Chapter 127: Not Like a Flower, I Want a Pretty Young Lady

"Ah... sss... oh..."

Inside the private courtyard of Kato Mifune at the Green Hot Springs, a young boy’s gasping, howling sounds echoed, though it was unclear whether he was in pain or enjoying the experience.

Mifune and his brother-in-law, Nawaki, had finished their soak and were now lounging in massage chairs, letting the staff work on them.

"Alright, Nawaki, quit the caterwauling..."

"It’s just a foot massage. Do you really need to howl that loudly?" Mifune looked at his brother-in-law, who was currently wailing away in the chair next to him, with a deadpan expression.

"Hey, you—what’s your name again? Apply a bit more pressure on this kid."

"He’s an official Konoha ninja, so don't worry about breaking him. This kid just got back from a mission out of town today, so press hard and help him shake off the fatigue!"

No sooner had Mifune told Nawaki to quiet down than he turned to the muscular, hulking woman massaging Nawaki’s feet and gave her a new order to increase the intensity.

"Yes, Lord Kato Mifune! This subordinate will increase the pressure immediately. My name is Ruhua the Burly; you may call me by my nickname, Ruhua."

"Also, the one serving you is my cousin, Caicai the Robust; you may call her by her nickname, Caicai."

The woman massaging Nawaki replied in a voice deeper and rougher than most men's.

"Uh, right. Ruhua, use more strength and give my brother-in-law a real foot massage!"

As Mifune gave the order, Ruhua complied, and Nawaki began a fresh round of howling.

"Brother Feng, no... Brother-in-law, no... ah... sss... oh..."

Listening to his brother-in-law’s melodic wailing, Mifune glanced at the hulking, muscular Ruhua, then at Caicai—who looked eighty percent identical to her sister—massaging his own feet across from him, and contentedly closed his eyes.

These sisters had been poached by Mifune from the most luxurious casino in Konoha, specifically from the staff of the manager with the green-cucumber face. They were the same two women who had served as the human wall for Tsunade at the casino. Mifune had recognized their talent back then, and after hiring them at a high salary, he discovered they were multi-talented indeed. Besides their imposing, muscular frames which made them excellent bodyguards, the sisters possessed a formidable, inherited skill in massage. Since Mifune had acquired shares in the Green Hot Springs, he had arranged for them to work there. When they weren't acting as Tsunade’s human shield, they occasionally served Mifune and his friends.

A long while later, after the sisters departed, the howling finally ceased, and silence returned to the courtyard.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Mifune asked, looking at Nawaki, who lay there in a state of utter, lazy bliss.

"Mm... good. Really good, brother-in-law," Nawaki replied languidly.

"If it feels good, lie there a while longer and get rid of all that fatigue." Mifune, lounging in his own chair, felt his own inner "salted fish" laziness taking over.

"Brother-in-law."

"Yeah?"

"About that... well..."

"What is it? Stop stalling. Just say it. Is there anything you need to hide from your brother-in-law?"

"Heh, well... why is this massage so different from what my classmates said? They said there would be pretty young ladies here, and I think I saw some pretty ones when we walked in..."

"Brother-in-law, next time you bring me here, can I not have Ruhua? I want a pretty young lady."

*Thump!*

*Dong!*

*I haven't even thought about that, and you're already dreaming? You're daydreaming of peaches.*

*What are these kids being taught at the Ninja Academy? What kind of 'Will of Fire' is the Third Hokage teaching them?*

Mifune complained inwardly, his face dark, as he delivered a sharp rap to Nawaki’s head.

"Tell me, why don't you want to take me as your master?"

A moment later, once a large bump had risen on Nawaki’s head and he had quieted down, Mifune finally got to the point.

"No reason. I just don't want to."

When Mifune brought up the apprenticeship, Nawaki’s stubbornness flared up again. He didn't even know why himself, but he just didn't want to take Mifune as his master.

*Thump!*

This time, Mifune didn't hold back. With his precise control, he added an identical bump right next to the first one.

"You just agreed at the hot spring pool a moment ago. How can you be trying to back out already?" Mifune gestured pointedly toward Nawaki’s lower body with his deadpan eyes.

"I didn't! I'm not trying to back out!" Nawaki argued.

"Kid, you’d better not be. Don't you want to be Hokage? A Hokage never goes back on their word. A Hokage always keeps their promises."

"Look at the Third... no, look at your grandfather and grand-uncle. They were Hokages of Konoha, and they were upright men who kept their words." Mifune had been about to use the Third Hokage as an example, but realizing the man was sometimes unreliable, he quickly switched to the First and Second Hokage to inspire the boy.

"You ask me why I don't want to take you as a master. My answer is I just don't want to. There's no 'why,' and I never said I was backing out. Since I promised you, I will do it," Nawaki said, feeling a bit wronged.

Mifune realized he had misinterpreted the boy’s words. He didn't apologize—kids were resilient, and a little beating was good for them. He’d consider it a favor to his girlfriend, Tsunade, for all the times Nawaki had irritated her. Still, he reached out and used medical ninjutsu to soothe the two bumps on Nawaki’s head.

"I won't ask for the reason then, as long as you remember your promise to take me as your master."

"To make up for misunderstanding you, once you officially become my apprentice, you don't have to call me 'Master.' Just keep calling me what you always do—Brother Feng, Brother-in-law, whatever you like."

"I’ll still teach you powerful ninjutsu and skills. How about that? Don't you want to be Hokage? Only the strongest ninjas in Konoha can be Hokage."

"Really?" Nawaki looked skeptical.

"What do you mean, 'really'? Since you were a kid, when have I ever gone back on a promise to you?"

"Liar! You just tricked me! Back at the pool, you scared me..." Nawaki was referring to when Mifune had teased him about grabbing his 'little caterpillar.'

"Was it? I didn't trick you; that was a white lie!"

Mifune sounded exactly like a parent hoodwinking their child.

Nawaki: "..."

"Brother-in-law, does the Kato clan really have a secret taijutsu to train... that area?" Nawaki hadn't forgotten about his dignity as a man. Size, length, and girth were things every man cared about. As he asked, he glanced at himself, then at Mifune, contemplating the massive gap between them.

"Would I lie about that? Seeing is believing, and didn't you see it for yourself?" Mifune smirked, continuing to string his brother-in-law along.

"So, brother-in-law, what was the name of that secret Kato taijutsu you mentioned?"

"The Hand of Kato Eagle. Why?" Mifune continued to bluff, rising from the massage chair and ruffling Nawaki’s hair, leaving his yellow locks in a mess.

"Alright, it’s getting late. Get up, get dressed, and tidy yourself up."

"Once you're ready, we’ll head to the Konoha Hospital to pick up your sister. I’m treating you to a big dinner tonight to celebrate your apprenticeship. Hurry up."

"Oh."

Between the bickering, the hot springs, and the massage, Nawaki was truly starving.

"Brother-in-law, what kind of dinner are we having?" Nawaki asked as he began to dress.

"We’re going to eat the grilled meat you like. Highland Snow Beef from the Land of Snow. It’s delicious."

"Hurry up, your sister should be getting off work soon. If you make her wait, don't blame me if she beats you up." Mifune, already dressed, urged him again.

"Let her wait. I’m not afraid of her."

*Thump!*

Mifune couldn't help but rap Nawaki on the head again.

"That is your own sister, and more importantly, she is my girlfriend."

"You brat, if I ever catch you making my girlfriend angry again, I’ll have Ruhua massage your feet every single day!"