Shin-chan stood there holding the heavy fish basket, still not quite processing what had happened, when the man had already walked off.
The fish were still flicking their tails, water dripping from them onto his shoes.
Shin-chan looked down at the basket. "What am I supposed to do with this...?"
Take it home? Too heavy.
Throw it away? Too wasteful.
Give it to someone? But who?
Holding the basket, he staggered forward. After only two steps, he had to stop and catch his breath.
Too heavy.
Just then, a voice drifted over from the distance.
"Is there really a place around here that sells live fish?"
Shin-chan turned around instinctively.
A beautiful big sister was walking toward him from the far end of the street.
Long blonde hair, a blue-violet diamond-shaped mark on her forehead, and a tea-green coat with black trim.
Shin-chan's mouth slowly fell open.
A super pretty big sister.
Tsunade was looking around when she suddenly saw a little figure in red sprint straight up to her, come to a screeching stop, tilt his face up, and flash her a brilliant smile.
"Hello, pretty big sister."
Tsunade looked down and met a pair of sparkling eyes.
"My name is Nohara Shinnosuke. I'm five years old." Shin-chan put his hands behind his back. "It's dangerous for a pretty big sister to be out walking alone, you know. Let me protect you."
The corner of Tsunade's mouth twitched.
This little brat... why was he giving her such strong young-Jiraiya vibes?
Shin-chan kept going. "Big sister, are you married?"
Tsunade took a deep breath.
"No."
"That's great!" Shin-chan's eyes shone even brighter. "Then when I grow up, will you marry me?"
Tsunade: "..."
"Shin-chan? What are you doing here?"
Rin peeked out from behind Tsunade, looking at him in surprise.
"Rin? Weren't you supposed to be doing special training?"
Rin explained, "Lady Tsunade said we should try working with fish. If we can't even handle fish properly, then we should just give up early."
What she didn't know was that Tsunade had only said that because she was annoyed and wanted to scare them off.
"Fish?"
"Yeah." Rin nodded. "Live ones."
Shin-chan looked down at the basket in his hands. It was packed with fish, all of them lively and flapping, their tails still slapping water around.
"I've got some. Do you want them?"
"Huh?" Rin blinked, looking confused.
Tsunade looked down at the kid, then at the basket of fish.
"You know Rin?" she asked.
"Yeah." Shin-chan nodded. "We're friends."
Tsunade glanced at Rin, and Rin nodded.
Then Tsunade looked back at Shin-chan.
"Where did you get those fish?"
"Someone bumped into me and gave them to me as compensation." Shin-chan still sounded a little regretful. "I had lots of snacks before that, but they all got knocked onto the ground."
"Fine." Tsunade pulled out her coin purse. "I'll buy them."
"No need." Shin-chan shook his head. "You can have them."
"Have them?"
"Yeah." Shin-chan held the basket out toward her. "I can't carry them anyway."
Tsunade looked at the little kid, who wasn't even as tall as her knees, and suddenly laughed.
"Brat, do you know who I am?"
"Nope."
"Then why are you giving me fish?"
"Because Rin needs them." Shin-chan said it as if it were obvious. "I have them, so I'm giving them to her."
Then he added, "And besides, since you're this pretty, giving you something is only natural."
Tsunade froze for a second.
Then she burst out laughing.
"You little brat." She took the fish basket from him. "Fine. I'll take them."
"Then can I come with you?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Come for what?"
"To watch you train." Shin-chan said. "If there's a pretty big sister around, it's way more fun than going home."
The corner of Tsunade's mouth twitched.
At the side, Rin said quietly, "Shin-chan, didn't you say this afternoon that training was too much trouble and you weren't coming?"
Shin-chan blinked, looking like he had no memory of that at all.
"That was this afternoon." he said confidently. "This is now."
Rin opened her mouth, but couldn't think of a reply.
Tsunade looked at the brat and suddenly found him kind of interesting.
He was shameless, overly familiar, and completely helpless around pretty women—exactly like Jiraiya had been when he was younger.
The difference was that that idiot Jiraiya would never casually give things away to other people.
"Fine, come along." Tsunade turned and started walking. "Just don't get in the way."
Shin-chan immediately followed, his steps so light it looked like he might start floating.
"Big sister, what's your name?"
"Tsunade."
"Big Sister Tsunade, what do you like to eat? If you also hate green bell peppers, we might get along really well."
Tsunade ignored him.
"Do you like flowers?"
Tsunade picked up her pace.
"What's your favorite color?"
A cross-shaped vein bulged on Tsunade's forehead.
"Kid, ask me one more question and I'm throwing you."
Shin-chan shut his mouth and walked quietly for three steps.
Then he opened it again.
"Big Sister Tsunade... you're really pretty."
Tsunade took a deep breath.
Shizune and Kurenai, walking nearby, were trying so hard not to laugh that their shoulders were shaking.
Rin was walking at the very back. Watching Shin-chan's cheerful little back, she suddenly felt a little conflicted.
He had clearly said "too much trouble" that afternoon, but now he was moving faster than anyone.
Just because Lady Tsunade was here?
She sighed.
When was this guy ever going to grow up?
At the corner of the street, Shin-chan suddenly stopped.
He looked down at his hand.
Empty.
Then he checked his pockets.
Nothing.
Then he thought for a second.
"Ah."
He stood there with an expression that clearly said "I'm doomed."
"The soy sauce... I forgot..."
Tsunade turned to look at him.
"What soy sauce?"
"The soy sauce Mom told me to buy." Shin-chan slowly looked up at her with the most pitiful expression imaginable. "Big Sister Tsunade..."
"What?"
"Can you lend me some money to buy soy sauce?"
Tsunade looked at him like that and almost started laughing again.
This little brat had just been all casual and generous, saying "You can have the fish," and now he didn't even have the money to buy soy sauce.
She pulled some money from her pouch and handed it to him.
"Here. Don't bother paying me back."
Shin-chan's eyes lit up. "Big Sister Tsunade, you're so nice!"
Tsunade ignored him and kept walking.
Shin-chan stuffed the money into his pocket, his steps even lighter than before.
Rin watched him and suddenly found the whole thing kind of funny.
Just a moment ago he'd looked completely doomed, and now he was perfectly fine again.
This person really did forget everything fast.
She quickened her pace and caught up with the group.
Shin-chan walked beside Tsunade, looking up at her, and his mouth started moving again.
"Big Sister Tsunade, that mark on your forehead is really pretty. What is it?"
Tsunade's mouth twitched.
"Don't ask."
"Is it painted on?"
"No."
"Then what is it?"
Tsunade took a deep breath. "Kid, do you want to be thrown?"
Shin-chan shut his mouth.
For five whole seconds.
Then—
"Big Sister Tsunade..."
Tsunade immediately grabbed him by the back of the collar.
Shin-chan's feet left the ground and dangled in the air.
"Waaah, I was wrong, I won't ask anymore, put me down."
Rin watched the whole thing from the back and couldn't help laughing.
Her laughter floated a long way.
Far away, in the kitchen of the Nohara house, Misae stood at the stove holding a spatula, looking at it, then out the window at the darkening sky.
"Why isn't Shin-chan back yet? He only went out to buy soy sauce." She sighed. "That child... where did he run off to this time?"
~~~
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