Tsunade's appearance instantly drew everyone's eyes.
After all, her looks and figure were simply too striking.
Shizune, who followed behind her, was almost entirely overlooked.
"Huh?"
Haruno Sakura gave Tsunade a quick once‑over, then suddenly widened her eyes. "Don't you all think she looks familiar?"
"She looks just like that legendary kunoichi," Aburame Shino said, adjusting his sunglasses.
"She's one of the Three Legendary Sannin—Tsunade-sama," Nara Shikamaru said in a sure voice, face full of surprise.
"It really is Tsunade-sama?!" Sakura's excitement spiked; she could barely stop herself from rushing over.
Though Tsunade drank and gambled, she was a fine shinobi—and female shinobi of her caliber were exceedingly rare.
In Konoha, if Hiruzen Sarutobi was every boy's hero, Tsunade was every girl's idol.
"When Ino gets back, she'll probably kick herself for missing this," Shikamaru chuckled.
To Yamanaka Ino, Tsunade was the No. 1 kunoichi—period.
"Is she strong?" Naruto scratched his head.
"Tsunade-sama is the greatest medical‑ninja in the entire shinobi world!" Sakura gushed. "She's also the First Hokage Senju Hashirama's granddaughter and the Third Hokage's student!"
"Gramps' student?" Naruto finally perked up, but then shrugged. "Too bad she's only a medic."
In his mind, medical‑nin were protected assets with no real combat power.
"Why would she come to our class?"
Inuzuka Kiba asked, puzzled. "I thought Tsunade-sama hadn't been back to the village in ages."
"Maybe she's looking for Kitazawa-sensei," Shikamaru noted as Tsunade headed toward Kitazawa.
"Kitazawa-sensei's that amazing?" Sakura asked in wonder.
Kitazawa was a good instructor, but still just a chūnin; seeing him connected to Tsunade felt unbelievable. Shikamaru and the others were equally baffled.
"Tsunade-sama." Kitazawa looked at her.
Her lovely face showed no emotion, and her graceful walk accentuated every curve. Though her thighs were fully covered, that only highlighted a narrow waist and shapely hips.
"When does class end?" Tsunade asked, glancing at the lively students.
"Fifteen minutes," Kitazawa said after a beat. "I'll let them train on their own so we can talk."
"No need." Tsunade waved it off. "Do your thing. I'll wait fifteen minutes."
"All right." Kitazawa left it at that and turned to the first‑year Class A students.
"Kitazawa-sensei, why's Tsunade-sama looking for you?" Sakura asked at once.
"Grown‑ups' business—kids shouldn't pry." He tapped her head lightly. "Everyone, keep training."
"Ino's gone—who do I train with?" Sakura rubbed the spot he'd tapped.
"Shikamaru," Kitazawa ordered. "You'll fill in for Ino."
"Eh?" Shikamaru was stunned.
"Or you can spar with Naruto," Kitazawa added with a smile.
"Great!" Naruto lit up. "I've never fought Shikamaru!"
"Never mind, I'll train with Sakura," Shikamaru said quickly. Naruto had bull‑like stamina; sparring with him meant getting knocked to pieces.
"Aww…" Naruto sighed, disappointed.
Not far away, Tsunade and Shizune watched in surprise.
"Teaching methods sure have changed," Tsunade said, arms folded. "Back in my day, teachers never ran class like this."
"Same here," Shizune agreed. Though she'd left school early to follow Tsunade, Kitazawa's style far exceeded her expectations.
"No wonder he proposed the 'psychological medical‑ninja' idea," Tsunade mused. "Traditional shinobi thinking never links medical ninjutsu with mental health."
"Mhm," Shizune said with feeling. "Once that system's in place, it'll help a lot of shinobi."
Hearing "psychological medical‑ninja," she thought first of Tsunade's hemophobia—but she dared not say so aloud.
"Hmph!" Tsunade snorted. "The biggest issue now is money. Why'd the old man put him in charge of funds?"
Shizune nearly spoke but held back. Isn't the reason obvious? Did you forget our box full of IOUs? She sighed to herself. Life with Tsunade meant skipping meals and dodging creditors. If Kitazawa kept the purse strings, that was good news—as long as he could resist Tsunade's pressure.
Fifteen minutes passed quickly.
Yamanaka Ino, Hyūga Hinata, and Uchiha Sasuke returned from training at the academy's artificial lake.
"What?!" The moment Ino heard Tsunade was here, she was ecstatic.
Sasuke, however, remained unmoved; his idols were Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Fugaku. Hinata was merely curious about Tsunade's purpose.
"All right—class dismissed. Head home; see you tomorrow," Kitazawa clapped his hands.
Only then did the Class A first‑years reluctantly leave.
"Tsunade-sama, you're really popular," Kitazawa said with a smile as he approached.
"Just leftover fame." Tsunade narrowed her eyes and held out her hand. "Give me money."
Shizune opened her mouth, wanting to help Kitazawa but unsure how.
"What money?" Kitazawa arched a brow. Powerful or not, reason still mattered.
"The old man said you're in charge of the psychological medical‑ninja project's budget," Tsunade said bluntly. "I need cash now—hand it over."
"For what purpose?" Kitazawa thought that the old geezer was as unreliable as ever—no warning at all. On the bright side, no notice likely meant the budget was following Kitazawa's own plan.
"None of your business," Tsunade coughed lightly.
"Have you read the funding plan I wrote?" Kitazawa asked unhurriedly.
"No!" Tsunade replied, righteous yet baseless.
"Regulations say every expense must serve the project," Kitazawa smiled. "So unless you state the use, I can't release the money."
"You really won't?" Tsunade stepped closer, rose on tiptoe, and glared, voice threatening.
A faint fragrance drifted over. At this range, with Kitazawa taller, he could easily see the pale skin rising and falling at her neckline—the deep valley dazzled like a spotlight. Intimidating, but Kitazawa wasn't afraid; knowing the original story, he understood Tsunade. As long as no hard lines were crossed, she wouldn't strike him.
"No," Kitazawa deflected. "If I did, I couldn't explain to Hokage-sama."
"You—!" Tsunade clenched her fist, face dark as though a punch was imminent.
Beside her, Shizune silently gave Kitazawa a thumbs‑up. First time she'd seen anyone talk back to Tsunade.
"That damn old man!" Tsunade suddenly exploded. "I knew he was up to no good!"