Chapter 160: The Proposal
Jiraiya's face was flushed red as he sat in his seat, staring at the mess of plates and cups before him. Masahiko also looked grave, forcing out a sentence: "Tsunade, Kushina, let's go."
Tsunade smiled awkwardly and walked out of the BBQ restaurant with the others. Masahiko let out a long sigh of relief, the expression on his face relaxing.
"Jiraiya has improved quite a bit. In another two years, he probably won't be so easy to bully."
Tsunade shook her head with a bitter smile, just as Jiraiya's scream came from behind them.
"Old Monster! Didn't you say you were treating?!"
Masahiko, who had already walked far away, pursed his lips and muttered, "Who told you to eat so much..."
Masahiko felt that the five of them combined didn't eat as much as Jiraiya alone. Although Masahiko wasn't short on money, it still pained his heart...
"Little Tsunade, I brought Nawaki back. Aren't you going to go see him?"
Tsunade paused for a moment, then nodded. "Kushina, want to go back together?"
"Then, Great-Grandpa, I'm leaving too." Kushina left with Tsunade. Seeing this, Minato also bid farewell to Masahiko.
Only Masahiko and Orochimaru remained in the area. Masahiko sighed helplessly. "If you keep looking at me like that, believe it or not, I'll gouge those snake eyes of yours out."
Orochimaru shook his head. "Senior, I have things to do, so I will take my leave as well."
"Wait..." Masahiko stopped him. "Pursuing a longer life is understandable; everyone wants to live forever. But don't turn yourself into something that is neither human nor ghost." Masahiko had always felt uncomfortable about the Living Corpse Reincarnation technique, so he didn't leave with Tsunade just to say this one thing.
Orochimaru nodded. "Senior, I am no longer interested in eternal life."
After saying that, he turned and left, leaving Masahiko standing stiffly in place.
"Not interested in eternal life... He's not interested in me now, is he?" Masahiko felt slightly creeped out.
"Doesn't matter. He can't do anything to me anyway."
This trip to Konoha had been perfect. The relationship issue between Kushina and Minato that Masahiko was concerned about had been resolved, albeit in a messy way, but Masahiko tolerated it. Nagato was over five years old, approaching the time for ninja initiation. Masahiko planned to say goodbye to Mito and return to the Land of Whirlpools.
Moreover, the Kunai Cutting Machine was about to be completed. It was better for him not to personally participate and leave only a Shadow Clone behind.
Unexpectedly, just as he was saying goodbye, Tsunade stopped him.
"Great-Great-Grandpa, there is something I want to discuss with you."
Masahiko nodded. "Speak directly. What is it?"
Tsunade hesitated. "Can Nawaki sign the contract with the Slugs?"
Masahiko paused, then smiled. "I already gave you the scroll. You can let anyone you want sign it. I didn't let Nawaki sign it before because he was too young and couldn't use it for the time being."
"After training with me for the past six months, his improvement has been decent. With a bit of luck, he might pass the Jonin exam. Letting him sign it is fine."
"However, regarding Sage Mode, he is still far off. It's not time for him to train in that yet."
At this point, Masahiko paused. He looked at Tsunade's forehead; the diamond-shaped marking was already there. Not long ago, she had officially learned the Yin Seal from Mito.
"Speaking of Sage Mode, you could try training for it. Since the war is over, how about I send you to Shikkotsu Forest for a while?"
Masahiko also wanted to see what it would look like if Tsunade could successfully master Sage Mode.
Tsunade hesitated. "Great-Great-Grandpa, can we wait a while? I still have something to do in Konoha."
"I have always wanted to propose adding a medical ninja to every squad, but because we were in a fierce battle with the Hidden Sand, there was never a chance. Now that the war is over, I want to try asking Sensei..."
Masahiko frowned. Tsunade's words jogged his memory. He remembered that in the original story, this was indeed the case. Tsunade wanted to add a medical ninja to the squads, but everyone opposed it. Only Dan Kato supported her, which led to them falling in love.
"The timing is a bit off..." Masahiko muttered. "Why does it seem two years later than in the original story?"
Not far away, Nawaki walked over.
"Great-Great-Grandpa, I heard you're leaving?" The joy on his face was unconcealable.
"That's right, Nawaki!" Masahiko muttered, understanding dawning in his heart. In the original story, Tsunade likely proposed this idea urgently because of Nawaki's death.
"Great-Great-Grandpa, are you really leaving?" Nawaki asked again.
Masahiko glanced at him, speechless inside.
"You're that happy I'm leaving?"
"It's not that," Nawaki stammered, retracting his joyful expression. "Can I go back with you?"
Masahiko's expression turned strange. What's the situation...
Nawaki suddenly looked up. "Great-Great-Grandpa, please train me more seriously!"
The hot-blooded and proactive look left Masahiko stunned for a moment.
"Are you... pumped up on something?"
Nawaki looked happy. "I fought that damn Fugaku Uchiha again recently. Although I didn't win, I didn't lose either!"
"If you train me for a while longer, I'll be able to beat him!"
Masahiko was helpless. Fugaku Uchiha had been a Jonin for two years. He could imagine the scene of Nawaki's so-called "didn't lose"—turtling up with various Earth Release defensive jutsu. An average person really wouldn't know what to do against that.
Masahiko hesitated. Since he had to train Nagato anyway, teaching Nawaki for a while longer wouldn't hurt.
"Fine. Wait a few days, and I'll take you back!" Masahiko agreed. He planned to stay for a few days to see if he could get some Witness Points from Tsunade.
Therefore, when Tsunade went to the Hokage's office to propose adding medical ninjas to squads, Masahiko tagged along.
"Elder Masahiko, is this your opinion as well?" Unexpectedly, after hearing Tsunade out, Hiruzen immediately asked Masahiko.
Masahiko smiled. "The Hokage is wise and resourceful; how would I dare have an opinion?" He was still brooding over the Kushina matter.
Hiruzen smiled bitterly. "Tsunade, I understand what you mean. We can let some squads try it out first."
Since it wasn't wartime and wouldn't cause casualties, Hiruzen didn't reject it outright.
"However, this means you need to train more medical ninjas, Tsunade..."
"Leave it to me!" Tsunade nodded with satisfaction.
"There's no rush for that," Masahiko interjected. "With the war over, there will likely be a long period of peace. Tsunade, you can go to Shikkotsu Forest to train first."
Ever since the idea struck him that Tsunade might master Sage Mode, he had been somewhat impatient.
Tsunade hesitated, then nodded. "Then, Sensei, I'll be away for a while."
Hiruzen was stunned. "Is it to learn Lord First's Sage Mode?"
Masahiko nodded. "You want to learn? Your innate conditions aren't good enough." As he spoke, he shook his head.
Hiruzen smiled bitterly, feeling that he had thoroughly offended Masahiko...
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