"All right, those things were actually secondary. The main thing was that I wanted to see Lord Tsunade." Hyuga Bin noticed Tsunade's slight moodiness and continued with a smile.
"My ass you did." Tsunade shot him down with a single sentence.
"Really. Wasn't I busy at the front lines before? This time, after the fighting with Sunagakure ended, I returned to the village and came looking for you after only a few days. Then I didn't have any way to contact you, so it took me a whole month to find you..."
"I don't believe you."
"..."
Kato Shizune, listening to Hyuga Bin and Tsunade chatting nearby, was rather stunned.
Today, she was a little unclear about exactly what kind of relationship Hyuga Bin and Tsunade had.
Several years ago, Hyuga Bin had studied Medical Ninjutsu with her at Tsunade's house for a time, but unlike her, he had not become Tsunade's disciple.
During that month of studying, she had seen the two get along as close friends, so close that it sometimes felt excessive.
If it were her, she definitely would not be so intimate with a friend of the opposite sex.
Yet after not seeing each other for years, they were still so close.
Like lovers who had not seen each other for years...
When Kato Shizune's thoughts reached that point, she hurriedly patted her little head.
"What am I even thinking? Hyuga Bin is my classmate. How could he possibly have that kind of relationship with Lord Tsunade?"
"Shizune, what's wrong?" Seeing Kato Shizune suddenly patting her head, Hyuga Bin asked with concern.
"Nothing." Kato Shizune glanced at Hyuga Bin, then hurriedly turned away, her face flushed as she waved her hands.
That single glance had been enough for her to feel how handsome Hyuga Bin was, making her unable to help but think that if Lord Tsunade were the same age as her, she probably would not be able to resist either.
"All right." Hyuga Bin nodded, then continued chatting with Tsunade. "Lord Hokage only gave me three months to find you, so I can only stay with you for two months this time. Then I'll have to return to the front lines."
"Two months is enough for you to learn the Yin Seal." Tsunade gave Hyuga Bin permission to learn it.
She knew Hyuga Bin wanted to come find her, but learning the Yin Seal was also something he wanted to do besides seeing her.
And with Hyuga Bin's talent, learning the Yin Seal was not particularly difficult. After all, she had figured it out without a teacher and mastered it in just over two months.
"What I mean is, I only have two months to spend with you." Hyuga Bin shook his head and emphasized the point he wanted to make.
"I don't want you following me around all day. Once you learn the Yin Seal, you can leave immediately." Tsunade was all bite and no bark, giving Hyuga Bin no chance to steer the conversation his way.
Hyuga Bin could only try another approach. "Lord Tsunade, during this battle against Sunagakure, I nearly died on the front lines. At the time, I kept thinking about my promise to you. I had to come back and see you."
Tsunade did not want to respond to Hyuga Bin's deliberate words at all, but she still directly laid out the level of safety he had enjoyed on the front lines:
"You have more Chakra than even a Jonin, and your combat strength isn't bad either. On top of that, as a medical ninja who has mastered the Mystical Palm Technique, you must have been assigned to the very rear of the battlefield to treat the wounded. The war might have ended before you even saw an enemy ninja."
"Lord Tsunade, you're wrong. I'm a Jonin now." Hyuga Bin pointed out the flaw in her words.
"You were promoted to Jonin?" Tsunade was a little surprised, her small mouth slightly open, just right.
She remembered that at Hyuga Bin's age, she had only been a Chunin.
"Yes. A Jonin especially popular with girls, Special Jonin for short." Hyuga Bin made a little joke.
"A medical Special Jonin, huh." Tsunade understood.
She could imagine that since Hyuga Bin had mastered the Mystical Palm Technique, he had definitely earned great merit on this battlefield.
Being promoted to Special Jonin during wartime was unexpected, yet reasonable.
After all, a Special Jonin was merely a Chunin outstanding in one particular area and still had a certain gap compared to a Jonin.
Following the signs, the three of them spent more than ten minutes walking to an inn.
"Owner, get us two rooms." Tsunade spoke to the innkeeper, who was reading a book.
During the years she had spent traveling, she had always rented rooms to sleep in.
"Sorry, guests, there's only one double room left today." The innkeeper spoke apologetically. "There's a festival being held outside Lehui City tonight, so nearly all the rooms here have been taken. The other inns are probably full too."
"Then we'll take one room." Tsunade was easygoing and directly had the wealthy Hyuga Bin pay. Taking the key, she headed toward the room.
After entering the room, Hyuga Bin looked at the two four-foot-wide beds and smiled at Tsunade and Kato Shizune.
"Lord Tsunade, Shizune, it looks like you two will have to squeeze into one bed tonight, while I take one by myself."
Upon hearing Hyuga Bin's words, Tsunade immediately shook her head. "I never sleep in the same bed as Shizune."
"Lord Tsunade, do you mean Shizune and I should sleep in the same bed?" Hyuga Bin did not quite understand what Tsunade meant.
Two women and one man, with only two beds. If Tsunade and Kato Shizune were not sleeping together, then one of them would inevitably have to share a bed with him.
"How could that be?" Tsunade immediately rejected Hyuga Bin's utterly impossible guess.
Hyuga Bin thought of the only remaining answer and felt that he was not mentally prepared for it.
"Lord Tsunade, it wouldn't be appropriate for us to sleep together, would it?"
"Who said I was going to sleep with you?" Tsunade laughed at his words.
(I have to work overtime until eleven tonight before I can get home. I can't write anymore, and my stockpile is about to drop by another two chapters. This hurts.)
Before you continue