A Touch of the Heart

Embarrassed?

Dongfang Mao sneered inwardly. He'd been a bandit in the mountains for years; he'd long since forgotten what shame even was.

Besides, he was currently clinging to Tsunade's fragrant, fair-skinned, beautiful legs. If the reward was good enough, he wouldn't mind clinging to Utatane Koharu's legs, either!

What was the flower language of the peony?

Endure!

So when he heard Tsunade's words, Dongfang Mao said nothing and simply hugged her fair leg even tighter.

Feeling the strange sensation against the base of her thigh, Tsunade's porcelain-white, lovely face gradually flushed red, and ripples stirred in her heart.

Although she usually behaved in a carefree, easygoing manner,

she was still just a woman in her early twenties, and had never been so close to a man before.

Even with Dan, on the night he confessed his feelings for her, they had merely held hands and walked beneath the moon for a while. After that, they had both set off for the battlefield.

She had never encountered someone like Dongfang Mao, who'd thrown himself at her without a word and was practically pulling her pants off.

Suppressing the strange flutter in her heart, Tsunade stared at Dongfang Mao, the corner of her mouth twitching wildly as a dark line seemed to form across her face. She wanted nothing more than to use her Strength of a Hundred to kick him away.

But Tsunade also understood that, despite Dongfang Mao's nonsense, one thing he'd said was true: his childhood had been miserable.

She couldn't imagine what his childhood had been like, given that he'd brushed it off with just four words: all alone.

Back then, Dongfang Mao hadn't been a leader who could command hundreds of bandits. He'd been a helpless child, filled with bewilderment and confusion about this cruel world.

What hardships had he endured just to survive in this world?

At the thought, Tsunade felt as if a needle had pierced her heart. The pain made it hard to breathe.

In truth, there were many children like Dongfang Mao in the world. Countless others had suffered even worse than he had.

Tsunade wasn't some sheltered young lady who never left her home.

She was one of the Sannin, famed for her exploits in the Shinobi Wars, and knew the state of the Ninja World all too well.

But Dongfang Mao was a child of the Senju Clan.

And he had appeared before her just as the Senju had been erased from Konoha—and from the world—and even Tsunade herself had given up the Senju name.

He had brought a glimmer of hope back into Tsunade's once utterly dark world.

That was why Dongfang Mao's plight stood out so vividly in her heart. He'd said only four words, yet Tsunade had already imagined all kinds of tragic scenes from his past, each more harrowing than the last. They had touched the softest place in her heart.

Overcome with emotion, Tsunade's nose stung. She rubbed at the redness and moisture around her eyes.

Then she bent down, opened her arms, and pulled Dongfang Mao into an embrace, gently stroking the back of his head as if he were a precious treasure she'd found again after losing him.

Caught completely off guard, Dongfang Mao's head was drawn into a narrow crevice. The milky-white mist of the mountains veiled his eyes, and the snug pressure between those twin peaks even squashed his face out of shape.

He looked utterly bewildered.

What was going on with Tsunade? How had she changed so quickly? A moment ago, she'd been calling him shameless. Why was she suddenly giving him such a treat?

Had she imagined something strange?

Just as Dongfang Mao's brain ground to a halt, Tsunade loosened her arms and freed him from the breathless embrace.

Then she leaned forward, rested her forehead against his, and brought her lips close to his ear. Her warm breath brushed his cheek as she spoke softly.

Next came a gentle whisper, like snow melting into a spring stream. Her voice caught slightly as it reached Dongfang Mao's ear.

"Mao, don't worry. I'm here now. I'll teach you ninjutsu. I'll teach you everything I know. From now on, no one will ever bully you again..."

Dongfang Mao was confused, but deeply shaken.

Had his talent for telling outrageous lies really become that masterful? Had he moved Tsunade to tears?

Still, though the place was a little inappropriate, the mood was just right. He had some doubts about himself, but Dongfang Mao wasn't foolish enough to say anything that would ruin the moment.

He lay comfortably in Tsunade's arms, enjoying the touch of her smooth, tender hand and breathing in the fresh, milky scent wafting from those towering peaks, his face filled with bliss.

Nearby, Shizune had been sneaking glances at them the whole time. Tsunade had shattered her expectations so many times that the look on her face had gone from shock and astonishment to complete numbness.

"Big brother, you're something else!"

After the misunderstanding was cleared up, Yasuke and the others cleaned the cave, rebandaged the injured, and got everyone settled. Then he came over to Dongfang Mao.

He first sneaked a glance at the cave entrance they'd hastily carved out to house Tsunade and Shizune, then looked at Dongfang Mao with open admiration.

He'd been guarding the woods with the others and hadn't heard what Tsunade and Dongfang Mao had been saying. He'd only seen the two of them talking, then embracing with their heads together. He had no idea whether they'd even kissed.

At the time, Yasuke had been awestruck by Dongfang Mao's moves. So that was how you could resolve a crisis?

The powerful kunoichi who'd arrived in such a fury had fallen for him in no time at all?

In that moment, Dongfang Mao had become a legend in Yasuke's heart.

Seeing Yasuke's suggestive look, Dongfang Mao's mouth twitched, but he couldn't be bothered to explain his complicated relationship with Tsunade. Instead, he asked,

"How are those three brats doing with their writing?"

At that, Yasuke hurriedly pulled a stack of yellowed, crumpled pages from behind his waist. He handed them to Dongfang Mao and chuckled.

"The three brats were probably scared out of their wits. I had them write separately, then collected the pages and checked them against each other. Every word in all three versions is exactly the same. Nobody tried to pull a fast one."

Dongfang Mao nodded and took the pages, which contained Konoha's Chakra Refinement Technique.

Before, he'd longed for this Chakra Refinement Technique, if not dreamed of it.

But now that Tsunade had promised to teach him, seeing it didn't stir much of a reaction in him.

After skimming through it, Dongfang Mao handed it back to Yasuke and said,

"Keep it for yourself. Try practicing."

Yasuke's body trembled. The burly man, whose build Dongfang Mao had spent years shaping until he was as strong as an ox, had a look of tension and uncertainty on his rough, fierce face.

"B-Big brother, me?"

Yasuke stammered.

Dongfang Mao narrowed his eyes at him, smiling faintly.

"What's the problem with you practicing? Or can't you read what's written there? Did you slack off when I made you learn to read a few years ago?"

"N-No!"

Yasuke shook his head repeatedly, then hurriedly took the pages from Dongfang Mao. Holding them in his hands, he flipped through them again and again, as if they were a priceless treasure. His delight was plain to see.

But then he seemed to remember something. His smile faded, and he looked at Dongfang Mao with concern.

"Big brother, do you think someone like me can become a ninja?"

"Why not? A ninja's got one head, and so do you. If you don't keep it attached, it'll fall off your neck, and you'll die all the same."

Dongfang Mao chuckled and stood up. Then he patted Yasuke on the shoulder and explained,

"Everyone in this world has an energy inside them called Chakra. The difference is how much Chakra they have and whether they can control it. The Chakra Refinement Technique will tell you that.

"Go try it. If you succeed, we'll all be happy. If you don't, we'll keep living like we did before. It won't cost us anything."

"Big brother..."

At Dongfang Mao's reassurance, Yasuke felt his nose sting. His voice grew choked, too.

But when Dongfang Mao saw him getting so sentimental, a wave of revulsion washed over him. He hurriedly kicked Yasuke hard in the backside and scolded him.

"Quit being such a blubbering fool. Get lost. I've been going since yesterday without any sleep!"

Dongfang Mao's scolding made Yasuke realize that his behavior was probably a little out of line for the former Mad Tiger of Yoshino.

He quickly rubbed his damp eyes, gave Dongfang Mao an awkward grin, and hurried out of the cave.

Once outside, Yasuke glanced back into the cave, then looked down at the pages in his hands, which contained the Chakra Refinement Technique. His smile faded.

He'd been a farmer, but a disaster had struck his hometown that year, leaving him a refugee. He'd wandered around like a living corpse, and when he'd fought six or seven people for a mouthful of food, they'd beaten him mercilessly. If Dongfang Mao hadn't appeared and saved him, he'd have died back then.

After that, he'd followed Dongfang Mao into the mountains. Dongfang Mao had given him food, given him a surname, and taught him to read and write.

In Yasuke's heart, Dongfang Mao was both a big brother and a father.

But when the soldiers had come into the mountains, all he could do was watch alongside Dongfang Mao as the stronghold they'd once relied on for survival went up in flames. It had made him feel useless and guilty toward Dongfang Mao.

Yet Dongfang Mao hadn't blamed him. Instead, he'd given him a way to train as a ninja—a method that ordinary people would have treasured like a priceless jewel.

That left Yasuke even more lost and uncertain. He had no idea how he could ever repay Dongfang Mao for giving him a new life!

For a moment, as he stared at the pages in his hands, Yasuke's eyes grew wet again.

But when he remembered that Dongfang Mao didn't like seeing people cry, he hurriedly reined in his emotions.

He carefully tucked the pages away against his body. Gradually, Yasuke's eyes grew resolute and sharp.

There was nothing he could do about the past. But now that he had the Chakra Refinement Technique, he would train hard and become a powerful ninja.

Then, no matter what Dongfang Mao wanted to do, he'd clear every obstacle from his path. He wouldn't spare a single person who stood against Dongfang Mao!