Too Much of a Worrier

Shizune?!

The moment Dan Katō mentioned Shizune, Yuehua Ai recalled the quiet girl who followed Tsunade from memories that had grown a little hazy. When he watched the anime, he remembered having a soft spot for that gentle, sunny kunoichi who stayed by Tsunade's side!

"Since you've agreed too, Jiraiya, after you get Ai settled in, have him report to the Medical Study Class when you have time. The class is in the small building behind the hospital. There's a sign out front, so I think Ai can find it on his own once he gets familiar with Konoha, even without you."

With the problem settled, Tsunade smiled as she spoke to Jiraiya.

"Sure. I'm not this brat's babysitter. I'm not going to bother with little things like that, just like you said!"

Jiraiya clapped Yuehua Ai on the shoulder and laughed heartily. Now that he'd arranged Ai's studies in Konoha, he could finally put one of his worries to rest.

Tsunade nodded. Looking at the bright and clever Yuehua Ai, she suddenly thought of something. After considering it for a moment, she turned and said to him:

"The Medical Corps has already been holding classes for a while. I'm worried you might have trouble keeping up with the others at first, so after Jiraiya finds you somewhere to stay, you should borrow some books on the theoretical fundamentals of Medical Ninjutsu from the library and read them alongside your classes."

"If you don't want to end up at the bottom of the class, you'll have to work hard, Ai. As Jiraiya's student, I have faith in you!"

Tsunade ruffled Yuehua Ai's hair and beamed. Who could resist a pretty child?

Yuehua Ai looked up and happened to see her flawless face, smiling like a flower. The clear gloss on her rosy lips shimmered in the bright sunlight.

A feast for the eyes... a sight to behold... breathtakingly beautiful... enchanting beyond compare...

In an instant, all sorts of idioms describing her beauty flashed through Yuehua Ai's mind. Tsunade was around thirty now, but she looked to be in her twenties. She had both the fresh vitality of a young girl and the mature allure of a woman. Those two distinct kinds of beauty blended perfectly with her bold, spirited air, making every part of her all the more striking. It was impossible not to be moved by her.

There were countless beauties in the Naruto World, but very few could rival Princess Tsunade at the peak of her beauty. If he had to name the most beautiful woman in the Ninja World right now, Yuehua Ai thought it could only be Princess Tsunade!

"Mm, I'll work hard. Teacher Jiraiya said that Big Sister Tsunade is Konoha's best medical ninja. With you looking after me, I won't let my teacher down. And someday, I'll become a powerful ninja who's recognized by others, just like Senior Minato!"

Yuehua Ai put on the earnest air of an ambitious young boy. From what he remembered, Tsunade was receptive to this kind of thing, because her late younger brother, Senju Nawaki, had been a hot-blooded boy like that.

Sure enough, when Tsunade saw Yuehua Ai's passionate expression, she seemed dazed for a moment. When she came back to herself, her mood had dimmed somewhat, but she looked at Yuehua Ai even more tenderly.

"You want to become a ninja like Minato... Well, I'm sure you can do it, Ai. But if you want that, you'll have to work even harder from now on!"

"Mm!" Yuehua Ai nodded like a pecking chick.

Though he privately scorned himself for using someone's grief over the dead to win their favor, he still felt it was worth it when he saw her reaction. His actions made even him feel a little ashamed, but as long as he didn't hurt her and could gain enough from it, why not? In this cruel world, it was enough to hold on to his basic principles as a person!

After giving Yuehua Ai a few pointers on what to keep in mind when attending the Medical Study Class, Tsunade and Dan Katō said goodbye to Jiraiya.

Once the two of them disappeared around the corner, Jiraiya could no longer hide his dejection.

"Teacher Jiraiya really likes Tsunade, doesn't he?"

After Tsunade and Dan had walked away side by side, Yuehua Ai spoke to Jiraiya. His words sounded uncertain, but his expression was quite sure.

"Ah!" Jiraiya sprang up as if someone had stepped on his tail, shouting in a fluster,

"Who said that? How could I possibly like a violent woman like her!"

Watching Jiraiya fluster and bluster, he looked just like someone protesting too much. Even if Ai hadn't watched the Naruto anime in his previous life and didn't know how the story would unfold, he could easily tell that Jiraiya had feelings for Tsunade, unless he was blind or stupid.

"What's wrong with a girl being violent? It's enough that she's beautiful! And don't pretend you don't like her. Even if you do, she already belongs to someone else..." Yuehua Ai needled him sarcastically.

"..."

Hearing his own student's mocking tone, Jiraiya's whole face twitched. He knew this sharp little brat could see through him, but how dare the little rascal rub salt in the wound when he knew how much it hurt!

This was... simply intolerable!!!

"Wham!"

Before Yuehua Ai could react, Jiraiya had already punched him on the head.

"Argh!" Yuehua Ai immediately grabbed his head. Seeing how furious Jiraiya was, he hurried over to the corner and crouched down to draw circles.

"You little brat!" Jiraiya roared in exasperation. "You know I'm hurting, and you still go and provoke me like that! Has it been too long since I beat you? Are you asking for it?"

"..."

Yuehua Ai didn't answer. After Jiraiya had another fit and finally calmed down, he strolled over slowly.

"Feeling a little better?"

"Hmph!" Jiraiya pursed his lips. He didn't answer, but Yuehua Ai knew that letting off steam had made him feel better.

Even as one of the Sannin, Jiraiya was still helpless when it came to love. No matter how powerful a ninja was, their heart was no different from an ordinary person's...

"sigh..." Jiraiya let out a long breath. He'd understood what his student was doing. Patting Yuehua Ai on the shoulder, he looked him in the eye and said, "Ai, you know, whether it's training or dealing with people, it's hard to find fault with you. At first glance, you seem good at everything, as if you do everything perfectly. But you've forgotten that nothing in this world is truly perfect. Being too perfect is strange in itself, and that makes it imperfect."

"To me, your biggest problem is that you overthink everything. You deliberately said those things to rile me up just now so I'd vent my frustration, didn't you? Honestly, I'm touched. But after that, I can't help thinking you really didn't need to do it."

"I don't know why, but I always feel like you lack a sense of security, Ai. Because you don't feel secure, you're always careful and tentative, always trying to do everything perfectly. But that attitude leaves obvious traces in the way you deal with people. Someone who doesn't know you well might not spot any flaws, but the people who know you can see through everything you do."

"..." Yuehua Ai bit his lip and said nothing.

"Ai, you've never been the optimistic, passionate type. You deliberately acted differently around Teacher Sarutobi and Tsunade, didn't you? That might leave them with a good impression of you, but it's still just a mask. You know, if you wear a mask for long enough, sometimes you can never take it off..."

"Teacher Jiraiya..."

"Haha, don't say anything yet. Let me finish."

"I'm not blaming you, really. I just... I just think living like this must be exhausting for you. Really exhausting..."

"I can't understand what you've been through that left you feeling so insecure, but I still want you to trust me. As your teacher, I, Jiraiya, will do everything in my power to protect my student, even if it costs me my life."

"Ai, tell me—do you trust me?"

"Mm!"

Yuehua Ai nodded, his voice catching slightly. At the same time, he cursed Jiraiya in his heart. Why did the bastard have to be so sentimental? He was about to cry! After watching his childhood friend show off her affection with someone else today, surely Jiraiya, that lecherous old man, should have been the one crying!

"Whew..." Yuehua Ai breathed out. Jiraiya's words had really hit home. Ever since arriving in the Naruto World, the thought of everything that lay ahead had left him feeling insecure. From birth until now, before he had any strength, his best way of protecting himself had been to put on a mask. Wear one for long enough, and it could become real. Even now that he had the strength to protect himself, he still instinctively used a mask to shield himself. His true self had become a little lost beneath all those layers. Jiraiya had just ripped his mask away without mercy. It had frightened him, but at the same time, an indescribable sense of relief rose in his heart. It felt like setting down a thousand-pound burden. It really felt good...

"Ai, remember this: people live for themselves first. Don't push yourself too hard for the sake of others. From now on, remember to follow your heart. Only by living true to yourself can you avoid regrets!"

"Teacher Jiraiya, you have no right to lecture me!" Yuehua Ai almost laughed through his tears. You're telling me to follow my heart, but you still chicken out whenever you're around Tsunade!

"Uh... You're just a kid. Don't worry about things like that!"

From Yuehua Ai's expression, Jiraiya knew exactly what he meant...

"Fine, fine. I haven't managed to follow my heart either. But even if I haven't, the Great Toad Sage Jiraiya is still right about this!"

Under his student's scornful gaze, Jiraiya gave an awkward laugh.

"Since neither of us has managed it, let's work on it together from now on. We'll live by our hearts and our own will!" Jiraiya flashed a brilliant Might Guy-style grin, then held up his palm in front of Yuehua Ai.

"Smack!"

After rolling his eyes at Jiraiya, Yuehua Ai casually raised his hand and slapped it against Jiraiya's. Their hands met, one large and one small.

"This is a promise ritual from Ai's hometown, so you can't take it back, Ai! Haha!"

With that, Jiraiya laughed heartily.

Yuehua Ai pursed his lips and pulled his hand back with an unconcerned look, though he couldn't help feeling relieved inside. It was usually Yahiko and the others who knew about this high-five promise. He hadn't realized Jiraiya had seen it before. Good thing he hadn't seen Ai and Konan's pinky-swear routine, or he might have copied that too. Yuehua Ai shuddered at the thought of hooking pinkies with a grown man. The thought made his skin crawl!