"I'm willing!"
Araki spoke almost without hesitation, not even bothering to stutter. He could tell that the First Hokage's Necklace had stirred Tsunade up and she was caught up in the moment. He couldn't give her a chance to calm down and regret it.
This was Tsunade!
One of the Konoha Sannin!
Becoming Tsunade's disciple would help him enormously!
He had to agree immediately!
Make it a done deal!
Once the dust settled, it would be too late for Tsunade to regret it!
Araki had actually come here expecting only to become a medical-nin. Becoming Tsunade's disciple directly already exceeded his initial expectations and achieved an even better result.
"Hehehehehe..."
After hearing the rest of Tsunade and Araki's conversation, Nawaki couldn't help laughing aloud. A brilliant smile returned to his face, as warm as sunshine.
He was very satisfied with this outcome.
He had watched Araki's entire interview. Although Araki hadn't shown any talent for Medical Ninjutsu, his flexibility had left a deep impression on him.
That gave him great confidence in Araki.
Now that his sister could take Araki as her disciple, he considered it the best outcome, making all his efforts to push for this worthwhile.
"Mm."
Tsunade was also pleased with Araki's response. Although she hadn't planned on taking a disciple at this point, she didn't want to miss the opportunity now that fate had brought one to her.
Throughout the interview, three things about Araki had impressed her.
First was Araki's lofty ambition: studying medicine for Konoha's rise. His boldness made her feel as though she could see the future of Konoha's medical-nin.
Second was Araki's adaptability, breaking free from rigid thinking. As long as it saved lives, Medical Ninjutsu wasn't necessarily required. There might be better methods.
Third was Araki's firm resolve. This was important. Studying medicine was a difficult road, and without a steadfast heart, it was hard to persevere.
Of course...
These were merely the things Tsunade appreciated about Araki. They alone weren't enough to move her.
What had truly moved her was the chakra crystal suddenly lighting up.
Since receiving the First Hokage's Necklace, this was the first time Tsunade had seen its chakra crystal glow. She felt it was her grandfather's recognition of Araki.
With that being the case...
This child, whom she already appreciated and who had also earned her grandfather's recognition, made her feel that this might be a bond arranged by fate.
"Araki, I still have more interviews to conduct today. Starting tomorrow afternoon, you'll train with me. You'll still attend the Ninja Academy in the mornings. My requirements are simple: you mustn't fall behind in your Medical Ninjutsu studies, and you certainly mustn't let your grades at the Ninja Academy suffer."
Tsunade spoke sternly.
She had now acknowledged Araki.
That meant she already regarded Araki as her disciple in her heart.
Since he was her disciple, she had to teach him strictly. She had already entered strict-teacher mode.
"Yes."
Araki responded calmly, his expression entirely unchanged.
These requirements might look difficult, but they actually weren't difficult for him.
He would simply have to focus on resting in the mornings from now on.
To improve his strength as quickly as possible, he had no choice but to become a master of time management, finding more scraps of time to better himself.
"Araki, let's get something to eat to celebrate you becoming my sister's disciple. My treat. I'm heading out on a mission tomorrow, so who knows when we'll see each other again."
Wearing a satisfied smile, Nawaki took Araki by the arm and led him outside.
He had let Araki jump the queue.
There were still other interviewees waiting behind him.
Now his goal had been achieved.
He felt there was no need to linger here. They could get something to eat and chat instead.
"Tomorrow..."
Araki's pupils contracted slightly. He knew Nawaki had met with disaster during the Second Shinobi World War. The war was currently drawing to a close, with only small-scale battles remaining, and this had led to even the village's Genin beginning to enter the battlefield.
Araki remembered clearly that Nawaki had been killed by an Explosive Tag trap. Judging by the timing, even if it wasn't this mission, it would be the next one.
"Come with me!"
Nawaki thought Araki was simply stuttering as usual and paid it no mind, pulling him outside.
After the two left, new interviewees began entering the conference room...
Nawaki led Araki back along the same route to the ground-floor lobby of Konoha Hospital. Araki suddenly stopped and looked around.
"What's wrong?"
Nawaki looked at Araki in puzzlement, vaguely noticing something unusual. Ever since becoming his sister's disciple, this boy had seemed rather distracted.
"W-where... is... Ibuki... sensei...?"
Araki had nearly forgotten Ibuki-sensei, who had brought him here. The man had been surrounded and led away by a group of young nurses, and Araki was still rather concerned about his safety.
Even teachers had to protect themselves when they went out!
The ravenous looks those young nurses had given Ibuki-sensei earlier had made Araki's hair stand on end.
After all, Ibuki-sensei currently had no ability to resist. If someone took advantage of him while he was passed out in Konoha Hospital, Araki wouldn't be able to explain it to his classmates.
"A teacher from the Ninja Academy?"
Nawaki was quick on the uptake. Hearing the word "sensei," he immediately realized it should be a teacher from the Ninja Academy.
Then he considered that Araki was still just a student, and it was currently class time. He wouldn't appear here for no reason. A teacher should have been guiding him.
At that thought...
Nawaki had a rough idea of what was going on.
"Y-yes..."
Araki immediately nodded. His attention remained on the ground floor. As far as he remembered, sobering someone up didn't seem that troublesome, but he hadn't heard any other commotion either. He then explained, "I-Ibuki... sensei... he... drank too much..."
"It's fine. China and the others probably took him away. They're all trainee medical-nin, so they probably wanted to take the opportunity to practice. Don't worry. Your teacher won't die."
Nawaki spoke casually.
His tone made it obvious that he was long accustomed to this sort of thing.
After all, his sister was Konoha's strongest medical-nin.
Nawaki was far more familiar with medical-nin than other children his age.
"W-won't... die..."
The corner of Araki's mouth twitched hard. Before he could say anything else, Nawaki had already dragged him outside.
There's nothing I can do!
Ibuki-sensei, I can't help you!
You're on your own!
Hopefully they won't take out your kidneys...
Araki offered Ibuki-sensei his heartfelt well wishes, then turned his attention to Nawaki.
A more troublesome problem was bothering him now.
Nawaki might be about to die!
If what happened in the conference room hadn't happened, Araki wouldn't have cared about any of this, but Nawaki had helped him immensely.
It could be said that without Nawaki, he wouldn't have become Tsunade's disciple!
On top of that, Nawaki treated him as a friend...
Araki was decisive and kept a low profile. He would never play the saint over something he considered unnecessary, but likewise, when someone close to him whom he cared about faced danger, he wouldn't stand by and do nothing.
How should I handle Nawaki's situation?
That enormous question filled Araki's head, even making it feel swollen. For the moment, he couldn't think of a solution.
Chapter 44: The resolve to sacrifice oneself for Konoha!
Nawaki led Araki all the way to Konoha's famous three-color dango shop.
Nawaki ordered a serving of three-color dango for each of them, watching Araki with a smile the entire time. His smile seemed to hold sunshine, giving off a warmth like a spring breeze.
Going by first impressions...
Nawaki was more like a rich version of Naruto!
Throughout the entire process, Araki kept thinking about Nawaki's situation, to the point that he barely noticed how the three-color dango tasted. He only found it sweet, even somewhat cloying.
There really isn't any good solution!
Araki had indeed thought of several methods, but few of them could actually work.
In the end, he leaned toward an approach that involved bluffing. It was something of a gamble, a last resort.
However...
Before that...
Araki needed to confirm something first.
"N-Nawaki... I have... a question... do you... have to... go out?"
Araki spoke haltingly, still maintaining this clumsy manner of speech. However, he felt he wouldn't need it much longer. With his status as Tsunade's disciple, regaining normal speech would be the most natural thing.
If even Tsunade's disciple still had some illness that hadn't been cured, that would be a problem instead.
Fundamentally, Araki had only one thing to do: steadily develop his own strength.