"Ah! Lady Tsunade, you're actually hesitating!"
Shizune's eyes widened in shock, feeling ashamed of Tsunade's money-grubbing appearance.
Though she was long used to it!
Tsunade guiltily turned her head away, then realized—it was all Shinji's fault for bringing out something that tempted her!
She glared fiercely at Shinji, her tone somewhat awkward, her pitch noticeably rising, her lips trembling slightly: "Y-you think I'm the kind of person who's swayed by money?"
Shinji cleared his throat, silently thinking to himself: Aren't you?
"Taking you as my disciple... isn't entirely out of the question."
Tsunade paused, looking at Shinji expectantly, even subtly winking at him. Her lips moved, silently mouthing a phrase.
Shinji carefully deciphered her lip movements—it seemed to be: "How much?"
He couldn't help but feel both amused and exasperated.
Tsunade blinked.
For her, gambling funds were never enough. Though she had two million ryo in her pocket, it wouldn't last long in a casino. More money meant more fun at the tables.
Shinji rummaged through his belongings for a while, then froze.
He only had a little over a hundred thousand ryo left. Over the past few months, crafting ninja tools, buying medical herbs and scrolls had cost him a fortune.
Finally, gritting his teeth, he pulled out two sharp kunai from his ninja tool pouch and offered them to Tsunade, clasping his fists respectfully: "Lady Tsunade, this is my gift for becoming your disciple."
Tsunade's eyes lit up. With her extensive experience, she immediately recognized that these two kunai were forged from chakra metal—not only rare but also extremely expensive.
They could be sold for money!
Just these two, judging by their exquisite craftsmanship, could fetch at least two million ryo. Her gambling funds would double instantly!
She could barely suppress the smile at the corner of her mouth and reached out to take them, thinking to herself: Taking this disciple isn't so bad after all, and this also repays the favor I owe him.
A money-making idea suddenly popped into Tsunade's mind.
Why not take in disciples from all the major ninja clans and make a fortune from tuition fees?
Probably not possible!
That old man, the Third Hokage, would definitely stop her.
Shizune hurriedly rushed forward and said, "Shinji, you mustn't indulge Lady Tsunade. Give them to me for safekeeping."
She wanted to stop Tsunade's wasteful behavior.
If Shinji became Tsunade's disciple, then he would be her junior brother.
She had to protect her junior brother.
Shizune felt that Shinji didn't yet understand some of Tsunade's flaws.
Lady Tsunade was a bottomless pit that could never be filled!
Based on her experience, these two exquisite kunai would be sold to a weapon shop within a few days.
Tsunade protectively hugged the kunai to her chest while using her body to push Shizune aside: "These are mine, Shizune. I won't give them to you!"
Shizune tearfully pleaded, "Lady Tsunade..."
Ignoring Shizune, Tsunade walked straight up to Shinji, placed one hand on her hip and gave Shinji's shoulder a firm pat with the other, beaming as she said:
"Hahaha! Then I'll take you as my disciple! From today on, I am your teacher!"
Then, shifting her tone, she added:
"But only as a registered disciple. Of course, if you have any questions about medical ninjutsu, you can come to me anytime."
Regarding taking on a disciple, she had left herself some leeway. Unlike Jiraiya accepting Minato Namikaze as his direct disciple—Minato bore both Jiraiya's mark and the imprint of the Hokage lineage.
Shinji was a member of the Uchiha Clan, while she was a Senju. A master-disciple relationship would have some impact on the village. But if he were merely a nominal disciple, the impact could be minimized.
Tsunade suddenly wondered: what expressions would the Uchiha elders wear when they learned Shinji had become her disciple?
It should be quite amusing!
A nominal disciple?
Shinji was stunned for a few seconds, muttering quietly to himself: Was he really that insignificant?
Both he and Sakura had volunteered to become Tsunade's disciples, and he had even presented two fine-quality kunai. How had he ended up as just a nominal disciple?
The gap was a bit too large!
Could it be that Tsunade had fallen under Sakura's Genjutsu—Tsukuyomi Sakura?
On second thought, at least he had managed to establish a connection with Tsunade. From now on, he could justifiably intervene in her hemophobia. That was still a gain.
He immediately nodded, smiling as he corrected himself, "Lady Tsunade—no, Tsunade-sensei, I look forward to your guidance from now on."
Then he turned to Shizune, his tone cheerful, "Shizune, we'll be fellow disciples from now on."
"Huh?" Shizune scratched her head sheepishly. "Shinji, you're putting a lot of pressure on me."
Tsunade was quite pleased with Shinji's understanding, chuckling as she said, "Very good!"
After a brief exchange, Shinji returned to Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma.
Seeing the conflicted yet somewhat satisfied expression on his face, Kurenai gently tugged his sleeve and asked curiously, "Shinji, what were you talking about with Lady Tsunade just now?"
She had been keeping an eye on Shinji, noticing his frequent interactions with Tsunade and Shizune.
Asuma also glanced over frequently, secretly pricking up an ear to eavesdrop.
"Sigh." Shinji shrugged and recounted everything that had just happened.
"You mean, you became Lady Tsunade's disciple?" Kurenai's eyes were filled with envy.
Although her first meeting with Tsunade had been somewhat disillusioning, Tsunade remained the female ninja she admired most.
"Just a nominal disciple," Shinji corrected softly.
"Even so, it's still quite an achievement," Asuma exhaled, chiming in agreement.
Suddenly, he remembered Shinji's identity, and his expression turned peculiar. He mused to himself: Shinji was truly an outlier within the Uchiha Clan.
The rest of the journey proceeded without incident. Along the way, they encountered a group of rogue ninjas, whom Shinji and the other two easily dealt with. Traveling swiftly for two days, the convoy finally arrived at the capital of the Land of Fire by evening the next day.
The capital was situated in the fertile heart of the central plains, the wealthiest and most prosperous place in the entire ninja world.
As they passed through the city gates, they were met with a bustling scene—crowds of people, carriages and horses coming and going, the sounds of hawking and laughter intertwining in a lively atmosphere.
"So lively!" Kurenai couldn't help but exclaim. This place was even more prosperous than Konohagakure.
Shinji nodded slightly in agreement.
At that moment, Enichihiko lifted the carriage curtain and stepped down, his face pale. Gazing at the familiar capital, he was moved to tears. Turning to Tsunade, he bowed deeply. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade, for escorting us all the way!"
He had been thoroughly frightened. What was supposed to be official business in Konohagakure had turned into such a perilous encounter at the Fire Temple, nearly costing him his life.
They had traveled day and night since leaving the Fire Temple, compressing a three-day journey into two, and finally made it back home alive.
After Shinji completed the handover with him, Enichihiko hurriedly departed with the convoy.
Tsunade smiled and waved her hand grandly. "Tonight, find an inn and rest well. Tomorrow morning, I'm heading to the Daimyo's Palace."
She hadn't forgotten the main purpose of this trip—she needed to meet the Daimyo in person.
Tsunade turned back to the group and smiled meaningfully. "I have plans tonight, no need to follow me." Then she looked at Shizune. "Shizune, you rest well too."
"Dismissed!"
"Tomorrow, wait for me directly at the entrance of the Daimyo's Palace!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she glanced in a certain direction, her figure flickered, and she dashed off.
"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune hurriedly reached out to stop her, but it was too late—she only saw a blurry afterimage disappear into the crowd.
Shinji watched silently, understanding perfectly well.
Tsunade was heading straight for the Gambling Den, with no intention of setting a good example for her disciple!
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