Naruto: Starting with Tsunade

Chapter 20 Medical Ninja? Just trying to survive.

On the open ground, Yuan Feiri was training his three disciples.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough"

Orochimaru clapped his hands together, and instantly a strong wind arose, howling loudly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was filled with undisguised admiration. He could learn such a C-rank ninjutsu after just one explanation. His talent was truly remarkable. What was even more impressive was that he was born a commoner, which meant that he did not belong to any faction.

Among his three disciples, he was the one Hiruzen Sarutobi valued the most.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's blatant favoritism angered Jiraiya, who secretly vowed to learn the Summoning Jutsu so that he could impress everyone.

Just then, a woman walked towards them. Jiraiya noticed her, nudged Hiruzen Sarutobi's kidney area with his elbow, and said in a cheeky tone, "Master Sarutobi, your girlfriend is here."

When Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed that the visitor was Biwako, his face turned as red as a monkey's bottom: "What nonsense are you talking about? What do you mean, my girlfriend? We're just colleagues."

Jiraiya chuckled, "Just a simple colleague relationship? Then what are you two doing at the love hotel tonight? Playing Ludo?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi blushed, thinking to himself: Damn it, how does this brat know everything?

He feigned a cough, then composed himself and said seriously, "You guys train yourselves. I have important business to discuss with the Jonin of Biwa Lake."

Those who know, know. Jiraiya stopped teasing his teacher and casually waved his hand: "Date? Got it. You're allowed to have a day off today."

"Small in stature but big in wisdom."

Yuan Fei rewarded Jiraiya with a flick on the forehead, then happily headed towards Lake Biwa.

Of the three disciples, Jiraiya was not the most talented, but he was the closest to him. The two were more like close friends than master and disciple.

For no other reason than that the two shared a common hobby, such as enjoying engaging in conversations with women that progressed from superficial to profound. The difference was that one was practical, while the other was all talk and no action.

Tsunade clasped her hands behind her head and pouted, "Teacher Yuan Fei is really something. He's got a girlfriend and he's forgotten about us. He's only interested in his lovey-dovey relationship."

Jiraiya chuckled: "What's wrong, envious? Why don't you go find a guy to go on a date with?"

"Dating?"

"I am of little talent, what do you think of me?"

Jiraiya flashed a bright white smile and volunteered himself.

Back when he was in school, he didn't really think Tsunade was that pretty, but recently, for some reason, the more he looked at Tsunade, the more pleasing she seemed to him; she was so beautiful and charming.

We were truly blind before, but it's not too late to mend our ways now.

Being near the water gives you an advantage.

He decided to pursue Tsunade.

Although Tsunade was not interested in him, and even disliked him a little.

But he felt that with his persistent and relentless tactics, he would eventually succeed and win the heart of the beauty.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and said disdainfully, "Maybe in my next life, I'd rather go on a date with Aokiji than consider you. At least he's a good cook and a decent tool."

Jiraiya rubbed his chin and chuckled, "So what? Should I tell Aokiji your exact words?"

Tsunade clenched her fist: "You dare!"

"What's there to be afraid of?"

"boom."

Tsunade possessed unparalleled strength, shattering rocks with her fists into countless small pebbles. One of these pebbles landed squarely on Jiraiya's head, startling him so much that snot streamed down his face.

He really couldn't understand how Tsunade, who was the same age as him, could be so strong despite her thin arms and short legs.

"Um, I was just kidding, don't take it seriously."

Jiraiya dodged the question.

Tsunade gave a haughty snort.

Jiraiya nervously wiped away his cold sweat. If he had been hit by a real punch, he would have broken at least a few bones.

"Orochimaru, what do you think of the couple, teacher and teacher?"

Jiraiya, having nothing better to do, asked Orochimaru this question.

Orochimaru, too lazy to bother with this pointless question, simply said, "Boring."

After speaking, he went back to practicing on his own.

In his opinion, it would be more interesting to discuss philosophy with Aokiji than to waste time on romance.

To be honest, he misses the days when he was in school.

At least I can find Aokiji anytime, anywhere, unlike now where I have to go on missions all the time and often don't even see him.

I wonder what Aokiji is doing right now?

I guess he's still contemplating philosophy, something so meaningful.

In his view, Aokiji sleeps all day because he's overworking his brain by thinking about philosophical questions; otherwise, how can you explain him sleeping all day?

Hiruzen Sarutobi greeted Biwako and started a conversation about his search for medical ninjas at the Ninja Academy.

Biwako sighed, "The students don't seem very interested in medical ninjutsu."

Hiruzen Sarutobi comforted him, "Don't blame yourself, the fault is not yours."

Biwako shook her head, a relieved smile on her face. "Fortunately, there's still one student interested in medical ninjutsu, so it's not a complete loss. And he's from the Uchiha clan. His name is Uchiha Aokiji."

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised an eyebrow. The name sounded familiar; it seemed to possess a talent that even Orochimaru praised highly.

Seeing him deep in thought, Biwako couldn't help but ask curiously, "How come you know this student?"

"He seems to be close to my three disciples. I met him once before, and he fell asleep right away. That left a deep impression on me," Hiruzen Sarutobi recalled, gazing into the distance.

Biwako agreed: "Yes, when he was in school, I saw that he was always listless and would often sleep in class. The teachers couldn't do anything about him. However, even so, this child was among the best in practical skills."

As they were talking, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly noticed a sneaky figure approaching quietly. He grinned and said, "Master Sarutobi, what are you and your wife talking about? You seem so engrossed in each other."

Biwako blushed when her words were exposed, but she didn't argue.

The two have done most of what they should and shouldn't have done, and soon they'll probably be considering getting married. It would be troublesome if they had a child out of wedlock.

"You bastard!" Hiruzen Sarutobi grabbed Jiraiya's ear and twisted it hard, making Jiraiya yell in pain and beg for mercy: "Master Sarutobi, I'll never do it again next time."

Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed and scolded, "It's good that you know it hurts. Let's see if you dare to do it again next time."

Having said that, he released his grip, and in less than two seconds, Jiraiya immediately switched to a Peking Opera mask, making a funny face and saying cheekily, "I'll definitely do it next time."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was furious and was about to teach Jiraiya a lesson, but then he changed his mind and decided to put aside the matter of teaching Jiraiya a lesson for now: "Jiraiya, I have a question for you."

"What is it?" Jiraiya looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi warily, assuming that Hiruzen was trying to lull him into a false sense of security before launching a sneak attack.

Seemingly sensing Jiraiya's thoughts, Hiruzen Yuanfei chuckled and said, "If I really wanted to hit you, do you think you could run away?"

"Oh, that's true too." Jiraiya put his hands on his hips and said with an air of authority, "Speak, what do you need from me?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi suppressed the urge to punch Jiraiya: "You're quite familiar with Aokiji, aren't you?"

"Who? Aokiji, Uchiha Aokiji?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.

"It does look familiar," Jiraiya asked curiously. "Why?"

"I'm just suddenly quite interested in how he became good friends with you, Orochimaru, and Tsunade."

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru have very different personalities. Orochimaru, in particular, is aloof and cold. It's hard to imagine anyone his age catching his eye, and he even feels inferior to them.

"That's easy." Jiraiya understood and beckoned to Tsunade and Orochimaru, calling them over.

Soon, the two arrived. They glanced at Jiraiya, their eyes questioning. One of the women had a fierce look in her eyes; if Jiraiya didn't give her a satisfactory answer, she probably wouldn't mind punching him.

Jiraiya swallowed hard. "Teacher Yuan Fei asked me to ask you something. How did you two get together with Aokiji?"

"What do you mean by 'easy to get'? Can't you use more precise language?" Tsunade said speechlessly, "If I didn't know better, I'd think I was having an affair with him."

Jiraiya didn't care: "What does it matter? As long as I can understand it, that's fine."

Tsunade ignored him and turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi to ask about the details.

Hiruzen Sarutobi explained the whole story of Lake Biwa to his three disciples.

Tsunade opened her mouth in surprise, "It's rare to see Aokiji paying attention in class. Could it be that he's interested in medical ninjutsu? But he doesn't seem like that type of person to me."

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, "Has he always been like this?"

Tsunade paused for a moment: "When I met him, he seemed to have always been like this. I asked his older friends, and they said that Aokiji used to be very diligent, but after his grandmother passed away, his personality changed drastically. He became very carefree and had no interest in becoming a ninja. He even looked down on it."

After listening, Hiruzen Sarutobi understood and felt sympathy for Aokiji's plight, asking the three men what their opinion of Aokiji was.

Orochimaru: Aokiji is the only man who can reach the depths of my soul.

Jiraiya: He shares the same hobbies as me.

Tsunade: This guy is a pretty good cook, so he's a decent tool.

Hiruzen Sarutobi: ...

Hearing his disciples' evaluations, he understood Aokiji even less.

Returning to the original question, if that's the case, why did Aokiji show such a strong interest in medical ninjas, even changing his usual behavior and listening attentively during lectures?

At this point, Orochimaru, who knew Aokiji quite well, offered his opinion: "If I'm not mistaken, Aokiji isn't actually interested in medical ninjas, but rather in 'survival'."

(End of this chapter)