"Lady Tsunade, I didn't want to teach you a lesson either!"
Shinichi withdrew his kunai, saying somewhat helplessly, "If your condition weren't so serious, why would a good guy like me, who respects his elders and cares for children, ever resort to something like this?"
"Naruto, well done!"
He patted Naruto on the shoulder again, praising him.
As expected of the little brother he had raised himself, Naruto had understood what he wanted to do from a single glance and played along perfectly.
"Hehe! Piece of cake!"
Naruto rubbed his nose and flashed a brilliant smile.
Everyone said Naruto was notoriously oblivious, but he wasn't stupid at all. On the contrary, he was quite clever.
After Shinichi knocked Jiraiya and Shizune unconscious, Naruto caught the meaningful look Shinichi gave him and immediately realized that he must be planning something that required his cooperation.
Simply put, Shinichi and Naruto had just worked together to put on a show for Tsunade, forcibly awakening the fighting spirit deep within her and finally helping her overcome her fear of blood.
The power of a double dose of talk-no-jutsu was terrifying indeed!
"You little brat, you've got some nerve! You even dared to trick me!"
Tsunade was sharp enough to realize very quickly that she had been fooled.
Her expression darkened, but she didn't lash out on the spot.
Instead, she calmly took Naruto's still-bleeding hand and murmured, "Mystical Palm Technique!"
A soft glow flickered, and the wound on Naruto's palm began healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. Even Shinichi clicked his tongue in wonder.
As expected of Tsunade, one of the Sannin, her Medical Ninjutsu ranked among the very best in the entire shinobi world.
"Blond brat, don't be so reckless next time. Getting hurt is painful."
Tsunade rubbed Naruto's head