“Tsunade, aren’t you going to introduce them to your teacher?”

  Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled warmly, the picture of a kindly old man from next door—right down to the eyes that crinkled with age and supposed affection. The perfect performance.

  Tsunade clicked her tongue.

  As if he didn’t already have all the information. With his position as Hokage, of course he’d thoroughly investigated both Shizune and Natsume.

  This little act? Just another way to make a good impression.

  “This is Shizune,” Tsunade said offhandedly.

  “Shizune, huh…” Hiruzen's voice turned nostalgic. “Can’t believe you’ve grown up this much. If your uncle were still alive, he’d be so proud.”

  Tsunade’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Old man, don’t push it.”

  “Apologies,” he said with a sigh, “just got caught up in memories.”

  Then his gaze turned to the boy beside her. “And who’s this?”

  “Natsume. I took him as my student yesterday.”

  Quick on the uptake, Tsunade immediately realized the old man’s true reason for coming—Natsume.

  No doubt about it, he’d already gone to speak with Nonou Yakushi.

  “A disciple, huh? That’s rare.”

  Hiruzen crouched down, reaching out to pat Natsume’s head. “Tell Grandpa, which shinobi cn are you from?”

  Sneaky old man. Real slick.

  Natsume caught on even quicker than Tsunade.

  In fact, he had already anticipated this exact situation.

  Tsunade was one of the Legendary Sannin. Anyone she took as a disciple would draw Hiruzen’s attention like moths to fme.

  Born in the orphanage, the person who knew him best was Nonou Yakushi.

  But as his adoptive mother, she’d never sell him out. At most, she’d tell Hiruzen that he was a member of the Senju cn.

  And that alone would be enough reason for Tsunade to take him in.

  Natsume instinctively looked up—not at Hiruzen, but at Tsunade.

  She caught those intelligent eyes and couldn’t help but smile. Clever boy.

  “He has Senju blood,” she said lightly. “I saw he had talent as a ninja, so I took him in.”

  “I see,” Hiruzen nodded, unsurprised.

  He had asked Nonou already.

  But he hadn’t considered the possibility of Mokuton.

  After the Senju cn disbanded and scattered across the vilge, Hiruzen had kept a close watch on every branch, maintaining a detailed list.

  Why?

  Because of Mokuton.

  If any awakened that bloodline, Hiruzen would swoop in personally.

  But decades had passed, and not a single person had shown any sign of it.

  Hiruzen, the so-called Professor of Ninjutsu, had once overseen Konoha’s early Mokuton and Hashirama cell experiments.

  From that experience, he’d concluded the real key y in the body.

  Hashirama Senju’s constitution had been too abnormal—his very cells retained insane vitality.

  That, Hiruzen believed, was the deciding factor.

  So, when he’d patted Natsume’s head just now, he’d checked.

  The boy was pathetically weak.

  No way he had Mokuton potential.

  With that concern out of the way, Hiruzen said, “It looks like Natsume is about the right age to start school. I’ll have the academy send an admission letter in a few days.”

  “No need,” Tsunade replied without hesitation.

  She didn’t want Natsume away from her. “I’ll teach him myself.”

  “You should know the academy has its benefits,” Hiruzen said pleasantly, not pushing, not angered. “He’ll learn the basics—and make friends.”

  Tsunade frowned. As much as she hated to admit it, he had a point.

  That was why she had let Shizune attend the academy, after all.

  “Natsume, what about you?” Hiruzen turned his focus directly on the boy. “Would you like to go to school? You’ll make lots of friends there.”

  Hiruzen was confident when it came to kids.

  Over the years, he’d built himself a dual image: the strongest Hokage and the warmest, most beloved grandfather.

  Children adored him.

  Natsume blinked.

  To be honest, he did want to go.

  More friends meant more opportunities. More wives, more paths, as the saying went.

  And staying in the vilge would make it easier to gather Destiny Points.

  “I’ll do whatever my teacher says,” he replied calmly.

  Hiruzen froze for a moment.

  Wait, what?

  That’s not how kids are supposed to answer…

  Had all those years of PR been for nothing?

  Tsunade, meanwhile, gave a small, satisfied smile. She was very pleased with the response.

  “I’ll think about the school,” she said at st.

  “Alright,” Hiruzen didn’t press further and instead shifted to business. “Three days from now, at 8 AM, we’ll hold the funeral for Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. Be there on time.”

  Tsunade’s smile faded. She nodded. “I will.”

  “Goodbye, Grandpa Hokage!” Natsume and Shizune said together.

  Shizune meant it sincerely.

  Natsume? That was just for show.

  Hiruzen left with a pleasant smile.

  Whatever secrets the boy held—so long as he was in Konoha—he wouldn’t escape the old man’s grasp.

  “Come on, let’s go in,” Tsunade said, turning back toward the house.

  She knew Hiruzen’s style well. This kind of probing didn’t surprise her in the slightest.

  The three of them entered.

  “Shizune, this will be your room from now on,” Tsunade said, pcing the clothes she’d bought down on the bed.

  “Yes, Lady Tsunade.”

  Shizune immediately began hanging up her clothes, moving with cheerful efficiency.

  Tsunade approved. A girl who could handle things herself—much less trouble down the road.

  “Once you’re done, wait for me in the living room,” Tsunade added before heading upstairs.

  Shizune tidied up her room, closed the door, and walked out.

  She blinked.

  So cute.

  There was Natsume, curled up on the couch like a snowy white kitten.

  “Natsume-kun,” she said, sitting across from him. “How old are you?”

  “Seven,” Natsume replied, straightening up. “What about you, sis?”

  “I’m fourteen,” she said proudly, tapping her shiny Shinobi tablet. “I’m already a certified Genin. If you ever need help, just come to your big sister.”

  The words were warm, aiming to close the gap between them.

  After all, she thought Natsume had been with Tsunade for a while now.

  “Okay!” Natsume beamed.

  And he was happy.

  Tsunade, Shizune, and soon maybe even Kabuto Yakushi.

  Together, they’d make up the Holy Trinity of Konoha’s top-tier medical caregivers.

  At this rate, he’d be practically unkilble.

  “You two seem to be getting along.”

  Tsunade came back down the stairs, handing a book to Shizune. “A primer on medical ninjutsu.”

  Shizune opened it—and froze.

  Natsume peeked over.

  A list of medical textbooks.

  She’s a devil.

  He finally understood that old saying—convincing someone to study medicine will get you struck by lightning.

  Compared to this, being a regur ninja sounded like paradise.

  “Shizune, your task for now is to memorize all the theory,” Tsunade said. “Once you’ve got that down, I’ll teach you the techniques.”

  Then she turned to Natsume. “Come with me, I need to ask you something.”

  Natsume had a pretty good guess.

  The academy.

  Sure enough, once they were alone, Tsunade asked, “Natsume, do you want to go to the ninja academy?”

  Originally, her pn had been to leave the vilge with Shizune.

  But now there was Natsume.

  Dragging a kid along on the road would be too hard on him.

  And after these past couple of days, she’d grown fond of him—genuinely cared.

  Besides, there was some value in letting him attend school.

  Natsume hesitated for a moment. “I’ll do whatever you think is best, sis.”

  Tsunade noticed the subtle change in his expression—and understood.

  He wanted to go.

  But he’d rather not push it. That was his way of being considerate.

  And that just made her even more determined to treat him well.

  She scooped him up and sat him on her plush thigh, enveloping him in softness.

  “What a sweet, thoughtful little boy,” she murmured.