Chapter 112: Sensei Cooks for Me Today
"Yes, I did get back pretty late today."
Tsunade walked to the couch, taking off her tea-green jacket to reveal her sleeveless shirt.
Hoshikawa 's eyes were drawn to her fair arms and the curve along the side of her top.
"Perfect!" Tsunade snapped her fingers. "You can be my taste tester."
"Huh?" Hoshikawa froze for a moment before his expression shifted to one of pure terror. "Oh, no, that's not necessary!"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Tsunade's face hardened as she noticed his reaction. "You don't want to eat my cooking? Are you saying my food is bad?"
"No, that's not it at all!" Hoshikawa shook his head vehemently, thinking fast. "Sensei, you just got home. You should rest first."
"I'm not tired," she said, tossing him her jacket. "Just put this in my room. I'll go make dinner. It's been a while, I wonder if my skills have gotten rusty."
Hoshikawa wanted to protest but held his tongue, finally just agreeing.
"Let's see… what should I make?" Tsunade muttered to herself as she headed into the kitchen.
"This is it," Hoshikawa sighed, a feeling of dread washing over him. He was already preparing for a stomach ache; he just hoped Tsunade didn't get any wild ideas about trying a new recipe. If she stuck to something like tempura, it would probably be edible.
Hoshikawa got up, holding her still-warm tea-green jacket, and walked to her room. Opening the door, he was met with a faint, pleasant scent. He stepped inside and glanced at the bed, his eyelids twitching at the sight of her intimate clothing lying about. Does she really not put her underwear away properly? He decided not to touch it, simply placing her jacket on the edge of the bed.
He went back to the living room and sat on the couch, feeling like a condemned prisoner waiting for his execution at high noon.
After what felt like an eternity, Tsunade emerged from the kitchen. Hoshikawa got up and walked to the dining table. He took a look at the food. The good news: it looked good. The bad news: it was a new dish.
"Teriyaki chicken thighs and a tofu and vegetable soup. It's going to be absolutely delicious!" Tsunade declared with full confidence.
"I'll give it a try," Hoshikawa said, picking up his chopsticks with a hint of skepticism and grabbing a piece of chicken.
"Well? What do you think?" Tsunade leaned forward, her "volumes" resting on the table.
"It's... a little salty," Hoshikawa said, gulping.
"I did that on purpose!" Tsunade said, her face completely straight. "I knew it would be a bit salty, so I made a clear soup to go with it."
Hoshikawa didn't believe her for a second. Who intentionally makes their food too salty? You clearly just messed up the measurements. But with her, size was logic. He glanced at her fist, which was the size of a sandbag, and decided to hold his tongue for now. He had to eat for the sake of the child in him. He picked up his rice bowl and shoveled in a couple of mouthfuls.
"I want to learn the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique," Hoshikawa said, a thought suddenly occurring to him.
"How do you know about that jutsu?" Tsunade asked, surprised.
"Shinku-ojisan told me," Hoshikawa explained. "He said the Second Hokage used it, that it was a really powerful genjutsu, but that he wasn't qualified to learn it."
"It's true, it was Grandpa Tobirama's genjutsu," Tsunade said, not dwelling on it. "That's not a problem. I'll talk to the old man tomorrow."
"Would the Hokage just give away a jutsu like that?" Hoshikawa asked, taking a sip of soup.
"Of course not," Tsunade chuckled, a hint of pride in her voice. "Under normal circumstances, you'd have to earn it with a huge achievement. But congratulations, you have a good teacher."
As one of the Sannin and the world's greatest medical-ninja, she had accumulated far too much merit. Hoshikawa might not be able to get the jutsu himself, but she could. The same logic applied to Minato Namikaze. The reason he, at such a young age, could learn the S-rank Flying Thunder God Technique was not just his talent, but mainly because he was Jiraiya's student.
"You're the best, Sensei!" Hoshikawa said in a flat, monotone voice.
"That wasn't emotional enough. Do it again!" Tsunade said, her face stern.
"You're too strict, Sensei," Hoshikawa said, picking up another piece of chicken. "Do I really need to say more about my admiration for you?"
"You and your slick talk!" Tsunade laughed.
"Just the truth." Hoshikawa 's expression was dead serious.
"Well, then, will you come with me to the casino tomorrow?" Tsunade's eyes sparkled as she asked with a sly smile.
"No way," Hoshikawa shook his head. "I'm too busy. I'm already the most famous medical-ninja at Konoha Hospital."
"The most famous medical-ninja? Isn't that me?" Tsunade rested her chin in her hands.
"That was in the past," Hoshikawa couldn't help but retort. "Do you even remember the last time you went to the Konoha Hospital?"
"Let's not talk about that," Tsunade said, clearing her throat. "How are your medical ninjutsu studies coming along?"
"I've already mastered the Mystical Palm Technique and the Chakra Scalpel," Hoshikawa replied.
"That fast?" Tsunade was stunned.
"Yeah, I guess it wasn't too fast," Hoshikawa said calmly.
Tsunade shot him a glare. The kid could be seriously annoying sometimes. Although she was known as the greatest medical-ninja in the world, at his age, she was a step behind him. If she couldn't compare, then what about the other medical-ninja? Tsunade couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy, realizing that he was catching up to her so quickly.
"I'm full," Hoshikawa said, getting up. "I'll do the dishes."
Tsunade just watched him, then walked over to the couch and plopped down. She closed her eyes and crossed her legs, looking completely relaxed.
After washing the dishes, Hoshikawa didn't linger. He said goodbye to Tsunade and went back to Kurenai's house.
The new week began.
The hot weather made the students in the classroom drowsy. Hoshikawa wiped the sweat from his forehead. He swore that when he became Hokage, he would install air conditioning in all the classrooms. The giant fan on the ceiling was completely useless.
The bell rang, signaling the end of class.
"One more thing," Ron'ichirō said, putting away his textbook and remembering something. "For those of you who want to graduate early, remember to submit your applications." He left, and the classroom immediately came back to life.
"Rin, are you going to graduate early?" Obito Uchiha asked nervously. "Maybe we should wait until sixth grade to graduate." He knew Hoshikawa and the others planned to graduate in fifth grade, and he didn't care for himself, but he was afraid of not being on the same team as Rin. Even if they weren't on the same team, Rin definitely couldn't be on a team with Hoshikawa .
"I've pretty much learned all I can from school," Rin Nohara said, nodding slightly. "I'm going to graduate in fifth grade."
"Ah... then I guess I'll apply too," Obito said, scratching his head. The worst-case scenario probably won't happen that easily, right?
"Okay," Rin said with a smile. "We'll do it together."
"Maybe we'll even be on the same team!" Obito's mood instantly brightened.
"Let's hurry and write them. We still have to go to the hospital to see Kakashi later," Rin reminded him.
"What's so great about seeing Kakashi?" Obito said with a hint of reluctance. With Kakashi in the hospital, he and Rin were the only ones at their desk. He wished Kakashi would stay in the hospital for a few more days.
"Obito, you shouldn't say that," Rin said, handing him a piece of paper.
"Fine, I get it," Obito said, quickly starting to write his application.
A few minutes later, a group of people gathered at the classroom door.
"Give them all to me. I'll hand them in for you," Hoshikawa said, glancing around.
"Here," Kurenai Yūhi said, being the first to hand hers over. Might Guy, Asuma Sarutobi, and Rin followed suit.
"What about Kakashi?" Rin asked, a little worried.
"Don't worry," Hoshikawa said with a smile. "I already wrote an application for him."
"You're always so thoughtful," Rin said, a smile spreading across her face.
Kurenai looked between the two, feeling like something was a little off.
"Hurry up and go! We'll wait for you," Obito said, stepping in front of Rin.
Hoshikawa nodded slightly and turned to go to Ron'ichirō's office.
Ron'ichirō wasn't surprised by their applications at all. In his eyes, Hoshikawa , Kakashi Hatake, and Asuma Sarutobi could have graduated a long time ago.
Ron'ichirō organized the applications into a binder and headed to the Hokage's office.
"Ah, Ron'ichirō," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, taking a puff from his pipe and smiling. "Long time no see."
"I'm surprised you still remember me," Ron'ichirō said, flattered.
"You've been doing a great job," Hiruzen said with a chuckle. "Asuma talks about you all the time."
"It's my duty," Ron'ichirō said, stepping forward. "Lord Hokage, here's the list of fifth-year Class A students applying for early graduation."
Hiruzen took the list and scanned it, nodding in satisfaction. This class was of an unexpectedly high quality.
"You may go now," Hiruzen said, waving his hand. He needed to think carefully about how to form their teams and who their jōnin sensei would be. Although they hadn't officially graduated yet, their strength made it an inevitability.
"Yes, sir," Ron'ichirō bowed slightly and turned to leave.
Hiruzen had just picked up his pen when he heard a loud bang.
"Old man!" Tsunade shouted without a hint of politeness.
Hiruzen sighed helplessly. "What do you want now?"
"Nothing much," Tsunade said, getting straight to the point. "Hoshikawa wants to learn the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique."
"The Bringer-of-Darkness Technique?" Hiruzen asked, a bit surprised. "Does he have the time and energy to learn that?" He was well aware of what had been happening with Hoshikawa at the hospital lately. After all, to become a lead surgeon at Konoha Hospital, you needed the Hokage's approval.
"Geniuses don't have to follow rules," Tsunade said, waving her hand dismissively. "Stop with the nonsense. You gave Minato the Flying Thunder God Technique, so what's there to consider about the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique?"
"I never said I wouldn't give it to him," Hiruzen said, his mouth twitching. "Hoshikawa just applied for graduation. Let's just consider it a graduation gift from me."
"That's more like it," Tsunade said, nodding slightly. She then added, "Hoshikawa 's teammates will be Kurenai and Rin, and I'll be their team leader."
"Kurenai is a good choice," Hiruzen said, frowning. "But maybe you should reconsider Rin?" In his opinion, with Hoshikawa 's strength, he deserved a better teammate. He had originally planned to put Asuma or Kakashi on his team. After all, skilled medical-ninja like Hoshikawa were rare and could greatly increase his teammates' survival rate.
"That's final," Tsunade said, her tone unyielding. "It's non-negotiable."
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