Ninja Girl Appraisal Guide

Chapter 45: Ninja Girl Appreciation Guide

"Watch closely."

Tsunade formed hand seals at a slow pace.

Boar—Dog—Bird—Monkey—Ram!

Summoning Technique!

Once Tsunade finished the seals, she slammed her palm onto the ground.

Tadpole-like patterns spread outward, and a plume of white smoke rose and dissipated.

Before her appeared a white-bodied slug with a blue back.

"Tsunade-sama."

The slug greeted her politely.

"Slug Lord."

Tsunade pointed at Hikawa and said, "This is my new student, named Hikawa."

"Hikawa-sama."

The slug spoke in a gentle tone. "I am honored to become your Summoning Beast. Feel free to call on me whenever you need anything."

Hikawa couldn't help but sigh inwardly—this was what a Summoning Beast should be like.

The snakes of Ryūchi Cave had terrible attitudes, and if you wanted their help, you had to offer sacrifices.

The toads of Mount Myoboku were somewhat better, but you still had to run errands for the Great Toad Sage's prophecies.

But the slugs of Shikkotsu Forest not only had pleasant voices, they were also dutiful and always ready to help.

"Slug Lord, I'll call you again next time."

After the introductions, Tsunade dismissed the Summoning Technique.

With a poof, the slug vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Hikawa felt a pang of regret.

He'd thought Tsunade might take him to Shikkotsu Forest.

Maybe because he couldn't learn Sage Mode yet, there was no need to go.

"Shikkotsu Forest has only one Summoning Beast—the slug. Its true name is Katsuyu."

Tsunade stood up and said casually, "What we summon are its split bodies."

"Mm."

Hikawa nodded.

The Summoning Technique determined the size of the summoned beast based on how much Chakra was input.

In the original story, even Tsunade and Haruno Sakura working together couldn't summon Katsuyu's true body.

That alone showed how enormous it was.

"Alright, time for the hospital."

Tsunade stretched and said, "Go grab my coat."

Hikawa got up and went to her room.

As he opened the door, a faint fragrance wafted out.

He glanced around but didn't see her coat, so he opened the wardrobe.

All kinds of clothes came into view, including many undergarments.

For some reason, Hikawa felt that Tsunade had no guard up around him.

Was it because he was young? Or was it just her carefree personality?

Hikawa picked up the coat and returned to the living room.

Tsunade took it and casually slipped it on.

She swung both arms back, and the Tea Green coat rustled loudly, the character for "Gamble" clearly visible on it.

If the God of Gamblers' theme music played right now, it would fit perfectly.

Losing every bet—wasn't that also a kind of God of Gamblers?

After three days of studying at Konoha Hospital, Hikawa finally mastered the Hemostatic Technique.

[E-rank Ninjutsu Entry: Hemostatic Technique.]
[Trigger Condition: Successfully perform this ninjutsu.]
[Effect: This ninjutsu automatically reaches the proficient level.]

Once the Hemostatic Technique was successfully performed, a new entry appeared as well.

Hikawa couldn't help but let out a breath.

Three days—not too short, not too long, merely middling.

He felt now just like Shizune in the original story.

Though he could eventually become an excellent Medical Ninja, he would never reach Tsunade's level, meaning he wouldn't learn the Yin Seal.

"Your talent is really strange."

Tsunade watched him perform the Hemostatic Technique and couldn't help remarking, "You just learned it, yet you're already this proficient."

"Is that bad?"

Hikawa asked in return.

"It's not bad, it's good."

Tsunade explained, "Learning and mastering the Hemostatic Technique in three days already qualifies as genius."

Learning the Hemostatic Technique in three days wasn't fast, but Hikawa's speed of mastery made up for that shortcoming.

After all, learning and mastering were two different things.

"How long did it take you?"

Hikawa asked curiously.

Tsunade held up three fingers.

"Three days too?"

Hikawa's eyes brightened slightly as he asked.

"Less than three hours."

Tsunade lifted her chin, a smug smile spreading across her face. "You've still got a long way to go before you surpass me."

"I'll work hard."

Hikawa wasn't discouraged, because he had a cheat.

Deep Blue, show me your limits!

"Good attitude."

Tsunade reached out and ruffled his hair. "Then, to celebrate you learning the Hemostatic Technique, let's hit the casino for a few rounds!"

By the end, she was already excited.

"Is this really a celebration?"

Hikawa complained, grabbing her wrist and trying to pry it off, but it didn't budge.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow instinctively.

Strong grip.

Especially considering Hikawa was only six years old, that was even more impressive.

A subtle feeling stirred in Tsunade's heart.

He was practically born to be her student.

"Don't talk back to your teacher."

Tsunade pinched his cheek and withdrew her hand.

"Yes."

Hikawa said, utterly resigned.

"Fine, I'll give you two days off."

Tsunade said through gritted teeth.

Without Hikawa, she'd definitely lose everything at the casino tomorrow and the day after.

No, she had to win more today.

"Let's go!"

With that thought, Tsunade scooped up Hikawa and leaped out the window.

The fragrance had just gathered when it was scattered by the onrushing wind.

Hikawa instinctively buried himself in the warm, soft abyss.

It wasn't until late at night that he managed to escape and return home.

A new day.

Hikawa arrived at the Konoha Knowledge Bookstore.

Three days had passed since their last meeting.

"Hikawa, perfect timing."

Tsuchihashi took out a scroll and said with a smile, "This is a reward personally issued to you by the Raikage."

Hikawa opened the scroll with an expectant look.

The first thing that met his eyes was a line of large text: Lightning Release Chakra Activation.

His heart jolted. This was exactly what he needed!

But... it was a bit stingy. It didn't give him the complete Lightning Release Chakra Mode training method outright.

Lightning Release Chakra Mode was the foundation of every Raikage's strength.

Then again, he wasn't a student of the Raikage—how could he possibly learn it?

"Thanks, Uncle Tsuchihashi."

Hikawa rolled up the scroll.

"Kumogakure is very satisfied with your performance. If you achieve great merits in the future, there will be more rewards."

Tsuchihashi patted him on the shoulder and said.

"I understand."

Hikawa took out a new scroll and said, "This is my friend's new book."

"Heterogeneous Race Ninja Girl Appraisal Guide?"

Tsuchihashi opened the scroll, glanced at it, and froze. "This... this is a stroke of genius!"

In the Ninja World, there was no such thing as beast-eared girls or demi-human girls—at most, there were Summoning Beasts and tailed beasts.

The idea of beast-eared or demi-human girls becoming ninjas was practically unprecedented.

"It'll sell! It'll definitely sell!"

Tsuchihashi felt like he'd opened the door to a whole new world.

"When will it be published?"

Hikawa only cared about the money.

"Wait two more months."

Tsuchihashi calmed himself down and explained, "If we publish now, it'll just cannibalize the market for 'Taimanin.'"

That was professionalism.

Hikawa agreed after hearing that.

He said goodbye to Tsuchihashi, went downstairs, and just as he stepped out of the bookstore, he ran straight into Rin Nohara.

"Hikawa?"

Rin's face lit up with surprise when she saw him.

"Morning, Rin."

Hikawa stopped and asked with a smile, "Are you here to buy books?"

"Yeah."

Rin nodded.

"What book are you looking for?"

Hikawa asked casually.

"A Medical Ninja book."

Rin said a little sheepishly.

This had something to do with Hikawa.

Normally, Rin wouldn't start learning Medical Ninjutsu until after graduation.

But Hikawa's experience had inspired her and made her yearn for it.

"This one's good for beginners."

Hikawa quickly found her a basic Medical Texts and said offhandedly, "If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me."

"Thank you, Hikawa."

Rin held the book and said with deep gratitude.