"Teacher, why'd it take you so long to answer?"
When the visual link activated through the Katsuyu clone, Konan's voice came through clearly to Kawaki.
"How should I know you'd be contacting me this late?"
Kawaki replied with a grumble. Only Konan had the guts to talk to him like that.
"Where are you guys anyway?"
"Have you all been doing okay lately?"
Tsunade was lying next to Kawaki, half-sitting on the bed, both only partially visible onscreen.
Though it looked like Kawaki had his pajama buttons done up wrong.
"Teacher."
Nonou greeted respectfully, sitting straight up.
"Teacher's wife, we're doing fine."
"We're currently in the Land of Hot Water."
Nagato answered Tsunade's question, though his eyes darted between Kawaki and her from under his bangs.
"Teacher, your buttons are done up wrong."
Yahiko, never one to hold back, chimed in.
"Is that right? Doesn't matter. I'm too lazy to fix it now. Whatever—I don't care who sees it."
Kawaki glanced down briefly but couldn't be bothered to make any adjustments.
"So, Teacher,"
"What were you and Teacher's wife up to just now?"
"Are you two thinking about giving us a junior sister?"
Konan jumped right into the most sensitive topic with her usual boldness.
"You little brat—since when do you start giving orders to your teacher?"
"Has it been too long since I last gave you a thrashing? You got itchy fingers?"
Even Kawaki, thick-skinned as he was, felt a bit awkward.
It was unusual for him to blush—especially in front of his young disciples.
"Wow, look at that."
"Never thought I'd see our teacher blushing."
Tsunade, on the other hand, didn't flinch at all. Granted, they'd been caught mid-act, but after all, they were seasoned pros at marriage, and the kids were grown-ups now.
"Haha~"
"I want a little sister!"
From this distance, Kawaki's threats held no weight.
She wouldn't have said that if they were still in Konoha.
"Me too."
Nonou quietly raised her hand, joining in on the teasing.
"I think having a junior sister sounds nice."
Nagato and Yahiko chimed in agreement.
"If you want a baby sister, go have one yourselves."
"You think this is wishful thinking?"
Kawaki bounced back quickly, delivering a verbal blow that left all four blushing furiously.
They might have been in relationships, but none had taken things that far—they were still pure.
"Alright, let's get serious."
"Nonou and Konan are still young, there's no rush for children."
Tsunade's first words eased the tension, but her next sentence made them even more flustered.
"Hahaha~"
"With faces that red, maybe don't joke about your teacher anymore."
"It'll always backfire on you."
Seeing their reactions, Kawaki couldn't stop laughing—he showed no sign of being the senior figure here.
"Hey Nonou, you look a bit pale."
"Did you get hurt?"
Tsunade took a careful look at them and noticed something off with Nonou.
"No, no."
"I just used up a bit too much chakra."
"We had a lot of serious cases today."
Nonou waved her hands nervously, offering an explanation.
"I see."
"Sounds like you guys had quite the battle today."
Tsunade furrowed her brow, imagining the brutal battle her disciples had just endured.
"It wasn't that bad, really."
"Nagato took down the Mizukage on his own."
"Kakuzu eliminated the Six-Tails Jinchūriki."
"We won fairly easily."
"Though there's still a noticeable gap between regular ninja and the Mist ninjas."
Yahiko's summary was spot-on—those were all facts.
If normal ninja were any stronger, Nonou wouldn't have been so drained.
"Akatsuki hasn't even existed for very long."
"Reaching this level already is impressive."
Kawaki understood clearly. A major nation isn't just about reputation—it has deep foundations the Akatsuki can't match.
"Yeah, we know in our hearts."
Yahiko nodded. How could he not understand?
Still, a hint of resentment lingered within him.
"I heard that Mizukage was a perfect Jinchūriki."
"So, how tough was he to handle?"
Tsunade asked Nagato. She knew they'd won, but she wanted to hear how it went.
"Eh, he was nothing special. Nowhere near as strong as you, Teacher's wife."
"He fell before I could even get serious."
Nagato made it sound effortless, which was basically true.
He hadn't even used his ultimate technique yet.
And saying Karatachi Yagura couldn't compare to Tsunade wasn't just flattery either.
He remembered how Tsunade hadn't even used her full strength during their fight—but even that was far beyond Yagura's capabilities.
"You flatter me too much. Mama eats it up."
Praised like that, Tsunade grinned happily, her laughter blossoming like a flower in the breeze.
"What about me then?"
Kawaki joined in on the teasing, catching Nagato off guard for a moment.
"Oh, come on!"
"After a short pause, Nagato shrugged helplessly.
How could someone like a perfect Jinchūriki even be compared with Teacher?
"You, kid~"
"Your speaking skills sure have improved."
Although Kawaki no longer needed validation from others, hearing those words still made him happy.
"What? I'm just telling the truth."
Nagato wore a smugly confident grin, only to find all his companions glaring at him.
"Master Nagato, please start your class."
"I'll pay for it."
Yahiko started teasing first, and Konan and Nonou each grabbed an arm and swung him back and forth.
"You're too slow-witted. I can't teach you."
Oh?!
[Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade], please bookmark: (m.
"Then find another teacher."
Nagato shook them off without mercy, immediately receiving a beating from the three.
"Let you show off."
"Let you get cocky."
"Let you wear that smug look."
Each member of Yahiko's trio repeated a phrase while pelting him with punches.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
"I'll never show off again!"
Covering his head, Nagato quickly apologized and finally escaped their clutches.
"You're all making so much noise, acting like children."
Once the commotion ended and everyone stopped, Tsunade feigned annoyance, though her smile never left her lips.
"When are you planning to enter the Land of Water?"
Kawaki brought the conversation back on track.
"I'd like to rest and recover for a few days first."
"Everyone's been pretty worn out lately. We still need to cross the sea to reach the Land of Water."
"Let everyone under our command take some time to recover."
Yahiko wasn't in any hurry. In his eyes, the Land of Water was already theirs for the taking.
Even if they met resistance, taking the Land of Water was just a matter of time.
"Yeah, we should all rest properly for a few days."
"The Land of Water is currently under Elder Genji's rule."
"Come to think of it, he and I go way back."
Kawaki remembered how he had once taken advantage of Elder Genji in the Land of Water, a grin spreading across his face.
"I remember him too."
Nagato chimed in. Back then, when Kawaki saved him from the Land of Water, he had seen for himself how Kawaki milked the situation for all it was worth.
"That old man really values his village."
"You should try negotiating first. If that doesn't work, then we take action."
Kawaki offered his suggestion. Ideally, they'd take the Land of Water without resorting to violence.
"Got it. I'll keep that in mind."
Yahiko nodded, taking Kawaki's words to heart.
"Anything else?"
"If there's nothing else, I'm going to make some clones with your teacher now."
Tsunade suddenly pulled Kawaki into a hug, saying something so bold that even her disciples found themselves blushing.
"You two go ahead. We're out."
Yahiko and the others quickly ended the call.
Looking at each other, they all realized they were blushing.
The teacher's wife really says whatever's on her mind.
Married women sure are outspoken. Yahiko and Nagato exchanged knowing glances, both men thinking the exact same thought.
She won't turn out like the teacher's wife later, right?
...
Please bookmark us: Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade (m.