"..."

Suzuki stared at Tsunade. When she asked him that question with such a fiercely protective glare, a strange, unreadable emotion flickered in his chest. Frankly, Tsunade felt the exact same way looking at him.

What am I thinking? Tsunade thought, quickly shaking her head. She shouldn’t be overthinking this.

"I was out doing business," Suzuki replied calmly.

"And completely forgetting about your training and your studies?" Tsunade sighed heavily, her shoulders dropping. "I know you love making money, kid. But in the shinobi world, you need to prioritize your own power first. Because if you’re weak, then..."

Her voice trailed off. When she thought of the two most important people in her life—Nawaki and Dan—who had been ripped away from her because they lacked the power to survive, a cold shudder ran down her spine. The thought that this arrogant, talented brat might meet a similarly bloody fate terrified her.

Tsunade knew Suzuki was a monstrous talent. He was one of the fastest learners she had ever encountered, especially when it came to medical ninjutsu. It was likely only a matter of time before he mastered everything she had to teach. But what good was that?

A genius is only a genius until they’re killed on the battlefield.

If he died before he could reach his peak, what was the point of all this?

Suzuki stared at Tsunade in silence. He felt a bit strange being coddled so protectively, but his Manager easily read the underlying trauma and genuine fear in her micro-expressions. Realizing her anger came from a place of deep care, he softened his stance and bowed his head respectfully.

"I apologize. I lost track of time."

"...."

Tsunade immediately felt a massive pang of guilt seeing Suzuki look so contrite and wronged. His acting skills were practically Oscar-worthy. If he ever decided to use that kicked-puppy expression on women when he grew up, he would be a menace. Naturally, Tsunade wasn’t entirely immune, especially since she already had a massive soft spot for him.

Suzuki might be a brat, but she knew firsthand how incredibly hard he worked.

"...It’s fine," Tsunade muttered, looking away awkwardly. "But really, do you have to be so obsessed with making money?"

"Well, if you didn’t rack up massive debts or practically live in the gambling den every single day, I wouldn’t have to constantly think about generating revenue for us, would I?" Suzuki deadpanned.

"...."

Tsunade’s face instantly burned a bright, furious red. But her legendary pride made it completely impossible for her to apologize. Frankly, whether it was drinking herself into a stupor or gambling away fortunes, they were both coping mechanisms she used to numb her deep-seated trauma.

Still, using her trauma as an excuse to force a twelve-year-old boy to work himself to the bone to fund her vices definitely wasn’t a great look.

"Anyway!" Tsunade coughed loudly, forcefully changing the subject. "How about I teach you something new to make up for it?"

"What?" Suzuki looked at her, his curiosity genuinely piqued.

Seeing his eager, almost naive expression, Tsunade couldn’t help but look incredibly smug. She puffed her chest out proudly, causing her already massive breasts to swell aggressively upward. Her shirt strained so hard against the tension that Suzuki literally couldn’t look away, fearing a catastrophic wardrobe malfunction was imminent.

"Creation Rebirth," Tsunade declared proudly.

"..."

Suzuki was stunned into absolute silence. He had never, in his wildest dreams, expected her to teach him this specific jutsu so soon.

Tsunade possessed a vast arsenal of devastating jutsu, but Creation Rebirth was her magnum opus. It was the absolute pinnacle of medical ninjutsu and the ultimate regeneration technique.

She had invented this jutsu specifically to protect the lives of her comrades on the battlefield. By releasing a massive, stored amount of chakra all at once, the body’s cellular division was forcibly stimulated to its absolute limit. If tissues were shredded or organs were entirely destroyed, the injury would heal instantly, regardless of its severity. As long as the Creation Rebirth remained active, the user was functionally immortal.

And she was just going to casually hand over her life’s work to him?

If Suzuki wasn’t shocked, it would be strange. He knew perfectly well that this jutsu represented a lifetime of Tsunade’s blood, sweat, and tears.

"Why are you looking at me like that, brat?" Tsunade laughed, highly amused by his complicated, stunned expression. She reached out and roughly ruffled his hair, deciding that teasing him was actually quite fun.

"Thank you, Sensei."

What else could he possibly say?

Yet, hearing those three simple, sincere words made Tsunade’s eyes suddenly burn with unshed tears. She aggressively blinked them away, refusing to cry and ruin her intimidating image.

"If you really want to thank me, then you better master this jutsu as fast as humanly possible!" Tsunade barked, though her smile remained warm.

"Don’t worry. I won’t let you down."

"You better not," Tsunade sniffed haughtily. "I have plenty of other jutsu waiting for you, and if you want to learn them, you need to prove you can handle this one first!"

"Yeah." Suzuki nodded firmly. He felt a rare surge of genuine gratitude. He might not be a traditional ’good guy’—he was a ruthless corporate raider at heart—but he fiercely protected the people who took care of him. Tsunade was giving him her absolute best, and he intended to repay her loyalty tenfold.

"Also, we need to have you sign a summoning contract with the slugs," Tsunade added casually, reaching into her robes to pull out the massive, ancient summoning scroll for the Katsuyu lineage.

If anyone else in the village knew about this, they would instantly die of jealousy. But Tsunade wasn’t going to be stingy. Suzuki had treated her incredibly well, ensured she lived in total luxury, and displayed a monstrous talent for inheriting her legacy.

Unlike Sakura Haruno in the original timeline—who arguably only received Tsunade’s full backing because of her close ties to Naruto—Suzuki had earned Tsunade’s absolute loyalty by providing for her unconditionally. Tsunade knew it wasn’t easy to generate the kind of wealth Suzuki casually tossed around.

More importantly, Hiruzen had sent her several coded messages detailing Suzuki’s background as an orphan. Seeing this incredibly hard-working, talented boy desperately trying to secure his future resonated deeply with her.

Since she had officially recognized him as her heir, she absolutely refused to let him die. Teaching him Creation Rebirth and giving him the Slug Summoning contract would boost his survivability to god-like levels.

Yet, surprisingly, when she offered the scroll, Suzuki’s expression twisted into one of extreme hesitation.

Did he underestimate the power of the slugs?

"Don’t you dare underestimate the slugs, kid," Tsunade warned, her eyes narrowing. "They possess incredible natural healing abilities, their durability is unmatched, and they can easily melt enemies with acidic slime. They are amazing familiars."

"I know that," Suzuki replied quickly. "I don’t underestimate them at all."

He knew exactly how overpowered Katsuyu was. But... could he sign it?

"Then what’s the problem?"

"I... actually just signed a blood contract with a different animal familiar today."

"..."

Tsunade stared at him, utterly speechless. "So, the reason you were out all day playing businessman was actually to go sign a summoning contract behind my back?"

"Yes." Suzuki nodded shamelessly.

While his outing hadn’t been solely about signing the Ninneko contract, he wasn’t technically lying. It was the truth, just not the whole truth.

"Oh? What kind of terrifying beast did you sign a contract with, then?" Tsunade asked, crossing her arms, her curiosity genuinely piqued.

She wasn’t the only one. Shizune and Yugao, who had been quietly watching the scolding from the sidelines, both leaned in eagerly.

Suzuki Tanaka. Despite his incredibly plain name, he was a prodigy in both ninjutsu and economics. He casually bought out luxury hotels and commanded wealth most Jonin couldn’t dream of seeing in a lifetime. For a boy like him to vanish for an entire day specifically to secure a summoning contract... it had to be a legendary, terrifying beast. A dragon? A mythical tiger?

"Do you really want to see them?" Suzuki asked hesitantly.

"Of course we do!" the three women chimed in unison. Even Tonton the pig oinked curiously.

"Well... okay."

Suzuki sighed, biting his thumb and swiftly weaving a short string of hand signs before slamming his palm onto the tatami mat.

Poof!

"Kuro, Shiro. Front and center."

"Yes, nyaa!"

"Reporting for duty, nyaa!"

As the smoke cleared, Kuro and Shiro struck what they believed to be incredibly majestic, intimidating poses.

"..."

Tsunade, Yugao, and Shizune stared in absolute, deafening silence. They had expected a terrifying beast of war. They absolutely had not expected the ruthless, cold-blooded prodigy to summon two tiny, fluffy furballs.