novel-bin Chapter 359 A New Job
Chapter 359 A New Job
Chapter 359 A New Job
Konoha, Hokage's office.
After giving a detailed report to Hiruzen Sarutobi on matters related to the Eastern Front, Tsunade and Jiraiya's reporting for duty officially came to an end.
The three of them then began to talk about their situation over the years. At this point, Taiyi and Jingyin could only stand aside as background figures, quietly listening to the three elders' idle chatter.
"Tsunade, now that you're back, what are your plans?"
The three people chatting casually gradually turned their conversation back to work.
"Plans? I've never thought about it. I want to rest a bit and see what the new casino in Konoha is like."
Taiyi covered his forehead as a flock of crows flew overhead.
Shizune instinctively reached for her wallet, where she and Tsunade kept their meager living expenses.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was also having a headache. He was wondering if Tsunade had too much debt outside, which was why she had to return to Miya to avoid the limelight.
Regardless, Tsunade's return is a wonderful thing.
Hiruzen Sarutobi ignored Tsunade's reluctance to do anything and immediately began assigning tasks.
"Go to Konoha Hospital and become its director. Also, help me train more medical ninjas."
"In this war, if it weren't for Taiichi, the Konoha ninja's endurance would have been reduced by more than half. But this also highlights the shortcomings of our medical ninjas, and you'll have to put in a lot of effort in that regard."
This is indeed true. Taiichi's medical skills alone are equivalent to several medical teams. More importantly, his ability to heal the seriously injured is unmatched by ordinary medical ninjas.
"Konoha Hospital?" Tsunade frowned. "Isn't the director the same person as my teacher's wife? You want me to go there?"
"Hehe." Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand dismissively. "Even the Hokage can step down, let alone the Dean. Biwako told me a long time ago that she couldn't do it anymore, but we just hadn't found a suitable replacement, so she had to stay in that position."
"Now that you're back, the position of dean should naturally be given to the most suitable person."
Tsunade's brows were lowered, and it was unclear what she was thinking. She would frown and look at Taiichi behind her, making Taiichi's scalp tingle.
"OK!"
Tsunade looked up, first agreeing to Hiruzen Sarutobi's appointment, then pointing at Taichi and making a domineering demand.
"But I need him to help me."
"Haha!" Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded happily. "No problem. You can decide all the appointments at Konoha Hospital with a single word, as long as you can take the position."
Good grief, he sold out Taichi for Tsunade's sake.
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Taichi and immediately ordered, "Taichi, go and complete the formalities today. Your Anbu status is revoked starting today. From now on, you will follow Tsunade's arrangements."
Taiyi was speechless. He had basically done nothing in the Dark Division except stand guard, and the time he had spent there was far too short.
But no one listened to his opinions, and his future job was decided so easily.
Having finished dealing with Tsunade, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned his attention to Jiraiya.
"And you, don't you have anything to say?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt somewhat indebted to Tsunade, but he showed no mercy to Jiraiya.
"Minato is about to become the Fourth Hokage. As his teacher, you don't want to shirk your responsibility, do you?"
"Ah~ Haha!" Jiraiya scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed after being exposed.
Tsunade was immediately annoyed. "I, an outsider, have come back to work, and you, the teacher, dare to run away?"
"It comes from here!"
Tsunade called out Jiraiya's name word by word, which sent a chill down Jiraiya's spine.
It is said that every creature has its nemesis, and Tsunade is Jiraiya's nemesis.
"How could that be? How could that be? Of course we have to stay and help Minato."
Jiraiya immediately changed his tune, fearing that if he hesitated even a moment longer, he would be severely beaten by Tsunade.
"Alright, then when Minato officially takes office, you can become an advisor and give him your feedback." Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately seized the opportunity and finalized the matter.
"Well—" Jiraiya looked at Tsunade, and upon seeing her murderous gaze, he immediately softened, "Alright!"
With everything resolved, a harmonious and joyful scene returned.
The door to the Hokage's office closed gently behind me, and the afternoon breeze from Konoha, carrying the scent of cooking, brushed against my face.
Tsunade gazed at the molten gold sunset on the horizon, momentarily lost in thought. Four years had passed.
"Let's go, teacher."
Taiyi's voice rang out beside him, tinged with obvious joy, "I've tidied up the house."
Tsunade didn't speak, she just nodded silently.
As I walked through familiar streets, the closer I got to that place in my memory, the heavier my steps became.
When that familiar door came into view, her breath hitched slightly. The lintel was still the same, but the door knocker was polished to a shine, reflecting the last rays of daylight.
The moment I pushed open the door, a sense of familiarity washed over me.
The courtyard was meticulously maintained, the bluestone slabs were spotless, and the wind chimes under the eaves tinkled.
However, what shocked her even more was the sight of the figures bowing in unison under the eaves.
"Welcome home, Lady Tsunade!"
The twenty-two people spoke in unison, clearly indicating that they had rehearsed beforehand.
The one leading the group was Meiyue. She raised her head, her smile gentle yet perfectly respectful: "You must be tired from your journey. Hot water and meals have been prepared."
Tsunade vaguely recognized the young faces behind her; they were the Hidden Mist medical ninjas who had been "recruited" by Taiichi on the eastern front.
Life has changed so much that we've ended up living in the same house.
"Hmph, you brat." Tsunade glanced at Taiichi, her tone complicated, "You've actually managed to make this place quite presentable."
She stepped onto the gleaming wooden corridor, her fingertips brushing against the familiar door frame, and memories seemed to drift back to the past.
"Wow----"
An exaggerated exclamation shattered this delicate sentiment.
Jiraiya's eyes lit up as his gaze lingered on the young women bustling about in the courtyard.
"This is incredible, Taiyi! He's keeping over twenty women hidden away? This kid's got me figured out—"
"Thump!"
Before he could finish speaking, Tsunade's fist, accompanied by the sound of wind, slammed into his head.
Jiraiya yelled "Ouch!" and crouched down, clutching his head. A large, shiny bump instantly swelled up on his forehead.
"Stop staring at me like that, you idiot!"
Tsunade withdrew her fist and snapped, "If you spout any more nonsense, get out of here right now!"
Taiichi suppressed a laugh and quickly smoothed things over: "Jiraiya-sensei, your house isn't ready yet, and it's late. We've reserved a guest room for you. Please rest here tonight. This way, please."
He led the grinning Jiraiya and the smirking Shizune inside, and Mizuki immediately followed to lead the way.
Tsunade stood alone in the entrance hall for a moment.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the lattice window, casting long patches of light on the polished floor. The air was filled with the fragrance of summer flowers, mixed with the steaming heat of food wafting from the kitchen.
She took a deep breath, and a long-lost sense of relaxation, like that of home, quietly spread through her body.
I had just sat down in the tidy main house and hadn't even had a sip of hot tea when a burst of noisy footsteps, accompanied by the clear voices of children, came from afar, like a lively breeze sweeping into the courtyard.
"Taiichi-sensei! We're back!"
Three small figures rushed through the corridor like cannonballs; they were Yami, Eta, and Uchiha Itachi following behind them.
Yami's braids were a little messy from running, Jiang Tai's schoolbag strap was slung diagonally over his arm, and Itachi's face showed more of a childlike liveliness.
laugh.
laugh.
laugh.
The sound of three footsteps stopping abruptly signaled the arrival of the three little ones as they rushed into the house. They then realized that, unlike usual, there were guests present.
"You are—Aunt Tsunade!"
Yami had met Tsunade, but it had been so long that her memory was hazy. She only vaguely remembered that Taichi had brought her to the orphanage.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, but before she could speak, Taichi lightly tapped Yami's forehead with his finger: "It's Lady Tsunade."
He turned to Tsunade and introduced them, "Teacher, these are Masami and Eta, children from the orphanage. You've met them before."
Tsunade nodded, looked at Masami who had just spoken, and corrected her mistake without any politeness, "Kid, you shouldn't call me 'Auntie,' you should call me 'Big Sister.'"
Taiyi and everyone else were speechless.
Ah, women, they really are all very concerned about their age.
To prevent Tsunade from saying anything else outrageous, Taiichi quickly changed the subject.
"Master, this is Uchiha Itachi, my disciple."
Itachi stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Nice to meet you, Lady Tsunade. I am Uchiha Itachi."
Her jet-black hair hung down, and beneath the wispy bangs on her forehead, the small fan-shaped clan emblem on her body was clearly visible.
Tsunade's gaze lingered for a moment on the striking red and white design, her fingers tightening almost imperceptibly around the teacup.
Uchiha—she remained expressionless, only nodding slightly: "Mm."
"Alright, stop standing there like an idiot." Taiichi clapped his hands with a smile, and a shadow clone appeared silently beside him. "It's time for today's taijutsu practice. Let's go to the backyard."
"Yes!" the three children answered in unison, and were immediately led by Taiyi's shadow clone, rushing happily to the backyard like birds returning to their nest.
Yami even turned around and made a mischievous face at Tsunade.
The courtyard fell silent for a moment, with only the crisp sound of bamboo tubes striking the water-filling stone base remaining.
Thump, thump, thump, one sound after another.
Tsunade stared at the corner of the corridor where the three children had disappeared, her gaze seemingly piercing through space, landing on the small figure with dark eyes and the Uchiha clan crest.
"Is he Fugaku Uchiha's son?"
She picked up her teacup, her voice devoid of emotion, but her gaze sharply turned to Taiyi.
"You're just going to accept it like that? Aren't you afraid of what others will think? Or what kind of trouble the Uchiha will cause you?"
The grudges and entanglements between the Senju and Uchiha clans inevitably affected her. The fact that she could treat the Uchiha clans with a calm mind during missions already shows her magnanimity.
As for cultivating a good relationship or even taking him on as a disciple, that's out of the question.
Taiyi sat down opposite her, his expression no longer showing the liveliness of a young man.
"Teacher, a splinter stuck in your flesh will eventually need to be dealt with. You can't just leave it there because it doesn't hurt right now."
The Uchiha clan has the same problem.
His fingertips unconsciously traced the rim of the cup. "Itachi's talent and temperament are both top-notch. Rather than letting him be trained within the Uchiha clan and ultimately go to an unknown extreme, it's better to let him stand in a broader context and see the whole picture of Konoha."
He paused, recalling the blood-stained tragedy in the original work, "Moreover, now, the leaders of the Uchiha clan all hope to integrate into Konoha, which is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
As dusk settled, warm lights quietly illuminated the corridor, elongating the shadows of the two people.
The backyard faintly echoed with the steady commands of the shadow clone and the shouts of the children as they exerted their strength, brimming with vibrant energy.
Tsunade remained silent for a long time. Tobirama Senju's wariness of the Uchiha clan still echoed in her ears, and the deep apprehension of the clan elders when they spoke of the Uchiha clan was still vivid in her mind.
Yet this disciple, whom she had personally trained, so naturally took the hand of an Uchiha child and brought him under her wing.
After a long while, a very soft sigh was heard.
"The Senju disciple has taken over the Uchiha's disciple's hand—" Tsunade shook her head, a complex smile curving her lips, a smile that seemed both self-mockery and resignation. "This world has truly changed."
That evening, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Shizune, along with Eta, Masami, Itachi, and Taicho, who was the host, all enjoyed a sumptuous welcome dinner at Yaki.
Of course, Tai himself cooked this (though it was his shadow clone who made it).
The long-awaited delicious food made Jiraiya exclaim with delight, as it was the first time in four years that he had tasted food made by Tai himself.
Everyone ate, drank, and chatted until the moon rose high in the sky, at which point the banquet came to an end, and everyone returned to their rooms to rest and prepare for the arrival of the new year.
The director's office at Konoha Hospital had a faint smell of disinfectant. Tsunade was slumped in her chair, her blonde hair appearing somewhat dull under the light.
She listlessly poked at the documents on the table with her pen, her eyes vacant, seemingly lost in thought.
"Is this even humanly possible to do?!"
Tsunade braced her feet against the edge of the desk, causing the entire chair to slide backward with the force of the impact. "Even on the battlefield, there aren't this many—"
The files need to be merged!
"Teacher, haven't the previous documents been merged yet?"
Taiyi's voice came from the doorway, and he was holding another stack of new documents.
Tsunade's gaze toward Taicho was filled with resentment, and her golden hair dimmed even more.
"How come there are still more? Does a hospital employee really earn more than that?"
Taiichi placed the documents in his hand on Tsunade's desk according to their urgency, and rolled his eyes upon hearing this.
"If you hadn't sneaked out to the casino and gambled, all of this would have been taken care of by now."
"Besides, this is only the beginning of the handover process, and there are still many things to confirm. Things will get much better from here on out."
Tsunade blushed slightly at Taiichi's words; being caught red-handed by her disciple made her feel somewhat embarrassed.
Before Tsunade could have any time to vent her anger, Taicho pointed to the stack of documents and offered her a generous reward.
"These are all verified by me. The teacher just needs to sign them. Of course, it would be best to combine them, or at least have a clear understanding of them."
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Tsunade immediately grabbed a pen and quickly signed her name in the signature area.
And—that's impossible. Haven't we already merged enough before?
Taiji didn't know whether to be happy or sad about Tsunade's trust in him; he still had to do what he was supposed to do.
"With these signatures complete, the handover is finished. I wonder what the teacher's plans are for the training of medical ninjas going forward?"
Before the initial joy of hearing that only these documents remained to be signed could even surface, Tai Zhao's subsequent words poured cold water on her enthusiasm.
Training medical ninjas?
It seems the old man did mention public affairs back in the Hokage's office, but she didn't take it to heart at the time, so what plans does she have now?