Enchantress
Chapter 8 – Emotional
A/N: I know I promised to have this chapter up on my birthday, which was Saturday, but let's just say that many nights of drunken debauchery (both before AND after the actual birthdate) have resulted in me having to forget this promise many, many, MANY times over, including the promises I made for my other stories. Don't worry; I let someone drive me home. He was even nice enough to carry me to my room! Note to self: promise a hot and wild night for the designated driver during your birth-week. Anyways, on with this chapter! Don't kill me if none of you find this chapter interesting. I PROMISE to spew out the creative juices in later chapters.
——†——
The three teens were currently at the Inuzuka household with Minako icing up Kiba's Lee-related arm injury. Kiba was still scowling at Lee for such an unnecessary appearance where as Lee was bashfully scratching the back of his head in apology. Minako on the other hand was trying to calm Kiba down without having him mash up Lee into a fine paste for his little stunt.
"So Minako-san, are you new here? I don't recall seeing you anytime previous to today."
Minako made a small laugh. "Am I really that obvious?" She sighed. "Well, I guess there's really no point in denying it. In fact, I've only been an official Konoha citizen for about a month; but then again, I never really spent too much time outdoors ever since I moved here."
Kiba turned his head to face Minako. "So…Minako-chan. Where did you come from?"
"Just from a small trading village southeast of Konoha. With only a population of about 100 people, everybody who was anybody knew each other inside and out; that's just how closely knitted together our community was. Only a few households had the privilege of having a family member as an official registered Fire Country ninja. Some would have to actually leave for Konoha to perform their missions, while others stayed behind to help uphold law and order among the village residents. It wasn't a particularly rich village but living there with my grandfather and my friends made it feel as so."
Minako couldn't help but remember the 3rd Hokage. Even though they weren't related by blood, he was definitely the most prominent grandfather-figure in her life…well Naruto's life. The old man disciplined, argued, and even provided the much needed care and affection that Naruto had been mercilessly denied during his birth; inadvertently becoming his unofficial grandfather. And for that Minako couldn't have felt more honored to have had him in his life.
Judging from the solemn look on Minako's face, both Kiba and Lee had a feeling that the subject of the girl's grandfather was a sensitive one. Kiba was about to respond with a few unrelated but hopefully comforting words but unfortunately Minako beat him to it by clearing her throat.
"Well…there's really no point in dwelling in the past now is there? I know that he's proud of me for deciding to choose the path of ninja and for believing in myself when no one else would."
While lost in her memories of Naruto's childhood, Minako unconsciously made her way to the cabinet-drawer which held Kiba's garbage bin. Normally, such an action would be considered unimportant, but considering the fact that this was 'Minako's first visit into the Inuzuka home' Kiba thought of it as a little strange. How did she know where to find it? Every stranger who comes into our home always guesses right underneath the sink…yet she found it so effortlessly.
The sound of Minako dusting her hands off snapped Kiba back to reality. "Alright…well now that that's settled, all that's left is the matter of that small lunch invitation that still needs to be fulfilled." And how…I'm starving!
"Oh yeah! Um…just take a seat Minako-chan and it should be ready in about 30 minutes!" Minako groaned on the inside. 30 minutes? But I can't wait that long!
"I'll lend you an extra hand Kiba-kun. It's the least I can do for nearly snapping your arm in two."
"Er…Thanks…Lee. You can help me marinate the beef and then we can use two of our grills to cook all of it. Hey Minako-chan. Erm…I don't mean to sound imposing but do you know how to make rice?"
Minako raised an eyebrow. "Well, as long as you have something that I can cook it with then it shouldn't be much of a problem."
"Great! Thanks to you guys. We should be able to eat in about 20 minutes now!"
Minako would have jumped for joy at that shred of good news but she restrained herself enough to just make a cute smile.
"Sounds like a plan to me!"
——†——
Once lunch was finished, the three teens peacefully enjoyed their meal outside on the back porch of Kiba's home underneath the warm afternoon sun. They spent a good hour and a half engaging in small talk while enjoying the perfectly grilled meat (a fact Naruto knew all too well) and the refreshing drinks that were offered. Most of it was spent with the boys introducing themselves to Minako. There were quite a few things that Minako had learned about Kiba and Lee (that she never knew before as Naruto) that she found to be quite interesting.
It turns out that Lee absolutely loved the outdoors; specifically at higher elevations like cliff sides and mountains. The more sky that he could see before him and the more earth (or water) that he could see below him, the better. Of course, she also learned about a few of his favorite things such as his love for curry, large antiques, the color green, old fashioned paintings and even his predictable yet unfathomable respect for his one and only Gai-sensei. If I didn't know any better I would have assumed that they were Father and Son, save the 13 year age difference and the notable contrast in eye shapes. He maybe weird…but I have to admit, he's an awesome comrade.
As for Kiba, the shaggy brunette loved open plains. According to him, there was just so much space to run around in or just lie down and bask in the warm sunlight. Beaches were another popular choice within the young Inuzuka's eyes. While following the same questionnaire as Lee, Kiba loved all types of food (so long as it had juicy chunks of meat in it somewhere), shiny objects, dark colors, self-help books (mainly for pet owners) and even had a secret fetish for large, comfortable beds. What surprised Minako and even Lee the most was that Kiba also had a slight soft spot for felines. In his own words "As long as it has a nice glossy coat, it's fine by me!" Of course, Kiba's unconditional love for Man's Best Friend would always rank as Number 1 on his list.
Minako on the other hand had to lie like no other when the spotlight was brought on to her. While using her imagination to its fullest, Minako was able to come up with a fairly convincing contribution to their talk. Her favorite pastimes included:
- The art of Ikebana; 'I could never flower arrange even if my life depended on it!'
- Traditional Calligraphy; 'Even my regular writing looks like chicken scratches. I couldn't even imagine at what it would possibly look like on a wall scroll written in paint'
- And finally sports; Well…at least this is both believable AND a truth.
Her favorite colors turned out to be yellow and black, her favorite dishes were anything salty or desserts, and she had very little tolerance for arrogant people; Sasuke immediately came to mind. After the personal bios were over and the plates were cleaned, it was time for them to part ways.
"Well guys it's been great! I'm going to take Akamaru out for another walk."
"I'm going to be running a few laps around Konoha. Have to keep the fire of youth burning!"
"How about you Minako-chan?"
Minako sort of zoned out after Lee's overused proclamation of youthful flames…or something along those lines. "Hmm? Oh…OH! Um…well, today is basically my day off so I don't really have any plans for today."
Kiba's ears perked up at this. "Er…if uh you don't mind me asking…Minako-chan. Um…would you like to…er…walk Akamaru with me?"
Minako noticed Kiba bashfully scratching the back of his head as well as the large white dog next to him happily wagging his tail. Minako couldn't help but feel a little light-hearted at Kiba's shyness. Has he always been this cute? This time, Minako accepted the fact that her reactions towards Kiba's tiny gestures made her feel appreciated.
"S-sure! Ok!" Minako mentally kicked herself with the slight hitch in her voice.
"Great!"
"Arf!"
"I will one day repay you for your generous hospitality Kiba-kun! Enjoy the rest of your day too Minako-san!" Nice Guy Pose!
"Er…sure…no problem."
As Lee vanished from the Inuzuka household, the two remaining teens shared awkward yet laugh-filled smiles and took off with their canine companion for their constitutional.
——†——
"So what was it like?"
"Hmm…what was what like?"
"Doing a mission with Uchiha. I'm actually quite surprised that he didn't decide to forfeit it entirely since Naruto, his usual partner, wasn't the one paired up with him. Tch…those two. The perfect example of a 'love/hate' relationship if I ever saw one. They can't stand being within 2 feet of each other and yet they are practically attached to the hip. In fact, I'm quite surprised that they haven't gotten married yet, what with all of the lover's spats everyone has to unfortunately listen to when they get too close."
The thought of being married to Sasuke really set Minako's face on fire. For some strange reason, she didn't feel repulsed or insulted with the idea, but rather wishful and content. On the other hand, it was a little painful to believe that Minako would hardly ever find the perfect person to spend the rest of her life with, let alone anyone. Sure it was possible for any ordinary boy to simply ask for her hand in marriage but in the end the truth would eventually be discovered. Minako could never forgive herself if she fell into some innocent bachelor's heart too deeply only to end up crushing it; especially if that bachelor was Sasuke.
Kiba noticed the young girl's sudden quietness. "Are you alright?"
"Hmm? Oh of course! Hehehe…I uh was just caught up in mentally replaying everything that had happened during our mission. It was…quite memorable in the least."
Kiba felt a slight pang of jealousy. "Because of Uchiha?"
"Him?! Oh God no. He was nothing more than a stuck up prick for the entire mission. He even had the nerve to yell at me when I took the initiative of saving his sorry ass from getting crushed by tons of burning concrete. Hmph!" She stubbornly crossed her arms. "It's uptight ingrates like him that deserve to be smacked upside the head a few times; regardless of how skilled or genius-like others may view him to be. Honestly, if it wasn't for me the mission couldn't have even progressed let alone become accomplished."
Kiba smirked. Now THIS is a surprise. She must be the first new Konoha girl to actually repel against Uchiha's fangirl magnet. Kiba gently scratched the area just behind Akamaru's ear as Minako continued to talk.
"But other than that, it was okay I guess. Just like every other mission really."
Kiba raised an eyebrow. "You've went on a mission with him before? But I thought you just moved into Konoha."
"U-uh um…Well I didn't mean it like THAT. I-uh meant like every generic mission that everyone has to do, yeah that's it! You know, duty calls and what not and no matter how much you may dislike it, it has to be done."
"Yeah…yeah, you're right."
Whew! That was close…As Kiba made his signature grin at the girl a faint shouting noise diverted their attention.
"Kiba!...KIBA!!"
The scruffy-haired boy felt a cold chill run down his spine as he gulped heavily. Oh no…Although unknown to him, Minako also shared the same thoughts. Please tell me I'm going crazy…please tell me it's not THEM that I'm seeing.
In the blink of an eye, both teens were greeted with an eyeful of red and purple.
——†——
As Minako was gently petting Akamaru's head, she glanced over at Sakura and Ino who were practically humiliating and emasculating Kiba just a few feet away from them. Although they were 'talking' in hushed voices, Minako was able to hear every word of it.
"How come YOU got to hang out with the new girl so soon?!"
"Did you forget our promise?! You were supposed to inform us of when she arrived back from her mission with Sasuke-kun! WE wanted to formally introduce ourselves to her!"
"Well…I couldn't help it! In fact she was the one that found me first!"
"Excuses, excuses…that's ALL you boys ever give."
"Well? Since you've probably spent some quality time with her judging by how comfortably you two were walking together, where does she come from?"
"What's her name? And what did she think about doing a mission with Sasuke-kun?"
As the brunette was bombarded with questions left right and center, Minako took that opportunity to sneak away while she still could. She quietly whispered to Akamaru.
"I need you to cover for me alright? Tell Kiba that I'm sorry for leaving him like this but I don't want to have to face those two just yet. If you can, tell Kiba that we can complete our walk, with you of course, some other time, does that sound alright?"
Unlike regular dogs, Akamaru understood the human language perfectly. With a very human-like nod, the large pup received a warm smile in return from his master's blond-haired friend. In addition, he also received a much welcomed ear scratch and a slight nuzzle to the side of his snout.
"Good boy…I'll promise to bring you something nice the next time we meet."
As Minako peered over Akamaru's head, she saw that Kiba was still being interrogated by the two young medics. Now's my chance. Thankfully, Akamaru's large size was able to cover her entire body when she squatted down. She performed a few hand seals and vanished in a puff of smoke.
"OK! OK! I'll introduce you to her but stop poking me with your fingers! I don't see why you're making such a big deal out of this."
Both girls refused to dignify their old Academy classmate with an answer and responded with narrowed eyes and impatient foot tapping. The brunette sighed as he realized that there was no way out of this situation unless both girls were giddily shopping and chatting with Minako. With another heavy sigh he walked over to where Akamaru was politely sitting down while the two girls were beaming with joy on the inside. They were finally going to meet the infamous 'New Girl' who they saw with Sasuke just before the two departed for their mission. Kiba was about to call out Minako's name when the other blond was absolutely no where to be found.
"H-huh? Where'd she go Akamaru?" The large dog responded with an innocent head tilt.
"Kiba…where is she?" Sakura asked in a slightly threatening manner.
"I-I don't know! She was right here before you two showed up! And you can't say that I'm lying because I know that the both of you physically saw her just before you dragged me away from her."
The two girls sighed as Ino spoke to Sakura. "He's right you know…"
Kiba let out a small breath of relief as he was temporarily saved from impending wrath. His ears perked up at the sound of Akamaru's yipping. To Sakura, Ino and practically every other untrained ear, it seemed as though the large dog was simply urging his master to continue their walk when in actuality, he was passing on a message which only those of Inuzuka blood could comprehend. Kiba secretly grinned in happiness at the fact that he wasn't ditched.
——†——
As Minako reappeared in front of a tall stone wall, she glanced around the area for any familiar faces; she found none. Whew! I'm safe…She leaned back against the elegantly designed concrete and looked up at the sunny sky, simply enjoying the beautiful day without having anything to distract her. After a few moments, she had a thought.
Wait…where am I going to sleep? I can't exactly return to my old apartment without having someone enter in unexpectedly. It's bad enough that everyone who comes to visit me never knocks or even uses the door. Doesn't anyone know what privacy means?! She took a breather. My new key hasn't arrived yet and I can't exactly go back to pick up a few of my things.
With a heavy sigh she came to a decision. I guess I'm just going to have to ask the old bat on what to do about my temporary living arrangements. Now let's see…Minako glanced around her area one more time. Oh! How convenient. It turns out that the Hokage Manor was literally just around the corner from the wall-fence she was leaning against. Without a second thought, she pushed herself up on her feet and sprinted towards the Manor.
She was about to make a sharp turn at the corner when all of a sudden she rammed right into someone with a very masculine umph emitting from her mouth. After the two teens fell to the ground in a tangle of limbs, Minako's eyes widened as she noticed their slightly awkward position. She was on top of the stranger with her head gently nestled on top of his sculpted pectorals. She slowly looked up to see the face of her landing pillow. Oh…no…
Pitch black eyes from behind even blacker bangs looked back into cerulean ones with slight irritation.
"Can I help you?"
"A-ahahahah! Sorry! I guess I should have watched where I was going huh? Typical me! HAHAHAHAH!"
"Well obviously…"
In great surprise and slight embarrassment, the dark-haired boy gripped on to Minako's shoulders and brought the both of them up to a standing position. As he dusted himself off he continued to look back at the blond girl with an indifferent look on his face.
"And…who are you?"
"E-er…uh…H-Honda…Minako."
He raised an eyebrow. "Minako…" After a few moments of silence, he began to walk away. This of course left Minako slightly seething on the inside as she scoffed at the boy on the outside. What a jerk! Just before she was about to do an obscene gesture, the boy stopped walking and turned his head around to look back at her.
Eep..
"Sai…"
Minako was left stunned for a bit. "W-well it's about time!"
"Hn…"
As Sai walked away Minako continued to remain angry at him. No wonder no one talks to him! Even strangers don't get a proper greeting. She looked down at her chest. And to a girl nonetheless!
——†——
As Minako made her way to her destination, she bluntly barged through the Godaime's office door and in a very un-ladylike manner, shouted in a loud voice completely oblivious to the fact that the elder blonde was currently tending to a few familiar faces.
"I NEED A WORD WITH YOU!"
As four sets of eyes turned to the sudden noise, the deep brown eyes of Konoha's current Hokage narrowed in annoyance.
"Haven't you heard of knocking?! In case you don't remember, that's what normal people do when they approach closed doors! And for good reason too!"
Minako dumbly stared back at Tsunade and slowly glanced towards the other occupants of the room which were Hinata, TenTen, and Shikamaru. The three teens looked back and forth between the two blonds in confusion. They shared similar thoughts as to just who this strange loud girl was and how she was acquainted with the Godaime. Judging by the way they both informally addressed each other, there was probably more behind the scene than just a Ruler-Citizen relationship. But then again, they were just assumptions. They didn't have any proof to assume as such.
"U-uh hi!" Minako made a nervous laugh. "I'll uh…just wait out here. Sorry to interrupt!" The young blonde quietly stepped out of the room and nervously shut the door.
As the three teens looked back at the Hokage, they noticed her make a heavy sigh as she held one hand to the side of her forehead.
"Long story?" asked Shikamaru.
"Indeed…" She cleared her throat. "Now before we were so rudely interrupted are there any questions concerning the details of your objectives?"
A collective 'no' was heard among the three teens.
"Good…I expect you three to be properly prepared on Friday night in order to leave bright and early for Saturday morning. Take the time from between now and Friday to properly strategize your battle plans, stock up on supplies, and catch up on your rest. You three will need absolutely ALL of it due to the sheer distance between Konoha and Iwa. It would be a shame to fail the mission from trivial and easily avoidable matters such as fatigue."
"Understood" responded the Nara teen. The two females nodded their heads in agreement.
"Remember, you have three days to complete your mission. Once it has been accomplished and your efforts have been approved by our client, the Tsuchikage, return back to Konoha immediately for your follow-up report."
With a final nod, the three teens bowed to the Hokage and made their way to the exit.
"Oh and before I forget, would you mind informing the young lady waiting outside my door that she can come in for her appointment?"
The slight sarcasm in her voice sent a small chill down Shikamaru's spine.
"O-of course…Hokage-sama."
——†——
Tsunade was calmly sitting in her chair with her hands clasped together and rested underneath her chin. She gave an analyzing look to the young girl before her who spent the last few minutes explaining her little problem.
"So…can you help me or not?"
With a sigh Tsunade leaned back in her chair. "Well…it would raise a lot of suspicion if you continued to live in your old apartment in that body of yours. Finding you a new one would just be a waste of money, plus it would bring us back to the first problem if Minako simply disappeared and Naruto started living in 'her' apartment. Since you're an apparently 'new citizen' with no residential blood-relatives or even acquaintances that you could possibly bunk with…we are left with only one other choice."
"A-and…what would that be…?"
"Living…" Tsunade's left eye slightly twitched. "With me…"
She's going to scream at me isn't she? Wait…here comes the headache so that's a yes. 3…2…1…
"L-live…with…WHAT?!"
"What other choice to you have?!" Shouted back the elder blond as she stood up from her chair. "We've gone through all of your other options which I might add aren't great in abundance to begin with. This is the ONLY way for you to suitably live the way you are right now without having to let your secret out to anyone else."
Minako sulked. She's right…dammit all!
"Should this little arrangement of ours prove to be migraine-inducing to both parties, I can ask Shizune if she could take you in instead. Mind you that should it come to that alternative, she would have to be another person to be let in on your little secret. I can safely assume that you want this to remain between the two of us correct? The embarrassment would just kill you if the gossip started spreading."
Minako continued to sulk. Argh! Why must everything be so complicated?! She made a heavy sigh. So THIS is what it has come to huh? She slowly glanced back up at Tsunade who had a stern look on her face but her eyes were clearly cheering for joy. Minako could practically hear her thoughts right now: Oh…this is just TOO good…With another heavy sigh, Minako surrendered.
"Fine…"
"Good…" Tsunade let out a deep breath and sat back down in her chair. "Now that THAT is settled, there is just one more problem that we're going to have to try and fix."
"A-Another one?"
Tsunaded nodded. "So tell me…Mi-na-ko-chan…" Minako felt a vein in her forehead grow slightly thicker. "Ever since you returned home earlier today…exactly how many other people have you talked to about yourself?"
Minako froze. "E-er…m-myself?"
"No, the other transgendered girl in this room." She responded sarcastically.
Minako of course raised a mischievous eyebrow at Tsunade along with a very smug look gracing her features. Tsunade in turn raised one of her own eyebrows in confusion at the girl but the realization hit her hard when she remembered her exact words only moments ago. She narrowed her eyes and gave a death-promising glare at the young girl sitting in front of her.
"Don't…you…dare…" She let out each word threateningly slow.
Minako innocently shrugged. "What? I didn't say anything."
"And you'd better pray for your sake that you don't! Now answer my question! How many people have you interacted with between now and when you came back to the village?"
"E-er…um…well I ran into almost all of the rookie nine today but I've only went into depth about my 'Life-Story' with Kiba and Lee. Everyone else just took a quick glance at me…well except for Sai who I only said my name to since I ran into him. Man that guy's an ass!"
Tsunade ignored that last comment and responded. "Even though only two people know a fair bit about who 'Minako' is, it's still going to be quite the task explaining why you're going to be living with me."
"Why's that?"
"Well…according to the notes of Minako's Life that I asked you to keep record of and correspond to me with, she apparently moved from a small village southeast of Konoha and has already found a place of her own in the capital. She no longer has an immediate family as the grandfather that had raised her recently passed away. She came to Konoha to become a ninja but aspired instead to become a trained medic. Even though she isn't an official Chuunin as she has not taken the exams as of yet, her overall skills as a ninja closely rank to that of the Chuunin level.
That I will admit that was quite clever on your part to enlist yourself as a Genin, as it would raise some doubts if you remained as a Chuunin. Too many people would wonder just how a recently registered Konoha citizen became a Chuunin if she hasn't been documented as successfully completing the Exams yet. Not bad.
And of course…there is your budding medic-nin career path in which I myself have been recorded as your personal instructor."
"Yeah…um…that seems like all of it so far."
Tsunade took a few moments to think to herself. "Somehow we are going to have to make a small fib that indicates you're a long lost relative of mine or something of the sort. That would be a slightly more plausible explanation to our living arrangements as compared to a Teacher's Generosity."
"In all honesty, any idea sounds good to me as long as I can understand it."
"Well…as long as we're agreeing to this, I'll help reinforce that idea by constructing some forged documents that trace our 'family tree' back a few generations; eventually leading to us. That should deem our proclaimed heritage as valid to any of the more sceptical listeners."
Minako let out a sigh of relief.
"What about Sasuke? Have you mentioned anything to him about yourself during your mission?"
"Er…um…no. I didn't think that it was necessary. Plus he never asked so why bother letting him hear something that he's not interested in?"
Tsunade sighed as well. "As long as things remain smooth and consistent, we should be able to stick with it until we can find a way for you to revert back to your original body."
"Here's hoping." Minako stood up and was about to make her way outside but Tsunade stopped her before she got the chance to walk.
"Before you go, there's just one more thing I'd like to mention to you."
"Oh come on! It's bad enough that I'm forcing myself to live this lie, what else is there for me to know?!"
"Shut up and listen! Now…Sakura is still my student even though she is more than qualified to become a practicing medic. Along with my duties as the Hokage, I can only have a single 2-hour lecture session with you on any given weekday in order for you to become at the very least a Combat Lifesaver. Should you desire to continue your education and become a full-fledged medic, which I'm not saying you will but if it comes up, our sessions will continue on a daily basis until you have learned everything that is necessary for you to complete the certification exam.
All of your practicum work will be supervised by either Shizune or another certified medic. Since Sakura needs to see me only twice a week, I can formulate a schedule which can smoothly incorporate both of your sessions with me without having to share the same time slot."
"Oh…um ok…is that all?"
"No that is not all. The Fundamental Medic scroll that I handed to you before your mission with Sasuke is only a fraction of what you need to know as a medic. Lecturing with me occurs for 2 hours a day/5 days a week and trust me I have microscopic tolerance for those who aren't willing to put in the effort."
Minako groaned. "Come on give me a break would ya? I already know how to use that healing technique, so why should I have to work so hard in a field of study, that I don't even want to do, in which its sole purpose is to only add more layers on top of this…this…hoax of a life?!"
Tsunade sighed in sympathy. "Naruto…I can tell that what you're going through is putting a lot of psychological stress on your mind but you have to do this. Neither of us knows what had caused this problem to happen in the first place nor do we even have a suitable means of reversing it back to normal. So it is our duty to do what we can to make sure that 'Minako' is just like any other girl in this village."
"And that's what's killing me about it you know?!" Minako held a hand to her face as hot tears began to form in her crystal blue eyes. "Ever since this whole mess began…I've been so…confused. I've been feeling things that I've never even cared to think about when I was still me." She had a brief mental image of Sasuke, Kiba and Sai. "Because of this, I'm beginning to actually question who I really am. All of these feelings and emotions…I don't even know if this is what I'm really feeling or if it's just a side-effect from the transformation!
It's bad enough that I have to deal with the villagers appreciating my disappearance and welcoming my 'new-self' with open arms in the few hours that I've been here!" Minako slumped back down in her chair as she held her face in her hands as the tears began to pour out. "I…I just…want to go back to the simple life. I just…want all of this to be some twisted dream…where I'd wake up and find that nothing has changed."
As the tears continued to pour, Tsunade stood up from her chair, walked towards the crying girl and tenderly embraced her. She gently stroked the bright blond locks as the young girl cried on her shoulder.
"It's okay Naruto…its okay."
"H-how…can…you…s-say that?" She muffled into her shoulder.
Tsunade held Minako by the shoulders and brought her up so that she could look into her eyes.
"Because…you're going to be my successor." Tsunade responded with a gentle smile. Minako looked back at the older woman with a look of surprise in her eyes.
"W-what?"
Tsunade sighed. "Must I repeat myself again?" She made a small laugh. "Believe it or not…you are the sole reason as to why I decided to come back to Konoha and become what I am today. Before you came into my life I gave up on hope and faith, and I believed that dreaming to become the Hokage was a fool's death wish."
Tsunade saw a brief glimpse of both Dan and Nawaki through Minako's eyes. She knew that only Naruto was able to present her with such a vision and thus, the young girl before her was still that adorable little blonde boy she had grown to love and care for so much.
"But you have shown me what it's like to believe just once more. Who else would I entrust this little trinket to?" Tsunade gently tapped on the black string that was wrapped around Minako's neck. The younger blond brought her hand up to her chest and felt the rare teal-green crystal of her necklace through the fabric of her top. "Only those who I believe can become the Hokage can wear this necklace. You wouldn't want me to think otherwise would you?"
Minako looked into the deep earthy eyes of the Fifth Hokage and immediately felt guilty.
"N-no…"
"I thought so…" Tsunade let Minako ease the grief out of her system by letting the younger blond rest her head on her shoulder for a few moments. As Minako wiped the last remaining tears out of her eyes, Tsunade noticed that her face was gradually losing its pinkish tint.
"Feeling better?"
"Y-yeah…thanks…I uh…I needed that."
"Anytime."
"Oh and uh…I'd appreciate it if you um…didn't tell anyone about…this..."
"Hmm? About what?"
Minako was about to respond to the obvious question but the wink in Tsunade's eyes told her that she understood. The young girl made a tired grin back at the one whom she lovingly referred to as the 'Old Hag'. Tsunade cleared her throat and sat back down at her desk.
"Now…our first lesson begins tomorrow at 6am sharp. Meet me in room B4, on the ground level of the Hokage Manor. Bring that Fundamental Medic scroll with you along with a notebook and a pencil. Be prepared to use a lot of chakra and take a lot of notes; meaning get a lot of sleep and eat a proper breakfast before you come in. I don't want you stuffing your face with ramen only to end up hungry in the middle of our lecture."
Minako's face all of a sudden switched from calm to outrageous.
"6am?! And NO RAMEN?!"
"SHUT IT! You are going to be in MY class so you are going to have to obey MY rules. Do I make myself clear?"
Minako was intimidated by the glare that was sent in her direction. She sighed in defeat after remembering what she had done for her in one of her rare moments of weakness.
"Y-yes…"
"Good…That's all…"
As Minako left for the door Tsunade made one final comment; in a very sickeningly sweet voice.
"See you at home! Mi-na-ko-chan!"
She was greeted with the door being heavily slammed shut.
TBC
——†——
A/N: HOLY F! THIS IS THE LONGEST CHAPTER I'VE EVER WRITTEN! Just over 6000 words...IT'S PRACTICALLY A DOCTORATE THESIS! Yay me! Unless you guys hated it…(holds up shield to avoid the onslaught of flying vegetables, glass objects, jagged objects, rusty objects, large objects, heavy objects, poisonous objects, but permeates porno XD XD XD). I hope you guys liked the comedy and the emotional drama in this chapter. I will admit that the more emotional part of this chapter was a complete spur-of-the-moment idea. I added it in just to see how it sounded and I couldn't stop writing about it as more ideas and dialogue came into my head as I went along.
I hope the drama didn't bore anyone too much. I actually felt pretty effing proud about it after re-reading and proofreading this chapter a few times. I LOVE IT! Stay tuned for chapter 9!
Oh and FYI…WTF?! OVER 13,000 HITS?! (Jumps for joy) And a VERY consistent review rate of about 18.8 reviews per chapter…don't ask about the 0.8 of a review. I LOVE YOU ALL!
No side notes for today…awww….