The soft clinking of dishes and laughter filled Kakashi's home. Dinner had long ended, and the group now sat together in the main room.

Kurenai and Anko were cleaning up, and Tsunade had just finished her second bottle of sake. Her cheeks were slightly pink, but her eyes were clear. Shizune, who was always the composed one, was sitting beside her, trying not to let her drink too much. But Tsunade didn't listen at all.

Naruto was half-sprawled on the floor with a full belly, mumbling, "That roast boar with pepper sauce was amazing… Kurenai-san's a genius…" He groaned happily, holding his stomach. Sasuke leaned against the wall nearby, arms crossed, pretending to ignore him, though the corners of his mouth twitched.

Karin sat between them, helping herself to a second rice ball with a small smile. Her energy had softened a lot in the past month, but she still had a bit of a spark in her voice.

"Hey Kakashi," Tsunade said, turning toward him with a raised brow, "about what we talked about earlier… I've thought about it."

Kakashi, who had just walked in from the kitchen with a teapot in hand, tilted his head. "Hmm?"

"You said you wanted me to take Sakura and Karin under my wing. Does that still stand?" She said.

He smiled. "Of course. Sakura's got potential. Kurenai's been guiding her through genjutsu and water jutsu, but she's picking up on chakra control fast. She'd be a natural for medical ninjutsu."

"Yeah… that girl's got a sharp mind. Big forehead too. Good for focus." Tsunade hummed.

From the floor, Naruto perked up with a grin. "She's got a forehead you could land a summoning snake on!"

A loud thwack echoed through the room as Sakura threw a pillow directly into Naruto's face with perfect chakra-infused aim. He yelped and fell over dramatically, groaning, "Why is violence always the answer…?"

"He's got a point though. That forehead's a landmark." Karin snorted into her tea, then tried to compose herself.

"Don't you start too!" Sakura glared at her.

Kakashi chuckled softly as Tsunade gave Sakura an approving nod. "You'll do fine."

"And what about Karin?" Shizune asked, glancing over.

Kakashi sat down beside Tsunade and poured tea into their cups. "She's been with us for a month now. She came from a hidden outpost near the border. She's got amazing sensory skills, and her chakra is unique, it has healing properties when bitten. Combine that with Tsunade's teachings and she'll be twice as deadly and ten times as helpful."

"I–I mean, you don't have to talk me up like that…" Karin blinked, then she was suddenly flustered by Kakashi's praise.

Tsunade raised a brow, clearly intrigued. "Healing chakra through bites, huh?" She leaned forward, observing the girl. "That's extremely rare. Never seen someone like that before."

"Kakashi-sensei has told me I'm special…" Karin puffed up a little.

Naruto interrupted with his signature grin. "She's also really scary when you eat her snacks without asking."

"Because they were mine!" Karin scowled at Naruto.

"She chased Naruto with a soup ladle for ten minutes," Sasuke smirked from the corner.

"And it hurt!" Naruto pointed at her dramatically. "It wasn't just a soup ladle! It was a weapon of mass destruction!"

"It was hilarious." Anko poked her head in from the kitchen.

Kurenai leaned against the doorframe, smiling. "It's good to have the house this lively."

Tsunade watched all of them with mild surprise, then looked back at Kakashi. "You've done well with this bunch."

"They're growing fast," Kakashi said. "And I trust you to also help the girls grow stronger."

Tsunade leaned back, staring at the ceiling for a moment. "Alright. I'll take them both. But I'm not going easy on them."

"Yes!" Naruto jumped up, raising a fist. "Sakura, you're gonna be super strong like Granny Tsunade!"

Sakura's eye twitched. "Don't call her Granny while she's in the room!"

Naruto froze. "Ah-wait, no-I didn't mean-!"

"Granny, huh?" Tsunade said through gritted teeth while cracking her knuckles slowly.

"I-it's a compliment! I mean, you're super experienced and, uh, wise!"Naruto backed up, laughing nervously.

"You dig your own grave." Karin sighed at Naruto's stupidity.

A loud crash came from Naruto stumbling into the table as he tried to flee Tsunade's fist, and everyone burst into laughter, except Sasuke, who merely exhaled a little louder than usual.

After the laughter died down, Tsunade stood up and looked at Sakura and Karin.

"You two had better be ready. I don't take weaklings. If you're gonna learn from me, I expect you to work harder than you ever have before."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama! I won't let you down!"Sakura straightened up, her green eyes shining.

"I'm not afraid of hard work." Karin hesitated, then responded with a small grin.

"Good," Tsunade said, pleased. "Training starts tomorrow."

Shizune leaned over to Kakashi and whispered, "I hope they survive…Lady Tsunade isn't particularly gentle when it comes to training."

Kakashi smirked.

"They'll be fine. Maybe a little bruised." He said as he looked at Karin, she had become more cheerful after staying here.

Tsunade turned back to Kakashi, her voice lower now. "Thanks for trusting me with this."

He met her eyes. "They'll become amazing shinobi under you."

She gave a small smile, and just when their moment was settling into something warm, Naruto's voice cut through the air again.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei, if Grann-uh Tsunade-sama is training Sakura and Karin, does that mean I can get some of that special training too?" Naruto nearly slipped as he spoke but corrected himself quickly.

"You already have me, Naruto, is my training not enough?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"But I want to learn that super punch!" Naruto said while imitating Tsunade's punches.