"I thank you three for your help," the Fourth Raikage said, his voice filled with satisfaction after exacting revenge on the Nokizaru Group.
"It's nothing," Tsunade waved it off nonchalantly, "We were just doing our job for the money."
"Mabui," the Raikage ordered, "Give them their payment."
"Yes," Mabui responded, handing a sealing scroll to Tsunade. "Everything is inside."
"Well, goodbye then," Tsunade checked the contents, a satisfied smile spreading across her face. With this much money, she could gamble for quite a while.
The Raikage gave a nod, watching them leave. Mabui felt a tinge of regret as she glanced at Shinho Aburame. She couldn't help but wonder what the next time they met would be like, hoping they wouldn't be enemies. After all, she did admire the sharp, young ninja.
Back in their room at the inn, Tsunade plopped down onto a chair and took a sip of tea. The thought of the 35 million ryo brought a grin to her face, and the frustration of her earlier gambling losses seemed to vanish.
"Tsunade-sama," Shizune interrupted, extending her hand, "Hand over the scroll."
"What scroll?" Tsunade played dumb, clearly reluctant.
"The money," Shizune replied bluntly.
"You don't need to worry," Tsunade said, shaking her head, "I'll take good care of it."
"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune exclaimed, "I was the one who did the surgery, so the money belongs to me!"
Tsunade's face stiffened at the realization. Shizune wasn't wrong. After all, she had performed the operation.
With an annoyed sigh, she pulled out the scroll, but just as she was about to hand it over, an idea struck her.
"Wait a minute," Tsunade said, a glint of cleverness in her eye, "The money shouldn't all go to you. Shinho helped too."
Shinho, who had been quietly watching the exchange, was momentarily taken aback. Why am I getting dragged into this? he thought.
"I'll give half to Shinho," Shizune said immediately, without any hesitation.
Tsunade's lips curled into a sly smile. While she couldn't keep the money herself, she knew she could get it from Shinho later, who wouldn't be as difficult to deal with as Shizune.
"I'm hungry," Tsunade said, handing over the scroll, "Go ahead and order some food."
Shizune sighed but complied, leaving to arrange the meal. Before she left, she shot Shinho a look that clearly said, Don't let her take advantage of you.
Shinho nodded slightly in response, though he wasn't entirely confident. Tsunade's pressure was hard for him to get out of.
Once Shizune was gone, Tsunade turned her attention back to Shinho, her expression more serious.
"You know about my hemophobia?" Tsunade asked, her voice softer and tinged with vulnerability.
"Katsuyu-sama told me," Shinho admitted without hesitation, pinning the blame onto the slug summon.
Tsunade didn't seem surprised. She suspected Katsuyu would have mentioned it eventually.
"Don't tell anyone else," Tsunade warned, her tone grave.
"I understand," Shinho replied, nodding. Hemophobia was Tsunade's Achilles' heel, and if it became widely known, it would cause endless trouble for her.
"Sensei," Shinho hesitated for a moment before asking, "Can it be cured?"
This was a rare opportunity, and Shinho wasn't going to let it slip by.
"I don't know," Tsunade replied after a few moments of silence.
She was a medical ninja, the best in the entire ninja world, but hemophobia wasn't something she could heal with jutsu. It was a deep psychological wound, a heart sickness without a clear remedy. And she couldn't seem to overcome it.
"Sen—" Shinho started, but before he could continue, Tsunade's finger gently pressed against his lips, stopping him from speaking further.
For a moment, Shinho saw something different in her light-brown eyes—a flicker of vulnerability, maybe even a silent plea. The usually strong and formidable Tsunade seemed almost fragile in that instant.
Shinho remained quiet. It was clear she didn't want to talk about her phobia.
"Thank you for today, kid," Tsunade said, her mood lightening as she playfully flicked his forehead.
"You're my teacher," Shinho responded, shaking his head, "It's my duty."
"And… how much do you plan to give your teacher?" Tsunade's eyes gleamed as she shifted the conversation, her tone suddenly teasing.
"…"
Shinho was at a loss for words.
"Fine," Tsunade grinned, "How about this—you can lend me some money instead. I promise I'll pay you back when I have it."
Shinho thought about it. Lending her money did seem like a better option than just giving it away. At least this way, she'd owe him.
And when he was stronger in the future, there'd be no way for her to avoid repaying him.
"Alright," he agreed with a nod.
"As expected from my good student," Tsunade patted his head, then added slyly, "By the way, that first million ryo doesn't count—that was for tuition."
You're really obsessed with money, Shinho thought, recalling Kakuzu, who also had a deep love for ryo. At least Kakuzu was diligent about earning it by completing missions.
Just then, Shizune entered the room, announcing, "The food will be here soon."
"Here, have some water," Shinho poured her a glass.
"Thank you," Shizune said, her face lighting up with a smile. Compared to Tsunade, Shinho was just so much easier to deal with.
"…"
Tsunade, now watching the scene, finally understood why Shinho was so popular at the academy. It wasn't just his good looks; his manners and attentiveness also played a part.
"We'll continue further north, for the next while," Tsunade said after some thought, "We should be able to return to Konoha in about a month."
"Understood," Shinho replied.
"Shizune," Tsunade continued, "Make sure to teach Shinho more about ninja survival in the wild."
"And what will you be doing?" Shizune retorted, clearly annoyed.
"I'll have my own tasks," Tsunade coughed lightly, trying to appear nonchalant, "You don't need to worry about me."
Before Shizune could press her further, there was a knock at the door. She sighed, giving up on the conversation for now.
The door opened, and a young woman entered with their food.
"Your meal is ready, please enjoy," she said, setting the dishes down and excusing herself.
"The taste is alright," Tsunade commented after taking a bite, "But it's not as good as what the two of you make."
"Of course!" Shizune said proudly, her earlier irritation seemingly forgotten.
Shinho smiled faintly. This moment almost felt like being part of a family.
He raised his glass, filled with juice, and said, "Cheers!"
"Cheers!" Tsunade and Shizune echoed, clinking their glasses with his.
As they ate and drank together, Tsunade sighed contentedly, her voice filled with nostalgia, "This is nice…"
It had been a long time since she'd felt this relaxed and happy.
The month-long break passed in the blink of an eye.
Training Ground no 1, Konoha.
"Take a break, Sasuke," Kakashi Hatake said, looking up from his Icha Icha Paradise.
Uchiha Sasuke plopped down onto the ground, gasping for air. His clothes were drenched in sweat, but he didn't seem to care.
Kakashi's training regimen was far more intense than he had anticipated. Every waking moment, apart from eating and sleeping, was spent honing his skills.
Sasuke glanced at the charred tree in front of him, marked with scorch patterns from his practice with Lightning Release jutsu.
The tree bore the brunt of his relentless training, and the sight of it made Sasuke's lips curl into a faint smile. It was proof of his progress, and he was satisfied.
Meanwhile, Kakashi, engrossed in his book, had been watching Sasuke closely. He hadn't expected Sasuke to stick with the grueling training, but it was clear now that they were a good match. The only thing missing was Sasuke's Sharingan, which had yet to manifest.
Kakashi reached up and touched his own left eye, the gift left to him by Uchiha Obito. Suddenly, the sound of thunder jolted him from his thoughts, and he turned to see Sasuke resuming his training.
"Hardworking as always," Kakashi muttered, impressed. He knew well why Sasuke was pushing himself so hard.
A month ago, during their first meeting, Sasuke had mentioned his goal—to defeat Shinho Aburame.
"Having a strong rival is good for motivation," Kakashi thought aloud, when a familiar feeling of dread hit him. His eyes darted around, scanning the surroundings.
"Kakashi! Were you looking for me?" The voice came from above, and Kakashi's face instantly deadpanned.
"Guy…" Kakashi sighed. He had hoped to avoid this.
Maito Guy jumped down from the trees, landing right in front of him with a booming voice, "Kakashi! Let's have a youthful showdown right now!"
"I'm not interested," Kakashi replied flatly.
"Afraid, are you? My eternal rival!" Guy grinned, his teeth sparkling.
"I'm busy." Kakashi snapped his book shut and gestured towards Sasuke. "I'm training a student."
Guy looked over at Sasuke, then back at Kakashi, his eyes gleaming. "Aren't you inspired by his youthful energy? Look at that body in action! The clash of flesh—how invigorating!"
"My youth is dead, Guy," Kakashi said without emotion.
"One fight with me, and it'll be reborn!" Guy insisted, his smile widening.
Kakashi, for a moment, was at a loss for words.
At that moment, a voice echoed from a distance. "Guy-sensei!"
Kakashi and Guy turned to see Naruto Uzumaki approaching.
"Over here!" Guy waved enthusiastically.
"Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto called out. Sasuke shot him a glance but immediately returned to his training without acknowledging him.
Naruto, unbothered, turned to Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei!"
Kakashi felt a wave of nostalgia as he looked at Naruto. It brought back memories he hadn't expected to surface so suddenly.
"Kakashi, sensei's going to have a child!"
"Congratulations, sensei."
"Sensei wants you to be Kushina's protector. What do you think?"
"Why me?"
"Don't you want to witness the birth of your sensei's child?"
Kakashi quickly snapped out of his thoughts and hurriedly tucked away his Icha Icha Paradise before Naruto could notice. There would be trouble if Naruto saw it.
"You're training Naruto, so I suppose we'll reschedule our battle," Kakashi said, his tone softening slightly.
"Really?" Guy lit up. "I knew you wouldn't give up that easily, my eternal rival!" His laugh boomed.
Naruto, sharing in the energy, laughed alongside him.
"Naruto!" Guy shouted with enthusiasm, "We'll add 300 more laps for today!"
"Yes, sensei!" Naruto replied eagerly.
"Until next time, Kakashi!" Guy gave a final wave as he sprinted off.
Naruto followed right behind, leaving the training ground much quieter.
Kakashi looked up at the sky, feeling a wave of melancholy wash over him. As he gazed into the distance, a group of crows flew past, and Uchiha Itachi appeared.
"Kakashi-senpai," Itachi greeted, materializing from the shadows.
"Is something wrong?" Kakashi asked, not bothering to turn around.
"I'm here to see Sasuke," Itachi explained.
"Go ahead," Kakashi stood up and dusted himself off. "Training's over for today."
With that, Kakashi walked off. The memories of his past weighed heavily on him, and perhaps it was time to visit the Memorial Stone. His teacher's resting place had been on his mind lately.
"Big brother!" Sasuke's face lit up as he ran toward Itachi.
"You've improved, Sasuke," Itachi said as he glanced at the tree marked by Sasuke's practice. "Very impressive."
"Not really," Sasuke muttered, though a proud smile formed on his lips.
"I saw Tsunade-sama and Shinho earlier," Itachi said, patting his brother's head. "Do you want to go see him?"
"Why would I? He's not my friend," Sasuke huffed, but his excitement was hard to hide.
"Alright, let's head home then," Itachi said, smiling gently, leading Sasuke away.
However, Sasuke soon noticed they weren't heading in the direction of their home. And then, just as Itachi had predicted, they saw Shinho Aburame.
"Looks like we're too late," Itachi said, shaking his head with amusement. "Your friend is quite popular."
"He's not my friend!" Sasuke snapped, turning his back on them and walking away.
"Was that… Sasuke?" Shikamaru Nara asked, noticing the retreating figure.
"Yeah, it was him," Shinho replied calmly.
"Well, I guess it makes sense if it's Sasuke," Shikamaru said, shrugging.
Shinho's gaze drifted toward Ino Yamanaka, who had been staring at him intensely, unable to hide her excitement.
"Chouji, isn't there a store nearby with chips on sale?" Shikamaru suddenly said, sensing the situation.
"Where?!" Chouji immediately perked up.
"I'll take you," Shikamaru said lazily, leading the way.
"Come on! Hurry!" Chouji grabbed Shikamaru's arm, dragging him along at a much faster pace.
Shinho turned back to Ino. "How did you know I was coming back today?"
"Well," Ino fidgeted, her hands behind her back, "I might've overheard my dad talking about it…"
Might have? Shinho thought, clearly skeptical.
"But forget about that!" Ino quickly changed the subject, "Let me treat you to dinner! A welcome-home meal!"
"I can't right now," Shinho said, shaking his head. "I need to head home first."
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