Chapter 120: Tsunade's Fury
"Did you get any useful information?" Tsunade asked, watching Hoshikawa approach.
"The reason they ambushed us was to capture us, interrogate us for Konoha jutsu, and then destroy the evidence," Hoshikawa said softly. "They just didn't expect our strength."
"There are many such shinobi in the world. You need to be extra careful from now on," Tsunade said, nodding slightly with a serious expression.
"Yes, Sensei," Kurenai and Rin replied in unison.
"There's one more interesting piece of information," Hoshikawa paused before continuing. "Sensei, you might find this one interesting."
"Oh? What is it?" Tsunade smiled faintly, her tone relaxed. "It's not easy to pique my interest, you know."
"Kusagakure recently captured a female ninja," Hoshikawa said slowly. "She has a very special constitution. Just biting her can heal injuries and restore chakra."
"What did you say?" Tsunade's expression changed instantly. "What color is her hair?" she asked urgently.
"Red," Hoshikawa answered.
"Could it be…" Tsunade's face became extremely serious. Such a constitution combined with red hair could only belong to one clan in the entire ninja world: the Uzumaki clan.
"Where is she now?" Tsunade asked with a determined look.
Just as I expected, Hoshikawa thought to himself. Tsunade's connection to Mito and Kushina Uzumaki was deep; she would never ignore a shinobi who might be a member of their clan. On top of that, the last two Nine-Tails jinchūriki were both from the Uzumaki clan, who had also gifted Konoha with powerful sealing jutsu. Both Konoha and the Senju clan owed a great debt to the Uzumaki, especially since the clan had been annihilated.
"The Land of Waterfalls." Hoshikawa recounted all the information he had gotten from the female chūnin during his interrogation. Shun'en was a jōnin from Kusagakure, and since she was only a chūnin, she didn't know the specifics of their mission, only their general location.
But for Tsunade, that was enough. She bit her thumb and slammed her hand on the ground, performing a Summoning Jutsu. With a poof, a toad appeared in a cloud of smoke.
"Sensei, I have a task for you. Go back to Konoha and tell the old man to send ANBU to the Land of Waterfalls to track down this Shun'en from Kusagakure," Tsunade said without wasting any time. "When you find his location, notify me."
"Understood, Tsunade-sama," the toad replied before disappearing in another cloud of smoke.
"Alright, let's go to the major city in the Land of Grass," Tsunade said, turning to Kurenai. "Kurenai, come here. I'll analyze your fighting style from before."
"Yes, Sensei." Kurenai had a bad feeling about this, but she obediently walked over.
"What about me?" Hoshikawa asked eagerly.
"Stay put!" Tsunade glared at him.
Hoshikawa could only give Kurenai a helpless look as the two of them walked ahead, deep in conversation.
"I didn't help at all," Rin said, stepping forward with an embarrassed expression. She had only been able to watch as Hoshikawa and Kurenai fought, which made her feel uneasy.
"You're a medical ninja. Your safety is the most important thing," Hoshikawa said. "If you really want to fight, don't worry. Our sensei isn't just any ordinary medical ninja."
Rin's eyes lit up. She remembered all the stories she had heard about Tsunade—not only her excellent medical ninjutsu but also her immense combat ability.
"Is Kurenai going to get scolded?" Rin asked, looking at Kurenai, who was listening intently with her head bowed.
"No, she won't," Hoshikawa said with certainty. "Even though Sensei can be difficult, she's got a soft heart."
And a very soft, cushioned heart, at that, he thought to himself.
"That's good," Rin sighed in relief. She and Kurenai had been training together for so long that they had become good friends.
"Tsunade-sensei is incredible. Her words taught me so much," Kurenai said, running up to them after her conversation with Tsunade had concluded.
"Of course," Hoshikawa said, stroking her head. "Our sensei is one of the best jōnin around."
"Alright, brat," Tsunade said, a small smile on her lips. "Go do your job."
"Yes, Sensei." Hoshikawa moved to the front of the group and resumed his role as a sensor ninja.
Time passed quickly, and they arrived at the capital of the Land of Grass around noon. Aside from the single ambush by the ninjas from Kusagakure, the journey had been very smooth.
"Thank you for escorting us," Eijirō and the two men said, bowing. "I will contact Konoha and ask them to upgrade the mission to B-rank."
Although the ninjas from Kusagakure weren't after them specifically, if it weren't for Tsunade and Team 1, they would have certainly been killed.
"Thank you," Tsunade said, nodding slightly as she watched them leave.
"Sensei, where are we going now?" Hoshikawa asked.
"To the Land of Waterfalls," Tsunade said, her eyes sweeping over them. She then broke into a grin. "This rescue mission will be an A-rank. Are you three up for it?"
"Why wouldn't we be?" Kurenai said, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. After her fight with the ninjas from Kusagakure, she had realized how strong she was, and her confidence was through the roof.
"It's not my first A-rank mission," Hoshikawa said calmly.
Only Rin was worried that she would hold them back.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Hoshikawa said with a comforting smile. "We have Sensei with us."
"How come you never have this much faith in me on a normal day?" Tsunade shot him a sideways glance.
Because of how you act outside of missions and combat, Hoshikawa thought. But he knew better than to say that out loud if he wanted to live a long life.
After stocking up on provisions in the Land of Grass's capital, the four continued their journey. The Land of Waterfalls was right next to the Land of Grass, so the distance was not far. Both were small nations with correspondingly small ninja villages, but Takigakure was slightly more famous because of its jinchūriki of the Seven-Tails. In addition to the Seven-Tails, it was also the home of Kakuzu—a ninja with an almost endless lifespan due to his Forbidden Jutsu, Earth Grudge Fear. In the original series, he had fought against the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. He lived by the principle that money was everything and eventually joined the Akatsuki. He and Hidan captured the Two-Tails, killed Chiriku and Asuma Sarutobi, and were finally killed by Naruto Uzumaki and Kakashi Hatake.
They stopped when they reached the Land of Waterfalls to wait for the toad to return with the specific location of Shun'en and his team.
"We've been on the road for days and haven't showered. I saw a river nearby," Tsunade said, standing up and stretching. "Kurenai, and Rin, let's go."
"Yes, Sensei." Both Kurenai and Rin's eyes lit up. They both liked to keep clean and would have wanted to bathe sooner if it weren't for the mission.
"Brat, no peeking," Tsunade said, looking at Hoshikawa .
"Don't worry, I won't let anyone peek!" Hoshikawa said with an air of righteousness.
"I was talking about you," Tsunade said, winking. "I'll make two shadow clones. They won't be as polite."
"Why would I peek?" Hoshikawa said, feigning outrage. "That's an insult to my character!"
Kurenai and Rin couldn't help but laugh. They trusted Hoshikawa , but they found his conversations with Tsunade very amusing.
"Let's go," Tsunade said, waving her hand and turning to leave. Kurenai and Rin took a few steps and followed her.
Hoshikawa watched them disappear and looked away. He figured his life was more important than a little peek.
He didn't know how much time had passed when he heard footsteps. He turned and saw Tsunade, Kurenai, and Rin, their hair still damp from their bath. He felt that Kurenai and Rin were more silent than before, as if they had just been through something shocking. Hoshikawa looked at Tsunade's shirt, which was stretched to its limit, and instantly understood. It must have been a little traumatizing to bathe with her.
"Brat, time to get to work," Tsunade said, sitting down by the fire.
"I'll dry your hair for you," Hoshikawa said, standing up.
"Dry?" Rin, who didn't understand, asked. "Did you bring a hairdryer?"
"No," Hoshikawa said with a smile. He stood behind Tsunade and extended his hands. Fire chakra flowed out, making the air around them shimmer as the heat turned into a warm breeze.
"Whoa," Rin said, her eyes widening. "You can use it like that?"
"He's always full of ideas," Kurenai said, a proud smile on her face.
Rin looked to her left and right. She realized that she was the only one who hadn't tried this before.
"All done," Hoshikawa said, reaching out and ruffling Tsunade's hair. He liked this part because he could openly pat her head without fear of retaliation. Even Tsunade herself was no exception.
"My turn!" Kurenai moved her body and sat up straight. Hoshikawa walked behind her, rubbed her head, and extended his hands. A few minutes later, her damp hair was completely dry.
"Thank you!" Kurenai said happily. Every time Hoshikawa dried her hair, she felt closer to him, as if they were a married couple. The thought made her both shy and excited.
Hoshikawa then moved behind Rin. The warm breeze flowed through her hair. Rin lowered her head, feeling the new sensation.
"All done." Hoshikawa patted her head a couple of times before pulling his hand away.
"Thank you," Rin said gratefully, not thinking too much about it.
"We still have some time, so I'm going to look for some wild game," Hoshikawa said, looking at the sky.
"I'll come with you!" Kurenai said immediately.
"Be careful," Tsunade warned. "Don't go too far."
"Got it," Hoshikawa nodded. Kurenai stood up, took his hand, and walked out of the camp.
Tsunade watched them, her mind in a thoughtful state. They had grown up together, and it was likely they would marry in the future. But for some reason, she didn't feel much joy at the thought. Am I reluctant to let the kid go? Tsunade shook her head, putting such distant thoughts out of her mind.
"Tsunade-sensei," Rin said after a few moments of hesitation. "I want to learn how to fight, too."
"You're very kind," Tsunade said, understanding her thought process. "Alright, then. From now on, whenever we have time, I'll teach you taijutsu in addition to medical ninjutsu."
Because of how difficult medical ninjutsu was, medical ninjas rarely had the time or energy to learn anything else. But it was certainly better to learn if she could, as it would give her the ability to defend herself.
"Thank you, Tsunade-sensei," Rin said, relieved.
"It's nothing," Tsunade said with a smile. "Improving a medical ninja's strength is a good thing for the entire team."
"I'll work hard!" Rin nodded with all her might.
"We're back!" Kurenai's voice came from the distance. "Rin, look what we caught!"
"Oh! A cute white rabbit!" Rin exclaimed, looking at the two rabbits in Kurenai's hands.
"Here's one for you," Kurenai said, handing a rabbit to her. Rin hugged it and immediately started stroking its head.
"It's cute, but we're going to eat it in the end," Hoshikawa said, taking out a kunai. Although Rin was sad to see it go, she handed the rabbit to him without a moment of hesitation.
Soon, the delicious smell of roasted meat filled the air. Rin instinctively swallowed. Ever since she had breakfast at Tsunade's house, she had realized that Hoshikawa was an amazing chef; no matter what he made, it was delicious.
"Here you go," Hoshikawa said, beginning to hand out the roasted rabbit. The first piece went to Tsunade, the second to Kurenai, and the third to Rin. Everything was arranged just so.
After their outdoor barbecue, the four of them sat around the fire, chatting. But for the most part, it was Tsunade who did the talking, teaching them about what she had learned throughout her life as a ninja. This knowledge was her own experience, which couldn't be learned at the academy.
An hour later, Tsunade's mind stirred. She slammed her hand on the ground. A toad appeared in a cloud of smoke and delivered the intel on Shun'en's location.
"Time to sleep. We're leaving tomorrow," Tsunade said, standing up. Since they didn't have clients anymore, there was no need to stand watch. Hoshikawa lay in his sleeping bag, listening to the gentle breathing of the three beautiful girls nearby as he slowly drifted off to sleep.
A new day dawned.
After breakfast, the four of them began running. A toad, the size of a fist, sat on Tsunade's shoulder and guided them.
"I've sensed four ninjas," Hoshikawa said, stopping suddenly. "One of them has an incredible amount of chakra."
"Looks like she really is an Uzumaki survivor. This mission is about rescuing her," Tsunade said, nodding slightly. "I'll handle the jōnin. Hoshikawa and Kurenai, you handle the rest. Rin, your job is to get her out of there."
"Yes!" The three of them replied in unison.
"Don't be nervous," Tsunade said, looking at Kurenai and Rin with a smile. "Just show them what you're capable of." As for Hoshikawa , he was already a seasoned veteran, his expression completely calm.
Soon, four ninjas came into view. Tsunade's gaze immediately fell on the red-haired woman at the end of the line. She looked about the same age as Kushina, with a delicate face and bite marks on her skin. Tsunade could tell the kind of abuse she had suffered, and her anger began to boil. Her face went cold.
"Let's go!"
Before Hoshikawa and the others could react, she rushed forward.
"Enemy attack!" Shun'en, as a jōnin, heard the sound of rushing air and quickly shouted.
Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall! He slammed his hands on the ground, and an earth wall rose up. But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, the wall was instantly shattered into a million pieces.
"What?!" Shun'en's eyes widened. Before he could make a move, a single fist slammed into his face.
Blood splattered everywhere. His head simply exploded.
The remaining three ninjas from Kusagakure froze on the spot, completely unable to react to the instantaneous death of their leader.
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