Talking Tsunade Around

Damn!

Nobuhiko had known Tsunade would pull this.

She would send him away, then leave the village quietly, all alone and pitiful, to wander the Shinobi World, occasionally coming back to see him, Kushina, and Shizune.

If the village had something extremely urgent to deal with, she would come back to help.

Finally, after taking part in the Third Shinobi World War, she would take Shizune and roam the world, cutting off contact with Konoha for good.

No, she might take him along too. Of course, she might not. After all, he would be almost an adult by the end of the Third Shinobi World War, so Tsunade should feel reassured about him by then.

That was Nobuhiko's analysis based on the original plot. But now, Nobuhiko declared that things would be completely different from the original from here on out. Tsunade could forget about leaving him behind!

"Ah, Sister Tsunade, did I do something wrong?"

"Tell me, and I'll definitely change. Can you please not send me away?"

With a body only six years old, Nobuhiko made full use of his age advantage, trying hard to sound tearful as he played on Tsunade's sympathy.

Tsunade said nothing. Her brows knitted tightly, and she closed her eyes, torn.

A surge of "wicked" courage seized Nobuhiko, and he reached out to gently massage her tightly furrowed brows.

"Sigh!"

"Nobuhiko, stop that. Come sit here!"

Tsunade opened her eyes and called Nobuhiko over with some helplessness.

"Sure thing, Sister Tsunade."

Nobuhiko quickly sat down on the sofa, waiting for Tsunade's instructions.

"Are you afraid of dying?"

???

Nobuhiko froze. He hadn't expected Tsunade to open with a question so far beyond the syllabus.

It wasn't as if Tsunade didn't know what he was like. Could he really say he wasn't afraid?

Left with no choice, Nobuhiko could only scratch his head awkwardly and answer.

"Not really. I'm only a tiny bit afraid of dying, Sister Tsunade."

Looking at Nobuhiko's stubborn front, Tsunade, for once, didn't tease him. Instead, she continued.

"I had a little brother. On his twelfth birthday, I gave him a birthday present, then kissed his forehead. A day later, he died on the battlefield."

A trace of grief flashed through Tsunade's eyes, but she chose to keep speaking.

"Later, I had a lover. I gave him a token of my love and kissed his forehead. Then, a few days ago, he died on the battlefield too."

"I'm afraid that one day I'll give you a present without thinking, and then you'll..."

Tsunade closed her eyes in pain and stopped speaking. She leaned against the sofa, her breathing somewhat heavy, holding something back.

Damn!

You should've said that was the kind of death you meant! Why the hell would I be scared of that?

Just grit your teeth and go for it!

I'd been so cowardly just now, I'd practically disgraced transmigrators everywhere!

I'm a child of transmigration, at least. Even if I'm not as hard to kill as a child of the plane, surely I'm harder to kill than the other supporting characters!

What's there to be scared of?

Knowing this was why Tsunade wanted to send him away, Nobuhiko was once again touched by this foolish woman!

He suddenly felt an urge stirring inside him.

He shifted his bottom, quietly moving to Tsunade's side.

Without the slightest hesitation, Nobuhiko acted entirely on instinct!

He quickly reached out and pulled Tsunade into his arms, bringing her head to rest on his shoulder as well.

Still grieving, Tsunade felt somewhat embarrassed and tried to struggle.

Nobuhiko immediately brought up an old promise.

"Sister Tsunade, you promised before that you'd talk to me when something was troubling you or you were feeling really down. You were so upset just now, but you still wouldn't say anything. You're breaking your word!"

Tsunade paused, seemingly remembering that old promise, and stopped struggling.

Nobuhiko felt thoroughly reassured.

His left hand began gently patting Tsunade's back while his right tenderly stroked her golden hair.

"Sister Tsunade, I know you're hurting. Cry if you want to. You'll feel better once you let it out!"

Tsunade didn't respond. She simply stopped struggling.

"You don't need to send me away either, Sister Tsunade. It's true that I, Kihara Nobuhiko, am afraid of dying, but I'd never choose to leave you because of that!"

"If I really do die on the battlefield someday, it'll be because I wasn't strong enough. It won't have anything to do with you, Sister Tsunade!"

"Don't believe in these unfounded things. They'll only weigh on your mind and make you feel worse."

Hearing Nobuhiko voice the worries in her heart, firmly declare that he wasn't afraid of them, and comfort her, Tsunade finally couldn't hold it in anymore.

"But, Nobuhiko, I'm scared. I'm scared that one day I'll suddenly get... get..."

Thinking of that terrible scene, Tsunade couldn't go on. She could only bury her face against Nobuhiko's small shoulder and cry.

Nobuhiko said nothing more, letting Tsunade's tears, filled with sorrow, pain, grievance, and confusion, soak his shoulder.

After an unknown amount of time, Nobuhiko noticed that Tsunade had stopped crying. Thinking she had fallen asleep again, he planned to repeat his old trick and drag her back to bed so she could rest properly.

He leaned forward slightly, resting Tsunade's back against the sofa again.

He let go, stood up, and found them staring at each other!

Seeing Tsunade's reddened, somewhat swollen eyes, Nobuhiko felt a pang of tenderness.

Wait, I've really lost out here. Seeing Tsunade's eyes open so wide, Nobuhiko wished he'd known earlier so he could have held her a little longer. He was just too kind.

After they looked at each other for a while, Tsunade belatedly blushed. She really had cried on Nobuhiko's shoulder for a long time. Thinking back on it now, it was quite embarrassing.

So Tsunade turned her head away and stopped looking at Nobuhiko.

"Ahem, Sister Tsunade, that water must be cold now. I'll get you some fresh hot water."

Seeing how shy Tsunade looked, Nobuhiko decided he couldn't keep watching. Otherwise, once her embarrassment turned to anger, he would get a beating.

"No need to replace it. Just pour it out!"

With Nobuhiko's reminder, Tsunade finally realized that her feet had been soaking in cold water for quite a while!

She gave Nobuhiko the order in a somewhat unnatural tone.

When Nobuhiko returned after pouring out the water, he found that Tsunade had already regained her composure.

As expected of a battle-hardened woman, she recovered quickly.

Praising Tsunade inwardly, Nobuhiko went over to her and obediently sat down.

"Sister Tsunade, you won't send me away now, right?"

Nobuhiko asked somewhat smugly.

"Are you really not afraid, Nobuhiko?"

Tsunade turned her head and gazed at him.

???

You're going off script again!

Nobuhiko felt rather helpless. He couldn't stay smug anymore.

"I'm not!"

"Why aren't you afraid?"

Tsunade persisted, pressing him further.

"I'm just not!"

Tsunade said nothing more, simply watching Nobuhiko.

Her stare made Nobuhiko somewhat uncomfortable, and he questioned her in return.

"Seriously, Sister Tsunade, why do you keep staring at me?"

"I'm a little curious. Aren't you usually pretty afraid of dying? Why aren't you afraid all of a sudden?"

A trace of puzzlement flashed through Tsunade's eyes.

"Sister Tsunade, why don't you give me a present right now? And then, then..."

Oh no. Nobuhiko suddenly realized he had gotten a little too cocky. He actually dared to ask Tsunade to kiss him of her own accord.

"Then let me kiss your forehead again?"

The corners of Tsunade's lips curled up as she finished for him.

Left with no choice, Nobuhiko could only steel himself and admit it.

"You're really not afraid?"

Realizing that Tsunade was still hung up on this question, Nobuhiko stood up angrily, pointed at her, and shouted.

"Sister Tsunade, I'm telling you this one last time!"

"This kind of thing really has nothing to do with you. Stop putting more pressure on yourself."

"If you don't believe me, try it on me right now!"

For once, Nobuhiko stood his ground before Tsunade.

But humiliation always struck without warning.

Nobuhiko hadn't even managed to stay tough for three seconds before Tsunade pulled him into her arms, and he couldn't help greeting the big treasures he hadn't seen in so long.

Tsunade had been somewhat touched, but when she looked down at Nobuhiko, she found him grinning foolishly in her arms, bobbing his head.

Remembering how fiercely he had lectured her just now, Tsunade curled her lip disdainfully.

That's all you've got?