The whirlpool in front of Tsunade fired more than a dozen compressed, spinning masses of water.
Nobuhiko hid behind the Water Formation Wall, listening to the Water Fang Bullets striking it, and felt a little safer.
Bang.
A fair, delicate fist smashed through the Water Formation Wall.
Nobuhiko stared wide-eyed at the fist before him and fell on his backside.
His ears rang, cold sweat seeped from his forehead, and his face went deathly pale.
Only when he caught the sly smile on Tsunade's face out of the corner of his eye did Nobuhiko recover and let out a long breath.
Seeing how badly she had frightened Nobuhiko, Tsunade suppressed her amusement, bent down with a perfectly serious expression, and patted his head to comfort him.
Nobuhiko had genuinely been frightened this time.
Before transmigrating, he had simply felt a pain in the back of his head and then arrived in the world of Naruto. He had felt nothing about death at all.
But just now, he had truly felt he was going to die. If Tsunade's fist had gone even a little farther, she would have smashed his head apart.
That was terrifying!
Feeling the hand stroking his head and looking at the lovely view before him, Nobuhiko decided he ought to take full advantage of his age.
He gathered his strength, stood up, and charged into her arms.
Tsunade did not resist Nobuhiko's sudden move. After all, she really did seem to have scared the little brat badly this time. She would count this as compensation for the little pervert.
Yes, that's it. This is what heaven feels like. Even if I haven't experienced it in three months, I'll remember this feeling for the rest of my life!
Nestled in Tsunade's embrace, Nobuhiko enjoyed himself and reminisced, unable to pull himself away.
If only time could stop at this moment forever!
↓↓↓
The moment he looked up, he saw Tsunade's half-smiling expression, and his heart lurched.
I seem to have gone a little too far this time.
"Still scared now?" Tsunade teased.
At those words, Nobuhiko knew she had seen through his little scheme, but Tsunade did not seem angry. It looked like he had cleared this hurdle.
An idea flashed through Nobuhiko's mind, and he decided to give Tsunade credit for what she had done.
"Sister Tsunade, thank you so much for your painstaking efforts. I learned a lot from this test."
Tsunade was a little bewildered by this, but she could hardly lose face or undermine her authority.
"Then tell me what you learned."
*???*
Wait, I was just giving you some leeway, offering you a way out. Why did you kick it away?
Aren't you supposed to praise me a little?
I've worked so hard lately. Not only have I mastered so many ninjutsu, I've even developed a Body Flicker Technique that suits me. Didn't you see any of that?
You could just praise me a little, and I'd sincerely thank you for your guidance. Wouldn't that settle everything?
Now you're asking what I learned from that fight? Other than nearly being scared to death, I didn't learn a damn thing!
Nobuhiko felt his head starting to hurt.
But he could not leave her unanswered, either. Otherwise, Tsunade would surely think he was an insincere child, which would not help him cultivate their relationship.
I've got it.
"You must have thought someone in the village might attack me while you were away, so you wanted me to get used to that feeling ahead of time."
"But my performance just now was terrible. I let your painstaking efforts go to waste. I'm really sorry, Sister Tsunade!"
As he spoke, Nobuhiko bowed in apology.
Hearing this, Tsunade felt as if something were about to sprout inside her brain.
So I wasn't deliberately trying to scare the brat just now. I was looking out for his safety!
Exactly. That's it!
When he wasn't saying anything just now, I thought he was making up an excuse to fool me. It turns out I misunderstood him.
That's true. Suspecting your fellow villagers isn't something you can easily say aloud.
At that thought, Tsunade felt rather dispirited too.
On the way back, Nobuhiko saw Tsunade frowning deeply, apparently thinking about something he could not guess, and did not interrupt her. Neither spoke the whole way.
Only after dinner did Tsunade sort out her thoughts.
The old man is the Hokage, after all. Aside from Nobuhiko having the Sharingan, there's no need to hide anything else from him.
Once I head to the battlefield, the ninjutsu Nobuhiko practices will be getting increasingly complicated and dangerous anyway. It would be better to have someone watching over him.
It's settled. Tomorrow, I'll lay my cards on the table with the old man and place particular emphasis on a certain person.
As long as the old man agrees, Nobuhiko's safety will be assured.
Having thought it through, Tsunade sprawled on the sofa to rest.
When she saw Nobuhiko approaching with a basin of water, she already knew what he intended to do.
Thinking of how she had spent the entire afternoon considering his safety, she decided to enjoy it.
With practiced ease, Nobuhiko took off Tsunade's shoes and began washing her feet.
He found it a little strange that Tsunade had no reaction this time.
Whatever. No reaction is even better. It means she's gotten used to it. Nobuhiko felt that his relationship with Tsunade had taken another great step forward.
Life is looking better and better!
The next morning.
On Tsunade's way to the Hokage building.
A cute, beautiful girl who looked quite young, with a head of red hair, threw herself into Tsunade's arms.
"Long time no see, Kushina. You've gotten even prettier!"
Tsunade patted the girl's head rather affectionately.
↓↓↓
With a little envy, Kushina reached out and hefted them.
"They used to be practically nonexistent."
Bang.
At those words, Tsunade finally lost her patience and gave Kushina a hard punch.
"That hurts, Sister Tsunade! I know I was wrong!" Kushina wailed, clutching her head with tears in her eyes.
"All right, stop pretending. I didn't even use any strength!"
"Bleh! I knew I couldn't fool you, Sister Tsunade."
Hearing that, Kushina dropped the act and stuck out her tongue mischievously.
"Tell me, what did you come to see me about?"
"Can't I come see you without needing something, Sister Tsunade?"
Kushina pouted as she spoke, looking a little angry.
"Of course you can. But our Kushina isn't the sort to get up this early without a reason!"
Tsunade narrowed her eyes, her gaze slightly teasing.
Tsunade's words made Kushina blush a little, and she threw herself into Tsunade's arms again.
Tsunade gently ruffled Kushina's hair again.
"All right, tell me what's the matter. I'm on my way to see the old man anyway. If possible, I'll take care of your problem too."
"It's really nothing major. Some of my classmates who graduated with me have left the village on missions to wipe out bandits or escort merchant caravans, and some have even gone to the battlefield. I'm the only one still in the village, doing D-rank missions all alone, clearing waterways, picking up trash, and finding cats and dogs. I'm bored to death."
The more Kushina spoke, the more aggrieved she became, and her hair seemed to quiver faintly.
"Sigh. I'll bring this up with the old man in a bit. Whatever happens, we can't let you keep being this lonely!"
"Sorry for the trouble, Sister Tsunade!" Kushina bowed in thanks.
After parting with Kushina, Tsunade had something of a headache too.
She knew Kushina's personality was much like her own, and making her do missions like these in the village all day really was asking a lot of her. But there was no helping it. Even if she spoke to the old man, he probably would not agree. In that case, she would leave this problem to him.
The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is deeply distressed by the unfair treatment she has long suffered in the village and now urgently wishes to have the rights and duties due to a Genin.
I'll put it to the old man just like that and see how he solves it.