Evening, in the kitchen.
Tsunade leaned against the refrigerator door, watching Minato chop vegetables. Suddenly, she spoke, "You little rascal, you did this on purpose, didn't you?"
"Why do you say that, Teacher?"
As if he'd anticipated Tsunade's reaction, Minato didn't pause in his movements. He casually gathered the chopped vegetables onto a plate before turning to face her.
Seeing his calm response, Tsunade's suspicions were confirmed, and she sighed.
"Three men, over twenty wounds, and not a single one is fatal. If it weren't for the loss of life force, we could even classify them as minor injuries."
"Why couldn't that be the result of your Wood Clone's efforts to minimize damage?"
"Because you're the most exceptional genius I've ever seen. Something like being caught by the ankle and immobilized—whether it's you or even just a Wood Clone—could never happen."
Tsunade's tone was complex. Minato's composed demeanor made her realize she might not understand her disciple as well as she thought.
Over the past two months, Minato had always given her the impression of being kind and gentle, yet firm and sharp when necessary.
Today's events had completely taken her by surprise.
"Was today's training session outside also a way to justify what happened? Why did you do this?"
Tsunade didn't immediately fly into a rage. Instead, she stared at Minato in bewilderment. "Why didn't you just beat them up? Why go so far?"
"How could a simple beating satisfy my anger? Seeing them lying in the hospital room... it's a delight to my mind and body." Minato chuckled softly. "Besides, I gave them chances. I never sought trouble; they provoked me repeatedly. People must pay for their actions, don't you agree?"
"To be honest, if I weren't my Teacher's disciple, the consequences might have been far worse. Or perhaps... my original intent was to cause more severe damage. I only held back out of respect for my Teacher's teachings."
Kill the snake or it will bite you.
He didn't care if they were children. As a transmigrator, failing to nip threats in the bud would be dereliction of duty.
"You..."
Tsunade's face was a mask of disbelief. She had expected Minato to offer some flimsy excuse, even if it was a stretch, she would have found a way to justify it. She never imagined he would be so brutally honest!
Tsunade frowned slightly, not because she disapproved of Minato standing up to bullies, but because she worried that her disciple might be blinded by extreme and violent impulses.
"Teacher, spare me the 'village is family' talk. I don't care who or why—they're my enemies the moment they attack me."
Sensing Tsunade's concern, Minato let out an almost imperceptible sigh.
"Helping others is my moral compass, but honestly, if Konoha were blown to smithereens, I wouldn't care a whit. The only person I care about is you, Teacher!"
"!!!"
Hearing this, Tsunade, who had been conflicted moments before, suddenly felt her heart skip a beat.
Before she could react, Minato continued:
"Nawaki, Kushina!"
"..."
Tsunade's mood plummeted like a roller coaster, leaving her feeling inexplicably flustered. She couldn't help but pinch Minato's cheek. "You haven't even spent much time with Kushina! How did she become someone you care about?"
"Huh? We're family now, aren't we?" Minato mumbled vaguely. "When I first arrived, you and Nawaki were kind to me too, right?"
"Then tell me!" Tsunade's cheeks flushed as she demanded, "Who do you care about more—me or Kushina?"
"..."
What a death question!
Minato answered without hesitation: "Of course, Teacher!"
From a closeness perspective, that was true. Although he felt a CP (couple) bonus towards Kushina from the original story, he had spent more time with Tsunade.
Moreover, he had been twenty years old in his previous life, so he naturally preferred someone like Tsunade, a mature woman.
Besides, Kushina was only five years old. Even with the CP bonus, she was just a little kid in his eyes.
"Hmph, that's more like it~"
Satisfied with his answer, Tsunade released her grip on Minato's cheek. She stood with her hands on her hips, her tsundere pose, but she couldn't suppress the smile that crept across her face.
"I never realized it before, but you're quite the schemer, you little rascal!"
"Does Teacher not like it?"
Minato tilted his head slightly, looking utterly innocent.
Sensing the contrast between his appearance and his cunning, Tsunade felt a gentle poke in her heart, accompanied by an indescribable excitement.
"I don't mind it, exactly. If you were as naive as Nawaki, I'd be more worried. But your methods are too extreme. Just as you care about me, I care about you, which is why I worry you'll stray down a dangerous path."
Tsunade stroked Minato's head of fluffy blonde hair, her voice softening.
Minato nodded. Tsunade was still pressing down on his forehead. Well, I'll just agree for now and figure out the rest later.
"You seem half-hearted about this," Tsunade said, leaning down to look him in the eye. "Remember, your teacher cares about you too!"
She emphasized "cares," leaving out any other implications.
Staring into her bright, lovely face, Minato suddenly felt a strange emotion stir within him. He realized then that his feelings toward Tsunade weren't entirely innocent.
Coincidentally, as Tsunade leaned forward, a glimpse of snow-white skin peeked out from her neckline.
Noticing the pale expanse out of the corner of his eye, Minato averted his gaze awkwardly.
Tsunade noticed his reaction and glanced down, a playful glint flashing in her eyes.
"You're quite the little pervert..." she teased.
She turned Minato's face toward hers and gently kissed his forehead. The brief touch lasted only a moment, yet it felt like an eternity.
"Alright, now hurry up and cook. I'm starving."
Tsunade stood up, waved dismissively, and left, leaving Minato standing frozen in place.
Returning to her room, Tsunade eagerly pulled out a scroll.
[ Yin Seal ]
This was a sealing technique passed down through the Uzumaki Clan, which she had inherited from her grandmother, Uzumaki Mito.
The unique feature of this technique was its ability to break the restriction that refined chakra cannot be stored. It allowed the user to release stored chakra at critical moments.
Moreover, by regulating the chakra, it could keep the body in its peak condition.
Tsunade had originally intended to use this technique as a foundation to develop a method that would allow medical ninjas to fight, and she had already achieved some results, proving the feasibility of her project.
But now, she suddenly felt that developing it slowly was a waste of time.
"I should focus on mastering the Yin Seal first," she murmured to herself, her gaze rapidly scanning the scroll as if in a trance. "After all, practice makes perfect. And in battle, it'll give me another tool..."
She had reviewed the scroll's contents countless times, already knowing it by heart. Yet, for safety's sake, she read it through again.
One year!
With her Senju Clan's chakra, she could master the Yin Seal in at most one year!
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