Awkwardness

The scenery beneath the bath towel rose and fell with her ragged breathing. Uchiha Ling's gaze swept over it before quickly darting away, but that fleeting glimpse of snowy softness had already imprinted itself on his mind.

"How much... how much did you see?" Tsunade asked through gritted teeth, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly.

Uchiha Ling stroked his chin, putting on a thoughtful expression. Then he gave an answer that made Tsunade wish she could punch him again. "Well... I'd say I saw pretty much everything worth seeing. The moonlight was bright, and you really do have a great figure, Teacher."

"You!" Tsunade was so furious she nearly choked. She pointed at the door. "Get out! Get out right now!"

Uchiha Ling shrugged, seemingly unfazed by his teacher's fury. Instead, he added, "All right, Teacher. But about the new jutsu we were going to train tonight..."

"Training is canceled! We'll talk about it tomorrow! Now, get out of my sight this instant!" Tsunade roared, cutting him off.

"Yes, ma'am." The smile tugging at Uchiha Ling's lips finally slipped through. He turned and strode out of the cabin, even taking the time to close the door behind him.

Standing in the moonlight, Uchiha Ling could still hear Tsunade stamping her feet in fury inside, followed by the sound of something breaking.

Uchiha Ling shook his head, though he felt strangely conflicted.

That unexpected, steamy interlude tonight seemed to have shown him another side of one of the Sannin, the legendary Lady Tsunade. Beneath her usual bold, formidable exterior, she could be rather cute.

Inside the cabin, Tsunade leaned against the bathroom door and slowly slid to the floor, her cheeks burning. She buried her scalding face in her knees and let out a groan of mortification. She'd never been this humiliated in her life! And in front of her own student, no less! How could she possibly maintain her dignity as his teacher now?

Yet amid her intense embarrassment, Uchiha Ling's calm, teasing expression from moments ago intruded into her thoughts.

The brat had clearly seen everything. There had been a flicker of admiration in his eyes, but more than that, he'd seemed perceptive and amused. He hadn't shown the fluster or bashfulness any ordinary boy his age would have.

His composure well beyond his years, and his almost infuriating nonchalance, made Tsunade feel a faint spark of curiosity beneath her shame and anger.

Early the next morning, at Training Ground 3 in the Hidden Leaf Village.

The morning sun seemed even more scorching than usual—at least, it did to Tsunade.

She arrived at the training ground earlier than their agreed time, arms crossed and back to the entrance. Her gaze seemed fixed on a huge boulder in the distance that served as a target.

But anyone who could have seen her profile would have noticed a strange irritation and a barely perceptible blush on the face that was usually so strikingly bold.

She couldn't focus on training at all.

The misty steam in last night's bathroom, her unguarded pose in the moonlight, and Uchiha Ling's far-too-calm, faintly amused expression at the door kept replaying in her mind like a nightmare.

Most of all, she couldn't bear to think about how she'd panicked and chased after him wrapped in a bath towel. She wanted to dig a three-bedroom apartment into the ground with her toes.

She, Lady Tsunade, had crossed the Shinobi World for years. When had she ever lost her composure like that in front of a man? No—in front of a boy who wasn't even grown! And her own student, at that!

"Damn brat..."

The words practically grated out through Tsunade's teeth, her chest rising and falling with her agitated breaths.

She tried to use anger to cover up the deeper embarrassment and mortification that made her heart flutter.

The feeling of having been seen and scrutinized pricked at her like a thorn.

She kept telling herself it had been an accident. Uchiha Ling had gone in because he was worried about her, and the door really had been unlocked.

But all that rationalizing did nothing to calm the heat her body had instinctively stirred up, or the awkwardness that was about to surface whenever she faced Uchiha Ling.

She'd even considered making an excuse to cancel training that day. But her fierce pride and her sense of responsibility as a teacher stopped her.

Run away? Wouldn't that make it look like she cared even more, like she had something to hide? When had she, Tsunade, ever needed to run away? She had to act as if everything were normal and use her absolute authority to turn the page on last night!

That's right! Tsunade took a deep breath and forced her back straight, trying to recover her usual imposing presence.

Just then, steady footsteps sounded behind her. Tsunade's body stiffened almost imperceptibly, but she forced herself not to turn around right away.

"Good morning, Teacher Tsunade."

Uchiha Ling's voice was as calm and steady as ever, with just the right amount of respect. There was no hint that anything was amiss.

He wore a clean, dark training outfit and stood tall, his black eyes as deep as a pool, giving nothing away. It was as if he wasn't the same person who had stumbled upon his teacher bathing in a truly breathtaking sight last night—and even teased her about it.

That only made Tsunade feel more stifled. How could the brat be so calm?

Had last night's incident not affected him at all? Or did he simply not see her as an attractive woman?

The thought inexplicably annoyed her even more. A complicated tangle of embarrassment, anger, and wounded pride churned within her.

"...Mm." Tsunade responded with a short sound through her nose, still not turning around. She deliberately kept her tone cool and distant. "Starting today, I'll teach you more advanced applications of Medical Ninjutsu, with a focus on combat."

At last, she turned around, but her gaze wandered. She tried to avoid meeting Uchiha Ling's eyes, looking instead at his shoulder or the empty ground behind him.

She felt her cheeks growing warm and could only hope the sunlight was strong enough to hide the damned blush.

"Yes, Teacher," Uchiha Ling replied, looking Tsunade in the eye without a trace of unease.

Of course, he noticed that something was off with Tsunade. The pointedly averted gaze, her body held more tensely than usual, and the faint unnaturalness in her voice despite her forced composure—all of it was plain as day to him.

Because...

[+30 embarrassment and anger from Tsunade]

[+20 awkwardness from Tsunade]

The Emotion System's collection had already explained everything.

Uchiha Ling found it rather amusing.

His teacher, a formidable warrior who struck fear into hearts on the battlefield, was now at a loss over one little accident.

That contrast gave him, a transmigrator with a mischievous streak at heart, a subtle sense of delight.