Take Me as Your Apprentice

Tsunade seemed to smell of some kind of flower. Li Tong had no idea whether she was wearing perfume or whether that was simply how her body smelled. The latter wouldn't be scientific, but the existence of the Naruto world wasn't scientific to begin with!

"Um... Achoo..." Li Tong tried to speak, but couldn't help sneezing.

He still couldn't get used to Tsunade's scent. To someone with a strong aversion to dirt, many fragrances counted as unpleasant odors.

"Well, kid?" Tsunade asked, holding Li Tong close with unusual warmth. Perhaps because he was still a child, and because Tsunade herself had a rather tomboyish personality, she didn't think there was anything wrong with hugging him like that.

Li Tong, however, was very uncomfortable!

"Could you... Achoo... could you... Achoo... could you..." Li Tong tried to speak, but couldn't get the words out.

"What's wrong, kid?" Tsunade tilted her head and studied Li Tong's eyes. A smile played on her lips, though there was a hint of menace in it. "You'd better not try to play dumb with me. I started gambling with people when I was three. I've been at it for nearly twenty years now. I don't need to catch you cheating to know whether you did."

"You... you... Achoo..."

"What about me?"

"Could you... stay a little farther away from me?"

"What?"

"Stay! Far! Away! From! Me! Achoo!"

Li Tong felt like he was about to die. That scent was more than he could handle.

Tsunade's face turned green. Li Tong's words weren't merely an insult; they were an affront to her character. No one else in all of Konoha would dare say something like that to her!

"Kid, are you trying to get yourself killed?" Tsunade tightened her arm around Li Tong's neck.

Li Tong's face plunged into the softness of Tsunade's chest. His vision went black, and he nearly fainted from the overpowering scent. He could hardly breathe, partly because of the smell and partly because he was smothered!

Deep in the woods on either side of the forest path, the Anbu Ninjas hidden in the shadows all looked horrified. Then they couldn't help admiring Li Tong. He actually dared tell Tsunade to stay away from him! He really knew how to get himself killed!

Only Chen He furrowed his brow slightly, wondering whether he ought to step in and save Li Tong.

Could he even save him?

Even if they all worked together, they wouldn't be a match for Tsunade. And with that unreasonable, fiery temper of hers, no one could stop her.

But if he did nothing, what if Tsunade snapped the kid's neck?

What an unjust death!

"Mmfff..." Li Tong twisted and struggled.

"Kid, you're pretty cocky, aren't you?" Tsunade loosened her grip a little and said ominously.

"I—cough, cough... I'm allergic! Allergic to fragrances! Cough, cough..." Seizing the opportunity, Li Tong hurried to explain.

"Oh?" Tsunade blinked twice. Remembering that Li Tong had been sneezing the whole time, she released her arm from around his neck and took a step back. Crossing her arms, she raised her chin at him. "So you're allergic. You should've said so sooner."

"Cough, cough! Cough... Did you give me a chance? Cough, cough..." Li Tong clutched his throat and coughed repeatedly. Tsunade had squeezed him hard enough to hurt.

"All right! Enough of that!" Tsunade waved a hand, giving Li Tong a smile that was almost—but not quite—friendly. "Kid, just confess. I know that nine out of ten bets are rigged, so you can't fool me."

Li Tong finally felt much better. He raised a hand and rubbed his nose. "If you know most bets are rigged, why do you gamble with them?"

"Because it's fair. They can cheat, and so can I! It just comes down to who's better at it." Tsunade spread her hands. "It's just that I'm not very good at cheating, and I'm afraid they'll catch me."

Idiot. Li Tong sneered at Tsunade in his mind, but smiled at her. "If that's the case, then... First, I'm not admitting that I cheated. And second..."

As he spoke, Li Tong pulled all his bills out of his clothes and quickly sorted through them. He took half—about forty thousand ryo—folded them neatly, and held them out to Tsunade. "Here."

"What do you mean?" Tsunade didn't take them. She glanced at the money, then looked back at Li Tong. "Splitting the spoils?"

"Fine, don't take them." Li Tong shrugged and started to pull his hand back.

Tsunade was faster. Her hand flashed out and snatched the forty thousand ryo from him. She tucked them into her clothes as naturally as could be, then crossed her arms and looked at Li Tong as if nothing had happened.

"Good! Just like that!" As Li Tong spoke, he began backing away. "Now we shouldn't have any disputes or grudges between us! You don't owe me anything, and I don't owe you anything. So... goodbye!"

With that, Li Tong spun around and strode away without looking back!

Tsunade's mouth twitched as she watched Li Tong leave, her bright eyes sparkling as if she'd found something truly fascinating. And she had. She'd never met a kid this interesting before!

Li Tong had already gone some distance.

"Interesting," Tsunade murmured with a smile. Then she sprang forward, turning into a blur.

A moment later!

Tsunade appeared beside Li Tong and hooked an arm around his neck, squeezing tight. "Kid! You still haven't answered my question. How about teaching me?"

"Achoo..."

"Oh, sorry. I forgot!"

Tsunade released Li Tong again, shifted to block his path, and smiled at him with ill intent. "Well? Teach me the Gambling Technique, and I'll pay you."

Tsunade was smiling. Li Tong was the one who sensed the malice behind it.

"Lady Tsunade, please just let me go!" Li Tong rubbed his nose and pleaded weakly.

"Do you really think that's possible?" Tsunade's smile grew even more radiant. It was an open, blatant threat, with no attempt to hide it!

Li Tong was already freaking out inside, but forced a smile on the outside. "All right! It's not that I won't teach you." An idea struck him, and he paused before continuing. "That's right, I really have mastered the Gambling Technique you mentioned. And I'd say no one in all of Konoha is better at it than I am! But! I can't pass on a skill like this to just anyone. You understand, don't you, Lady Tsunade?"

"Of course!" Tsunade said, smiling broadly in a theatrical voice, like a witch. "But I already told you I'd pay. Name your price!"

"It's not about the payment." Li Tong's expression turned serious.

"Then what is it?" Tsunade asked.

"You have to take me as your apprentice!" Li Tong said, utterly serious.

"Hm?" Tsunade's eyes widened.

Silence!

Dead silence!

It seemed as though even the wind had stopped in the woods. Tsunade stared at Li Tong, and the atmosphere grew suffocating.

In the woods on either side of them, the four Anbu Ninjas were ready to flee at a moment's notice. If Tsunade lost her temper, saving Li Tong would have to wait. They'd first need to figure out whether they could get out of there before the shock wave destroyed the forest.

Li Tong's expression remained serious. He was a little nervous, but he didn't regret it.

He'd done it on purpose. He wasn't actually trying to take Tsunade as his apprentice—that was impossible... And it was precisely because it was impossible that Li Tong had said it! Tsunade was a student of the Third. There was no way she'd take someone else as her master, especially not for a skill like gambling that was useless to a ninja.

If she refused, that would save him a lot of trouble later and keep Tsunade from pestering him.

Li Tong stared right back at Tsunade, utterly resolute. He was waiting for her to refuse.

"Fine! I agree!" Tsunade suddenly said.

"Pfft! Cough! Cough, cough! Cough, cough, cough!" Li Tong nearly spat blood. Clutching his chest, he coughed violently.