"?"
Mikami Yuu froze slightly, not expecting Tsunade to suddenly ask about that. But very quickly, he straightened and looked at her calmly.
"Yes. I was very serious."
Tsunade let out a soft breath. Her gaze swept over Rin and Uzumaki Kana, who were looking this way from not far off, then shifted toward the distant rows of rooftops.
"To be honest, I'm not as strong as Jiraiya or Orochimaru. I might even be weaker than that kid Minato.
"Although many people in the village call me 'Princess Tsunade,' that only sounds impressive. In truth, I'm just an idle person. I don't have much political ambition, and I don't have resources that can let someone rise to the top in one step.
"Taking me as your teacher isn't a wise choice. With your aptitude, you should have better options."
"…That's fine."
The corner of Yuu's mouth lifted into a faint smile. "Who can say what'll happen in the future? Maybe I'll become Hokage one day. Then I'll honor you as the 'Retired Hokage' and let you rule from behind the curtain. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
"Pfft—cough, cough!"
Tsunade almost choked on her own saliva and looked utterly speechless.
"Wh-what? Retired Hokage? Rule from behind the curtain? Where did you pick up all these ridiculous terms?"
"I made them up."
Yuu answered casually.
In the noble system of the Naruto world, there were actually things similar to a "retired emperor," though they weren't called by that name. As an educated person of Konoha, Tsunade naturally understood what Yuu was trying to say.
At this moment,
she rubbed her forehead in exasperation and sighed, then looked at Yuu with a slightly complicated expression, as if she had made some kind of decision.
"Alright, stop joking around here. Come to my place later tonight."
"I'm definitely going to lose that bet anyway. Since that's the case, there's no need to wait until the half-year deadline to settle it. I've already accepted Shizune as a student. Taking one more won't hurt."
"…"
From Tsunade's perspective, this was getting it over with sooner rather than later. Since she was going to lose anyway, she might as well be straightforward about it. For the sake of hundreds of thousands of ryō in monthly dividends, taking on a student was nothing.
But to Yuu…
What, was Tsunade going to imitate Patriarch Bodhi and give him secret midnight lessons? Shouldn't she first tap him on the head three times?
Although he silently complained in his heart, Yuu smiled on the surface.
"Yes, Lady Tsunade!"
After that,
Tsunade said nothing more. She simply stood up from beside Yuu and went to speak with Uzumaki Kana about future arrangements.
Although Konoha would not use Uzumaki Kana as a blood pack like Kusagakure had, some scientific experiments were still hard to avoid for an Uzumaki clanswoman with the "physical healing" ability. In addition, Kana herself needed to find some work to do. She could not keep living off others forever.
All of that needed discussion. They had to consider both Kana's own wishes and Konoha's conditions.
Mm, and Uzumaki Naoto too.
However, Naoto's importance was lower than Kana's, so he could be discussed later.
At a time like this, it was inconvenient for Yuu and Rin to keep lingering and interrupting. After greeting everyone, they left the Senju compound.
On the way back,
Rin moved a little closer to Yuu and asked quietly, "Yuu, what did you and Lady Tsunade talk about just now? It felt like both of your expressions suddenly became very serious."
"Ah, Lady Tsunade intends to take me as her student and was asking for my opinion."
Yuu said.
"Eh?"
"But don't worry. I'll mention it to Lady Tsunade and ask her to take you in too."
"Really?"
Rin's eyes lit up, but then she hesitated a little.
"Lady Tsunade's requirements for accepting students must be very high, right? You've always been so outstanding, Yuu. Whether it's regular ninjutsu or medical skills, you'll definitely have no problem. But my talent is limited. If Lady Tsunade doesn't agree…"
"It's fine. If she doesn't agree, I'll teach you privately."
Yuu paused, then turned his head to look at her.
"Besides, Rin, your aptitude is excellent too. You don't need to belittle yourself. I'm just a little luckier than you."
In a sense, that was the truth.
Without his cheat, Yuu's original talent really was inferior to Rin's. After all, even in the original timeline, she had mastered the Palm Sage Technique before the age of twelve and could perform battlefield eye transplantation for Kakashi and Obito. Her aptitude could not be considered poor no matter how one looked at it.
"By the way, Rin, how is your Wild Water Wave training going?"
Yuu suddenly thought of this and spoke again. "If we have time in a couple of days, I'll train with you once and teach you Water Formation Wall and Water Dragon Bullet."
"Okay!"
This time, Rin truly looked delighted.
To her, Tsunade was an admirable idol, but somewhat distant. Whether in status, strength, or talent, Tsunade was someone she could only look up to.
By comparison, Yuu, who was both her childhood friend and teammate, felt much more real.
Especially since, ever since they returned to the village for the Chūnin Exam, she and Yuu had not really spent much time together. They had either been training separately, or he had left the village on a mission. If there was a chance to be alone together, she naturally wanted to seize it.
At once,
the two chatted and laughed along the way until they returned home and said goodbye at their respective doors.
Mikami Aoi had already prepared dinner.
After dinner,
Yuu originally planned to go straight to Tsunade.
But an unexpected guest came to the Mikami house.
"Yuu-kun, are you home?"
"…Kurenai?"
Yuu opened the door and found that the person standing outside was indeed Yūhi Kurenai.
She stood prettily at the doorway, her fair little face faintly flushed. Her signature ruby-red eyes looked at him with some nervousness.
"Good evening, Yuu! Um… congratulations on being promoted to special jōnin! This is a congratulatory gift for you!"
"?"
Yuu froze slightly and saw the beautifully wrapped small box Kurenai was offering with both hands.
"Ah… thank you. Is it alright if I open it?"
"Of course!"
After receiving Kurenai's permission, Yuu opened the small box and saw a pair of finely made black wrist guards lying on deep red velvet cloth. The material looked like it came from some kind of ninja beast with tough hide. The stitching was dense and neat. It was clearly something expensive at a glance.
"It's a great gift. You went to a lot of trouble, Kurenai."
Yuu smiled. "Would you like to come in and sit for a bit? Have some water?"
"…No, I won't!"
Kurenai's eyes involuntarily glanced inside the house. She seemed a little tempted, but soon shook her head.
"It's a bit late today, so I won't disturb you! Another day… let's train together when we have the chance!
"My father has mentioned you quite often these past couple of days too. He said if there's a chance, he'd like to spar with you again and see just how much of Senior White Fang's level your swordsmanship has reached."
~~~
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