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Tsunade - Ch 73
🕑 Added 2025-05-03 16:00:12 +0000 UTCChapter 73 - Roasted Rabbit
"Why should I feel ashamed? I never asked to be your instructor in the first place."
Kamizuki Hikari curled his lip as he spoke.
He had been assigned this role—it wasn’t like he’d volunteered. So why should he feel responsible?
"Alright, let’s focus on roasting the rabbits first. Look, Chōji’s practically starving!" Shikamaru cut in, stopping Ino before she could say more.
Things had already escalated to this point. If they kept going, it could easily sour the relationship between them.
"Yeah, go ahead. Just save one for me!" Hikari licked his lips as he eyed the plump wild rabbits, then casually waved them off.
"Hmph!"
"You don’t want to teach us, yet you still expect us to save you a rabbit? Keep dreaming!" Ino blurted out without hesitation, as always.
"Now, now, Ino, you shouldn’t think that way!" Hikari decided to take this opportunity to clear things up, so they wouldn’t keep misunderstanding him.
"It’s not that I don’t want to be your instructor. The reality is that your generation already has a well-established shinobi training system. After graduating from the Academy, it won’t be long before you become chūnin. At that point, having a chūnin as your jōnin instructor just doesn’t make sense!"
Appeal to reason, persuade with logic.
Kamizuki Hikari was confident he could convince (or bamboozle) these kids.
Shikamaru busied himself with starting the fire, while Chōji sat nearby, his eyes tracking the rabbits like a hawk—a rather comical sight.
"Tch. Maybe I’d believe it if someone else said that!" Ino wasn’t buying it. Since he clearly didn’t want to be their instructor, there was no need to hold back her grievances.
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow but stayed quiet.
He had already figured things out. Ino was a cute and sharp girl, and Hikari was a mature man. Hikari might ignore her words, but he wouldn’t get too angry. As long as Shikamaru kept things from blowing up between them, everything would be fine.
Perfect.
"Is my reputation really that bad?" Hikari fixed his gaze on Ino.
[Skill Activated: Abyssal Stare!]
"Terrible. An irresponsible teacher is the worst. Honestly, Hikari-senpai, you’re not even half as dedicated as Iruka-sensei!"
"That’s true. Iruka really is reliable."
Hikari couldn’t argue. Compared to his own laziness, Iruka was the academy’s model teacher, attentive to every student. No wonder he was assigned the elite class.
"Exactly! You’re around the same age as Iruka-sensei, but you can’t even match half of his sense of duty. Doesn’t that make you feel ashamed?" Ino genuinely felt frustrated.
In her mind, Hikari’s skills might be lacking, but he was good-looking.
Unlike Asuma, whom Sakura had once jokingly called the monkey prince during one of their private chats. His thick beard and the lingering smell of smoke were major turn-offs for girls their age.
But Hikari? Sure, he wasn’t on Kakashi’s level in terms of strength, but looks-wise, he could at least tie with him.
And for Ino, that was enough.
There was some truth to Hikari’s earlier point—as clan heirs, the three of them would eventually master their family’s secret techniques. At most, Hikari’s guidance would only help with practical combat experience.
Realistically, as long as they didn’t pick fights with jōnin, most chūnin wouldn’t stand a chance against the three of them working together. And once they became chūnin themselves, even jōnin would think twice before facing the next generation of Ino-Shika-Chō.
"Since you hold Iruka in such high regard, how about I ask him to be your instructor instead?" Rather than taking offense, Hikari cheerfully suggested swapping roles.
"Heh, if I agreed to that, wouldn’t I be falling into your trap?" Ino snorted, looking smugly at Hikari.
"Wow, Ino, are you really that sharp? You saw right through me again!"
"Of course I’m smart! You can’t fool me!" Ino said proudly, her eyebrows practically dancing with glee.
Off to the side, Shikamaru couldn’t help but facepalm.
'Ino, you’ve been totally played by Hikari-senpai.'
"Yes, yes. Ino is the smartest, right?"
"Obviously!"
"Then, as such a clever kunoichi, shouldn’t you choose a good shinobi to be your instructor, so you can better serve Konoha in the future?"
"Well, when you put it that way, maybe, but..."
"No buts. A mere chūnin like me leading the Ino-Shika-Chō? The pressure’s just too much."
"You feel pressure?" Ino’s voice jumped three octaves as she stared at him in disbelief.
"Of course I do!" Hikari met her gaze without flinching, his expression earnest.
For a moment, Ino had been swayed by his earlier words—but the second he mentioned pressure, she snapped back to reality.
'This guy shows up late, eats the most, makes us catch rabbits while he naps under a tree—and now he claims he’s under pressure?'
If that’s what “pressure” looked like, Ino swore she’d write her name backwards from now on.
"Alright, I can’t argue with you." Ino admitted defeat.
When it came to thick skin, out of everyone she knew, Kamizuki Hikari’s was the thickest.
'Asuma-sensei... I kinda miss you. If you were here, things wouldn’t be this chaotic. I mean... you’d definitely be a lot more responsible than this guy.'
"Good, admitting you were wrong is the first step."
"Tell you what—I won’t make this hard for you. Once we’re done here, we’ll head back to the Hokage’s office. I’ll request a reassignment, and all you have to do is agree. Win-win, don’t you think?"
Ino tilted her head, studying Hikari for a moment before silently shuffling closer to Shikamaru.
She was done talking to this shameless man.
The rich aroma of roasted rabbit filled the air, making Hikari’s mouth water.
No doubt about it—these rabbits from the shinobi world were something else. Their aroma and taste were far superior.
"Hikari-senpai." Shikamaru spoke up, "What if we don’t mind your skill level? If you just take your duties seriously from now on, even if we don’t improve much, we won’t blame you. How’s that for a deal?"
Truth be told, it was a pretty generous deal.
Most chūnin would’ve jumped at the chance—getting paid as an instructor while mentoring the next generation of the Ino-Shika-Chō trio? Sounded like a dream job.
"Well... overstepping one’s bounds isn’t a good thing." Hikari rejected it again.
Shikamaru’s lips curled slightly.
As expected—his refusals weren’t all that firm after all.
His hands remained busy, rotating the skewered rabbits and brushing them with sauce, the savory scent growing even more tantalizing.
"Hikari-senpai, you’re usually stuck in the Hokage’s office, right? I bet the Hokage keeps a pretty close eye on you, huh?"
