Looking at that face, which bore an uncanny resemblance to Kushina, Tsunade's expression suddenly softened.
In the end, she averted her gaze, leaning somewhat dazedly against the sofa.
Meanwhile, seeing Tsunade shrink back emotionally, Naruto's face showed a triumphant expression.
He even secretly flashed a "V" sign at Aoba.
He really wasn't afraid of being beaten to death.
Aoba glanced at Tsunade, whose emotions had become slightly gloomy, and immediately understood that she was likely thinking about something painful.
In Konoha nowadays, any ninja who made a name for themselves on the battlefield had almost invariably faced a tragic fate.
Tsunade, Kakashi. Honestly, the fact that they hadn't succumbed to darkness spoke to their incredible resilience.
Especially Kakashi. He could truly be called a legendary master of enduring suffering.
If Aoba had to go through what Kakashi had, he'd probably have developed a deep-seated grudge against the world.
He took another look at the carefree Naruto and couldn't help but reach out and knock him on the head.
"Ow! Aoba, what was that for?", Naruto yelped in pain, clutching his head and looking at Aoba in confusion.
His loud cry also caught the attention of the others, and Tsunade curiously glanced over.
Aoba put on a mockingly angry expression and said, "Sensei, Naruto is being too rude. I'm just helping you teach him a lesson."
"Heh, you think I need your help to discipline him?", Tsunade rolled her eyes in a way that was oddly attractive, but the sorrowful mood she had just been immersed in was almost entirely disrupted by Aoba's antics.
After all, so many years had passed, and she had long since adapted to most things. The sadness came quickly, but it also faded just as fast.
She waved a hand impatiently at the two of them, shooing them away, "You two brats, go wherever you like. Just come back around this time tomorrow."
"Got it!", Aoba immediately grabbed the still-distracted Naruto and ran outside.
In an atmosphere like that, just sitting there felt unbearable.
"Hmph!", Watching the two of them run off, Tsunade couldn't help but snort coldly.
"It seems Tsunade-sama really likes Aoba as her student."
"Hmph, he's just a brat with some talent who happens to be good at cooking," Tsunade pursed her lips, her words contradicting her true feelings.
"Hehehe!", Shizune and Sukui exchanged glances and covered their mouths, giggling quietly.
———
After running out of the Senju estate, Aoba and Naruto slowed their pace.
"Uh…", Naruto suddenly muttered in a barely audible voice.
If Aoba didn't have sharp hearing, he wouldn't have even noticed Naruto was speaking.
He turned his head and saw Naruto with his head lowered, looking hesitant and unsure, as if he was struggling to say something.
'What is this? Is he acting like Hinata now?'
"What's wrong?"
Naruto stopped walking, his tone earnest, "Aoba… I'm sorry!"
"?"
Aoba was puzzled, "Sorry for what?"
"I… I didn't know that old la— I mean, that person was your teacher. I shouldn't have been so rude."
"Oh, so that's what this is about."
Judging by Naruto's expression, Aoba half-expected him to lean in and say, "Bro, you smell really nice."
He waved a hand dismissively and kept walking, "Don't worry, I'm not mad. My teacher isn't mad either. In fact, if it were you, you could keep calling her 'Granny Tsunade' and it'd still be fine."
Naruto quickly caught up, complaining as he walked, "But Aoba, your teacher hits really hard."
"That's just how she expresses her care. You know what they say, 'a beating is a sign of affection, and scolding is a form of love.' My teacher is just a tsundere."
'Blonde hair, twin-tails, tsundere. The necessary traits are all there. This old woman is actually kind of cute.'
"Tsundere…? What does that mean?"
"How should I explain it…? It means saying one thing while meaning another. Deep down, they really like something, but they insist on acting like they don't. Sometimes, they even lash out when flustered."
"So… kind of like Sasuke?"
"Exactly! Just like Sasuke. You see, he actually wants to play with us, but he always acts like he's being forced."
"I get it now! So next time I see her, I'll call her Granny Tsunade!"
———
As they chatted along the way, passersby kept their distance, but the two of them were having a great time.
Meanwhile, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was secretly observing them, found himself troubled. He wasn't sure if he should tell Tsunade about this.
He suddenly recalled that a lot of his and Danzo's secrets had somehow been leaked… and it all seemed to have originated from Aoba's mouth.
———
Aoba and Naruto soon arrived at Naruto's little hideout.
To their surprise, Sasuke was already there, and he was doing push-ups.
When Naruto saw Sasuke, he immediately cheered loudly, "Sasuke! We're here!"
Sasuke's eyes flickered with sharp determination as he sprang to his feet and pointed at Aoba.
"Aoba, I challenge you!"
'Are you serious?'
'You just got beaten into submission yesterday,' Aoba had assumed Sasuke would take at least a while to rebuild his confidence before coming back to challenge him.
'But after just one night, he has already recovered?'
Well, this wasn't a loss for Aoba. If nothing else, he could earn another thousand ryo. With no hesitation, he agreed.
"Sure, but you remember the rules, right?"
"Hmph!", Sasuke snorted and directly pulled out ten thousand ryo.
"What's this? Are you trying to bribe me to go easy on you?"
Aoba looked at the money in confusion.
Sasuke glared at him, annoyed, "I don't need you to hold back! Do you think so little of the Uchiha Clan?"
"Then why are you giving me ten thousand ryo?"
"This is for safekeeping. Whenever I challenge you, just deduct from it. If it runs out, I'll give you more," Sasuke wore an expression of utter indifference toward money, as if wealth meant nothing to him.
"Uh… I guess that works," Aoba stuffed the money into his pocket, "So what are we competing in this time?"
"I want to compare ninjutsu. Let's see whose ninjutsu is stronger."
Sasuke finally smiled confidently, radiating a newfound energy.
That morning, his brother, Uchiha Itachi, along with Shisui, had both helped him refine his Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu.
Now, while his Fireball Jutsu still wasn't at full power, he had significantly improved in controlling it.
He was sure this would leave Aoba speechless.
There was no way Aoba could be better than him in taijutsu, shuriken techniques, and ninjutsu.
If he could defeat Aoba in ninjutsu, then he could start mentoring Aoba in return. That way, they could become true friends.
Otherwise, Aoba would always be just a rival he had to surpass.
Aoba thought for a moment before replying, "That's not really a fair comparison."
"Why not?"
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