章 44: Tsunade

Ninja Academy

Chen, already seated, watched the scene with interest when he noticed Mikoto approaching Kushina.

Mikoto slightly bowed to Kushina. "Hello, I'm Uchiha Mikoto," she said with a warm smile. "Please take care of me."

Kushina, who had been organizing her books, looked up. Her expression, initially neutral, hardened almost imperceptibly. "Hello," she replied curtly. "My name is Uzumaki Kushina. Just call me Kushina."

Mikoto's smile faltered for a moment, confused by the cold reception. Kushina, seemingly irritated by Mikoto's mere presence, huffed and shot a frosty glance at Chen before grabbing her things and walking forward, where Tomo was waiting for her.

Chen blinked, puzzled. A big question mark seemed to float above his head as he watched the scene. "Why is she angry?" he murmured to himself. "Could it be that... she's developed feelings for me in just one day?" But he realized that it was possible.

Before he could reflect further, he felt an arm wrap around his shoulders. Nawaki had materialized next to him, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Well" Nawaki sang, his voice brimming with amusement. "It looks like the senior wife and the junior wife are fighting."

Irritated by the comment, Chen reacted instinctively. His fist crashed into Nawaki's head with a loud 'thwack!'.

"Ouch!" Nawaki yelped, a large bump forming on his head. Tears of pain welled up in his eyes as he rubbed the swelling. "That hurt, Chen!"

"That's what you get for being nosy," Chen growled, shaking his hand.

Nawaki, still complaining, began to make his way back to his seat. The other students laughed at the sight of the huge bump on his head. Before leaving, however, Nawaki leaned toward Chen.

"By the way," he murmured, his voice tinged with irritation, "my sister Tsunade is looking for you. She wants to see you tomorrow at 9 a.m. at training ground number 27."

Chen nodded, intrigued. It had been a while since he had seen Tsunade due to her missions.

As Chen pondered this, he didn't notice that Kushina, seemingly asleep on her desk, had heard the entire conversation, her half-closed eyes shining with curiosity.

Suddenly, the classroom door swung open. A group of students entered, but something about them caught everyone's attention. Their noses were bruised, and their faces swollen, as if they had been repeatedly punched. Most surprising was how they looked at Kushina: with a mix of fear and respect.

Chen couldn't help but smile. "So she really did hit them," he thought, confirming his suspicion about Kushina's temper.

Kuri entered right behind the battered students. His gaze swept the classroom, stopping at the bruised faces.

"What happened to them?" he asked suspiciously.

The students glanced at each other, embarrassed. "We... we fell," they mumbled in unison, too proud to admit they had been beaten by a girl.

Kuri raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing the excuse, but decided not to press the matter further. "Alright, take your seats. Let's start the class."

To everyone's surprise, especially Kuri's, Chen didn't lean back on his desk as usual. Instead, he sat upright, his eyes fixed on the front of the classroom.

"Today we'll talk about trap design," Kuri announced, still casting astonished glances at Chen.

Chen listened attentively. Kuri, for his part, felt as if the sun had risen in the west. Seeing Chen, the eternal sleeper, paying attention was an event worthy of being remembered.

The rest of the day passed without major incidents. After the midday break and the afternoon class, Chen continued with his usual routine of solo exercises.

As the sun began to set, Chen gathered his things. He took one last look at the classroom, noticing how Kushina carefully avoided looking in his direction.

With that, Chen headed home.

________

The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon when Chen opened his eyes.

He stretched his muscles, feeling the energy flow through his body. The aroma of freshly prepared breakfast by Mikoto filled the house, inviting him to start the day.

After his morning exercise routine, Chen sat at the table, where Mikoto had already laid out a feast.

"Mikoto," Chen said between bites, "do you want to accompany me to see the big-breasted girl today?"

Mikoto, who was pouring tea, nearly spilled the cup. A look of disdain crossed her face.

"Chen," she replied with a tone of mock warning, "if Tsunade-sama heard you call her that, she would beat you until you were unrecognizable." Then, with a mischievous smile, she added, "Though... I'd like to see that."

Chen raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Wow, Mikoto, do you really like seeing me in unfortunate situations that much? You're getting quite dark, you know?"

Mikoto blushed slightly, lowering her gaze. "By the way," she murmured, "Tsunade-sama asked you to go. Can I... can I come with you?"

Without giving her time to regret it, Chen jumped up, took Mikoto's hand, and dragged her toward the door. "Of course! Let's go!"

They arrived at training ground number 27 around eight-thirty. The place was quiet, with no sign of Tsunade.

Chen, however, felt a familiar presence. Picking up a small stone, he threw it toward a distant tree.

A sharp scream broke the morning silence.

Kushina, who had been spying from a high branch, lost her balance and began to fall.

The tree, one of the tallest in the field, stood nearly twenty meters high. Kushina's eyes closed tightly, anticipating the impact.

"Tsk!" Chen clicked his tongue, instantly activating his shining fruit ability. In a flash of light, he materialized in the air in front of Kushina, catching her in his arms.

Kushina, not feeling the expected impact, slowly opened her eyes. She found herself cradled in Chen's arms, his warm breath brushing against her face. The adrenaline and fear mixed inside her, and unable to hold back, silent tears began to roll down her cheeks.

Seeing Kushina cry, Chen felt a pang of guilt.

"Hey, hey," he said softly as they descended, "I was just joking. I didn't expect you to fall. I'm sorry, alright?"

But Kushina continued to cry silently, leaving Chen completely baffled. He had never comforted a girl before and had no idea what to do.

Mikoto rushed over as soon as they touched the ground. "Chen! What happened? Is she hurt?"

Chen, still holding Kushina, replied embarrassedly, "She's fine, physically. But... she's crying, and I don't know what to do."

Mikoto frowned, clearly annoyed with Chen. She approached Kushina, extending a hand to comfort her. "Kushina-san, are you okay? Does anything hurt?"

At that moment, as if a switch had been flipped, Kushina stopped crying. She looked at Mikoto, and a spark of determination shone in her tear-streaked eyes. She wasn't going to show weakness in front of her rival.

"I'm fine," Kushina said, her voice surprisingly firm despite still being in Chen's arms. "It was just the surprise."

After that, the training ground fell into a tense silence as Tsunade made her appearance.

Her gaze swept over the scene: Chen holding Kushina like a princess, Kushina's eyes still red from crying, and Mikoto watching everything with a mix of concern and something else that Tsunade couldn't immediately decipher.

"What the hell is going on here?" Tsunade exclaimed, her voice cutting through the air.

Her eyes narrowed, focusing intently on Chen. Then, her attention shifted to Kushina, and her expression softened slightly.

"Kushina," she said with concern, "has this idiot been bothering you? Because if he has, I swear I'll settle the score with him in a way he'll never forget."

Kushina, to everyone's surprise, shook her head. "It's nothing, Tsunade-sama," she murmured, though she couldn't help but shoot a fierce glare at Chen before getting down from his arms. "I'm fine, really."

As she walked away from Chen, Kushina felt a sudden sense of loss. The warmth and safety she had experienced in his arms were something she hadn't felt since arriving in Konoha.

It was as if she had lost something precious, and this only served to confuse her even more.

Chen, sensing the tension in the air, tried to quickly change the subject. "Uh, Tsunade," he said, forcing a smile, "why did you call me here today?"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, a mocking smile playing on her lips. "Oh, so now that you have two girlfriends, you don't want to know anything about me, Chen?"

The comment dropped like a bomb on the training ground. Mikoto, utterly embarrassed, lowered her head, her face as red as a ripe tomato. Kushina, on the other hand, exploded.

"Who is whose little girlfriend!?" she shouted, her face also flushed.

Tsunade let out a laugh, though her eyes gleamed with something that seemed more like pain than amusement. "Oh, come on, Kushina. Nawaki told me everything when he got home. It seems our little Chen here has been very busy."

Chen could feel the sting of jealousy in Tsunade's voice.

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