Chapter 87: 84 Standing here

After the enemy forces retreated, there wasn't really much point in hanging around, the water is too polluted to be worth anything and our camp and recourses have all been lost.

What was once a verdant field is now but a flooded wasteland. There was nothing to be gained from staying any longer, so we left, leaving behind only a small detachment of troops where the land was still dry.

It would be foolish to simply leave our borders unguarded after all.

The return trip itself didn't take too long either, we only stopped once when night fell, and we lost groups of Shinobi every now and then as we passed villages and bunkers and such where they are stationed.

Even then, Tsunade and I, as well as a number of high ranked and logistical personnel went ahead, it took the actual army a few days to arrive.

You might think that with storage scrolls, carrying supplies would not be a problem, but then you're forgetting the amount of equipment that each Shinobi carries, we generally don't have much space left, so we still need pack mules.

Or, Genin corps in this case.

Not that we had any supplies to return with, but there were plenty of corpses to be gathered, best to not leave anything for scavengers after all.

But we return without complication, immediately collapsing in our respective beds for a nice long sleep, well, that's what I did, I'm just assuming Tsunade was the same.

Then I wrote my report, gave a verbal report and talked with a bunch of people, repeating the same thing over and over.

Ah, bureaucracy, gotta love it.

But once that is all out of the way, I am free for the next few days, barring extenuating circumstance, such as an emergency.

Which means, I can take Tsunade out for a date.

So, here I am, walking up to the Senju compound, dressed in my classic, long black cardigan, with a dull pink dress shirt under a black vest and I am wearing black slacks and boots, but with a white belt.

Thanks to my previous relation the gate guards do nothing to stop me as I make my way inside the compound, only, instead of heading for where the Uzumaki have set up, I instead move for the Senju side.

It's also only then that I remember that I don't actually know which house is Tsunade's.

Stopping a random Senju walking down the street I ask for directions, only I am met with mild suspicion.

"What business do you have with Tsunade-hime?"

"I'm a friend, and we had planned to spend the day together, only she never actually told me which house is hers." I say with an abashed smile as I scratch the back of my head in a sign of nervousness.

Displays of vulnerability make it much easier for someone to trust you, as is shown when the Senju's face relaxes and he gives me the directions with a smile and a warning of not having too much fun.

What are you, her dad?

Amused by the way some nobody acted as if he was important, I approach Tsunade's house with a smile, pulling out a small bouquet of flowers from my tattoos.

I knock on the door and wait, only, counter to my expectations, I hear the pitter patter of feet running through a hallway before the door is swung open, my eyes widening at the sight before me.

Unfortunately only for disappointing reasons.

Instead of the sight of the beautiful Tsunade, I am instead greeted with a boy, maybe a few years younger than me with brown, spiky hair, a permanent blush and a million watt smile on his face that kind of just makes me want to punch him.

Before I can speak, he is already talking in a rush of words.

"Hi! My name is Nawaki! Tsunade-nee said she was expecting someone! Are you and her dating? Is that what you're here for? To take my sister on a date? If you break her heart I swear I will get revenge! I'm going to be the Hokage so I'll get you in trouble! Are you going to get married? What's your name by the way? And why do you have pink hair? Are those flowers for Big Sis?"

Thankfully for my sanity and twitching smile, his ramblings are interrupted by an irate Tsunade who comes walking into view whilst still attaching an earring as she does so.

"Nawaki! Stop being annoying and get back to studying! You will need it if you want to become Hokage." She shouts at him and he obeys glumly but rapidly.

Leaving me standing in the doorway alone with Tsunade, who is more dressed up than I had thought she would be, wearing a nice white kimono with golden designs decorating it that go very well with her hair.

Over that she has her typical green haori, and she is also wearing a pair of purple earrings and I cannot express enough how much I love seeing her wearing purple, even if pink would be better.

I catch myself staring and blink purposefully before reigniting my smile and holding the flowers forward.

"You look beautiful Tsunade, I brought you some flowers, but I'd suggest putting them away somewhere before we leave."

She only blushes lightly at my compliment, before taking the flowers and putting them in a conveniently placed vase, then she slips her sandals on and I step to the side so she can exit, locking the door as she does so.

"You don't look to bad yourself, so, what's the plan here?"

I smile at her words and offer her my arm, which she thankfully loops her own into.

"Well, I'm glad you asked, but I'm afraid I can't tell you, that would ruin the surprise after all. Oh, and before I forget, take this, but don't open it yet."

She doesn't pout, but it's a close thing. And she accepts the folded note I hand to her and without looking at it puts it away in her pocket.

"What's this for?"

"It's a surprise~." I respond, my voice a singsong tone.

With that, we are away.

As we walk out of the Senju compound I engage Tsunade in light conversation.

"So, who was the brat? He seems the energetic type." I say lightly, prompting Tsunade to sigh in response.

"The brat, is Nawaki, my little brother." She says warningly.

I hold my free hand up in mock surrender and respond with a laugh.

"Calm down, I don't mean anything bad by it, I'm only asking. I wish to know more about you, your family included."

Tsunade hums thoughtfully as she looks me over from the corner of her eye then we walk in silence for a moment before she gathers her words enough to respond.

"He want's to be Hokage." She says quietly and I mutter a response before I can think better of it.

"You don't say." I sarcastically quip, only to immediately receive a glare in response.

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"Do you want me to tell you about him or not?"

"Sorry, sorry, please, you were saying?" I gesture placatingly, making her huff, but she continues regardless, with a small fond smile on her face.

"I'm training him in medical Jutsu, he's only seventeen but he's making good progress so far, though I do worry about him, as he isn't as talented as, say, Minato. I'm not sure if he can actually achieve his dream."

Her smile faded to a solemn line as she spoke, her voice ending not much louder than a whisper.

"What is his dream?" I say, prompting a dry look from Tsunade, but seeing that I wont expand on my words, she humours me.

"He wants do become the Hokage." she answers, voice as dry as her expression.

"Is that his dream?" I say airily.

"What are you getting at here?" she impatiently demands of me.

"Let me put it like this, when you ask him what his dream is, what does he say? Does he only say that he wants to become Hokage?" I ask leadingly.

"No, he usually says-" Tsunade interrupts herself with a shocked look on her face as she likely has a flashback to her brother proudly stating his dreams.

"He usually says how he want's to protect the village and become it's Hokage." She almost seems to be in a trance as she whispers her answer.

"Exactly, he can protect the village without being Hokage, so even if he doesn't get the hat, so long as he can be someone like you, able to protect the village and it's people, then I think he'll be happy enough."

Man, I sound like a therapist. Speaking of, I haven't seen Yamada in years, not since I graduated therapy.

What's that? You can't graduate therapy? Think again sucker, because I was told I no longer need to see a therapist, what do you call that if not graduation?

Focusing back on the present, I take in Tsunade's face as she looks at me like I just delivered scripture. Take that Naruto, look who else can do Talk no Jutsu.

"How do you even know this?" Tsunade suspiciously asks me, but I don't let that get to me and just look her in the eye with my same smile.

"Only two types of people want to be Hokage, power hungry assholes, and people who want to protect and serve the village, your brother didn't seem the former, so I guessed he was the latter."

My words are mostly true, the only difference is that I would describe it differently, the only people who want to become Hokage are brainwashed idiots, or power hungry assholes. Just take a look at Danzo.

"What about you?" At my tilted head, she clarifies, "Do you have any siblings?"

Ah, shit.

I knew I forgot something.

I haven't seen my family in like, half a decade.

Kizashi should be, what? Eighteen now? Meaning he's probably been a Shinobi for a while now, meaning he's probably dead.

I should check up on them at some point. Tomorrow.

My date is more important.

"Yeah, a little brother same as you, he should be about a year older than Nawaki-kun by now too. His name is Kizashi and honestly I don't know what ambitions he has, but it's probably something stupid."

"You shouldn't be so cavalier about your brothers dreams." Tsunade scolds me, not knowing the truth of the matter.

My family is really, really dumb.

"No, you don't understand, he is stupid, like, with all due affection, he is an idiot, just like my parents, if I had to guess, his dream is either something dumb and unrealistic like being the next Hashirama, or it's something equally unrealistic like marrying a Harem or something."

At my exasperated explanation, Tsunade looks speculatively at me, thinking I'm just being mean.

"Honestly, I will introduce you to my family if you want, they are all such idiots I'm half convinced that they adopted me, which they would have done due to the matching hair if nothing else."

Tsunade still doesn't seem convinced, but I don't think there is anything I could say for her to understand the sheer temerity of their stupidity.

"I will withhold judgement until then, then. Is Kizashi a Shinobi then? Following the footsteps of his big brother?" Her sentence ends with a teasing tone that I playfully roll my eyes at.

"Well, I ???????? amazing, I can see why he would want to take after me, unfortunately I just don't think he's cut out for it, I'm just too good." I puff out my chest as I speak in an obviously fake obnoxious tone.

Tsunade rolls her eyes at my antics, but I can tell she's amused by them nonetheless by the small smile she tries to hide.

Amused by her reticence I smile a little bit more broadly  and look up, seeing that we have finally arrived.

"Well Tsunade, we are here! Welcome to the Volcano of Wealth! The best casino in all of Konoha!"

There is another reason for coming here, this is the casino chain that I own a fifth of the stocks of, which means we can get away with more stuff, or if Tsunade bankrupts us, I can get my money back, though she would need to be impressively bad to bankrupt us both today, since we're both rich.

Tsunade slowly grows a sunny smile as she looks at the imposing building like a predator looking at a particularly juicy prey.

It's time to do some gambling.

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