Tsunade's Big-Sister Gift: Face-Washing Milk

"Today, we'll continue studying." Mito sat on a cushion to the side, holding an ancient Sealing Jutsu diagram scroll. "Mirai, you said you mastered the Four Symbols Seal yesterday. Let me test you."

With a casual gesture, she drew a simple jutsu array on the floor and had Mirai demonstrate the sealing process on the spot.

Without another word, Mirai formed hand seals, guided his chakra, and placed the seal. The entire process flowed smoothly, without a single unnecessary movement.

In the original story, the Four Symbols Seal had been used by Shimura Danzō to seal an entire bridge at the cost of his life.

It had been a whole massive stone bridge, and the technique's power was immense.

But Mirai was only using a miniature version right now. With his astonishing control, there was naturally no need for him to pay with his life.

It only consumed a little chakra.

Mito nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. You can start learning the Five Elements Seal now."

She pulled out a new scroll and handed it to Mirai. "The Five Elements Seal involves balancing five different chakra attributes. It's far more complicated than the Four Symbols Seal. Read through it yourself first, and ask me if there's anything you don't understand."

Mirai accepted it and immediately lowered his head to study.

Then Mito turned to Kushina. "Kushina, have you memorized the core chant of the Four Symbols Seal?"

Kushina: "..."

Mito sighed. "I knew you hadn't. Take this. Copy the second section fifty times, then recite it to me once you're done."

Kushina accepted the paper and pen with a pout, then lay across the table and began copying. But before her pen had moved more than a few strokes, her gaze drifted involuntarily toward Mirai beside her.

He sat cross-legged with the scroll spread over his knees. One hand turned the pages while the other traced the direction of the jutsu formula through the air. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his lips moved faintly as he silently recited something.

The lamplight fell over his red hair, casting a warm halo around it.

Kushina stared, entranced. Her pen stopped on the page, and she did not even notice a drop of ink spreading across the paper.

Mito saw it all. She raised her teacup for a sip and let out a long sigh inwardly.

This child's feelings really were impossible to hide.

But she did not expose her. Sometimes, putting young people's feelings into words only ruined them.

Better to let things take their natural course, as long as it did not interfere with what mattered.

An hour later, Mito stood up. "I'm going to prepare dinner. You two keep practicing here, and no slacking off."

Once she had gone far enough away, Kushina immediately tossed down her pen, scooted beside Mirai, and lay there with her chin resting on the table next to him, tilting her head as she watched him.

"Mirai, how's your studying going?"

"Not bad." Mirai did not even lift his head. "The theoretical framework of the Five Elements Seal is more complicated than the Four Symbols Seal, but their core logic is connected."

"I don't understand."

"...Then master the Four Symbols Seal first."

"No. I just want to watch you study."

Mirai finally looked up and gave her a helpless glance. "Are you done copying?"

"No."

"Then go copy. If Grandma Mito comes back and finds you slacking off, she'll flick your forehead again."

Kushina puffed out her cheeks, but she did not leave. She buried her face in the crook of her arms, leaving only her eyes exposed as she muttered, "Let me rest for a while... It's not like anyone's rushing me."

"...How are you supposed to become the Hokage's wife acting like that?"

"Then when can I become the Hokage's wife?"

"Uh, at least... more than ten years from now?"

"Then I'm not in a hurry. I can start working hard ten years from now."

Mirai was so exasperated by her twisted logic that he did not know whether to laugh or cry. He simply ignored her and lowered his head to keep reading the scroll.

Kushina stayed sprawled beside him, quietly watching.

In the dim Sealing Room, the only sounds were the soft rustle of turning pages and their shallow breathing.

She suddenly felt that staying like this forever would not be so bad.

Izumi Uchiha, Mikoto Uchiha—none of them mattered.

After all, the one by his side after school was Kushina Uzumaki.

Of course, it would have been even better if Grandma Mito had not insisted that she learn Sealing Jutsu.

When their evening training ended, the two returned to the main house and happened to run into Tsunade coming back from outside.

She was clearly in a foul mood today. Her blond hair hung messily over her shoulders, her pretty face drawn long, and even the force with which she kicked off her shoes was noticeably greater than usual.

"Tsunade, what's wrong?" Kushina asked with concern.

"I'm annoyed. Leave me alone." Tsunade flopped onto the sofa, as if every bone in her body had been pulled out.

Mirai's eyes shifted, and he walked to her side. "Tsunade, want me to give you a massage? You massaged me for a month. It's my turn to return the favor."

Tsunade glanced at him, hesitated for a moment, then lazily rolled over onto her stomach on the sofa. "Fine. I'll go take a bath first. When I come back, focus on my shoulders. They're sore as hell."

"Okay~"

Tsunade went to soak in the bath. When she came out, she wore only a short bath towel, leaving large stretches of her fair shoulders and back exposed, with droplets of water still clinging to her skin.

Below the towel, her taut, shapely long legs were visible, making Mirai's eyes light up. As expected of the woman who could use Heavenly Foot of Pain!

He swallowed, rubbed his hands together, and sat beside her. Then he placed both hands on her shoulders and began kneading them.

Tsunade let out a comfortable "Mmm," and her whole body relaxed.

She did not treat Mirai as an outsider at all—he was only a seven-year-old brat. What improper thoughts could he possibly have?

As the massage continued, the towel gradually loosened and slipped down slightly, revealing more and more snowy-white, rounded skin.

Mirai massaged her while feasting his eyes. Tsunade's figure really was incredible.

Her thighs were white and long, her upper body's curves were equally impressive, her waist was slender, and her skin was so smooth and firm that it seemed to glow.

He nearly lost control of the strength in his hands.

Just then, Tsunade suddenly opened one eye and shot him a sidelong look. "Brat, what are you looking at?"

"The scenery." Mirai kept a straight face. "Beautiful scenery."

Smack!

A hard knock landed on his head.

"Scenery my ass! Massage properly!"

Mirai grimaced and rubbed his head, obediently withdrawing his gaze and continuing the massage.

But inwardly, he thought, I'll get this payback sooner or later, Tsunade. Just you wait.

After a while, Mirai's hands gradually grew lighter, and his tone became casual. "Tsunade, are you in a bad mood today because you lost gambling? How much did you lose?"

"What do you mean, how much did I lose?" Tsunade suddenly rolled over, nearly causing her towel to slip off. She hurriedly grabbed it and held it in place, glaring at Mirai. "Am I the kind of person who only loses money at the gambling table?"

Mirai silently looked at her for two seconds.

Tsunade grew guilty under his stare and turned her face away. "...Fine, I did lose a little today, but that's not the point!"

"Then what is the point?"

Tsunade sighed and lay back down, her voice muffled by the sofa cushion. "At the Jonin Summit today, I proposed establishing medical units within ninja squads, assigning at least one medical ninja to every team.

"That way, if anyone gets injured during missions, they can be treated immediately. A lot fewer people would die."

She paused, and her voice gained a trace of irritation.

"But the old men from the logistics department rejected it outright. They said the budget was insufficient, there weren't enough personnel, and the training cycle was too long.

"The other Jonin all thought it was unnecessary too. They said things like, 'Ninjas should know how to treat their own wounds,' and, 'Where would there be time on the battlefield to stop for treatment?' ...A bunch of stubborn old fossils."

"Only one person agreed with my proposal."

Mirai's hands paused slightly. "Who?"

"Dan Katō." There was surprise and gratitude in Tsunade's voice. "He said, 'Every ninja on the battlefield is a valuable resource. One more medical ninja means one more life saved.'"

"Unfortunately, he didn't have much influence either. The proposal was ultimately rejected."

The moment Mirai heard that name, his gaze sharpened.

Dan Katō.

Tsunade's boyfriend in the original story. He later died in the Shinobi World War. His death, along with Nawaki's, left a lifelong shadow in Tsunade's heart and caused her to develop hemophobia.

So this was how it began—an entire room opposing her, with only Dan Katō supporting her. How could Tsunade not remember him?

"What about Jiraiya and Orochimaru?" Mirai asked.

"Both of them went out on missions and didn't attend the meeting. Otherwise, at least Orochimaru would have spoken up for me..."

Tsunade's voice grew quieter and quieter, carrying an obvious sense of disappointment.

Mirai fell silent for a moment before speaking.

"Tsunade, I think your proposal is excellent."

Tsunade turned her head slightly, revealing one eye as she looked at him. "What would a little brat like you know?"

"I do know." Mirai's hands did not stop moving, but his tone was serious. "Think about it. If someone in a ninja squad is seriously injured during a mission, wouldn't they have no choice but to retreat?

"But if there's a medical ninja on the team, they can treat the injury on the spot and continue the mission.

"And a medical ninja can assess their teammates' physical condition in advance, preventing non-combat losses caused by excessive exhaustion."

Tsunade froze.

"And," Mirai continued, "if every team has a medical ninja, then medical ninjas will gain far more combat experience than they would just staying in hospitals.

"A medical ninja who grows through real combat is a hundred times better than one who only knows how to treat minor wounds."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Tsunade abruptly sat up, and her towel nearly slipped off again. This time, she did not even think to grab it. Her eyes widened as she stared at Mirai. "You... Where did you learn all that?"

"It was written on a sealing scroll," Mirai lied without changing expression, though his eyes had already begun wandering.

He could not help it. Tsunade's towel had fallen down, and a certain sight was simply far too alluring.

As the saying went, the greater the mass, the stronger the gravitational pull. So Mirai could not be blamed for this either.

"One of Grandma Mito's scrolls discusses the history of battlefield medicine."

Tsunade stared at him for several seconds, then suddenly pulled him into her arms and hugged him tightly.

"You little brat... You really are..." Her voice was muffled, with a faint nasal tone. "You understand things better than those old fossils."

Mirai was buried in a soft, warm embrace and instantly forgot what he had wanted to say.

Face-washing milk—this was the legendary face-washing milk!

He felt like he was about to lose control of his nosebleed.

Luckily, he was only a child. Otherwise, he would have embarrassed himself.

Tsunade released him after hugging him for a while. After all, in her eyes, Mirai was only a child, so there was nothing wrong with hugging him.

She lay back down and pulled her towel up, covering the beautiful scenery. The gloom on her face had faded considerably.

"But what good is it if only you agree with me? If it can't pass the Jonin Summit, then everything I say is pointless."

Mirai rubbed his still-dazed nose and looked at Tsunade's dejected profile, his eyes shifting again.

Tsunade is mine. I absolutely can't let Dan Katō have her.

So the best way was for him to help Tsunade get this proposal passed himself.

That would both cut off Dan Katō's chance to win her favor and make Tsunade see him in a new light.

A smile slowly curved across his lips.

"Tsunade, how about... I help you think of a way?"