Chapter 146: A "Fine" Disciple

Sitting behind his desk, Sarutobi Hiruzen finished announcing Konoha's latest appointment for Kato Yufeng. Without waiting for Yufeng's reply, he instinctively reached out to light his pipe.

Hiruzen was a veteran chain smoker. He always felt uneasy discussing serious matters without a pipe in his mouth. However, he clearly forgot that his beloved female disciple had just dumped all the tobacco from his pipe into the wastebasket moments ago.

"Ahem, ahem!"

Hiruzen had forgotten, but Tsunade, who was massaging his shoulders from behind, certainly had not. Seeing her master unconsciously reach for a lighter and his pipe, Tsunade gave a loud, pointed cough to remind him while simultaneously increasing the pressure on his shoulders.

"Ouch, go easy! These old bones of mine can't handle your strength."

Jarred by Tsunade's sudden heavy press, which ruined his sneaky attempt to smoke, Hiruzen felt his old face flush with embarrassment. He quickly deflected the blame onto his disciple, complaining that her hand was far too strong.

Tsunade didn't call him out on it. Instead, she went along with his words, scoffing, "Hmph! Master, you're not old at all. You're just a little over forty, in the prime of your life, at the peak of your strength, and in such great health. How could you possibly be 'old bones'?"

While the master and disciple bickered behind the desk, Kato Yufeng recovered his wits. He stopped pondering which advisor elder had backed him to secure the position of deputy commander at the Northwestern Fortress Camp.

Looking across the desk at Hiruzen, Yufeng asked, "Lord Third, what about my Spring Project mission in Konoha's Spring Base?"

"Given the nature of the Spring Project, there won't be any major breakthroughs in the short term."

Hearing Yufeng bring up the Spring Project, Hiruzen turned his head to look at his beloved female disciple, naturally thinking of the First Hokage and his Wood Release ninjutsu.

Hiruzen did not yet know that Yufeng was confident he could acquire Wood Release capabilities.

Aside from Tsunade, Yufeng hadn't told a single soul about this, and he had specifically instructed Tsunade to keep it to herself until he succeeded.

Hiruzen explained his doubts: "It's not that I'm asking you to abandon the Spring Project; after all, that is a long-term mission. It's just that for some time to come, your primary focus will need to shift to the Northwestern Fortress Camp. You know how recent the situation in the ninja world has been."

"Besides, you won't be heading off to take up your new post at the Northwestern Fortress Camp immediately. I'm just giving you a heads-up today so you can mentally prepare yourself in advance."

"The official appointment and documents are still going through the proper channels. As for the more detailed and specific arrangements for your follow-up on the Spring Project, Elder Shimura Danzo will brief you later."

Yufeng acknowledged, "Understood, sir."

Hearing Danzo's name, Yufeng remembered Aoi Seku mentioning that Danzo wanted to see him this morning. Most likely, it was about this very same matter.

Afterward, Hiruzen began discussing in detail the things Yufeng needed to pay attention to once he took office at the Northwestern Fortress Camp.

"When you officially report to the Northwestern Fortress Camp, you must constantly be mindful of..."

...

Watching the two men seriously discussing official business, Tsunade stopped massaging Hiruzen's shoulders and temporarily took on the role of secretary in the Hokage's office, handling tasks like pouring tea. Whenever she heard something that caught her interest, she would chime in with her own opinions.

"Alright, I've told you quite a lot today. Go back and give careful thought to what I've said; reflecting on things never hurts. You're still young. Observing more, learning more, thinking more, and striving harder are the proper things you should be doing."

Seeing that they had covered just about everything, Hiruzen prepared to dismiss the pair standing before him.

However, Hiruzen's habit of nagging in front of Tsunade flared up again. He caught sight of Yufeng and Tsunade holding hands—when had they clasped them together?—and recalled the gossip he had heard recently.

Hiruzen added, "And stop running off to the Konoha Hospital all the time. I hear plenty of gossip about you and Tsunade every day right here in the Hokage's Residence."

"Anyone who didn't know better would think you were the new medical ninja at Konoha Hospital!"

With a single sentence, Hiruzen made Tsunade flush scarlet. No matter what, Hiruzen was her master and an elder. Being nagged right to her face about gossip regarding her and her boyfriend still embarrassed her.

Tsunade first tried to pull her little hand away from her boyfriend's grip, wanting to separate, but Yufeng refused to let go. She shot a sidelong glare at her clingy boyfriend and then simply let him continue holding her hand.

While continuing to listen to her master's nagging, Tsunade's pretty eyes rolled around, scheming some mischief.

*(What kind of master talks to his own disciple like that?)*

Though Tsunade was blushing out of embarrassment, she was not the type to take criticism passively—not even from her master, Hiruzen.

When criticized, she would bristle up just the same. When it came to her master Hiruzen, she showed filial piety when it was due and talked back when it was due. No problem there; he was her real master, after all.

As for Kato Yufeng, his skin was thick enough. Once he had a firm grip on his girlfriend's delicate hand, he simply acted as if he hadn't caught the implication in Hiruzen's words. If he didn't pursue his own girlfriend, was he supposed to pursue someone else's?

Hearing the Third Hokage's dismissal, Yufeng's eyes shifted into a lazy, deadpan gaze. He even took up Hiruzen's thread and joked, "If Lord Third wishes to transfer this subordinate to an official post in Konoha Hospital, I'm quite capable of handling it. Over the past half year, I haven't slacked off on practicing medical ninjutsu."

"What did you say? So all the breath I wasted talking to you just now was for nothing? Am I worth less than one of my female disciples?"

Hiruzen's ears were sharp; he didn't miss a beat, catching Yufeng's remark instantly and snapping back in annoyance.

"Get lost, all you do is talk nonsense! Go back and prepare properly. Once you receive the official appointment letter, report to the Northwestern Fortress Camp early."

"Hehe, as you command, Lord Third! This subordinate will get lost right now!"

Yufeng flashed an innocent, foolish smile and prepared to pull Tsunade away with him.

"On your way out, check outside the door and see if that unlucky Uchiha kid has woken up yet. If he's awake, call him in here for me. What an absolute idiot—a total fool who got taken down in a single move."

Seeing Yufeng acting like a rogue, Hiruzen remembered that the fellow standing before him was no obedient little model ninja of Konoha. That brought to mind the conflict between Yufeng and Uchiha Yashiro just outside the door earlier.

With that, Hiruzen cursed again, "All you do is create trouble for me. Get lost already!"

"Yes, Lord Third! This subordinate takes his leave!"

Realizing Hiruzen had remembered the business with Uchiha Yashiro, Yufeng didn't linger. He grabbed his girlfriend's hand and prepared to make a quick getaway.

"Wait, Yufeng, I need to grab something."

Tsunade, who had been silent, finally figured out how to get back at her master before heading out the door—no, wait, how to show her utmost filial piety to her master.

Then, under Yufeng's watchful gaze, Tsunade briskly walked around behind Hiruzen's desk.

Before Hiruzen could process what was happening or react in his astonishment, she reached directly into the bottom-left drawer and pulled out an exquisite metal tobacco tin.

Tsunade was thoroughly familiar with everything in Hiruzen's office. Never mind tobacco; she could even sniff out his hidden private stash. Whenever she lost too much money gambling in her youth, she hadn't hesitated to raid Hiruzen's secret savings.

"Old man, smoke less! Otherwise, those old bones of yours really are going to get pickled by tobacco!" Just a moment ago, Hiruzen wasn't "old bones" in Tsunade's words; now he was back to being an old man with old bones.

Flashing the tobacco tin in her hand, the mischievous Tsunade gave Hiruzen a wicked grin and said, "This—your most adorable, most filial, and best disciple—is going to confiscate this for you!"

With that, Tsunade took small, hurried steps, dragging her equally dumbfounded boyfriend toward the office door. Before stepping out, she didn't forget to offer a final word of comfort to her master.

"Don't worry, old man! Your most adorable disciple won't tell your wife—my esteemed mistress—that you've been smoking behind her back. I guarantee I won't make you kneel on a washboard when you get home!"

"My tobacco... that was my last stash..."

Realizing what had just happened, Hiruzen let out a silent cry from the depths of his soul for his lost tobacco.

He stared speechlessly at the pipe in his hand, then turned his gaze to the large portrait of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, hanging on the wall behind him.

In the photograph, Hashirama wore his signature, bright, cheerful smile.

"Lord First, exactly which of your traits did Tsunade inherit? What kind of sins did this disciple commit in my past life?!"

After pouring out his grievances to his master, Hiruzen looked down at the empty pipe without its tobacco, then back at the door his precious disciple had just closed, and finally toward the wastebasket beside his desk.

Hiruzen's throat twitched slightly. His nicotine cravings were acting up...