Chapter 49 – preparation and planing
Sakura, Hinata, Ino, and Ren walked through the lively streets of Konoha. The afternoon breeze carried the smell of grilled meat as Sakura kept asking questions, while Hinata, Ino, and Ren answered them on the way to the Yakiniku restaurant.
"Yoo, old man! Room available?" Ren waved toward the owner with a grin. Ino raised her hand and greeted him cheerfully, while Hinata simply gave a small nod.
The old man smiled warmly as he looked at his regular customers. "Well, well, if it isn't our foodie trio." He chuckled before scratching his chin. "Let me check if there's an empty room available."
Sakura blinked in surprise as she looked between the three of them. "You guys seem well acquainted. Are you regulars here?" she asked curiously, wondering how often they actually came.
Ino proudly puffed out her still-flat chest. "Of course! Every now and then, after we complete our training, we come here for BBQ." She looked extremely proud of that achievement.
Hinata nodded with a gentle smile. "The three of us often came here. Ren occasionally treated us to food... like small dates." She smiled innocently, completely aware of what she had just implied.
Ren's mouth twitched violently. He wanted to scream, 'Hey! That wasn't a date! I'm not a pedo!' He had simply been moved by their hard work and occasionally bought them meals.
Back then, he had enough money to treat them once in a while. Besides, he wasn't even the only one paying for food whenever they came here.
Hinata and Ino, being heiresses of their clans, often paid the bill themselves whenever Hinata noticed with her Byakugan that Ren was short on money. Their thoughtfulness always left him speechless.
Ren couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Hina and Ino are just too good... Even though they were practically princesses of Konoha, they never acted arrogantly and were always considerate toward him.
The only time they forced him to spend money without restraint was after discovering that Gato had "donated" money to him. They had been so angry about him keeping secrets from them, that they practically dragged him around the market spending wethout thinking.
"Can't you two please stop exaggerating things?" Ren asked helplessly, rubbing his forehead as he sighed.
Hinata and Ino merely exchanged amused smiles and completely ignored his protest. Seeing that, Sakura couldn't help but giggle quietly to herself.
Ren shook his head before looking toward Sakura. "Sakura, as a civilian ninja without any bloodline, your chakra reserves are only average. Unlike Naruto, who overflows with chakra, or Sasuke, who can grow stronger simply by evolving his Sharingan, you don't have those advantages."
Sakura nodded as her expression fell slightly. She had already understood that fact long ago. As a civilian ninja, she didn't possess any special lineage to rely on.
Still, she didn't want to keep falling behind. She was tired of always being the one protected while everyone else moved forward.
"So we'll focus on your talents instead," Ren continued calmly. Sakura immediately looked at him attentively, waiting for his explanation.
"Your greatest strengths are your chakra control and your mind. Those are your biggest weapons." His voice remained calm and confident, making Sakura listen even more carefully.
"So your training will focus on improving your chakra control first. Once it's good enough..." Ren smiled lightly. "I'll help you improve your chakra reserves as well."
Sakura's eyes widened slightly before she nodded with determination. A small flame of hope ignited inside her heart.
Maybe... maybe I really can catch up.
"Well, you'd better prepare yourself, Sakura," Ino said with a mischievous smile. "Because your training won't be anything like before."
Hinata nodded beside her with the same gentle smile. "It'll probably be... hellish."
Sakura gulped nervously as cold sweat rolled down her forehead. Somehow, hearing those words from Hinata scared her even more than hearing them from Ino.
"But don't worry," Ino continued sweetly. "If you get injured, we'll simply heal you with Mystical Palm."
Hinata smiled brightly. "After all, what better way to learn medical ninjutsu than experiencing it yourself?"
Sakura's blood instantly ran cold. Looking at the innocent smiles on both of their faces, she felt like two beautiful demons had just announced her execution date.
Ren... save me... she cried inwardly, already imagining the terrifying future awaiting her.
Ren merely sighed helplessly. He knew very well that Ino and Hinata weren't going to stop teasing Sakura anytime soon.
Just then, the old owner returned with a smile. "Well, one room just became available."
Ino immediately gave him a thumbs-up. "Great! Prepare our usual order, old man!"
With that, she marched toward the private room like a victorious general returning from war. Her confident steps made Sakura blink several times.
Ren sighed as the blonde warrior grabbed his sleeve and dragged him toward the room. Hinata quietly followed beside them while Sakura hurried after the group.
---
Far away from Konoha, inside Tanzaku Town, Karin sat beside Tsuna as both happily devoured the delicious meal Akari had prepared. Across from them, Shizune and Tonton quietly watched the two gluttons empty plate after plate.
"Akari," Tsuna said while wiping her mouth happily, "I have to admit... your cooking is amazing."
Karin immediately raised her head proudly, looking as if the compliment had been directed toward her instead.
"Of course! She's my mom, after all!"
Tsuna rolled her eyes dramatically.
Karin immediately noticed it. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"
The two instantly began arguing across the table while Akari and Shizune exchanged helpless looks. Neither of them seemed surprised anymore.
Finally, Akari sighed before speaking calmly.
"Enough, both of you. If you keep arguing... no food next time."
Both Tsuna and Karin immediately froze before giving dissatisfied grunts and quietly returning to eating.
Shizune couldn't help but laugh softly.
Amazing... Tsunade-sama actually listened.
Tsuna looked toward Akari after finishing another bite. "So... what are you two planning to do now? You still haven't found the woman you were searching for."
Akari and Karin blinked before exchanging a glance.
"Well..." Karin smiled gently. "We'll probably stay here for another month and relax before returning home."
Akari nodded in agreement. Even she had begun missing home.
She missed Ino's beautiful flower garden, Hinata's carefully maintained fruit orchard, Ren's peaceful island, the waterfalls, the beaches, the forests, and the quiet evenings they all spent together.
Tsuna tilted her head curiously while Shizune asked,
"So... what exactly is your home like?"
"Oink! Oink!"
Even Tonton curiously joined the conversation.
Karin's eyes sparkled brightly.
"It's the best home ever! There are beautiful flower gardens and fruit orchards. There's a huge waterfall, a hot spring, a beautiful hill where you can watch the sunset, a giant beach, a peaceful lake, and a massive forest."
Tsuna and Shizune both blinked several times.
"...What kind of home is that?"
Akari smiled warmly.
"It's simply... a very big and very sweet home."
Internally, however, she sighed.
Karin really needs another lesson on what should and shouldn't be told.
Although Tsuna and Shizune seemed trustworthy, Karin had unknowingly revealed far too much information.
Tsuna and Shizune quietly exchanged another glance.
Looks like Karin and Akari really do have quite an unusual background... Tsuna thought thoughtfully.
But... why are they searching for me?
Her curiosity only continued growing.
After a brief silence, Tsuna finally asked,
"So... why are you searching for this woman? And who exactly is she?"
Akari's smile froze slightly.
"Sorry... I can't tell you why we're searching for her."
She paused before smiling apologetically.
"But I can tell you who we're searching for."
"It's one of Konoha's Legendary Sannin..."
"The Slug Princess..."
"Tsunade-hime."
Shizune's mouth twitched violently.
You've literally been living with Tsunade-sama this entire time! she screamed inwardly while desperately maintaining a straight face.
Tsunade, meanwhile, had absolutely no idea what expression she should make.
She obviously couldn't suddenly announce, "Surprise! I'm Tsunade!"
Judging by Akari's and Karin's relaxed behavior, it clearly wasn't a medical emergency. That alone made her even less motivated to reveal her identity.
Still...
If it isn't for medical treatment... then why exactly are they looking for me?
Her curiosity grew stronger with every passing second.
If she somehow discovered they had been searching for her just to drag her back to Konoha and force her to become the Fifth Hokage...
She would probably pack up everything she owned and run away overnight while cursing every generation of Akari's and Karin's family.
...Or perhaps she'd simply send both of them flying with a single punch using Monster Strength.
The author fell into deep thought while imagining Tsunade's possible reactions.
And thus... the chapter came to an end.