Chapter 60: The Mysterious Job Is Actually...

"You like giving massages, huh?"

"Let's see if you still want to give them after this!"

Takuya Yagami gritted his teeth as he jumped onto Tsunade's back, grabbed her arms, and yanked them backward with force.

Crack, crack, crack.

The sound of bones popping echoed repeatedly.

"Yes, yes, just like that! Put some strength into it."

"My bones feel like they're about to fall apart."

"Woman, shut up. Be thankful I'm even doing this. You sure have a lot to say."

Nawaki was utterly stunned; he didn't even know how he managed to walk out of the tent.

"Nawaki, what's going on with you? You seem really out of it," Minato asked with concern, noticing his friend's distracted state as they left the tent to wash the dishes.

"I'm fine, I just..."

Nawaki snapped out of his daze and forced a smile, awkwardly gesturing as he struggled to find the words.

"I mean... Minato."

"Yeah? Hand me the dishes. You don't look so good. I'll take care of it today, and you can do it tomorrow."

"Um... what exactly is the deal between my sister and Takuya Yagami?"

"Their relationship?"

Minato looked up at him, puzzled.

"It's pretty normal, I guess. At first, I thought it was just a senior-junior thing, but later it felt more like they were friends. They both like to joke around and mess with each other."

As he spoke, Minato couldn't help but smile wryly.

Honestly, Takuya might be the only one in the whole of Konoha who dares to tease Tsunade like that! Anyone else would probably be flattened with a single slap.

"Don't you think it's weird, though?" Nawaki asked, still feeling unsettled. Tsunade's so much older, yet she's friends with someone who's at least ten years younger than her? And they seem really close!

It doesn't make sense. It really doesn't.

"There's something even weirder that happens at night. You'll see soon enough."

Recalling the events of the past few nights, Minato could only laugh helplessly.

"What? Something weirder?"

Nawaki's voice rose a few notches, nearly deafening Minato.

Why's he reacting so strongly?

Soon, Nawaki would understand exactly why Minato had said there were even stranger things.

"Come on, let's play a few rounds of cards before you guys head out on patrol. I haven't played all day, and I'm getting antsy," Tsunade said, slapping the table with satisfaction after receiving a full-body massage. She waved a deck of cards in front of Nawaki, beckoning him over with a playful grin.

"Just lend me your allowance. I'll pay you back later."

"No way! I don't have any allowance left!" Nawaki shouted, instinctively clutching his wallet.

Takuya rolled his eyes.

You're practically giving yourself away!

That reaction and tone—only a fool would believe you. Do you think your sister's that naive?

"You're not going to lend it to me?"

Tsunade knew her brother had money and wasn't buying his excuse. Narrowing her eyes, she tilted her chin up and stared him down.

"This is really all I have left."

Nawaki reluctantly pulled out his money, looking utterly miserable.

Takuya: "..."

Minato: "..."

Both of them silently thanked their lucky stars they didn't have an older sister like Tsunade. If they did, they'd probably lose their minds.

Alright, today I won't try to win Tsunade's money. Nawaki looks too pitiful.

That was Takuya's thought.

And Minato's as well.

But playing cards with Tsunade, trying to lose on purpose... that's easier said than done.

Sure enough, Takuya could pretend to be clueless and play haphazardly, but Minato, who wasn't yet familiar with the rules of the game, had no choice but to play cautiously.

In the end, Minato ended up as the biggest winner, which also meant Takuya won a decent amount as well.

Tsunade kept insisting on being the dealer, trying to win back everything she'd lost. But instead of recouping her losses, she ended up losing all of Nawaki's allowance as well.

"You little brat, I'll remember this! I'm going to settle the score with Jiraiya!"

Tsunade could handle losing to Takuya, but losing to Minato? That was infuriating!

Jiraiya, you'd better watch out!

Meanwhile, out on the battlefield, Jiraiya, who had just finished an ambush, suddenly shivered as a chill ran up his spine.

"Orochimaru, do you feel a sudden chill?"

I think you're just being an idiot.

Orochimaru shot him a disdainful glance, not even bothering to reply.

In Orochimaru's eyes, Jiraiya had always been a fool.

Jiraiya, unfazed by the cold shoulder and disdain, laughed it off, scratching his wet, white hair. He decided to change the subject, asking, "Now that Tsunade's back, don't you think we should return to the camp for some rest?"

Ninjas are human too; they get tired. They're not machines.

"Once we deal with this wave of enemies, we'll head back tomorrow."

Orochimaru was as terse as ever when it came to Jiraiya.

Simply put, they don't see eye to eye, and even a brief conversation feels like too much. There's just nothing for them to talk about.

Orochimaru's mind is always on jutsu and getting stronger, while Jiraiya's is always on women...

How could someone like Orochimaru, who doesn't even care about gender, possibly have a normal conversation with him?

It was bearable when Tsunade was around, but with her gone, the atmosphere between them was unbearably awkward.

It's a good thing Orochimaru hasn't turned evil yet, or Jiraiya would be even more miserable.

"Don't be so down. When we get back to Konoha, I'll treat you to a feast and a hot spring. It's just a little allowance; no need to look so glum."

Takuya tried to comfort Nawaki.

"But it was my money!"

Nawaki was on the verge of tears. He hadn't even touched the cards, and his money was gone. Could anyone be more miserable?

Sister, you really are my sister. No one else would do something like this.

"How about we give it back to you?" Minato suggested, feeling bad.

Right now, Nawaki just looks so helpless and pitiful. It's starting to make me feel guilty.

After all, Minato had won the most.

"It's fine. I'm used to it. It just hurts a bit."

Nawaki forced a smile.

"Next time, I'll hide my allowance better. She won't find it. I'm sure of it."

"..."

Maybe we should just keep our distance. I heard stupidity is contagious.

Takuya promptly backed away, distancing himself from Nawaki.

Minato thought it over and decided to follow suit. Right now, Nawaki's got a bit of that foolish vibe going on. Better stay away.

After a day of dodging around, Takuya and Minato finally learned what their job was.

That's when they understood why they had a bad feeling earlier.

"So, our job is to guard the sealed scrolls in the morgue to prevent anyone from stealing the corpses?"

In the world of shinobi, you don't even get peace after death.

Your body can be dissected for secrets, and even your soul might not escape.

With so many ninja casualties in the war between Konoha and the Hidden Rain, the sheer number of corpses made it impractical to transport them all back. Instead, they were sealed in scrolls to be transported in batches.

Nawaki's task was to guard the scrolls at night.

And Takuya and Minato were assigned to assist him.

No wonder that jumpy medical ninja had given them such a strange look earlier.

At their age, to be brought to the battlefield alongside Tsunade means they're no ordinary genin. But to be immediately assigned to guard a bunch of corpses...

Who wouldn't be frustrated by that?

"Yes, even though the chances of someone actually coming to steal a body are very slim."

Nawaki looked embarrassed. He hadn't mentioned the task earlier because it wasn't exactly a glamorous job.

I'm supposed to be out on the front lines, not stuck guarding the morgue!

But that's where he ended up.

The morgue was eerily quiet, even during the day, but at night, the silence made the place downright creepy.

Anyone with a weaker constitution would find it unbearable to stay there for long.

Leaning against a wooden post, Takuya asked with a sigh, "Nawaki, did you piss someone off to get stuck with this job?"

"It was our teacher's decision."

***********Important*****

If my other fanfiction, Ninja World: I Have a Life Simulator, reaches first place by the end of the week, I'll also release bonus chapters. So help me out by giving it power stones!