Adopted by Tsunade [239-240] (Patreon)

Chapter 239 – The Art of Petting a Cat

As a human body pillow, Natsume was already quite skilled.

After noticing that Terumi Mei had fallen asleep, he reached out and gently patted her back.

He was just one lullaby short of doing the whole routine.

But he didn’t know any—and didn’t dare sing anyway, lest he wake her up.

Natsume’s chin rested lightly against her forehead, and a faint, pleasant fragrance drifted up.

Perfume, most likely.

He caught a hint of orange.

Not strong, but very soothing.

It made him want to press closer to her skin and slowly breathe in as much as he liked.

Of course, that would nail the label of pervert firmly onto him.

Even if Terumi Mei looked completely defenseless right now…

She was still a ninja.

The slightest disturbance would wake her.

Holding her in his arms, Natsume closed his eyes as well.

He had no idea how much time had passed.

He became aware of a dampness on his lips, which made him rouse.

The first thing he saw was Terumi Mei’s slightly flushed face.

“How was it?”

Natsume raised a brow and asked.

“How was what?”

Terumi Mei kept her head down, the pink in her cheeks already spreading to the tips of her ears. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m asking how you slept.”

Natsume lifted her chin, looking at her flustered and shy expression, and repeated the question.

“Vvery… good.”

Terumi Mei realized she’d misunderstood.

She’d thought he’d noticed her sneaking a kiss.

At that thought, the blush on her face faded a little.

“Mhm.”

Natsume smiled and asked, “Anything else you need?”

“No.”

Terumi Mei shook her head on reflex, then suddenly tensed and asked, “Are you leaving?”

“Or should I spend the night here?”

Natsume narrowed his eyes. “I don’t mind.”

“…”

Terumi Mei immediately pushed herself out of his arms. “You can go.”

“How heartless.”

Natsume looked up at her from below. “Lady Mizukage.”

Terumi Mei’s expression turned slightly awkward.

Natsume had helped her a great deal today.

And she hadn’t paid anything in return.

“Sor… ry.”

She lowered her head as she spoke.

“Mhm, seems Lady Mizukage has deeply reflected on her mistakes.”

Natsume stood up and leaned in close to her, asking, “How about we convert the entire two and a half years you promised me into maid time?”

Terumi Mei’s head shot up.

They were suddenly very close.

She quickly turned her gaze away. “It’s… not impossible.”

She already understood what maid work entailed.

But as for those unknown two and a half years, she had no idea what that would be like—possibly even more troublesome.

Swapping it like this… didn’t really feel like a loss.

“Deal.”

Natsume didn’t say anything more and vanished right before her eyes.

[Because of your actions, Momochi Zabuza’s fate has changed. You have gained 70 Fate Points.]

Not bad.

With those 70 added, Natsume’s total Fate Points were once again nearing a thousand.

Something worth celebrating.

Once Tsunade finished giving birth, he could help her exchange for Wood Release aptitude.

At that point, it would count as further strengthening the Senju clan.

…

By the time Natsume returned home, night had already fallen.

He opened the door to find only Shizune in the living room.

“Lady Tsunade said she was feeling a little tired and has already gone back to her room to sleep.”

Before he could ask, Shizune explained on her own.

“Oh, okay.”

Natsume nodded. “Shizunenee, aren’t you going to bed?”

“I’m organizing some files from the hospital.”

Shizune’s hands didn’t stop moving as she spoke. “Have you eaten? If not, I’ll make you something.”

“No need.”

Natsume waved it off. “I’m too tired. I’m going to sleep. You should rest early too.”

Terumi Mei had definitely piqued his interest.

But she clearly wasn’t ready, so he might as well let her off the hook for now.

…

After several days, Natsume finally decided to find something new to do.

Hokage’s Office.

Team 9 had gathered once again.

The most excited of them was Naruto.

“Aw yeah, we finally get to do missions again!”

When he wasn’t doing missions, there were only two things he did in the village:

One, eat Ichiraku Ramen.

Two, train with Sasuke.

It wasn’t a bad life, but it wasn’t the life Naruto wanted.

He was going to be Hokage, after all.

Sasuke glanced at him and said nothing.

But in truth his excitement wasn’t much less than Naruto’s.

Ever since gaining “Insight,” his strength had been steadily growing.

But he still had no idea how to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.

It felt like there was one crucial missing piece.

Perhaps he would gain something in a real battle.

As for Hinata, she was happy too—though not because of the mission, but because she could go on a mission together with Natsume.

“This mission is Srank.”

Natsume opened a scroll. “The destination is Katabami Gold Mine, in the Land of Rivers. There’s a group called the Kurosuki Family that has occupied the entire mountain and is forcing the local villagers to mine. Our mission is to rescue the villagers.”

“Srank!”

A big grin broke out on Naruto’s face.

He barely listened to the mission details.

“Sensei.”

After thinking for a moment, Sasuke asked, “Why is it Srank? Is there something special about this family?”

Uhoh.

He actually started using his brain.

Natsume was a bit surprised, but then immediately understood what Sasuke was thinking.

He felt the Kurosuki Family didn’t sound like much, didn’t seem worthy of an Srank, and probably couldn’t show off his full strength.

Basically, he was worried they’d be too weak.

“The leader of the Kurosuki Family is called Raiga Kurosuki. He used to be one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.”

Natsume didn’t hide anything and explained.

Sasuke’s eyes lit up.

Last time, Momochi Zabuza had left a deep impression on him.

If Raiga Kurosuki was also one of the Seven Swordsmen, he shouldn’t be weak.

His interest was piqued at once. “Sensei, can you let me fight him alone?”

“Sasuke, that’s too much.”

Naruto clenched his fists. “What about me?”

“You can handle the rest.”

Sasuke said flatly.

“No way.”

Naruto shook his head furiously. “How can the others be stronger than this Raiga Kurosuki guy?”

“Do you know him?”

A hint of suspicion flashed in Sasuke’s eyes.

“Nope.”

Naruto replied just as proudly, “This is the first time I’ve ever heard his name.”

As expected of you.

“You don’t even know him; how do you know he’s strong?”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “How about I test him out first? If he’s strong, then you can step in.”

Naruto froze.

A moment later, he nodded with serious approval.

“A genius ninja like me should indeed be the last one to appear!”

Now that sounded like the Naruto from the original story.

But you got tricked.

Natsume’s lips twitched, but he didn’t expose it. “All right, go get ready. We meet at the village gate in one hour.”

“Yes!”

All three answered in unison.

Once they’d left, Kurenai, who had been standing behind Natsume, collected the mission scrolls from the table.

Looking at his three students, she couldn’t help but sigh. “Seeing those three makes me want to be a team captain too.”

“If you want to, just do it.”

Natsume teased lightly. “It’s not like I’d stop you.”

“Forget it, I don’t have the time.”

Kurenai thought for a moment. “Being a team leader would interfere with my work as your secretary.”

“There are plenty of secretaries. It wouldn’t really affect anything.”

Natsume tilted his head slightly.

“No!”

Kurenai refused instantly. “I don’t trust anyone else. I’m afraid they wouldn’t do a good job.”

“True.”

Seeing the serious look on her face, Natsume smiled. “And even if they could do the job, they wouldn’t be as pretty as you, Kurenai.”

Kurenai froze for a second; she clearly enjoyed the compliment, the corners of her lips curling up.

“But aren’t you worried your little girlfriend will get mad?”

Little girlfriend?

It took Natsume a few seconds to realize she meant Yamanaka Ino.

“You can’t just throw words like that around.”

He shook his head, speaking in a tone of earnest correction. “What girlfriend? She’s just like a little sister to me.”

For the record, he was not a lolicon.

Natsume’s type was still voluptuous beauties like Tsunade.

Kurenai said nothing; she just looked at him.

Seeing no sign of a lie in his expression, she smiled. “You’re so outstanding that those girls can’t help but throw themselves at you.”

“And what about you?”

Natsume leaned in slightly, clearly interested.

“…”

Kurenai’s body stiffened. She ran a hand through her hair on reflex, panic flickering across her face.

“Kurenai, you’re not being honest.”

Natsume said lazily.

“II still have work to do.”

Kurenai beat a hasty retreat.

Leaving Natsume with nothing but a beautiful view of her back.

He couldn’t help but laugh.

In the end, Kurenai was just an inexperienced girl.

And in some ways, her personality was actually similar to Hinae’s—fairly content with the status quo.

Natsume checked the time.

An hour had just barely begun; ten minutes had passed.

He mulled it over, then teleported to the Daimyō’s mansion in the Land of Waves.

Konan had already gone and come back.

She was extremely professional when it came to acting as a bodyguard.

So much so that Natsume had a hard time sneaking in; every time he wanted to meet Hinae in private, he had to use the Flying Thunder God Technique.

There wasn’t much time.

He was here to pet a cat.

Natsume opened the door.

Yugito immediately tensed.

After what had happened with Tayuya, she’d become much more cautious.

Upon seeing Natsume, she finally relaxed.

In truth, she had complaints.

But she didn’t dare voice them.

Natsume stepped forward and scooped the black cat into his arms.

He patted her perky rear and asked, “What’s this? Are you that unhappy to see your master?”

“Nyaa~”

The black cat immediately let out a delighted cry.

The expression on her face practically turned into a smile.

Natsume chuckled.

What a wellbehaved little kitty she was now.

At least much better than that other cat who plotted to kill her owner every day.

Natsume started petting the cat.

There were, in fact, techniques to petting a cat.

You couldn’t use too much force—but being too gentle wasn’t good either.

Of course, the spot mattered too.

The head was the simplest.

Most cats would accept it.

But for a cat, the most comfortable spot was the belly.

Which was also the most dangerous.

Plenty of owners got a sound beating for touching it.

So you had to be skilled.

Fortunately, Natsume’s technique was good, and this cat didn’t refuse.

An hour later, the black cat lay limp on the sofa.

Her entire body was in a state of utter relaxation and comfort.

Her limbs trembled slightly, her eyes were hazy, and her little face was flushed.

Clearly, she was very satisfied with her owner’s massage.

“Bbas… tard…”

After a long silence, a weak curse slipped out.

Chapter 240 – Let’s Have a Daughter

After teasing the black cat to her limit, Natsume decisively withdrew and left.

Though Yugito’s willpower was firm, if this kept up, there would eventually come a day she couldn’t take it anymore.

At that point, she really would become a cat.

…

Konoha’s village gate.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata were already waiting.

The two gate guards, Kamizuki Izumo and Kotetsu Hagane, were happily chatting with them.

More precisely, chatting with Naruto.

He was the only one who naturally chatted up anyone and everyone.

They were talking about their last trip together to the great metropolis in the Land of Fire.

“If Natsumesensei hadn’t stopped me, how could Momochi Zabuza ever be a match for me and Sasuke?”

Naruto tilted his chin up, an expression of regret on his face.

“Nice job, Naruto.”

Izumo and Kotetsu looked at each other, clapping in a halfhearted, perfunctory way.

Clearly, they didn’t believe a word of it.

Momochi Zabuza was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, an elite even among Jōnin.

How could he possibly lose to a Leaf Genin?

Sasuke’s mouth twitched slightly.

If they met Zabuza now, he was confident.

But back then, he really wasn’t up to the task.

Still, since this was Naruto’s personality, he didn’t bother to stop him.

“Lord Hokage!”

The smiles on Izumo and Kotetsu’s faces faded at once, and their bodies straightened on reflex.

“Natsumesensei, you’re finally here!”

Naruto immediately stopped chatting, his voice brimming with excitement.

“Sensei.”

Sasuke greeted him proactively.

“Sign here.”

Meeting Hinata’s gaze, Natsume walked up to her and reached out to ruffle her hair.

She closed her eyes like a little kitten, a bit shy but clearly pleased.

Naruto and Sasuke were used to this.

After signing the registry Izumo and Kotetsu handed him, the four of them left Konoha together.

The Land of Rivers lay between the Lands of Fire and Wind.

Not all that far.

In the original story, the Raiga Kurosuki arc had been triggered by a request from villagers near Katabami Gold Mine.

This time, it was different: Natsume had sent ANBU to investigate and then turned it into his own mission.

He had been worried Raiga wouldn’t be there.

Since it was a gold mine, Natsume planned to contact the Sunny Miles Trading Company and let them take it over.

If something was ownerless, there was no reason not to claim it.

On this trip to the Land of Rivers, Natsume didn’t use the Flying Thunder God Technique; they still traveled on foot.

He wanted to train Team 9.

Over such a long distance, they had to be on constant guard against enemy ninja and bandits, and also conceal their movements.

After all, when ninjas were outside the village, the smallest lapse could trigger conflict.

Natsume didn’t care.

But his three students needed to learn.

Food included.

They had to handle it themselves.

…

Night fell.

Naruto and Sasuke took out the bentos they’d prepared in advance.

Naruto’s was storebought; Sasuke’s was made by Mikoto.

Most ninja on missions didn’t bother with proper meals.

Often a few rice balls were enough.

But those two weren’t exactly strapped for cash.

Nearby, Natsume picked a spot and set up a tent.

Hinata took out a bento box, and suddenly remembered her mother Rinka’s instructions.

She instinctively glanced at her two teammates, then stood up and walked toward the tent.

“Natsumenii, would you like some food?”

Hinata held the bento box in both hands.

“What about you?”

Natsume was sitting inside the tent. He patted the ground beside him.

“Mother specially prepared an extra portion.”

Hinata sat down next to him very naturally.

“I see.”

Natsume accepted the bento with a smile. “Then I won’t be shy.”

As expected of his future motherinlaw.

So considerate and thoughtful.

“How is it?”

Hinata opened a second bento box of her own, watching him expectantly.

“Pretty good.”

Natsume answered truthfully.

Though it couldn’t compare with his cheatpowered cooking skills, among the people he knew, Rinka’s cooking was among the best.

Hinata nodded, then gathered her courage. “I… want to learn cooking from Mother.”

Once she finished, a faint blush veiled her face.

Learning wasn’t the real goal—cooking for Natsume was.

“In that case, let me be your first taster.”

Natsume smiled.

This girl was almost too easy to read.

“Mhm!”

Hinata’s mood soared, the corners of her lips curling up into a bright smile.

“I’m looking forward to it. But don’t overwork yourself for it.”

Natsume glanced at her. “Right now you should mainly listen to your teacher and work hard on Empty Fist.”

Hinata looked a little embarrassed.

She really had been thinking of cutting back on training to learn to cook.

She hadn’t expected Natsume to call her out so directly.

She lowered her head and ate her bento in tiny bites.

“Is one portion enough for you?”

Natsume suddenly thought to ask.

“Iit’s… fine.”

Hinata shook her head quickly.

“How can it be fine if you don’t eat enough?”

Natsume’s smile was gentle. “I have the Flying Thunder God Technique anyway. I can be back in no time.”

Seeing him insist, Hinata didn’t argue further.

Her heart just felt warm and sweet.

Once all three had finished eating, Natsume clapped his hands, drawing their attention.

“Nighttime is the most dangerous period.”

He smiled. “This is when ambushes are most likely.”

“Bring ’em on!”

Naruto practically vibrated with eagerness.

“Full of energy, I see.”

Natsume nodded. “Hinata and I are heading back to Konoha for a bit. You two will hold down the fort here.”

“No problem!”

Naruto thumped his chest. “Sensei, just leave it to us!”

From the look of him, he was dying for enemies to come attack right now so they could show off.

Natsume took Hinata and returned to Konoha.

It was late; the streets were nearly deserted.

After all, there weren’t many forms of entertainment in the ninja world.

Nothing like his previous life.

Natsume led Hinata to the Uchiha compound.

Going home wasn’t convenient; he’d have to explain too much.

Going to see Mikoto, on the other hand, was simple enough.

Though Hinata was puzzled, she was obedient by nature and didn’t ask.

When she saw Natsume, Mikoto almost wanted to run up and hug him.

But she quickly noticed Hinata.

“Lord Hokage.”

Mikoto suppressed her true feelings. “May I ask what brings you here so late?”

“Nothing much.”

Natsume lifted his right hand slightly; he was still holding Hinata’s hand. “I’m a bit hungry.”

Hungry?

Mikoto looked at Hinata curiously.

Of course, she recognized the girl.

After all, she and Rinka were fairly good friends.

Hinata was both Natsume’s student and Sasuke’s teammate.

“Please wait a moment.”

Though curious about Natsume’s behavior, Mikoto would never refuse him a meal.

“Make it enough for ten people.”

Natsume added.

Mikoto nodded and left.

She wasn’t gone long before returning.

She had planned to cook herself, but with that many portions, she had to let others handle it.

Soon the food was brought in.

Mikoto noticed that Natsume didn’t pick up his chopsticks; Hinata was the only one eating.

Just as she wondered why, he called her out of the room.

“Mikoto.”

Natsume patted her round, firm hip. “How’s Izumi doing now?”

After he got back last time, he’d given her the soul orb condensed from Mōryō.

Mikoto’s body trembled; she instinctively glanced over at Hinata.

Seeing the girl wholly absorbed in her meal, she relaxed. “Her eye power is increasing quickly. It won’t be long before she reaches the level needed to awaken the Mangekyō.”

Unlike Sasuke, Izumi was older; her foundation had long since met the requirements.

That didn’t mean she could definitely awaken it.

“That’s fine, then.”

Natsume’s gaze roamed over Mikoto’s full, curvy figure, and he paused.

He had the distinct impression she’d put on a bit of weight.

Must not be getting enough exercise lately.

“Um…”

Under his stare, Mikoto could feel her heart racing. “Did you come tonight for something specific?”

“Not really.”

Natsume shook his head. “Just wanted to let Hinata eat.”

Mikoto hadn’t expected that.

She looked at Hinata, and for some reason a trace of envy flickered in her heart.

Natsume really did treat her very well.

If only she…

No, that was wrong.

What kind of nonsense am I thinking?

“How about it?”

Noticing her expression, Natsume asked, “Do you want a daughter?”

“Nno!”

Mikoto shook her head at once.

Though she wasn’t as resistant as at first, for her, having another child meant something she couldn’t explain to Sasuke.

“There are only a bit over thirty ninja left in the Uchiha clan.”

Natsume folded his arms. “Mikoto, aren’t you planning to create a few more prodigies?”

“…”

Mikoto was speechless.

What kind of logic was that?

She lowered her head without replying.

“You’re probably worried about Sasuke, right?”

Natsume knew her well.

Perhaps even better than Fugaku had.

Whatever the matter.

“Mhm.”

Mikoto nodded hesitantly.

She hesitated because she also knew Natsume.

What followed would probably be something shocking.

“With our power, hiding it from Sasuke would be easy.”

Natsume said casually. “As for the child’s identity, that’s even simpler—just say you adopted her.”

Mikoto fell silent again.

“But this is only my suggestion.”

Natsume smiled. “I’m not forcing you.”

If he really wanted to force her, he wouldn’t bother being so gentle.

He’d either use the Eternal Mangekyō to control her, or use the Uchiha clan as leverage.

Either way, it would make her agree.

So she understood.

Mikoto instinctively looked at him with gratitude.

Then froze.

Why am I grateful?

He hasn’t actually done anything.

Realizing this, Mikoto could only laugh at herself.

There was no going back for her.

Once Hinata finished eating, Natsume said, “That’s it for tonight. I’ll come see you again after the mission is done.”

Mention of the mission made Mikoto suddenly think of Sasuke.

He’d gone out with them this time.

“Mhm.”

Mikoto nodded obediently. “Please take care of Sasuke.”

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

Natsume’s voice was low and gentle. “Given our current relationship, I’d never let anything happen to him.”

With that, he went back into the room and took Hinata away.

Mikoto stood there in a daze.

Yes.

With the way things were between them now…

What was Sasuke supposed to call Natsume, exactly?