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But she couldn''t exactly punish him for that. She wasn''t going to beat up a child, no matter how infuriating he was.
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Suddenly, Tsunade chuckled.Tsunade glared at Shin. The little punk was clearly looking down on her, yet he denied it.
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"You''ve got guts, kid. Recovering from your clan''s destruction so quickly."
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She placed a hand on Shin''s head, ruffling his hair with more force than necessary.
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As she messed up his hair, she realized how soft it was. It was almost addictive.
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Looking at his cute little face, she couldn''t resist pinching his cheek. So soft, so adorable!
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Kushina, seeing Tsunade manhandling Shin, yelled, "Hey, stop that!"
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Shin wasn''t happy either. Tsunade might enjoy pinching his cheek, but he found it extremely annoying.
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Having his face pinched by a woman? Humiliating!
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"Get your hands off me! I don''t like being touched by men," Shin said, scowling.
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"Men?"
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Tsunade froze. ''Was he blind? Where did he get the idea that she was a man?''
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"Kid, you need to get your eyes checked. I''m a woman, not a man," Tsunade said through gritted teeth.
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"Hah! I may be young, but I know the difference between a man and a woman. You don''t exactly scream ''Woman'' to me."
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Shin''s eyes drifted towards her chest, his expression a mix of disdain and disbelief.
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Tsunade''s face flushed red. This brat was deliberately mocking her!
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"Princess Tsunade, we found two survivors!"
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Tsunade, about to give Shin a piece of her mind, glared at him one last time before turning towards the newcomers.
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Two males, one around Shin''s age, the other in his twenties. Both Uzumaki survivors.
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Shin recognized the boy.
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"Uzumaki Kai, long time no see. How''s your leg?"
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Shin gave Kai a sly smile, which earned him a glare filled with anger and a hint of fear.
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Kai was the son of Uzumaki Hikaru, the Taijutsu master whose physique Shin had copied. Shin had broken the boy''s leg during their previous encounter.
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He hadn''t expected Kai to survive the destruction of the clan. The kid was lucky to be alive.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
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Tsunade''s eyes flickered between Shin and Kai. There was definitely bad blood between these two.
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But she wasn''t interested in getting involved in a squabble between kids. She turned to the older Uzumaki.
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"What''s your name?"
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"I... I''m Uzumaki Hikaru. A Jonin of the Uzumaki Clan."
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"Do you know who attacked the clan?" Tsunade asked.
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"I don''t know. I was scared, so I hid right away. I don''t know what happened after that."
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Hikaru hung his head in shame, earning a scornful look from Tsunade.
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This guy was older than her, yet he was a coward. When his clan was in danger, he hid like a rat.
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Tsunade wasn''t even as old as this Hikaru. Despite calling Shin a "kid," she was only sixteen.
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But in the ninja world, sixteen wasn''t that young. During the Warring States Period, people were already married with children at that age.
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Tsunade ordered her men to continue searching for survivors while investigating who was behind the attack.
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Judging by the water damage and the traces of Lightning Release, she had a pretty good idea.
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If her suspicions were correct, there wasn''t much she could do.
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"Kid, what''s your name?" Tsunade asked Shin.
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Shin was getting tired of being called "kid." Too bad he couldn''t beat Tsunade in a fight.
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He estimated her strength to be at elite Jōnin level, definitely stronger than him.
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"I''m Uzumaki Shin. And don''t call me ''kid''. You''ll regret it when I''m stronger than you."
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"Regret it? Heh, I''ll be waiting for that day," Tsunade said with a smirk.
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Shin snorted. She might be looking down on him now, but she''d sing a different tune when he surpassed her.
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"Shin, I''m hungry," Kushina tugged at his sleeve.
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Shin took out some dry rations and jerky. It wasn''t much, but it would fill their stomachs for now.
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Three days later, the bodies of the Uzumaki Clan members were buried, including Shin''s grandfather, the clan elder.
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Seeing his grandfather''s body, Shin felt a strange mix of emotions. He hadn''t been close to the man; they had barely interacted.
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But he still felt a pang of sadness.
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After the burial, they set off for Konoha with Tsunade.
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Shin carried a katana strapped to his back. It was over three feet long, with a simple gold design on the hilt.
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He had found it in the Uzumaki Clan shrine. It was incredibly sharp, able to slice through stone with ease.
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He hadn''t tested it on steel yet, though.
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They sailed towards the Land of Fire. Shin stood at the stern, watching the Land of Whirlpools disappear over the horizon.
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Kushina stood beside him. They didn''t know when they would return.
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"Feeling sad to leave?"
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Shin and Kushina turned to see Tsunade standing behind them.
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Kushina puffed out her cheeks, glaring at Tsunade.
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Shin was also keeping his distance from Tsunade. The woman was relentless, constantly ruffling his hair and pinching his cheeks.
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He was annoyed, but he didn''t want to reveal his strength, so he hadn''t resisted much.
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He wondered if she had some weird fetish.
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Kushina''s reason for disliking Tsunade was simple. She hadn''t even ruffled Shin''s hair or pinched his cheeks.
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Yet this woman was doing all the things she hadn''t done. It felt like Tsunade was stealing Shin away from her.
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"When you get to Konoha, think of it as your new home. In time, you''ll forget all the unpleasantness."
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"Hmph, we don''t need your comforting words. Come on, Shin." Kushina glared at Tsunade and dragged Shin into the cabin. This woman was the source of all her unpleasantness.
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"That little brat..."
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Tsunade noticed the hostility.
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"Could she be... jealous? Does she like Shin?" Tsunade wondered.
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"Kids these days, maturing so fast. That girl''s only five, right?"