It didn’t take long for the smile to return to Dan Katō’s face.
“My name is Dan Katō.
I look forward to working with you in the future.
I’ll leave you two to catch up.” After waving goodbye, Dan turned and walked away.
Once he was gone, Tsunade looked at Hideki in confusion.
“Why do I get the feeling you have something against Dan?
He’s a pretty decent guy.” Hideki shook his head.
“I just feel like he’s not as straightforward as he appears.
Sensei, why do you think he’s a good person?” Tsunade answered without hesitation.
“At the last Jonin meeting, I proposed that every Konoha squad should have a medical ninja assigned to it.
That would greatly reduce casualties on the battlefield.” She crossed her arms with a dissatisfied expression.
“Jiraiya and Orochimaru, those two heartless idiots, both opposed the idea.
Dan was the only one who supported me.” After listening to her explanation, Hideki looked at her with a rather strange expression.
He stared at her for several moments before finally speaking.
“Sensei…
you came up with that idea on impulse, didn’t you?
You never actually considered whether it was practical.” He sighed.
“As expected, Dan really does have ulterior motives if he could support a proposal like that.” Seeing the faintly disdainful look in Hideki’s eyes, Tsunade’s temper flared immediately.
“If you can’t explain yourself properly today, you’d better prepare to spend the next month lying in bed.” She interlocked her fingers, and a series of loud cracks echoed from her knuckles.
Faced with the threat, Hideki remained completely calm.
“To become a medical ninja, someone must possess exceptional chakra control.” He continued steadily.
“Does Konoha really have enough shinobi with that level of talent to assign one to every squad?” “And the resources needed to train one medical ninja are enough to train three ordinary shinobi.” He raised another question.
“On the battlefield, which do you think is more effective?
Six regular shinobi…
or two regular shinobi accompanied by one medical ninja?” “Besides, not every medical ninja is as powerful as you are, Sensei.” “They’re relatively fragile.
Once they appear on the battlefield, they’ll become the enemy’s highest-priority targets.” He paused briefly.
“A more practical solution would be to establish field hospitals behind the front lines.” “We could also teach ordinary shinobi basic emergency treatment so they can stabilize injuries on the battlefield.” “That would require far fewer resources while still producing excellent results.” After hearing Hideki’s explanation, Tsunade’s eyes widened.
She remained silent for a long moment before finally coming back to her senses.
Then she repeatedly patted Hideki on the shoulder.
“You really are clever.” She laughed proudly.
“I can’t believe you came up with something like that.
Just as expected of my student!
Looks like my teaching has been pretty effective after all.” Looking at the self-satisfied Tsunade, Hideki suddenly felt that perhaps some old sayings really did contain a grain of truth.
For example…
“People can let emotion cloud their judgment.” Among Hiruzen Sarutobi’s three disciples, Tsunade was undoubtedly the least analytical.
Orochimaru went without saying.
Very few people in the shinobi world could match his intellect.
Jiraiya, meanwhile, belonged to the type who appeared carefree but was actually remarkably wise.
Only Tsunade consistently allowed her emotions to outweigh her reason, leading her to make questionable decisions from time to time.
Just then, Tsunade suddenly flicked him on the forehead.
“You little brat.” She narrowed her eyes.
“Were you insulting me in your head again?” Hideki immediately put on the most innocent expression he could manage.
“This is a complete injustice.” “I gave you such a great suggestion, and not only do I get no reward, I even get hit.” He sighed dramatically.
“If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve kept my mouth shut.” With that, he deliberately turned away from her, pretending to ignore her.
Seeing him acting like a sulking child, Tsunade let out a helpless sigh.
“Fine.” “I misunderstood you.” “I’m sorry.” “Happy now?” Hideki glanced sideways at her.
“‘Happy now?'” He deliberately exaggerated the words.
“You make it sound like apologizing to me is such a burden, Lady Tsunade.” He stood up.
“Maybe I’d better leave.
I wouldn’t want to keep getting in someone’s way.” Just as he took a step forward, Tsunade grabbed the back of his collar.
“Don’t push your luck.” She stared at him.
“Tell me honestly.” “What is it that you really want?” A slightly embarrassed expression appeared on Hideki’s face.
“Well…” “I haven’t been assigned a tent yet.” He scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“I was hoping…
I could stay in the same tent as you, Sensei.” Tsunade blinked.
“What?” “You’re not a three-year-old child.” “Are you seriously afraid of the dark?” “And besides…” “I don’t want people getting strange ideas.” Hideki immediately explained.
“But Danzo already has his eyes on me.” “What if he sends someone to assassinate me while I’m asleep?” He smiled awkwardly.
“Besides…
we’re teacher and student.
That shouldn’t be a problem, right?” A conflicted expression appeared on Tsunade’s face.
She pondered the matter for quite some time before finally nodding.
After all, as one of the commanders, her tent was much larger than the others.
Adding another bed wouldn’t be difficult.
Thus, Hideki followed Tsunade toward the place that would temporarily become his new home.
From the outside, it looked like an ordinary military tent.
The only difference was that it was noticeably larger than the surrounding tents.
The interior was simple.
There was only a bed, a table, and a few chairs.
Several books and a few empty sake bottles rested on the table.
Aside from the faint scent of alcohol lingering in the air, there was also a subtle fragrance that made the tent feel surprisingly comfortable.
Not long afterward, another shinobi delivered a second bed outside the tent.
Tsunade simply gestured for Hideki to move it inside himself.
Meanwhile, she sat down, picked up a bottle of sake, and leisurely poured herself another drink.
Once Hideki had finished arranging his bed, he looked toward Tsunade, who was already drinking cup after cup.
Unable to hold back his curiosity, he asked, “Sensei, we’re in the middle of a war.” “And this is the front line.” “Is it really okay for you to drink this much?” Tsunade waved her hand dismissively.
“It’s fine.” “This little bit of alcohol doesn’t affect me at all.” She smiled faintly.
“Ever since Kushina became the Nine-Tails’ jinchūriki, drinking has been my only remaining hobby.” Hearing that, Hideki fell silent.
The legendary gambler Tsunade hadn’t stepped into a casino for such a long time.
It seemed Uzumaki Mito’s death had affected her far more deeply than he had imagined.
Without saying another word, Hideki slowly walked behind her…
…and gently wrapped his arms around her.
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Creation is hard, cheer me up!
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