I'll Take Care of You

"Keep up."

Tsunade tossed out the order and turned to leave, picking up speed as she went. Shangguan Yue struggled to keep up behind her, pumping his little legs as fast as he could.

"Hey, you! Can't you slow down and wait for me?"

Shangguan Yue hurried through the crowd, following Tsunade's figure until they reached a forest, where she stopped.

"Woman, where are you? Come out!"

As he took in the quiet forest, he suddenly felt warm breath behind him. Shangguan Yue whipped around.

"Huh?!"

Their eyes met. Shangguan Yue stumbled back a few steps. "Hey, what are you doing?!"

"Ugh, ugh! My first kiss!"

Tsunade took one step forward and planted her foot in front of Shangguan Yue. The ground around her footprint gradually cracked, sending sand and stones flying.

"It's not my fault! You were the one who bent down and shoved your face into mine. Why'd you bend down?!"

Shangguan Yue protested his innocence. Seeing the earth split beneath her slender foot, he swallowed nervously. "Watch it, watch it! I'm still little. You don't want to bump or bruise me."

"Phew." Tsunade took a deep breath. "Forget it."

"Kid, come lie down."

"Huh? No! Why should I?"

"Why? Bam!"

The ground sank beneath Tsunade's foot again, and a pebble shot past Shangguan Yue's cheek with pinpoint accuracy.

"Gulp."

Shangguan Yue stared at her in terror. "Are you coming over?"

"I'm coming."

Watching Shangguan Yue promptly lie down, Tsunade reached out. A green glow shimmered in her palm, and Shangguan Yue stared at it, entranced.

It was his first time experiencing the supernatural power of this world up close: chakra.

"Hm?"

"What's wrong? Is something wrong with my body?"

"Nothing being wrong is the biggest problem."

"Couldn't you hope for something good for once?"

Shangguan Yue muttered under his breath. Tsunade kept her hand on him, apparently examining something, her brows furrowed.

"Kid, your body..."

They stared at each other. Tsunade gave a self-deprecating laugh. "What could a half-grown boy possibly know? Forget it."

Tsunade withdrew her hand. Shangguan Yue was utterly confused. "Why exactly did you bring me here?"

"To talk about our marriage."

"Marriage? Didn't I already say I'm breaking off the engagement?"

"What the hell are you thinking? I've done so much for you, and you think you can just walk away? Dream on.

"Listen, the engagement still stands, but you're nowhere near good enough to become my man. So from now on, I'll train you. If you want to marry me, then work hard."

"No way."

"Bam."

Shangguan Yue broke into a cold sweat and looked back at the fist Tsunade had swung past his head.

A hole had been punched through the tree trunk behind him, and wisps of smoke still rose from its edges.

"Well? Are you going to or not?"

"I am, I am, I am!"

"But, but..."

"But what? You have a problem with it?"

"No, I wouldn't dare. It's just... training takes a lot of food to replenish your energy, and my family's too poor to afford that much. Grandma would go broke feeding me. Maybe I shouldn't train too hard for now."

Seeing the longing look in Shangguan Yue's eyes, Tsunade couldn't resist. She pulled him into her arms. "Don't worry. I've got plenty of money. I'll take care of you."

"Waaah, let go! I'm going to suffocate!"

Shangguan Yue was buried beneath Tsunade's ample chest. The extreme softness made him reluctant to leave, until he ran out of air.

"Haah, haah... I'm alive again."

"That's all it took to wear you out? You'll need more training."

"Y-you..." Shangguan Yue's face turned red. "Don't you know how big you are?"

"Big? I hadn't noticed."

"Emm... I'd believe you if you weren't making that face."

"Then it's settled. You'll take care of me and feed me."

"Of course. I can afford that much."

"Then let's go. I'm hungry. I wasn't full earlier, either. There's a barbecue place nearby. Let's go."

Shangguan Yue tugged Tsunade into the Akimichi Clan's barbecue restaurant. As soon as they entered, he saw lots of Akimichi Clan members eating barbecue, along with many shinobi in their uniforms.

"Where's an empty table? Let's go."

As soon as Tsunade and Shangguan Yue sat down, the manager of the Akimichi Clan restaurant hurried over. "Lady Tsunade, what would you like to eat?"

"Hmm, he'll order." Tsunade pointed at Shangguan Yue and folded her arms, accentuating her ample chest. Shangguan Yue didn't pay it the slightest bit of attention.

His mind was entirely on the barbecue. He had no idea why he was so hungry again when he'd eaten only a little while ago. Shangguan Yue looked over the menu at all the different kinds of meat.

He quickly marked his choices. "Here you go."

"Little young master, do you only want these few things? Won't that be too little?"

"No, I want everything else on the menu, too. Once I finish, I'll order more."

"Huh? But... can you eat all that?"

"It's fine. She's paying."

"Well, all right."

Seeing that Tsunade didn't object, the manager didn't say anything more and turned to put in the order.

Before long, the barbecue started arriving, and Shangguan Yue felt his taste buds explode. His mouth watered uncontrollably.

"Let's eat!"

Tsunade ordered a bottle of sake and sipped it as she watched Shangguan Yue. Though he was small, he ate like a savage, like someone from One Piece, wolfing down huge mouthfuls of meat.

He shoved it right into his mouth, chewed a couple of times, then swallowed. The people around them grew more and more astonished.

"How can that little guy fit so much in his stomach? He doesn't even look stuffed."

Tsunade put down her glass. "Are you all right? Is it okay to eat this much?"

"Mm, I'm fine. Mm."

Shangguan Yue's mouth was full, and he kept on eating. The Akimichi Clan members nearby were practically in tears with envy. "I wish I had an appetite like that! Look at you—you've made me lose to someone else again."

One after another, they bowed their heads and blamed their own stomachs for letting them down.

Shangguan Yue paid them no attention, focusing entirely on his meal. He felt warmth spreading through his body as it gradually recovered. The sensation of growing stronger after breaking down and rebuilding drove him to keep eating.

At the counter, Tsunade looked at her completely empty purse and rubbed her furrowed brow.

"Lady Tsunade, the remaining balance..."

"Put it on my tab. It's not like I won't pay you back."

With that, she pulled Shangguan Yue, who was burping beside her, toward the exit. The Akimichi Clan staff could only shake their heads helplessly.

"Put Lady Tsunade's meal on her tab. No need to chase her for it. Just add the next one to the bill, too. That kid, though... he's something else."

"Where are we?"

"My house."

"Wow, you live alone in such a big place?"

"Mm-hmm. All right, stop looking around. Run laps for me. I want to see how strong your body is."

Tsunade sat down on the ground and pointed at the enormous training field in front of them. Shangguan Yue muttered, "What a wicked capitalist. The training field's so huge. I'm jealous."

Shangguan Yue set off around the field, his little legs pumping as he ran lap after lap. Tsunade watched him while sipping the sake she'd had packed up at the barbecue restaurant.

"Little Yueyue, your posture's wrong. Swing your arms."

Shangguan Yue stamped his foot in frustration. "Aah! Who told you to give me that nickname? Don't call me Little Yueyue!"

"Oh, you've got a temper. Then what should I call you? My little man?"

"Hmph. Just don't call me Little Yueyue."

Shangguan Yue kept running lap after lap, and the smile gradually faded from Tsunade's face.

"How did this little guy's physical fitness improve so much in just one night? He's not at Genin level yet, but he's close. But why does his body's energy feel so familiar?"