Chapter 217: Kurenai Yūhi's Injury
"That was delicious!" Tsunade couldn't help but exclaim in praise.
"As long as Master likes it." Hoshikawa sat opposite her, watching her with a smile.
"How did you make that?" Tsunade asked, puzzled. "How can a simple bowl of ramen taste like a banquet of delicacies?"
"I made it with care," Hoshikawa said after a moment's thought.
"Fine, keep your secrets." Tsunade rolled her eyes and continued slurping her ramen.
She ate happily, completely disregarding her image.
"Ah, that hit the spot!" Tsunade drank all the ramen broth, placing the bowl down with a slight clatter.
"Master, would you like more?" Hoshikawa stood up and casually pulled out a tissue, helping to wipe the corner of her mouth.
Tsunade, who had just raised her hand, froze. She had expected Hoshikawa to hand her the tissue, not wipe her mouth for her.
"No need, I'm full," Tsunade shook her head. "Are you going to the negotiations today?"
"No," Hoshikawa said carelessly. "I'm going to learn Corrosion Release."
"How are you going to learn Corrosion Release?" Tsunade asked, looking confused.
"Mei Terumi is teaching me." Realizing he'd let it slip, Hoshikawa replied truthfully. "I made a bet with her."
"Oh? What kind of bet?" Hearing the word 'bet,' Tsunade's interest was piqued.
"You really love gambling," Hoshikawa muttered upon seeing her reaction.
"You're my student," Tsunade said, crossing her arms over her chest. "If you lose a bet, it's my reputation that suffers!"
Might makes right, Hoshikawa thought.
He instinctively glanced at her chest, then said, "Regardless of whether I win or lose, I've already secured one Corrosion Release jutsu."
"Only you," Tsunade paused, then smiled. "It seems you never take a loss."
"I only ever take a loss from Master," Hoshikawa countered, raising an eyebrow.
"What did you say?" Tsunade glared at him, displeased. "When have I ever caused you a loss?"
"The casino." Hoshikawa looked at her beautiful face and replied.
"It's normal to win and lose in a casino, that doesn't count as a loss!" Tsunade stated matter-of-factly.
"It's fine. Losing money for Master is what a student should do," Hoshikawa pulled out a bankbook and said, "Here's a New Year's bonus for you."
"Not bad!" Tsunade glanced at the bankbook and immediately beamed. "Master is very satisfied."
"Then... does Master have a return gift?" Hoshikawa stared at her and asked.
"Nope." Tsunade tucked the bankbook away.
"Give the bankbook back!" Hoshikawa said, speechless.
"Too late," Tsunade said smugly. "Money that lands in my hands belongs to me."
Hoshikawa twitched his mouth. He felt that phrase sounded very familiar.
Wasn't that exactly what I often said to Mei Terumi?
"I'm heading out!" Tsunade stood up. But as she passed Hoshikawa, she reached out and patted him on the head.
Before he could react, she was instantly at the door.
Hoshikawa couldn't help but inwardly complain that she used the Body Flicker Jutsu just to pat his head; that was ridiculous.
He shook his head, picked up the bowls and chopsticks, and headed to the kitchen.
After washing the dishes, Hoshikawa made his way to the courtyard where the Kirigakure ninja delegation was housed.
"Come in." Mei Terumi opened the door. Seeing it was him, she spoke with a lukewarm attitude.
"No long stockings today?" Hoshikawa noticed her pair of clean, bare feet.
"Pervert!" Mei Terumi didn't answer his question, instead cursing him with intense disgust.
"What are you thinking?" Hoshikawa asked, looking serious. "I'm just concerned for your health. Don't you know illnesses start from the feet?"
"I only know illnesses enter through the mouth," Mei Terumi rolled her eyes. "Are you actually a Medical Ninja?"
"Of course I am," Hoshikawa blinked.
For some reason, mentioning illnesses entering through the mouth made him think of pulmonary infections.
Mei Terumi's mouth twitched. What village has a Medical Ninja who can fight like you?
After a bit of 'friendly' interaction, Mei Terumi resumed her Corrosion Release instruction. Noon soon arrived.
"I won't be coming in the afternoons anymore," Hoshikawa said after some thought.
While learning Corrosion Release was good, the Flying Thunder God Jutsu and Wood Release were more important.
"Oh?" Mei Terumi immediately asked with sarcasm. "Are you admitting defeat early because you realize you can't learn it?"
"I just feel that learning Corrosion Release won't take that much time; mornings are enough," Hoshikawa said with a smile.
"Impossible!" Mei Terumi's expression instantly stiffened.
"It's fine if you don't believe me; you'll believe me soon enough." Hoshikawa stood up. "I'm leaving. See you tomorrow."
"Wait!" Mei Terumi crossed her arms and demanded, "I've taught you for so long, aren't you going to show your appreciation?"
"Appreciation?" Hoshikawa's gaze subconsciously drifted toward her bottom.
"Not that kind of appreciation! Pervert!" Mei Terumi noticed his look and immediately burst out in embarrassed fury.
"Then what kind of appreciation?" Hoshikawa asked, genuinely confused.
"I'm hungry!" Mei Terumi stated righteously.
"Oh." Hoshikawa roughly understood the reason. This was the power of the Master Chef Title.
"'Oh' what?" Mei Terumi snorted and explained, "Don't misunderstand me, I don't like your cooking, I just simply can't cook myself!"
"I'll take your word for it," Hoshikawa couldn't help but laugh.
"It's true!" Mei Terumi's face was slightly flushed, but she remained verbally sharp. "Stop laughing!"
"You're cute when you're flustered." Hoshikawa said, walking toward the kitchen.
"Of course I'm cute!" Mei Terumi stamped her foot.
Just as before, Hoshikawa cooked a single portion of lunch, said goodbye, and left.
He returned to Tsunade's house.
"Hoshikawa!" Kurenai Yūhi, who was practicing Water Release in the open space outside, immediately stopped when she saw him.
As for Rin Nohara, she was interning at the Konoha Hospital.
"Are you hungry?" Hoshikawa reached out, pinched her cheek, and asked.
"I get hungry just seeing you," Kurenai said, smiling.
"I'm not edible myself." Hoshikawa held her hand and led her to the door.
"But you make edible things." Ever since Hoshikawa gained the 'Master Chef' Title, Kurenai didn't want to eat anything except his cooking.
The saddest one was naturally Shinku Yūhi, whose impressive culinary skills went unused.
"Your feet." Hoshikawa opened the door and crouched down in front of Kurenai.
Kurenai immediately lifted her smooth white leg upon seeing him. Unlike Mei Terumi, she wasn't wearing any stockings, only white bandages wrapped around her thighs.
"Is Master back?" Hoshikawa took off her sandal and tickled the tender arch of her foot.
"Stop! That tickles!" Kurenai subconsciously drew her foot back.
"The other one," Hoshikawa didn't tease her anymore, reminding her.
"Master isn't back yet," Kurenai said, lifting her left foot.
"It seems today's negotiations aren't going smoothly either." Hoshikawa helped her remove her shoe, then briefly held her small, delicate foot.
Kurenai pursed her lips, feeling a little embarrassed, but didn't stop him.
"I'll cook in a moment then." Hoshikawa stood up, walked to the sofa, and asked, "What jutsu have you been learning lately?"
"Water Release: Severing Wave (Suiton: Suidanha)." Kurenai sat beside him, naturally leaning on him, and complained, "This Water Release jutsu is so difficult."
"It is the signature Water Release jutsu of the Second Hokage, after all." Hoshikawa paused, then warned her, "Be careful not to cut your mouth while learning it."
Water Release: Severing Wave involves condensing a highly pressurized pillar of water inside the mouth and then spitting it out, making it extremely dangerous. The slightest mistake can cause a cut, and in severe cases, it could be life-threatening.
"Mm, I know," Kurenai nodded obediently.
"I'll train with you this afternoon," Hoshikawa said with a smile. He planned to practice the Flying Thunder God Jutsu that afternoon.
"Really?" Kurenai's face immediately lit up with a smile. "That's wonderful!"
They chatted for a while longer before they heard the door open.
"Master is back," Hoshikawa quickly stood up and went to the doorway.
Tsunade took off her tea-green jacket and tossed it to him without looking.
"Tsunade-sensei, good afternoon." Kurenai poked her head out from behind Hoshikawa.
"Good afternoon," Tsunade nodded slightly.
"I'll go cook." Hoshikawa placed her jacket in her room, then headed to the kitchen.
After lunch, Tsunade sighed heavily and returned to the Hokage Tower conference room. As the person in charge of the negotiations, she couldn't skip out. She could have used a Shadow Clone Jutsu to slack off, but since the negotiators were all Jōnin from various villages, it wouldn't look good if she were discovered.
"Time to train!" Kurenai declared with enthusiasm. Training was usually monotonous, but with Hoshikawa nearby, it wasn't so boring.
Hoshikawa glanced at her and began practicing the Flying Thunder God Jutsu nearby. Time slowly flowed on.
Two hours later, Hoshikawa suddenly heard Kurenai cry out in surprise. He quickly deactivated his chakra and rushed to her side.
"Hiss... O-Ouch, that hurts!" Kurenai said pitifully the moment she saw him.
Just as Hoshikawa had warned, her mouth had been accidentally cut by the Water Release: Severing Wave.
"Open up." Hoshikawa quickly reached out, his hand hovering over her lips.
Kurenai opened her mouth, revealing her clean white teeth and pink tongue.
Hoshikawa quickly scanned inside and found the injuries. There were three spots in total: her tongue, her lips, and the lining of her mouth.
Mystical Palm Technique!
Pale green chakra flowed out, covering the wounds. The wounds healed quickly.
"Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey!" Kurenai spat out the blood in her mouth.
"How is it?" Hoshikawa asked worriedly.
"I'm fine, it doesn't hurt anymore," Kurenai flexibly licked around her mouth. "No scars either."
"Alright, go rinse your mouth." Hoshikawa patted her head. "Be more careful in your training from now on."
"It's okay, you're here anyway," Kurenai said carelessly.
"Go on," Hoshikawa pinched her cheek.
"Mm." Kurenai happily hurried into the house.
"Happy even after getting injured?" Hoshikawa chuckled and continued practicing the Flying Thunder God Jutsu.
January was completely consumed by the endless arguments between Konoha, Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure.
When February arrived, Iwagakure was the first to buckle under the pressure. After all, they had lost their most important Jinchūriki, Rōshi, the Four-Tails host.
Hokage Tower Conference Room.
At Hiruzen Sarutobi's command, all the Jōnin currently in the village attended the signing ceremony for the peace talks between Konoha and Iwagakure.
Tsunade sat in the first seat of the front row. Hoshikawa was seated beside her.
Normally, he wouldn't be qualified to sit in the front row, which was reserved for leaders of the major ninja clans, the Sannin, and renowned Jōnin like the White Fang. Although Hoshikawa was technically a Chūnin, he now met the unspoken criteria, so no one raised any objections.
In front of every Jōnin lay a document. This was the final contract—the mutually agreed upon terms—reached after a month of negotiation between Konoha and Iwagakure.
"What a pity," Tsunade shook her head after reading the contract.
"What's a pity?" Hoshikawa asked casually.
"Ōnoki is too stingy; he wouldn't give you Dust Release," Tsunade 'tsked.'
"Is that being stingy? It's normal that he wouldn't give it up," Hoshikawa couldn't help but laugh. "But it's fine; he compensated with plenty of powerful Earth Release jutsu."
The only ones missing were the Earth Release: Light-Weight Rock Technique (Doton: Keijūgan no Jutsu) and the Earth Release: Super Added-Weight Rock Technique (Doton: Chōkeijūgan no Jutsu). These two Earth Release jutsu belonged to the same series, both having the effect of reducing the weight of objects or the user, with the latter being more potent. Crucially, the Earth Release: Super Added-Weight Rock Technique allowed the user to fly freely.
Flight was an extremely terrifying advantage. If a ninja flew high enough, they could exceed the attack range of most ninjutsu, essentially making them invincible. In the ninja world, most ninja, including Wind Release users, could not fly. Flying ninja were incredibly few. This was likely why Ōnoki had omitted those two Earth Release jutsu.
"But you captured a Jinchūriki," Tsunade still felt regretful.
"It's alright," Hoshikawa said indifferently. "We can just go steal it later."
"Watch what you say," Tsunade glared at him. "Ōnoki isn't the Third Mizukage; his power is terrifying."
"I know," Hoshikawa said with a smile. "But who knows what the future holds?"
"Fine, keep your dangerous thoughts to yourself," Tsunade paused, then consoled him, "At least you got Explosion Release, Lava Release, and Vapor Release—besides Dust Release."
"Mm," Hoshikawa sighed emotionally. "I suddenly feel like I have too much to learn."
"You realize that now!" Tsunade retorted upon hearing him. "Who told you to go demanding so many jutsu?"
"It's fine, I'm still young; I'll learn them all," Hoshikawa said with confidence.
"Whatever you say." Tsunade shook her head, choosing to ignore him.
Just then, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze walked into the conference room. Kitsuchi, the representative of the Iwagakure ninja delegation, stepped forward.
Under the witness of everyone present, he and Hiruzen Sarutobi signed their respective names.
Applause erupted. Everyone clapped happily. After all, Konoha had gained substantial benefits from these peace talks.
"I wonder when the Kirigakure negotiations will end," Tsunade slumped over the table, sighing deeply. "I really want to go to the casino!"
"Then let's go today," Hoshikawa said, blinking.
"Really?" Tsunade immediately sprang back to life.
"Why would I lie to you?" Hoshikawa smiled. "I'm taking a day off from training today anyway."
Due to the Konoha and Iwagakure peace ceremony, there were no negotiations scheduled with Kirigakure that day.
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