"Don't stay up too late tonight, okay?"
With a casual wave, Rinjin and a beaming Tsunade headed out the door, saying their goodbyes to Mei Terumi, Shizune, and Rin.
As the two adults disappeared down the street, both Mei and Shizune let out a long sigh of relief, their cute faces finally relaxing.
At last, the two biggest troublemakers were gone.
Beside them, Rin stared after Tsunade's retreating figure, lips moving as if she wanted to speak but didn't dare.
Only when Tsunade-sama vanished at the end of the street did Rin finally sigh, turning back to her friends.
"Huh? Mei, Shizune, why do you both look so happy?" Rin asked, puzzled.
At that, Shizune's relaxed expression froze, and she muttered,
"I-it's not like I'm that happy… It's just, after wandering around for so long, being back in the village feels so… peaceful. Yeah, that's it."
In truth: she was finally free from worrying about Tsunade-sama for a couple days—a rare vacation!
Chattering away, the three girls headed back to the dining room.
With the adults gone, the house suddenly felt lighter, and even the usually shy Rin started talking more.
"Shizune, have you always traveled with Tsunade-sama?"
Rin's curiosity about all things Tsunade was obvious.
Shizune nodded, scooping up some rice.
"Wowww…" Rin sighed, eyes full of envy. "That must be so much fun. Tsunade-sama must have taught you so much!"
"Uh…" Shizune froze, then nodded stiffly.
She sure had taught her a lot—like "ten-to-one on a leopard," "straight flush beats three of a kind," and "even a lousy hand can win…"
But those things… for the sake of Tsunade-sama's reputation, were best left unsaid.
As the two talked, Mei suddenly gulped down her ramen and chimed in,
"Shizune, Rin really loves medical ninjutsu. She wants to be a medical ninja when she grows up."
Shizune's eyes lit up. She turned to Rin in surprise.
"Really?"
"Mhm…" Rin nodded shyly, her gaze dropping as she fidgeted with her chopsticks. "I… I really do want to learn medical ninjutsu…"
"Why?" Shizune asked, curiosity shining in her voice.
At that, Mei glanced at Rin's suddenly dim expression and sighed inwardly.
As the table fell silent, Shizune realized she'd touched a sore spot and quickly covered her mouth, her voice soft,
"Did I say something wrong?"
Rin shook her head gently, sighing.
"No, it's not that. It's just… my father… he died in the war a few years ago. His comrade told me he died because his injuries were too severe to save.
But I once overheard my mom talking to his photo… She said it was because there wasn't a medical ninja at the time, and he actually died because he didn't get treatment soon enough.
Later, my mom… she got sick and died too…
So… so I just wanted… to learn medical ninjutsu."
Her voice grew smaller and smaller, trailing off.
Seeing Rin's head bowed, both Shizune and Mei fell silent.
For kids like them, the pain of losing family was just too heavy.
Who knew how much time passed—by the time the food had gone cold and the sky outside turned pitch-black, Mei finally reached out and hugged Rin's shoulders, forcing a smile.
"Rin, it's okay. When Rinjin-uncle comes back, I'll beg him for help—even if it means getting sent to Amegakure for another year of special training!"
Shizune nodded firmly.
"I'll ask Tsunade-sama about her plans tomorrow, and see if she can stay in the village a while longer."
Hearing this, Rin quickly wiped her eyes and shook her head.
"No… that's not necessary! I'm already so happy that you two are willing to listen to me ramble. Besides, the old lady next door takes good care of me—I'm really okay now!"
Watching Rin force a smile, Mei sighed.
That's just how this friend was—soft and gentle on the outside, but tough as nails inside.
She probably wanted to ask Tsunade-auntie personally to take her as a disciple.
Thinking of this, little Mei slapped the table, brushing away the gloom.
"Alright! Rinjin-uncle always says sadness is like an ashtray filled with half-smoked butts—sometimes it's fine to take one out and taste it, but you can't let them rule your life."
With that, she grabbed Rin's hand and shouted,
"Come on! Let's go take a bath!"
The house filled with lively chatter again as the three little lolis slipped into bathrobes and scampered off to the backyard hot spring.
—
Night had fallen completely.
Three girls who would one day leave their mark on the ninja world squeezed together under a single futon:
Nohara Rin, the woman who would haunt the third big boss's heart, the empress who nearly took the world down with her;
Mei Terumi, the "Leg Queen" who would one day… ahem… found the new Hidden Mist;
Shizune… well…
Let's just pretend Shizune doesn't exist!
Cuddled up together, the three girls chattered and giggled, as if they'd never run out of things to say.
"Ah~ Mei, your legs are so smooth~"
"Shizune, don't touch! Jeez, you're such a perv!"
"Eek! Shizune~"
After a long round of horseplay, the three finally poked their heads out of the futon, faces flushed and panting for breath.
"Hey, Mei, where did Rinjin-sama and Tsunade-sama go? It's not because I'm here, is it…?"
Rin stared at the ceiling, still a little anxious.
Mei just threw an arm around her shoulders,
"Relax, they're always like this. Tsunade-auntie gets in a mood and drags uncle out drinking. Besides, they're married—what's there to worry about?"
"Married?!" Rin shrieked.
"When did that happen? How come I never heard about Princess Tsunade's wedding?"
"Should be last year!" Mei mumbled.
"Konoha Year Thirty-Eight, end of the year before last," Shizune corrected quietly.
"Right, end of the year before last!" Mei nodded, twirling a lock of Rin's cute short hair—making a certain male somewhere gnash his teeth in envy.
She continued,
"I think Tsunade-auntie was being chased by debt collectors, always yelling to find her husband for money—but she didn't have one! Then they finally tracked her down to Amegakure, and Rinjin-uncle had no choice but to pay off her debts. After that, Tsunade-auntie just latched onto him and insisted on marrying him."
Beside them, Shizune blushed furiously.
That really was how it happened, but as Tsunade-sama's disciple, she couldn't help being embarrassed for her teacher.
Just then, Mei smacked her lips and added,
"But honestly, I think it's only natural. Tsunade-auntie had her eye on my uncle for ages. If I were old enough, I'd be after him too."
"Why?" Rin asked, a little shy.
Mei perked up, counting on her fingers,
"One: He's loaded! You have no idea, Rinjin-uncle is filthy rich—his business even reaches the Land of Snow.
Two: He's handsome! Maybe not as handsome as my dad, but still super good-looking.
Three: He's smart—you'll never get tricked if you stick with him.
Four: He's got a great personality. Don't be fooled by Tsunade-auntie's soft voice—it's all an act! When she loses her temper, she'll tear the house down! Only Rinjin-uncle can handle her."
The little girl added in a low voice,
"It's like planting foxtail grass on a pile of prime manure—what a waste~"
Watching Mei mutter away, Shizune could only sigh.
Everything she said was true, but did she really have to say it right in front of her?
Big sis, you're making this really awkward for me!
Just as Shizune was about to prove her worth as Tsunade's disciple, Rin snuggled up to Mei, curiosity shining in her eyes,
"You still haven't said how they actually got married! And why didn't anyone in Konoha hear about Princess Tsunade's wedding?"
"Heh." Mei grinned,
"They had the wedding in Amegakure, over in the Land of Rain, and didn't invite many people. Besides me and poker-face Kakashi, there weren't any other kids."
As she spoke, Mei's expression suddenly turned indignant.
"Don't get me started! Big Sis Riyi was a total hooligan—not like a village leader at all! She didn't even eat the cake—she smeared the frosting inside my underwear! I was so embarrassed!
And Uncle Kagami was even worse—he dragged little Kakashi off to read Icha Icha Paradise! Four years old! My god, that brat was only four, and he was already blushing and glued to the pages!"
Mei ranted without the slightest self-consciousness about the fact that she herself had only been four at the time.
"That scene, I'm telling you—'utter chaos' doesn't even begin to describe it!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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