On the sixth day of knowing Mokgetsu, Tsunade still got up at noon as usual.
After eating the meal that Shizune had prepared for her, Tsunade instinctively looked at the clock. The hour hand pointed to twelve, and the minute hand was almost halfway there.
"Since I was busy yesterday, maybe today will be like at the start, twelve o'clock," Tsunade thought to herself.
Having finished her meal, Tsunade sat on the wooden corridor under the eaves, occasionally glancing towards the entrance of the courtyard to see if there was any sign of a golden figure.
"Such laziness, learning shouldn't be delayed; the more it's delayed, it becomes a habit," Tsunade believed this was the main reason why Mokgetsu was arriving later and later.
"Lady Tsunade, I think you're right. Why don't you start getting up in the morning to inspire Teacher Mokgetsu," Shizune suggested, trying to correct Tsunade's irregular routine.
"I don't need to study, so it's fine to sleep a bit more," Tsunade stated, insisting that getting up early was impossible.
Whether it was because Mokgetsu was still busy or not intending to study for a long time, by two in the afternoon, Tsunade still hadn't seen Mokgetsu's figure.
"Could it be that yesterday's work isn't finished yet?" Tsunade wondered.
This is completely normal and reasonable because that's how most adult worlds operate.
Thinking that she'd have to eat restaurant food or Shizune's cooking again today, Tsunade sighed silently.
As her mood worsened, Tsunade suddenly noticed the previously sunny sky had turned gloomy and oppressive, covered with thick clouds.
Huge raindrops began to fall, with increasing speed.
The downpour brought with it flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder accompanied by howling winds.
"This damn weather, it was fine just a moment ago," Tsunade complained as she brought Shizune into the house.
Though the outside was raging with storms and constant lightning, even a battle-hardened Tsunade and nine-year-old Shizune were not afraid of the thunder; both were extremely quiet, doing their respective things indoors.
Shizune was flipping through materials on medical ninjutsu, while a bored Tsunade was studying how to improve the Yin Seal.
Tsunade wasn't someone who could sit idle for long. After an hour of research, she couldn't resist teasing Shizune a bit to feel more comfortable.
Tsunade instinctively glanced at the clock; it was already past three in the afternoon.
"He probably hasn't finished with yesterday's work, and with this heavy rain, he likely won't come today," Tsunade speculated simply.
If it were her, with such heavy rain, she wouldn't want to do anything but lie down.
Even though as a ninja moving in the rain wouldn't be a problem, Tsunade felt that the atmosphere during heavy rain was unsuitable for work, only for lying down or playing.
Thinking of this, Tsunade's mind gradually calmed. It's just that she couldn't eat the food so delicious it felt like experiencing genjutsu, nothing serious.
"Shizune, I have an important task for you," Tsunade said seriously, looking at Shizune.
Having never seen Tsunade wear such a serious expression, Shizune instantly became serious too and asked gravely:
"Lady Tsunade, please tell me. I will definitely complete the task!"
"Go learn all of Mokgetsu's cooking and be able to make it exactly the same," Tsunade said with utmost seriousness.
"I must decline."
"Didn't you just say you would complete the task no matter what, Shizune?"
"This doesn't seem like an important task, does it? Besides, Teacher Mokgetsu may not teach me cooking, and even if he does, I might not learn it."
Shizune didn't think that Mokgetsu's cooking could be learned so easily, and she wasn't particularly talented in cooking.
"How will you know if you don't try? Young people should be brave enough to try. Just ask him directly for guidance," Tsunade patted Shizune's shoulder with a look of encouragement.
"Lady Tsunade, I'm here. May I come in?" Just as Tsunade and Shizune were chatting, Mokgetsu's voice came through into the house.
Shizune looked at Tsunade. She wanted to say "please come in," but technically speaking, this wasn't her home; it was Tsunade's, so Shizune said nothing.
"Ahem, come in," Tsunade suppressed her somewhat delighted expression and spoke in a composed manner.
Tsunade looked at Mokgetsu walking in from the doorway. Although Mokgetsu had brought an umbrella, it was clearly insufficient against such a downpour; Mokgetsu's pants and back had traces of rainwater, and his hair was slightly wet.
"I'm sorry to intrude," Mokgetsu placed the umbrella outside, wrung out the water from his clothes, and changed shoes as he entered Tsunade's house.
"Teacher Mokgetsu, let me wipe you off," Shizune said, taking out a dry towel.
"Thank you for the trouble, Shizune," Mokgetsu smiled and squatted down.
He didn't refuse Shizune's good intentions, as he often gave her sweets and she also enjoyed his cooking; he should give Shizune a chance to show her worth in return.
"Finished with what you were busy with yesterday?" Tsunade asked, arms crossed, her broad chest fully displayed.
"Yes," Mokgetsu nodded affirmatively.
"Why come over with such heavy rain?" Tsunade continued to ask.
"Because I wasted so much time not being able to study with you yesterday due to trivial things, forget rain, even if shurikens fell from the sky, I'd still come," Mokgetsu joked.
Listening to Mokgetsu, Tsunade laughed, "If shurikens really fell, you'd be drenched before you walked far."
Though ninjas are strong, if shurikens fell continuously like rain, only defensive ninjutsu could withstand that, the body couldn't bear it.
"That's why learning medical ninjutsu with you is important, treating while running might really work," Mokgetsu said after standing up when Shizune finished wiping.
"Today too, I want to study for two hours," Mokgetsu handed Tsunade 200,000 ryo.
"Why not study for longer? It's raining today, I don't want to go out, so the time can be extended," Tsunade suggested after thinking for a moment.
This was her small way of compensating Mokgetsu, after often speculating about him baselessly these past few days.
"Because I'm almost out of money," Mokgetsu straightforwardly said.
"I'm a teacher at the Ninja Academy, and I don't usually take on additional tasks beyond the school, so I have little money. After today, I can't study with you for a long while; I'll have to wait for a month until the school pays salaries."
Tsunade suddenly understood everything.
Why Mokgetsu came so early the first two days to study for six hours, but later arrived later and studied less.
The reason was money—Mokgetsu had set her fee at 100,000 ryo per hour, fitting for a B-Class mission.
She didn't know Mokgetsu's exact abilities, but if he worked at the Ninja Academy, he wouldn't earn much, as the Academy pays based on position and performance, not skill.
Tsunade felt a little guilty, not having realized Mokgetsu's changing study pattern was due to money, considering that she never cared about money, willingly losing it repeatedly at casinos since childhood.
"After today, it'll be a month until studying again, which means I can't have that cooking for a whole month!" Tsunade realized a very serious issue.
She scratched her head, thinking how easy it is to go from frugal to luxurious but hard to return. It was torturous to be unable to eat Mokgetsu's cooking for a mere month due to such a trivial matter.