Hayato Ren didn't respond to Kushina's request. Instead, he reached out and removed the pillow separating them before moving closer.
Feeling Hayato's sudden proximity, Kushina's face instantly flushed crimson, causing her voice to tremble slightly.
"Stupid Hayato, what are you doing?"
"This blanket isn't long enough - even I can't cover myself completely. Removing the pillow means we can both be properly covered. We're comrades, no need to be so particular about these things."
As he spoke, Hayato suddenly wrapped his arms around Kushina. Seeing her open her mouth to protest, he quickly preempted her.
"You know how I usually need to hug a plush toy to sleep. There shouldn't be anything wrong between comrades, right? We're just sleeping while hugging, that's all."
After saying this, Hayato closed his eyes.
Looking at Hayato's somewhat shameless expression, Kushina suppressed the urge to kick him hard and closed her own eyes as well.
Originally, Kushina had wanted to discuss what Tsunade might teach them tomorrow with Hayato, but now she was completely devoid of that mood.
Early the next morning, Hayato slowly opened his eyes and reached down to rub his sore lower back.
Had he known this would happen, he would have chosen to sleep on the sofa rather than share a bed with Kushina.
Who could have imagined Kushina's sleeping habits were so terrible? Throughout the night, she had kicked Hayato off the bed several times, nearly breaking his back in the process.
Shaking his head at the still-sleeping Kushina, Hayato slowly left the room.
"Well, you're all quite punctual. I was wondering if anyone would be late."
Tsunade greeted the three with an enthusiastic smile.
"Even if you smile like a blooming flower, teacher, it doesn't change the fact that you're late. It's already past noon - didn't we agree to meet at ten?"
Hayato gave Tsunade a dead-fish-eyed look as he complained.
Tsunade reached out and ruffled Hayato's hair messily.
"Haha, don't worry about such small details. I wanted to come early today too, but the blanket's seal was just too powerful. Besides, if you keep making that face at such a young age, you'll never find a girlfriend."
Afterward, Tsunade led the three to a forest near Hokage Rock.
"Alright, enough chit-chat. Since we're here, let's eat first."
With that, Tsunade took the lead and opened a lunch box. Looking at the contents, she couldn't help but exclaim.
"Not bad! To have such cooking skills at your age. Looks like our team's meals won't be bad in the future."
Hayato also picked up a lunch box and sat beside Tsunade.
"But I heard that other teams celebrate their formation by having their sensei treat them to a fancy meal."
"Haha, well. I'm currently a bit short on funds, but when my luck turns around, I won't just treat you to one big meal—I'll treat you all for a whole week without any problem."
After saying this, Tsunade buried herself in her meal. She hadn't eaten anything all day, having rushed over right after brushing her teeth and washing her face after waking up, so she was already starving.
Looking at the dishes in front of her, Mikoto felt a wave of great frustration wash over her.
She couldn't even cook as well as a boy—she had completely lost in terms of feminine charm.
However, she soon became immersed in the delicious food and forgot about that small bit of resentment.
Tsunade patted her full stomach contentedly and then looked at the three people sitting in front of her.
"Today, let's start by learning how to climb trees. Not the kind of tree climbing you're thinking of, but using Chakra to climb trees."
As she spoke, Tsunade slowly walked up a nearby large tree. It was as if there was glue on her feet, firmly sticking her to the tree trunk as she walked up to the canopy as easily as walking on flat ground.
Just as Tsunade was preparing to receive the admiring gazes of her three students, she saw that Kushina had also "walked" up a tree just like her.
"What's this? I thought we were going to learn some amazing techniques. It's just a Chakra control training method. I can not only climb trees but even walk on water."
Looking at Kushina's smug expression, Tsunade turned her gaze to Hayato Ren and Mikoto below.
"Same here."
"I also learned this under my father's guidance."
Tsunade jumped down from the tree and rubbed her forehead with her hand. Sometimes having students who are too outstanding isn't necessarily a good thing, as it takes away much of the sense of accomplishment from teaching.
Tsunade had originally planned to wait for Hayato Ren and the others to fall from the trees a few times before stepping in as the "savior" to teach them the techniques.
"In that case, you can each go practice on your own. Ren, come with me."
Although they didn't understand Tsunade's arrangement, Kushina and Mikoto each went off to practice their own ninjutsu.
"Mikoto has the Uchiha clan's heritage, and Kushina has the Uzumaki clan's heritage. So Ren, what do you want to learn?"
Tsunade asked the somewhat lazy-looking Hayato Ren in front of her.
As she said, Mikoto, being from the Uchiha clan, didn't require much intervention from her. As for Kushina, she was being personally taught by the current Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Mito.
So only Hayato Ren, who had no particular background and no external help aside from Charmander, remained.
"Teacher, I want to learn Medical Ninjutsu."
Looking at Hayato Ren's serious expression, Tsunade couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Medical Ninjutsu? Usually people your age all prefer those flashy, powerful ninjutsu. Why would you think of learning Medical Ninjutsu? Is there a particular reason?"
Facing Tsunade's question, Hayato Ren responded without hesitation.
"My purpose in learning Medical Ninjutsu is to protect my companions. This way, if Kushina or Mikoto get injured in the future, I can help them immediately."
Looking at Hayato Ren's sincere expression that didn't seem like he was lying, Tsunade's gaze toward him couldn't help but soften slightly.
"To protect others? That's not something a qualified ninja would say, but I like it."
"In that case, come to my place tomorrow. Medical Ninjutsu isn't something simple—it requires specialized knowledge," Tsunade said, patting Hayato Ren on the shoulder.
"Learning is the easiest thing for me. Do you know why I always score full marks on every exam?"
Hearing this, Tsunade couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why?"