Tsunade's return

"Qingyun, that Tai Chi Fist thing you just used was amazing! It was so slow, yet you could anticipate my attacks and counter them before I could even react."

The Uzumaki Clan had inherited part of the sage body, giving its members exceptionally powerful physiques. As the clan's princess, Kushina naturally had an incredibly pure bloodline. Few could match her immense strength, and her Taijutsu skills were impressive as well.

Even so, Qingyun had caught Kushina completely off guard.

Qingyun smiled at her words. Holding nothing back, he explained the secrets of Tai Chi Fist. "This is a form of Taijutsu that uses stillness to counter movement, slowness to defeat speed, and softness to overcome hardness. It looks slow, but once you enter my attack range, no matter how fast you are, I can accurately anticipate where your attack is coming from and counter it."

Kushina looked at Qingyun curiously, her expression suggesting she only half understood.

Seeing this, Qingyun shook his head helplessly and assumed a Tai Chi Fist stance, signaling for Kushina to attack him.

A spark of fighting spirit appeared on Kushina's face at his stance. Being caught off guard earlier had shocked her, but she was also reluctant to admit defeat.

Now that Qingyun had offered to spar with her, Kushina grew excited—and cautious!

"Qingyun, watch out!"

Kushina shouted, raised her fists, and swung at Qingyun.

Qingyun calmly blocked her attacks. This time, however, he did not counter, instead letting her keep testing her moves against him.

Kushina attacked for a long time, but no matter how much she increased her speed, she could not break through Qingyun's slow movements to land a hit on him.

Eventually, Kushina stopped, her face covered in sweat, and looked at Qingyun dejectedly.

Qingyun smiled at her disappointed expression. "Why look so down? I've heard the Uzumaki Clan excels at Sealing Jutsu. Taijutsu is just one tool in your arsenal, not your main method of fighting. If you used Sealing Jutsu, I might not be a match for you."

Kushina grew even more dejected at that and gave Qingyun an embarrassed look.

Her expression stunned Qingyun. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Uh, don't tell me you haven't learned Sealing Jutsu yet!"

Kushina nodded sheepishly. "Sealing Jutsu requires a lot of knowledge. Grandma says my foundation isn't strong enough, so she won't teach me."

Qingyun slapped his forehead helplessly, then shrugged and spread his hands as he looked at Kushina. "I was hoping to see what the Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu was like! Looks like that's not happening now."

"Hmph! Just you wait, Qingyun. I'll learn Sealing Jutsu as soon as I can, then come back and get revenge for today's defeat."

Seeing his reaction, Kushina waved her fist, making it clear that he should not underestimate her and that she would work hard from now on.

Her adorable display made Qingyun laugh.

"Big brother, what's got you laughing so happily? Oh, Kushina, you're here too!"

Just then, Minato Namikaze arrived. Seeing the smile on Qingyun's face, he asked what was going on before noticing the red-haired girl was there too. He immediately smiled and greeted Kushina.

But Kushina completely ignored his trademark smile and snapped, "Tch, can you stop smiling like such a sissy? It makes me uncomfortable. I really don't know how Qingyun puts up with you."

Minato Namikaze's gentle smile froze on his face. He scratched his head and looked at Qingyun in confusion, his eyes seeming to ask whether his smile really was that girlish.

Their expressions made Qingyun laugh. Just as he was about to say something, someone suddenly appeared beside him.

Qingyun took a closer look and realized it was Tsunade, whom he had not seen in quite some time. "Big sis Teacher, when did you get back?"

"Big sis Tsunade?"

"Lady Tsunade."

The first greeting came from Kushina, and the second from Minato Namikaze. Both were pleasantly surprised to see Tsunade.

"Oh, Kushina's here too! Looks like you're getting along well with your classmates. You've even won over this little brat Qingyun. Not bad."

Qingyun's face darkened at Tsunade's words. What does she mean, "even won over this little brat"? Am I that difficult to get along with?

Tsunade smiled at his expression and ruffled his hair out of habit. "Brat, you're skipping class this afternoon. Go make me a delicious meal. Afterward, I'll check your progress and see whether you've been slacking off."

"Big sis Tsunade, I want to come too."

Seeing that Tsunade was taking Qingyun away for the afternoon, Kushina hurriedly asked to join them.

Minato Namikaze said nothing, but his expression showed that he wanted to come along too. He wanted to ask about his Teacher.

Seeing the two children looking at her expectantly, Tsunade considered it for a moment, then nodded in agreement!

Kushina and Minato Namikaze jumped for joy, grabbed Qingyun, and ran out of the school.

Before long, Qingyun brought everyone back to the home he shared with Minato Namikaze. Sure enough, ingredients were piled all over the floor. Clearly, Tsunade had bought everything before going to find him.

As he prepared the ingredients, he asked Tsunade, "Big sis Teacher, is the war over?"

"Not that quickly. Sakumo has taken over the Sunagakure front. I came back to bring the wounded home and get some rest while I'm here. After that, I'll have to return to the front!"

Tsunade leaned lazily against a tree, closed her eyes, and explained.

Qingyun nodded in understanding, then asked a few more questions about the battlefield.

Quite some time passed before Qingyun finished preparing a table full of dishes.

Tsunade wolfed down the food without the slightest concern for her image, looking every bit like a famine victim who had not eaten in centuries.

Kushina and Minato Namikaze stared blankly at her, clearly startled by the way she ate.

Qingyun, meanwhile, picked up the liquor Tsunade had brought and started drinking, clearly unsurprised by her behavior.

On the way home, Qingyun had noticed that Tsunade had lost quite a bit of weight. Clearly, the food on the battlefield was poor. They ate communal meals, and while out on missions, they relied on ration pills to sustain themselves.

Now that Tsunade was back in Konoha, her behavior was only natural.

"Whoa, Qingyun, have you forgotten the Three Shinobi Prohibitions? How dare you drink alcohol! Big sis Tsunade, aren't you going to stop him?"

Suddenly, Kushina pointed at Qingyun and cried out as though she had discovered a whole new world.

Tsunade had been enjoying her food, but Kushina's startled cry made her choke.

Tsunade rolled her eyes, snatched the bottle from Qingyun's hand, and gulped down the liquor. Once she finally washed down the food stuck in her throat, she let out a long breath. "Why are you worrying about him? I don't know what this brat's body is made of, but he can hold his liquor better than I can. Last time, he nearly drank me under the table."

Remembering that embarrassing incident, Tsunade gave Qingyun a speechless look.

Qingyun shrugged. She was the one who insisted on a drinking contest. How is that my fault?

"Lady Tsunade, have you heard anything about my Teacher?"

Seeing that Tsunade had stopped eating, Minato Namikaze finally could not resist asking.

"Don't worry! Jiraiya's doing just fine. His front is quiet for now. There hasn't been any large-scale fighting."

Only then did Minato Namikaze finally relax completely.

"Brat, have you been slacking off while I was away?"

Tsunade looked at the laid-back Qingyun and asked with a displeased expression.

Qingyun said calmly, "Test me on whatever you like. If I can't answer, I'll accept any beating or punishment."

His confidence pleased Tsunade. She picked a few questions at random to test him, and Qingyun answered fluently, even offering his own insights and suggestions for improvements.

Tsunade looked at Qingyun in amazement. This disciple of hers really was outstanding. He had not only memorized medical texts that normally required years of rote learning and extensive experimentation, but could also apply what he had learned to new situations and offer his own insights. With talent like that, how could she not be astonished?

After asking a few more difficult questions, Tsunade patted Qingyun's shoulder with a satisfied expression. "Very good. Report to the hospital tomorrow. They've been overwhelmed lately. Since you have a solid foundation and proficient medical skills, you should go lend a hand."

Qingyun froze at her words. Wait, I wasn't planning to start working yet! I wanted to take it easy for a few more years!

Ding! Congratulations, host! You have received a new mission: A Healer's Heart.

Mission requirement: treat the wounded at Konoha Hospital. Mission rewards will depend on your performance. The more people you treat, the greater the rewards.