"Really?"
So, Riku decided to stop while he was ahead, putting on an expression of surprise and asked Tsunade back.
"Mm! Really!"
Tsunade smiled and nodded slightly. "So, brat, what's your answer? Are you willing?"
"I'm willing! Tsunade-sensei!"
Riku immediately bowed joyfully to Tsunade and replied.
With this, it was finally done.
Now, many of the follow-up plans could officially unfold and get on track.
"Very well! Then starting today, you're my disciple!"
"From tomorrow onward, come to the Ninja Hospital in the morning to find me. I'll teach you iryō ninjutsu (medical ninjutsu). Any problems?"
Tsunade nodded in satisfaction and arranged things directly.
"Uh…"
Riku hesitated upon hearing this. "But I still have to attend school!"
"Oh?"
Tsunade folded her arms, looking at Riku with a teasing smile. "Didn't you say you've already learned almost everything the school has to offer?"
"Weren't you planning to use kage bunshin no jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique) to attend classes in your place, and even coaxed a few classmates to do the same?"
"And now you're worried about this?"
"Uh… hehehe..."
Riku scratched his head awkwardly and replied, "That was different! Using a shadow clone to attend class is a last resort—I just didn't want to waste time."
"Right now is my golden period for growth, I can't afford to waste time."
"The key is, I didn't have a proper excuse to explain to the teacher."
"But learning iryō ninjutsu from you is a serious matter. I can explain that directly to my teacher and then let my shadow clone attend class in my place."
"This way, I don't have to worry about the clone being discovered anymore! Right?"
"So, sensei, either give me a written proof to hand to my homeroom teacher..."
"Or you come to the school tomorrow and explain it to my teacher personally. What do you think...?"
As he spoke, Riku looked at Tsunade with puppy-dog eyes.
"You brat, you're quite thorough with your thinking!"
Tsunade couldn't help but laugh and shake her head.
She had to admit, this little guy was really clever—he even thought about human interactions and social nuances.
"Alright then!"
She reached out and pinched Riku's cute cheek again. "I'll head to the school with you tomorrow and explain it to your teacher myself."
"Thank you, sensei!"
Riku's eyes lit up with joy and he quickly expressed his gratitude.
Now he didn't have to worry about his shadow clone being caught by the teacher. Hehehe.
"No need to thank me, it's only right!"
Tsunade waved her hand casually and then said, "Alright! Let's go! Take me to your home. We still need to inform your parents about the apprenticeship."
This kind of thing had to be communicated with Riku's parents.
If his parents didn't agree, then it could be troublesome.
However, Tsunade didn't think that was likely.
This arrangement was beneficial to both Riku and the Uchiha—there was no reason they'd oppose it.
As for the concern about brainwashing Riku?
Sorry, Tsunade would never do something like that, and she wouldn't allow the Third to either.
If the Third Hokage wanted to use this opportunity to brainwash and control Riku, Tsunade could only say: dream on.
She wouldn't let it happen.
The old man's increasing authority over the years had only made his desire for control grow stronger. He couldn't stand anything or anyone outside of his influence—this was not a good sign.
Although Tsunade couldn't stop him entirely, she certainly wouldn't help him.
At the very least, as Tsunade's disciple, she would never allow Riku to be manipulated into a pawn by the Third.
So, from the very beginning, the Third Hokage's plan had already failed.
"Okay! Please follow me, sensei!"
Riku naturally had no objections.
But before leaving, he glanced around at the surroundings and the deep crater on the ground. He couldn't help but ask Tsunade, "Sensei, with such a big commotion earlier, why haven't any ninja come to investigate? Doesn't that seem a bit off?"
"Also, are we just going to leave that pit there?"
"Annoying!"
Tsunade rolled her eyes at him, stopped walking, made some hand seals, then crouched down and slapped her palm on the ground.
"Doton: Tochi Heisei no Jutsu (Earth Release: Ground Leveling Technique)!"
In the next moment, the earth began to ripple and shift.
In the blink of an eye, the deep pit was completely filled in.
Aside from the slightly fresh dirt and the visibly damaged vegetation in the area, everything looked as if it had never been disturbed.
"Done! Let's go!"
After finishing the jutsu, Tsunade dusted off her hands and resumed walking, explaining as they went: "No one came because I had already sent out a shadow clone to inform the nearby ANBU and the police force to ignore any disturbances from this direction temporarily."
"Oh!"
Riku nodded in realization. "No wonder!"
"Heh!"
Tsunade grinned and reached out to pinch Riku's cheek again, tugging playfully as she teased, "You sure think a lot, noticing even that detail!"
"But that's good—ninjas should be detail-oriented. It helps prevent mistakes and increases survivability."
"And if you want to become an excellent iryō-nin (medical ninja), you need to be even more meticulous. Keep it up!"
Riku slapped her hand away and quickly dodged a meter to the side, rubbing his now-reddened cheek while glaring at her with a resentful look. "Sensei, could you stop pinching my face all the time? It hurts, you know?"
He knew he looked a bit cute, but that wasn't an excuse for her to mess with him like this.
"hahaha! Look at those puppy eyes!"
Tsunade laughed, clearly entertained. Seeing Riku's increasingly resentful expression, she finally relented.
Then, with a teasing tone, she asked, "Oh right! Since you'll be studying iryō ninjutsu with me every day, and sending shadow clones to school—can you really handle it?"
"And didn't you also promise your classmates to skip class and go train with shadow clones too?"
"So what are you going to do then? Sensei is so curious, fufufu~"
Riku: "..."
"Sensei, are you really just going to gloat like that?"
Riku asked helplessly.
This woman really gets hyper around people...
"What's wrong with that?"
Tsunade shrugged cheerfully. "Everything I said is true, isn't it?"
"It is."
Riku gave her a long stare and replied dryly, "But creating one more shadow clone isn't a big deal. With my current chakra and mental strength, I can still handle it."
"So, it's really not an issue! Sorry to disappoint you, sensei!"
Indeed, while his chakra was only at the level of an average chūnin, his mental strength was strong enough to endure the feedback and fatigue from multiple shadow clones.
His chakra control was excellent too. Even if his shadow clones carried less chakra, he could still maintain them for a relatively long time.
Not to mention, he had been practicing the chakra zhou tian circulation technique for over a month now. Every day, his chakra reserves were steadily increasing.
Even though he was still at the average chūnin level, compared to a month ago, his chakra had increased by at least twenty percent.
As time went on, his reserves would only continue to grow. It probably wouldn't take many years before he didn't need to worry about chakra at all.
"Ho~?"
Tsunade raised her brows in surprise. "So confident? Looks like I underestimated you."
"Well, I suppose I should've expected it—being able to sense my presence from over a hundred meters away, your mental strength is quite impressive."
"Have you awakened your Sharingan?"
If he had activated the Sharingan, then strong mental prowess would be easier to explain.
...
(End of Chapter)
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