What a Piece of Work

That night, Tsunade sat in the Wooden Tub, swinging her little feet.

She recalled the questions Grandma Mito had asked her, as well as what Chishima Chiba had said and done today.

"What was Grandma laughing about...?"

Tsunade muttered, her little feet kicking more vigorously and splashing quite a bit of water.

She could not figure out why Uzumaki Mito had laughed like that, though it did not matter if she could not. What she did remember was Chishima Chiba saying that her feet smelled.

She had washed her feet tonight, and she would wash them again when she got up tomorrow morning. Then she would ask Chishima Chiba whether her feet still smelled!

But as she dried her feet after washing them, Tsunade recalled Chishima Chiba's warm, strong fingers and the sensation of having her pressure points pressed.

She tried pressing them herself, but it felt completely different.

"Ah... this is so annoying!"

With her Little Face flushed, Tsunade pulled the blanket over her head and hid beneath it, who knew what she was thinking about.

Meanwhile.

Chishima Chiba, who had already gone to sleep, was awakened by the Dog System.

Ding. Your relationship with Tsunade has made breakthrough progress. The first-stage reward has been successfully unlocked.

Hey, Chishima Chiba was instantly no longer sleepy.

He rolled out of bed, his attention focusing on the crude System Panel.

There was only one Mythical Orange treasure chest on the panel, along with a line of text. As for the rest... there was no rest. Just those two things, nothing else.

"You're really amazing. How much funding did you save to make something this crude?"

He complained aloud, but his hand moved quickly as he lightly tapped the treasure chest before him.

A flashy burst of light swept past, and three items popped out of the chest.

Tsunade's Ninjutsu Talent

Tsunade's Physical Constitution

Tsunade's Original Underwear

"..."

Chishima Chiba's brain crashed. The first two rewards were fairly normal—not top-tier rewards, perhaps, but more than enough for the Shinobi World in this era. But was that last reward serious?

You're really criminal, Dog System!

After hesitating for a while, Chishima Chiba still chose to claim them.

Another burst of flashy light flashed past. Chishima Chiba felt warmth spread through his body, something soft in his hand, and his whole being seemed to ascend.

Wait, the sensation in his hand was...

Amitabha. Hear nothing, see nothing, think nothing—only then could one become invincible.

Just one look. He would immediately burn it with fire, Chishima Chiba swore to the heavens!

But why was it still warm?!

The next day, Chishima Chiba got out of bed with dark circles under his eyes.

Only, the usually messy space beneath his bed had been tidied up. There was now a small box inside, and it was locked.

He bent down to glance beneath the bed, decided it was not secure enough, and moved the box somewhere more concealed.

After dusting off his hands, Chishima Chiba Sighed in relief, straightened his clothes, and strode proudly out of the house.

He arrived at the Ninja Academy beneath the Morning Sun, but before he could enter, Chishima Chiba spotted Tsunade walking behind him.

"Tsunade!"

Chishima Chiba waved to her and stood where he was, quietly waiting.

Tsunade lifted her Bright Brown eyes. She had just been about to break into a run toward him when she hesitated. She did not jog, but her pace visibly quickened.

"Morning, Chiba."

Tsunade greeted Chishima Chiba flatly.

"Morning to you too, Tsunade." Chishima Chiba smiled, but his gaze remained on her face. "Did you not sleep well last night?"

"Not really... something happened, so I slept a little restlessly."

Chishima Chiba's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained as steady as an old dog's.

"Can you tell me about it? I might be able to give you some advice."

"Forget it."

Tsunade's face remained cool, but inwardly she was dying of embarrassment. How could she tell Chishima Chiba about something like that?

How humiliating!

"Oh." Chishima Chiba nodded, turned to look straight ahead, and took the lead.

When they were nearly at the school gate, Chishima Chiba finally turned back, fumbled a piece of candy from his pocket, and handed it to her.

"Here."

"Thanks."

Tsunade did not refuse. She took the candy, expertly unwrapped it, and popped the hard candy into her mouth.

That was the end of their conversation. They walked side by side into the classroom and took their seats, not even exchanging glances along the way.

But as soon as she sat down, Tsunade's eyes rippled with... displeasure.

Her desk was piled high with candy, colorful enough to form a small mountain.

"Wow, quite the variety. I bet every candy sold in all of Konoha is here."

Chishima Chiba's eyes lit up. "To prevent these suspicious items from causing unnecessary trouble, I'll taste one for you first."

As he spoke, he picked a gummy candy from the pile, unwrapped it, and tossed it into his mouth.

"Not bad, orange-flavored!" Chishima Chiba gave a thumbs-up. "Want one?"

Thanks to Chishima Chiba's interruption, the displeasure in Tsunade's eyes vanished. Her pretty eyes curved into crescents.

"You really are... shameless."

Eh, a new word?

Chishima Chiba was amazed, but also felt wronged. "It was just one piece of candy. You don't have to call me that, do you?"

"I never wanted any of these in the first place." Tsunade turned her head aside, her voice growing slightly louder. "And I hate this kind of behavior!"

"Come on, are you stupid?" Chishima Chiba patted Tsunade on the shoulder. "It would be such a waste not to accept so much candy. If you really do not want it, I can gladly take it off your hands."

"Then take it. I don't want it anyway."

Tsunade pouted. She truly hated this way of giving gifts, especially when a whole crowd watched her. It made her uncomfortable all over.

She wanted to become the center of attention, but not through this method. Tsunade only wanted to prove herself with her own strength.

"You're so headstrong. You'll suffer for it someday."

Chishima Chiba swept the candy into his arms, ignoring the knife-like gazes around him as he casually shared some supposedly profound insights with Tsunade.

"Even if we can't finish all this candy, we could sell it for quite a bit of money!"

"Money, money, money!" Tsunade was like an enraged lioness, glaring fiercely at Chishima Chiba with her Bright Brown eyes. "Is this about money? I just hate it, that's all."

"That's not how it works. People should treat others kindly." Chishima Chiba spouted heaps of twisted logic. "They gave you things out of kindness. If you return them, their self-esteem will definitely take a hit. They might even stick to you like a bandage and try that whole 'sincerity can move even metal and stone' routine."

"But if you accept them and give them to me, all the responsibility falls on me. It also counts as you rejecting them while still accepting their gifts, and it lets them save face. As long as their brains work properly, they'll back off when they realize it's hopeless."

"Although I'm taking a bit of a loss, I'm still willing to do it if it helps you and those clueless classmates."

"That's how good people are—fearless and selfless. I should give myself a thumbs-up."

As he spoke, Chishima Chiba picked through the pile, stuffing most of the tasty, expensive candies into his pockets until they bulged.

Staring blankly at Chishima Chiba, Tsunade's Bright Brown eyes gradually widened. Her Eyelashes fluttered rapidly, her small mouth parted slightly, and the tips of her fangs faintly showed at the corners.

"You really are such a good person, Chiba!" Tsunade laughed in anger. "No matter what it is, once it reaches you, you twist it around until you're the one doing a good deed—just like yesterday..."

"Today is for talking about tomorrow, not yesterday."

Chishima Chiba waved his hand, cutting Tsunade off and refusing to mention yesterday's events.

At the same time, he quietly tugged on Tsunade's sleeve, slowly bent down, and lowered his head, signaling that he had something to whisper.

Tsunade hesitated, but she still obediently leaned down and brought her ear closer.

"I just did the math. If we sell what's left on the desk, we can get this much!"

Chishima Chiba gestured with his hand. Tsunade instantly changed expressions, and she nearly drooled at the corner of her mouth.

"Really that much?"

"Really!"

"I get seventy percent, you get thirty!" Tsunade declared.

"How could that work? I get ten, you get ninety!" Chishima Chiba said righteously. "I can't let you lose out."

"Then... all right." Tsunade felt a little embarrassed. For the first time ever, she even apologized to a boy. "I wrongly blamed you earlier..."

"I'm used to it. Who told me to be such a good person?"

Chishima Chiba still wore a righteous expression, but then...

"When the time comes, let's practice some Gambling Techniques too. What do you think, Tsunade?"

Damn it, what a piece of work!

Yet Tsunade's eyes lit up. Her little head nodded furiously, and the ponytail at the back of her head swayed wildly.

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