246. Tsunade's Luck

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"Mabui, stop overthinking things. I wasn't planning on agreeing anyway," Raikage, said as he attempted to halt Mabui's spiralling thoughts. He was genuinely worried that his secretary might overwork herself into oblivion.

"But Lord Raikage, refusing the Five Kage Summit might also be part of Ōnoki's plan. He could use it as an excuse to attack you," Mabui countered.

"Mabui!" Raikage's temper flared, but he managed to contain himself. "Alright then, what's your suggestion?"

Mabui offered, "How about we reply by saying the village's affairs are too busy for you to leave right now? We can request a delay for the summit. This will give us more time to investigate the disappearances of Yugito and the Akatsuki's movements. If we still find nothing by then, we can at least use the summit to gather intelligence."

A grunted. "Fine. Do it your way. Mabui, make sure Yugito's situation gets priority."

"Yes, Lord Raikage."

---

"'Too busy with village affairs'? Ridiculous!" Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, slammed the Raikage's reply onto his desk with a scowl.

To emphasize his frustration, he used Earth-Style: Added-Weight Rock Technique (Doton: Kajūgan no Jutsu) on the letter. The lightweight paper hit the desk with a thunderous thud.

Akatsuchi, his loyal but slow-witted aide, commented calmly, "Don't be so upset, Lord Tsuchikage. It's normal for someone in the Raikage's position to be busy."

Ōnoki huffed. "Foolish Akatsuchi! If it were any other Kage, I might believe them, but the Raikage? That meathead probably delegates everything to his subordinates and only shows up to stamp documents! He's probably so clumsy he smashes desks while stamping!"

Akatsuchi scratched his head, chuckling awkwardly. "Is that so?"

"Absolutely! He's just trying to spite me!" Ōnoki's fist slammed the desk again, and he immediately winced. "Ah, my back!"

Unfazed, Akatsuchi asked, "So what do we do now, Lord Tsuchikage?"

Ōnoki gritted his teeth, one hand supporting his aching back. "Hmph, what else can we do? We wait for a month. It'll give us time to prepare more thoroughly."

---

"A whole extra month?!" Naruto exclaimed, clearly disappointed. He had jumped at the chance to be part of the summit as a guard, eager to experience something new.

He had even packed most of his belongings, only to learn that the Raikage had delayed it.

Why does it always have to be Cloud messing with us?

"Yes," Minato nodded. "Still, it gives me more time to organize the village's affairs so everything runs smoothly."

"What's there to organize?" Naruto muttered as he flipped through intelligence reports on Minato's desk, treating them like a collection of ninja-world headlines. "We can always call back with summons or even talk remotely using the toads! Konoha's efficiency is miles ahead of the other villages!"

Minato didn't correct Naruto's casual "we brothers" phrasing, instead ruffling his hair. Ignoring Naruto's glare, he replied, "Even so, I can't afford to let my guard down. The smallest oversight could risk your safety or Kushina's."

"Fair point."

Minato's tone turned sombre. "Sometimes I wonder… if I had been faster that night, maybe Kushina wouldn't have had to endure the pain of the Nine-Tails being extracted. Our family might not have faced such a life-or-death crisis."

Naruto stared at his father, surprised by the rare moment of vulnerability.

"I didn't make it in time," Minato continued, his voice heavy. "Even with the Flying Thunder God Jutsu (Hiraishin no Jutsu), I couldn't save everyone I wanted to. Naruto, don't think for a second that this technique makes you invincible. In war, I lost too many comrades because I wasn't fast enough."

Naruto nodded, understanding the weight behind his father's words.

Sensing the mood growing too heavy, Naruto asked, "So what should I do with this extra month?"

Minato thought for a moment. "Join Kakashi's team and help investigate the Akatsuki's movements. Your sensory skills are among the best we have."

"Got it." Naruto agreed readily. He wasn't one to sit idle.

"Just remember," Minato said, "if you encounter the Akatsuki, what's your plan?"

"Run, report, call reinforcements, and gang up on them," Naruto replied without hesitation.

Minato smiled approvingly. While he trusted Naruto's strength, he didn't want his son to underestimate the Akatsuki, especially given their Jinchūriki-targeting strategies. Better to fight smart than risk disaster.

Naruto then pulled a mission request from the stack of documents. "How about I take this mission, too?"

Minato glanced at it. "The Fire Temple incident? Corpses being stolen? That mission involves the Twelve Guardian Ninja, so I was planning to assign it to Asuma's team."

"They haven't taken it yet, so why not give it to us?" Naruto grinned. Fire Temple + Asuma basically equals widow and unborn kid, right?

Though he wasn't extremely close to Asuma, Naruto had a good impression of him. If he could help, he would.

"Fine," Minato relented. He briefed Naruto on the mission and explained the history of the Twelve Guardian Ninja.

---

As they spoke, a rapid knock echoed from the door. Minato gestured for Naruto to hide the documents before calling, "Come in."

Shizune entered, slightly out of breath, indicating she had rushed over.

"Shizune? Is something wrong?" Minato asked.

"Actually, I'm here for Naruto," Shizune replied.

"Me?" Naruto blinked. "Don't tell me you lost Tonton. It wasn't me, I swear!"

Shizune looked confused. "What? No, Tonton's fine. It's about Lady Tsunade."

Naruto's confusion deepened. "Tsunade-nee? Did the police catch her again? I didn't report her this time!"

Minato facepalmed. "Naruto, let Shizune finish."

"Right." Naruto sat silently, though his mind continued running wild.

Shizune sighed and explained, "Lady Tsunade was playing cards with Lord Jiraiya, just something small to ease her gambling itch, but a few minutes ago, she suddenly won. You know her luck…"

Minato and Naruto froze. Both instinctively glanced at the mission documents.

The timing of Tsunade's sudden win coinciding with Naruto accepting the Fire Temple mission felt ominous like the bad omens often seen before major historical events.

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