"Then you can be in charge of beating them up, while Dan and I handle the treatment. Just don't actually kill anyone."
"Okay!" At Tsunade's words, Kushina grew so excited that her whole body trembled.
She had suddenly found herself in an unfamiliar place, and nothing could have been more reassuring to hear.
Especially after she'd been mocked right after introducing herself. Kushina already had a short temper, and she was nearly done holding back.
"And you!" Tsunade's expression instantly turned icy as she looked at the Ninja Academy teacher, who shuddered violently in fear.
"You'd better watch yourself!"
Tsunade gave a cold snort and said nothing more. She took Uchiha Dan with her and left.
She hadn't expected Uchiha Dan's prediction to come true: Kushina really had been bullied.
Kushina hadn't yet built up trust with her, Tsunade, or Uzumaki Mito. If she was bullied, she probably wouldn't tell anyone when she got home.
But if she didn't speak up, it would be difficult for her family to find out. Kushina might end up being bullied indefinitely.
"Dan, thanks!" Tsunade said gratefully after they left the Ninja Academy.
"It was nothing. But you should pay more attention to Kushina. Children that age can be very sensitive."
"I understand!" As always, Uchiha Dan had managed to convince Tsunade.
With work and training every day, two months passed in the blink of an eye.
Kushina and Namikaze Minato quickly became the best of friends.
Children always made friends quickly.
By now, the two went to class together, left class together, and trained together. They were very close.
No one dared to pick on Kushina anymore.
However, during sparring practice, Kushina accidentally injured several classmates because she was still young and didn't have enough control over her strength or Chakra.
Many people began calling her the Red-Blooded Pepper behind her back and kept their distance.
The Uzumaki Clan's natural gifts were simply too impressive. Kushina's strength and Chakra reserves were far beyond what a seven-year-old should have.
This made Kushina very sad.
But before long, she found a training partner who didn't dislike or fear her at all: Namikaze Minato.
No one knew how Namikaze Minato trained, but his strength was every bit a match for Kushina, who was truly born with superhuman strength.
His Chakra reserves were still inferior to Kushina's, but in every other regard, he completely outclassed her.
His kind appearance was simply too deceptive. On top of that, he had excellent control over his Chakra and the force of his blows, and he had never injured a classmate.
Moreover, Namikaze Minato never threw his weight around. Instead, he always helped classmates who were being bullied. He was also warmhearted, so he was very popular.
Influenced by Namikaze Toneri and his wife, Namikaze Minato was kind at heart.
But Uchiha Dan's influence on him was even greater. Even at such a young age, he liked using strategy, studying people's thoughts, and assessing situations.
He also knew exactly who deserved his gratitude and who deserved his resentment. He never played the fool by trying to be nice to everyone, and he never hesitated to act when the time came.
For instance, the older brother of Yamada Haraji, who had bullied Kushina two months ago, had come looking for trouble after school that very day. Namikaze Minato had broken both his legs, and he had never appeared again.
As for Yamada Haraji, Namikaze Minato had beaten him mercilessly for a week. After suffering deep psychological scars, he had behaved himself ever since.
While the two little ones enjoyed their happy, carefree days,
Uchiha Dan and Tsunade continued working diligently at Konoha Hospital.
As a ninja, Tsunade was supposed to take missions.
But aside from Anbu Ninja, whose missions were assigned directly by the Hokage, other ninjas could choose whether or not to take missions in peacetime, except under special circumstances.
Tsunade only wanted to stay with Uchiha Dan, so she naturally didn't want to go anywhere. Still, she earned no less at the hospital than she would have by taking missions all over the place.
Of course, this only applied to Tsunade. After all, in the Shinobi World, only one person had better medical skills than her.
Inside the largest office at Konoha Hospital,
Tsunade lay listlessly across the desk, now and then blowing on a little wind chime ornament and making it ring softly.
But her eyes stayed fixed on Uchiha Dan.
How could this guy be so handsome?
The more she looked at him, the more she liked him.
Uchiha Dan had long since gotten used to all this. He simply flipped through the medical records and let Tsunade look at him.
Tsunade was becoming more and more brazen, and her advances were getting bolder and more deliberate. Yet somehow, Uchiha Dan was getting more and more used to it.
What was going on?
Was she really never going to leave? It seemed... maybe... perhaps... possibly... that it might not be so bad.
Just then, a loud commotion broke out outside the office, accompanied by shouting.
Tsunade's good mood was immediately ruined. Furious, she was about to go out and confront the noisy troublemakers.
Did they think this was some kind of marketplace? This was a hospital, not a market.
"Sit down," Uchiha Dan told Tsunade, his tone gentle but firm. "Leave this to me. You just rest."
As he spoke, Uchiha Dan draped the blanket beside him over Tsunade.
"All right!" Tsunade lay back down, her heart filled with sweetness.
Ever since Tsunade had started accompanying Uchiha Dan during his training every evening,
Uchiha Dan had insisted that she rest every morning for the past three months and not concern herself with anything.
At first, Uchiha Dan had hoped Tsunade would sleep at home in the morning and not come to the hospital. But she flatly refused.
With no other choice, Uchiha Dan had added a single bed to the office.
But Tsunade had hardly ever lain on it. She preferred watching Uchiha Dan from across the desk.
Hmph, you jerk. I'll just keep watching you and see how long you can hold out.
Over the past three months, Uchiha Dan had also shown his concern for Tsunade in everything he did.
So Tsunade was scheming about how to take their relationship to the next level.
Being cared for by someone she loved was sweet, but it was painful that he still wouldn't acknowledge their relationship.
Uchiha Dan closed the office door and headed toward the source of the noise. Soon, he arrived outside the operating room.
"What's going on?" Seeing a crowd crammed into the operating room, Uchiha Dan immediately stepped forward and shouted.
Did they really think this was a marketplace?
A nurse hurriedly pushed through the crowd and came out. "Doctor Dan, a seriously injured patient was just brought in."
"But his companions are all extremely agitated. They insist on staying inside the operating room and refuse to come out."
"How badly is he hurt?" Uchiha Dan asked with a frown.
"He's on the verge of dying!" the nurse answered quietly.
"Hmph!" Uchiha Dan walked straight into the operating room, grabbed two people by the necks, and tossed them outside.
"What the hell are you doing?" A furious shout rang out. Someone rushed up to Uchiha Dan, then froze when he got a good look at him. "You? Uchiha Dan?"
"Uchiha En?" Recognizing the other man, Uchiha Dan said coldly, "Well, look who it is."
"Uchiha En, get your men out of here right now. If you delay the treatment, will you take responsibility?"
"Who do you think you are, you good-for-nothing?" Uchiha En snarled. "Where's Lord Tsunade? Where's the famous Doctor Dan? Go get him for me!"
"Idiot!" Uchiha Dan folded his arms and stepped aside, watching coldly.
Fine. If you liked making trouble, then go ahead and waste time.
It was your man who'd die. I didn't care.
Before you continue