Naruto: Starting with Tsunade-san

After Tsunade managed to appease Tōshirō with some kind words, he flashed a paternal smile and said, "Speak your mind, Little Strong..."

"Little Strong..."

Tsunade's eyes twitched slightly, and she resisted the urge to hit him, forcing a wry smile as she patted his chest, "I must have hurt you earlier."

Tōshirō, provocatively: "A little, why don't you massage my chest?"

Tsunade reached her limit and retorted spontaneously, "Don't take it that way. You want me to massage your chest? Dream on. It's better if you come and massage me instead. Hmm..."

"Hmm... Alright."

Tōshirō seized the opportunity and pushed his luck, but was quickly met with a blow that made him retreat.

"Experience death twice, you pervert."

Tsunade's face flushed with embarrassment; what was she thinking just now? She really wished she could find a hole to hide in.

This time, Tōshirō's chest genuinely hurt, as if a rock had been smashed against it, so he stopped joking: "What is it you really want to say?"

Tsunade, still slightly blushing, started playing with her nails nonchalantly, "Actually, it's nothing too important. I just wanted to make a contract with your summoned beast."

Tōshirō's eyes widened in surprise, and he showed an expression of disbelief: "Huh? What are you talking about? The fox is my dearest companion!"

"Master..."

The fox had been watching everything and hadn't expected her master to hold her in such high regard.

The fox was reassured that her master still cared deeply for her.

Although he sometimes seemed indifferent, he never deprived her of anything. She silently vowed to serve him with all her might.

Tsunade bit her lip; she knew her request was unreasonable, but...

"You'll have to pay."

The fox felt uneasy:....

Tsunade felt uneasy:...

"What? You don't think you can take my summoned beast without paying, do you?"

Tōshirō pointed his finger angrily at Tsunade, accusing her: "I didn't know you were like this. It seems I misjudged you, Tsunade."

Despite her embarrassment, Tsunade quickly regained her composure and smiled confidently: "How much?"

She had some money saved up, which she stored with her mother every year, fearing she might lose it in gambling, and was waiting for a reasonable opportunity to spend it. This seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Tōshirō didn't hesitate: "10 million ryo."

Tsunade's smile froze: "Why don't you just go rob someone?"

She knew well the value of that amount; it was enough to go to the casino with her grandfather and play blackjack for a long time.

Tōshirō, imitating a penguin: "If you don't have the money, how dare you bring up this topic?"

Tsunade tried to use morality to guilt Tōshirō, but she didn't realize that Tōshirō was immune to such tactics: "Yes, that's right. I love material things, especially money. It's a wonderful thing."

When the gentle approach didn't work, Tsunade decided to use force, showing her shuriken: "Do you want to test the sharpness of my shuriken?"

Tōshirō knew Tsunade well. Despite her fiery nature, she had wisdom and limits, and her use of the shuriken now was likely just a threat to make him back down.

Tōshirō had logical reasons to believe this, as during their time together, he had rarely seen her use a shuriken. She preferred to solve problems with her fists, and if one hit didn't work, she would add another.

As she had said herself, she preferred blows that allowed her to feel the texture of flesh, though no one knew where she inherited this passion for hand-to-hand combat.

This domineering trait of Tsunade intrigued Tōshirō, so he decided to play along with her, also pulling out a shuriken, raising his head, and matching her energy: "My shuriken is just as sharp."

In an instant, the tension between them escalated, as if they were about to engage in a real fight. Jiraiya couldn't stand the scene and intervened to calm things down: "Are you really going to fight?"

These words served as a way out for Tsunade, who sheathed her shuriken and said coldly, "No need to worry, we weren't playing seriously."

Tōshirō added, "Jiraiya, it seems you don't understand Tsunade well. When have you ever seen her use a shuriken? Even though you graduated and trained with her on the same team."

Then, Tōshirō formed hand seals and released the summoning technique, turning into a cloud of white smoke, thereby ending his mission of showing off his summoned animal.

Tsunade gazed sadly but found no choice but to stop trying.

Tōshirō didn't give her what she wanted, and she couldn't take it by force.

Jiraiya suddenly remembered: "Yeah, I haven't seen her use a shuriken before; she mostly carries them as decoration."

Then he added with amazement: "It seems you know Tsunade quite well."

Tōshirō sighed tiredly: "What do you expect? I'm the one who constantly cooks for her, playing the role of the chef—or rather, the chef father. I know perfectly well whether she likes sweet or spicy food."

Tsunade: ...

In truth, it wasn't just Tsunade; Tōshirō often cooked for Orochimaru and Jiraiya too.

Orochimaru and Jiraiya were both orphans, with no one at home to cook for them, so they often came to Tōshirō's house to eat.

Of course, it wasn't free; they had to pay for the meals or bring ingredients.

Although cooking was a hobby for Tōshirō, he wasn't generous enough to let these three eat for free all the time.

Tōshirō laughed and said, "Well, anyway, the house is usually too quiet, and sometimes I like having more people around to liven things up. Whether it's Tsunade, Jiraiya, or Orochimaru, I'm happy when they visit me."

Tsunade felt a bit embarrassed. She wasn't used to Tōshirō speaking to her so seriously, as if he were confessing something. She stammered, "What... what are you saying? That kind of talk makes me feel awkward. If you don't like being alone, why don't you make more friends?"

As time passed, Tsunade realized that Tōshirō was quite easy to get along with, but she noticed that he didn't have many friends. Besides the three of them, he didn't seem to have any other significant relationships.

Tōshirō smiled and replied, "Because I'm afraid of death."

"Death?"

Tsunade was utterly confused. What does inviting classmates over have to do with fear of death?

Tōshirō continued, "To be more precise, I'm afraid of losing my classmates. If they die, I'll be sad."

With this explanation, Tsunade became even more puzzled: "What do you mean? You always speak half the truth; can't you just explain things completely from the start?"

Tōshirō sighed once again and said, "Most students in this class will become ninja after graduation, right?"

"And what's the problem with that?"

"The problem is huge. Being a ninja is a dangerous profession. A ninja can die at any time in unknown places, and it's not uncommon for their bodies to remain unfound."

"People naturally avoid danger. If I understand this reality, I'll try in every way not to get too close to my classmates. This way, even if I receive news of their death one day, I won't be sad. Because, to me, they'll be just passing figures in my long life. I'll keep living normally, eating, drinking, and sleeping soundly."

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru's eyes trembled slightly. Tōshirō's words echoed his own sentiments.

Orochimaru wasn't inclined to talk much and felt uneasy around others. But this wasn't his nature; it was simply a way to avoid experiencing the pain of loss.

Orochimaru felt deep in his soul that Tōshirō had perfectly expressed his feelings.

Tsunade didn't understand: "But, if you believe that gaining something means eventually losing it, why do you still want to be friends with me, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru?"

Tōshirō sighed and said:"Because I'm human..."

(End of Chapter)

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