Chapter 48: Since We’re Here

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A team of five, consisting of one boy and four girls, walked down the street in an unusual combination.

The rate of people turning their heads to look was at its peak.

However, perhaps still sulking over the previous matter, although Tenten had followed along, she was still somewhat unhappy.

She was hanging at the back, sullen and silent.

Seeing that Tenten had followed, Aoba was quite happy inside.

As his first friend, among the group, his relationship with Tenten was actually the best.

Although Aoba had a good relationship with the others as well, he still had the closest childhood friend-like bond with Tenten.

Tenten would occasionally have small mood swings and throw little tantrums, and the two would often bicker.

On the other hand, Ino and Sakura, perhaps due to their personalities, had never really argued with him. When they got angry, their tempers were usually directed at Tenten. What just happened earlier had already been the most assertive moment for Ino.

If Tenten had really decided to stay behind, he would have gone back and forcibly dragged her along.

He understood Tenten's personality quite well. Although she might be stubborn for a while, as long as he gave her a way out and promised some benefits, she would accept it after some coaxing.

Aoba exchanged a look with the three girls who were now chatting in harmony, then slowed his pace, gradually falling back.

He walked alongside Tenten.

Still keeping her head down in frustration, Tenten didn't notice that someone had appeared beside her.

Aoba knew this sulking look of Tenten all too well.

Without hesitation, he reached out and held Tenten's small, soft hand.

Tenten, who was still pouting with her head down, instinctively tried to pull away. But when she turned and saw that it was Aoba, she stopped struggling.

She simply puffed up her cheeks, turned her head to the side, and refused to look at him.

Aoba didn't mind. Smiling, he said, "Tenten, we are best friends."

Tenten's hand trembled slightly, and Aoba could feel that her palm had become noticeably warmer.

"Hinata is my friend too. You're all my good friends, and good friends should get along well."

"But I don't just want to be friends. I want to—"

"Yes! Tenten, good friends should get along well. Being together... is more fun," Before Tenten could finish her bold statement, Ino quickly interrupted with insincere words.

"Ino!", Tenten gritted her teeth in frustration. The anger that had just started to subside was once again ignited by Ino, 'This traitorous deserter.'

She hadn't expected Ino to switch sides so quickly.

She was a total backstabbing teammate.

Seeing Tenten's expression as if she wanted to eat her alive, Ino quickly hid behind Aoba.

"Um... I..."

"I'm Hyuga Hinata. You can just call me Hinata. Please take care of me," At Aoba's signal, Hinata also stepped forward, slightly bowing towards Tenten. Her etiquette was impeccable, a clear sign of her upbringing in a noble clan.

After all, the Hyuga clan was currently the second-largest clan in the village and even harbored ambitions of becoming the first.

They just didn't know yet that the number one clan in Konoha carried a certain curse. The last one had already met an unfortunate fate.

And the current one, based on the original timeline, wouldn't last much longer either.

"I'm Yamanaka Ino."

"I'm Haruno Sakura."

After finishing their self-introductions, the three of them looked towards Tenten.

Being stared at by them all at once, Tenten's expression became hesitant.

She glanced at Aoba, who was looking at her expectantly. In the end, she could only let out a soft sigh.

Although she was reluctant, she couldn't bear to part with Aoba.

And, she absolutely couldn't let that traitor Ino outshine her.

"I'm Tenten."

Now that all four had introduced themselves, Aoba led them towards the Senju ancestral home.

Even though each of them had different thoughts, at least for now, they were all getting along well.

As they continued on their way, they were able to chat properly.

Although the day had started off with some tension, especially since Tenten and the others initially had a poor impression of Hinata, after talking more, they realized that Hinata genuinely disliked troubling others.

She wasn't being intentionally passive or manipulative, she was just naturally soft-spoken.

Especially when facing Aoba, she would easily turn into a steaming princess.

Ino, Tenten, and Sakura weren't bad at heart, and they gradually started looking after their new little sister.

In particular, Hinata and Ino grew closer rather quickly, possibly because they were both from noble clans and shared a love for flowers, giving them many common topics to discuss.

And with Aoba never favoring one over another, the four girls soon began laughing and playing together.

When Aoba finally arrived at the Senju ancestral home with them, he felt a little nervous.

Originally, he had only planned to bring two people. Now, four had come along, with Tenten and Hinata as unexpected guests.

However, at the entrance of the residence, he didn't see Shizune cleaning up.

He figured he had arrived a little later today, so she had likely finished cleaning already.

Standing at the door, he looked at the four girls who were visibly tense and smiled.

"Don't be nervous. My teacher is a really nice person."

With that, he raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"I'm coming."

A voice came from inside, and soon the door was opened.

"Aoba, you're a bit... late today?", Shizune's delicate, fair face appeared before them, but her smile briefly froze.

"Uh… and these are?"

"Shizune-nee, these are my friends. I told my teacher yesterday that I would bring some friends over."

Hearing him call her nee-san again, Shizune's smile immediately returned, becoming even more radiant.

She smiled and said, "Since that's the case, come in with big sis."

""""Thank you, nee-san!""""

The four little girls politely thanked her and then followed behind.

In the living room, Tsunade, looking as unkempt as ever, was stunned when she saw a string of little kids walking in.

After a moment, she quickly adjusted her clothes.

Then, she shot a sharp glare at Aoba, her expression clearly saying, "I'll deal with you later."

If it had just been Aoba, her student, she could handle him however she wanted.

But suddenly, there were four young girls here.

As a legendary kunoichi, she had to at least maintain some dignity.

The four girls were a bit surprised by Tsunade's casual appearance, but it didn't affect the admiration they had for her as Konoha's greatest kunoichi.

"Tsunade-sama!"

The four immediately rushed up and began introducing themselves.

Tsunade responded to each of them with a smile, patiently answering their small questions.

Although she had left Konoha for many years, that didn't mean she no longer cared about it.

Seeing these fresh young leaves brimming with vitality and growing strong, she felt a deep sense of joy.

In the end, thinking since we're here anyway, they all stayed for a while longer.

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