"Hello, Tsunade-sama. My name is Kurenai Yuhi. It's an honor to meet you."
Kurenai bowed deeply, her movements a little stiff with nerves. Though she had seen the legendary Sannin before, this was the first time they had spoken face-to-face, and her heart was pounding with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. It was no secret that Tsunade was an idol to most of Konoha's female ninja.
Tsunade was the idol of so many female ninjas across the village, it was hard not to feel the weight of that.
"Right, right," Tsunade said, looking pleased. It wasn't the first time she'd met an admirer, but this time, she saw a perfect opportunity to get one over on Takeshi.
A smug grin spread across her face. "See that, you damn cat? I'm the idol of every kunoichi in this village. A creature like you... you'll never have fans as a cat."
'Getting on everyone's nerves and making their lives miserable isn't exactly a great way to win fans,' Takeshi thought, giving her a sidelong glance. She had the nerve to bring up something so trivial. 'I have plenty of fans back at the Ninja Cat Fortress, not that I'd ever brag about it. What good are fans, anyway? Can't eat them, can't turn them into points. If I could trade them for points, I'd be farming them nonstop, but no such luck.'
The black cat sighed internally. He had over fifty thousand points, but they could vanish in an instant. A casual purchase like the Wood Release or one of the three great Dojutsu would take a huge chunk, and for the truly high-level abilities, fifty thousand was almost nothing.
It stung. When would he finally get ahead?
If anyone overheard those thoughts, they'd probably want to smack him. He was already this powerful, and here he was, griping about not being strong enough?
"By the way, Takeshi, how has Rin been?" Kurenai asked as she led them forward, her voice pulling him from his thoughts. "I've been so busy with missions that I haven't had a chance to talk to her in a long time."
Her friendship with Rin had deepened considerably, thanks in large part to Takeshi's meddling. The two had become quite close.
He was about to answer when the mention of missions made him pause. For some reason, he suddenly felt a little sorry for Naoki Gekko. The man was a tokubetsu jonin specializing in assassination, yet he was stuck on glorified babysitting duty. It had to be an insult to his skills, but he was still doing it, all to satisfy Asuma's need to feel like he was contributing to the village.
Realizing Kurenai was waiting for an answer, he shook himself from his thoughts. "Rin's doing great. She's actually Tsunade-sama's apprentice now."
"What? Really?" Kurenai's eyes widened. 'Tsunade-sama's apprentice? For Rin to earn her favor... that's incredible!'
"Yes," Tsunade confirmed with a slight nod. "Rin is a very good kid. She has a true desire to devote her strength to helping the wounded."
While her initial decision to take Rin on might have been influenced by Takeshi, everything that came after was genuine. She had grown to truly like the girl. Rin was enthusiastic, kind, and more than capable. She felt lucky to have a student like her. When it came to taking on an apprentice, no one would make a choice like that just as a favor. It always came down to ability and character.
"I'm so envious," Kurenai said, her face a mixture of longing and genuine happiness for her friend. "With your guidance, I'm sure Rin will become an amazing medical ninja."
"Hahaha, who knows," Tsunade replied, giving her a thumbs-up. "You're on your way to becoming a great kunoichi yourself."
Tsunade flashed a thumbs-up, layering on the encouragement.
'That gesture, didn't Might Guy strike that pose all the time?' For a second, Takeshi could almost swear Guy had hijacked her body.
One big, toothy grin, and it'd be spot on.
He kept the snark to himself.
"I hope so. Thank you, Tsunade-sama," Kurenai said with a sweet smile.
She led them onward toward the camp. Before long, Takeshi's sensitive nose picked up the scents of many different people. He couldn't distinguish friend from foe by smell alone, but he knew they had to be close to the main encampment.
"The main camp is just ahead," Kurenai explained, pointing. "We're set up on the outskirts of the Land of Grass, near the border with the Land of Earth. It's quite a ways from the Land of Fire."
"This is a good position,"
Tsunade nodded, already picking up on the subtle flows of chakra from the Konoha shinobi nearby.
She had the Land of Grass's layout committed to memory, so a quick glance told her the lay of the land. They were near the border with the Land of Earth and Kusagakure itself.
If Kono Osamu tried anything sneaky, Jiraiya could drop right into the heart of Kusagakure before they knew what hit them.
Of course, it cut both ways, left them open to an ambush from Osamu, potentially squeezing them in a vise.
If it were up to Takeshi, he'd pick somewhere safer. What if they got jumped from behind? Jiraiya was a powerhouse, and Kusagakure was a pushover, but why tempt fate? Yet Tsunade seemed to approve.
'Is this the confidence that comes with being from a major village?'
As they walked, Tsunade discreetly observed Kurenai. Her taijutsu was solid, a little better than Rin's current level, not counting Sage Mode. Her chakra control was excellent as well. She was a promising young ninja. 'But she's Shinku Yuhi's only daughter. He must treasure her.'
That made things tricky. Tsunade was developing a habit of collecting apprentices. Whenever she saw a talented youngster, she felt the urge to recruit them into medical ninjutsu. It had worked every time so far, even someone as strange as Kabuto Yakushi had been willing to learn from her. She figured it would probably work on Kurenai, too.
"Kurenai... Tsunade-sama, and... Takeshi!"
A member of the reconnaissance squad spotted them. He was about to ask Kurenai what was happening when he saw who was with her. He immediately straightened and bowed deeply to Tsunade.
"It's all right. I'm here to see Jiraiya. I'll head on ahead."
"Yes, ma'am!" Tsunade gave a casual acknowledgment and continued past with Kurenai, making a straight line for the main camp.
Takeshi shot the man a cold look. An Inuzuka. 'What was that supposed to mean? That reluctant little "and Takeshi"?' If he weren't in a hurry, he would have had a long chat with that tokubetsu jonin. But Tsunade was pulling him along, trying to keep him out of trouble. For her sake, and because he supposed he should maintain his jonin decorum, he let it go.
The black cat felt a rare flicker of mercy.
The Inuzuka tokubetsu jonin, completely unaware he had just dodged a bullet, resumed his patrol route. Takeshi figured the scouting was just an excuse, the man's real job was walking his dog.
The main camp was just ahead. Even before they arrived, they could hear the sounds of training and... a distinctly sleazy-sounding laugh. 'Could they have a bathhouse here?' Takeshi wondered.
A few steps later, Tsunade heard it too. She raised a hand, signaling Kurenai to stop.
Confused, Kurenai froze, holding her breath. She thought there might be an enemy nearby and quietly extended her own senses, but she found nothing. Unsure what was happening, she didn't dare to move.
Takeshi and Tsunade exchanged a look. With a silent, subtle nod, the two of them crept forward together.
Takeshi and Tsunade shared a quick look, then nodded in unison. One person and one cat edged forward on silent paws and feet.
"He he he~"The lecherous laughter grew louder.
Tsunade slowed her breathing, moving with practiced stealth. As they drew closer, she and Takeshi spotted the source: the white-haired pervert himself, crouched in the bushes, giggling to himself as he scribbled away at something.
Takeshi had a pretty good idea of what he was doing. He had to admit, Jiraiya's ability to conjure inspiration from thin air was impressive.
'That damn pervert,' Tsunade thought, her lip curling. 'Doing something so filthy right in the middle of camp?' A ferocious look slowly spread across her face. She clenched her fist and shot Takeshi a look that clearly said, 'Don't interfere.'
Takeshi had no intention of interfering. He and Jiraiya were partners, it wouldn't be right for him to get involved. He was perfectly happy to cheer from the sidelines.
Tsunade closed in, step by silent step, but Jiraiya remained completely oblivious.
Kurenai tiptoed up behind them. Seeing Jiraiya, she opened her mouth to call out to him, but she quickly shut it when she saw the cautious expressions on Tsunade and Takeshi's faces.
The next second, a shout shattered the quiet.
"YOU DAMN PERVERT!"
Jiraiya's head snapped around in terror, a pen still clutched in his hand. His eyes widened as the fist filled his vision. It was over for him.
*CRASH!*
The punch sent him flying, and the tree he'd been leaning against splintered and collapsed.
"Jiraiya-sama!" Kurenai gasped, her hands flying to her mouth in shock.
"Just a friendly greeting," Takeshi said with a flick of his ear. "Nothing to worry about."
It was just a shadow clone, of course. The real Jiraiya was probably in the main tent handling official business. Still, the clone had been careless. Writing a book was one thing, but did he have to make that disgusting laugh? Even Takeshi had been fooled for a moment.
"Maybe it's a greeting?" Kurenai repeated, stunned. 'This is how the Sannin greet each other?'
"Ah, that felt good," Tsunade said, stretching her knuckles. "Jiraiya's still the most satisfying one to punch. It's a shame it was just a clone. I'll have to try that on the real one next time." She bent down and picked up the pen and manuscript pages from the ground. "What's all this?"
She scanned the page, her eyes catching phrases like "Mixed Bathing," "Beautiful Woman," and "Bathing Together." She curled her lip in disdain. With Jiraiya's limited imagination, this was probably the best he could come up with.
"That's Jiraiya-sama's great work," Kurenai said earnestly.
'Great?' Takeshi was baffled. 'How could this kind of trashy, wish-fulfillment novel be considered great? Has Jiraiya's writing really reached that level?'
"Yes," Kurenai insisted with an emphatic nod. "He told me so himself. And I read his last book, the main character was so resilient. I'm sure this one will be just as good. It must be a great novel."
Takeshi and Tsunade glanced at each other, then fell silent. What could they possibly say to that? He hadn't read it, but from the deep frown on Tsunade's face, he could guess the content was tasteless. How could anyone connect that with the word "great"? Without his guidance, Jiraiya had clearly reverted to his old, perverted ways.
"Isn't it?" Kurenai asked, sensing their hesitation. She didn't know about Jiraiya's... particular habits. To her, the Sannin were living legends, great ninja through and through.
Tsunade thought for a moment before nodding. "In its own way, Jiraiya's writing is decent. But it's not really for kids. You can read it when you're older." With that, she tucked the manuscript into her pocket.
--**--**
Inside a tent in the main camp, Jiraiya was discussing strategy with Kura Uchiha when a sudden, agonized scream ripped from his throat. The sound was so piercing that it echoed through the entire encampment. The shadow clone hadn't had time to cry out, so the main body had done it for him.
Kura instantly activated his three-tomoe Sharingan, his eyes darting around the tent. Finding nothing, he looked back at Jiraiya in confusion. After a moment, he asked, "Jiraiya-sama?"
*Cough, cough.* "Nah, I'm good. Just... a little hiccup." Jiraiya hacked through a few coughs.
Even for a man as seasoned as Jiraiya, the feedback from that punch had nearly made him pass out. He had been multitasking, discussing battle plans with Kura while working on his novel. Everything had been going smoothly until a violent woman had appeared out of nowhere and punched him. He'd had no time to prepare.
'Damn it, Tsunade!' he cursed inwardly. Any joy he might have felt at seeing her again was completely overshadowed by the memory of her stealing his manuscript fees. He wished she would just leave, the farther the better.
"So, shall we continue?" Kura asked, sitting back down. But Jiraiya's scream had broken his concentration, and he couldn't remember where they had left off. An awkward silence settled over the tent.
"Uh, where were we?" Jiraiya asked.
"The hot springs, no, wait," he corrected himself, having blurted out a detail from his novel. "We were talking about how to deal with Onoki." He coughed lightly to cover the slip-up.
Just then, the tent flap was pushed aside.
Jiraiya and Kura turned to see Tsunade enter, Takeshi perched on her shoulder like a regal familiar.
"Well, well. Look at you, actually working for a change," she said, her tone thick with mockery.
*Cough* "It's all about work-life balance," Jiraiya said with a strained cough. "Have a seat. I didn't expect you so soon. We were just discussing our strategy for Onoki." Kura was still there, so he had to save some face.
Kurenai peeked in from behind them and gave Takeshi a small wave before disappearing. She had to get back to her reconnaissance duties. The rest of her team was on patrol, and she couldn't be the one slacking off. Thanks to her father's training, she held herself to a high standard.
Takeshi waved a paw in farewell.
After Kurenai left, Tsunade pulled up a stool and sat across from Jiraiya. She took out the manuscript page and tossed it onto the table in front of him.
Kura stared straight ahead, pretending not to notice a thing.
Jiraiya awkwardly picked it up. But he was a man of the world, he'd survived far worse embarrassments than this. Within moments, his composure was back.
After a brief pause to collect his thoughts, he cleared his throat. "Tsunade, we were just discussing our plan for Onoki. Kura and I think we should try to take him out directly, a decapitation strike."
"Onoki is not pushover," Tsunade said, her tone turning serious now that they were on to official business.
He had survived multiple wars and possessed a wealth of combat experience. A direct assault on him would be far more difficult than their raid on the Suna camp to capture Chiyo. His combination of the Earth Release: Weighted Boulder Jutsu and the Dust Release alone was something few ninja could withstand.
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