Time passed quickly, and even Tsunade herself couldn't believe it had already been fifteen days. She had spent the entire time practicing sword swings in utter monotony, and it was probably due to Hatake Saku's incessant chatter that time seemed to pass slower than expected.
Tsunade had once, out of curiosity, wanted to become the hero who would remove the limiter on her strength. However, with her lack of willpower, she had given up within three days and returned to her lazy, system-assisted life.
Saving the world was better left for someone else to carry out. She just needed to think about how to stay safe in this dangerous world.
After all, the main character in the 'original' story surely wouldn't fail to be born, right?
Anyway, today was the eighteenth day after the second exam, with only twelve days remaining until the third round of the Chūnin Exams. Hatake Saku had suddenly decided to give Tsunade a break for the day and had taken away her training staff. With nothing to do, Tsunade found herself feeling strangely bored.
In this post-war era, entertainment seemed to be lacking. The GBA system she managed to obtain from the system had only one game, Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, which she had already completed countless times.
Today, after completing it again, Tsunade tossed the GBA aside and left the room.
"Where did the Husky go?"
She asked her maid, who was busy tidying up. Tsunade suddenly realized she hadn't seen the Husky around for a while. Unlike before, when the Husky always stayed close to her, it had been leaving early every morning.
The maid paused for a moment, then flushed a little before shyly answering, "The... Husky... Mr. Husky left early this morning, saying he was going to scout the enemy."
"Has he been doing this lately?"
Tsunade looked thoughtful. She did care about the Husky, though not because she liked the dog itself, but because of the system it came with.
After all, over a month ago, the Husky hadn't even existed in this world. It had appeared the moment Tsunade completed stage II of her "I Want to Be the Top Student – III" task, and it was the first true sentient creature to be generated by the system.
The Husky didn't belong to this world; unlike the world's summon animals, it wasn't from any place in this world. Its home was an empty space, and it refused to go back, declaring its deep affection for this world.
Of course, Tsunade would never admit that the system's "summon creatures are generated based on their host" idea was true.
The maid, not understanding Tsunade's deeper thoughts, simply nodded with a red face after Tsunade's comment.
"Do you know where he's been going?"
At this, the maid quickly shook her head, her face turning a shade of red that resembled ripe apricots.
Tsunade wondered if she could pop the maid's cheek and get juice to come out.
And really, what's she blushing for?
But then a new thought crossed Tsunade's mind, and her face suddenly turned pale. Could it be that the Husky had finally broken through its species' boundaries and started exploring the outside world?
It seemed unlikely, but Tsunade wasn't sure if the Husky could be kept within its own species.
Looking at the maid's awkward expression, Tsunade opened her mouth but ultimately decided not to ask more. Instead, she said, "Wait here. I'll go find it myself," and hurriedly left the house, heading straight for the Katō Daku family's home. Tsunade remembered that Katō Daku's neighbor, "Uncle Hawk," was from the Inuzuka clan. It seemed the Katō family lived near the Inuzuka clan's territory.
The maid, watching Tsunade leave, felt a bit conflicted. Tsunade had asked her to wait, but she had also promised to get some cream, the Husky's favorite, for it. What was she supposed to do now?
Arriving at the Inuzuka clan's territory, Tsunade suddenly realized that she wasn't very familiar with the people from the Inuzuka clan. In fact, there had been some minor friction between them in the past. So, amidst the strange gazes from the Inuzuka clan members, she quickly left and went to the Katō Daku home.
"Eh, Big Brother, you're wearing a kimono again?" Katō Daku said in surprise upon seeing Tsunade.
This wasn't how he remembered Tsunade. While he acknowledged she looked good in a kimono, it seemed odd to him, given the current situation. How was she supposed to fight in a kimono?
Tsunade, dressed in a kimono, had one side of her collar slipping down, revealing her pale shoulder and a glimpse of her chest wrapped in white fabric. In her hand, she held the wooden staff, which was longer than her height, and her golden hair was flowing like a wild storm as she stared menacingly at the person she had decided to "deal with" today. The scene was so surreal that Katō Daku could hardly process it.
Tsunade paused when she heard Katō Daku's words.
She couldn't say it was just a habit, right?
No, it was just to reduce the laundry burden on the maid—Tsunade thought that, in this regard, she was very considerate, always thinking of others. Truly, she was so generous!
So, Tsunade answered, "After all, I am the daughter of the Senju clan's leader. I can't always act like a wild child."
Looking into Tsunade's earnest eyes, Katō Daku wanted to say something, but in the end, he held his tongue.
"No matter what, Big Brother, you're always our Big Brother, and that will never change." Katō Daku placed a hand on his chest and said gently, "You can leave the organization's matters to me!"
"Then, you'll be in charge of the 'Heretic Inquisition FFF Group,'" Tsunade said, patting Katō Daku on the shoulder, "Do your best, I have faith in you."
Although the organization was initially created just for mischief and to complete a task, Tsunade was happy to see someone willingly take on the responsibility, leaving her as just the spiritual leader. After all, Tsunade didn't think she could spend all her time playing with a bunch of kids.
"Big Brother, our organization is called the Gotei 13," Katō Daku softly reminded her.
"I know, so the 'Heretic Inquisition' is the highest authority, fully responsible for the decisions of the Gotei 13," Tsunade responded.
Hearing this, Katō Daku's eyes lit up.
Tsunade secretly wiped the sweat off her brow. She had just randomly come up with the name, not expecting Katō Daku to pick up on it. Luckily, she quickly corrected herself before she embarrassed herself.
"By the way, I came here to ask you a favor," Tsunade continued, before Katō Daku could say anything else. "I'm not too familiar with the Inuzuka clan, and you're their neighbor. Could you go ask if they've seen the Husky?"
"The Husky?" Katō Daku thought for a moment. "I did see him leave the village early this morning, heading in the direction you usually go."
Having learned where the Husky had gone, Tsunade immediately set off toward the training area where she and Jiraiya and Orochimaru often trained. Even though wearing the kimono hindered her movements, she wasn't slow—she had gotten used to moving around in a kimono.
Meanwhile, Tsunade's departure was noticed by Yukari, who had just emerged from the Inuzuka clan's territory with a puppy in her arms. The puppy had the potential to become a ninja dog and had cost her quite a bit of effort to acquire. It turned out that the Inuzuka clan didn't intend to sell any ninja dogs, and Yukari had managed to strike a deal with the Third Hokage to get her hands on it.
Now, seeing Tsunade running toward the training area where Ayame Hashirama and Daruo were, Yukari squinted her eyes.
Since they were headed in the same direction, should she follow?
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PS: Sorry for the unstable updates earlier. There should be no issues starting from today.
(End of Chapter)