Chapter 98: Teaching

"Really? Sister Tsunade, did she genuinely say that?" Sato emerged from the Hokage's office, excited about the good news.

Back at home, Sato shared the news with Karin. As she was cleaning the house wearing an apron, she suddenly looked at Sato with surprise. Seeing him nod, she rushed over excitedly. She wrapped her legs around him like Ino and enthusiastically planted several kisses on his mouth. She cheered, "Great, I'll be able to go on missions with you, Sato, in the future!"

Sato, playfully holding Karin's waist, teased with a smile, "Sure thing, just make sure you keep up, or you might slow me and Hinata down."

"Hee hee, I'll never slow you down," Karin replied confidently. "When you're out on missions, I often help at the hospital. That's why I didn't neglect my training in chakra control and sealing techniques. Now, I've mastered the Chakra Enhanced Strength and even some sealing techniques."

"Awesome, as expected of Karin," Sato couldn't help but give her a thumbs-up. He then gave her a head-to-toe inspection, followed by a well-deserved reward.

In truth, Sato wasn't surprised at all. He believed Karin was more suited to be Tsunade's disciple than Sakura. Moreover, he thought that even Hinata was a better fit for Tsunade's tutelage compared to Sakura. The reason was simple: they were all descendants of the Ōtsutsuki clan.

The Uzumaki clan, to which Karin belonged, and the Senju clan, Tsunade's heritage, were distantly related and traced their ancestry back to Ōtsutsuki Ashura. Consequently, both clans possessed powerful physiques, immense chakra, and extraordinary chakra control. They were ideally suited to learn each other's secret arts.

Similarly, Hinata, a descendant of Ōtsutsuki Hamura, had one of the purest Byakugans. Sato, who often visited the Yamanaka and Hyuga clans, extended his teaching beyond medical ninjutsu to include Chakra Enhanced Strength.

As for Ino, who initially had the weakest strength and the most average talent among the three, if she could master the Chakra Enhanced Strength, she would undoubtedly follow a path similar to Sakura's in the original story – a complete reversal of her fate.

For Hinata, Sato encouraged her to learn the Strnage Power Boxing. Although it conflicted with the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist techniques, Sato, as a traveler, understood the strength of combining opposites.

Just imagine, when Hinata integrated the Chakra Enhanced Strength into her Gentle Fist, she wouldn't just seal her opponent's chakra flow with acupuncture points. Instead, she could directly incapacitate them by crushing, piercing organs, and defeating enemies with sheer power.

Motivated not to hinder Sato, Hinata began learning Chakra Enhanced Strength last year after hearing Sato's vivid descriptions.

Sato hadn't checked Hinata's progress yet, so he wasn't sure if she had mastered the Chakra Enhanced Strength. But regardless, since they would be on the same team in the future, there were still three years until Shippuden. Sato had plenty of time to train them.

To celebrate their upcoming team formation, Sato and Karin decided to skip cooking at home for the day and go out for a hearty meal. Just when Sato expected it to be a date between the two of them, Karin made an unexpected move.

She took Sato to the Hyuga clan, intending to call out Hinata, their future teammate. Clearly, despite Sato's frequent travels in the past few months, Karin maintained her close connection with Hinata, Ino, and the other girls.

Sato was quite pleased with their friendly bond.

Soon, Hinata emerged from the Hyuga clan, and trailing behind her was a small surprise.

"Sato big brother, long time no see~" The voice was accompanied by a little face that had lost some baby fat compared to the previous year.

Sato's eyes locked onto Hanabi, who had been hiding behind Hinata, trying to surprise him. Hanabi trotted towards Sato, wrapped her arms around his waist, and smiled. "Long time no see, Hanabi. It's been a while."

Sato affectionately ruffled Hanabi's hair and returned her smile. Hanabi was delighted to be praised but then, as if she had discovered something, she raised her hand to the top of her head, measured the distance between her head and Sato's body, and pouted slightly. "Sato big brother, you lied. I'm shorter than before."

Sato gazed at his adorable sister-in-law and regretted not having a camera with him; he would have captured this moment. These simple times with Hanabi would become cherished memories when she grew up. He made a mental note to carry a camera with him in the future.

With that in mind, Sato playfully pinched Hanabi's cheek and grinned. "Little rascal, that's because I've grown as your big brother."

Indeed, Sato had grown taller. Just as he had mentioned before, he was in the midst of his growth spurt. Not only was his chakra capacity increasing every quarter, but his height was also gradually changing. At thirteen years old, Sato stood at 1.73 meters.

Compared to his peers in the Hokage world, he was almost invincibly tall. His companions, Hinata, Karin, and Ino, also thirteen years old, had just surpassed 1.5 meters in height. Ino, the tallest among them, was only 1.53 meters.

This height difference meant that Ino had to wear high heels or stand on her toes if she wanted to kiss Sato, otherwise, he would need to bend down considerably.

On the other hand, Hanabi, who had been 1.32 meters tall the previous year, had grown to 1.37 meters. Her growth was astonishing, even surpassing her elder sister's. However, considering her expected adult height of 1.7 meters, this wasn't entirely surprising.

"Well, Sato big brother has indeed become taller," Hanabi acknowledged after a careful examination. She confirmed that Sato was indeed taller than when he visited last year. Hanabi's seriousness only made her appear even more endearing.

Sato couldn't resist pinching her cheek once more before scooping her up into his arms. Together with Karin and Hinata, they celebrated the formation of their Wuji Team.

Hanabi, nestled in Sato's arms, didn't feel shy or make any effort to escape. Instead, she felt incredibly content. She hadn't seen her big brother for several months, and now that she was in his embrace, it felt right.

This wasn't the first time Sato had hugged Hanabi. Since she had recognized him as her future brother-in-law and shared Hinata's enthusiasm for her sister, Sato had treated her with the affection of a big brother. Something Neji couldn't provide.

In the Hyuga clan, which was strict and formal, there were aspects that Hanabi couldn't find. As Sato's status changed, the Hyuga family accepted his relationship with Hinata, allowing him to come and go as he pleased. During his visits, Hanabi began to experience the caring love of an elder brother.

This was different from what she received from her sister, and it captivated Hanabi. So, after getting to know Sato, not only did he hug her, but he also spoiled her.