"Why isn't he here yet? Could it be that he hasn't gotten up?"
Tsunade glanced at the clock; the hour hand pointed to twelve and the minute hand had moved halfway.
Since Mokgetsu had arrived at this time for the past couple of days, Tsunade assumed he would come around the same time today as well.
"Teacher Mokgetsu isn't the type to get up at noon, right?" Shizune thought Mokgetsu was certainly different from Tsunade.
"What's wrong with getting up at noon? Since there's nothing to do anyway, isn't it all the same no matter what time you sleep until?" Tsunade felt Shizune's words had a hidden meaning, so she reached out her mischievous hands toward Shizune's cheeks.
"Mmm..." Shizune wanted to say that waking up at noon meant losing a third of the day, but Tsunade's kneading attack made her words unclear.
By one o'clock, Tsunade still hadn't seen Mokgetsu's shadow, so she simply started teaching Shizune.
"Should be still teaching you Mystical Palm Jutsu, right?" Tsunade asked Shizune.
"Yes." Shizune nodded.
At two-thirty, Mokgetsu walked into Tsunade's courtyard, carrying a small box.
"Lady Tsunade." Mokgetsu greeted Tsunade with a smile and placed the box beside Tsunade and Shizune.
At this moment, Tsunade had just finished a segment and was taking a break. She nodded and then opened the gift box directly.
Beside her, Shizune's eyes lit up instantly when she saw the cakes inside the box.
Tsunade casually picked one up and put it in her mouth, nodding. She had to admit that Mokgetsu was truly talented when it came to food; even someone like her, who didn't particularly enjoy sweets, found it quite tasty.
"Eat up; they were originally brought for you." Mokgetsu smiled and said to Shizune.
With confirmation, Shizune gave Mokgetsu a grateful look and then started eating too.
Actually, Shizune wanted to save some for the evening or the next day, but Tsunade's constant action made her give up on that idea; there was absolutely no way they'd be left, and if she didn't eat them, Tsunade would.
"Lady Tsunade, today we'll be studying for four hours; sorry for the trouble." After finishing eating, Mokgetsu said and handed over four hundred thousand Ryo to Tsunade.
"Let's get started then." After receiving the money, Tsunade didn't even glance at it before tossing it to Shizune.
She didn't ask why Mokgetsu only needed four hours today, as Mokgetsu might not have as much free time as she does, and having something come up is quite normal.
In the following four hours, the small courtyard was filled with the sound of lectures and questions. Although the knowledge Tsunade was imparting was too advanced for Shizune at the moment, she put on an effortful and attentive look to not break the atmosphere and jotted down the parts she couldn't understand.
After the lecture ended, as usual, Mokgetsu cooked a dinner for Tsunade, leaving a preview for the next day.
"Besides Beggar's Chicken, I actually know another method to cook chicken that's really tasty, just a little bit spicy." After eating, Mokgetsu stated.
Having heard Mokgetsu, Tsunade silently swallowed the words she had prepared to say.
The Beggar's Chicken Mokgetsu made was the best chicken dish Tsunade ever had; in fact, this noon, she and Shizune tried to replicate it once more, and though the flavor was okay, it was a world apart from Mokgetsu's, devoid of that relaxing sensation that alleviated both the mind and the body.
"After finishing tomorrow's chicken dish, make sure he doesn't come again!" Tsunade resolutely thought to herself.
Without a doubt, Mokgetsu's presence severely disrupted her tendency towards laziness.
Teaching a ninja of Shizune's level was easy for Tsunade, as she could provide answers without much thought, leaving most of the time for Shizune to practice on her own.
But Mokgetsu was different; sometimes the questions he asked required serious consideration before she could respond.
As Mokgetsu left, Shizune waved goodbye with a look of reluctance: "Goodbye, Teacher Mokgetsu."
To Shizune, Mokgetsu was simply wonderful, not only offering her desserts but also cooking delicious meals for them for free.
Mokgetsu left with a gentle smile, departing from the courtyard under the gaze of the two.
Watching her disciple track Mokgetsu's leaving figure, Tsunade knocked Shizune on the head with a karate chop and crossed her arms, saying:
"Still looking? He's already far away, and just a few meals made you like him so much?"
"It's not because of the meals; it's because Teacher Mokgetsu is a really nice person." Shizune explained, holding her head with a blush.
"It's not just me; everyone in the Fourth Grade really likes Teacher Mokgetsu."
The next day, since there was no hangover, Tsunade woke up a bit earlier, getting up at ten.
However, waking up early was meaningless for Tsunade, even having negative implications because it meant she had to wait longer for Mokgetsu's cooking.
Shizune, on the other hand, was quite happy, thinking that perhaps Tsunade might return to a healthy routine of getting up at eight in the morning.
"If I had known, I would have slept until six thirty in the evening." Tsunade glanced at the clock; it was one o'clock, and Mokgetsu still hadn't come.
"If he sleeps so late, he surely won't get to eat Teacher Mokgetsu's cooking. If he sees the teacher sleeping, he'll leave in disappointment and won't stay to cook." Shizune thought Tsunade's idea wasn't good.
She felt that Mokgetsu stayed to cook as a reward for Tsunade's lectures. Wanting to eat Mokgetsu's dishes without teaching is lazy.
Tsunade thought about it and agreed; if she doesn't teach, why would Mokgetsu stay?
Today, Mokgetsu came even later than yesterday. He didn't arrive in Tsunade's courtyard until four in the afternoon.
"You've been slacking off, showing up so late today. I'm definitely not spending my evening teaching you," Tsunade said, visibly displeased.
"I'm sorry, Lady Tsunade. Today, just two hours of teaching is enough," Mokgetsu said apologetically, handing over twenty thousand Ryo to Tsunade.
Mokgetsu's ability is enough for him to complete advanced missions and earn commissions, but he certainly wouldn't waste time on money, especially with the Ninja Academy opening soon, he was running out of money.
Of course, this was part of Mokgetsu's plan.
"Oh, so that's it." Tsunade paused, then her inexplicable anger dissipated.
If Mokgetsu only planned to study for two hours today, coming at four was understandable; even four thirty wouldn't be too late.
Teaching for four to six hours for three consecutive days, teaching for just two hours today made the time fly by, and it wasn't tiring at all.
Tsunade hadn't given up on secretly learning, so she invited Shizune to watch Mokgetsu cook.
Tsunade felt that today's chicken might be more flavorful because Mokgetsu marinated, fried, and stir-fried it, making the process look a bit complicated.
In fact, Tsunade was already very eager to try it after the frying, and as Mokgetsu was finishing the stir-fry, she couldn't wait anymore.
"This dish is called Spicy Chicken. For those who love spicy food, it might be even tastier than Beggar's Chicken," Mokgetsu said after bringing it to the table.
Tsunade ignored Mokgetsu's words; she could tell if it was good just by eating it.
However, looking at the pile of red peppers, Tsunade felt that the name Spicy Chicken was very fitting.
Driven by the aroma, Tsunade picked up a piece of chicken and chewed it. For a moment, she felt as if her whole body was soaking in a warm hot spring, immensely comfortable.
"Mokgetsu, with such great culinary skills, you could definitely make more money opening a restaurant than being a ninja," Tsunade tried to persuade Mokgetsu to open a restaurant, so she could easily enjoy his cooking.
"Cooking is just a little hobby of mine. I don't want it to become my job," Mokgetsu directly told Tsunade it wasn't going to happen.
Tsunade struggled internally for a long time but couldn't say, "Mokgetsu, don't come anymore," because she still wanted to eat Mokgetsu's Beggar's Chicken and Spicy Chicken.
"Forget it, tomorrow will be the last day teaching you, absolutely the last!" Tsunade said to herself silently.
Tsunade didn't tell Mokgetsu not to come, but Mokgetsu said:
"Lady Tsunade, I have something to do tomorrow, so I probably won't have time to learn from you. You don't have to wait for me in the afternoon."
"Who do you think I am? I'm Tsunade, one of the Sannin. I'm not waiting at home just for you to learn; I'm here for teaching Shizune," Tsunade said, displeased.
"Mm, thank you for your teaching today, Lady Tsunade." Mokgetsu didn't mind Tsunade's words. He smiled warmly and bid farewell to the two.
Watching Mokgetsu leave, Shizune said a bit regretfully, "What a pity, we won't get to eat Teacher Mokgetsu's cooking tomorrow."
"What's there to pity? Tomorrow I'll take you to a high-end restaurant, using his money to eat," Tsunade said nonchalantly.
Tsunade didn't break her promise. She took Shizune to a high-end restaurant in Konoha just after getting up at noon the next day.
"I don't know how they dare to set such high prices, it's not even as good as an amateur cook's," Tsunade complained while looking at a table full of dishes.
She tried to order the most expensive, but none could give her the feeling of Mokgetsu's cooking; Tsunade even felt these dishes weren't even one-fifth as good as Mokgetsu's.
"Maybe Teacher Mokgetsu's cooking is just too delicious," Shizune suggested it wasn't that the restaurant was bad, but Mokgetsu's was just that good.
She felt the restaurant's dishes were much better than what she could make.
In the afternoon, Tsunade still had a sliver of hope, thinking Mokgetsu might finish his business early and come to study.
Based on her observations over the past days, Mokgetsu worked hard at cultivation, seeming to be the type who would seize any opportunity to improve.
But even when Tsunade saw the clock hands reach seven, Mokgetsu was nowhere in sight.
"The spirit of the young ninjas nowadays is really lacking; they don't even seize the opportunity to improve themselves," Tsunade thought the young generation of Konoha ninjas was worrisome.
"Lady Tsunade, Teacher Mokgetsu just has some things to attend to. It doesn't concern all the young ninjas of the village," Shizune softly defended Mokgetsu.
Tsunade gave Shizune a glare, thinking some words shouldn't be spoken carelessly.
At that moment, Tsunade suddenly felt the passage of time slow, eagerly hoping for the arrival of tomorrow.