"You don't have my respect, but since that fool teacher allowed you to enter my house, I will let it be," Kaede said.
"And you..." Kaede pointed toward Kurenai, who was already trembling. "Let's see if you can tame him. But know this, do not ask more than you can handle about my son's kekkei genkai, because he won't tell you."
Just then, Tsume burst out from the kitchen wearing clean clothes and holding a scroll in her hand. Veins were visible on her arms.
"Kaede, you abandoned me with all the work. You will have to agree to my requests," Tsume said, her large ninken standing beside her.
"Please, we already agreed on that. Don't bring it up again," Kaede replied. She did not want her friend to bring up marriage issues, not while this man was still here.
"Huh?" Tsume caught the signal Kaede was giving her and turned to see an old man with two teenagers. "Old man Shinku, long time no see," she greeted him, not as a student but as a comrade.
"It's you, Tsume. Congratulations, I heard you are now the head of your clan and that you just had a baby boy," Shinku said, congratulating her. He knew she was more unpredictable than Kaede and had always influenced her in one way or another.
"What the hell is going on here?" Tsume asked, ignoring his comment and turning to Kaede for answers. "And why is the old man here?" she added, pointing at Shinku, who did not seem offended. He knew the Inuzuka clan members were like their dogs, with the strongest acting as the Alpha.
"He is here to meet Megumi, and he wants his daughter to become Megumi's tea—" Kaede began before Tsume cut her off.
"Whatever. Just give me those wolves of yours. I'm taking them with me to train with Kuromaru," she said, referring to the large, dark-colored ninken standing beside her.
"What do you need them for? Those weak wolves can't do anything except hide in the shadows," the ninja dog said.
Tsume looked at the dog. "Listen here. Apart from you, is there any other dog in the clan that can beat either of the two? Especially that black one. They have better senses than you," she said. She did not treat the dog like a pet but like a comrade. "And guess what? I was told that brat can fuse them together, and when he does, they can defeat a jonin."
Kaede's mouth twitched as she watched Tsume talk to her dog as if it were a person, and even interrupt her without hesitation.
Seeing that the best way to deal with this wild woman was to send her away, Kaede formed a hand sign and called out, "Divine Dog."
Two wolves appeared, each the size of Kuromaru. Their attention was not on Tsume or her ninken rival, but on Kurenai and Anko.
Growl. The wolves bared their sharp teeth, their killing intent filling the room. It was clear they disliked the two and did not want them nearby.
"Calm down, you two. You'd better behave, or I'll break your bones like last time," Tsume warned as she effortlessly picked them up, one on each shoulder.
"Goodbye, Kaede," she said, sprinting toward the door without looking back.