Chapter 93: Don't Peek!

Shinho Aburame noticed Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu sizing him up. He couldn't help but feel puzzled—what was going on?

"Registration is complete. You're free to leave the village now," Kamizuki Izumo said, handing back the travel permit.

"Thank you," Shizune responded politely.

Tsunade, however, didn't bother with pleasantries and walked off without even glancing at the two gatekeepers. She had already left Konoha by the time the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, took power, so she had no recollection of Kamizuki or Hagane, and thus no interest in catching up.

"I never thought we'd get the chance to log Tsunade-sama's departure," Kamizuki said, somewhat in awe.

"Are you implying that Tsunade-sama never uses the main gate?" Hagane teased from the side.

"I didn't mean that!" Kamizuki snapped back, glaring at his companion.

"Hey, that Shinho kid is the same one who asked us about Gai-sensei a while back, isn't he?" Hagane suddenly remembered.

"Yeah, it is," Kamizuki nodded. A kid with looks that distinct wasn't easy to forget.

Beyond the gates of Konoha, there was the vast expanse of the Forest of Death. This was Shinho's first time leaving the village on foot.

Last time, when they went to the capital of the Land of Fire, they had used the Summoning Jutsu, but this time, Tsunade insisted they run—it was part of the training.

The three of them leapt from tree to tree at a high speed, startling birds and beasts as they went. Soon, they reached the edge of the Forest of Death.

"Shizune," Tsunade called out, coming to a stop.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama." Shizune turned to Shinho, "Here, hold Tonton."

She handed the small pig to Shinho before pulling out a map.

"Shinho," Shizune asked, "do you know what a ninja should do after accepting a mission?"

It was still training time, apparently.

Shinho glanced at the map before answering, "First, determine the route."

"No, it's to investigate the client," Shizune corrected with a smile. "The most dangerous thing for a ninja is to take on a mission beyond their abilities."

Shinho thought of Team 7's first C-rank mission—escorting Tazuna. The mission, which was supposed to involve nothing more than dealing with bandits, quickly escalated when they encountered Zabuza Momochi, a former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and Haku, the ice-wielding boy.

Fortunately, they had Kakashi with them; otherwise, the whole team would have likely been wiped out.

"After confirming that the mission is appropriate, then you begin," Shizune continued. "First, choose the safest and fastest route. Second, find a secluded place to camp..."

"I understand, Shizune-nee-san," Shinho said, nodding after about ten minutes of instruction.

"Good. Now pick a route," Shizune said, pointing to a location on the map marked with a town named Thunderclap City. "This is our destination."

Shinho scanned the map, which showed seven possible routes.

"This one," he said, pointing to the yellow route.

"Why that one?" Shizune asked curiously. "It's not the shortest."

"It passes through the fewest villages," Shinho explained. "There's less chance of being spotted."

"Looks like you've already grasped the importance of a mission's secrecy," Shizune said approvingly as she ruffled his hair.

Shinho stepped back to avoid the contact. "Are we setting off now?"

"You have one more task—scouting," Shizune said.

"Scouting?" Shinho looked confused.

"Yes," Shizune explained. "Normally, scouting is left to your teammates, especially if you're a medical-nin. But this time, it's your job."

The purpose of this mission was to give Shinho practical experience, and scouting was part of that.

Shinho, despite being a medical ninja, was also part of the Aburame clan, meaning he naturally had insects for scouting.

"I've never seen your bugs up close," Shizune said excitedly. "Let me take a look!"

Shinho extended his hand, revealing three mutated beetles.

"These are kikaichu?" Shizune asked, surprised. "They look different from the ones I've seen before. Prettier, even."

"They're mutated," Shinho explained. "You could think of them as having a bloodline limit."

"Fascinating," Tsunade chimed in, though she wasn't too shocked. Being one of the legendary Sannin, Tsunade knew many secrets. Besides, given Shinho's talents, nothing really surprised her anymore.

"Let's move," Tsunade said, leaping into the trees again.

Shizune tucked away the map, picked up Tonton, and followed after her.

As they traveled, Shinho released all seventy-seven of his kikaichu beetles to scout. He had so many because the tests with sage chakra drained them quickly, and also because he needed them for his explosive technique, Kikaichu: Bomb.

[tl/n: It's the same insect bomb, but this time, he's using kikaichiu- insects that look like beetles. It's on naruto wiki btw.]

Seventy-seven kikaichu exploding at once could overwhelm even an experienced jounin. Of course, they had to hit their target first. But with enough numbers, accuracy became less important—you could simply blanket the area.

Time passed, and soon it began to grow dark. Since they were still within the Land of Fire's borders, the journey had been uneventful—no bandits or other threats in sight.

"Shizune," Tsunade ordered, "let's stop here for the night. Find a good spot for camping."

"Understood," Shizune replied before turning to Shinho. "Are you holding up alright?"

They had been running all afternoon.

"I'm fine," Shinho answered calmly.

They quickly found an open space and began setting up camp.

"Why is there only one tent?" Shinho asked, suddenly realizing.

"Two tents would make us too obvious," Shizune said with a smile. "And besides, there's a sleeping bag. What are you worried about?"

"I'm not worried, just curious," Shinho replied evenly.

"If you're scared, you can sleep next to me," Shizune teased, her smile widening.

"..." Shinho was speechless. Was she joking, or was this a form of temptation?

"I'm hungry. Let's get some food ready," Tsunade interrupted, cutting off their conversation.

She entered the tent and sat cross-legged on the floor, which was nothing more than a simple mat, laid out on the ground.

Shizune opened a storage scroll and pulled out various cooking utensils.

Shinho watched with mild amusement—it really did feel like they were camping.

"Normally, you shouldn't start a fire during a mission," Shizune explained as she prepared the food. "It's safer to eat something like rice balls or sushi."

Shinho gathered some dry wood from the ground and soon had a fire going.

"It's been so long since I've been on a mission like this," Shizune suddenly said, a bit nostalgic.

For so long, her life had been filled with following Tsunade from casino to casino or running away from debt collectors. It almost made her forget she was even a ninja.

"How do you feel about today?" Shizune asked Shinho.

"You taught me a lot, Shizune-nee-san," Shinho replied earnestly. "I've learned a great deal."

"Well, I am a certified chunin, after all," Shizune said, her face lighting up with a bright smile.

Dinner was simple, but satisfying. Once they had finished eating, they extinguished the fire, plunging them back into darkness. Only the pale light of the moon provided any illumination.

"There's a river not far from here," Tsunade said. "Shizune and I are going to wash up. Shinho, set up some traps."

Shizune hesitated for a moment. Technically, during a mission, it wasn't advisable to be so relaxed and open, but after running all afternoon, her body was sticky with sweat, and it was uncomfortable.

"Thank you, Shinho," she finally agreed with a smile. "But don't peek, okay?"

"I won't," Shinho responded seriously.

After all, peeking would surely get him caught by Tsunade.

Or... maybe not.

Shinho suddenly thought about his Concealing Scale Gu. Perhaps, if he went invisible, he might just get away with it.

Cough, cough.

Shinho quickly dismissed the idea. After all, he was a paragon of justice and wouldn't do such things.

After Tsunade and Shizune left, Shinho took out some wire and bells, setting up traps around the campsite as he had learned at the academy.

Women always take their time when bathing, especially two of them together. By the time Shinho finished setting up the traps, he decided to continue his training.

Eventually, a faint fragrance drifted toward him, pulling him out of his focus. He opened his eyes and, under the soft glow of the moon, saw two pairs of long legs and delicate, white feet in front of him.

One pair was fuller and curvier, while the other was sleek and straight.

"Not bad," Tsunade commented, glancing at the traps he had set. "You're getting better at setting traps. Looks like you've got the hang of it."

"Just alright," Shinho replied modestly.

Tsunade scoffed. This kid was great at everything, but sometimes, he was too humble. She felt like stomping on him just to knock some sense into him.

"Shinho," Shizune crouched down beside him, her voice gentle, "Come on, I'll take you to wash up."

Shinho couldn't help but glance at the various concealed weapons strapped to her thighs and wondered if they might accidentally go off.

He got up and followed her to the river.

"You can leave your clothes on that rock," Shizune reminded him.

In the moonlight, Shinho noticed the damp spots on the rock, clear evidence that Tsunade and Shizune had sat there earlier while changing their clothes.

"Go ahead," Shizune smiled, stepping a little further away. "I'll stand guard nearby, so don't worry—no one will sneak up on you."

More like you're the one sneaking around, Shinho thought, shaking his head.

He took off his clothes and stepped slowly into the cool water, washing himself thoroughly before dressing again and returning to camp.

By the time he got back, Tsunade was already in her sleeping bag, with only her head poking out.

"Sleep here," Shizune patted the spot next to her.

Without a second glance, Shinho lay down next to Tsunade.

"Huh?" Shizune looked disappointed.

Tsunade smirked, unable to hold back her amusement. Looks like the kid respected his teacher more—no matter how hard Shizune tried, it wouldn't work.

"Godd night, brat," Tsunade said as she reached out of her sleeping bag, revealing her white arm and tousling Shinho's hair.

As she moved, Shinho couldn't help but catch a glimpse of the heavy weight that pressed against her body.

Closing his eyes, he let the rhythmic sound of Tsunade and Shizune's breathing lull him into sleep.

A new day dawned, and the three of them continued their journey.

After a week of travel, with stops here and there, they finally reached the Land of Lightning.

The Land of Lightning was mountainous, with peaks that were constantly shrouded in mist, and the distant rumbling of thunder frequently echoed through the skies.

Due to the high elevation, most of the ninjas who lived here had dark skin, though there were some exceptions.

One such exception, who Shinho remembered clearly, was a kunoichi named Samui—fair-skinned, beautiful, and quite well-endowed.

Let's just say she didn't fall short of Tsunade in any aspect.

As night fell once again, Shinho slipped into his sleeping bag. After a week, he had grown used to sleeping in it, though it was still a little restrictive at times.

"If all goes well, we should reach our destination tomorrow," Shizune remarked.

"Good," Tsunade replied, her tone containing a hint of excitement. She had been suppressing her urge to gamble for a whole week—she was itching to get to a casino.

"Kid," Tsunade reminded him, "Don't forget to pay your tuition tomorrow."

"Tuition?" Shizune blinked, then shot Tsunade an angry look. "Tsunade-sama, what are you talking about?"

She never had to pay any tuition when she trained under Tsunade.

"Keep your voice down," Tsunade said, looking slightly awkward. "What if you attract enemies?"

"At this time of night? Who would..." Shizune suddenly froze.

The ground trembled beneath them, followed by an ear-shattering explosion.

Tsunade immediately unzipped her sleeping bag, rising into a defensive stance.

"Three o'clock," Shinho pointed, directing his beetles to swarm in that direction.

Shizune temporarily forgot about the "tuition" and formed hand seals, activating her sensory jutsu.

"Two people," Shinho and Shizune said in unison.

Tsunade relaxed slightly but still remained cautious. That explosion had been powerful—definitely on the level of an all-out jounin attack.

Closing her eyes, Tsunade used her own sensory skills. A few seconds later, she opened her eyes in surprise.

"The Fourth Raikage is nearby," she said.

"I remember Hokage-sama mentioning something about the Fourth Raikage stealing secret techniques from Sugi Village," Shizune murmured. "It's likely that the explosion came from their battle."

"Maybe," Tsunade replied, though she wasn't entirely convinced. The explosion didn't seem like the result of any ordinary ninjutsu.

Shinho furrowed his brow. This all sounded very familiar.

The Fourth Raikage, Sugi Village, and explosions... Could it be the Blast Bugs from the Hyuuga faction?

He suddenly remembered. The Nokizaru Group! That's right, they were the ones using the Blast Bugs.

The Nokizaru Group, mentioned briefly in the original series, were known for targeting ninjas in exchange for bounties. Similar to the Akatsuki, they operated as mercenaries.

Sugi Village had hired them to assassinate the Fourth Raikage after he stole their secret techniques, and they had indeed caused considerable damage.

The Blast Bugs were invisible to the naked eye. They entered the body through respiration, feeding on chakra until they grew large enough to explode. If Tsunade hadn't been present to assist the Raikage, his two subordinates might have been killed. Even the Raikage himself would have been in bad shape.

An idea sparked in Shinho's mind. While he couldn't use the Blast Bugs himself, the Aburame clan could certainly benefit from them.

These bugs were more than capable of taking down most ninjas if used correctly. However, they had their limitations—Byakugan, Sharingan, and sensory jutsu could detect them, and skilled medical ninjas could remove them before they exploded.

"Shinho," Shizune asked, "what do you think we should do?"

"Stay out of it," Shinho answered without hesitation, giving the standard textbook response.

There was no rush to get involved with the Nokizaru Group. The Fourth Raikage wouldn't be able to handle the Blast Bugs on his own and would eventually seek out a medical ninja.

Once Tsunade showed up in a nearby casino, it wouldn't be long before the Raikage tracked them down.

For now, they could just wait for the opportunity to present itself.

Shinho was already thinking about how to extort something from the Fourth Raikage when they inevitably crossed paths.

"During a mission, focus on the mission," Shizune nodded approvingly. "Unless a comrade from the village asks for help."

"Even then," Tsunade added, "you need to assess whether you're capable of assisting them."

And with that, the matter was settled.

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