Seeing that Tsunade had completely accepted things, Aoba naturally let out a breath of relief. The tension hanging in his heart finally eased.
The development of things had gone far more smoothly than he had expected.
He had thought this would turn into a prolonged battle that lasted quite a long time.
He had even genuinely prepared himself for a full day and night of fighting.
After all, Tsunade's Yin Seal was no joke. And on top of that, he had an ability that replenished chakra.
It could be said that as long as Tsunade wanted to hold on, lasting a full day and night truly wouldn't have been a problem.
But now it had only taken a few hours.
Looking at it this way, maybe deep down Tsunade hadn't actually resisted it that much from the beginning.
Thinking of this, Aoba couldn't help but reach out and pat Tsunade's head like one would pat a child, feeling pleased as she curled up in his arms.
Naturally, this earned him a glare from Tsunade.
"You brat, are you treating me like a child?"
"Sensei sometimes looks a bit absent-minded. It really is a little like a child."
Aoba said jokingly.
"Hmph!"
Tsunade gave an unhappy snort.
'As a disciple, he actually dared to say his teacher looked absent-minded. Completely disrespectful.'
'Truly a rebellious disciple'.
But suddenly, Aoba had a whim and asked curiously, "By the way, Sensei, do you want to change into what you looked like when you were younger?"
"What are you planning to do?", Tsunade immediately became wary.
'This brat often comes up with strange ideas. Normally it wouldn't matter, but if I keep going now...'
'Then I really will become absent-minded.'
Aoba looked innocent.
"I just want to hug Sensei when she was little and see what it feels like."
Tsunade had shown him what she looked like in her youth before. It had its own charm.
But the Tsunade of that time already had the outline of her current appearance, only a little more slender.
As for Tsunade during her girlhood, he had truly never seen that before.
"…"
Tsunade couldn't help feeling a bit speechless. She didn't really understand this brat's thinking.
After all, when she was young she wasn't even comparable to Karin now. What was there worth hugging?
"Sensei, is it not allowed?"
Aoba asked with a hopeful look.
Seeing the brat look like that, and since she was in a fairly good mood now, Tsunade figured it was only a simple Transformation Jutsu. She might as well satisfy him.
Right now the chakra in her body was extremely abundant. Casting a transformation was effortless.
She brought her hands together in a seal.
A few seconds later, with a "poof," a miniature version of Tsunade appeared in Aoba's arms.
Of course, it was the age stage similar to Sakura and Karin right now.
That way it could satisfy Aoba's curiosity to see a different side, without making the situation look too strange.
If this brat actually had that kind of thought, then as his teacher she would have to consider cleaning up her own house first.
Aoba had no idea what Tsunade was thinking. Looking at the petite Tsunade curled up in his arms now, his eyes immediately lit up.
It wasn't that holding her felt especially comfortable. Just as Tsunade had thought earlier, at this stage her figure wasn't even as developed as Karin's.
At least when holding Karin now there was already a soft feeling.
But Tsunade at this stage…
Well, it felt a bit like being poked by nails.
Even so, after seeing Tsunade in this form, Aoba still couldn't stop himself from feeling moved.
Because he wasn't someone who cared much about that aspect.
Whether it was a flat plain, gently rolling hills, or towering mountains reaching the clouds, he liked them all.
And besides, this was a version of Tsunade he had never seen before, especially those large blinking eyes.
Aoba grew a little excited.
"?"
Tsunade, who was currently being held by him, naturally noticed immediately. She looked at him in disbelief.
'He had no reaction when holding my original form, but the moment I turned into my younger appearance he does?'
For a moment Tsunade didn't know whether she should feel happy or angry.
"Little Sensei is really cute."
Aoba naturally noticed her expression and sincerely sighed in admiration, then hugged her small body even tighter.
"Brat!"
Tsunade cried out in anger.
'Is this annoying brat forgetting what situation he is in right now?'
"Cough! Cough! Sorry, Sensei."
Aoba quickly apologized while letting go of her.
He had gotten a bit too excited.
"Hmph!"
Tsunade glared at him again irritably, though her gaze inadvertently swept downward.
Her face grew hot, and she couldn't help swallowing quietly.
'This lecherous brat truly isn't human.'
'Even when it is already so…'
She rubbed the place that had just been attacked. Just that one moment earlier had almost forced her transformation technique to break.
But seeing how honestly the brat was apologizing now, she no longer felt like staying angry.
"Anyway, that's it for me today. If you still want more, hurry up and go find Shizune and the others."
After saying that, she paused, then added, "If you really like me looking like this, I'll transform into this form again tomorrow."
"Then it's a promise. Little Sensei can't go back on her word."
Hearing that, Aoba's eyes lit up. He gently tapped a kiss onto her still youthful cheek.
"I'm not someone who breaks promises over something like this."
Tsunade felt somewhat speechless.
Aoba didn't say anything further. He removed the Sealing Barrier space, then suddenly froze.
"What's wrong?"
Tsunade looked at him in confusion.
"Uh… Shizune-nee is here," Aoba explained.
"Hm?", Tsunade's expression stiffened, and sure enough the bedroom door opened slightly.
A small head peeked inside.
"Aoba, did Lady Tsunade agree… hm?"
Shizune had just poked her head in when she saw Tsunade currently transformed into a younger form.
She froze for a moment.
Originally she had thought that if Tsunade absolutely refused, she could come over and help push things along.
But the two of them seemed to have already reached an understanding, and had even used a transformation technique.
"Did I come at the wrong time?"
"No, Shizune-nee, you came at exactly the right time!"
Aoba was still full of restless energy right now. There was no need to even change battlefields.
And besides… Right now there was little-teacher Tsunade and big-Shizune-nee.
This kind of contrast was something you almost never got to see.
After that, naturally, everything went without needing words.
———
After experiencing a rather special kind of encounter, Aoba returned to his own room feeling thoroughly satisfied.
He had originally thought Yugao and Konan had already prepared things in advance.
But what entered his eyes was a streak of red.
Someone was hiding inside his bedding, only a head of red hair visible, letting out a silly giggle.
After a brief moment of surprise, Aoba immediately understood.
Karin had said she wanted to give him a surprise.
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