"It's fine."
Tsunade tucked away the small magazine Nawaki had left lying around and waved her hand toward Kushina. "Go on, head to your room and get some rest. Your brother Nawaki made a little mistake, and I'm teaching him a lesson."
Kushina was still young, and she absolutely shouldn't be exposed to these kinds of inappropriate books.
Otherwise, Nawaki would just get himself into more trouble, and Tsunade would also face some reprimands.
"Oh."
Kushina shot Nawaki a sympathetic glance, not daring to plead on his behalf, and obediently went back to her room to rest.
After Kushina left, Uzumaki Mito's voice came drifting in from the living room, "When a child misbehaves, it's usually because their skin is itching for a beating. A little discipline will do."
Being a bit of a lecher isn't necessarily a flaw. Even the Third Hokage had a reputation in that area, yet it didn't stop him from becoming Hokage and a legendary hero of the ninja world.
But for a kid to start showing those tendencies before they've even grown up—it was definitely not okay.
It needed to be corrected.
Grandma???
Not only were you not going to save me, but you also had to add fuel to the fire? My sister hadn't even planned to hit me, but now I'm doomed.
Nawaki's eyes widened in disbelief, not wanting to accept that those words had come from his own grandmother.
You're finished, kid.
With Uzumaki Mito's order given, Tsunade chuckled coldly as she shredded the magazine in her hands. Then, flexing her wrists, she walked towards Nawaki.
"Sis, no, please! I was wrong, I won't do it again!"
Poor Nawaki.
Hiding in her room, Kushina listened to the cries from outside, and could only spare a silent three seconds of sympathy for him.
With Mito's command and Tsunade personally carrying it out, no one could save Nawaki now. Even if Hashirama and Tobirama came back to life, they'd still keep their distance when Mito was in charge.
While Nawaki was suffering, Takashi began handling the materials and preparing to make puppets.
First, he needed to prepare the animal corpses, removing unnecessary parts like the internal organs.
Orochimaru wouldn't have bothered to clean out the innards properly, so this task fell to Takashi himself.
With the large amount of materials, Takashi found himself working well into the night, leaving him looking half-awake when he showed up for work the next day.
Today, there was an important surgery, so Tsunade went straight to the hospital instead of reporting to the medical division.
Seeing the yawning Takashi, Tsunade, sipping tea with her legs crossed, gave him a once-over.
"What's wrong? Did you stay up all night reading that magazine Nawaki bought?"
"???"
What now?
Raising his hands to stretch, Takashi froze.
"So you found out about Nawaki's magazine? I was actually debating whether to tell you; those kinds of things aren't good for a kid."
"That brat got caught by me personally. I taught him a lesson."
Just the thought of it made Tsunade's anger rise. Yesterday, she'd given Nawaki a proper thrashing, and today he hobbled his way to school.
She hadn't even healed him afterward, just to make sure the lesson would sink in.
"He needed it. If he'd just been curious and peeked by accident, that'd be one thing, but to deliberately seek it out…"
Takashi struggled to find the right words. Nawaki was only eight years old!
Eight!
Is this really something an eight-year-old should be doing?
"In the future, I'll make sure Jiraiya keeps his distance from him," Tsunade said, her expression darkening.
That idiot Jiraiya was bad enough on his own, but he'd probably end up being a terrible influence on a kid.
"That moron even suggested Nawaki become his disciple. I can't even imagine what Nawaki would turn into if he became his student."
Nawaki was already eight, getting closer and closer to graduation from the ninja academy.
Tsunade had already started considering finding a suitable teacher for him.
Upon hearing about it, Jiraiya had been enthusiastically recommending himself.
Unfortunately, Tsunade was resolute in ignoring him.
"Jiraiya as Nawaki's teacher?" Takashi poured himself a glass of water.
Aside from certain questionable aspects, Jiraiya's ability to mentor students was undoubtedly top-tier.
While Orochimaru was also a skilled teacher, it would be best to keep a distance from someone like him whenever possible.
He was far too extreme.
Like a hidden ticking bomb that could explode at any moment, falling into darkness.
"I think he'd be a good choice."
"So I'm considering asking Orochimaru to take Nawaki under his wing. Nawaki himself wants this; he idolizes him," Tsunade shared, as she was comfortable discussing such matters with Takashi. But she stopped mid-sentence and looked up in surprise.
"What did you say?"
Setting down his cup, Takashi replied seriously, "I said Jiraiya would make a good teacher, but I personally don't think Orochimaru is a good fit."
"Why not?"
Arms crossed, Tsunade leaned back. She was curious about what made Takashi think that way.
"It's just a feeling. Personally, I wouldn't want to spend time with someone like Orochimaru. Being around him feels like there's a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, watching you."
"Of course, that's just my opinion. Nawaki is your brother, so finding a teacher for him is ultimately your decision as his sister."
Orochimaru was undoubtedly a competent teacher and doted on Nawaki, but Takashi felt more inclined toward Jiraiya.
Even if Jiraiya's influence might lead a child astray, at least his teaching style encouraged students to grow in a bright, positive direction. Orochimaru, on the other hand, was… complicated.
Like dealing with a venomous snake?
Tsunade fell silent, mulling it over.
Takashi wasn't the first to express such sentiments; many people who'd interacted with Orochimaru had similar feelings.
Nawaki often hung around with Jiraiya, but the person he admired was Orochimaru. Because of this, Tsunade had considered directly placing Nawaki under Orochimaru's guidance instead of leaving it to the village to assign him a team.
Making him Orochimaru's personal disciple was a much more dependable option.
"Uh-huh…"
"Did you go out stealing last night?"
Seeing Takashi yawning repeatedly, Tsunade frowned. They had a major surgery to perform today; was he really up for it in this state?
There's no room for error when treating patients.
"No." Takashi shook his head. "Orochimaru gave me the first batch of materials yesterday, so I spent the night processing them. By the time I finished, it was quite late, so I didn't get much sleep."
"It won't affect today's surgery; don't worry."
"Good."
Since Takashi assured her it wouldn't impact the surgery, Tsunade didn't press further.
With fewer patients in the morning, Takashi managed to catch a quick nap and felt more refreshed.
It wasn't merely staying up that had drained him; for a ninja, all-nighters were common and no big deal. What had worn Takashi out was the intense focus required to process the materials.
During the surgery, Takashi served as Tsunade's assistant.
The procedure went smoothly, and the slight smile that played on Tsunade's lips afterward was harder to suppress than even the strongest seal.
As Takashi put it, "With her paycheck in hand, Tsunade-sama has all the more reason to float on air."
As for how long her pay would keep her afloat—only heaven could say.
"Let's go to your place for dinner later. I'll pick up some groceries at the market and, while I'm at it, check out your puppet creation."
In high spirits, Tsunade-sama was even willing to pitch in for some household expenses.
"Sounds good."
Takashi readily agreed.
He could use Tsunade's visit to spread word about his unique puppet project. Having her come by was a perfect opportunity.
As for sharing a meal, that was just a minor detail.