Settled, Even

Maybe they were growing, or maybe it was something else, but the two of them devoured all four chickens.

However, one of the four drumsticks that should have belonged to Chishima Chiba was snatched away by Tsunade, making lunch slightly less perfect.

At that moment, beside the babbling stream, the two crouched by the riverbank and washed their hands.

Yet while washing his hands, Chishima Chiba kept sneakily glancing at Tsunade's bare feet.

Splash.

Tsunade scooped up a handful of water and flung it at Chishima Chiba's face. "What are you looking at?!"

Her words were fierce, but her expression was somewhat subtle. Her little face was flushed red, making her look incredibly cute.

"Nothing. I was just wondering whether you hadn't..."

"I washed my feet!"

Like a bristling little hedgehog, Tsunade flung another handful of water into Chishima Chiba's face.

This was going too far!

Chishima Chiba retaliated, and naturally, Tsunade refused to be outdone. Their water fight officially began.

As sprays of water splashed everywhere, the two quickly became drenched like drowned rats. Their soaked clothes clung tightly to their bodies, heavy and uncomfortable.

Fortunately, it was noon. Neither of them thought to take off their clothes to dry them; they could just let them air-dry slowly.

Still, the water fight had to pause for the time being, and the two called a truce.

Neither had won, either. Tsunade's little eyes were filled with defiance as they darted around, clearly plotting some bad idea.

Chishima Chiba remained highly vigilant and unconsciously moved a little farther away from Tsunade.

"Hey, why are you running so far away?!"

"I feel like you're up to no good."

"You're the one up to no good!" Tsunade huffily turned her head away. Only after quite a while did Chishima Chiba slowly shuffle closer.

"I'll trust you for now."

Chishima Chiba's words reached Tsunade's ears and made her grit her teeth again.

"Taking kindness for ingratitude!"

"Kindness? Go on, let me hear it." Chishima Chiba raised an eyebrow, his heart beating uneasily as he became even more convinced that Tsunade was preparing some grand scheme to mess with him.

Her eyes rolled. "Chiba, have you heard of Water Walking?"

"No."

Though he denied it aloud, Chishima Chiba knew perfectly well that Water Walking was an essential skill for ninja. He would have to learn it sooner or later.

But wasn't it a little too early for Tsunade to bring it up now?

"Let me tell you..."

Tsunade perked up and chattered on about her half-baked knowledge of Water Walking. "That's how it works. If we can do it, we can stand on the water and have a water fight!"

"So after saying all that, you just want to stand on water and have a water fight with me?"

Chishima Chiba stared at her dumbfoundedly. For the first time, he felt that Tsunade's way of thinking was also rather unusual.

"Is that not okay?" Tsunade raised her little head. "Do you think it's too hard? Are you backing down?"

"No. I just think our current strength isn't enough to even begin practicing Water Walking."

Chishima Chiba spoke honestly. After all, meals had to be eaten bite by bite, and roads had to be walked step by step. Haste made waste.

"But there's nothing wrong with practicing ahead of time. How would we know our limits if we don't try?"

"That makes sense, but I still think..."

"I'll just ask you this: are you learning or not?" A sly gleam filled Tsunade's eyes. "If not, I'm leaving..."

As she spoke, Tsunade stood up as if to leave.

How could Chishima Chiba let Tsunade leave? If she left, there would be no point in him skipping class, and it would also delay half a day's worth of studying.

Though he sensed something was off, Chishima Chiba still gritted his teeth and called after her. "I'll learn! I'll learn!"

"Heh, then did you get the key points I just explained?" Tsunade turned around and asked Chishima Chiba, her lovely eyes narrowing into slits.

"..." Chishima Chiba shook his head. "You explained it so vaguely. How could I grasp the trick that quickly?"

"Oh, simply put, you attach Chakra to the soles of your feet and use its power to float on the water as though walking on solid ground."

Tsunade briefly explained the essentials. "And practice is the best teacher. How can you learn without trying it?"

Circling behind Chishima Chiba, Tsunade grinned happily. "Come on, I'll give you a hand!"

Splash.

Tsunade shoved Chishima Chiba into the water, then stood there laughing with her hands on her hips, fully revealing the true nature of a little witch who never let herself suffer a loss.

But Chishima Chiba was no easy target either.

He floundered a few times in the water, then sank beneath the surface and gradually stopped moving.

"Chiba... don't scare me..."

Tsunade's laughing face changed instantly, and even her panicked voice trembled.

She shouted, but there was no response from the water. Tsunade finally broke down, and tears instantly filled her eyes.

After jogging forward a few steps, Tsunade jumped into the stream. But instead of the soft embrace of flowing water, she was greeted by the hard riverbed.

This stream was a little too shallow... it only came up to Tsunade's chest.

"Chishima Chiba!!!"

Tsunade screamed. She was completely furious—not only because Chishima Chiba had frightened her, but because she blamed herself for being stupid.

The depth of the stream was obvious with just a careful glance, yet in her panic, she had completely overlooked it...

Chishima Chiba, who had been holding his breath underwater, stopped pretending. He stood up at once and appeared before Tsunade.

But what greeted him was a small pink fist.

He easily dodged with a slight shift, then took the opportunity to catch Tsunade's wrist and gently tugged her into his arms.

"Let go!"

"Are you still going to pull tricks?"

"You scared me first!" Tsunade struggled wildly. "Liar! Jerk!"

"You were deliberately getting revenge." Chishima Chiba tightened his hold around Tsunade. "You're not being good at all."

Chomp!

Without a word, Tsunade grabbed Chishima Chiba's arm and bit down. She was trembling all over as she bit with all her strength.

It hurt—hurt straight to the bone!

Now it was Chishima Chiba's turn. "Let go, open your mouth, open your mouth!"

Tsunade shook her head, feeling thoroughly vindicated.

But after only three to five seconds, Tsunade still softened and released Chishima Chiba for the time being.

"...There are even bloody tooth marks!" Chishima Chiba muttered. Then, as if he had discovered a new continent, he raised his arm and brought it closer to Tsunade.

"Huh? I only noticed today that Tsunade's teeth seem really straight. Even the bite marks look so nice."

Tsunade instinctively glanced at Chishima Chiba's arm. The first thing she noticed was not the neat bite marks, but the two rows of blood marks.

"Your skin is really thick. You can still laugh after that."

Tsunade curled her lips, but her heart still ached for him, even though she did not know what she should do.

Suddenly, Tsunade's small body trembled. Feeling a force on her shoulder, her mind blank, she somehow leaned slightly in the direction it guided her.

The next second, a sensation that was not particularly broad, yet warm and neither too soft nor too hard, pressed against one side of her cheek.

Tsunade clearly heard the strong yet rapid beat of his heart. Even her own breathing and heartbeat became strangely unsteady.

"It was wrong of me to scare you, but you were wrong to push me into the water first. One thing is one thing, but this time, we're even."

As he spoke, Chishima Chiba tightened his hand, pulling Tsunade closer against him.

Tsunade blushed...

Her face felt like it was burning!