Kusari no Naruto

Twenty Second Link

Jiraiya was correct in his assessment. It only took another day of convincing before Tsunade agreed to return to Konoha. It was on the proviso that this wasn't a trick to get her to become Hokage, or anything ridiculous like that. But Jiraiya figured as long as she was back, he would have plenty of time to work on her in that regard. Right now, the important thing was getting the Sandaime back on his feet and maintaining Konoha's strong public image.

In that regard, they actually moved at shinobi speeds on the return trip. It made for an amusing moment when Tsunade tried to tree-run after nearly two decades without practise. She had misjudged her weight and fell short of her mark, slamming into the branch and practically curling around it instead of landing on it. Naruto didn't bother suppressing his amusement – eye for an eye, rib for a rib in his mind – and even Shizune struggled not to smile.

Of course, the older blonde was adamant that it was because of her smaller stature. She had yet to return to her usual appearance, still looking like her fourteen-year-old self. Apparently, she figured it was about time for a change in appearance anyway. Shizune later informed him that was code for: 'I've racked up too many debts and need to let the heat cool off a bit with a different face.'

Shizune was a breath of fresh air on their way back, content to speak with Naruto so that Jiraiya couldn't, but not so much that he grew irritated. Mostly she asked questions about what Konoha was like since she had left, and for once Naruto was actually comfortable humouring her. There was something about her that didn't flag up any of his usual irritants. Again, he figured it was because she was like an older, friendlier Haku. It helped that she was polite to a fault and always seemed to know when she was toeing the line.

Plus, she knew a lot about poisons.

Naruto had a fair understanding of toxins and other reagents – Tako was fond of their use – but hadn't really put much thought into their use. His chains were lethal enough, and he quite liked drawing fights out. The way Shizune described their various uses and effects though… well, it gave him plenty of ideas to say the least.

She admitted that she would be likely quite busy once they were back in the village – she could see the way the winds were blowing and was sure Tsunade wouldn't leave so quickly – but she agreed to show him a few tricks when she had the time. If what he had told her about the state of the medical corp was anything to go on, Tsunade would want to tear up the current system and rebuild it from the ground up. That meant a whole lot of work for her, making sure the bureaucratic side of things ran smoothly. Her mentor was not a fan of paperwork.

Finally, something Naruto and Tsunade could agree on.

Things on that front remained frosty. The Slug Sannin hadn't forgiven him for humiliating her like that, and he didn't appreciate the cheap shot that, if he were any weaker, could very well have killed him. Still, and rather ironically to those who knew him, Naruto wasn't the type to hold a grudge. It was far too much effort for zero return. He showed Tsunade nothing but a cold apathy during their trip back. Unfortunately, the woman-turned-girl didn't appreciate that, at all.

He wasn't sure how much her appearance reflected how she thought, but the response was uncharacteristically… childish. She turned to jibes, making snide remarks as they ran that she knew he would overhear. When he ignored those, she made her attempts more blatant, until she was outright insulting him, smirking the entire time. When those went unanswered, she ended up throwing sticks and small pebbles at him. It was nothing more than a nuisance though, like dealing with a smaller, more loud-mouthed Anko.

Eventually she gave up and ignored him in turn, but much of the bite was taken from the display after her previous petulance. After that, she became subtler. She would stamp on a passing branch extra hard, so that when he landed on it, it would break. His chains would simply catch a tree and he would swing on unimpeded. When they finally reached a road, she made sure to kick up as much dust as she was able. She stopped that when Shizune, running alongside the blond, quietly complained.