Chapter 123. Like Family

Chapter 123 - 123. Like FamilyTsunade suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and turned toward the bathroom. By the time she finished washing up, breakfast was ready—lean pork congee. "Thank you." Tsunade knew it was prepared specially for her by Hanekawa. "It's nothing," Hanekawa replied with a shake of his head. Tsunade stared at him for a couple of seconds before looking away and taking a sip of the congee. The warm and delicious taste made her eyes narrow slightly in contentment. Hanekawa's heart stirred—she looked remarkably like a cat at that moment. Too bad he couldn't pat her head. "What's the plan for today? Training, or are we heading out on a mission?" Hanekawa asked after some thought. Since their trip to the Land of Grass, they had completed three C-rank missions and one B-rank mission. On average, they went on a mission once a month, each lasting about a week. Apart from the Land of Grass, they had also been to the Land of Birds, the Land of Demons, and the Land of Rivers. Their time in the Land of Demons was the longest, mainly due to Priestess Miroku's overwhelming hospitality. After all, Tsunade had saved her life. "You wanted to learn sealing techniques, didn't you?" Tsunade said, licking her lips. "Miho has mostly recovered, so today we'll visit Kushina." "Sounds good," Hanekawa's eyes lit up. He had been looking forward to this for a long time. "Learning sealing techniques is no easier than mastering medical ninjutsu," Tsunade said bluntly. "If it takes up too much of your time, I suggest you give up." "Understood," Hanekawa nodded. He knew he didn't have a natural talent for sealing techniques, and learning them wouldn't be easy. But that was fine—his goal was simply to get a basic understanding. If he ever encountered terms related to sealing in the future, he wouldn't be entirely clueless. Most importantly, having a learning pathway meant he could consult Uzumaki Kushina anytime. "Finished!" Tsunade set down her bowl and patted her stomach, looking thoroughly satisfied. "You seem to be in a good mood today," Hanekawa observed curiously. Was it because she enjoyed drinking last night? "Not bad," Tsunade said, standing up and stretching. "Go check if Kurenai and Rin have arrived." With that, she headed to her room. Tsunade opened her wardrobe and changed into her clothes. Turning to look at the photo on the wall, her gaze lingered on Nawaki for a moment before she looked away. Today, Hanekawa made her feel a sense of family again. Or rather, they were already like family. "That kid's not bad," Tsunade chuckled softly before closing the door and leaving her room. "Sensei," Kurenai Yuhi and Rin Nohara greeted her. "Show me the jutsu you've been practicing recently," Tsunade said, crossing her arms. "I'll go first," Kurenai stepped onto a nearby open space. Quickly gathering chakra, she formed water-style chakra in her mouth and released a rapid burst of senbon made of water. A sharp sound followed as the water needles embedded themselves into a tree in front of her. This was the Water Release: Heavenly Cry, a technique created by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. In the original story, Tobirama used it against Madara Uchiha. Although Kurenai had been studying water-style ninjutsu for some time, she hadn't mastered many due to her chakra limitations. Techniques like Water Release: Water Colliding Wave or Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave required vast amounts of chakra, as they involved creating waterfalls or oceans in an instant. For comparison, Kisame Hoshigaki's water-style techniques were practically ocean-style. Tsunade nodded slightly. With guidance from Maruboshi Kosuke, there wasn't much she needed to do. When it was Rin's turn, she brought out a scroll, unsealing a prepared fish. Taking a deep breath, Rin formed hand seals, though her movements were far less fluid than Kurenai's. Despite her struggles, she successfully extracted the fish's liver. She had used Delicate Illness Extraction Technique, a B-rank medical ninjutsu she had only recently begun learning. For someone her age, just being able to perform it was already a testament to her exceptional talent. Tsunade didn't demand perfection, instead offering guidance to both Rin and Kurenai for a few minutes. "Alright, keep practicing as I instructed. Hanekawa and I are heading out," Tsunade said, waving a hand as she turned to leave. "Huh?" Kurenai and Rin were caught off guard. "We'll be back later," Hanekawa smiled at them before quickly following Tsunade. "So secretive," Kurenai huffed. Although they were all Tsunade's students, it was clear that Hanekawa shared a closer bond with her. There was a significant difference between being a team leader and being a personal mentor. Rin, however, didn't dwell on it. She focused on the fish in front of her, restoring its liver and reviving it before placing it in a basin of water. The fish began swimming again. Seeing this, Rin poured a dose of Hanekawa's prepared poison into the water. Delicate Illness Extraction Technique primarily served two purposes: organ transplantation and poison removal. To practice removing poison, one had to first administer it. "Sorry," Rin muttered apologetically. "But this is necessary for training." "You medical ninjas are scary," Yuhi Kurenai couldn't help but comment sarcastically. Before long, Tsunade and Hanekawa arrived at Uzumaki Kushina's house, but unlike last time, no one came out to greet them. "Feels like they're playing cards," Hanekawa said with a wry smile. Card games seemed to have ensnared not only Uzumaki Kushina but even the Nine-Tails. "Let's go!" Tsunade perked up immediately at the mention of card games. "Lady Tsunade." A familiar figure appeared—not Uzumaki Kushina, but Namikaze Minato. "Minato-senpai," Hanekawa greeted him proactively. He wasn't surprised at all to see Minato there. "Hanekawa!" Before he could say more, a green blur rushed toward him—it was Might Guy. "Is Rin not here?" Uchiha Obito asked, looking around expectantly. "No," Hanekawa replied, shaking his head. Obito instantly lost interest. "Ka..." Hanekawa started to ask about Kakashi but was interrupted by a piercing crackle of lightning. Looking up, he saw intense chakra fluctuations coming from behind the house. "Kakashi is working on his Chidori," Minato explained before turning back to them. "Lady Tsunade, Hanekawa, let's talk inside." "I'm heading off to train," Obito said, uninterested now that Rin wasn't around. Might Guy followed suit, focusing on his preparations for next year's Chunin Exams, where he vowed his youthful spirit would shine in the Hidden Leaf. "Lady Tsunade! Hanekawa!" Uzumaki Kushina greeted them cheerfully. She was playing cards with Uzumaki Miho and two tails of the Nine-Tails. "Miho, I'll take over," Tsunade quickly decided. "Minato, you go teach Miho and Hanekawa sealing techniques." "Follow me," Minato said with a gentle smile, offering no objections. "Good luck!" Uzumaki Kushina waved at them with a grin. "Sealing techniques, simply put, are used to seal a target's chakra," Minato began as they moved outside. "Of course, advanced techniques can seal a target's body or even their soul." Hanekawa immediately thought of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, one of the rare techniques capable of sealing souls. The cost, however, was the user's own soul—essentially a do-or-die technique. In the original story, Minato had used it to seal the Nine-Tails. S~eaʀᴄh the nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "Unlike regular ninjutsu, which only requires hand seals, sealing techniques involve an additional step: creating a sealing formula," Minato explained further. "Before learning the techniques, you must first master these formulas, also known as curse marks." He formed hand seals and pressed his palms to the ground. Black, tadpole-like markings appeared and transformed into a specific pattern: a simple spiral in the center, surrounded by eight pointed shapes. "This is the formula for the Four Symbols Seal," Minato said. "It's often used to seal malevolent forces like Tailed Beasts." "Amazing!" Miho exclaimed, awestruck. She had learned from Kushina about the power and significance of Tailed Beasts, and the idea of sealing them with a technique was mind-blowing. "Let's start learning," Minato said with a smile, pulling out paper and brushes. "The sealing formula, like hand seals, must be flawless and precise." He handed each of them a set of supplies. "For now, practice drawing the formula on paper. Once you're skilled, you'll switch to using chakra to draw it," Minato instructed. "Understand?" "Understood!" Miho and Hanekawa replied in unison. "I'll bring you a table," Minato said, heading back inside and quickly returning with a table and chairs. Miho and Hanekawa sat facing each other and began practicing while Minato watched and provided guidance. Meanwhile, he created a shadow clone to mentor Obito and Guy, as they were his primary students. Miho and Hanekawa, on the other hand, were Kushina's responsibility. By midday, Tsunade approached Hanekawa with a glass of water. "Thirsty?" she asked, handing it to him. "Thanks," Hanekawa said, taking a sip before realizing something was off. "This is the glass you drank from, isn't it?" "I didn't feel like getting a new one," Tsunade replied nonchalantly. "..." Hanekawa glared at her. Tsunade chuckled, unbothered, and stared back at him as if to say, What can you do about it? "Did you win this morning?" Hanekawa asked calmly. "What's that supposed to mean?!" Tsunade's smile froze, and she glared at him. "Nothing," Hanekawa said, smiling. "Just concerned about my teacher." "Is that so?" Tsunade said, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth. "Time for special training!" "Nope," Hanekawa said flatly. "I'm learning sealing techniques." "You don't get to say no!" Tsunade retorted, glaring at him. Nearby, Minato wore a slightly bemused expression as he observed their interaction. Are they really teacher and student? __ New entry: This Danzo Is Weird Patreon.com/rashta Be a member so you can read: New. 280 adv ch of This Danzo Is Weird 1. 260 adv ch of Talent System In Naruto 2. 560 adv ch of Qian Renxue's Younger Brother 3. 270 adv ch of Uchiha Madara's Cousin 4. 163 adv ch of WDQK: Divorcing Ling Qingzhu (Complete)