Chapter 49

After their meal, Kushina's face was glowing with joy. Shinki chuckled. "Of course, I won't. Your friends are my friends. Why would I be angry with them? But why are you worried I might be angry with Mihui?"

Shinki was puzzled, as he had no memory of a girl named Mihui.

"You'll find out tomorrow," Kushina said playfully, trying to keep it a surprise.

Shinki smiled, ruffled her red hair, and passed her a few more pieces of meat. "Eat up! You're still growing, and more meat means you'll grow taller."

After finishing their meal, Shinki paid the bill, and the four of them left the restaurant together.

As they approached Shinki's house, he suddenly stopped, bewildered.

Where is my house?

The location was correct, but the house was unrecognizable.

"Hehe," Kushina giggled from her perch on Shinki's back. "Jingyi, aren't I amazing? After you left for the border camp, I had the house torn down and rebuilt. It's three stories now with lots of rooms. I'll be living here from now on."

Why didn't you tell me?

Shinki turned to Tsunade, who opened the gate with a slightly annoyed expression. She stepped into the yard, saying with a hint of jealousy, "The little girl wanted to keep it a surprise. I took care of her while you were away, but she wouldn't even lend me 200,000 ryo. Yet, she spent it on building you a house!"

"My sister Tsunade~ is like an outsider," Nawaki muttered under his breath but didn't dare speak louder.

Kushina, however, had no such restraint. "Of course not!" she said, wrinkling her nose. "Grandma Mito told me never to lend you money, or I'd never see it again."

Tsunade: "....."

This little girl!

"Hahaha," Shinki laughed heartily.

Tsunade clenched her fist, tempted to kick him for finding it funny.

To be honest, having the support of this "little rich girl" was nice, but was this what it felt like to live off someone else? It seemed more like she had forced him into it.

Shinki stepped into the house and was stunned by the luxurious interior. The décor was top-notch, and it was clear that a lot of money had been spent. No wonder Tsunade felt envious; anyone would be.

He glanced around at the well-furnished rooms and asked, "Have you all been staying here?"

Tsunade flopped down on the couch and sighed. "Kushina didn't want to go back to the Senju compound, and Nawaki said it reminded him of Grandma Mito too much. The old place hasn't felt right for a while, so we moved in here after this house was finished."

After Uzumaki Mito's passing, the Senju ancestral home had grown silent. Not just Kushina and Nawaki, even Tsunade found it too painful to return.

It was easier not to face that sadness.

"I love it. Thank you, Kushina," Shinki said, pinching her cheek gently. "Are you tired? Go take a nap. I'll make you something nice to eat later."

Since they left the barbecue restaurant, Kushina had been yawning on Shinki's back, barely able to keep her eyes open.

Nawaki rolled his eyes and tried to sneak out, but Tsunade blocked him, arms crossed and glaring.

Defeated, Nawaki trudged upstairs with a pout.

*Why do I have to stay in just because Kushina is sleepy? This isn't fair!*

But Nawaki knew better than to challenge Tsunade's authority and obediently returned to his room.

"Did he get in trouble again?" Shinki asked, raising an eyebrow.

Tsunade's approach to disciplining Nawaki was more lenient than most siblings, so if he was confined indoors, something serious must have happened.

"It's that idiot Jiraiya's fault!" Tsunade growled, eyes blazing. "He's been dragging Nawaki around ever since he returned. A few weeks ago, the two of them tried to sneak into the women's bathhouse and fell off the roof! They nearly gave everyone inside a heart attack."

She clenched her fists. "It was reported to the Hokage's office. You can imagine how furious I am!"

"....."

What?

That's... wild.

It seemed Nawaki had been learning all the wrong lessons from Jiraiya. No wonder Tsunade had him on a tight leash. Letting him loose after that incident was unthinkable.

"You're only nine years old!" Shinki muttered, half in disbelief.

As Nawaki's sister, Tsunade was torn between anger and helplessness when he misbehaved.

"Sensei asked me about Nawaki's placement plan a few days ago, but I haven't given an answer yet."

Not every graduating student was assigned to a three-man team with a jonin instructor. Some were paired with specific mentors for targeted training. With her influence, Tsunade could handpick a mentor for Nawaki.

She had considered Orochimaru, who would have accepted if she asked, but after consulting with Shinki, Jiraiya was added to the list. The results were already chaotic, and they weren't even officially teacher and student yet.

Tsunade felt her blood pressure spike at the thought.

"Do you think Jiraiya is the right choice?" Tsunade asked doubtfully.

"If I'm being honest," Shinki said with a mix of amusement and concern, "Jiraiya may be eccentric and infuriating, but he's a good teacher and knows how to train his students well. Besides, his personality matches Nawaki's."

"With Jiraiya, Nawaki might even be noticed by Mount Myoboku."

Naruto, who was similar in spirit to Nawaki, had been accepted by Mount Myoboku. There was no reason Nawaki couldn't be.

"If Nawaki learns sage techniques, his power would skyrocket," Shinki added.

"Let me think about it," Tsunade said, rubbing her temples. The more she thought, the more conflicted she felt. She knew Jiraiya's potential and influence, but his antics drove her mad.

Why couldn't he be serious for once? And if he insisted on his pervy ways, why drag Nawaki along?

The more she mulled it over, the more irritated she became. Tsunade slapped her forehead and sighed.

"What about you? Do you want to sign a summoning contract with the slugs? I brought the scrolls," Tsunade asked, shifting topics.

"Summoned beasts aren't a huge help to me, and I don't want to be solely a medical ninja," Shinki replied.

He had never really considered signing a summoning contract. If it was free, he might give it a shot, but the difficulty and risk of learning senjutsu from the Shikkotsu Forest was still unknown.

"You never learned senjutsu from the Great Slug?"

Tsunade looked a bit embarrassed. "The Great Slug said I didn't have the talent for it. I could learn, but it would be very dangerous, so I passed on it."

Not talented enough?

*Really?* Shinki eyed her suspiciously, sensing a hint of guilt.

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