As Liuxia sat in his office, lost in thoughts about his lesson plans, a light knock suddenly interrupted him. He looked up and saw Kushina standing in the doorway, a shy smile on her face.
"Liuxia, I was so surprised when you came to our class today!" Kushina walked into the office and gently closed the door. "Everyone's been talking about you, especially about how you became our substitute teacher."
Liuxia smiled and closed his lesson plan book. "Is that so? I'm happy to study with you all, too. By the way, Kushina, do you have any plans after school today?"
Kushina shook her head, her eyes glimmering with anticipation. "Nothing in particular. Why?"
Liuxia stood up and straightened his clothes. "As it happens, Miss Katsuyu just sent me a message. Tsunade has finished her mission and returned today. She said we're having a party to celebrate Nawaki and me both being promoted to Chunin. It sounds like Orochimaru and Jiraiya will be joining us, too."
Kushina's eyes lit up. "Really? That's wonderful! Tsunade? She wouldn't..."
Liuxia smiled and cut off her worried question. "Don't worry. I'll be cooking again this time. Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll pick up the ingredients on my way home."
A huge smile spread across Kushina's face. "I want your barbecue! And, and that sweet fruit soup!"
"No problem. I'll take care of it all. Come on, let's talk as we walk." Liuxia readily agreed, grabbed his jacket, and left the office with her, heading home.
The setting sun cast its golden glow over them as they cheerfully discussed the evening's menu. Every now and then, Kushina's bell-like laughter rang out. Their moods were as bright as the warm sunlight, and they eagerly looked forward to the family gathering.
"Well, well, if it isn't Liuxia, the handsome young man who supposedly took on four opponents at once. Kushina, you'd better keep an eye on him. You never know when some little minx might try to get a taste of him." With a teasing smile, Tsunade poked fun at Liuxia and Kushina. Her playful, affectionate words immediately lightened the mood.
Tsunade's teasing instantly brought a blush to Kushina's cheeks. "Tsunade, I, I'm not..." she stammered, flustered and embarrassed.
Liuxia simply smiled, unbothered by Tsunade's joke. "Tsunade, you've only just gotten back, and you're already teasing Kushina. Honestly, you're not acting like an older sister at all." His words held a hint of affectionate exasperation; he knew her well.
Then Liuxia turned to Orochimaru and Jiraiya, his manner becoming more formal and respectful. "It's been a long time, Orochimaru and Jiraiya." His voice conveyed his respect for the two senior ninja and his joy at seeing them again.
Orochimaru gave a slight nod, and a rare smile crossed his usually expressionless face. "Liuxia, your progress has been impressive."
Jiraiya laughed heartily and clapped Liuxia on the shoulder. "Little Liuxia, I hear you've been making quite a name for yourself lately. Even a writer like me, who travels all over the world, has heard about you."
"Jiraiya, what kind of writer are you? At best, you're a writer of smut!" Nawaki teased, his words brimming with youthful energy. He'd just finished training and hadn't even gotten home before hearing Jiraiya boasting. He couldn't help laughing to himself. Liuxia's assessment of Jiraiya was spot on—he really was an old lecher.
But when Nawaki looked over at his teacher, Orochimaru, the usually composed man, he grew a little awkward. He'd always casually called him "big brother," but now that Orochimaru was his teacher, he felt both respectful and a little uncomfortable. In truth, he'd wanted this himself. Even if the Third Hokage hadn't arranged it, Nawaki had planned to find an opportunity to ask his sister and Orochimaru to make it official.
Scratching his head, Nawaki bowed respectfully to Orochimaru. "Teacher Orochimaru, I look forward to learning from you!"
Orochimaru smiled faintly, warmth in his eyes. "You're welcome, Nawaki. I've always been very pleased with you." As he spoke, he even affectionately patted Nawaki on the head. This Orochimaru, who had yet to turn to darkness, still cared deeply for those he valued.
Jiraiya chuckled and patted Nawaki on the shoulder before hopping aside and striking his signature pose. "Nawaki, what future could you have following Orochimaru? Why not follow this sage instead? I guarantee you'll never run out of material, ah..."
Hearing Jiraiya's topic drift further and further off course—and seeing him try to lead her little brother astray again—Tsunade strode over without hesitation and punched him, cutting off his nonsense. "Jiraiya, don't teach the kids bad habits!"
Jiraiya rubbed the spot where he'd been hit and smiled ruefully. "Ow, Tsunade, I was only thinking of what's best for Nawaki."
They continued chatting in a relaxed, cheerful atmosphere. Jiraiya still said things that left everyone speechless from time to time, but they all knew that behind the jokes lay the deep friendship they shared and the care they had for one another.
"Ah, I can't eat another bite. These skewers are delicious. They're incredibly spicy, but the flavor lingers so wonderfully. I'm sweating all over—just what I need to get rid of the damp from being rained on every day in the Land of Rain. I don't know what's wrong with that awful place. It hasn't stopped raining since we got there. I've had enough." Having eaten her fill, Tsunade sprawled across the sofa without a trace of ladylike decorum and grumbled about the Land of Rain's ridiculous weather, her face full of resentment toward its endless downpour.
"So you went to the Land of Rain. No wonder you came back in such a foul mood. But a mission in the Land of Rain required all three of you? Is Sunagakure up to something there?" Liuxia asked curiously, his eyes showing how closely he was following the situation.
At the mention of the Land of Rain, Liuxia more or less understood what was going on. He didn't know exactly when the events had taken place in the original timeline, but he did know that the title of Konoha Sannin had been bestowed on the three of them by Hanzo the Salamander, leader of Amegakure and the man hailed as the Demigod of the Ninja World, after he defeated them in the war between Konoha, Amegakure, and Sunagakure in the Land of Rain. Others might consider it an honor, but to those three proud ninja, it was absolutely a humiliation.
Hanzo the Salamander, huh? Liuxia thought. He would make sure to test the so-called demigod's strength for himself. The world had already changed from the one he knew. If Hanzo the Salamander chose not to spare the three of them—or even killed them—Liuxia would regret it for the rest of his life. He had long since decided to protect Tsunade, and besides, his strength would never allow his sister to suffer such humiliation.
"That's right. The situation in the Land of Rain is complicated. Sunagakure seems to have designs on the region, and Amegakure may be involved, too." Orochimaru took over the conversation, his calm, low voice carrying unmistakable weight. "Our mission was to investigate their true intentions."
"Exactly. Hanzo the Salamander of Amegakure isn't easy to deal with. Most of our losses this time were caused by his poison. He's a real menace." Jiraiya continued enjoying the food as he filled Liuxia in on the situation in Amegakure. His words conveyed both wariness and displeasure toward their opponent.
"Hanzo the Salamander, huh? You'll have to be careful around him. By the way, keep these close to you." Liuxia said, remembering something. He took his specially made kunai from his ninja tool pouch. The Flying Thunder God symbol was engraved on it, an emblem of his ninja way.
"The spark of a flame?" Tsunade took it and examined it closely. She didn't even notice that her actions had once again given Liuxia a generous eyeful. She was curious about the ninja way engraved on the kunai.
"Yes, these are Flying Thunder God Kunai. The words on them are my ninja way. As long as you keep them with you, have Miss Katsuyu notify me if you're ever in danger, and I'll bring you all back safely." Liuxia glanced at Tsunade's movements as he explained, his words full of concern for his companions and a desire to protect them.
"Sure, got it." Tsunade casually tucked it into her cleavage. There was no need to ask how she'd put it there; some things about ninja were better left unexplained! Seeing Liuxia looking embarrassed across from her, she couldn't help laughing to herself.
"Oh, is little Liuxia embarrassed? I don't mind, you know. Want to touch?" Tsunade had always enjoyed teasing Liuxia. It was simply too amusing to see the mature, composed Liuxia act like a bashful little boy.
"I, I have lessons to prepare. I'm leaving." Liuxia couldn't take it anymore. His cheeks were beginning to heat up, so he hurriedly made an excuse to escape the awkward situation.
"Tsunade, I'm interested..." Jiraiya, full and satisfied, was getting bold. His lecherous expression only made the scene more ridiculous.
"Get lost!" Tsunade couldn't be bothered to banter with Jiraiya. He was lucky she hadn't punched him. Her voice sounded playful, but the warning in it was real.
"Right away!" Jiraiya promptly made himself scarce. There were still plenty of lovely young ladies who needed his help! He muttered as he hurried away, already looking for his next "rescue" target.
"Then I'll take my leave as well. Nawaki, once you've returned from seeing the Daimyo, come find me. I'll assess your situation and draw up a training plan." Seeing that everyone else had left, Orochimaru stood and prepared to say goodbye. His calm, measured voice held a trace of concern.
At this, Nawaki immediately stood up straight and answered respectfully. "Yes, Teacher Orochimaru! I'll come see you as soon as I can and report on my studies."
Orochimaru nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on Nawaki for a moment. Then he turned and left, his stride steady and unhurried, as though he were already thinking about the training plan ahead.
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