At the Third Raikage's command, Yugito obediently sat down.
The members of the Sealing Squad exchanged anxious glances. If the cat told them to release her, should they? They hadn't received any new orders from Tsunade-sama...
But while they were pondering, Takeshi had already hopped back onto the Raikage's shoulder. Waving a paw, he chirped, "Even if Raikage-sama said that, you still gotta keep a close eye on her. Don't let the Two-Tails escape, meow!"
"I'm not 'Two-Tails'! I have a name, it's Yugito Nii! And he has a name too!"
"Meow~ Okay, Two-Tails," Takeshi purred, waving a paw dismissively. "I'll come back to see you later."
Ignoring Yugito's furious expression, Takeshi waved a paw and then pointed outside.
The Third Raikage's mustache twitched. 'That little paw... Is he pointing at me? Does he think I'm his personal mount?!'
These Konoha ninja really knew how to get under your skin. First Tsunade, and now her cat. Was this some kind of Leaf village spirit?
"Yugito, you rest up," the Third Raikage said with a smile. "I'll have Tsunade get you out of there soon."
He maintained his tough, dignified air for Yugito, but the moment he turned away, his expression soured. Considering Tsunade's attitude about her medical fees, getting her to let Yugito out would probably cost him some extra "materials."
'None of Konoha's people are any good!' he grumbled internally. 'Especially the Hokage's disciples. Whether it was the Second or Third Hokage, the students they taught were none of them good. Look at Danzo, then Orochimaru and Tsunade.' He couldn't help but feel that everyone in Kumo was far too simple and honest by comparison.
"Where's Tsunade?"
"Please follow me," Rin said with a slight bow.
Tsunade must have been in the main tent calming down. That would explain why she hadn't stopped Takeshi from parading the Raikage around, it had kept the Raikage from seeing her in a moment of weakness. Word had just arrived from the medical corps: Tsunade was ready.
Takeshi wasn't usually interested in this sort of thing, but he was curious to see the extent of the necrosis in the Third Raikage's hand, so he followed along.
Arriving at the infirmary, the Raikage's eyes widened. 'This is a Konoha field infirmary?'
he thought, surprised.
"Bordercamp conditions are pretty basic," Tsunade said casually. "Rin, remove the gauze."
The Raikage felt a pang of annoyance. 'Basic? Kumo's best hospital probably can't compare to the setup of their Bordercamp,' he fumed internally. 'If this is what you Konoha ninja call simple, what does that make us?' Konoha was truly rich and powerful. As the treatment began, the Raikage tried to study the surrounding equipment, wanting to see if his village could replicate any of it, but after a long moment...
"Meow~ Can you even understand what you're looking at?"
"Huh?" Tsunade glanced over, confused. 'Who was Takeshi talking to?'
The Raikage shot an awkward glance at the black cat, then shook his head with a sigh. "Honestly? Not a damn thing."
"You understand it?" Tsunade stared at the black cat with blatant disbelief.
"Course I do, meow. I'm omnipotent, after all."
Takeshi urged her to get on with it. A test subject like the Third Raikage didn't just walk in every day. Tsunade pulled on her gloves, and as Rin removed the gauze, she let out a secret sigh of relief.
The wound was incredibly precise, with no bleeding. That made her job easier, uncontrolled bleeding would have complicated things.
Tsunade began her preliminary tests. To the Raikage, it looked like she was genuinely treating him, but she was meticulously recording his physical data, analyzing the destructive power of the Rasenshuriken at a cellular level.
Takeshi leaned over for a look. Not enough time had passed for any external signs of damage to appear, the hand looked perfectly intact. But from Tsunade's grave expression, he knew the injury was severe.
He watched for a while, his thoughts drifting. The Raikage was surprisingly easygoing about it all, not holding a grudge even though Takeshi had injured him. Still, the situation was absurd. He'd beaten the man, forced him to pay outrageous 'medical fees', and in the end, the Raikage would have to thank Konoha for the privilege.
The whole thing was ridiculous.
When Takeshi came back to his senses, he found the Third Raikage asleep in the medical chair, his posture exactly like his own had been when he'd dozed off in class during his previous life.
'Oh, well. Might as well get some sleep, too.'
Takeshi let out a quiet yawn. The all-night battle had worn him out, but at least the situation with Kumo was finally settled.
Next up was Kiri.
But Kiri would be tough. Their water-based sealing jutsu were notoriously tricky, and they still hadn't located their main camp. Just finding them would be a pain.
It was all such troublesome work.
--**--**
The next day, Takeshi was sleeping soundly when a burst of laughter echoed from outside.
"Where's that cat?" a voice boomed as a figure stormed toward the tent. "Takeshi! Get out here! I want another fight!"
Meow? At the sight of the Third Raikage, the black cat vanished with the Flying Thunder God, reappearing instantly on Tsunade's shoulder.
'Fight him? Only a fool would do that.'
Besides a Sage Mode Rasenshuriken, he didn't have a single jutsu that could even scratch the man. A straight fight was just asking for a beating.
He nudged Tsunade with his head. "That guy is causing a ruckus. Aren't you going to do something?"
"Here."
Tsunade was happily holding a scroll. Takeshi glanced at it and recognized the trade agreement the Third Raikage had signed that morning after his treatment. It listed quantities of traded weapons: kunai, shuriken, and Fuma Shuriken and so on.
'Ah.' So now that she had what she wanted, she didn't care if he made a scene.
'So pragmatic,' Takeshi scoffed to himself.
"Oh, right," Tsunade said, putting down the scroll. "The Kiri ninja hit our defense line last night. One of the Aburame planted some kikaichu on them and tracked them back to their main camp. Wanna go along?"
With this scroll, she could basically clear her debts in the village. If she could score a major victory against Kiri, maybe the old man would even help her pay off her gambling debts from outside Konoha. The thought made her wish she could go herself.
"Meow?" Takeshi prompted.
"Mm, of course there are benefits," she said.
"Meow!"
"Specifically? Everything's on the table except money. And I know about your deal with Jiraiya. I won't come after you for the sequel to that book of yours. No matter what you write, I'll take it up with him. I'm always clear about favors and grudges."
"Specifically? Everything's on the table except money. And I know about your deal with Jiraiya. I won't come after you for the sequel to that book of yours. No matter what you write, I'll take it up with him. I always keep my accounts straight."
'You still have the nerve to bring that up?' Takeshi thought. 'We didn't see a single ryo of that money. Jiraiya was furious.'
Tsunade looked a little guilty as she spoke, though whether it was about the money or her claim of "keeping accounts straight" was anyone's guess. Just then, a head poked into the tent. It was Yugito.
She called out over her shoulder, "Raikage-sama, he's in here!"
Takeshi looked back, then stared fiercely at Tsunade.
Tsunade just chuckled and rubbed her fingers together in the universal sign for money. The meaning was clear: the Third Raikage had paid extra, so Yugito was free.
Takeshi held up a paw: half.
"Half?" Tsunade's mouth twitched, a spasm of heartache, but seeing Takeshi's resolute eyes, she nodded painfully. 'Speaking of which,' she thought, 'I feel like I'm close to mastering cat language.' No need for direct hints, just a 'meow' and a paw gesture, and she could understand exactly what the cat wanted. 'Did she perhaps have a talent for raising cats?'
"Don't run, Takeshi! Let's have a one-on-one, man to man!"
The Third Raikage was unbelievably fast. The moment Yugito called out, he was already at the tent flap, bursting in and catching Takeshi red-handed.
"Meow~ I'm a cat," Takeshi refused shamelessly.
"I checked-you're a male cat! And that fight you had with my son was incredible! Let's have a brawl just like that one!"
The Third Raikage was practically vibrating with energy. With his hand healed, he felt unstoppable again.
Of course, Takeshi couldn't use the Rasenshuriken. As much as he repeatedly wanted to injure and extort Raikage, it was different doing that in Konoha's camp.
"Raikage, I should remind you," Tsunade interjected, "your right hand isn't fully healed yet. You can't use it for now."
"It's fine, I'll just use my left," the Raikage said without hesitation.
He just wanted a good fight. He especially wanted to give this cat a proper thrashing. Before, the cat had just kept retreating, no different from those cowards from Kiri. He'd assumed that was just the cat's style, but after seeing his brawl with A last night, he knew better. The cat's real fighting style was wild, free-flowing... manly!
That was the kind of fight he lived for.
===============
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