[Ding!]
[Attributes Acquired: STR +3, SPD +3, PHY +5]
It was only after being rushed to the infirmary for emergency treatment to stop the bleeding that Tatsuma had the peace of mind to check his gains. He had to admit, Minato was truly the highest-quality "premium sheep"—the rewards he provided were simply unparalleled.
Thinking about the massive boost to his stats, Tatsuma couldn't help but let out an audible chuckle as he lay on the hospital bed, his body wrapped in several layers of bandages.
Suddenly, a strange voice drifted in from the doorway.
"Laughing that happily? What, do you actually enjoy being injured?"
As the words fell, the privacy curtain around his bed was whipped aside. A blonde female ninja appeared in Tatsuma's line of sight. Tatsuma blinked, taking her in for several long seconds before asking with a trace of uncertainty, "Lady Tsunade?"
Tsunade looked slightly surprised that he recognized her, but she didn't overthink it. While her fame hadn't yet reached its legendary, world-shaking peak, she was far from an unknown.
Being the granddaughter of the First Hokage and a disciple of the Third gave her quite the reputation in the shinobi world. For a kid like Tatsuma, who was likely already dreaming of becoming a ninja, knowing her face was perfectly normal.
Tsunade nodded. "I happened to be passing by. That blonde brat outside saw me and practically begged me to treat you."
Tatsuma's eyes widened with genuine pleasant surprise. "Really? You're willing to treat me, Lady Tsunade?"
Tsunade reflexively patted the pocket where she kept her wallet. The money Jiraiya had lent her a few days ago had already been gambled away. She had nothing better to do but head home anyway. She nodded and said, "Yeah. But you still haven't answered my question."
As she spoke, she didn't wait for his reply. A soft, greenish-blue glow of chakra manifested in her palms. As the chakra covered Tatsuma's wounds, he felt a strange, tingling itch spread through his body.
To distract himself from the odd sensation, Tatsuma spoke up. "No one actually likes being hurt. It's just... the feeling of winning is too great. If I can help it, I want to keep winning forever."
Hearing this, a spark of irritation flared in Tsunade's chest for no apparent reason. Is this brat being snarky with me?
She didn't lash out, though. She was a Medical Ninja; harming a patient while in the middle of a procedure was strictly against her code.
However, as she continued to apply her medical ninjutsu, her brow furrowed slightly. Tatsuma's natural recovery rate didn't seem particularly impressive—it was a far cry from that blonde kid outside who looked like he'd be back to full strength after just a few minutes of rest.
To an extent, a person's natural recovery rate determined their physical ceiling. Tsunade knew her own was significantly higher than the average person's, even without the aid of ninjutsu.
But this kid... compared to other geniuses who managed to stand out at the Academy, his innate talent didn't seem particularly high.
Thinking of this, she suddenly asked, "What if you find out later that the results of ten years of your hard work can't even match what someone else achieves in one? What then?"
"You mean the gap in talent?" Tatsuma countered.
Tsunade nodded. Tatsuma grew quiet for a moment, lost in thought. The gap in natural talent could indeed be a source of profound despair; he had nearly been crushed by it himself.
But he had a way to change his talent. In that regard, he was luckier than almost anyone else. He flashed an infectious, radiant smile.
"Everyone dies eventually, so why do we bother living life at all? To me, as long as the result is the same, it's worth it even if the process is different from everyone else's.
"If it takes me ten years to reach a goal someone else hits in one, didn't I still hit the goal? My talent might be lower than others right now, but who's to say I won't have an epiphany one day?"
"Hmph. Such a precocious brat."
Tsunade shook her head and brought the treatment to a close. She stood up and said, "Try not to get injured for no reason in the future. Otherwise, everyone else will use your recovery time to catch up, surpass you, and leave you in the dust."
"Thank you very much, Lady Tsunade."
Tatsuma felt the pain vanish from his body, replaced by a sense of lightness as even his fatigue receded. He offered her his sincere gratitude, but she merely waved a hand and walked out of the infirmary.
As she left the building, she saw Jiraiya squatting on the ground, deep in conversation with the blonde kid, Minato.
Tsunade intended to just keep walking, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught the distinct, square bulge of a thick wallet in Jiraiya's pocket. She changed her mind and walked over.
"Jiraiya, did you go see sensei for your mission bounty?"
"Yeah," Jiraiya answered instinctively. Seeing the familiar, predatory smile on Tsunade's face, he immediately clamped a hand over his pocket. "No! I mean, no, the village's finances are..."
"Hand it over!"
"Tsunade, I really don't—"
"Hand. It. Over."
Under Tsunade's domineering glare, Jiraiya eventually pulled out the stack of cash he had just collected from the Hokage Building. Tsunade snatched it away and stuffed it into her own pocket.
"I'll pay you back once I win big next time," she said casually.
"Wait! Tsunade! Leave me some food money!" Jiraiya pleaded.
Tsunade frowned, then peeled off two or three small bills and handed them back to him. Jiraiya let out a breath of pure relief; at least he wouldn't starve for the next few days.
He quickly pivoted the subject. "Weren't you leaving? Why are you still at the school?"
Before Tsunade could answer, Minato spoke up. "I saw Lady Tsunade and begged her to help Tatsuma."
"Oh."
"He's healed. He can go home whenever he wants," Tsunade said. Before Minato could offer his thanks, she vanished, her mind already occupied by visions of her sweeping the tables at the gambling hall.
Jiraiya tucked his remaining money away and sighed. "Call your friend. I'll treat you both to some roast—er, ramen."
"Isn't that too expensive?" Minato hesitated. He knew that the money in Jiraiya's hand was actually less than what he had personally saved up over the last two years. He didn't want the man to go hungry just to buy them a meal.
Jiraiya waved him off with a boastful laugh. "It's just money! No big deal! I can make hundreds of thousands on a single mission; I just don't happen to have much on me right now."
Minato looked skeptical but didn't want to be rude. He went inside and fetched the newly healed Tatsuma. The moment Tatsuma laid eyes on Jiraiya, his own eyes lit up with a strange intensity.
It was so bright that Jiraiya felt uncomfortable. He recognized that look—it was the exact same look of "devout fanaticism" he had in his own eyes whenever he was peeking at the women's bath.
"Kid... you've been staring at me since we left. What the hell do you want?!"
Finally, after they arrived at the ramen shop, Jiraiya couldn't take it anymore. He asked the question in a wavering, defensive tone.