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After a day of training, Shin rubbed his stomach. He was hungry.
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"Let''s call it a day. I''m starving."
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He announced to the girls, who were sprawled on the ground, exhausted.
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"No wonder you''re so strong. You have endless stamina," Tsunade said, panting.
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She was exhausted. They had been training intensely for half a day, following Shin''s lead, and they were worn out. Shin, however, seemed perfectly fine.
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"Don''t compare yourselves to me. I have an advantage," Shin said.
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The regenerative ability of his Perfect Sage Body was incredible. Unless the training was excessively intense, he wouldn''t feel tired. He was like a perpetual motion machine.
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As they were about to head back, they saw a figure approaching in the distance.
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"It''s Nawaki."
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Shin''s eyesight was excellent; he recognized Nawaki from afar.
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"Shin! Sis! There you are!"
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Nawaki approached with a cheerful grin, as if he had just won the lottery.
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"Nawaki, you seem happy. Did you find some money?" Shin asked.
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"No, but I earned some! And quite a bit, too! I''m treating you all to dinner today!"
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Nawaki announced excitedly. He seemed genuinely happy.
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But Tsunade, Kushina, and Mikoto all took a step back. Even Shin instinctively moved away.
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"Nawaki, why do you stink?" Tsunade asked, wrinkling her nose.
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"Stink? Do I?" Nawaki sniffed himself, but he couldn''t smell anything.
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It wasn''t that his sense of smell was faulty; he was simply used to it. He had been exposed to foul odors all day.
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"Nawaki, did you fall into a latrine?" Kushina asked suspiciously, taking another step back.
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"No, I was just shoveling manure all afternoon."
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As soon as he said that, Tsunade, Kushina, and Mikoto retreated even further. Even Shin moved away.
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"Nawaki, are you crazy? Why were you shoveling manure?" Shin asked, incredulous.
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"I didn''t want to! But Orochimaru-sensei took a mission to clean up a farm, and that included shoveling manure. What could I do?"
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Nawaki said with a grimace. He didn''t want to fail his first mission, so he endured the unpleasant task. And the reward was generous for a D-rank mission, comparable to a C-rank.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
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Shin looked at Nawaki with sympathy. Orochimaru had certainly chosen an interesting mission.
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"I earned a lot, so I wanted to celebrate. Yakiniku, on me!" Nawaki declared grandly.
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Tsunade''s face darkened.
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"Nawaki, couldn''t you have at least taken a bath and changed clothes before coming here? You''re not here to treat us; you''re here to disgust us."
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Nawaki was bewildered. He was offering to treat them to Yakiniku; why were they reacting like this?
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But with the stench emanating from him, no one had any appetite. Even Shin, who had been hungry, felt his stomach churn.
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"Shin, why are they looking at me like that?"
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Nawaki didn''t understand the murderous glares he was receiving.
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Shin shook his head. "Let''s do this another time, Nawaki. We''re not up for it today."
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Shin rejected his offer. Nawaki was both disappointed and relieved. Disappointed that they weren''t accepting his offer, but relieved that he got to keep his money.
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Nawaki left, dejected, chased away by Tsunade.
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"Orochimaru has no shame, taking a mission like that. Only he would do such a thing," Tsunade grumbled.
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"Are we still having dinner? I''ve lost my appetite," Kushina said.
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"Of course we''re eating. We''ll starve if we don''t."
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Shin wasn''t going to let a little smell ruin his dinner.
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Food was important, especially for training. Even with his Perfect Sage Body, he needed to eat.
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In the end, only Shin ate dinner that night. Kushina and the others had no appetite.
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"Mikoto, you''re living here now. Won''t the Uchiha Clan say anything?" Shin asked.
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Mikoto shook her head.
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"I''m practically invisible in the Uchiha Clan. No one will say anything."
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Mikoto might be pretty, but in the world of Shinobi, beauty wasn''t everything. Her quiet personality made her blend in.
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"Don''t worry, no one will say anything about my student," Tsunade said confidently.
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Shin rolled his eyes. She made it sound like she was some kind of big shot.
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"Hey, brat, are you looking down on me?"
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Tsunade caught his expression and glared at him.
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"Haha, you''re mistaken. I was just thinking how amazing you are," Shin said, trying to appease her.
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"Amazing? Shin is way more amazing than you!" Kushina declared.
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Shin glared at Kushina. Was she trying to get him in trouble?
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"Kushina, do you want to taste my fist?" Tsunade threatened.
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"What are you going to do?"
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Kushina hid behind Shin, glaring at Tsunade.
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"Come here, I''ll punch you so hard, you''ll be crying in bed," Tsunade taunted.
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"Threatening me? You think you''re so great? Give me three years, and I''ll surpass you!" Kushina retorted.
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Shin''s lips twitched. Was Kushina challenging Tsunade to a duel in three years?
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But even in three years, Kushina wouldn''t be a match for Tsunade.
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Unless she became the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki and could perfectly control its power, defeating Tsunade within three years was impossible.
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But Kushina couldn''t become the Jinchūriki now. The position was already filled.
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And even if she did become the Jinchūriki, controlling the Nine-Tails'' power was no easy feat.
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"Heh, fine. I''ll be waiting. But that doesn''t mean I can''t beat you up now."
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Tsunade hadn''t given up on teaching Kushina a lesson. She approached Kushina with a mischievous grin.
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"Shin, help!"
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Kushina was scared of that grin. She clung to Shin.
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"Even Shin can''t help you now. I''m going to teach you some manners, little girl."
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Tsunade reached for Kushina.
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"Come on, Tsunade, why are you bullying Kushina? She''s still weak. There''s no satisfaction in that," Shin said, stopping her.
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"Hmph, I knew you''d protect her." Tsunade let Kushina go, giving Shin face.
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Kushina bit Shin''s arm lightly. What did he mean by "she''s still weak?" That was insulting!
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