Tsunade Can Hear My Inner Voice

Chapter 132: Chapter 132: The Adorably Clueless Gaara

"Who are these kids?" Yamashiro Aoba asked after a few drinks, his eyes slightly glazed with intoxication as he stared at the red-haired boy. "I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before!"

"Aren’t they the kids from Sunagakure? Last time, Genma was the referee for their match!" Kotetsu replied before breaking out in a cold sweat.

If he remembered correctly, this kid was Sunagakure’s Jinchūriki.

But... he didn’t seem all that terrifying.

"Alright, you guys keep drinking. I’m taking these kids to the next room to eat!" Hikari said, knowing full well that having a bunch of wary adults around Gaara would only put the boy on edge.

And that kind of behavior would only deepen Gaara’s hostility toward Konoha.

For the sake of peace between the two villages, Kamizuki Hikari decided to sacrifice himself—for the greater good, of course.

Yes, this was purely for the sake of diplomacy. It definitely wasn’t because Genma and the others became insufferably chatty after a few drinks.

Middle-aged men—what could you do?

"Let’s go! We’ll take that room!"

The restaurant they chose had a distinct local flair. Hikari had generously reserved all the private rooms to ensure that Izumo and Mikan’s friends would have plenty of space to celebrate.

As Hikari led the kids away, the sake cup in Genma’s hand slipped and clattered to the floor.

"Hey... did Hikari just pat Gaara’s head?"

"So you saw it too? I thought I was just drunk!" Aoba rubbed his eyes, his voice slurred.

"Alright, what you shouldn’t see, don’t see. What you shouldn’t ask, don’t ask. Have you forgotten the shinobi code?" Kotetsu warned before adding, "We finally have a chance to drink openly, and you’re wasting it like this?"

"Come on, come on!" Genma immediately perked up at Kotetsu’s words. "Bottoms up!"

"Chug it! Don’t leave a drop!"

---

Once seated, the food arrived quickly.

Team Gai’s members ate modestly, while the Suna trio dug in with unexpected enthusiasm.

But considering Sunagakure’s harsh environment, Hikari wasn’t surprised.

Nestled in the desert, Sunagakure lacked almost everything—water, resources, shinobi, and even population.

If it existed in nature, Suna was probably short on it—except for sand. noveldrama

"No need to hold back. Since you’re guests in Konoha, we’ll make sure to treat you well. You’ll get to experience Konoha’s cuisine and sights. Today just happens to be my brother’s wedding, and he’s the first Konoha shinobi to have guests from another village attend his wedding!"

Temari nodded. But when she saw Kankurō devouring his meal and Gaara completely absorbed in eating, she sighed inwardly.

These two idiots... getting distracted by a little food.

So easy to please.

Despite her silent judgment, she failed to notice that her own plate was already empty.

"Another round of the same dishes, please!"

Hikari didn’t mind the extra order.

First, it was Izumo’s big day. Second, the food was standard fare—even doubling the order wouldn’t break six digits.

Compared to Tsunade’s habit of blowing through an A-rank mission’s worth of money in one sitting, this meal was downright economical.

"Thank you, Hikari-senpai!"

As the eldest sibling, Temari stepped up where her brothers failed, expressing gratitude while Kankurō and Gaara remained fixated on their food.

She thought back to the gift money they’d brought. Compared to this feast, it was nothing—not even a third of the cost.

"No problem. Besides, Lee and Neji eat a lot too." Hikari casually deflected, shifting the blame onto the two boys.

Lee, engrossed in his meal, didn’t react. Neji, however, nearly choked.

’Kamizuki Hikari, you bastard! How dare you slander the Hyūga name like this? Believe me, I could make you cry with Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms right now!’

Tenten giggled sweetly, giving Hikari a playful wink.

She was quite pleased that Hikari had spared her from the blame while tossing the hot potato to her two teammates.

Men as considerate as Hikari were rare these days.

Another round of dishes vanished. The boys leaned back, rubbing their full stomachs—even Gaara was no exception.

Temari and Tenten, however, remained composed, pouring tea for their teammates while exchanging polite smiles—though the daggers in their eyes suggested otherwise.

Women’s minds were best left unread.

Hikari pretended not to notice the silent battle between the two girls and turned to Gaara.

"This afternoon, I’m planning to show you around Konoha and introduce you to some of our Genin teams. How does that sound, Gaara?"

Kankurō immediately looked at his brother. Despite Gaara’s past brutality, Kankurō had always obeyed him without question.

Perhaps that was his way of showing love.

"Fine." Gaara answered curtly.

Hikari was satisfied.

Though Gaara had been swayed by Naruto’s Talk No Jutsu, he still had a long way to go in learning how to handle relationships with others.

"Good. I’ll be leading you three for the rest of the day." After addressing the Suna trio, Hikari turned to Team Gai. "Tenten, your teammates have eaten enough. Time for training!"

(Lee: Hikari-senpai, don’t think I’m clueless just because I don’t read much! I know intense exercise after eating is bad for your health and can shorten your life!)

"Got it, Hikari-senpai! I’ll come find you after training!"

Tenten grinned, making her promise before dragging Lee and Neji away, ignoring their resentful stares.

"Their bond... is nice." Gaara murmured, watching them leave.

"Sometimes, you don’t have to close your heart off too much."

"Gaara, you possess something many people would envy. Don’t look down on yourself."

Hikari thought about the chakra of Gaara’s mother, always protecting him. He was tempted to study it, but fearing he might taint its purity, he resisted.

Miracles like that were something unique to the shinobi world.

The Sage of Six Paths breaking the boundary between life and death was one thing.

Gaara’s mother’s chakra lingering after death to protect him—becoming what Gaara believed was his "absolute defense"—was another.

And then there was Obito somehow bypassing the afterlife to lend Kakashi his Mangekyō Sharingan.

Truly, chakra was a mysterious thing.

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