The four kids were crouched around the fish basket, each holding a belly-up fish, all wearing intensely focused expressions.
Tsunade stood off to the side watching for a while, then couldn't help yawning.
She watched a little longer, and her hands started itching.
She wanted to roll some dice.
She slipped a hand into her pocket, felt a few coins, and unconsciously rubbed them together.
She should never have agreed to Shizune's request.
What a pain.
Tsunade glanced at the sky. The casinos should have just opened by now, which meant there wouldn't be too many people yet. Perfect time to grab a good seat.
Then she glanced back at the kids.
Rin's brows were tightly furrowed, sweat already forming on her forehead.
Kurenai was biting her lip, her fingers trembling.
Shizune looked the steadiest of the three, but the fish in her hands was still belly-up.
And as for that brat in red—
Tsunade's mouth twitched.
Shin-chan had one hand pressed to the fish and was still muttering something under his breath.
Tsunade sighed.
Fine. She'd wait five more minutes. If nothing happened by then, she'd wrap this up and go.
Just as she was deciding which casino to hit first, she heard a startled cry.
"It moved!"
Rin's voice rang out, full of excitement.
Tsunade froze for a second and walked over.
The fish in Rin's hands was lightly swishing its tail. Its eyes, which had been rolled white just moments ago, were starting to move again.
"Lady Tsunade, look." Rin looked up, face flushed bright red, eyes shining.
Tsunade crouched down and looked at the fish. It was still weak, but it was definitely alive.
She looked up at Rin.
This kid...
Tsunade had been watching from the side the whole time. Rin's technique wasn't especially refined, and her chakra wasn't particularly strong, but her chakra control really was very steady.
Tsunade's eyes narrowed slightly.
The thought of taking on a student flickered through her mind—
and she immediately smacked it flat.
Too much trouble.
Teaching students was a pain. You had to watch them, teach them, manage them every day. And this kid was only five. Who knew what she'd turn out like later?
What if she quit halfway through? That would be a complete waste.
"Mm." Tsunade nodded, her tone flat. "Not bad."
Rin's smile stiffened a little.
"J-Just not bad?"
"What else?" Tsunade got to her feet. "It's just one fish, not a human."
Rin lowered her head, looking at the fish she'd brought back to life, and quietly said, "But... this was my first time..."
Tsunade ignored her and turned away.
"Take another one and try again."
Rin pursed her lips, put the revived fish back into the basket, and picked up another one that was still belly-up.
Shizune hurried over. "Rin, how did you do it?"
Kurenai came too. "Yeah, tell me. I think I've almost pressed mine to death."
Rin thought for a moment and answered in a small voice, "When you send chakra in, don't rush. Go slowly. Fish are small—if you send too much all at once, you'll overwhelm them."
Shizune nodded thoughtfully, went back to her place, and tried again.
Shin-chan had been listening from the side the whole time.
He didn't understand any of it.
He looked down at the fish under his hand. It was still belly-up, not moving at all.
"How much chakra am I supposed to send in?"
He thought about it.
Didn't figure it out.
Oh well.
Shin-chan pressed his hand down harder and increased the amount of chakra.
He just had to send chakra in, right?
More had to be better than less.
Tsunade, standing nearby, yawned again.
Her hands were itching again.
"Alright." She clapped her hands. "Someone managed it, and that's good enough. That's it for today—"
"Mine came back too!"
Shin-chan's voice popped up from the side.
Tsunade froze and turned to look.
Shin-chan was crouched by the fish basket, holding his fish up high with both hands, grinning proudly.
The fish flicked its tail once—hard—like it was protesting something.
Tsunade walked over and looked down.
The fish was alive.
And not just alive—it was way more energetic than Rin's.
Tsunade frowned.
She had been watching the whole time, and Shin-chan's method was nothing like Rin's.
Rin had gone slowly, feeding chakra in bit by bit.
Shin-chan had done the opposite. That wasn't feeding chakra in.
That was flooding it.
He had basically drowned the whole fish in chakra.
And it still lived?
She took the fish from his hands and turned it over a few times.
Its tail flicked again and splashed water all over her hand.
Tsunade went silent for two seconds, put the fish back in the basket, and looked at Shin-chan.
"How did you do it?"
Shin-chan blinked.
"I just put my hand on it and sent chakra in."
"How much?"
"I don't know." Shin-chan thought about it. "I just kept sending it in until it came back."
Tsunade's mouth twitched.
"Didn't you hear what Rin said? You can't send too much."
"I heard it." Shin-chan nodded. "But I don't know what 'too much' means."
Tsunade fell silent.
Shin-chan continued, "I just thought, 'Come back to life,' and then it did."
He tilted his head and looked at her. "Was that wrong?"
Tsunade looked at him and suddenly didn't know what to say.
What he had done would get him yelled at for three straight days in any proper medical ninjutsu class.
More chakra was not automatically better. If you lost control, you could rupture meridians, damage organs—humans were ten thousand times more complicated than fish. If he did that to a patient, the patient would probably be dead already.
And yet somehow, the fish lived.
Tsunade took a deep breath.
"Do you have a lot of chakra?"
Shin-chan thought about it. "Enough, I guess."
"What does 'enough' mean?"
"It means..." Shin-chan gestured vaguely. "An enough amount."
Tsunade decided not to ask anymore.
"Big Sister Tsunade?" Shin-chan tilted his head at her. "Am I awesome?"
Tsunade tossed the fish back into the basket and stood up.
"Not bad."
Shin-chan's face immediately fell.
"Just not bad?"
"What else?" Tsunade dusted off her hands. "It's just one fish."
Shin-chan pouted and muttered under his breath, "Rin's was 'not bad,' mine was also 'not bad'..."
Tsunade ignored him and turned to the others.
"Anyone else succeed?"
Shizune shook her head. Her fish was still belly-up.
Kurenai shook hers too. She had completely given up on becoming a medical ninja at this point—she'd nearly snapped the tail off her fish pressing it so much.
Tsunade sighed.
"Alright, that's enough for today. Having even one of you manage it is already pretty good."
She turned and started walking away.
"Come on. Dinner."
"Yay!" Shin-chan was the first to jump up. "A feast!"
Rin and the others hurried after her, all of them starving.
Tsunade walked in front, one hand back in her pocket, absently rubbing the coins there.
No casino tonight.
She sighed.
She really should never have agreed to Shizune's request.
What a pain.
Behind her, Shin-chan's voice was still going.
"Big Sister Tsunade, what are we eating?"
"Barbecue."
"Barbecue?!" Shin-chan's voice jumped an octave. "That's my favorite!"
The corner of Tsunade's mouth twitched.
"Quiet."
"Big Sister Tsunade, are you really treating us?"
"Yeah."
"Then can I order extra pork belly?"
Tsunade took a deep breath.
"Shut up."
This brat was even more annoying than Jiraiya.
~~~
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