Tsunade Can Hear My Inner Voice

Chapter 127: Chapter 127: Asuma Returns

Kakashi and Yamato certainly weren’t going to gift that much money.

A million ryo? Five hundred thousand? Only someone with an extremely close relationship would dare give such lavish wedding gifts.

Each of them generously contributed a hundred thousand ryo as a congratulatory offering before swaggering inside.

"Hikari, if the food you prepared today isn’t up to par, I’m flipping the table!" Kakashi patted Kamizuki Hikari’s shoulder with a playful smirk.

Beside him, Yamato looked at Hikari with slight surprise. In his mind, Kakashi wasn’t the type to be so casually friendly. This kind of intimate gesture was reserved only for those he truly acknowledged.

"Fine, go stuff your face at Ichiraku Ramen instead. Today, you can eat as much as you want—it’s on my tab"

"Get lost!"

After spending so much money, the idea of splurging on a day’s worth of ramen was the last thing Kakashi would ever consider.

"It’s mostly adults inside, so you three might feel out of place. If you want, you can hang out with these three, have lunch, and then let them show you around Konoha this afternoon. Get a feel for the village’s charm." Hikari suggested.

Kakashi, who had been about to object, paused when he caught the meaningful look in Hikari’s eyes.

"Sure! We’ll stick with them, then!" Temari agreed readily.

For her, spending time with people her own age was far better than being stuck with adults.

Shikamaru silently rolled his eyes, feeling like he’d been roped into yet another chore. Helping with the registration in the morning was one thing, but now he had to babysit these Suna shinobi? What a drag.

"Gaara, come on... what’s wrong?" Temari called out, trying to drag Gaara over to chat with Ino, maybe even play matchmaker. But Gaara’s eyes were fixed on the distance.

Following his gaze, she spotted a heavily bearded man approaching.

"Asuma?"

"It’s Asuma-sensei!" Ino blurted out, only to realize she didn’t feel as excited as she’d expected.

She hated Kamizuki Hikari. She wanted Asuma-sensei to return. So why did she feel so indifferent now?

"Ah, Asuma, your timing couldn’t be worse! I was hoping to squeeze more free labor out of your team." Hikari smiled brightly at Asuma, as if genuinely welcoming him.

"Never thought Izumo would get married while I was away. How enviable!" Asuma laughed heartily as he strode forward, nodding at Kakashi and Yamato when he saw them.

"Kakashi, long time no see!"

"Yeah, it’s been a while!" Kakashi’s visible eye crinkled in a smile, while beneath his forehead protector, his left eye—the Mangekyō—swirled rapidly. From Asuma, he sensed a wild, untamed aura he’d never felt before.

It was as if he were standing before a beast, not a man.

’Asuma... What have you been doing? Why such a drastic change?’

"Here’s my gift. Came in a rush, so I didn’t bring anything fancy." Asuma pulled out a stack of bills and placed it in front of Ino. "Ino, after you log it, let’s catch up. I’ve missed you guys while I was away."

"Sure, Asuma-sensei!"

Ino agreed readily, but deep in her eyes flickered a trace of confusion.

Girls were perceptive. The Asuma before her now felt like a stranger. In contrast, the usually annoying Hikari suddenly seemed far more familiar.

What was happening?

"I’ll take Ino, Shikamaru, and Chōji with me now. That’s fine, right, Hikari?"

"Of course. They are Asuma-sensei’s students, after all. Having you back to guide them personally is truly wonderful!" Kamizuki Hikari’s reply was flawless, his attitude leaving Asuma satisfied.

"In that case, we’ll take our leave. Kakashi, see you later!"

With that, Asuma led the Ino-Shika-Chō trio away. noveldrama

Watching his retreating figure, Gaara, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke.

"That man... is dangerous."

"Kid, he’s one of Konoha’s elite jōnin. How could he be dangerous?" Hikari smirked, standing beside Gaara and ruffling his hair without hesitation.

"Y-You—!" Temari and Kankurō were stunned.

Someone actually dared to touch Gaara like this? Did he not know who Gaara was?

What happened next shocked them even more.

Gaara slowly closed his eyes, as if he were a cat being petted into a peaceful slumber.

"Yeah... he’s not dangerous at all."

Gaara murmured those words before sitting in Ino’s vacated seat, resting his head on the table and falling asleep.

Asleep?!

Temari and Kankurō instinctively took three steps back, warily eyeing Gaara, ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble.

"Hikari, you’re way too reckless!" Kakashi adjusted his forehead protector.

Fully aware of the One-Tail sealed within Gaara, he knew the boy constantly struggled to suppress Shukaku. If Gaara fell asleep now, the beast could easily break free.

Beneath his forehead protector, his Mangekyō spun, ready to unleash Kamui the moment Shukaku emerged.

Yamato was no different, his expression tense as he watched Gaara.

"Honestly, you guys are too much. This is my bro Izumo’s wedding—you think I’d let anyone ruin it?" Hikari sighed, exasperated. Come on, even his biggest fan doesn’t trust him?

(Kakashi: Holy Light-sensei, you’re a professional at writing those kinds of novels, but this is the One-Tail we’re talking about. How the hell am I supposed to trust you with that?!)

"Most of the guests are already here. This kid has such heavy dark circles—must be suffering from insomnia. Now that he’s asleep, if you’re worried, you two can either stay here and watch him or go mingle elsewhere."

Temari and Kankurō exchanged a glance, and Temari spoke up. "We’ll stay with Gaara. He’s our little brother, and sleeping out here might make him catch a cold."

"Hikari, you said you’d have Shikamaru and the others accompany Temari. Now that they’re gone, who’s going to step in?" Kakashi was more concerned about the immediate problem.

The fact that Hikari had managed to put Gaara to sleep with just a touch suggested he had some method of suppressing the One-Tail.

Regardless of how he’d done it, Kakashi felt it was his duty to report this to Hokage for the sake of the village.

"The Ino-Shika-Chō trio might be gone, but there’s still Team 7, right? I remember Naruto and Gaara got along well—"

"NO!" Kakashi cut him off. "Naruto’s training right now. Pick someone else!"

The mere thought of two jinchūriki hanging out together made Kakashi’s head throb.

Who in their right mind would allow that?!

"Fine, how about Gai’s team?"

Hikari imagined the exuberant Maito Gai and his boundless enthusiasm. Surely, that would be enough to make Gaara fall in love with Konoha.

A bead of sweat trickled down Kakashi’s temple.

He stared at Hikari with deep suspicion. ’If you want to destroy Konoha, just say it outright. If Gai takes charge of them, Gaara will transform into Shukaku within minutes and start another war!’

"Alright, alright, your creepy stare is too much. If Gai’s team is a no-go, how about Team 8?" Hikari offered.

"You know what? I’m going to report to the Hokage."

Kakashi said flatly, then vanished in a puff of smoke—as if something were chasing after him, ready to bite his backside.

"Grown man, zero patience. Should we start eating now and save the leftovers for him?" Hikari muttered.

Yamato, who had been standing like a wooden post, didn’t even know how to react anymore.

Listen to yourself. What kind of person even thinks like this?

...Though the idea of serving Kakashi leftovers did sound amusing.

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