"Very good."
Tsunade showed a faint smile.
She really didn't want to hear something like, Kaede plans to return to Konoha and asks her to go with him. She had no intention of returning to Konoha at the moment.
"Then you can stay here in the camp with me for now. Once all the wounded are transferred, we'll leave together," Tsunade said to Kaede, taking a sip of water.
"Yes, Tsunade-sensei."
Kaede replied with a smile.
Tsunade was clearly in a much better mood these days, partly because her hemophobia had been cured, and partly because the war had finally ended.
She had grown to loathe war. If not for her sense of responsibility, she wouldn't have agreed to Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya's repeated requests to come to the battlefield.
Tsunade no longer paid attention to Kaede and instead sank into her thoughts.
"I've racked up quite a few debts recently. Going back to the Land of Fire might not be safe... Hmm, maybe I should try my luck in the Land of Rain. But if I run into Hanzō, that could be a pain..."
Kaede: "…"
Shizune: "…"
Hearing Tsunade's muttering, the two exchanged glances and saw the same look of helplessness in each other's eyes.
Unless she ran a casino herself, no amount of money could survive Tsunade's gambling skills. Was the legend of the "Walking Cash Cow" about to make its name known in the Land of Rain?
Kaede silently threw out a mental jab.
…
Kaede becoming Tsunade's apprentice surprised even the higher-ups in Konoha.
Danzo frowned at the news.
Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a wry smile. He had no idea how Kaede had ended up with Tsunade again. Compared to Orochimaru, he actually trusted Tsunade more, because she had no ambitions.
But the current issue was this, Tsunade definitely knew Kaede had been Orochimaru's student. The fact that she still accepted him meant she didn't care about that, and might even side with Orochimaru if push came to shove.
It was time to finalize the choice for the Fourth Hokage.
Namikaze Minato's achievements in this war had more than earned him the qualifications to become the Fourth Hokage. He had Jiraiya's support, the backing of the common people, and little opposition from the major clans.
Orochimaru had long been qualified as well. The civilian population didn't object to him, but some among the great clans were against it. Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado were also firmly opposed.
It was truly a headache.
Even though the surface of the ninja world seemed calm with the war over, as Hokage, Hiruzen could sense the undercurrents stirring beneath that calm.
The ninja world might face even greater upheaval in the days ahead. Perhaps the decision about the Fourth Hokage could be postponed until the situation fully stabilizes.
…
Two days later.
Rin bid farewell to Kaede and returned to Konoha under the leadership of Namikaze Minato. Kakashi and Obito Uchiha also left with her.
Two more days passed.
Yūhi Kurenai also said goodbye to Kaede. She was part of the fourth batch of ninja tasked with escorting injured personnel back to Konoha.
With most of the familiar faces gone, Tsunade finally made up her mind. She took Kaede and Shizune with her back to the Land of Fire, teaching them medical ninjutsu along the way and continuing her grand gambling escapades.
Kaede also got to witness Tsunade's "Six Paths-level" luck firsthand. If she drew a good hand, the opponent's would always be better. If she had a bad hand, the opponent's was even worse, no one ever raised the stakes.
…
In a certain casino,
Beads of sweat streamed down Tsunade's forehead. She stood there with her hands on the table, staring at her "four Kings" and her opponent's "straight flush." Her fingers trembled slightly.
"Ma'am, it seems you've run out of chips."
The middle-aged man sitting across from her smiled faintly.
At that moment,
In a corner outside the casino, Kaede and Shizune were crouching.
Kaede raised one hand, a faint green light flickering in his palm. It glowed intermittently for a few seconds before suddenly dissipating.
It had been a week since he began learning medical ninjutsu under Tsunade, and during that time, she had told him about the creation of the Byakugō no Jutsu (Strength of a Hundred Seal), sharing more details about the technique.
For example,
The Byakugō no Jutsu was a self-sustaining medical technique, essentially programming the chakra to act on its own. To achieve this, one needed incredibly precise chakra control.
Kaede's current control wasn't anywhere near that level, so he was diligently practicing basic medical ninjutsu to hone his chakra manipulation.
Of course,
While training in medical ninjutsu, Kaede hadn't neglected the Eight Gates. He had resumed wearing his highest-level weights, so heavy that if he didn't use chakra to disperse the pressure, he would sink into any soft ground he stood on.
Such extreme weights made even walking a form of training.
Tsunade noticed, of course, but didn't stop him. Her comment was that he was obsessively devoted to training, completely unaware of how to enjoy life.
"You can already maintain it for over a minute?"
Shizune sat beside him, murmuring in awe as she watched Kaede practice.
He was training the Mystical Palm Technique, a high-level medical jutsu that even most medical ninjas couldn't master. Typically, no one started learning from this point due to its difficulty.
Even after studying under Tsunade for a year, she had only just begun training the Mystic Palm herself. And after a month, she still hadn't made much progress.
Kaede had only been at it for just over a week, and he had already surpassed what had taken her two or three months. It gave her a deeper understanding of what it meant to be a genius.
A true genius,
Was someone who, in a very short time, could effortlessly surpass something you spent an enormous amount of time mastering, leaving you feeling lost and doubting your very existence.
Shizune had never doubted Kaede's talent. In fact, she considered herself quite gifted in medical ninjutsu and had even earned some praise from Tsunade. But she hadn't expected to be so thoroughly outpaced by Kaede here as well.
"How long do you think it'll take for Tsunade-sensei to flee this time?"
Kaede asked with a smile, still maintaining the Mystical Palm Technique while glancing toward the casino.
Snapping out of her daze, Shizune responded, "Depends on how much high-interest debt she's racked up… but judging by the time, it should be about now."
BOOM!!
Almost as soon as Shizune's words left her mouth, a loud bang rang out from inside the casino.
A moment later, Tsunade's figure came flying out of the building. She shouted in their direction, "Shizune! Kaede! Let's go!!"
"Your timing is impeccable."
Kaede stopped his training.
He and Shizune exchanged glances, once again seeing helpless resignation in each other's eyes. Then they both smiled bitterly and dashed after Tsunade, quickly fleeing into the distance.
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