Chapter 145: Leaving You Homework
The final of the Chunin Exams is tomorrow, and the number of customers in the Ramen Shop has reached an unprecedented level.
Anko leaned against the bar, with Ichi and Maki Retsu sitting in the seats next to her, chatting aimlessly with Haruko about tomorrow's events.
Perhaps out of fear of awkwardness, Kamano did not come along.
"You have to win some glory for us tomorrow." Anko bit into her noodles, her gaze drifting toward the rarely busy Haruko, "You are the only seedling left from the former Team Anko."
After placing a steaming bowl of ramen from the serving window in front of a customer at the bar and clearing away the used bowls and chopsticks from another table, Haruko finally had a moment to spare.
Although Haruko really wanted to say that he was no longer her student, he decided to save her some face and simply turned his gaze toward Ichi.
"Hmm, looks like you've recovered well?"
"Hehe, it's all thanks to your treatment." Ichi touched the spot where he had been injured and grinned, "I can take on missions now."
"Our team has taken on the mission of maintaining order at the competition venue," Maki Retsu added, "Though, honestly, it's mainly just to watch the matches for free."
"Uh..." Haruko frowned after hearing this—that was not a good job.
Seeing Haruko's reaction, Maki Retsu also put on a serious expression: "I've faced Atsui before; his Fire Release swordsmanship is very fast, and that kind of explosive power is abnormal. It seems like he has had expert guidance. Although your strength should be fine, you still need to be extra careful."
Clearly, he thought Haruko was worried about tomorrow's match.
"I'm not worried about that 'hot' kid. In fact, if I wanted to, I could take him out in one move. What I'm worried about is... Hmm?"
Haruko stopped mid-sentence, because he felt a surge of intense hostility mixed with killing intent in an instant.
His gaze swept across the shop and quickly locked onto a figure sitting in the corner.
A female Ninja with short, pale yellow hair and an extremely voluptuous figure was looking down, drinking green bean soup.
Although she wasn't wearing a headband or Hidden Cloud Village attire, that size allowed Haruko to recognize her at a glance.
Samui.
'Here to watch her brother's match? Or perhaps..."
"Worried about what?" Ichi asked.
"Worried that someone might take the opportunity to cause trouble. You know, many people come to watch these joint Chunin Exams, and those lunatics who want fame love to use this chance to 'make a name for themselves'."
Haruko pretended not to see her and continued chatting with Anko and the others.
"Hiccup. With me here, don't worry." Anko put down her chopsticks and wiped the grease from her mouth, "Isn't our mission to keep an eye on those people? Just focus on your match."
...
Besides this group, many other acquaintances came to the shop throughout the day to cheer Haruko on.
What surprised Haruko more was that Hinata hadn't come at all.
"Now that I think about it, it seems she hasn't been here for several days... Is she sick?"
Haruko touched the amulet in his pocket; it was the one she had given him before the first round began.
"Could it be that she was 'protected' because they were afraid Hidden Cloud Village would try to kidnap her again... Tsk, I should have noticed earlier. I'll send a return gift after the competition ends."
In the evening, when most of the customers had left, the door was pushed open again.
Lady Tsunade's iconic green robe with the kanji for "bet" appeared in everyone's line of sight, followed by Shizune holding a pink piglet, and a little girl wearing glasses, shrinking back and peeking from behind.
As soon as Teuchi saw Lady Tsunade, a smile immediately appeared on his face: "Oh my, this is..."
"Boss Teuchi, long time no see."
"It's Lady Tsunade! Please, have a seat. You truly have a secret to staying young; even after so many years, you look exactly the same."
Lady Tsunade walked up to the bar with long strides, her gaze sweeping over the renovated Ramen Shop, a flash of surprise in her eyes: "Boss, you've made a fortune, haven't you? This shop has changed so much."
"It was only just expanded recently," Teuchi scratched his head and smiled happily, "It's all thanks to Haruko. Even the store layout was renovated by this kid using Ninjutsu; the efficiency was unbelievable."
Lady Tsunade turned to Haruko and raised an eyebrow: "You kid... you can do 'this' too?"
"Yeah, it's better to be prepared." Haruko nodded and admitted it—clearly, Lady Tsunade had noticed the Barrier Ninjutsu set up in the shop, so there was no need to hide it.
Lady Tsunade sat down at the bar, with Shizune and Karin sitting next to her.
"Who is that stuck-up woman? Did Karin go with her?"
"Never seen her before... but Dad seems very familiar with her, right?"
"What did she eat growing up..."
Three heads poked out from the kitchen, stacked on top of each other like a totem pole.
"Shh... keep it down." Kaede dragged them back into the kitchen, "That is Haruko's master, one of the legendary'Sannin', Lady Tsunade."
"Whoa! She looks so young..."
Although their voices weren't loud, Haruko heard them clearly, and presumably, Lady Tsunade did too.
"You kid, you really have quite a few girls around you." Lady Tsunade shot a sidelong glance at Haruko.
"Ahaha... they're all unfortunate souls, so I just brought them back..."
Haruko scratched his head, glanced at Karin, who wasn't hiding at all, and frowned slightly: "It's a bit risky for you to come out like this."
"It's fine." Before Karin could speak, Lady Tsunade provided the answer, "I beat up the Hidden Grass Village Ninja who came to harass her. No one will give her any trouble now."
"Uh... that's fine then. Master is awesome."
Haruko's mouth twitched.
Although Haruko had the strength to make Hidden Grass Village disappear, the subsequent pile of trouble would be hard to deal with, and Karin wasn't worth him doing that.
Only Lady Tsunade could just beat them up without worrying about the consequences. After all, she is Princess Tsunade.
As they were talking, the shop door was pushed open again.
Standing at the door was Kagero; her clothes were covered in dust, and her hair was a bit messy, clearly having traveled a long way.
"You're back?" Haruko was somewhat surprised by the visitor.
"Yes." Kagero walked to the bar, "Tomorrow is your match, thankfully I made it in time."
"Uh..." Lady Tsunade's playful gaze stung Haruko a bit, "That... and what about your Clan Members?"
"I've already told the Clan Members about the plan; whether they listen or not is their business." Kagero came to a stop in front of Haruko and looked directly into his face, "I still owe you quite a few favors that I haven't repaid..."
Kagero's response, which seemed to completely set aside her family responsibilities, piqued Lady Tsunade's interest: "Haruko, aren't you going to introduce us?"
"Her name is Kagero, from the Fuma Clan..."
Haruko briefly recounted Kagero's experience and took the opportunity to say: "...In short, I've stabilized her injuries, but she's still a ways off from a full recovery. Why don't you take a look, Master?"
Lady Tsunade performed a brief check.
"...Hmm, you handled it well enough, kid. At least you saved her life."
"And the follow-up..."
"You continue with the follow-up." Lady Tsunade interrupted Haruko, "Consider it homework I'm leaving for you."
"Huh?" Haruko suspected he had misheard.
"I'll leave Konoha after your match ends." Lady Tsunade's attitude was firm, "Your Medical Ninjutsu is decent, but you still lack practical experience. This kind of long-term care case is perfect for you to practice on."
"...Alright then." Haruko sighed.
"I wanted to help you, but I didn't expect to be taken care of by you again." Kagero bowed her head to Haruko, "If there is anything you need from me, just ask."
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