves, and what do I see? Akira... playing with a rubber ball. Seriously?! A ball? This guy has been avoiding me all day to play with a ball by the riverbank? Has he lost it? I knew it—he's finally gone crazy. Or... wait. No, it's Akira. He's always doing something weird that ends up making sense later. Maybe I'm overthinking it. Yeah, that must be it. Still... playing with a ball? Should I just go talk to him?
Before I could make a decision, I felt a presence in front of me. My heart practically jumped out of my chest. I opened my eyes and there he was, standing right in front of me. How?! My hiding spot was perfect! I was practically a tree ninja!
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Akira's POV
Today was the start of stage two of my Rasengan training, and wow, this part is way harder than the first stage. With the water balloon, I just had to rotate the water inside. Simple enough. But now? Now I have to spin chakra inside this solid rubber ball, and this thing is tough! I've been at it for hours, and all I've got to show for it is a sore arm and zero progress. Great.
After a few more failed attempts, I got a little bored and thought, "Hey, why not spin the whole ball?" So, that's what I did. I started spinning it around in my hand like a top. Pointless? Yeah, probably. But it was actually kind of fun. I was just about to try again when I felt someone watching me. Instantly, I went on high alert. I rushed toward the source, ready for anything, and... it was Tsunade.
There she was, standing with her eyes closed, shaking her head like she was scolding herself. What is she doing? Before I could ask, she opened her eyes and—
"AHHHH!" she screamed, jumping back in shock. "How did you find me?!" she yelled, clearly upset.
I raised an eyebrow. Really, Tsuna-chan? You tried to hide from me with that sloppy technique? I've probably got better senses than a chunin, and you thought you could sneak up on me?
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Tsunade's POV
"Ughhh... What are you doing here, Tsuna-chan?" he asked, as if I wasn't the one who was supposed to be surprised.
What am I doing here? "What am I doing here? You've been ignoring me all day, and now I find you playing with a ball by the riverbank? Does that sound normal to you?" I practically shouted at him.
He blinked. "Huh? I wasn't playing! I was training! It's called 'thinking of new ideas'... hit and trial, you know?"
I crossed my arms, glaring at him. "Really? So, what's the big plan? You're going to throw rubber balls at enemies? That's your new jutsu? Because let me tell you, it sounds pretty lame. You might as well just use shuriken."
The seriousness in my voice seemed to catch him off guard. Honestly, I'm impressed with how confident I sounded. Maybe I should give bad advice more often.
Akira just stared at me for a second before sighing. "Yeah... no. I'll stick to throwing balls at them, who knows? It might actually work."
I could hear the sarcasm dripping from his voice, but I wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily.
"Whatever. If you're done playing with your toys, let's go get some barbecue. I'm starving." He said, totally shifting the subject. But come to think of it, I am hungry too....huh, I'll let him slide this time, but it's definitely the last time.
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Akira's POV
Training today had been a complete bust. But hey, at least there was barbecue on the horizon. And Tsunade wasn't mad anymore. Guess I wasn't in as much trouble as I thought.
As we started walking back toward the village, I couldn't help but chuckle. Tsunade really thought she could sneak up on me. Maybe next time she'll actually pull it off. Maybe.
But for now, it's barbecue time.
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