Naruto: Paws and Whiskers

"Finally, we're back!"

A collective sigh of relief went through the group as the familiar gates of Konoha came into view.

"I can't wait to get home," Rin said, clasping her hands together. 'I hope Dad's been doing okay.' It had been over half a year since she'd last seen him, ever since her mission in the Northern border bled straight into the eastern border conflict. The thought made her stomach twist with a nervous energy.

But if she was anxious, her father, Nohara Aizawa, was probably bursting. He'd already heard the news about her becoming Tsunade's apprentice, long before she'd even set foot back in the village. A chunin at nine, Tsunade's apprentice at ten... She was already outshining him, leaving her old man completely in the dust.

Sure enough.

Just after they'd registered at the gate, Takeshi spotted Rin's father trying to hide in the shadows of a nearby street. The man probably thought he was being stealthy, but he was so conspicuous that anyone with eyes could see him. At least, Takeshi and Minato did.

Takeshi didn't say anything, deciding to let Rin have her surprise.

"Don't forget, Takeshi-kun," Hiashi Hyuga said before departing, his voice low and serious.

'He's really not going to let this go,' Takeshi thought with a resigned sigh. "Meow." He gave a small nod.

'The Hyuga are stable, at least,' Takeshi mused. 'Aside from their whole Main and Branch House mess, they're not a threat. Not like the Uchiha, who have enemies both inside and outside the clan. Most importantly, the Hyuga can't control you with a look. The worst they could do is slip something in your tea. With an Uchiha, you always have to watch your back. Even a three-tomoe Sharingan held the potential to control ninja beasts, a power that could lead to unforeseen dangers.'

Takeshi deliberately kept his distance from Fugaku Uchiha on the journey back. Fugaku, seeming to understand, had made no effort to approach him either.

After receiving Takeshi's assurance one last time, Hiashi left with a satisfied smile.

Just then, the last carriage from their convoy rolled through the gates, escorted by the four-man sealing squad that had been assigned to Yugito Nii. Takeshi didn't need to guess who was inside.

"Why is she here?" Minato murmured.

One of the squad members answered, "Tsunade-sama's orders."

Takeshi had been at the front of the group and hadn't even noticed her carriage. 'Not that it's a huge problem,' he thought. 'I doubt I'll be in the village for long anyway.' A familiar, weary feeling settled over him. With the Flying Thunder God, he and Minato were little more than glorified couriers, zipping wherever they were needed. Yugito was just a guest. Besides, who in Konoha would be brave or foolish, enough to provoke a jinchuriki?

'Well,' he amended, 'maybe one person.'

"She staying with you?" Takeshi asked Minato.

Minato nodded. "Seems like it."

It made sense. Who else could keep an eye on Yugito? If they assigned a regular shinobi to watch her, she'd resent it. But they couldn't just let her wander free, not with the risk of a jinchuriki losing control. The potential destruction, and the compensation they'd owe Kumo, was too great a risk. So, Kushina it was. The only downside was the very real possibility of Yugito picking up some of Kushina's... unique habits. Only Minato had the patience for that.

As Yugito stepped out of the carriage, her eyes immediately found the black cat. She shot him a glare sharp enough to cut stone. 'I haven't forgotten you knocking me out,' she thought, her jaw tightening. 'Now that I'm on your turf, I'll find a way to get even.'

She handed her travel pass to the gate guard. It was authorized by Tsunade, who was still in the carriage. As the curtain was drawn back, the reek of sake billowed out.

"Hah? We're here already?" Tsunade mumbled, climbing out of the carriage. She glanced around blearily and strolled right past the checkpoint. The village's most infamous gambler didn't bother with paperwork. She was already drifting in the direction of the casinos when an Anbu operative appeared in a swirl of leaves.

"Tsunade-sama, Jonin Minato, Jonin Takeshi. Hokage-sama requests your presence in his office." With that, the Anbu vanished.

"That damned old man," Tsunade growled, looking up toward the Hokage Tower. "Always watching with that creepy jutsu of his."

"Meow," Takeshi agreed, his gaze following hers.

'One of these days, that crystal ball is getting smashed,' the same thought echoed in both their minds.

"Ahem... well, shall we?" Minato offered a weak laugh. He was the only one of the three who would actually obey the summons without a fight. If he weren't there, the Hokage would have had to send more than a single Anbu, probably the old man himself, flanked by his two nosy advisors.

"Let's go," Tsunade sighed, running a hand through her hair. "If we don't, the old man will just nag endlessly. What a headache."

What Tsunade didn't know was that the Third Hokage had already issued an order to every Casino in the village: no one was to let her play. If they did, the house would be on its own for any debts she racked up. Had she known, this meeting would have involved more than just words.

At a shinobi's pace, the three of them reached the Hokage's office in moments. Minato raised a hand to knock, but Tsunade simply shoved the door open.

*CRASH!* The wooden door exploded off its hinges, splintering against the far wall. Minato and Takeshi froze. There was a rule in Konoha: you don't provoke Tsunade-sama when she's been drinking.

The Third Hokage slowly lowered his pipe.

"Tsunade, must you be so rude?" a sharp voice cut through the silence.

"And reeking of sake, no less..." another added disapprovingly.

Takeshi peeked past Tsunade's shoulder. The two village elders, Homura and Koharu, were standing there as well. 'Staging an ambush?' he thought, his eyes flicking between them. 'Trying to put on a show of authority?'

"Oh, it's you two," Tsunade sneered, kicking a splintered plank of wood out of her way. "I didn't expect a welcoming committee. How touching." Her opinion of the two advisors had soured long ago. They preached about the village's strength, yet under their watch, its power and influence had plummeted. The constant wars were one thing, but their stubborn refusal to adapt, like when they'd blocked her proposal to integrate medical ninja into every squad, was another.

"Tsunade... calm yourself," the Third said, his voice placating. "I know you resent being forced to take command in the Eastern border, but you had Minato and Takeshi to support you. We simply had no one else..." His words trailed off, acknowledging the truth in her success. Her decisive leadership had dealt Kirigakure a staggering blow.

"The war there is over. I'll be leaving again soon," Tsunade said, her voice dripping with disdain.

"Ahem. We can discuss that later," the Hokage said, wisely sidestepping her temper. He stood up, his gaze shifting to the two shinobi behind her. "Minato, Takeshi. The real reason I called you here was to ask about the strategy you used against the Third Mizukage. Is it something that could be replicated against Onoki? Or Rasa?"

The pressure from the Northern border was immense, Jiraiya's forces were barely holding on, even with support from Orochimaru's unit. They were desperately short on manpower.

Minato opened his mouth to answer, then hesitated. In that battle, he hadn't been the key player. He glanced at Takeshi.

Minato was about to answer, but after a moment's thought, realized he hadn't been the main contributor in that specific battle, and his words might not carry the necessary weight. He looked at Takeshi instead.

Koharu's frowned slightly. "What is the meaning of this? Are you suggesting the strategy depended not on Minato, but on... a cat?"

"Meow," Takeshi said flatly, feigning ignorance. "I don't know anyone by those names." He looked back at Minato. "What do you think, Minato-sensei?"

Minato cleared his throat. "Against Onoki... I'd say it's impossible. As for Rasa, I don't know enough about him. Our intel is based purely on documents. We'd need to gather more field data."

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