Ninja Dogs

As soon as they entered the street, Kakashi, who had been preoccupied with studying the Nine-Headed Dragon Slash, quickly shifted into mission mode. He tilted his head up and asked Natsuhiko:

"Sensei, how are we going to find Lady Tsunade?"

While scanning the surroundings for any sign of Tsunade, Natsuhiko casually replied:

"Hmm... Normally, we should inquire at an inn, tavern, or gambling den to find out Lady Tsunade's whereabouts."

"But before that, we could try a more efficient approach."

Turning to Kakashi, Natsuhiko asked:

"I've heard that the Hatake clan has a summoning contract with a group of ninja dogs. Can you summon one with a particularly sharp sense of smell?"

Kakashi quickly understood Natsuhiko-sensei's idea and naturally had no objections.

To avoid drawing attention, the two of them moved to a secluded alley.

Kakashi bit his thumb and swiftly performed the summoning jutsu, calling forth a pug.

"You must be Natsuhiko-sensei. I've heard about you from Kakashi before."

The elderly-looking pug politely greeted Natsuhiko as soon as it appeared.

"Thank you for guiding Kakashi recently."

"No problem," Natsuhiko replied with a smile, noticing how this ninja dog resembled Pakkun from the original series. He asked,

"May I ask your name?"

"Ben."

The pug responded, "Kakashi usually calls me Uncle Ben, but you can just call me Ben, Sensei."

Suppressing the urge to ask if Ben's wife was named May, Natsuhiko said,

"Ben, we're currently looking for someone in this street. Can you help us?"

"It would be my honour, Natsuhiko-Sensei, but I will need something the target has touched to distinguish their scent," Ben respectfully replied.

Of course, Natsuhiko had Kakashi summon a ninja dog to take advantage of its keen sense of smell and locate Tsunade. Before setting out, he had already asked Master Mito to provide some of Tsunade's belongings as scent samples.

Initially, Natsuhiko planned to rent a ninja dog from the Inuzuka clan and form a temporary summoning contract for this mission. But since Kakashi had volunteered, Natsuhiko saved himself some trouble.

After receiving Ben's affirmative response, Natsuhiko pulled out a scroll from his pocket, which contained Tsunade's belongings, provided by Master Mito.

He unrolled the scroll, and with a "poof" of white smoke, a soft cloth appeared in his hand.

Is this a handkerchief?

Natsuhiko frowned slightly. Since time was tight and he wanted to preserve the scent, he hadn't checked the contents of the scroll earlier. Now, seeing that it was just a handkerchief, he worried it might not hold enough of Tsunade's scent.

But when he unfolded the handkerchief for Ben to sniff, he noticed something strange.

"Why is this handkerchief... triangular? And it seems to have two layers..."

Weighing the lace-trimmed, overly ornate cloth in his hand, Natsuhiko fell into thought.

Kakashi, with a strange look on his face, couldn't help but say:

"Sensei... It feels like that's not a handkerchief, but rather..."

"No, this is a handkerchief, just an oddly shaped one," Natsuhiko replied with a deadpan expression.

"But..."

Kakashi wanted to say more, but one look from his Sensei, whose eyes held a subtle threat, made him decide to drop the matter.

Natsuhiko, seeing this, wiped his forehead with his free hand.

Sigh... Master Mito...

There was no need to guess—this had to be one of Mito's pranks!

Though he had asked for something Tsunade wore close to her body, this... This was a bit too intimate.

If Tsunade found out, he'd be a dead man no matter how many lives he had.

Is messing with your students really that amusing?

—Well, to be fair, it probably is, from the Sensei's perspective.

Shaking his head in resignation, Natsuhiko consoled himself that at least this "handkerchief" should be effective.

He decided to stick to the plan, squatted down, and let Ben sniff the "handkerchief" a few times.

"How is it? Have you memorized the scent?" Natsuhiko asked.

After smacking his lips as if savoring the scent, Ben replied,

"No problem, Natsuhiko-Sensei. This fresh, ocean-breeze-like scent is now etched in my memory."

"Emmm... Indeed, I can detect her scent on this street. Give me some time, and I should be able to find her."

Ben began to work, sniffing around and searching for Tsunade's scent in the vicinity. Natsuhiko and Kakashi followed him, walking and stopping intermittently along the street.

Before long, Ben seemed to have a lead.

"Although it was nearly masked, there's a trace of her scent on this dried vomit under the utility pole. It's likely from a day ago..."

But just as Ben was about to continue tracking, his eyes widened.

"Why did the target's scent suddenly intensify?"

"Could the vomit be getting more fragrant as it ages?"

"No, she's coming closer!"

Hearing this, Natsuhiko and Kakashi immediately looked around.

Soon, the sound of chaotic shouting and footsteps from one end of the street drew their attention.

A blonde woman was being chased by a group of thugs, heading straight toward them.

"Sensei, isn't that..."

Kakashi's heart skipped a beat when he saw the blonde woman. It was clearly the legendary Lady Tsunade.

Raising his hand, Natsuhiko cut Kakashi off mid-sentence.

"Don't rush. Let's observe first."

Kakashi glanced at the "handkerchief" still in Natsuhiko's hand, unsure of what to say.

He followed his Sensei's command, picked up Ben, and moved toward the edge of the street.

Soon, Tsunade ran past them. Noticing their Konoha forehead protectors, she gave them a curious glance.

Then, her gaze casually fell on the "handkerchief" in Natsuhiko's hand.

The world really is going downhill.

Why is this Konoha ninja walking around in broad daylight holding a pair of panties?

Could it be that Jiraiya returned to the village and corrupted the others?

More importantly, why do those panties look familiar??

However, since Tsunade was being pursued, she didn't dwell on the matter. She simply assumed the white-haired boy in front of her had peculiar tastes and continued running.

"Hurry, we must catch her today!"

"That's right! The boss said there's a huge reward!"

"Damn it, isn't she supposed to be slow because of her big chest?!"

The group of thugs cursed as they ran past Natsuhiko and Kakashi.

Hearing their words, Kakashi instinctively reached for his ninja pouch but was stopped by Natsuhiko's outstretched hand.

Reluctantly, he suppressed his impulse and waited for the thugs to pass.

"Sensei, why didn't we stop those guys from going after Lady Tsunade?"

Because the real bad guy is probably Lady Tsunade, who owes them money.

Natsuhiko thought to himself, but outwardly, he replied calmly:

"Don't worry. Let's wait a bit and see what happens."

(End of Chapter)