11 Chapter 11

"Tsunade, I thought you had abandoned the village for good. Don't tell me you're here on vacation," Danzo mocked, attempting to discern her motives and the duration of her stay, which could potentially disrupt his plans.

"Oh, Danzo, if I didn't return, wouldn't any stray dog and sewer rat try to take control of the village my grandfather built with his own hands?" Tsunade's retort was laced with disdain, making it clear that she held no respect for the village elder.

"Tsunade, watch your words. I am still the village elder. Insulting me is like insulting the leaf," Danzo retorted, his face contorted in displeasure.

"Insulting you is insulting you. Don't you know even Tonton holds more value to the village than yourself?" Tsunade pointed at Tonton, held by Shizune, implying that Danzo was less than a swine.

Danzo simply broke the armrest after hearing the comment, and one of the root ninja immediately drew the blade in a clumsy way, but Kazuki realised it was a calculated move as a few drops of blood spilled from the action and Tsunade flinched, but she quickly collected herself when she saw blood and the root ninja was going in for a kill strike. Kazuki, who wanted to intervene, realised something was wrong, so he stayed his hand, and Shikaku and Shizune had reacted. Shikaku had blocked the tanto with his kunai, while Shizune was ready to attack at a moment's notice.

"Danzo sama, we will not have our esteemed Senju princess be harmed under our Nara roof; if you cannot control your subordinates, then we will consider them rogue and strike them down for you." Shikaku was being serious about wanting to kill the root ninja and warned with an intense gaze. Danzo, recognising the potential escalation, stood up, and his root ninjas followed suit. Passing by Tsunade, he smirked at her, attempting to taunt the Slug Sage.

"Nara clan head, I hope you reconsider and send your clan orphans over to be trained at Root. You never know what kind of misfortune may befall, and you will not always have someone by your side to protect you," Danzo threatened, leaving the room with an ominous warning.

However, what Danzo failed to grasp was that by threatening Shikaku in front of Kazuki, he unwittingly invited the wrath of the young Nara, setting in motion a chain of events that would alter the course of their destinies.

"Well, now that the unsavory person is out of the picture, Shikaku, aren't you going to invite me in for some tea?" Tsunade's casual remark broke the lingering tension in the air, drawing Shikaku's attention back to the present.

Shikaku sheathed his kunai with a slight smile, responding to Tsunade's request. "Tsunade-sama, you jest. How can I not invite the esteemed sage into our humble home? We should be blessed to have you grace us with your presence."

Using his eloquent words to create a welcoming atmosphere, Shikaku invited Tsunade to the meeting hall, where she took a seat as Shikaku poured her some tea.

"Not bad, Shikaku. It seems like your taste has been enriched since the last time I visited your clan. You're enjoying much finer things in life now," Tsunade jovially commented, familiar with the changes that time brings.

After taking a sip, Tsunade's expression turned serious, and she spoke in a stern manner, as if advising a junior. "Shikaku, I have no idea why exactly Danzo has targeted your clan, but he is someone who does not easily give up. Be careful. That man would go to any lengths to fulfil his ambitions, and Sensei is too blind to see his true intentions."

Tsunade, having experienced the darkness within the leaf, knew the rot at the village's core. Her decision to stay away from the village reflected her understanding of its complex politics.

Acknowledging Tsunade's advice, Shikaku responded, "Understood, Tsunade-sama. I will be careful."

As Kazuki silently observed, Shikaku continued, "So, Tsunade-sama, please tell us the reason for your visit. If there is anything you need from the Nara clan, you need only ask."

"Oh, nothing much. I am just here to meet my disciple," Tsunade said, directing her attention towards Kazuki, who was silently observing the proceedings.

Confusion filled the air as Shikaku and the clan elders tried to comprehend Tsunade's words. Kazuki himself was taken aback, realizing the unexpected weight of her statement. Becoming Tsunade's apprentice was a far better outcome than he had initially envisioned.

Recovering from the shock, Shikaku directed Kazuki forward. "Kazuki, come here quick and greet your sensei."

Walking forward, Kazuki kneeled respectfully and addressed, "Greetings, Sensei." Tsunade waved her hand, signalling him to forego any formalities.

"So, you are the little Nara prodigy daring enough to send a medical compendium claiming to have personally penned it over to me. It seems like you are confident in your knowledge," Tsunade commented, growing more satisfied with her new apprentice.

Tsunade was more and more satisfied with her new apprentice after keenly observing the kid. The child had such exquisite control over his body that it was beyond exceptional. The amount of chakra in the kid's body could rival a full-fledged Jonin. The more information Tsunade discerned about Kazuki, the more surprised she was. Even geniuses like Orochimaru and Minato paled in comparison with this kid in front of her.

"Sensei, you jest; I just shared what little knowledge my humble brain could handle." Kazuki tried to act modest in front of his new sensei. Shikaku couldn't help but think about the massive book with thousands of pages, but he chose not to comment, as the joy on the Slug Sage's face was apparent due to the kid's attitude.

"Shikaku, I need some time with my apprentice in private, and I hope you and the elders can excuse yourselves if you don't mind," Tsunade requested, and though she asked politely, everyone knew it was a command. Shikaku and the clan elders cleared the hall, leaving the new master and apprentice to discuss.

"Kid, this here is Shizune; she is your senior sister. She can be a bit clumsy at times, but she is a good child whom you can trust," Tsunade introduced Shizune, who nodded back at Kazuki with a bright smile.

"So, tell me, kid, how much more knowledge do you hold in that little head of yours? If you were a child from an enemy village of the Leaf, I would have gladly nipped you in the bud to avoid future troubles. I'm sure you're going to grow up to be a monster. Luckily, you were born here, and I am glad to say that I will protect you with all my strength until you grow." Tsunade shared her thoughts seriously, envisioning the kid potentially rivalling or even surpassing her grandfather in the future.

Shizune was taken aback by Tsunade's strong words, but Kazuki didn't mind, understanding it as Tsunade's genuine praise for him.

Kazuki stopped acting coy and pulled out four seal tags, throwing them onto the four walls in four directions. A faint chakra ripple was generated, and what surprised Tsunade was that she couldn't perceive the translucent barrier that was built around them.

"Before we proceed, I would like to clarify something, Sensei. Are you suffering from hemophobia?"Kazuki's curiosity arose from the details in his past knowledge that made him reevaluate everything in the real ninja world, especially after encountering Danzo.

Tsunade couldn't help but smirk at how perceptive her student was, and she was not angry about him straightforwardly asking her such a question.

"Well, little one, I used to have an irrational fear of blood in the past due to certain reasons that I would not like to delve into. But I have been trying to cure myself of the phobia since I left the village. I couldn't have the world laughing at the best medic ninja because of the fear of blood. I had solved the issue by about 80%, but then your book provided me with the insight to cross the final threshold. Without your book, I would have had to spend another year or two searching for a complete cure for my trauma," Tsunade revealed her secret without holding any information back. Kazuki realised how great a medic the Slug Sage was because, in a world where there was not even a basic structure for curing mental maladies, she could cure herself with no prior knowledge of it whatsoever. Kazuki understood that someone like Tsunade, even in his old world, could have been someone who could have rivalled him in the field of medicine.

"I understand. No wonder I felt something was wrong when the root ninja tried to attack you. So, you were deliberately acting like you were afraid of blood, isn't that right, Sensei?" Kazuki questioned now that he realised what the odd feeling was during the exchange earlier.

"Not bad, kid. Even someone as cunning as that rat, Danzo, was fooled by my actions, but you were able to find out, huh? Not bad, not bad. See, Shizune, your little brother is going to surpass you soon enough if you don't practice much harder," Tsunade commented, and Shizune could only sigh. If she had spent all the time that she spent taking care of Tsunade on her studies, she could have become a formidable ninja by now. However, it's not like she disliked the quiet life with Tsunade; on the contrary, she liked it.

"So now that your question is answered, tell me what other secrets you hold. And I also have a lot of questions for you. With me being your master, you shouldn't withhold any information from me," Tsunade exclaimed with the excitement of a child on Christmas morning.

Even Shizune was dumbfounded when she heard Tsunade. Normally, isn't that supposed to be the other way around? The student asks the teacher for knowledge. However, Shizune simply ignored the peculiarity and concentrated on the information that her new junior brother and her master were discussing.

The discussion between the master and student continued all the way into the evening. If Yoshino hadn't come and reminded them of dinner, as they had already skipped lunch, they would have simply continued.

Tsunade, immersed in her thirst for knowledge, graciously accepted Yoshino's invite to join them for dinner. Kazuki personally took it upon himself and cooked a fine array of dishes for his sensei and his senior sister, along with his family. Shikaku even took out some sake that he had kept reserved for special occasions. Yoshino did not question Shikaku's decision as an exception of bringing alcohol to serve the Slug Sage because they wanted to offer the sage the best treatment, and everyone knew her immense love for alcohol.

Even though Kazuki was only five years old, he was more than proficient in the art of cooking. With Yoshino's help, the duo started cooking more and more dishes and serving the guests. Shikamaru, as always, was curious about the famous Sannin and questioned Tsunade herself for information. The Sannin happily indulged him with answers.

In a span of two hours, Kazuki had prepared close to two dozen dishes. Tsunade genuinely enjoyed the dinner; each dish was a novelty. Even for someone who had travelled far and wide, every dish was a new experience.

After everyone settled around the table for dinner and all the dishes were served, Tsunade was enjoying the warmth of a family dinner after a long time.

"Yoshino, you are quite lucky to have a kid who is so good at cooking. That's one less work for you," Tsunade teased Yoshino about the novelty of Kazuki's cooking.

"Yes, Tsunade neesan, big brother Kazuki's cooking is much more delicious than Kasan's, but she never lets him cook," Shikamaru complained. Tsunade couldn't help but tease Yoshino a little more after Shikamaru's statement.

Yoshino chuckled at Tsunade's remark, appreciating the lighthearted banter. "Well, Tsunade Sama, you haven't tasted the burnt chicken and overly salted soup phase of his culinary experiments. Trust me, it's a phase every parent goes through with their little chefs."