"Matron, are you heading out?"
Just as Hagawa arrived at the orphanage, he saw Nonō Yakushi hurrying out with a concerned look on her face.
"Hagawa?" Nonō was slightly taken aback, asking with some surprise, "What are you doing here? Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong. It's Sunday, so I thought I'd come back to the orphanage for a visit," Hagawa said, shaking the picture books in his hand. "And to bring them some gifts."
"That's very thoughtful of you," Nonō said with a gentle smile.
"These little gifts are nothing," Hagawa said, shaking his head. "Everyone here has taken such good care of me."
"Then you should go see them," Nonō said, patting his head. "The Matron has to go to the Konoha Hospital."
"Is it for a surgery?" Hagawa asked casually. Nonō Yakushi held three positions simultaneously: matron of the orphanage, a Root ninja, and a doctor at Konoha Hospital. Given her skills, if she was needed for a surgery, the patient was likely no ordinary ninja.
"It's for a meeting," Nonō said after a pause. "Lady Tsunade has returned to the hospital. She's the hospital director."
"Lady Tsunade?" Hagawa's eyes lit up. "Can I go? I'm a huge fan of Lady Tsunade. I've always wanted to meet her."
As one of Konoha's Three Legendary Sannin, Tsunade was an idol to many ninja. Claiming to be her fan wouldn't arouse the slightest suspicion.
"It's a meeting today, so it wouldn't be appropriate for you to go," Nonō said after thinking for a moment. "I'll take you to see her next Saturday."
"Okay." Hagawa could only temporarily suppress his curiosity.
"I have to go now. See you next time," Nonō said, retracting her hand and heading towards the hospital.
Hagawa watched her figure, lost in thought. So Tsunade really was in Konoha at this time. Unfortunately, he only had a talent for Yin Release, not Yang Release. His Yin Release talent came from the enhanced spiritual energy he gained after awakening his past life's memories. So what about Yang Release talent? Physical strength?
Hagawa suddenly thought of the E-Rank Trait he had yet to acquire, [Robust Physique]. Perhaps one of its evolution paths led to a Yang Release talent. Whether it was true or not, it was worth a try. After all, there was no harm in physical training. After a week of exercise, the progress bar for [Robust Physique] had already reached 60%. Another week should be enough to acquire it. Perhaps even less, since the duration of his training sessions was increasing.
Hagawa entered the orphanage, gave the picture books to the children, played with them for a while, and then said his goodbyes. As he walked down the street, he wondered when Kabuto Yakushi had arrived at the orphanage. Although the original series didn't specify the exact time, it was definitely after the Third Great Ninja War. A sense of urgency washed over him. The Great Ninja Wars were incredibly dangerous; even Kage-level shinobi could fall.
"Hagawa!" Kurenai's voice came from above.
Hagawa looked up and saw her little feet dangling in the air. They glowed white in the warm sunlight. He had unknowingly arrived back at Kurenai's home. In front of her house stood two trees. One was a locust tree, and the other was also a locust tree.
"What are you doing up there?" Hagawa asked.
Kurenai put on her shoes and jumped down from the tree. After landing steadily in front of him, she held out her hand. Hagawa raised an eyebrow, and they stared at each other, big eyes meeting small.
"You went out and didn't bring me anything back?" Kurenai said with her hands on her hips. "You fail!"
"No money," Hagawa said with a light cough. In reality, he had just forgotten.
Kurenai froze. Only then did she remember that Hagawa was an orphan with no source of income.
"Here... for you!" Kurenai shoved a wallet into his hands, then quickly turned her head away, leaving him with a view of her slightly reddened profile.
The wallet was pink with a rabbit pattern on it. Hagawa paused for a second, then subconsciously opened it. Inside was a stack of bills. He suddenly felt a knot in his stomach. He just couldn't bring himself to "eat soft rice" from a pretty loli; his pride wouldn't allow it. Most importantly, Kurenai wasn't rich. If she were a Hyūga or an Uchiha, he might have considered it. But the Hyūga loli wasn't born yet. As for the Uchiha, if their key members had been cute little girls, there wouldn't have been so much drama, and the anime could have probably cut half its episodes, especially the flashbacks.
Still, I really should think of a way to earn some money.
"No, thanks." Hagawa grabbed Kurenai's wrist and returned the wallet to her.
"Hm?" Kurenai tilted her head, her eyes blinking with a blankly cute expression.
A thought sparked in Hagawa's mind. He reached out and patted her on the head. Kurenai instinctively leaned back but couldn't dodge in time. She could only glare at him.
"You still haven't told me what you were doing up there," Hagawa said, casually changing the subject. He ruffled her hair twice before pulling his hand back. Mm, her hair is smooth. Feels nice.
"My dad is looking for you," Kurenai said, snapping back to her senses.
"Where is he?" Hagawa entered the house and began changing his shoes at the entrance.
"I'll go get him." Kurenai put away her wallet and skipped off to Shinku Yuhi's room. A moment later, the two of them reappeared in the living room.
"Hagawa," Shinku got straight to the point. "How is your grasp of the chakra kneading technique coming along?"
Hagawa stood up and demonstrated.
"Not bad," Shinku said with a smile. "Your proficiency is already catching up to Kurenai's."
Hagawa had been learning for a week, while Kurenai had been learning for nearly half a year. One could only describe his progress as terrifyingly so.
Kurenai snorted upon hearing this. She was a little annoyed but couldn't find any reason to refute it. Seeing this, Shinku only found his daughter more adorable. He reached out, intending to pat her head, but Kurenai dodged it perfectly with a backward hop.
"Your chakra levels are now barely adequate. You can start trying to learn genjutsu," Shinku said, a little embarrassed. He coughed twice to cover it up.
Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives. He was just thinking about getting stronger. Hagawa's spirits immediately lifted. Although genjutsu became somewhat awkward in the late-game meta, it was still very useful against ordinary ninja.
Kurenai also became serious. This concerned the future outcome of her rivalry with Hagawa. She couldn't lose!
"Genjutsu, taijutsu, and ninjutsu are the three basic skills of a ninja, but few specialize in genjutsu," Shinku said, lifting his chin with a hint of pride. "This is because genjutsu has the steepest learning curve and requires exceptional talent." He wanted to show off a bit in front of his daughter. And he wasn't lying; in all of Konoha, no one understood genjutsu better than him—with the exception of the Uchiha clan.
"Uncle Shinku, are you a genjutsu specialist?" Hagawa asked, sensing his thoughts and playing along.
"Indeed I am," Shinku replied with a broad smile.
"Hurry up and teach us," Kurenai urged. All she wanted now was to learn genjutsu quickly, defeat Hagawa, and become the "big sister" boss.
Shinku's face stiffened. Is this still my well-padded little jacket?
-------
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