vncnus Chapters 32-33: Longing, Gifts
Chapters 32-33: Longing, Gifts
While the three were talking in the cave,
On the rooftop of the Senju residence in Konoha Village, Tsunade was drinking alone.
The moonlight was bright, and the night was cool and quiet.
Countless nights she spent drinking alone like this, reminiscing about the brief but beautiful time she spent with her first love, Kato Dan.
But tonight seems a little different.
As she gazed at the moon in the sky, the image of Hoshino Senju unconsciously appeared before her eyes.
The young medical ninja, who always had a smile on his face and bright eyes, was currently on a mission outside the village.
"I wonder how that kid is doing now..."
She gently swirled the wine in her glass, the amber liquid shimmering softly in the moonlight.
"Even though it's only a C-rank mission, what if we encounter teams from other ninja villages..."
This thought made her unconsciously furrow her brow.
She remembered that although Xingyuan Qianshuo had good medical talent, his combat strength was still far from sufficient, and his chakra reserves were not abundant enough.
If we were to encounter a truly formidable enemy, we might be in danger.
"Am I worried about him?"
Tsunade suddenly realized that her thoughts had drifted too far, and couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head.
"Honestly, when did I start caring so much about that 'perverted brat'?"
She had to admit that spending time together had given Xingyuan Qianshuo a delicate place in her heart.
Perhaps influenced by her grandmother's words, she always viewed others in a special way.
He always knew how to care for her just right, while maintaining the perfect distance, making her feel valued without being offended.
"What if he gets injured during the mission..." The thought made her heart tighten slightly.
She tilted her head back and drank the wine in her glass in one gulp, trying to suppress this inexplicable worry.
But then, as if lost in thought, her occasional silly laughter drifted through the quiet night—perhaps she was recalling Xingyuan Qianshuo's clumsy yet sincere actions.
……
The following afternoon, the exhausted team finally returned to Konoha Village.
As a time traveler, who was wandering in a foreign land, he suddenly felt like he was "coming home"—perhaps this is the power of "bonds," quietly changing a person.
The three handed in their mission assignments at the mission distribution point, which bore the crooked signature of King Catstorm.
The four-day mission is now officially complete.
Fugaku Uchiha distributed the 25,000 ryo reward as follows: 10,000 ryo to Senju Hoshino and 5,000 ryo to Yakumi Uchiha.
He invited Hoshino Senju to visit the Uchiha clan sometime, and then everyone said their goodbyes.
Xingyuan Qianshuo flicked the banknotes with the Konoha logo in his hand. He earned 10,000 taels in four days, which was less than his income from working at the Konoha Hospital.
I checked the time; the hospital was still open.
Then look at yourself, travel-worn and disheveled—perhaps this appearance makes you seem "eager" to see someone.
Thus, Hoshino Senju returned to his "loyal" Konoha Hospital.
He walked straight to Tsunade's office, nodding to the doctors and nurses he knew along the way.
"Senior, you're back?" Sheci, who had just finished her rounds, greeted him warmly.
"Yeah, just finished a mission," Xingyuan Qianshuo replied, watching her rush over with a carefree attitude.
"That's great, I haven't left Konoha in ages." Jabami's tone was full of envy.
"You could encounter danger at any time while on a mission," Xingyuan Qianshuo reminded her, then added, "But I brought you a gift this time."
"Really? What is it?" Upon hearing the second half of the sentence, Sheci was so happy that she almost jumped up.
"Don't pull me, I'll give it to you."
Xingyuan Qianshuo brushed aside the hand that was wrapped around his arm and took out a gray cat ear headband from his backpack.
"A hair clip? So cute!"
Sheci, who has a boyish personality, showed no shyness at all and put it directly on her head after receiving it.
"Uh..." Xingyuan Qianshuo was speechless.
Luckily, I chose gray; pink would have looked too out of place.
"This is a ninja tool. When you wear it, you can understand cat language, communicate with cats, and even see yourself as a cat in the eyes of a cat," he explained.
"Really? I must try it!" Sheci was both surprised and delighted.
"Okay, go ahead." Hoshino Senju was eager to see Tsunade and didn't want to delay any longer.
Unfortunately, Snake Ci didn't understand his meaning and continued:
"Senior Qian Shuo, I've already mastered the Palm Healing Technique. Would you like to take a look?"
"Really? That's amazing. Let's see next time. I'm busy right now," Xingyuan Qianshuo waved his hand.
Sheci glanced in the direction he was walking—that wasn't his consultation room.
Suddenly remembering something, she leaned closer and whispered, "Senior Qian Shuo, is the rumor true? You and Lady Tsunade... are together?"
Xingyuan Qianshuo looked completely bewildered:
"What rumor? I'm with Tsunade? How come I didn't know? I'm still in the power-building phase!"
"Senior Qian Shuo, you're amazing! Keep up the good work!" Before he could ask any more questions, She Ci finished speaking and hurriedly ran away.
On his way to Tsunade's office, Hoshino Senju roughly guessed the source of the "rumor":
Either the two were seen drinking together by their colleagues, or he has been frequently entering and leaving Tsunade's office recently, leading to fabricated stories.
Although the direction was correct, the progress was completely wrong.
Given his current strength, it would indeed be a bit of a stretch for him to officially date Tsunade. Let's just hope this rumor doesn't cause any trouble.
Thump, thump~
"Please come in."
Upon hearing that familiar and warm voice, Xingyuan Qianshuo pushed open the door and entered.
"Lady Tsunade, I'm back."
He said as he entered, but then noticed a small figure beside him. "Huh? Shizune's here too?"
Jingyin put down her book, stood up, and greeted him softly, "Hello, Teacher Qianshuo."
"Hmm, is get out of class over already?" Hoshino Senju asked.
"The teacher had something to do today and left early after assigning homework," Jingyin replied.
"This teacher is so irresponsible. He didn't even find someone to cover for him. How could he let the students leave early?" Xingyuan Qianshuo thought to himself.
He thought for a moment, then took out two small kunai from his backpack—lightweight and sharp, perfect for a young ninja.
"I just went on a mission and happened to see these kunai, so I bought a few to reward the students who did well in the training course."
He explained, "These two are for you as a gift. You should continue to study medical knowledge diligently in the future."
"Really? Thank you, Chisaku-sensei!" Shizune happily accepted the small and cute kunai.
"It's very sharp, so be careful when using it," Xingyuan Qianshuo cautioned.
Tsunade watched this scene with a smile from behind her desk.
When she saw Xingyuan Qianshuo come in, she felt inexplicably nervous, but the feeling quickly dissipated.
Now she feels unusually calm and relaxed.
As I fiddled with the mute button on my little kunai, I suddenly felt the atmosphere in the room quiet down.
She looked up at the two adults, glancing left and right, and felt as if she were somewhat superfluous.
Children in the Naruto world mature very early, especially little girls. At a young age, they become obsessed with handsome men and compete with each other for their affections at the ninja academy.
Although I'm not a big fan of silence, I've learned a lot from being around it.
"Lady Tsunade, Teacher Chisaku, I'm going out for a stroll." After saying that, she hurriedly ran out without waiting for a reply.
"Small in stature but big in wisdom," Xingyuan Qianshuo said with a laugh.
"You look like you just got back. Why don't you go back and rest first?" Tsunade asked calmly.
"I just rushed over to see you and report for duty," Xingyuan Qianshuo replied.
"With your strength so weak, it's really worrying to see you on missions." Tsunade said sarcastically, but her words revealed her concern.
"Uh, I'll try my best to withstand your monstrous punches as soon as possible." Hoshino Senju responded helplessly to this "unpleasant" concern.
"Here, take this." Tsunade handed over a scroll.
"What is this?" Xingyuan Qianshuo asked as he took it.
"Didn't your shadow clone say you chose 'Water Release: Heaven's Cry' from the ninjutsu library? This is a record of my great-grandfather's experience in training water-style chakra nature transformation and the Heaven's Cry technique," Tsunade said casually.
"The Second Hokage's training records? This is incredibly valuable!" Hoshino Senju exclaimed in delight.
Tobirama Senju was a true master of Water Release techniques.
"Remember to train hard. Even with Water Release, if you master it to the extreme, it will be enough to protect yourself in the ninja world."
Besides her second grandfather, the strongest enemy she had ever encountered—Hanzo the Salamander, the leader of Amegakure—was also extremely skilled in Water Release, especially the Water Body Flicker Technique, which was so masterful that it was as difficult to hit as a mudfish in the water.
"Uh-huh."
Xingyuan Qianshuo readily agreed, put away the scroll, and took out two more cat ear headbands from his backpack.
"I also brought you a gift," he said, handing the light yellow headdress to Tsunade.
"You brat, aren't you ashamed to give me something like this?" Tsunade took it, suspecting his motives, but she had no evidence.
"How could that be? It's so cute. It's a ninja tool; wearing it allows you to understand cat language and communicate with cats."
Xingyuan Qianshuo looked at her with a serious expression and expectant eyes.
"Hmph~"
Tsunade gave a slightly disdainful snort, but still granted his wish and put the cat ear headband on her head.
"It's really cute. It would be even better if it could meow."
Xingyuan Qianshuo's eyes lit up, and he subconsciously spoke his mind.
"Are you looking for a beating? Enough is enough," Tsunade said angrily.
"Uncontrollable, uncontrollable."
Xingyuan Qianshuo quickly changed the subject, "When I was trying on the clothes at Grandma Cat's, I heard the cats praising how handsome I was, and one female cat even wanted me to be her husband."
"Oh?" Tsunade noticed a white headdress in his hand, her eyes darting around. "Then try it on and let me see."
"Uh, I want to wear it too?" Xingyuan Qianshuo didn't expect to shoot himself in the foot.
Wearing it when no one's around is fine, but wearing it in front of Tsunade is really embarrassing.
Seeing that her beautiful eyes were fixed on him with an unyielding gaze, he had no choice but to put on the cat ear headdress.
"He really is quite handsome." Tsunade admired him for a while with a smile.
Snapped!
She clapped her hands and said, "It's settled then. You can wear it like this until you leave work today."
"Uh...Does Lady Tsunade wear it too?" Hoshigen Chisaku asked timidly.
"How could that be? The gift you gave me is mine. I can wear it whenever I want," Tsunade said matter-of-factly.
This is truly a case of shooting oneself in the foot.
When the woman is strong and the man is weak, she can only suffer—System, you need to work harder!
Silently wandering aimlessly outside the office, her mind drifted: Would they do this... and then that... in the room?
The Konoha Bookstore has all sorts of adult books. The shopkeeper is an ordinary person, and students from the Ninja Academy can easily buy them by using the Transformation Jutsu.
Although she had never bought a silent one, some of her female classmates had.
She even spied on and boldly discussed things at school, and as a result, she heard and saw some embarrassing content.
At that moment, Shizune remembered her uncle, Kato Dan.
She was only two years old when her uncle died, so she has no memory of it.
She had only seen her uncle's photo and knew that he was Tsunade's first love.
It was because of this relationship that Tsunade-sama "took care" of her.
Because of Lady Tsunade, her distant relatives adopted her instead of sending her to an orphanage.
"If Lady Tsunade and Teacher Chisaku get together, will she stop talking to me?"
The terrifying thought suddenly popped into Jingyin's mind, and her heart started racing.
She quickly shook her head in denial, "No way, Lady Tsunade is so kind, how could she ignore me?"
After a moment of random thoughts, she let out a heavy sigh.
These things were too heavy and complicated for her, who was still a child.
"Lady Tsunade has been smiling a lot more lately... Perhaps Uncle Dan, in the Pure Land, wouldn't want Lady Tsunade to continue living in pain?"
"Whatever decision Lady Tsunade makes, I will support her!"
After experiencing the most intense mental storm of her life, the usually gentle and quiet Shizune secretly made up her mind.
Xingyuan Qianshuo and Tsunade, who were in the office, were clearly unaware that they had unintentionally disturbed the mind of an eight-year-old girl.
When it was time to leave work, the two found Shizune and left Konoha Hospital together.
After strolling around for a while, they had a simple dinner at Uncle Oto's curry shop.
Jingyin felt that Teacher Qianshuo was a really good person: handsome and gentle.
Moreover, she noticed that when Teacher Qian Shuo smiled, he bore a striking resemblance to Uncle Duan in the photo.
A simple dinner was enough to "buy" Silent.
She was certain that even if Lady Tsunade and Teacher Chisaku were together, they would not abandon her.
……
The following day was Friday.
Xingyuan Qianshuo continued to work at the hospital, seeing patients.
Unfortunately, there were no patients of Jonin level, nor were any characters from the storyline from my memory come to treat them.
However, before leaving home in the morning, he created two shadow clones: Shadow Clone No. 1 and No. 2.
Number 1 is at home studying sealing techniques and Tobirama Senju's training records, and researching water-style ninjutsu obtained from the ninjutsu library.
Number 2, on the other hand, was practicing basic skills such as physical techniques, ninja tools, and the Three Body Techniques at a nearby training ground.
Thanks to the system rewards for improved chakra control and agility, his skill proficiency is growing rapidly at this stage.
Unfortunately, the shadow clones had limited chakra, and despite their best efforts to conserve it, they only lasted for less than two hours before dissipating.
In the consultation room, Xingyuan Qianshuo received the memories of the two shadow clones and leaned back in his chair to relieve the fatigue that followed—it was like doing the work of three people, and the exhaustion was unimaginable.
He couldn't help but marvel at how Naruto's stamina was truly extraordinary, even more so than a cheat code.
A week of hard work, all for the reward.
He opened his system profile panel to view his personal information:
Name: Xingyuan Qianshuo
Age: 19
Chakra: 8499
[Attributes: Fire, Wind, Water, Yang]
[Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique (Proficiency: 0/3000), Phoenix Flower Technique (Proficiency: 0/3000)]
【Wind Release: Cat Claw Blade (Proficiency: 0/3000)】
[Water Release: Heavenly Cry (Beginner: 12/500), Water Prison Technique (Beginner: 125/500)...]
【…】
[Secret Technique: Sensitive Sense of Smell (Proficiency: 128/3000)]
[Talents: Benevolence (Beginner), Animal Affinity (Intermediate), Animal Communication (Beginner)]
Looking at the screen full of data, Xingyuan Qianshuo made a rough summary:
"The amount of chakra has almost doubled, and two more fire and wind attributes have been added."
"My medical and combat skills have improved a lot; I'm finally starting to look like a Jonin."
"However, while I've gained more skills, my practical combat experience hasn't increased much."
He then switched to the task panel:
Main Quest 1: Become the strongest medical ninja in the ninja world. Rewards unknown, progress 8%.
[Main Quest 2: Studying Medicine Can't Save the Ninja World. Rewards unknown, to be activated]
Side Quest 1: Cure Tsunade's hemophobia. Reward unknown, incomplete.
The only change is the progress of main quest 1, which is now 8%.
Although he was unclear about the system's calculation standards, he was really looking forward to the rewards from the main quest.
In the afternoon, Xingyuan Qianshuo's main body continued to treat patients, while simultaneously creating a shadow clone to prepare lesson plans and teaching aids for tomorrow's medical specialty class.
During that time, he went to Tsunade's office.
We invited her, the person in charge, to visit the training course tomorrow and encourage the students.