Knock! Knock! Knock!
Just then, a crisp knocking sound suddenly rang out, breaking the peaceful and beautiful atmosphere.
Karin was startled and instantly snapped out of that wonderful feeling.
She turned her head in a bit of panic, her gaze shooting straight toward the doorway.
The door was wide open, and Tsunade was leaning against the doorframe with a helpless look on her face as she said, "Sorry. I know it might not be the best time to interrupt the two of you, but there are still a lot of things waiting for Rengoku to deal with."
After Rengoku returned, the clones he had left outside were like machines that had suddenly been connected to power.
Although the clones still hadn't synchronized their memories with each other yet, their previously dormant consciousness had all awakened.
Orochimaru had also sensed Rengoku's return immediately.
However, he was currently in the middle of an important experiment and couldn't leave personally.
So he sent Tsunade to check the situation.
Tsunade rushed over in a hurry and pushed the door open directly.
But the scene in front of her caught her somewhat off guard. Rengoku and Karin were tightly embracing each other.
They seemed to have been immersed in it for quite a while, to the point that they hadn't noticed her arrival at all.
Left with no choice, Tsunade lightly knocked on the door panel beside her.
Rengoku gently stroked Karin's hair, then slowly loosened his arms around the girl who was already blushing all over and filled with shy embarrassment.
After that, Rengoku softly said to Karin, "I need to go take care of a few things first."
"You go find Ryuri and Kaori and tell them I've come back. Also check which of your classmates are currently in Konoha."
"Call all of them to the training field and have them wait for me. I'll come meet up with you all in a little while."
"O-Okay… Shishou."
Karin lowered her head and replied in a voice as quiet as a mosquito.
Usually, she behaved confidently in front of other matters. But now that Tsunade had just witnessed her being so intimate with her master, she still felt extremely embarrassed.
At this moment, she really wished she could immediately find a blanket and wrap her head tightly inside it.
Seeing Karin's awkward state, Rengoku couldn't help smiling slightly.
Then he turned and walked toward Tsunade, who was standing at the doorway.
Tsunade rolled her eyes at Rengoku without any restraint, then turned around and started striding forward to lead the way.
Meanwhile, Rengoku still looked calm and composed, following beside Tsunade at an unhurried pace.
After the two of them walked side by side in silence for a short distance, Tsunade finally couldn't hold back the curiosity and doubt in her heart and broke the quiet first.
She slightly turned her head and glanced at Rengoku out of the corner of her eye as she asked,
"Before you left, did you already notice Karin's feelings for you?"
Hearing Tsunade's question, Rengoku remained completely calm. He nodded without any change in expression and replied in an even tone,
"Yeah. I already knew about it. She told me back then, but she was still young at the time."
Tsunade's expression immediately became a little playful.
The corners of her mouth curved up slightly as she teased him with a half-smile, "I really didn't expect this. So you actually have that kind of special hobby."
Rengoku looked confused by her words and asked suspiciously,
"What hobby?"
Seeing the innocent and puzzled look on Rengoku's face only made Tsunade laugh even more. She deliberately dragged out her tone and explained slowly, "How do you explain why every time you go out on a mission, you bring back some cute girl? Don't tell me it's all just coincidence."
Facing Tsunade's blunt and suspicious accusation, Rengoku felt both amused and helpless.
"That really is just a coincidence. What about Gaara, Kimimaro, and Haku? Aren't they boys?"
Tsunade clearly didn't buy that explanation.
She stopped walking and looked Rengoku up and down before joking, "Those are all excuses. Besides, even if the others really were just ordinary kids like you say, Karin can't count as one of them, can she?"
Rengoku shook his head slightly and said, "During these five years, Karin was the only one who waited here every day for me to come back."
Tsunade slowed her steps and said in a somewhat ambiguous tone, "She's been following you since she was seven. You could say you watched her grow up."
Rengoku's lips curved slightly, revealing a carefree smile.
"I don't care."
Tsunade turned her head away and continued walking forward, saying with a hint of emotion,
"You've changed quite a bit in these five years."
Rengoku couldn't help laughing.
"Then you guessed wrong. In reality, the time I spent after crossing over adds up to less than two days."
Hearing this, Tsunade showed a look of shock. She suddenly stopped and stared at Rengoku with wide eyes.
"W-What? Over there it's only been two days? How is that even possible!"
Rengoku shrugged helplessly and said with a light smile, "Maybe not even two days. If you really count it carefully, it's probably only about one day."
For a moment Tsunade didn't know how to respond. She opened her mouth, but found herself at a loss for words.
Seeing this, Rengoku continued, "But my clone has its own independent consciousness. All the memories formed while Karin waited for me every day and spent time with me were transmitted back to my main body."
"In those memories, she has already spent five years with me, even though I couldn't speak or respond."
Only then did Tsunade nod in understanding. After a moment she said in a somewhat unclear tone, "Sometimes I really don't know how old you are. You're only twenty-one, but you act very mature."
"Yet when I say you're mature, you also easily accepted Karin, the girl you watched grow up."
What Tsunade said was true.
Rengoku had begun to rise when he was seventeen. Back then he had already shown intelligence and combat power far above the others in the Uchiha clan.
He even played Hiruzen, Danzo, and the others right in the palm of his hand.
The change in his strength could be explained by awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan.
But the change in his intelligence had always remained a mystery. After all, Rengoku had previously been just an "ordinary" Uchiha who only knew how to carry out missions.
He was simply a bit more diligent about missions, but otherwise no different from the other Uchiha.
It wasn't until Hiruzen and Danzo plotted the Uchiha clan massacre that he suddenly rose up.
While Rengoku was around, naturally no one dared investigate these things.
But after he was gone, every trace of his past had been carefully reexamined.
Tsunade's words just now were also a way of testing him.
Rengoku simply laughed out loud.
"If you had seen this world begin and end countless times, you'd be like me too."
"Begin and end…", Tsunade's expression changed slightly.
Curious, she asked, "Then tell me. What was I like?"
Rengoku shook his head slightly.
"Maybe later. Let's go to the meeting first. Those kids are still waiting for me."
Tsunade smiled and nodded, not in a hurry.
"Let's go. Your return is a big deal."
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