Mending The Past To A Better Future

Chp. 24 The Rise to Greatness {Part-2}

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“I absolutely cannot help you girls out,” Jiraiya slurred, an almost-empty bottle flying in his grasp as he pointed a quivering finger at them.

“But, Pervy Sage!” Naru whined petulantly. “You’re drunk! Why does it even matter?”

“Because,” he hiccuped, “Mimi-chan,” another hiccup, “made me promise that I’d,” hiccup, “watch over you two!”

“I believe your Sensei’s exact words were, ‘If there’s a single hair out of place on those two’s head, then you’ll be sorry .”’ Tsunade sounded highly amused at the fact that Jiraiya was being threatened by his own student. “And he’s such a little baby, so I don’t understand why you’re scared, Jiraiya.”

“I’m not scared,” Jiraiya flushed. “I’m just… self aware. Plus, the Gaki’s already got enemies on her hand and after their trip to Tea Country, I doubt Minato wants them undoing all his hard work by letting them rampage around the one nation that hasn’t signed that stupid peace treaty.”

“The brat’s no more prone to doing anything illegal than you are, idiot.”

The Sannin sputtered. “Your faith in me is astonishing.”

“You mean lack of,” Naruto snarked. “For all your espionage tactics it still doesn’t stop you from getting caught when we’re at the hot springs.”

“That might be because it’s hard to be undercover when you’re the only man in a woman’s baths,” Rin teased.

“You’re supposed to be the good one,” Jiraiya whined, pointing at Rin. He rounded on Naruto, with a drunken attitude on his face. “Stop corrupting the girl, Gaki.”

“Why do you even want to travel to Turtle Island anyways? I don’t think it’s really open to the Konoha ninja. Or, maybe it is, but I’ve never been.”

“Well that’s dumb,” Naru scoffed. “For someone who likes to take remote trips, Turtle Island is pretty, well, remote . I would’ve figured it’d be your first and last destination. Or, let me guess,” Naru said with a sly smile, “There weren’t enough casinos for you to gamble at?”

Tsunade huffed and crossed her arms, looking away. “You’re an insufferable little brat, you know that?”

Naruto hummed in silent delight.

“You can tease us all you want, Naruto,” Jiraiya said, fist propping his cheek up. “But that doesn’t change the fact that we have as much material to make fun of you about as you do us.”

Naruto scoffed, flipping her hair nonchalantly. “You guys have no ammo whatsoever. You don’t have to lie.”

Tsunade’s brown eyes glittered dangerously before she plopped onto the stool next to Jiraiya, pushing a cup full of sake across the table and into Naruto’s hands. “Tell you what, kid,” she said. “Take a mouthful of that sake, okay? And I’ll say something and if you react badly enough to spit it out, then we win. If you don’t, then swallow it and drink the whole cup. Got it?”

Rin looked mildly interested, leaning across the chabudai to watch. “Taking bets, Tsunade-sama?” Rin inquired. “Sounds dangerous.”

“You’re on, Granny!”

Dutifully, Naruto took a mouthful of sake in and proceeded to hold in her cheeks, waiting for Tsunade to make her move.

There was a silence around the chabudai, Rin and Jiraiya waiting for Tsunade to say what she had to. The flickering heart of the fire made it seem like ghost stories were being told, and Naruto almost gulped on reflex as shadows colored Tsunade’s face, making her look completely eerie.