Shin, Cloud, and Mountain all looked astonished beneath their masks.
In their eyes, Senju Genma wasn't the sort of person who went around handing out kindness.
Senju Genma turned around and held out his hand to them.
"What?"
"Hand over your dry bread, too!"
"I haven't had a single bite yet!"
"Don't you have soldier pills? You haven't eaten the ones you brought, have you?"
"But dry bread tastes better!"
"If soldier pills tasted good, I wouldn't be asking you for your dry bread!"
Senju Genma sighed helplessly, then picked up Konan, who was nibbling her dry bread like a little hamster, and set her down in front of them.
"Look at how hungry this child is! I'll buy you all barbecue when we get back to the village. How about that?"
The three had no choice but to hand over their dry bread, though they were reluctant.
"Damn it, here you go. You'd better treat us to barbecue when we get back."
Konan really was starving. She grabbed the dry bread in front of her and stuffed it all into her mouth.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Konan quickly finished the bread and even let out a satisfied burp.
She looked at Senju Genma's face as though she'd thought of something, then reached inside her clothes and began rummaging around.
Shin's expression changed drastically at the sight. He was about to make a move, but Senju Genma caught him by the wrist.
Shin turned to look at Senju Genma. Genma didn't say anything, only shook his head.
Konan pulled a yellow paper flower from behind her back. Smiling, she said softly, "Thank you. This is a gift in return."
Holding the paper flower in both hands, Konan continued, "Are you all Konoha shinobi?"
Everyone was startled. After a moment's thought, Shin stepped forward and asked, "Should we kill this child?"
"I've seen plenty of war orphans. They all ended up suffering terribly. It might be better to just kill her here. For children like these, that might be..."
At his words, Konan immediately took a frightened step back.
Senju Genma raised a hand, stopping Shin from continuing.
"I'll take care of this little one!"
"Squad Leader, how can we do that? Anything could happen on the battlefield. This child might even be a spy trained by the Land of Rain."
Mountain hurriedly spoke up. This was a battlefield where things could change in an instant. They couldn't afford to take chances.
"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on her. Have you forgotten what I can do?"
Senju Genma held out his hand, and a Wood Release seed appeared in his palm.
Cloud and Mountain still seemed a little uneasy.
"Once we've finished clearing the Rain shinobi out of this town, we'll take her back with us." After a long pause, Shin chose to trust Senju Genma. "But Lord Genma, you'll have to look after her yourself. We won't be responsible for her."
"No problem!"
Senju Genma nodded without holding it against the three of them.
After all, even though he'd lived two lives, he still looked like a child. The three of them had meant well, and he could understand that completely.
Senju Genma turned back to Konan and smiled warmly. "How would you like me to take care of you from now on? It's okay if you don't want me to."
Konan was silent for a long time, then slowly nodded.
At that moment, Konan was longing for a beautiful future, unaware that the wheels of fate had begun to turn.
At the Konoha forces' camp in the Land of Rain.
Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade sat together, saying nothing as they looked at the two people in front of them.
"Now that it's settled, we can't just send the child away, can we?" Tsunade pinched Senju Genma's cheek and said crossly, "Let her stay. I'll help Genma look after her."
"Hey, Tsunade, don't spoil Genma too much. Today he brings home a girl, and tomorrow he might bring home a wife. You believe me, don't you?" Jiraiya, however, didn't say anything to give Tsunade an easy out.
He rubbed the area over his chest.
I didn't even sneak a peek at her bathing. What's she so angry about?
I'll remember these six broken ribs for the rest of my life!
"What the hell do you know? Our Genma has a kind heart." Tsunade raised an eyebrow at him. "If you disagree, then tell me what we should do."
Tsunade's words made Senju Genma feel a little embarrassed.
He swore he really wasn't that kindhearted. If he'd come across an ordinary child instead of Konan, he would've just given her some food and walked away.
Jiraiya fell silent. In truth, he couldn't bear to send the girl away either. He'd only suddenly developed a compulsion to argue, and had opposed Tsunade just for the sake of it.
Looking at Konan's pitiful appearance, he wished he could slap himself twice.
Orochimaru looked at the two of them and sighed.
He knew his teammates all too well and could tell that they'd both softened.
"Looks like the decision's already been made. Genma and Tsunade will look after this girl from now on."
"Nawaki, let's go!"
Orochimaru stood up and left. Nawaki followed close behind him like a little shadow.
With the commander of the forces, Orochimaru, giving his approval, both Genma and Konan were delighted. The two of them bounced off toward the medical ninja quarters.
With Konan beside him, Genma seemed to have truly become a child himself.
That night, after finishing her work, Tsunade entered the tent and saw the two little ones sitting on her bed.
Genma was feeding Konan.
"Big Sister Tsunade!" When Genma and Konan saw her return, they both called out obediently.
"You little brat, you're always giving me trouble!" Tsunade looked displeased as she pulled Genma into her arms and gave him a vigorous squeeze. Under her breath, she grumbled, "You're never this thoughtful with me!"
Senju Genma suddenly understood. So she was jealous!
The three of them ate dinner together. Tsunade left the tent, then soon returned with a tent for Konan to sleep in.
As one of the commanders, Tsunade had a spacious tent. There was plenty of room for Genma to share it with her, and enough space for all three of them. Still, it would've been a little inconvenient for the three of them to live together.
Given Tsunade's status, getting a tent for Konan wasn't any trouble.
Once they had the tent, Genma and Tsunade helped Konan get settled and held a simple welcome ceremony for her. A grand ceremony was out of the question on a battlefield.
"Alright, go to sleep." Tsunade patted Konan's little bottom and sent her into the small tent, which stood right beside Tsunade's.
Senju Genma sat on the bed, rubbing his chin. His voice carried a note of uncertainty. "Am I imagining things? Wasn't the outfit Konan wore just now a lot like the one I wore when I was little?"
Tsunade scratched her head guiltily, her voice unnatural. "You must be remembering it wrong! Why would I want your clothes?"
"Go to sleep. We have a mission tomorrow."