"I just don't want to suddenly have an extra brother," Nawaki said, scratching his head awkwardly.
"The guy from Chiba was born on August 8th, just one day before me. So, I don't agree with you, sister, recognizing him as your brother."
Tsunade didn't expect Nawaki, who was the same age as Uchiha Chiba, to have such a childish side. She rolled her eyes and replied, "It's only one day. If you don't want to call Chiba 'brother,' then don't. Kushina is a month older than you. Why don't you call her 'sister'?"
Nawaki's face lit up with understanding. "Yes, sister. You recognize Chiba as your younger brother, but I don't have to recognize him as my older brother."
Tsunade couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. She didn't expect the rope tree to be so easy to handle.
"Alright, now that you've figured it out, go ahead and tell Chiba yourself. I'm sleepy and want to go to bed."
"No, sister, please do this for me. I really don't have the confidence to invite Chiba to our house."
Nawaki thought for a moment. "Okay, sister, as long as you let Chiba come to your house, I'll give you a massage for a week."
"One month," Tsunade said, holding up a finger.
"No, two weeks at most," Nawaki countered, shaking his head.
"My minimum requirement is one month. If you don't agree, just say so. Okay, I'm sleepy, I'm going to bed."
"Wait, okay, one month. But you have to promise to call Chiba," Nawaki grumbled.
Tsunade walked out of the room, waving at the Nawaki.
Later, Tsunade nervously watched the boy who was taller than her. In fact, Tsunade hoped Uchiha Chiba would agree. After all, he had already been to her house, so why couldn't she enjoy the food he cooked?
"Tsunade-sama, how about you tell me the reason first? Then I'll decide whether to go or not."
Uchiha Chiba didn't mind going to the Senju clan's house to cook a meal. But he wanted to know the reason first.
Tsunade hesitated, considering how this involved Nawaki. After a while, she decided to explain.
She recounted Nawaki's revenge plan from the night before and Uzumaki Mito's wish to taste his cooking.
Finally, she told him that Nawaki had asked her to agree, and Tsunade had reluctantly agreed to help.
Tsunade then added, "Although I sold out Nawaki, wasn't it all just to help? What guilt? Can food be compared to guilt, especially food cooked by Uchiha Chiba?"
"Alright, Sister Tsunade, I agree. It's an honor that Mito-sama wants to taste my cooking. But you'll have to wait until next weekend. Tomorrow is Monday, and I still have to go to school."
After listening to Tsunade's explanation, Uchiha Chiba agreed without hesitation. After all, Mito was part of the family, so cooking a meal for her was natural.
As for Nawaki, that could be easily dealt with. Just a good beating after school tomorrow, in the name of continuing the competition.
A sinister smile appeared on his lips as he thought about it.
"You agreed, Chiba? That's great! It's just a week; it won't be long," Tsunade said happily. Even though she would have to wait a week to taste his cooking, she was hopeful.
And since Uchiha Chiba had come to her house, maybe she could visit his next time?
"Alright, Sister Tsunade, I'll go back first. You can eat slowly."
"Okay, go ahead," Tsunade said, not holding him back this time.
Back at home, Uchiha Chiba suddenly realized something.
He looked at his empty hands, groaned, and said, "Oops, I forgot to bring back Tsunade's lunch box."
Then, he shrugged and said to himself, "Forget it, it's just a lunch box."
In the afternoon, by the river in the woods, Uchiha Chiba stood silently, gazing at the water. After a while, he shook his head.
"Forget it. Let's start by climbing a tree. It won't be good if my clothes get wet."
He walked to a large tree, looked up, and began attaching Chakra to the soles of his feet. He stepped tentatively onto the tree trunk.
Hmm? Didn't fall?
Uchiha Chiba looked around, confused. "Did I succeed on the first try?"
He had expected to struggle, but it seemed like the task was easier than he thought.
"Let's try walking on water now."
After stepping off the tree, Uchiha Chiba felt more confident but still worried about walking on water.
"I knew I should've practiced in the bathtub first. If I failed, I would've had to change clothes."
Then, after some thought, he realized he was already here, and if he left without trying, the trip would be in vain.
So, he repeated the process, attaching Chakra to the soles of his feet, and carefully stepped onto the river's surface.
Once again, he succeeded.
He looked at his reflection in the water and felt intrigued. Although he had mastered Chakra control, he didn't feel as happy as he expected.
This wasn't quite what he had planned.
His original plan was to have Tsunade accidentally discover he was learning Medical Jutsu and use that as an excuse to ask her for advice. This would improve their relationship significantly.
But now, he would need to tweak his plan.
The initial steps stayed the same, and he would continue to present himself as someone with ordinary talent in medical ninjutsu. Then, under Tsunade's guidance, his skills would improve rapidly.
That should work perfectly.
Although Uchiha Chiba had only mastered Chakra refinement so far, he hadn't started Yang Style training yet, he was confident. Yang Style was the embodiment of vitality, and for years, he had used "overgrowth" to strengthen his body. His vitality would certainly rival Tsunade's.
This plan was perfect, though the only downside was that Uchiha Genka might be disappointed.
But when he married Tsunade, Uchiha Gernka would surely be proud of him.
After all, he would be the first Uchiha in history to marry into the Senju family.
The next day, during lunch break, on the school rooftop.
"Nawaki, do you want to do some post-meal exercise to help with digestion?"