A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Guest, Miss Laury, Lara500, and SquareMom. Thank you so, so much for your reviews! Seriously, you guys have no idea how happy it makes me when I read them. :D And though I have the majority of the story plotted out, all of your speculations have definitely made an impact, and I've added some improvements to the story because of them. So, thank you!


Tsunade leaped through the trees, following Kakashi's dark figure and Naruto's bright-orange-ness. When they'd left Yamagawa that morning, she'd stated she would take the rear, and they hadn't objected.

Though the mission would be officially finished once they reached Konoha, she couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that it was far from over. And not just because the chakra-feeding seal was still inside of her, like a hungry maw that would never be satisfied. Tsunade sighed. So far, she was at a loss on how to nullify it.

She'd managed to store her remaining chakra not already in her Strength of a Hundred seal into a small reserve where she could draw out a little every day, or use in a fight if absolutely necessary. But even though she'd been able to protect her chakra, the disease had been free to ravage the rest of her body. Thankfully, her Senju resilience was holding out so far, and she'd been feeling much better than the first day she'd had the seal. But it didn't change the fact that she was getting weaker by the day, and she had no way to use her chakra to heal her organs and other systems.

Based on how her body was functioning so far, she estimated she had about four or five weeks before it killed her. And even if she could spend every second of that time in her medical lab, it wasn't much time to figure out a cure for something no one had experienced before. All in all, it wasn't looking good.

Tsunade firmly shoved the thoughts away. She wasn't going to dwell on it until making certain decisions became necessary.

What concerned her more was whoever had created it. She had her suspicions, but there was no point in pursuing them until she had more facts. Once they got back to Konoha, she would make finding the creator a priority. Possibly even put Kakashi in charge of it. He was smart and calculating, and he had the seen the consequences firsthand. Besides, she didn't want him around when the effects of the seal got worse.

Tsunade groaned inwardly. Who was she fooling? She just didn't want Kakashi around, period. Why on earth had she dragged him along to the gambling house last night? She shouldn't want to spend more time with him, yet... she couldn't help a smile at the memory. It had been rather enjoyable to share one of her passions with him, especially when he'd gotten so into it he even used his Sharingan. He'd looked so adorable, silver hair flopping over his forehead as he'd leaned forward, fixated intently on the dice—enough. These thoughts weren't helping her predicament.

She bit the inside of her cheek. Because in spite of her best efforts, her feelings hadn't gone away. When he'd caught her—and held her—on their way back from the sealing circle, as if she was something precious, something he wanted to protect—her heart had felt like it was going to fly out of her chest... and a sudden and terrifying desire to kiss him had seized her. Only the remembrance of his someone waiting in Konoha had saved her.

Except... Tsunade clamped her eyes shut. No. She shouldn't think about it. But her mind betrayed her, as it had been doing without fail for the past two days, and replayed Kakashi's whispered words over and over again.

"As I just did for you?"

As if he'd done those things for her... to show that he cared about her. But how could he say such a thing if he had feelings for someone else? It wasn't—

A kunai flashed up from the forest below. Tsunade shifted to the side, and slipped her finger through the ring pommel as the kunai shot past. She spun, and hurled it forward to Kakashi and Naruto. "Kakashi!"

His eye widened in understanding as the kunai sailed past him. They each halted on their consecutive branches, and even Naruto had the sense to keep his mouth shut. Kakashi held up two fingers, and flicked them downward. Two of them confront the enemy, one stays in the treetops. Tsunade and Naruto nodded.

Kakashi stabbed his third finger at Naruto, who scowled in answer, then Kakashi dropped down through the trees, Tsunade right behind him.

A tall, stony-faced ninja waited for them on the forest floor. Tsunade studied him. She didn't recognize him, but he had a hostile air about him. If he was confronting them face-to-face, he must have more companions hidden nearby.

"Sadai," Kakashi greeted the ninja neutrally. "Maa, I wondered if you would turn up again. Get lost?"

Tsunade lifted her eyebrows. This was the ninja who had ambushed them with two others on their way to Yamagawa? He looked nothing like the young, long-haired ninja she'd seen after Kakashi and Naruto defeated him.

Sadai spread his wide hands. "I admit, it took me a while to find you, but I succeeded."

Tsunade propped her fists on her hips. Did Sadai really intend to waste their time again? "If you think you have a chance against one of the Sannin and Kakashi of the Sharingan, then you're more foolish than I thought. But we'll gladly give you another beating, if that's what you came for."

Sadai's stiff face cracked with a sneer. "Such arrogance." He raised a fist. "You can try."

Six more ninja dropped from the trees, surrounding them. Kakashi shifted to stand back-to-back with Tsunade, forming the sign for shadow clones, and two appeared on either side of him. He tilted his head. "Sadai has strong armor."

Tsunade smiled. Perhaps, but he hadn't fought her yet. "We'll see about that. You and Naruto have the others?"

"Hai." The answering smile in Kakashi's voice warmed her. "Have fun."

She intended to. It had been a while since she'd been able to punch something. Tsunade ran toward Sadai, throwing a couple of shuriken to get an idea of his speed. In spite of his size, the large ninja dodged them easily.

He grinned, and formed a few quick signs. "You'll have to do better than that, Baachan."

Anger heated her veins. Only Naruto could get away with calling her that. She would enjoy smashing his teeth in.

A wall of stone erupted from the ground in front of her, thickening and growing higher the closer she got. Most ninja would leap over the wall before it got too high, but Sadai would be ready for that. And Tsunade wasn't most ninja. Tsunade continued straight for the wall, and pulled her fist back. She thrust forward just as she reached it, her fist connecting with the rock at the height of her momentum. The wall split to the top, and exploded, sending chucks of rubble flying.

Perhaps she'd overdone it. A little.

Tsunade launched herself straight through the cloud of dust and debris. Sadai stood on the other side, face slack with shock. "How...?! You—"

Tsunade's kick connected with his square chin. Sadai flew back, disintegrating pieces of armor falling behind him. He slammed into a tree a hundred yards back, and the trunk split down the center, crashing down to the ground. Sadai, now a young, long-haired ninja, crumpled at the base of what was now a split stump.

Tsunade landed in a crouch and straightened. He wouldn't be getting up any time soon. And even better, she hadn't had to use any chakra. She turned, just as Kakashi sent the last ninja up into the treetops with a wind jutsu. She started toward him and Naruto. "And here I thought it would take you at least two minutes."

Kakashi brushed off his flak vest. "Maa, we can't take all of the credit. Your little display took out a couple with those flying boulders."

"Hai, Tsunade-baachan! You were awesome!" Naruto grinned at her, but she didn't miss his nervous glance at the decimated wall. "But so were we! Right, Kakashi-sensei? We took them out easy!"

Kakashi's eye crinkled, and he ruffled Naruto's spiky hair. "Ay, Naruto-kun. You did well, just like a true shinobi of Konoha."

Naruto punched the air. "Hai!"

Tsunade smiled and glanced back to where Sadai still lay. "I hate to interrupt this touching moment, but we should interrogate Sadai if he's still conscious."

Fortunately, he was. Tsunade stood over him, her arms crossed. Kakashi remained behind her, keeping a lookout, and Naruto crouched in front of Sadai, scowling. "Why'd you come after us again, eh?"

Sadai's bleeding lip curled. "Not you." His hateful glare fixed on Tsunade. "Just her."


Tsunade led the way through the forest, each step pounding her irritation into the ground. Who would have thought one of her past debtors would be so insane as to send mercenary-nins after her?

Sadai had claimed his employer was a Lord Mao, who happened to be very angry that his money hadn't been paid back yet, and had ordered Sadai to bring Tsunade by force. Tsunade didn't exactly remember him, as she'd borrow money from a lot of people, but the name left her with a bad feeling. At any rate, sending killers after her was crossing a line. When they reached this Lord Mao, she was going to give him a piece of her mind.

Kakashi walked in the middle with Sadai over one shoulder, and Naruto groaned loudly as he slouched in the back of their procession. "Of course, Tsunade-baachan owes lots of money to someone who wants to kill us. Why can't we just go to Konoha?" He sighed sadly. "I could be eating ramen at Ichiraku's by now."

Tsunade was in no mood for Naruto's whining. But it was her fault they were on this side trip, so she chose not to say anything instead of snapping at him. Still, the brat could show a little respect to his hokage.

"Maa, remember we are Konoha shinobi, Naruto," Kakashi said evenly, surprising her. "It's our duty to protect the hokage. This lord sent a mercenary-nin after our hokage, so we must deal with him. Hopefully, we can pay the debt and it will be settled."

Tsunade winced inwardly. Obviously, Kakashi had no idea how much money she used to borrow for her gambling exploits. And, she thought guiltily, she'd given Shizune more than a few gray hairs because of it.

"You're right, Kakashi-sensei. We can't let this lord mess around with Konoha and Tsunade-baachan!" Naruto puffed his chest importantly, and Tsunade snorted at his sudden change in opinion.

"Looks like we're here." Kakashi nodded to the giant home looming ahead, on the outskirts of an equally large village.

Tsunade vaguely remembered the red pillars and gold dragons decorating the walls. Had she been invited here for some kind of party? Somehow, she didn't think it had been the best experience. Perhaps something had happened for this lord to dislike her so much. Mao... he did sound familiar.

They stopped at the gaudy gold and yellow doors. Gold and yellow... It all rushed back, and Tsunade groaned at the memory.

Kakashi and Naruto both looked at her. She sighed. "I remembered what happened here. It, well... let's just say it wasn't good. And," she added fiercely, "Lord Mao is a cad."

Kakashi tilted his head curiously, and Naruto blurted, "What happened?"

Tsunade chewed her lip. She'd rather not recount it, but they deserved to know something. "I was here for some kind of party. I only came because, well, Lord Mao was rich and I needed money. Besides, he had free sake. Most everyone was drunk, and I think I insulted his interior decorating." She scowled. "He then compared me and my, er, chest to something I would rather not repeat. So, I threw my sesame roll at him and gave him a black eye. Everything went downhill from there."

At that moment, the door opened to reveal a servant in a long red kimono. She bowed. "Welcome. Lord Mao has been expecting you."

"Has he?" Tsunade's irritation spiked, and she strode in past the servant. More like he'd been expecting her corpse. She stopped at the sliding door to Lord Mao's entertaining quarters, and exhaled slowly. As much as she wanted to give Mao another black eye, she was the hokage now, and anything she did reflected on Konoha. She had to tread cautiously. But if the chance presented itself...

Kakashi appeared at her side before she opened the screen, Sadai still over his shoulder. "If you allow me, I would like to do the talking. This man is beneath you. Besides, we jōnin can be quite... convincing."

Tsunade considered. That might be a good idea. After all, Copy Ninja Kakashi was well known. And the possibility of losing her cool was very likely. Kakashi taking the lead would help temper that, which was probably why he'd suggested it. "Very well. The sooner we're out of here, the better."

Kakashi nodded. "Hai."

With that, Tsunade shoved the door open, and they walked in to meet Lord Mao.


Based on Tsunade's rather unflattering description of their encounter, Kakashi had expected Lord Mao to look similar to something like, well, a pig.

But Mao resembled more of a... stick. A generously-oiled, mahogany stick. The tall, thin lord sat cross-legged on a massive red cushion at the end of the room. His neatly greased and twisted mustache drooped on either side of a pinched mouth. His skin was dark and weathered, as if he'd spent a lot of time outdoors. Or possibly smoking. Kakashi thought the latter more likely.

Lord Mao stared at them through half-lidded eyes. Though Kakashi often took the same expression himself, he suddenly found it very annoying. And sure enough, Mao produced an extremely long pipe from his sleeve, and proceeded to take a long drought before speaking in a bored tone through the wisps of smoke. "Tsunade Senju. I'm surprised to see you... alive."

A muscle in Tsunade's jaw pulsed, but she didn't answer. Apparently, she was taking Kakashi's offer to heart. Though he'd been keeping a careful eye on her since they'd left the sealing circle, she hadn't shown any signs of worsening. Perhaps she'd found a way to nullify the seal and had neglected to inform him. He'd have to ask her later.

Kakashi stepped forward and dropped the unconscious Sadai in front of Mao. "Maa, does this belong to you? He attacked our hokage in the forest. Surely, someone such as yourself wouldn't provoke Konoha in such a way."

Mao's eye twitched. "I wasn't aware the lady is now the hokage. But hokage or not, she owes me money."

Kakashi shrugged. "Then we will pay it back. How much?"

When Mao named the sum, Kakashi's jaw dropped. Even Naruto was too stunned to react. Tsunade flushed red and stalked to Mao, breaking her silence. "Impossible! I would never—Where is the IOU?"

Mao sighed, and waved his hand. The servant in the red kimono hurried out of the shadows, and handed a document to Tsunade. Her skin paled to match the white of the paper. "It can't be. Even I have never been that drunk."

"That also includes damage expenses. And three years of interest." Mao blew a long stream of smoke into Tsunade's face. "The three years I haven't received my money back."

The paper crumpled in Tsunade's white-knuckled fist. Kakashi quickly inserted himself between Tsunade and Mao before things got ugly. "I'm afraid we don't have that amount right now. But you seem like a reasonable man. Is there anything we can do to gain more time? Without interest."

Lord Mao smirked. "Fortunately for you, I am a reasonable man." He stroked his mustache. "I'll consider it... if a few of my fields are fertilized and planted. I'm afraid they've been neglected recently, due to unforeseen circumstances."

His servant, still standing nearby, shifted uneasily. "Lord Mao, are you certain—"

"Consider it done." There were too many unknown variables for Kakashi's liking, but planting fields sounded simple enough—if a bit humiliating—which was most likely why Mao had given it to them. But Mao, as distasteful as he was, was still a lord in the Land of Fire. And right now, protecting Tsunade's reputation was the most important thing. Besides... he hadn't missed the servant's reaction, and his gut was telling him something was off.

But Tsunade and Naruto were staring at him in disbelief, which would likely turn to outrage very soon.

Lord Mao blinked in surprise at Kakashi's quick agreement, but he recovered and leered down at Tsunade. "I'm looking forward to it, my lady. I hear it is hot work out in the fields, so don't be afraid to strip down. I want a good view."

It took all of Kakashi's willpower not to launch himself at Lord Mao. Tsunade grabbed his arm, probably as an anchor to hold herself and her temper back. Her grip was so tight, it felt like her fingers would imprint permanently on his bicep. But Kakashi didn't care. In fact, he admired her self-control.

Rage glinted in Tsunade's eyes, but she only ground out, "Let's get out of here." She grabbed Naruto's arm as well, and stormed out with Mao's cackles echoing behind them.

But as soon as the door shut, Tsunade turned on Kakashi. "What was that?!" Her glare was hot enough to set fire to a thousand torches. "Planting a field? I cannot—will not—do any such thing for that pig."

The door opened and the servant stepped through, saving Kakashi. She bowed again. "Lord Mao has a room prepared for you. Please follow me."

Unfortunately, they reached the room all too soon. Even more unfortunately, it only had one bed. They stood, staring at it for a long moment, but before Kakashi could volunteer to sleep on the floor, Tsunade took one of the pillows from the bed, and sat under the window with a sigh. "I'll take the floor."

"All right!" Naruto jumped on the large bed and bounced; his spirits apparently returned.

Kakashi jammed his hands into his pockets. "I'll sleep on the floor, Tsunade-sama. You take the bed. It's only right."

"No. I dragged you both into this." Tsunade leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes in resignation. "It's only right I take the floor. You two share the bed."

The thought of sleeping in a bed while Tsunade was on the floor flooded Kakashi with guilt. What kind of shinobi was he if he let his hokage take such a position? Though she was more likely to agree to a compromise, he wasn't stupid enough to suggest they share the bed, though the space was plenty big enough. He preferred to stay intact. "Maa, it's no problem. I insist you take the bed."

"Ay, Kakashi-sensei! Quit arguing! Tsunade-baachan wants us to have the bed, so honor her wishes." Naruto sprawled spread-eagle on the mattress, grinning from ear to ear. "Ahhhh."

Tsunade's gaze fixed on Kakashi, her beautiful golden-brown irises pinning him to the floor as always. She fiddled with one of her tails, twisting blonde hair around her finger. "I'm, ah, sorry for losing my temper earlier. You made the right decision, and you were only trying to help me. I suppose... I still have to get used to the idea of my every action reflecting Konoha as the hokage."

Kakashi couldn't help a slight smile, and was very glad, not for the first time, that a mask hid his face. "Well, we both do what we must for Konoha." Sympathy prompted him to add, "But I agree, Mao is a pig."

At last, Tsunade smiled, warming Kakashi from head to toe. "I am sorry for getting all of us into this mess." She sighed, and loosened her hair from the ties, so that it fell over her shoulder in a golden wave. "We should already be back in Konoha right now. Poor Shizune."

Kakashi rubbed his chin, pointedly fixing his gaze on anything besides Tsunade's silky hair. "Being here may not be in vain. While we were in audience with Mao, I sensed something was off. Either with Mao himself, or something here. I think he is hiding something."

Tsunade's expression lightened. "And if it happens to be something rather incriminating... he might have to be removed of his position. Then my debt would no longer apply."

That seemed a little far-fetched, but they could hope. Kakashi allowed a nod. "Perhaps."

Naruto groaned loudly from the bed. "Ay, are you two done talking? I'm trying to get some sleep."

Kakashi blinked. He'd nearly forgotten about his student. Had Tsunade's hair really distracted him that much? He stepped over to the bed and gave one corner of the blanket a sharp yank, so that Naruto rolled to one end with a yelp. Kakashi wrapped the other end tightly around Naruto, effectively trapping him in a cocoon. A little sloppy, but not bad, considering he'd recreated it from a twenty-year-old memory, when his father used to wrap him the same way if he got too rowdy before bed.

Naruto wriggled frantically, but couldn't move more than a few inches. "Hey! What are you doing, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi hefted Naruto over his shoulder. "You're sleeping on the floor with me, gaki."

Tsunade, who had been looking thoroughly amused, now crossed her arms with a scowl. "I told you, I'm sleeping here. Besides, if you were on a mission with Guy or—or Asuma, you wouldn't object to them taking the floor."

Probably true, but he didn't harbor certain, strong feelings for Guy or Asuma, either. Kakashi cleared his throat, desperately trying to clear his mind as well. Now was definitely not the time to have that on his mind. And he still needed to answer Tsunade. "Maa, but they also aren't my hokage. I don't feel right about it."

Kakashi set the now-limp Naruto on the floor, and realized his spiky-haired student was already asleep. He raised an innocent eyebrow at Tsunade. "See? I think we'll be fine."

Tsunade rolled her eyes, but she threw her pillow at him in answer. Kakashi caught it against his chest—barely—and force of it almost knocked him backwards. He sighed. Tsunade certainly knew how to make her feelings clear. Kakashi leaned back against the pillow as Tsunade walked to the bed, and placed his hands behind his head. He couldn't help adding slyly, "Besides, I want to be sure you get enough rest for our work day tomorrow."

The next pillow hit Kakashi's head, and bright stars flashed across his vision. But for the first time in fifteen years, no memories darkened his thoughts when he closed his eyes to sleep. Instead, he was running his fingers through silky golden strands that smelled of jasmine, white tea, and a hint of sake.