The Hokage's office.
Tsunade pushed the door open and walked straight in, only to see the Third hiding his crystal ball.
She suddenly felt so tired.
Just what kind of people surrounded her?
Her teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, spent all day peeping into the women's baths with his crystal ball!
Her teammate Jiraiya not only peeped into the women's baths whenever he had nothing to do, but also had designs on her!
Her little sister Kushina had been even worse just now. She was practically a female hooligan!
Only that brat Nobuhiko was reasonably reliable. He looked like a little pervert, but he knew his boundaries when he was with her.
Watching Tsunade lost in thought, the Third spoke with a guilty conscience. "Ahem, Tsunade, how did you sleep last night?"
Tsunade gave the Third a somewhat disdainful look and sat on the sofa nearby.
"You already knew about Nobuhiko, didn't you, old man?"
The Third breathed a sigh of relief at her words.
"That boy Nobuhiko... I've read his file. He's an outstanding child."
"Not only is he exceptionally talented, but he also has his own understanding of the Will of Fire. He's a promising young seedling."
"Then, during the three months I was away, did anyone try to make a move against him?"
Watching Tsunade stare stubbornly at him after asking her question, the Third neither wanted to deceive his student nor betray his old friend. His mouth opened, but all he could do was sigh helplessly.
Tsunade understood.
"Can I trust you, Teacher?"
Hearing Tsunade's address change from the disrespectful "old man" to the respectful "Teacher," the Third somehow felt not a shred of joy.
"Of course. Say whatever you need to."
"Nobuhiko's talent is even greater than I imagined. The war isn't over yet, and I'll have to return to the front after I've rested."
"No matter how talented he is, he's still only a child. Researching and practicing ninjutsu all by himself is still very risky."
"So once I leave for the front, I'd like to entrust him to you!"
After speaking, Tsunade stared intently at the Third, a resolute gleam in her eyes.
The Third considered it for a moment.
"All right. Bring him to Training Ground Three tomorrow at noon."
"Then I'll be counting on you, Teacher."
Once the Third agreed, Tsunade bowed in thanks and prepared to leave.
Just as Tsunade was about to open the door...
"Tsunade, as your teacher, I promise you that once you leave for the front, no one will make a move against that boy Nobuhiko."
Seeing that Tsunade remained unmoved and was opening the door to leave...
The Third could only offer another assurance.
"That includes Danzo!"
At those words, a satisfied smile finally appeared on Tsunade's face. She turned and thanked the Third cheerfully. "Really? Then I'm truly leaving Nobuhiko in your hands, old man."
Don't disappoint me again, Tsunade said to herself.
After Tsunade left, the Third looked somewhat forlorn and let out a long sigh.
Has the distrust between teacher and student already reached this point?
How did it come to this?
The Third kept questioning himself.
Is it because of Danzo?
Recalling how Danzo had come to him asking for the boy earlier, the Third decided that he was the culprit.
The Third waved a hand, and a ninja wearing a pheasant mask emerged from a corner and knelt on one knee before him.
"Watch the members of Root. If they try to make a move against Kihara Nobuhiko, tie them all up and dump them outside Root's entrance."
The Third hesitated for a moment.
"If anyone still tries to make a move after that, kill them without mercy!"
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
The Anbu ninja departed with his orders.
After leaving the Hokage Building, Tsunade kept feeling as though she had forgotten something, but she simply couldn't remember what.
Only when she was nearly home did she remember.
Whatever. I'll bring Kushina along tomorrow and let the old man deal with that headache.
That was all Tsunade could tell herself for comfort.
When she got home and found that Nobuhiko hadn't returned yet, Tsunade suddenly felt that she might have gotten up a little too early today and decided to catch up on sleep. That brat Nobuhiko would probably have the sense to bring food home, right?
In the forest west of the village.
Nobuhiko returned here after several days away.
Although he had been indulging himself these past few days, he hadn't neglected his real work.
Wind Release: Vacuum Wave, B-rank, was a ninjutsu that expelled a sharp breath resembling a sickle weasel from the mouth, slicing through both the target's flesh and the chakra protecting their body. Its hand seals were Rat-Rabbit-Dog.
He had more or less figured out everything about this ninjutsu, from its hand seals to its chakra circulation route. All that remained was actually casting it.
If not for this ninjutsu's wide area of effect and the damage a successful cast might cause to the old Senju residence, Nobuhiko felt he could have cast it long ago.
He formed the Rat-Rabbit-Dog hand seals and took a deep breath.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
Nobuhiko shouted the ninjutsu's name, then breathed out a puff of air.
A little awkward, but that's fine. Failure is the mother of success.
After another bout of serious study, Nobuhiko could finally use the hand seals to guide the chakra in his body along Vacuum Wave's circulation route.
At this rate, Nobuhiko estimated that he would successfully cast Vacuum Wave that afternoon.
He created a shadow clone and left him here to keep practicing, while he himself took on the hard work of returning to the village for lunch.
Dusk.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
A powerful current of air poured from Nobuhiko's mouth. As he turned his head, it gradually formed an air whip, slicing the surrounding trees in half.
This really packs a punch. No wonder that old bastard Danzo likes using this technique so much.
The Vacuum Serial Waves that old bastard used even tore through the outermost layer of Sasuke's Susanoo's defenses.
Truly terrifying!
Nobuhiko felt that his Vacuum Wave would only count as a success once it had that kind of power, but that was enough for today. Time to call it a day and head home!
He would celebrate learning another B-rank ninjutsu with Tsunade.
At home, Tsunade opened her eyes in a daze, awakened by hunger.
Looking at the sky outside, which hadn't gone completely dark yet, Tsunade belatedly realized that she didn't seem to have eaten lunch.
Don't tell me that little bastard Nobuhiko didn't come home at noon!
I'm so hungry!
Feeling the hunger in her belly, Tsunade decided to give Nobuhiko one more chance.
I run around every day for his safety. If he hasn't bought me a share of dinner, I'll punch his head off.
Tsunade thought hungrily and viciously, then went to the living room and sat on the sofa to wait for Nobuhiko to come home.
Happily humming a tune, Nobuhiko bought a pile of takeout dishes that both he and Tsunade liked. When he opened the door, he found Tsunade staring at him resentfully.
"Uh, Tsunade, what's wrong?"
Nobuhiko felt a little guilty.
Tsunade didn't answer. She appeared beside Nobuhiko with a Body Flicker Technique and turned into an airport security inspector, checking the food he had brought home.
Not bad. He knows what's what. There's a share for me. Tsunade felt somewhat pleased.
"You didn't come home at noon today?"
"That's right, Tsunade. I was outside practicing ninjutsu all day, so I didn't come home."
Tsunade felt so stupid. She had missed a meal for absolutely no reason.
But it was too late for regrets now. Enjoying the present was what truly mattered!
And so Tsunade switched into frantic food-shoveling mode, her table manners giving Nobuhiko a fright.
With the way she eats, will I be able to afford to feed her in the future?
Nobuhiko felt somewhat uncertain, the pressure weighing on him like a mountain.