If this were the future Lady Katsuyu, not only would a sprained ankle be no issue—she could heal from something as severe as polio-induced paralysis in both legs in no time. But for her current self, medical abilities weren't particularly advanced yet.
So after twisting her ankle, she couldn't do much better than any other ninja—applying the topical medicine she carried and wrapping her ankle with several layers of bandage. That was all the treatment she could offer; now she just had to wait patiently for it to heal naturally.
"Tsunade... aren't you planning to learn Medical Ninjutsu?" Seeing what Tsunade was doing, Haseo couldn't help but ask.
Though her bandaging skills looked skilled and professional, they couldn't hide the fact that her healing abilities were still quite basic. No matter how skillful her hands were, she was still just a nurse—not a real healer yet.
"I do have plans for that, but I haven't had the chance yet... After all, Medical Ninjutsu runs in my family, and I'm said to have a natural talent for it. More importantly, I genuinely want to become a skilled Medical Ninja," Tsunade replied.
She came from one of the most prestigious families in Konoha, but that didn't make her some spoiled little princess. Sure, she occasionally acted playful, but never without reason. The slight injury caused by Haseo was clearly an accident. Plus, Haseo had acted urgently because he wanted to save her at that moment.
Even if she did feel something unusual about what had happened, it should have been gratitude—not resentment.
Tsunade's words earned a nod from Haseo—so long as she was willing to study medicine. Though medicine alone couldn't save everyone in Konoha, Tsunade's medical skills were different somehow. Still, Haseo mumbled inwardly… Could the First Hokage's extraordinary healing really be considered Medical Ninjutsu?
"What should we do next? Tsunade's injury isn't serious; I believe she'll fully recover within a day or two. So… should we keep going with the mission, or head back to the front-line camp?"
Haseo then asked the other three.
While Tsunade was tending to her own wound, Jiraiya and Orochimaru had already handled the enemy corpses. However, to avoid drawing attention from anyone who might have heard the earlier battle, the four of them needed to leave this area as soon as possible.
"Of course we should continue the mission! My minor injury counts for nothing."
Before Jiraiya and Orochimaru even spoke, Tsunade immediately made her position clear—it was the last thing on her mind to cut short their team's first ever mission over such a tiny injury.
Since Tsunade had already declared herself so firmly, Jiraiya and Orochimaru naturally had no objections. All three shared the same thought—going out on a mission like this was rare, and one battle wasn't nearly enough to call it a day.
Haseo gave a slight nod—this response hadn't surprised him, and he completely understood their mindset. Anyway, the squad was still in good shape overall, having suffered no real damage.
He had already changed his approach. Being passive and avoiding battle on the battlefield wasn't really practical anymore. Since he couldn't stop the three kids from encountering enemies, he might as well let them fight according to plan. As long as they advanced steadily and methodically, with time, the team's chances of growth would greatly surpass those of suffering setbacks.
"Well then, if you're all in agreement, a new problem arises. Right now Tsunade isn't really able to move around easily, so as close and intimate teammates, who's going to carry her from now on…?"
Orochimaru remained silent at first, then took a few quick steps forward before replying, "The team already has an injured member, so we must be more cautious about our surroundings while moving and promptly scout out any potential dangers. Therefore, I can naturally take up this responsibility and lead the way for the team... I have full confidence in my observation skills."
This kid was pretty good at speaking indirectly, but clearly he just didn't want to carry someone.
"I… I'm scared of dying." Jiraiya glanced at Tsunade and said bluntly.
This one was rather straightforward instead—he simply dared not carry anyone.
So one person, Orochimaru, didn't want to do it on principle, while the other, Jiraiya, lacked the courage. Both were thus unable to take up the carrying duty. Then things became simple—Haseo was the only one left to answer the question he raised himself... One was injured, two turned down the job—so who else could do it?
"Alright, since I've got broad shoulders and a tall frame, am the oldest and also the leader, not to mention being filled with boundless concern for my juniors unlike you heartless people who care only about themselves when it matters most... Leave it to me then. How? Are you moved or not?"
Jiraiya and Orochimaru immediately shook their heads without hesitation—nope, nope, we're not doing it! Naturally, this burdensome task fell upon Haseo… Anyway, leaving the scene was the most important thing.
"So… why are you carrying two swords anyway? I haven't seen you use [Sword Techniques] in battle." Though the matter had been settled, there arose a minor issue during implementation. Tsunade noticed the pair of short swords on Haseo's back.
"One's a spare weapon, and the other's a spare for the spare… Well, I don't actually know [Sword Techniques]. My build has taken a slightly different path from what I originally planned, but still, better safe than sorry." Haseo simply replied.
He had once thought he'd be the kind of warrior who charged into enemy crowds swinging a blade, but in reality, even though he could still plunge into the fray, he found that he never actually needed those short swords.
"So I'm only carrying them temporarily. And these two blades are no ordinary weapons—this one's called Black Cleaver, and the other is Youmu. Both were forged by legendary generals and together are worth a total of 5900 ryo… Hmm, where's my Black Cleaver?
Oh, still here."
As he babbled randomly, Haseo first untied the short sword from behind, casually threw it to Jiraiya, and then gently lifted Tsunade onto his back. With Tsunade taking up most of his back space, the slug Katsuyu—who had been hidden behind him all along—was forced to crawl sideways to his waist.
Jiraiya casually slung Haseo's short sword over his shoulder, thinking to himself that these blades probably cost no more than just a few kunai. What a joke for them to be considered famous swords... Even if they were legendary blades, any sane person would still rather carry a classic little cutie on their back.
This kind of suicidal inner monologue was audible to nobody. After picking up Tsunade, Haseo pointed toward a certain direction. Then, under the cover of dusk, the four-person group left the battlefield from that direction.
"Aah, if possible, I actually wish I were carrying you ten years from now."
Suddenly carrying tens of additional pounds, Haseo couldn't help but complain out loud.
Even though ten-years-later Tsunade would likely make people spontaneously question her nutritional status, her current self still followed a child's growth patterns... Which meant as flat as could possibly be.
Still, since her twisted ankle was ultimately his fault, he could only mutter complaints under his breath while obediently bearing the burden.
His words made Tsunade pause for quite a moment. By the time the entire squad had moved a considerable distance away, she finally understood exactly what Haseo had implied.
If this were the ten-years-later Tsunade, then in this irritated and embarrassed situation of being carried by someone, she definitely would have chosen to bite him right then. Her canine teeth were sharp, but her lips were soft—know what I mean? It'd be pretty exciting, all things considered.
But Tsunade wasn't that kind of little girl. Instead, her right arm which had been resting on Haseo's shoulder naturally circled around his neck. Then, with her fist tucked into the crook of her left elbow's bend, both arms slowly exerted force—executing a textbook cross armbar that clamped Haseo's head tightly.
Know what else? Her skin felt cool against his neck, yet her heart burned hot inside, so this situation was way more thrilling than merely imagining being bitten by soft lips earlier.
So why had Jiraiya said he feared death when faced with such a great alternative earlier? Everything happened for a reason.
"Apology accepted, young lady. I apologize for my previous uncivilized remarks." Taking advantage of the slender arms not having completely tightened around his neck yet, Haseo quickly raised one hand to pat her forearm, signaling immediate surrender while apologizing profusely.
The reaction was timely enough, thus Haseo earned mercy. Tsunade's arms gradually relaxed again.
"Not even a fracture…" Witnessing this scene, both Jiraiya and Orochimaru simultaneously thought in surprise, feeling both unexpected and slightly regretful.
"This truly feels somewhat unfair."
Then Jiraiya silently added to himself afterward.
Actually, he was overthinking it just a bit. The reason Tsunade treated Haseo relatively gently and kindly mainly stemmed from their unfamiliarity with each other. If they were as close as the trio usually was, Haseo would absolutely have already experienced genuine suffocation sensations—as though being backstabbed by a little sister while riding piggyback, or like having your head yanked off by bare hands.
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