Chapter 195 Only Sees Oneself
"...So that's how it is. Haruko probably felt uneasy because we treated her as a substitute for Hayama Haruko, and she was a little uneasy about our overly enthusiastic attitude."
Despite having approached them, Hiruko didn't even bother to offer them a chair, or rather, he himself would sit anywhere at home and wouldn't care about them.
Tsunade scratched her hair, somewhat annoyed. "They're both Jiraiya, why are you so eager to say Haruko is different!"
"It was Haruko who asked that question..." Jiraiya replied rather bluntly.
Like a cannonball ignited by his touch, Tsunade grabbed his collar and let out a terrifying roar: "The same thing happened before! You tricked me into coming back by saying Nawaki was in a relationship, but Nawaki was still thousands of miles away. How could you possibly know if he was dating or not!"
Faced with Tsunade's outburst of anger, Jiraiya felt as if he had been seized by the throat of fate, frantically waving his hands to calm her down.
Orochimaru chuckled, "Or should we say that you were more guilty of refusing to give her the necklace?"
Feeling guilty after being told that, Tsunade let go of his hand, pursed her lips, and let herself feel anxious and uneasy.
Ignoring their chaos, Hiruko bit her finger and stared intently at the various physical data about Haruko recorded on the bright blue screen. "Thank goodness... thank goodness it's just a simple cold..."
"You really are something else, always hiding and spying on Haruko without daring to show yourself. You must have overheard these words, right?" Jiraiya unexpectedly turned his attention to him.
Hiruko glanced at him disdainfully and replied confidently, "Without me, you would live your whole lives in unknowing regret."
He was absolutely right. They had never imagined that the joy of regaining what they had lost would bring Haruko such trouble, which made them constantly blame themselves for their impulsiveness.
Tsunade was on her way to find Haruko when she received Hiruko's summons. She turned around, said "I'm going to find Haruko," and left.
Seeing that she had left, Jiraiya hurriedly followed after her.
Orochimaru stayed behind, his dark and unfathomable gaze meeting Hiruko's. He approached slowly and deliberately, saying, "Didn't you say you needed me? Well, coincidentally, I have a knack for researching Haruko."
His words were full of confidence in his years of research and his determination to have Haruko.
"You're not the only one who understands Haruko." Hiruko's cold retort echoed in the room.
...
Haruko shrank further into the blankets. It had been a while since Kakashi Hatake left, and now she was overwhelmed by a belated sense of shame.
"I should have known better than to say it..." Haruko's frustrated voice echoed in the blankets.
Even though I knew Kakashi Hatake wouldn't tell anyone, it was still incredibly awkward to suddenly feel less imposing in front of him!
Suddenly, Haruko caught a glimpse of an oddly placed corner outside the window. Turning her head, she discovered that it was Jiraiya, smiling and greeting her.
What's he doing outside if he's not coming in?
Haruko was wondering what was going on when she saw Jiraiya dancing the Toad Dance outside. How did she know? Because Jiraiya had summoned two little toads to dance with him.
The whole scene looked both funny and cute, making Haruko burst out laughing.
Seeing that she was smiling, Jiraiya jumped even more energetically, and would occasionally make a funny face to amuse her, which made Haruko, whose thoughts were originally in disarray, forget her troubles and smile with rosy cheeks.
"Jiraiya really knows how to make a fool of himself." A melodious female voice rang out from Haruko's other side.
Haruko turned her head to look and found that Tsunade had sat down next to her at some point. When their eyes met, Tsunade smiled gently, her eyes filled with guilt and self-reproach.
Guilt and self-blame?
Haruko was slightly taken aback, not understanding what was wrong with Tsunade.
Tsunade's warm hand gently brushed across her cheek, and feeling the intense heat beneath her fingertips, she frowned with worry.
"I'm fine, Tsunade. I'll be alright in a few days!"
Haruko rubbed her hand, which was colder in comparison, to soothe her emotions.
Unexpectedly, Tsunade pursed her lips and gently scolded her with heartache: "You're the one who's sick, why are you comforting me?"
“But Tsunade looks very sad…” Haruko murmured softly.
Her conscience was stabbed again, and Tsunade covered her mouth and wept silently. She had really let Haruko down!
Haruko: Is Tsunade performing a mime?
Hurried footsteps sounded outside the door, accompanied by Jiraiya's gruff voice.
"Hey, you guys aren't even looking at me! It's so awkward for me to be out here all by myself!"
Upon seeing Jiraiya enter, Tsunade immediately reverted to her tough stance, "Keep jumping, you haven't even finished making a fool of yourself yet."
Sitting down next to her, Jiraiya retorted defiantly, "How could a handsome man like me be ugly? Besides, if Haruko likes to see me, I'll jump for joy!"
“Jiraiya and Tsunade look so alike.” Haruko’s eyes kept darting back and forth between the two of them.
"Who looks like him/her?!" ×2
Seeing that the two of them snorted and turned their backs, Haruko's sly eyes curved into a smile.
Jiraiya caught a glimpse of her smile out of the corner of his eye, scratched his cheek, and started another topic, "Take me out to play after Haruko gets better. I went to some places I wanted to go before, but I still prefer to follow Haruko around."
“But…” Haruko hesitated and did not immediately agree.
If she were to lead the team, she might create even more differences between herself and Haruko Hayama, and disappoint Jiraiya...
Seeing what she was worried about, Jiraiya softened his gaze and replied firmly with a witty remark, "Perhaps you'd be willing to give me another chance to get to know you, and let you experience the charm of a thirty-year-old man?"
Amused by his funny actions, Haruko nodded happily.
“This necklace…” Tsunade’s words drew Haruko’s attention.
Tsunade raised her hand and stroked the jade pendant. "Regardless of the past, I want to make a promise to you now."
"What promise?" Haruko asked her curiously.
"Promise... When I'm fifty, you must come and get it from me, okay?" Tsunade looked at Haruko stubbornly, as if pleading with her to agree to this promise that spanned a lifetime.
This time, Haruko saw herself in Tsunade's eyes, not in anyone else's eyes, but only in herself.
Haruko fought back her tears and nodded, "Yes!"
*
After Haruko recovered, they trained for a few more days before heading straight to the Chunin Exams.
After finding her seat, Haruko sat down directly. Coincidentally, she and Obito Uchiha were at the next table. Seeing her next to him made Obito Uchiha feel much more relaxed.
He absolutely cannot lose to that Kakashi guy! He wants to make Haruko look at him with new respect!
But... why are some of the questions so difficult?
Obito Uchiha had been scratching his head for a long time, and his hand holding the pen was trembling slightly. Looking at the questions on the exam paper, his mind was completely blank and he couldn't think of anything.
Suddenly feeling something touch his wrist, Obito looked down and found a folded piece of paper. Almost reflexively, he looked at Haruko beside him.
Haruko gave him a slight shushing gesture, signaling him to turn his head away and not look at her.
Despite receiving the answers, the stubborn Obito Uchiha initially didn't intend to copy the answers Haruko had given him. However, he then noticed a threatening message from Haruko written on the cover of the paper—
"If Obito abandons me and doesn't advance in rank, I'll change all your clothes into skirts!!!"
After reading the note, Obito Uchiha shivered and glanced furtively behind him, only to be met with Haruko's kind smile.
Uchiha Obito: ...
Who would understand! These days, people are still threatening him to cheat!
******
Thank you Li Xibai, you're such a beautiful and adorable girl, for the inspiration capsule! Your bonus chapter has been delivered! ヽ
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