"You idiot," Tsunade shouted, her voice a low, frustrated rumble, though without real malice. "What possessed you? Why didn't you just follow orders and run away? Why did you try to be a hero, you ignorant idiot?"
Ryu tried to find answers using that big brain of his but came up with nothing right now.
"Your orders clearly said to retreat! An academy student taking on Jonin-level threats! Are you completely mad, or just asking for a beating that'll put you in a coma again?!"
"Auntie Tsunade," he responded, his voice slightly hoarse but laced with a familiar playfulness, "I'm no runner. It's bad for my image. And honestly, death doesn't scare me much."
Tsunade's eye twitched, a prominent vein throbbing in her forehead in irritation.
"But you'd better start fearing my anger, you little brat!" She retorted, her voice escalating in irritation, a clear, dangerous threat in her tone.
Tsunade's hand snapped out at an unexpected speed, delivering a sharp, stinging flick to Ryu's forehead. It landed with a satisfying thwack, like an angry aunt correcting a mischievous nephew who refuses to listen.
"Ouch! Auntie, I'm actually a patient now." Ryu winced dramatically, rubbing the now-red spot, and complained. "You're supposed to be a medical ninja!"
"Oh, you want healing, do you?" Tsunade retorted, a sarcastic edge to her voice, her eyebrow raised. "First, you need a good beating; then we can talk about healing!"
"Please calm down, Auntie Tsunade," he stated, his voice now more earnest, trying to soothe her, seeing her genuine distress. "I had a backup plan, just for those moments when things might go wrong."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, a sceptical glint in her golden eyes that challenged his audacious claim. "Oh, really? And what brilliant plan would that be, then? Tell me,"
"To be precise," Ryu began, a mischievous glint in his own eye, knowing full well he was about to infuriate her further, "I had many plans, but I was low on chakra at that moment. As an absolute last resort, when all else failed and the universe itself seemed against me, I would have tried to reverse summon myself through a fated first summon."
Tsunade thought, her mind reeling, almost short-circuiting at the sheer idiocy. "The probability of reverse summoning through fated summon is extremely low. Such a move, while extreme, would be a desperate, utterly uncalculated gamble. Only a complete idiot, or perhaps a legendary lucky idiot, would ever rely on that. My god, he's even crazier than Jiraiya!"
Her brow furrowed further, her hand twitching with the urge to deliver another flick.
Tsunade's face showed utter disbelief, swiftly morphing into unadulterated rage. "That's hardly a plan, you idiot!"
Tsunade continued, "That's just foolishly gambling on your life! The chances of a fated summoning appearing exactly when you need it are, at best, one in ten thousand! If you ever rely on luck like that again, or gamble with your life so carelessly, I'll personally give you a beating that'll put you back in that coma for a year!"
Ryu rubbed his head again, a wry grin still stubbornly plastered on his face, clearly enjoying her frustration just a little too much. "That's why I said that was a last resort, Auntie; that was Plan Z. I also had other plans, you know."
Ryu took a moment, letting her frustration simmer, before continuing. "I had 25 more plans, from A to Y. I was totally able to handle those ninjas at that time, believe me. You underestimate my capacity for overthinking."
"Even if I had plans, I didn't get time to use them. It was really dangerous this time. It's truly my luck that I survived. I need to make more contingency plans for such situations now that I can actually use them without worry of leaking my abilities. Or I need to make sure no one survives to leak them – that's always a solid Plan A and surprisingly efficient," Ryu thought, a rational, slightly chilling glint in his eyes.
Ryu continued, his voice shifting to a more serious tone, the playfulness fading. "I had enough juice for one solid plan when I noticed Konoha reinforcements arriving. I was going for buying time when I was attacked by that Kaminari guy. He was attempting to kill me this time, not just capture me, but I was prepared for him. But he failed to kill me, and I was about to make my next move when that new enemy showed up. That's when things went sideways."
Ryu continued, his expression grim now, a genuine frown on his face. "I could not sense him at all. If I could, I would have done something, as my head was ringing from taking the enemy attack and the defensive seals on my body were damaged. But I had already thought of contingencies for this kind of situation."
After a pause, Ryu stated, "Whoever that guy was, he was powerful... Not as strong as you, but still strong."
Tsunade cut in, her voice grim, a deep frown on her face. "I've got a rough idea who that new enemy was."
"That old bastard… You just wait till I get back to the village; I'm going to pay him a visit!" Tsunade thought, her jaw tightening, her knuckles almost turning white.
She then looked at Ryu, her expression hardening further. She said, "Listen here, kid. Ninjas don't get to make excuses about 'new players' or 'fair fights'. A ninja fight is never fair. You use everything you've got, and you survive. You don't hold back next time, understood?"
Tsunade wanted to tell him not to leave the village and to stay where she could keep him safe. But she knew convincing him to stay would be futile. His ambition to change the world was too great, and his determination was too strong. He would never accept such a request.
Secretary Kaori came with a look of tension, followed by a fatigued but determined Mukai Kohinata. Both looked worn down. Shizune, who had been quietly attending to some medical charts in the corner, also looked up, her expression a mix of concern and exhaustion.
Kaori stepped forward, her eyes filled with regret and her shoulders slumped with self-blame. "Boss," she said, "I'm very sorry. I failed to protect you. My primary job from Lord Hokage was to defend you from the shadows. I failed that duty."
Mukai Kohinata, though still sporting fresh bandages and moving a bit stiffly, nodded grimly. "You didn't fail alone," he added, his voice rough, laced with his own guilt. "I, too, apologise for failing my guarding mission. We both let you down, badly."
After sensing their distress, Ryu immediately focused on their emotional well-being rather than his own discomfort. He sat up, exuding calm authority despite his youth. He said, "Now, please stop blaming yourselves, both of you," cutting through their apologies with a gentle but forceful voice. "Apologies are unnecessary. You both fought bravely and faithfully. Ms. Secretary, your diversion enabled me to assess the situation and organise my counterattack. Mr. Kohinata, you fought numerous opponents and returned to protect your teammates when many would have backed away. You both performed better than expected under impossible conditions. You're not failures—your actions were as they should be."
Ryu then looked at Kaori, a genuine, warm smile on his lips. "And Ms. Secretary," he continued, a hint of something more, like an offer, in his tone, "should you ever choose to leave ANBU, and find yourself needing a new job, I would always be lacking a good secretary after you leave."
Kaori's eyes widened slightly behind her spectacles, a faint, surprised smile touching her lips, a glimmer of hope in her gaze. She nodded, her gratitude clear. "Thank you, Boss," she said, her voice softer than before, a weight visibly lifting from her shoulders.
Ryu then extended the same offer to Mukai. "And you, Mr. Kohinata," he said, his voice equally earnest, "the offer stands for you as well, should you ever wish for a different career. My doors are always open."
Mukai, touched by the unexpected and generous gesture, bowed his head slightly. "Ryu," he began, his voice hesitant, a flicker of vulnerability in his eyes, "I have one more request, if it's not too much trouble. Could you… could you perhaps look into my son's illness?"
Ryu's smile shone with confidence. "Mr. Kohinata, you seem to forget that I've already agreed to that."
A wave of deep relief washed over Mukai's face, his tension visibly easing, as if a lifetime's burden had been lifted. "Thank you, Ryu," he said, his voice thick with emotion.
Kaori, ever the professional, stepped in, bringing them back to the present. "Boss," she began, her voice slightly more formal now, back in her secretarial role, "until we return to the village, I will continue to do my duties as your secretary."
She then paused, her expression shifting to one of mild concern, a hint of official business. "There's one more thing, Boss. A bounty has been placed on your head."
A/N: Liked the story?? please leave a review on Webnovel and Royalroad. It would help me a lot to reach a wider audience. Thanks.