Overly Meticulous Thoughts

Shizune?!

Upon hearing Kato Dan mention Shizune, Yuehua Ai recalled the quiet girl who always followed Princess Tsunade from his distant memories. Back when he watched the anime, he remembered having a soft spot for that gentle, sunny ninja girl by her side!

"Since you've agreed, Jiraiya, you can have him report to the Medical Study Class whenever you have time after getting him settled. The classroom is in the small building behind the hospital; there's a sign, so I think even without you, he'll be able to find it once he's familiarized himself with Konoha."

Having resolved the issue, Princess Tsunade said to Jiraiya with a smile.

"Hmph, I'm not this brat's nanny! I wouldn't bother myself with small matters like the ones you're talking about!"

Jiraiya patted Yuehua Ai on the shoulder and laughed heartily. With the boy's studies in Konoha arranged, he felt a weight lifted off his mind.

Princess Tsunade nodded. Looking at the bright and intelligent Yuehua Ai, a thought occurred to her. After a moment of consideration, she turned to him and said:

"The Medical Corps has already been in session for a while. I'm worried that if you join now, you might struggle to keep up with the others' progress. Once Jiraiya has settled your living arrangements, you should borrow some books on the theoretical foundations of medical ninjutsu to study alongside your classes."

"If you don't want to be a dead last, you'll have to work hard, little Ai. As Jiraiya's disciple, I have high hopes for you!"

Princess Tsunade ruffled Yuehua Ai's hair with a radiant smile. Who doesn't love a beautiful child?

Yuehua Ai looked up, catching sight of that perfect, flower-like face. The transparent lip gloss on her soft, red lips shimmered with a crystalline luster under the bright sunlight.

A feast for the eyes... breathtaking... peerless beauty... a face that could topple kingdoms...

In an instant, a flurry of idioms describing her beauty flashed through Yuehua Ai's mind. Princess Tsunade was around thirty years old, yet she looked barely in her twenties. She possessed both the youthful vitality of a girl and the mature charm of a woman; these two unique beauties combined perfectly with her bright, heroic spirit, making her presence all the more striking and impossible not to be moved by.

The ninja world was filled with countless beauties, but very few could truly rival Princess Tsunade at the peak of her radiance. If one were to ask who the most beautiful woman in the ninja world was right now, Yuehua Ai felt it had to be her.

"Yes, I will definitely work hard. Teacher Jiraiya said that Sister Tsunade is the best medical ninja in Konoha. With your care, I won't let my teacher down. And one day, I want to become a powerful ninja recognized by everyone, just like Senior Minato!"

Yuehua Ai put on the appearance of an idealistic youth. In his memories, Princess Tsunade was quite susceptible to this, as her late younger brother, Senju Nawaki, had been just such a passionate boy.

Sure enough, Princess Tsunade was momentarily dazed by Yuehua Ai's passionate display. When she came to, though her mood was a bit somber, her gaze toward him grew even gentler.

"Wanting to become a ninja like Minato... well, I believe you can do it, little Ai, but you'll have to work even harder for that!"

"Yes!" Yuehua Ai nodded like a chick pecking at grain.

Although he secretly despised himself for using the longing for the deceased to gain favor, he felt it was worth it when he saw her reaction. Even if his behavior felt shameful, as long as he wasn't hurting her and could secure enough benefits for himself, why not? In this cruel world, sticking to one's own bottom line was enough.

After giving Yuehua Ai instructions on what to look out for at the Medical Study Class, Princess Tsunade and Kato Dan bid farewell to Jiraiya.

Watching their figures disappear around the corner, Jiraiya could no longer hide his dejection.

"Teacher Jiraiya, you really like Princess Tsunade, don't you?"

Once they were out of earshot, Yuehua Ai spoke to the man beside him. Though his tone carried a hint of uncertainty, his expression was quite firm.

"Ah!" Jiraiya jumped as if his tail had been stepped on, shouting in a flustered tone:

"Who said that?! How could I, your teacher, like that violent woman!"

Seeing Jiraiya's panicked and erratic reaction, it was truly a case of "the thief protesting his innocence." Even if Yuehua Ai hadn't watched the anime in his past life, he would have easily seen through Jiraiya's feelings for her, provided he wasn't blind or dim-witted.

"What's wrong with a girl being a little violent? Being beautiful is enough! Don't say you don't like her; even if you did, she's already taken..." Yuehua Ai goaded him with a sarcastic tone.

"..."

Hearing his disciple's snide remarks, Jiraiya's entire face twitched unnaturally. He knew he couldn't hide his feelings from this precocious brat, but how dared this little jerk rub salt in his wounds while knowing how much it hurt!

Truly... this was unbearable!!!

"Wham!"

Before Yuehua Ai could react, Jiraiya had already slammed a fist onto his forehead.

"Ouch—" Yuehua Ai clutched his head instantly. Seeing the man's thunderous rage, he quickly scurried to the corner to sulk.

"You brat!" Jiraiya roared in frustration, "You know I'm hurting and you still dare to provoke me? Is it because I haven't beaten you in a while that your skin is itching for it?"

"..."

Yuehua Ai didn't say a word. Only after Jiraiya had finished his outburst and calmed down did he slowly pace back over.

"How about it? Do you feel a bit better now?"

"Hmph!" Jiraiya pursed his lips. Although he didn't speak, Yuehua Ai knew he felt better after venting.

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

"Sigh—" Jiraiya let out a long sigh. He understood his disciple's actions now. He patted Yuehua Ai on the shoulder and looked him in the eye. "Little Ai, do you know? Whether it's in your training or how you conduct yourself, it's hard to find fault in you. At first glance, you are perfect in everything you do, but you've forgotten that nothing in this world is truly perfect. Being too perfect is abnormal, and that perfection becomes a flaw."

"In my eyes, your biggest problem is that you are too sensitive. You intentionally provoked me just now to help me vent my frustration. Honestly, I'm touched, but I also feel there was no need for you to do that."

"I don't know why, but I always feel like you lack a sense of security. Because of that, you are always cautious, always wanting to do things perfectly. But this attitude makes your actions feel forced. People who don't know you might not see the cracks, but to those who do, everything you do is transparent."

"..." Yuehua Ai bit his lip, remaining silent.

"Your personality has never been one of optimism and passion. You deliberately changed your demeanor when facing Sarutobi and Tsunade! While that leaves a good impression, it is ultimately just a disguise. You know, sometimes if you wear a mask for too long, you can never take it off again..."

"Teacher Jiraiya..."

"Haha, don't speak yet, let me finish."

"I'm not blaming you. I just... I just think that living like this is too exhausting, truly too exhausting..."

"Although I don't understand what experiences made you so insecure, I want you to trust me. As your teacher, I, Jiraiya, will protect my disciple with everything I have, even if it costs me my life."

"Little Ai, tell me, do you trust me?"

"Mm!"

Yuehua Ai nodded with a slight choke in his throat, while inwardly cursing Jiraiya. Why did this bastard have to be so sentimental? He was making tears well up in his eyes. Seeing his childhood sweetheart showing affection to someone else today, the one who should be crying was clearly this lecherous old man Jiraiya!

"Whew—" Yuehua Ai let out a breath. Jiraiya's words had truly touched his heart. Ever since arriving in the Naruto world, he had lacked a sense of security when thinking about the future. From birth until he possessed real strength, his greatest talent had been using camouflage to protect himself. After disguising himself for so long, the disguise had become his reality. Even today, with the strength to protect himself, he still habitually used camouflage as a shield; his true self had long been lost beneath layers of masks. Yet, as Jiraiya ruthlessly tore those masks away today, while it filled his heart with fear, an indescribable sense of relief rose within him. It felt as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted; it really was quite nice...

"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 own heart in everything you do. Only by living according to your heart will you have no regrets!"

"Master Jiraiya, you have the nerve to lecture me!" Yuehua Ai nearly laughed through his tears. You lecture me about living according to my heart, yet when you face Tsunade, you're the one who chickens out!

"Uh—you little brat, don't worry about such things!"

Seeing the look in Yuehua Ai's eyes, Jiraiya knew exactly what he was referring to...

"Fine, fine, your teacher hasn't managed to live by his own heart either. Even if I haven't, the principle that I, the Great Toad Sage Jiraiya, speak of is still correct."

Noticing his disciple's look of disdain, Jiraiya laughed awkwardly to cover his embarrassment.

"Since neither of us has managed it, let's work hard together from now on. Let's live according to our own hearts and our own wills!" Jiraiya flashed a Might Guy-style sparkling smile and held up his palm in front of Yuehua Ai.

"Smack!"

After rolling his eyes at Jiraiya, Yuehua Ai raised his hand and gave the other's palm a casual slap, and then the large and small hands pressed together.

"This is a promise ritual from Ai's hometown, so you can't go back on it, haha!"

With that, Jiraiya burst into hearty laughter.

Curling his lips, Yuehua Ai pulled his hand back with an indifferent expression, though he couldn't help but feel secretly relieved inside. This form of a high-five promise was something usually only known to Yahiko and his group. He hadn't expected Jiraiya to have seen it before. It was fortunate that he hadn't seen the pinky-swearing routine he did with Konan; if Jiraiya had learned that too, Yuehua Ai would have felt sick and uncomfortable at the mere thought of hooking fingers with a grown man!