" Naoki-kun, what are you looking at?"
Tenten, they would huddle together next to Naoki Senju and look out the window. Their two round buns and petite bodies snuggled against Naoki Senju.
Naoki Senju subtly turned his body to the side. Although Tenten was indeed a beauty in the making, she still needed time to develop. Right now, she was indeed too young, very young in every way.
Compared to Tenten, who is 'plain and unremarkable' in every way, Naoki Senju still prefers Princess Tsunade's type—curvy, full-figured, and soft... cough cough
Gathering his scattered thoughts, Naoki Senju ruffled Tenten's bun and said:
"It's nothing, it seems like a kid was causing trouble on the street. Tenten's goal is pretty good. I'll take you to meet Sister Tsunade another day; maybe you have the potential to become medical-nin."
"Really?!"
Tenten was instantly overjoyed. If Tsunade is considered a top star in the Shinobi World, then Tenten is undoubtedly the most loyal and enthusiastic fan.
The usually clever Tenten only noticed something from the Senju surname and the timing of Lady Tsunade's return to the village. She never expected that her new teammate, Naoki Senju, would actually know the legendary Sannin, Princess Tsunade. Moreover, judging from their way of addressing each other, their relationship was quite close, not just that of ordinary clan members.
It was as if heaven had simply thrown the key to success right at her feet!
"Of course! You can come visit the Senju Clan Compound more often when you have time."
Naoki Senju didn't make many promises because he knew that Tenten's talent didn't actually lie in Medical Ninjutsu and Chakra manipulation, and forcibly imitating Tsunade's training path was definitely not a good choice.
The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment, so Naoki Senju will not rashly place too much hope in Tenten.
"Thank you so much, Naoki-kun! I never expected to meet the legendary Lady Tsunade. I'm so happy!"
Tenten was overjoyed, almost to the point of tears. But young lady, once you see the true face of the great Lady Tsunade in your heart, you might not be so excited anymore... In Naoki Senju's eyes, Princess Tsunade is almost turning into an old woman who only knows how to drink and gamble.
Not only was Princess Tsunade Tenten, but even Might Guy, whose belly was bulging from eating barbecue, raised his glass in celebration:
"Congratulations to Tenten for taking another step closer to her goal, and thank you Naoki for giving Tenten this opportunity. I'd like to toast you, but it seems you're still a minor and can't drink, hahaha."
Neji shook his head as expected. Although Teacher Guy could give him overwhelming guidance in Taijutsu, his alcohol tolerance... well, he was only good enough to sit at the kids' table; he'd get drunk and act crazy after a few drinks.
But Neji never expected that there was someone in the team with an even lower alcohol tolerance...
"My name is Neji Hyuga, I'm 12 years old, and I'm skilled in reconnaissance and Hyuga Style Gentle Fist. I don't have any favorite foods, and I don't want to say what I dislike."
Despite the brief and aloof remarks, Rock Lee and Tenten didn't show any dissatisfaction; in fact, they were a little surprised. After all, Neji hadn't said a single word on the day the Genin were divided into groups, yet this time he spoke so much in one breath. Although it was all nonsense, it was still a great show of respect.
Even Might Guy, who was a little dizzy, nodded secretly. It seemed that after three months of training in D-rank missions, even the most aloof Neji Hyuga had gradually integrated into the team. In that case, Rock Lee had a good opponent, just like himself and Kakashi in the past. The bond of youth tightly connected them together!
Countless precious memories of his youth flooded Kai's mind, mostly his passionate duels with Kakashi... But in everyone's eyes, Might Guy, holding a wine glass, looked like a middle-aged unemployed man, drinking and then bursting into tears, his eyes streaked with tears, a truly heartbreaking sight.
Apart from Rock Lee, everyone else automatically filtered Might Guy out of their sight, otherwise they would feel nauseous.
"It seems like I'm the only one left, so let me formally introduce myself." Naoki Senju put down his chopsticks and looked around at the expectant eyes of everyone. Neji kept avoiding the question, just like those ANBU Anbu in the shadows who were both expectant and afraid of being exposed.
"My name is Naoki Senju, I'm sixteen years old. I officially became a ninja after meeting Sister Tsunade by chance. My Ninjutsu is Water Release. My favorite food is all kinds of sweets, I hate bitter melon, and my goal is to become a ninja who can stand on his own."
The answer was very detailed, but Neji and Tenten weren't very satisfied because it was too ordinary and lacked any important information (such as when they started training, or what Lady Tsunade liked).
However, the hidden Anbu were quite satisfied, and they believed the Third Hokage would be too. If Naoki Senju were to loudly proclaim himself Hokage and act as if he were contributing to Konoha, they would be worried instead.
Might Guy opened his half-closed eyes, pleased with the good atmosphere in the team. He then staggered to the checkout. As the team Jonin, even though his disciples were all wealthy, or even wealthier than him, he couldn't let them pay the bill.
(Except for that shameless white-haired uncle who went so far as to rob his disciple and then comfort a homeless, scantily clad young lady.)
After leaving the barbecue restaurant, Might Guy even needed to be helped to stand by Rock Lee, clearly showing that he was quite drunk.
"Tomorrow... early... seven o'clock in the morning, meet at the Konoha gates. There's a... C-rank mission to carry out. Remember... bring enough rations and water, got it?"
"Remember, Rock Lee Li, hurry up and take Teacher Guy home, or he might start causing trouble again while drunk."
Tenten's well-intentioned reminder came too late. Might Guy, his face flushed from drinking, shoved away Rock Lee, who was supporting him, and then shouted to the sky:
" Kakashi, where are you? Let's have another battle, a contest that will cost us our youth. This time, I definitely won't lose to you."
It was midday, and although the street wasn't particularly bustling, it was definitely crowded. If the fox demon boy hadn't just appeared there, there would have been even more people.
The Konoha who came and went all cast strange glances at him, as if declaring Might Guy's social death, and at the same time, labeled Kakashi, the man in the bodysuit, as a pervert.
Well, now it's not just Teacher Guy's in trouble; even Kakashi, whom Teacher Guy calls his best friend, has been dragged down by Teacher Guy's drunkenness...
But Rock Lee seemed greatly encouraged. He looked around and spotted Neji Hyuga, who was making a retreating gesture. Then, under Neji's almost murderous gaze, he shouted:
" Guy-sensei, I understand your youth, Neji. Let's have a passionate battle where we stake our youth! I'll prove to you that hard work can defeat genius!"
"Absolutely not! I will never accept your challenge."
" Rock Lee, don't give up! To defeat a genius, you have to put in unimaginable effort. Go! Use your perseverance to show Neji your determination!"
Kai, without anyone noticing, had hooked his arm around Rock Lee's neck again, his big white teeth gleaming in the sunlight, as he tried to instill in Rock Lee the concept of youth (like a clingy sweetheart).
" Guy-sensei, I understand, Neji. Accept my challenge, and let's settle this once and for all!"
Rock Lee chose to pounce directly on Neji, but Neji, who had activated his Byakugan, easily dodged him. However, in order to avoid sparring with Rock Lee, Neji forcibly suppressed the urge to strike with his Gentle Fist, and then dodged into the crowd in a few quick movements.
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi, with a faint smile, ran his hand across the crystal ball, and the bustling scene on the barbecue street disappeared, replaced by a silent forest.
In this sparsely populated and extremely dangerous forest, a small yellow figure is excitedly busy gathering dry firewood, bushes, and mushrooms growing on dead wood.
After making the preparations, the small figure laboriously placed the iron pot, which was half full of water and had been "bought" that day, on the fire. Then, she threw all the mushrooms she had collected into the pot, stirred them with a wooden stick, and the fresh aroma of mushrooms wafted out.
Then the little figure sat by the fire, looking forward to today's lunch and dinner, or perhaps tomorrow's—the remaining money wasn't enough to buy expired instant noodles, and it seemed they'd have to eat them in the forest for several more days before the old man brought them money again. They really wanted to go to that Ichiraku Ramen Shop just once...