Chapter 289: Tsunade: Teach Me Again
"Why is he not here yet? Is he still not awake?"
Tsunade glanced at the clock. The hour hand pointed at twelve, and the minute hand had already passed halfway.
Mugetsu had arrived around this time for the past two days, so she naturally assumed he would show up at a similar hour today.
"Teacher Mugetsu does not seem like the type to sleep until noon," Shizune said. In her mind, Mugetsu was definitely different from Tsunade.
"What is wrong with waking up at noon? There is nothing to do anyway, so what does it matter when you wake up?"
Hearing the implied criticism, Tsunade's eyes narrowed. She extended her evil hands and clamped them down on Shizune's cheeks.
"Mmph…"
Shizune wanted to say that sleeping until noon meant losing a third of the day, but Tsunade's kneading assault turned her words into muffled sounds.
By the time one o'clock came and went with still no sign of Mugetsu, Tsunade simply started teaching Shizune instead.
"You were still working on the Mystical Palm Technique, right?" Tsunade asked.
"Mm." Shizune nodded.
At two thirty, Mugetsu finally stepped into the courtyard, carrying a small box.
"Lady Tsunade," Mugetsu greeted with a smile, setting the box down beside Tsunade and Shizune.
Tsunade had just finished lecturing and was resting. She gave a simple nod, then opened the box without ceremony.
Shizune, standing to the side, saw the pastries inside and her eyes immediately lit up.
Tsunade casually picked up a piece, popped it into her mouth, and nodded. Even someone like her, who did not particularly care for sweets, had to admit that Mugetsu's skills in the kitchen were impressive.
"Eat. I brought them for you anyway," Mugetsu said to Shizune with a gentle smile.
Having received permission, Shizune looked at Mugetsu with grateful eyes and began to eat as well.
She had originally planned to save some for the evening or the next day, but Tsunade's steady, relentless movements shattered that plan. There was no way to store any for later. If Shizune did not eat them now, Tsunade would.
"Lady Tsunade, I will be studying for four hours today. I apologize for the trouble," Mugetsu said once Tsunade finished eating, handing her four hundred thousand ryo.
"Then let us begin."
Tsunade took the money and tossed it to Shizune without even looking at it.
She did not ask why Mugetsu was only doing four hours today. He might not be as free as she was, and it was normal to be delayed by other matters.
For the next four hours, the quiet courtyard was filled only with the sounds of explanation and questions. The knowledge Tsunade shared was too advanced for Shizune for now, but Shizune still pretended to listen carefully so as not to disturb the mood, taking notes on everything she could not yet follow.
After the lesson, Mugetsu cooked dinner for Tsunade and Shizune as usual, then left them with a small preview.
"Besides Beggar's Chicken, I actually know another way to cook chicken that is very delicious. It is just a little spicy," Mugetsu said after the meal.
At those words, Tsunade silently swallowed the "do not come again tomorrow" that had been right on the tip of her tongue.
The Beggar's Chicken Mugetsu made was the best chicken she had ever eaten. That afternoon, she and Shizune had even tried to recreate it themselves. The result was edible and not bad, but it was not the same at all. It lacked that sensation of complete relaxation, from body to spirit.
"After I eat tomorrow's chicken dish, I will definitely tell him not to come again!" Tsunade swore to herself.
There was no doubt that Mugetsu's presence was seriously interfering with her lazy lifestyle.
Teaching a student like Shizune was easy. Tsunade could answer most questions without thinking and then leave Shizune to practice on her own.
Mugetsu was different. Some of his questions forced her to think seriously.
When Mugetsu left, Shizune stood at the gate, waving goodbye with clear reluctance.
"Goodbye, Teacher Mugetsu."
To Shizune, Mugetsu was simply too good. Not only did he give her desserts, he also cooked delicious meals for them for free.
Mugetsu responded with his usual gentle smile, then left the courtyard under their gaze.
Watching her disciple continue staring at Mugetsu's retreating back, Tsunade chopped Shizune lightly on the head and folded her arms.
"Still looking? He is already gone. A few meals and you like him that much?"
"It is not because of the food. It is because Teacher Mugetsu is a really good person," Shizune protested, covering her head, her cheeks faintly red.
"Not just me. Everyone in Fourth Grade really likes Teacher Mugetsu."
The next day, since she had not been drinking, Tsunade woke up earlier than usual, at ten in the morning.
For Tsunade, though, waking earlier only made things worse. It just meant she had to wait longer to eat Mugetsu's cooking.
Shizune, on the other hand, was delighted. She even dared to hope that Tsunade might return to a healthy routine of waking up around eight.
"I should have just slept until six thirty in the evening…" Tsunade muttered, glancing at the clock. It was one o'clock, and Mugetsu still had not arrived.
"If you really slept that late, we definitely would not get to eat Teacher Mugetsu's cooking," Shizune said. "He would see you sleeping, feel disappointed, and leave without cooking."
In Shizune's mind, Mugetsu's cooking was a kind of reward for Tsunade's teaching. If Tsunade did not teach but still wanted to eat his food, would that not be taking advantage?
Tsunade thought about it and had to admit Shizune had a point. If she did not teach, how could she expect Mugetsu to stay?
Today, Mugetsu arrived even later than the day before. It was not until four in the afternoon that he finally appeared in the courtyard.
"You little slacker, you are so late today. I absolutely refuse to use my evening time to teach you," Tsunade said, clearly unhappy.
"I am sorry, Lady Tsunade. Only two hours of teaching time will be enough today," Mugetsu apologized, then handed her two hundred thousand ryo.
Mugetsu was more than strong enough to take on high level missions and earn a large commission, but he had no intention of trading too much training time for money. With Ninja School about to start, he also did not have that much cash left.
Of course, this was also part of his plan.
"Oh… I see."
Tsunade was taken aback. The vague irritation in her chest dissipated on its own.
If Mugetsu had only planned to study for two hours today, then arriving at four really was not a problem. Even four thirty would have been acceptable.
After three consecutive days of teaching him for four to six hours at a time, two hours felt like nothing. The time went by quickly, and she was not tired at all.
Tsunade still tried to secretly learn his cooking, so she brought Shizune along to watch Mugetsu in the kitchen again.
Today's chicken, she felt, might have an even richer flavor. She watched Mugetsu marinate, fry, and stir fry, the steps clearly more involved than before.
In truth, Tsunade was already starving by the time the chicken was done frying. After the stir frying, her impatience only grew.
"This dish is called Spicy Chicken. For people who like spicy food, it may be even better than Beggar's Chicken," Mugetsu said with a simple introduction as he set it on the table.
Tsunade ignored his explanation. She would know whether it was good the moment she ate it.
Looking at the heap of dried red chili peppers, she had to admit the name Spicy Chicken fit perfectly.
Drawn by the fragrance, Tsunade picked up a piece of chicken, popped it into her mouth, and chewed. In that instant, she felt as if her whole body had sunk into a warm hot spring, a deep comfort soaking into every limb.
"Mugetsu, with cooking skills like this, you would definitely make a fortune if you opened a restaurant. You would earn more than you do as a ninja," Tsunade said, trying to persuade him to open a place and make it easier for her to eat his food regularly.
"Cooking is just a small hobby for me. I do not want it to become my job," Mugetsu said frankly. He made it clear it was impossible.
Tsunade wrestled with herself a long time but still could not bring herself to say, "Mugetsu, do not come anymore."
She still wanted to eat his Beggar's Chicken and Spicy Chicken.
Fine. I will teach him for one last day tomorrow. Absolutely the last time.
That was what she told herself.
Tsunade kept her thoughts to herself, but Mugetsu spoke first instead.
"Lady Tsunade, I have something to take care of tomorrow, so I probably will not have time to come and study with you. You do not need to wait in the afternoon."
"Who do you think I am? I am Tsunade of the Sannin. As if I would sit at home waiting for you to come study. I am only here to teach Shizune," Tsunade said, sounding displeased.
"Mm. Thank you for your guidance today, Lady Tsunade."
Mugetsu was not bothered by her tone. He smiled gently, said his goodbyes, and left.
Watching him go, Shizune said regretfully, "It is a shame. We will not get to eat Teacher Mugetsu's cooking tomorrow."
"What is there to regret? Tomorrow I will take you to a high class restaurant, and we will use his money to pay," Tsunade said lightly.
She did not break her word.
The next day, she woke up around noon and took Shizune to one of Konoha's high class restaurants.
"I really do not know how they dare to charge so much when it is not even as good as what an amateur can cook," Tsunade grumbled, looking at the dishes covering the table.
She had ordered the most expensive items on the menu, but not a single dish gave her the feeling Mugetsu's cooking did. She did not even think they were one fifth as good as his.
"Maybe Teacher Mugetsu's cooking is just too delicious," Shizune said. In her eyes, the restaurant's food was still far better than anything she could make.
In the afternoon, Tsunade still held on to a sliver of hope that Mugetsu might finish his business early and come to study anyway.
From what she had observed over the past few days, he was someone who trained with extreme diligence, the kind of person who would seize every chance to grow stronger.
But as she watched the clock tick past hour after hour and the hand finally came to rest on seven, Mugetsu still had not appeared.
"The attitude of young shinobi these days is really poor. They do not even know how to grasp opportunities to improve themselves," Tsunade muttered. In her eyes, the next generation in Konoha was a bit worrying.
"Lady Tsunade, Teacher Mugetsu just had something to do. That does not mean all the young ninja in the village are like that," Shizune said quietly, trying to defend him.
Tsunade glared at her. Were her inner thoughts something to be repeated out loud?
For the first time in a long while, Tsunade suddenly felt that time was crawling.
She could not help wishing that tomorrow would come faster.
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