Chapter 12:
– Blake –
Team 7 had gone ahead of us and were probably back by now.
I walked hand in hand with Shizune as we strolled down the dirt road, the warm afternoon sun casting long shadows behind us. The journey back to Konoha had been mostly peaceful, but as we neared the village, Tsunade's mood soured more and more.
"Ugh, we're almost there," Tsunade grumbled, rubbing her forehead. "That means the old fart already knows I'm coming back." She glanced up, and masked ninjas waved at us before rushing off towards the village. Probably to report about us.
Man, the security around this place was intense...
"It can't be that bad," Konan said, rolling her eyes.
Tsunade shot her a glare. "You don't know what this village took from me. And why are you still here anyway? Whatever your weird obsession with Blake is, we're almost at the village, and he's safe now."
Konan sputtered. "I do not have a weird obsession with Blake-sama."
"You literally just called him 'sama,'" Tsunade pointed out.
Konan huffed, her face slightly pink. "I simply want to stick around him longer. There's much I can learn from a real angel! And I need to make sure nothing happens to him!"
Tsunade sighed and shook her head. "Fine, whatever. Just don't start blabbing about what he is when we're in the village. The walls have ears."
Shizune squeezed my hand gently and leaned in to whisper, "At least they're getting along."
I chuckled internally. That was debatable. They hadn't tried to kill each other yet, which was progress, though there had been a few close calls on the journey. Konan's fascination with me still weirded me out a little—no matter how much she denied it—but at least she was nice about it.
Tsunade shifted her attention back to Konan. "You do realize there are going to be spies crawling all over you the second we enter the village, right? They'll be trying to dig up anything they can about the Rain Village. Barely any information has made it out since Hanzo died."
Konan smirked, her confidence unwavering. "They can certainly try."
As we neared the massive gates of the Hidden Leaf Village, I noticed a long line of carts and travelers waiting to get in. Merchants, civilians, and shinobi alike filled the road leading up to the gates, creating a bottleneck of activity.
Tsunade groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Ah, shit. Is Konoha hosting the Chunin Exams this year? Now it's going to be even more of a hassle!"
Konan nodded. "Yes. Team Oboro was actually supposed to come here after their mission, but I sent them home instead. The exams should be starting soon."
Shizune turned to me and explained. "All these carts are merchants setting up their stalls. The Chunin Exams always bring in a crowd, and since a lot of nobles come to watch, business booms."
I took in the scene, watching the vendors haggle with the gate guards, and shinobi checking papers of young teams. It looked like it was going to be a long line…
Or it would have been at least. Tsunade led us straight past the long-ass line at the village gates like she owned the place. Which, to be fair, she kind of did. Her grandpa created the entire village after all.
A few merchants and shinobi started grumbling behind us, but she didn't even glance their way as she flipped them the bird.
Shizune and I exchanged wry smiles, tossing out a few half-hearted apologies to the annoyed people we passed. Not that it helped much. The merchants still looked pissed, while some of the genin waiting in line were staring wide-eyed, whispering amongst themselves about that being "the legendary Tsuande who just flipped us off!"
Tsunade didn't slow down until she reached the two chunin gate guards blocking the entrance. "You have to wait in line like everyone else."
"Move," she ordered, folding her arms under her chest. "I'm not waiting for shit, I'm Tsunade of the Sannin."
The two guards didn't budge. One of them, a guy with a ridiculous bandage wrapped around his head like a bad cosplay attempt, frowned at her. "Nice try, lady," he scoffed. "Tsunade-sama has been missing for years. You expect us to believe some random blonde with a bad attitude just waltzed back into the village claiming to be her? I don't think so…"
Tsunade twitched. Shizune sighed. Konan tilted her head slightly, probably wondering if this guy was suicidal? I certainly was. Did he not noticing all the looks she was getting as we cut the line!?
Some of the other Leaf shinobi in the area, however, were already backing away. They clearly knew what was coming next.
"Listen, brat," Tsunade growled. "Either get out of my way, or I'll knock you so far into the air you'll have time to reconsider your life choices before you hit the ground."
The second guard stepped forward, looking unimpressed. "You need to get to the back of the line before we discipline you—"
That was as far as he got before Tsunade's fist connected with his gut.
He made a horrible choking sound before crumpling like a cheap folding chair. The first guard barely had time to react before Tsunade slammed his head into the dirt. In seconds, both of them were on the ground, groaning in pain and probably reconsidering their career choices. And definitely needing some hospital visits because I'm pretty sure I heard some cracks.
Good thing she never hits that hard when we're training together…
I rubbed my face, trying to ignore the dozens of wide-eyed genin and merchants staring at us. A few were already muttering in hushed voices. Tsunade's name carried weight, even if she had been gone for years.
Before things could get worse, an ANBU ninja appeared out of nowhere, landing a few feet in front of us.
It was a woman. I could tell by the way her uniform clung to her figure and the long black hair flowing down her back.
Her hair kind of reminded me of my sister Akeno's for some reason…
Her masked gaze swept over the group, assessing all of us before locking onto me. She froze for just a second.
Tsunade smirked. "Quit ogling him, ANBU. We all know he's incredibly handsome, but try to be professional…"
Shizune let out a tiny, amused snort.
The ANBU coughed and straightened up. "S–sorry." She quickly cleared her throat. "The H–Hokage is expecting you. Follow me." With that, she turned sharply and leaped onto the nearest rooftop without looking back at us.
Everyone started hopping after her.
I sighed. With four fallen angel wings—even if they were hidden right now—I had the strength to keep up. But I wasn't as fast as these experienced kunoichi. Still, I crouched low and kicked off the ground, following after them as best as I could. Roof hopping across such a large village was a weird experience but it kinda made me feel like a superhero. We made really good time too as we reached the middle of the village.
…
The Hokage really was an old man. He looked weathered, probably around seventy, with deep lines on his face. But his eyes were sharp as hell as he studied everyone in his office.
Then he smiled at Tsunade. "Welcome back to the village."
"Yeah, sure, whatever," Tsunade said while crossing her arms. "We're just here while things cool off."
The old man chuckled and leaned back in his chair, taking a slow puff from his pipe. "You killed and robbed the richest man in the world. Things aren't just going to cool off for you unless you plan on hiding in the village for a few years. Or," he added with a knowing smirk, "You could make them cool off even faster by taking my hat from me."
Tsunade's eye twitched. "Seriously? I show up out of nowhere, and you want me to be Hokage? Are you fucking serious, old man?"
"Yep." The Hokage said without hesitation, exhaling a cloud of smoke.
I had to admit, I was pretty damn surprised. Tsunade being offered what was basically a military dictatorship just like that? Shizune looked nervous about it, while Konan seemed genuinely intrigued.
Then the old Hokage turned his attention to Konan and me. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting either of you."
Konan bowed slightly. "Hello, Hokage-sama. I am Konan, jonin from the Land of Rain. I was also one of Jiraiya-sama's former pupils."
That seemed to catch him off guard. "Jiraiya mentioned training three orphans in Rain once. I thought he said you were all killed?"
Konan's expression darkened a little. "Yahiko was killed, and Nagato was crippled by Hanzo. I was the only one to make it out relatively unscathed."
The Hokage's expression softened. "Jiraiya will be glad to know you're still alive."
Konan didn't say anything for a moment, but I could tell that statement weighed on her.
Then the old man turned his gaze toward me. "And you? Who might you be, young man? You must be pretty special to be traveling with Tsunade and Shizune."
I scratched the back of my head. "I guess so, but honestly, it's more like they're special to me. My name is Blake Himejima. I'm Tsunade and Shizune's boyfriend."
Silence.
Then, the Hokage did a full-on spit take, choking on his pipe.
"YOU'RE WHAT!?" The ANBU standing by the door suddenly blurted out. She was the same one who'd led us here. "You're dating Lady Tsunade and her apprentice… at the same time!?"
I turned toward her. "Not that it's any of your business, but yeah."
"…None of my business…?" she muttered in disbelief… She slumped, looking like someone kicked her puppy.
The Hokage coughed a few more times, probably from inhaling too much smoke in shock. He turned to Shizune and Tsunade for confirmation. Shizune blushed and nodded shyly, while Tsunade smirked proudly. Just to make sure no one doubted it, she leaned in and planted a kiss on my cheek, making me flush a bit.
"Blake makes us happy," Tsunade said. "And we don't care about anyone else's opinion. If someone annoys me about it, I'll just punch them."
"Please refrain from doing so…" The Hokage sighed, rubbing his temples. "Our gate guards are already going to be spending a week in the hospital as it is. Unless you're willing to heal them?"
"No," Tsunade said flatly.
"Didn't think so," he muttered. Then, looking back at me, he took another puff of his pipe. "It's certainly… interesting... to meet you, Blake Himejima. Welcome to the Hidden Leaf Village. I notice you don't wear a headband. You're not a ninja?"
"He's not," Tsunade answered for me. "But that doesn't mean he's a weakling." She reached behind her back and pulled out the Sword of the Thunder God. It still looked impressive, but the lightning was completely gone after I'd drained it dry. She tossed it to the Hokage, who caught it, looking mildly surprised. "Blake defeated Aoi Rokusho by himself," Tsunade said, smirking proudly.
Technically that wasn't entirely accurate, but I was gonna win regardless of whether Konan finished him off or not, I supposed.
The old man's brows rose as he examined the relic. "Aoi was a problem for a long time. It's good to see this sword back in the village." Then he turned to Konan. "Was Aoi officially a member of your village after he defected from us?"
Konan shrugged. "We were always planning on sacrificing him as a deniable asset at some point."
"Ah, fair enough," the Hokage said with a nod.
And just like that, the conversation moved on… Although it moved onto more boring topics. The Hokage seemed to table the topic of Tsunade taking over his position for now, but he was pretty insistent that she take over the management of the hospital. That was something that Shizune seemed to be really interested in, and Blake could see that Tsunade was as well despite feigning interest.
"Fine, let's talk logistics…" Tsunade huffed.
…
…While everyone was busy talking, I felt a light tug on my sleeve. I turned my head and saw the ANBU who had escorted us standing beside me. She didn't say anything, just gave a small nod toward the door before turning and walking away.
I hesitated for a second before following her. Something about her felt weirdly familiar, though I couldn't place why. She moved with ease, like she was completely comfortable here, but there was something else—something I couldn't shake.
The office door shut behind us, muffling the conversation inside. I crossed my arms and looked at her. "Alright, what's up? Why'd you pull me out of there?"
I couldn't see her expression behind the mask, but I swore I could hear the smirk in her voice. "It was getting pretty boring in there, and I figured we could slip out without anyone noticing." She paused. "Though, I'm pretty sure they all noticed."
I huffed a small laugh. "Yeah, probably."
She shifted slightly, hesitating before speaking again. "Also… uh, sorry about earlier. The awkwardness. And the prying." She rubbed the back of her neck, looking almost sheepish. "I have… reasons."
That got my attention. "Okay…" I drawled, tilting my head. "And those reasons are?"
"I can't tell you," she admitted. "Not yet. You'll just have to trust me."
I raised a brow. "You're asking me to trust some random masked ninja girl I just met?"
She let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, pretty much."
I should've been suspicious, but for some reason, I wasn't. There was something about her—something familiar that made me feel like I could trust her. I had no clue why, and that made it all the more frustrating.
She clapped her hands together suddenly. "Anyway, do you want to get some ramen? I know a really good spot."
I blinked at her. "You dragged me out here just to get food?"
"What, you don't eat?" she teased.
I smirked. "I could eat."
"Good," she said with a nod. "Then let's go."
As we walked down the hallway, I glanced at her mask. It had a sharp design, almost like a bird. A black bird.
"So what should I call you?" I asked. "You've got a bird on your mask. A black bird. Should I just call you Crow?"
She scoffed. "That name is taken...and NOT in a good way! You can call me Raven while the mask is on."
Raven, huh?
I followed her out of the tower, still trying to figure out why she seemed so familiar. Guessing her age was tricky with the mask on, but she seemed younger than me—maybe a year or two. One thing was certain, though. Despite Tsunade's teasing earlier, I didn't think she was actually crushing on me. She had a different kind of energy, something I couldn't quite figure out yet.
Raven led me to a small ramen stand called Ichiraku Ramen. It had a cozy, tucked-away feel, like a place locals had been going to for years. Behind the counter, an older man looked up as we approached and smiled at Raven.
"Hey there, Shu–" He cut himself off mid-word, eyes darting to her ANBU mask. "I mean... hey there, Raven." His tone turned awkward, like he'd almost said something he shouldn't have. "You want your usual?"
"Yes, please," Raven said smoothly, then gestured for me to sit beside her. I glanced over the menu and settled on tonkotsu ramen.
As we waited, silence stretched between us, the only sound being the bubbling broth and the rhythmic chopping from the back. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but it wasn't exactly comfortable either. At least, not until Raven spoke up.
"So, how do you like the Leaf Village so far?" She seemed determined to break the silence, her voice casual but curious.
I shrugged. "Looks nice so far, but I haven't really seen much of it yet. Anything special worth checking out?"
Raven perked up a little, clearly happy to have something to talk about. "There are a bunch of cool spots. The top of the Hokage Monument has an amazing view, the hot springs are great, and the forests around the village are massive. This place is really awesome—I think you'll like it here."
I chuckled at her enthusiasm. "I guess we'll see."
"Yes, we will," another voice chimed in from my left, making me nearly jump out of my seat.
I turned to find Konan standing there as she stared me down. "Konan?! Where did you come from?"
"I was following you the entire time," she stated flatly. "Your... girlfriends need to train you better in situational awareness."
I scratched the back of my head. "Yeah, we've been working on that..." I trailed off, sensing the weird tension that had suddenly formed.
For some reason, Raven and Konan were now locked in a silent battle of glares. The air around them was thick with something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Then, as if on cue, they both huffed and turned away from each other at the same time.
…Women…
"Enjoy!" Before I could say anything, Teuchi placed three steaming bowls of ramen in front of us. It seemed that he even made one for Konan on the house. It would have been rude to not accept it so she started eating next to me.
XXX
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Here is the list of Current Advanced Chapters:
The Fallen Gamer ch 323-327
The Titan 30
The Fox Hole 67
Thunder and Black Wings 14
The Fox Hole 66
The Blood Queen 38
The Fox Hole 65
The titan 29
The Fox Hole 64
Thunder and Black Wings 13
The Fox Hole 63
The Blood Queen 37