Although Hiruzen wasn't too fond of Tsunade's return initially,
Now, because he magnanimously accepted Tsunade's return, and she has trained numerous Medical-nin since coming back,
These merits are indirectly attributed to him.
This makes Hiruzen feel very pleased, and he is quite smug about having followed Takumi's suggestion back then.
And his approval rating among the populace continuously rises.
He can sit very securely in the Hokage seat.
At least for another ten years!
So, how could he allow Tsunade to leave Konoha's territory?
Of course,
To avoid dispatching too many Anbu to monitor Tsunade, angering her and causing her to leave Konoha in a fit of rage,
Hiruzen only stationed Anbu at the village's perimeter to prevent Tsunade from leaving.
As for what Tsunade does inside the village, he doesn't care at all.
Even when she gets caught privately participating in underground gambling, he turns a blind eye and lets it slide.
After all, people are like springs; you can't keep pressing them down.
You have to let them vent somehow. If you press too hard, they might just bounce right out of Konoha.
Then his loss would outweigh his gain.
"Alright then."
Tsunade is a bit disappointed. She had thought she could use this opportunity to leave Konoha and enjoy her former freedom again.
And go with Takumi too.
But not only did Hiruzen disagree, Takumi also didn't want her to come along.
She can only lower her head, feeling a little lost.
"Tsunade-sama, please raise your head."
Seeing Tsunade's disappointment, Takumi realizes his blunt refusal has hurt her feelings.
He quickly tries to make up for it. "Your work is crucial for Konoha. With you here, Konoha's Shinobi can confidently carry out any mission."
"Because they know, no matter how severely injured they get during a mission, as long as they can return to Konoha, they will receive the best treatment."
"This is a testament to their trust in you. Being trusted by so many Shinobi is something we are very envious of."
Takumi says this, showing a look of admiration.
"Come off it!"
Tsunade can't help but roll her eyes, but a flush of red appears on her cheeks. "Your Medical Ninjutsu is better than mine. If you were willing to stay in the hospital, you'd probably be even more popular than me."
"Hehehe, Takumi-kun's place to display his talents is everywhere."
Hiruzen says with a chuckle. "Go ahead, Takumi-kun. Rescue the people of the Land of Hot Water."
"I'll count this as an S-Rank mission. This kind of thing that promotes Konoha's spirit, even without a commission, we should do it."
Hiruzen quite magnanimously states that he'll cover the mission reward this time.
This was exactly what Takumi was waiting for.
After getting the promise, he immediately straightens up and says, "Time is of the essence, so I'll be off now."
After that, Takumi swiftly and decisively pushes the door open and leaves.
"Hmph!"
Asuma snorts coldly, opening his mouth to say something, only to see Tsunade and Hiruzen glaring at him with terrifying expressions.
He is so scared that he hurriedly swallows his words.
Looking quite awkward, he opens and closes his mouth, then takes his three students, accepts a mission, and leaves.
Hiruzen originally wanted to criticize him harshly, but considering Asuma's three students were still present, he saved some honor for his son.
But then he thinks, 'Could it be that Asuma deliberately brought his students knowing that I wouldn't scold him in front of the younger generation?'
The more Hiruzen thinks about it, the more possible it seems. He makes up his mind to keep Asuma alone and give him a good scolding when he returns to report the mission.
After leaving the Hokage's Office,
Asuma breathes a huge sigh of relief.
"What's wrong, Asuma-sensei?"
Choji looks at him puzzledly, seeing his expression of relief.
"Ah, it's nothing."
Asuma says casually.
Shikamaru, with his hands behind his head, looks into the distance. "He's jealous."
"Jealous?"
Ino asks curiously, "Jealous of who? Takumi-kun?"
"Impossible!"
Asuma immediately retorts. "How could I possibly be jealous of Takumi-kun! I just felt the atmosphere inside was too oppressive."
Thinking back to the looks from Tsunade and his father just now, he can't help but get goosebumps.
If it weren't for his three students serving as a shield, they probably would have used fists and feet on him right there.
'Good thing I was clever this time and brought the kids along.'
Asuma feels immense relief in his heart.
"Ah, it must be about Yuhi Kurenai-sensei."
Choji says as if he has suddenly realized something.
"What?!"
Asuma looks at Choji in shock. He never imagined that his little feelings for Kurenai were known even by Choji, a guy whose head is only filled with thoughts of food.
'Then, who in the entire village doesn't know?'
"Why?"
Ino is still puzzled. "What does this have to do with Kurenai-sensei?"
"Everyone in the village probably knows that Asuma likes Kurenai-sensei."
Shikamaru complains. "His actions are just too obvious."
"I know this too, but what does that have to do with Asuma-sensei being jealous of Takumi?"
Ino feels Shikamaru hasn't hit the key point she wants to know.
"Think carefully. Asuma has been constantly looking for opportunities to be alone with Kurenai-sensei, whether it's going to the movies or having dinner."
Shikamaru enumerates the times Asuma has invited Kurenai. "But he gets rejected every time. And the reason is always the same: she needs to cook for Takumi."
"Once or twice is fine, but after many times, of course Asuma gets jealous."
Shikamaru has completely guessed Asuma's thoughts.
But Ino still finds it hard to understand. "But Kurenai-sensei only treats Takumi-kun like a younger brother. And Takumi-kun has no parents. Isn't it good that Kurenai-sensei takes care of him?"
"If my cooking was as good as Kurenai-sensei's, I would have gone to cook for Takumi-kun every day long ago."
"No, I need to practice my cooking skills!"
Saying this, Ino's fighting spirit soars, and she immediately tries to run home.
"Wait."
Asuma, quick as lightning, grabs the back of Ino's collar and lifts her up. "We're going on a mission. If you want to learn cooking, do it after we finish the mission."
"Alright."
Ino is a bit disappointed, and her face has a shamefaced red.
She got carried away just now, completely forgetting they had just accepted a mission.
"Ino, after you learn to cook, can I taste it?"
Choji, hearing something about food, immediately becomes very serious.
"Hmm, okay."
Ino considers it seriously. "Although I want Takumi-kun to be the first to taste it, I need an objective person to evaluate how it turns out."
"Choji, who has tasted many foods, is the best candidate."
This completely treats Choji as a lab rat for taste-testing.
The key point is, Choji doesn't mind at all as long as there's food.
"Alright, let's hurry up and set off. We can talk about these things after we finish the mission."
Asuma helplessly interrupts their conversation.
If he doesn't interrupt, will they ever go on the mission?