Naruto, who was standing nearby, noticed Sakura's downcast expression. He quickly swallowed the piece of pork belly he was chewing and rushed to comfort her.
"Sakura-chan, I saw you carrying that huge pile of books home before!"
"With that many, finishing them in just a month is already incredible!"
"If it were me, I wouldn't even be able to finish them in a year!"
He gestured with his hands to mimic the height of the book pile.
Jiraiya, seated nearby, silently shook his head, took a calm sip of sake, and rolled his eyes at Naruto.
Drink~ You?
A year?
With your personality, you'd never finish those books in your entire life. You'd be dozing off in under three seconds... (¬_¬)
But Tsunade, standing at the side, could no longer hold back.
What kind of ridiculous humility was this? She clearly remembered how she had to study those same three volumes of medical ninjutsu under her grandmother, Mito. It had taken her a full three months to finish them!
But Sakura did it in just one?
Was this a joke?
However, seeing Sakura looking at her with such admiration, she couldn't bring herself to express her shock. So she forced a laugh, putting on the air of a senior casually acknowledging a junior's progress.
"Haha~ Really now? You finished all of that in a month and even learned a C-rank healing jutsu?"
"Well… not quite as fast as I was back then, but still impressive."
"Not bad, not bad."
Jiraiya silently turned his head.
Haha… as if. He remembered it vividly—Tsunade had taken three whole months, and during that time, she got so frustrated she beat him up more than once. Ah, those were brutal days…
Shizune, standing to the side, was also surprised by Sakura's medical talent.
"A month? That fast?"
"I read those same books and trained in those techniques…"
"It should've taken at least three months. You really do seem to have a natural talent for this, Sakura."
After speaking, she turned to Tsunade.
"Tsunade-sama, have you considered officially taking Sakura as your apprentice?"
"She's got rare potential as a medical-nin."
Shizune couldn't bear to see Sakura's talent wasted, so she offered the suggestion seriously.
Uchiha Hikaru, who was quietly eating his barbecue nearby, felt a little out of place.
But Tsunade hesitated.
Take Sakura as her disciple? As talented as she was… did she really want to?
Not because she didn't see the potential—but because it sounded exhausting.
Now that she was the Hokage, Tsunade lived by a strict rule: No overtime. Leave on time, every day, no exceptions. Just managing Shizune was already a stretch.
Another disciple? Too much effort... (-_-;)
Uchiha Hikaru noticed the hesitation in her expression. As someone who had shared many years—and many beds—with Tsunade, he understood her thoughts immediately.
"Shizune," he said gently, "Tsunade's already swamped as Hokage. She's juggling tons of documents every day. Even having you as a disciple isn't easy."
"If she takes on another, she really won't have time to herself anymore."
Tsunade nodded in agreement, and Shizune didn't press further. What Hikaru said made perfect sense.
Lady Tsunade's days were already full to the brim. It really would be too much...
Sakura forced a smile and tried not to let her disappointment show.
"You're right. Lady Tsunade's duties as Hokage are already hard enough."
"I shouldn't trouble her any more than I already have."
At that moment, Hikaru tapped his fingers lightly against the table.
"Tsunade, they say an elder at home is like a living treasure. If you don't have time to teach her yourself, you could still take Sakura in as your disciple and have someone else guide her."
"Your grandmother's just been idling at home, right? Why not ask her to train Sakura for you? I'm sure she'd enjoy it."
Hikaru's suggestion lit a spark in Tsunade's eyes.
That's right! How could she forget about that!?
Her own medical ninjutsu had been taught by her grandmother, Uzumaki Mito. And while Tsunade had long since surpassed her in that field, her grandmother was still more than capable of guiding a talented newcomer like Sakura.
This way, she could still pass on her legacy—without doing all the heavy lifting herself. And she'd only need to step in during advanced stages.
As for Shizune… Well, even though she was technically Tsunade's apprentice, she had long since been more like family.
They'd shared beds, experiences, struggles—Tsunade couldn't see her as just a student anymore.
They were sisters, in everything but blood.
"Ahem, you're right," Tsunade said at last.
"Well then, no time like the present. I'll take you as a registered disciple right now."
"To become an official disciple, though, you'll have to pass my exam."
"And it's not going to be easy~"
With that, she grinned and raised her sake pot high before downing the entire thing in one gulp.
Sakura felt like jumping for joy but managed to hold herself back. Still, her beaming face gave everything away.
"I accept, Lady Tsunade!"
"Don't worry—I'll pass your test."
"I promise I won't disappoint you!"
Shizune smiled as she looked at Sakura, already planning ahead.
She had her own motives, of course. She was the one stuck dealing with paperwork all day because Tsunade refused to work overtime.
And with Sakura finishing those books and picking up healing techniques in just one month? She had to be a total… no, legendary bookworm!
Give her a couple of years, and she could probably process documents faster than Shizune ever could.
Hehe~ Maybe soon she and Lady Tsunade could finally get off work early together~ (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)
Everyone felt they had gained something. Even Naruto was genuinely happy for Sakura.
Only Sasuke wore a complicated expression as he looked at her.
He knew… in another world, Sakura was supposed to be his future wife. Honestly, when he came to this barbecue dinner, he didn't know how to face her.
He wasn't against that future. But he also wasn't blind—Naruto basically had I like Sakura written all over his face.
So now what?
Jiraiya noticed Sasuke's expression and suddenly had a thought.
"Hikaru," he said, "Naruto is my disciple, and now Sakura's about to become Tsunade's."
"Shouldn't Sasuke, then… become Orochimaru's disciple?"
Sasuke blinked.
Huh? Me?
What did this have to do with me?
...
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