The chirping of birds drifted in from outside the window, clear and melodious.
Uchiha Tatsumi turned over, trying to escape the sunlight pouring into the room. Had he forgotten to close the curtains last night?
He still wanted to sleep, but his consciousness was already nudging his body to wake up.
"Chen, wake up already…"
Amid the birdsong, Tatsumi heard a voice like the ring of a silver bell.
He hovered somewhere between dream and reality, where the hazy remnants of dreams wove themselves into the fabric of wakefulness.
So naturally, he ignored the sound of Kushina calling out to him.
"This is Rope Tree's room. Why would Kushina be here...?"
"Mmm... Kushina, just let me sleep a bit longer…"
"Huh? Ah, right, that's what I said too. It's a rare day off. I got thrashed by Tsunade-sensei last night… Of course I want to sleep a bit more…"
"Yeah, yeah. I dreamed I beat Tsunade... let me stay in that dream a little longer."
"But you said several times yesterday that you'd wake up early to stop Tsunade-sensei from going to the casino. You told me to make sure I got you up. So come on, Chen, it's already morning!"
Kushina began shaking Tatsumi without hesitation.
It was meant to wake him, but to Tatsumi, it felt like he was being gently rocked in a cradle—oddly soothing.
Just one more song's worth of sleep…
"Um... Chen, you said that a few minutes ago already." Kushina's tone grew more insistent.
"If you don't get up now," she warned, "I'll splash water on your face!"
Tatsumi shot up from the bed, body stiff.
"A dark aura approaches!"
He instantly adopted a defensive stance—turning sideways, guarding his face with his arms, legs ready to spring away at a moment's notice.
Standing directly in front of him—
"Honestly, who are you calling evil?"
Tsunade stared coldly at him.
Tatsumi narrowed his sleepy eyes. He was indeed still in Rope Tree's bed, and in front of him stood Tsunade, fists clenched and eyes narrowed.
Calling her "evil" might be an exaggeration… but not enough to take it back.
"Get up already, brat. Today's the last day of training. I'm gonna work you hard," Tsunade growled, cracking her knuckles ominously.
"Tsunade-sensei, treating your patient like this—this goes beyond 'dark aura' and enters criminal behavior," Tatsumi muttered, inching away.
Actually, forget "evil aura." Let's go with "assault with intent."
"Good morning, Chen."
"Ah, good morning, Kushina." Tatsumi turned to the girl who had been trying to wake him since dawn.
Her long, red hair gleamed in the morning light, and her white ninja garb suited her energetic personality perfectly.
She grinned widely—somehow even more cheerful than yesterday.
"Did you sleep well last night?" Tatsumi asked, sitting up on the bed.
"Yup! I had a super lucky dream!"
Her smile was genuine, bright enough to light up the room. Tatsumi felt relieved. He'd worried she might have trouble sleeping in a new environment, but it looked like she'd been just fine.
"Alright, enough chatting. Get moving," Tsunade said, arms crossed. "Today's the last day of training."
"I'm a busy woman. I've got to 'inspect' some casino regulars tonight. I'm squeezing you in for training during my break."
"You sure know how to fill your schedule…" Tatsumi muttered.
"Whatever. I'll go wash my face first." He grabbed his cloak and stepped outside.
"Mmm… yeah, me too," Tsunade yawned behind him.
They'd played pretty hard the day before. Maybe she was still tired.
As Tatsumi made his way to the sink, he passed Rope Tree's room—just in time to overhear Tsunade speaking with Kushina inside.
"Kushina, this is dangerous. A girl your age shouldn't be barging into a boy's room."
"What if something happened like last night?"
"There was no danger. It was just a misunderstanding," Kushina replied. "Tatsumi's my first good friend in Konoha. There's nothing to worry about."
"Nope, nope. Read this book yourself." Tsunade pulled out a tattered romance manga from a hidden compartment in the table. "If you're not careful, you might end up in a situation where a beast like Uchiha Tatsumi takes advantage of you!"
"W-Whaaa?!" Kushina cried, flailing dramatically.
Moments later, Tatsumi returned to the room just in time to see Kushina holding Rope Tree's manga, cheeks burning bright red.
That's not mine! That's Rope Tree's collection! he screamed internally. Don't dump the blame on me!
Tatsumi quickly turned and left again, under Kushina's suspicious gaze.
After breakfast, Tatsumi asked casually, "So, Kushina—what're you doing today?"
"Hmm, Grandma Mito's giving me more lessons. She said I still have a lot to learn before I start at the Academy tomorrow."
"Nice. That's good."
They were probably going over sealing techniques. From what Tatsumi knew, sealing jutsu were among the most powerful in the entire shinobi world.
They could restrain Edo Tensei, suppress tailed beasts, and even seal a godlike entity like Kaguya.
Unfortunately, Tatsumi hadn't unlocked anything related to sealing on his status panel. He made a mental note to nag his unreliable system later.
Kushina left for Mito's after breakfast, and Tatsumi headed off to the training grounds with Tsunade.
"Alright, brat. Show me your chakra control. If I'm satisfied, I'll teach you a powerful jutsu—as compensation for yesterday's misunderstanding."
"I nearly died yesterday! You almost killed me with that chakra scalpel!"
"Why'd you attack me out of nowhere anyway, sensei?"
"Well, I heard Kushina screaming from the room… and then I heard you say you'd 'take responsibility.' So I thought you'd done something you shouldn't."
"I said I'd help her teach Rope Tree how to make mini paper bombs! You need to pull your head out of your heels and actually listen next time!"
"Ohh… that's what you meant," Tsunade muttered, nodding slowly.
"Well, no harm done. You're still alive."
A long silence passed.
Then Tatsumi took a deep breath and—
"Take this kick!"
"What do you mean, 'no big deal'?! Want me to toss you into the Land of Water to harvest sugarcane for the rest of your life?!"