Chapter Forty-Three: Perfect!

Tsunade laughed arrogantly.

Li Tong, who had been kicked into the lake, didn't get back up. His head was submerged, with only his back above the surface, like a floating corpse.

"Huh?" Tsunade sensed something was wrong and blinked. "Did he actually choke to death?" She stepped forward to fish him out, but stopped at once, eyes widening in shock.

Li Tong's body in the lake had begun to melt, quickly turning into water and blending into the lake.

"A water clone! You! When did you—? Impossible!" Tsunade cried in shock, whipping around to scan her surroundings. Even with her abilities, she hadn't noticed anything unusual.

"I've told you eight hundred times that I can smell you from eight hundred meters away." The real Li Tong emerged from behind the wooden house, rubbing his nose as he spoke. "Couldn't you try a different perfume? How are you supposed to go on missions like that? You'd be discovered before you even reached the gate if you tried to sneak into an enemy ninja village to steal information."

Li Tong was just complaining about Tsunade. His keen sense of smell didn't mean everyone else had one.

"How could your water clone be so perfect?" Tsunade asked, sounding unconvinced.

How embarrassing!

She'd wanted to pull a prank with a sneak attack, only to kick a water clone and get pranked herself.

"Because I'm a genius!" Li Tong spread his hands and said matter-of-factly. Of course, that was nonsense. The truth was that he obtained his ninjutsu by drawing cards. The techniques his cards granted him might not be the strongest or most advanced, but their fundamental construction was absolutely perfect.

"Brat, you're getting cocky! Want me to beat you up?" Tsunade cracked her knuckles threateningly. They hadn't known each other long, but they'd already grown very close.

"Enough talking, my dear Lady Tsunade. Do you remember yesterday's bet? Come on! Teach me the Mystical Palm Technique." Li Tong walked over to her as he spoke.

"Shouldn't you teach me Hypnosis first? Come on, teach me!"

"Why do I have to teach you first?"

"Quit arguing!" Tsunade hooked an arm around Li Tong's neck and threatened, "If you don't teach me first, I'll smother you!" As she spoke, she tightened her hold until his head was buried against her chest.

Perhaps because Li Tong was so young, Tsunade didn't think there was anything wrong with acting that way.

"Ugh... I... I'll teach you... Let go..." Li Tong struggled to get the words out.

"Hmph!" Tsunade let out a triumphant snort and released him.

"Fine." Li Tong sighed and waved a hand. "Follow me."

He took Tsunade inside. The living room was small, so Li Tong first drew the curtains, then moved the table and chairs into a corner. With the curtains closed, the room was dim already; the corner was darker still.

They sat facing each other. Li Tong raised a hand, and a green pendant dangled from his palm.

That pendant again!

Tsunade instinctively felt around herself. It really had been taken again, but this time she didn't ask when Li Tong had stolen it. She only muttered, "Thief!"

"Look here!" Li Tong adopted the air of a teacher and spoke seriously. "As I told you before, hypnosis is actually a technique for guiding the mind. To put it simply, people's minds are easily guided. For example, when someone listens to a song, a sad song makes them feel sad, while a grand, stirring song makes their hearts surge."

"If you take that kind of guidance to its extreme, you can make someone fall asleep or even answer whatever questions you ask..."

"It sounds simple, but in practice, mastering this kind of hypnosis is very difficult. In its early stages, it has strict requirements regarding the surroundings, lighting, temperature, scent, and the target being hypnotized..."

For the entire day, Li Tong did nothing but teach Tsunade the basics of hypnosis.

He was genuinely teaching her, without any reservations. Hypnosis had too many limitations. Even though Li Tong had already mastered the highest level, he still couldn't guarantee a hundred percent success. It depended on both the environment and the target. Compared to it, the Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan was truly powerful. Some hypnotic genjutsu were also much easier to use successfully than the hypnosis Li Tong knew.

Even the Mystical Palm Technique could make someone fall asleep, and it did so far more directly than hypnosis!

Of course, hypnosis had one irreplaceable advantage: anyone could learn and use it once they'd mastered it. It didn't require chakra!

Most of the time, though, that advantage was useless.

Li Tong spent the entire day explaining the theory to Tsunade. She was very interested and didn't get bored, nor did she ask to try it out right away.

The sun sank in the west.

Dusk fell, the clouds along the horizon red as blood.

Bang, bang, bang!

"Hey!" Li Tong rapped on the table and protested loudly. "It's been a whole day! An entire day! I want food! I'm starving!" This was already his fifth protest of the day.

That was right: he hadn't eaten all day.

On top of that, he hadn't eaten the day before, either.

With his body, hardened by the brutal training he'd endured in Amegakure, going a day without food wasn't a big deal. But it had been two days now.

"All right, all right. Let's go eat. My treat!" Tsunade laughed and soothed him, then stood up and stretched. Li Tong's gaze lingered for a moment on her impressively curvy figure.

A little later.

Li Tong and Tsunade walked side by side through the woods.

"You seem pretty free. Don't you have anything to do?" Li Tong asked.

"My last mission ended not long ago. I probably won't get another one for at least ten days," Tsunade replied.

In the bustling district.

Dusk was the liveliest time in Konoha. The streets were packed, and Tsunade led Li Tong toward a restaurant she often visited.

"Lady Tsunade!"

"Lady Tsunade!"

"Lady Tsunade!"

As they walked, people greeted Tsunade. They were at least Jonin. The Chunin and Genin all knew who she was, but didn't dare speak to her; some even went out of their way to avoid her.

People kept glancing at Li Tong.

They were all curious about who the brat was. He wasn't Tsunade's younger brother, Nawaki Senju, nor was he Kushina Uzumaki, who was very close to her. Who else his age could be on such friendly terms with Tsunade? They were even chatting quietly as they walked.

Nobody recognized Li Tong.

He was wearing sunglasses, and he hadn't run into anyone he knew.

"Why are you wearing sunglasses? Do you think they look cool?" Tsunade suddenly reached over, took Li Tong's glasses, and tried them on.

"Hey!" Li Tong tried to stop her, but it was too late.

"Dual-Colored Eyes!"

"It's that Li Tong!"

Several ninja who'd been wondering about Li Tong's identity cried out in surprise, and the street grew even noisier.

"Li Tong? That's him? Are you sure?"

"Wasn't he buried alive by Lady Tsunade? Why is he walking with her?"

"Ah, what did Lady Tsunade do to him?"

"Shh! Keep your voice down, unless you want to die!"

The din swelled, like thousands of flies buzzing.

Li Tong shot Tsunade a displeased look.

Understanding dawned in Tsunade's eyes. At last, she realized why Li Tong had been wearing sunglasses. She took them off and perched them on top of her head... without any intention of giving them back.

Damn woman! Li Tong silently cursed.

Lewei Ramen was a small restaurant with a shabby storefront and a plain interior. When Tsunade led him inside, Li Tong had honestly been reluctant to go in because he thought the place was filthy. But he held his tongue and gritted his teeth as he followed her inside.

He didn't want to cause a scene with Tsunade out on the street; that would draw even more attention.

Once inside, Li Tong's eyes widened in surprise. He glanced around at the customers eating there.

He was a little shocked!

Most of the diners were high-ranking ninja! He spotted at least six elite Jonin, as well as two whose prestige had reached the pinnacle of the Jonin ranks.

"Lady Tsunade!"

"Tsunade!"

"Over here! Want to join us?"

Another large group of ninja greeted Tsunade. Some even called her by name, showing how close they were.

"Go ahead and eat. We have something to discuss." Tsunade smiled and greeted a few ninja she knew. Then she pointed at Li Tong and led him to a seat farther inside.

They sat down by the window and ordered two bowls of ramen and a few side dishes.

The restaurant filled with the hum of conversation. Many people glanced at Li Tong in surprise. Of course they knew who the Dual-Colored Eyes ninja was, and they'd heard Tsunade had buried him alive. The ninja who knew Tsunade well didn't believe she'd do anything so cruel, but they couldn't understand why the two of them had come to eat together.

"After we eat, you'll teach me the Mystical Palm Technique, right?" Li Tong asked quietly.

"Yeah!" Tsunade nodded, smiling strangely. "Don't forget our bet."

"Of course I won't." Li Tong's heart stirred, and he added, "I'm just worried you'll go back on your word."

"Me?" Tsunade pointed at herself. "Do I seem like that kind of person?"

"Definitely!" Li Tong said, nodding earnestly.

Tsunade smirked and tapped the table with her finger. Then she abruptly stood up and announced loudly, "I have something to say!"

Everyone in the restaurant turned to look at Tsunade. Some of the high-ranking ninja even set down their chopsticks, ready to listen intently.

"This brat named Li Tong!" Tsunade pointed at him. "He bet me he could learn the A-rank medical ninjutsu, the Mystical Palm Technique, in a single day. If he can do it, I'll grant him anything he wants. That's all!"

Every eye turned to Li Tong again, and everyone looked at him as if he were insane.

"Is this brat crazy?"

"Is something wrong with his head?"

Tsunade sat back down and spread her hands at Li Tong, as if to say, "Satisfied now?"

Li Tong spread his hands too and raised an eyebrow. "Perfect!"