Naruto: Wooing Tsunade from Day One!

Early the next morning, Kawakaze woke from his sleep. Tsunade was still resting soundly in his arms, clearly exhausted from the night before. Kawakaze smiled softly and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Without waking her, he got up quietly, washed, and made his way to the dining hall. It was still early, and only Sakumo was there, waiting for him.

"Big Brother," Kawakaze greeted, understanding that Sakumo, who didn't normally rise this early, had made a special effort to send him off.

"Well, I'll eat with you," Sakumo said, gesturing for Kawakaze to sit next to him.

Instead of taking the main seat, Sakumo sat across from Kawakaze, the two facing each other.

"I won't say much else, just be careful," Sakumo advised, knowing well the strength of Kumogakure and the formidable reputation of the Third Raikage. The title of "Strongest Raikage" was not given lightly.

"Don't worry. If I can't beat them, I can always run away, can't I?" Kawakaze replied with a bright smile. He had no intention of running but said this to reassure Sakumo.

"Hm," Sakumo nodded, continuing to eat the cake in his hands.

It was rare for the brothers not to bicker, and the atmosphere between them gradually grew quiet.

...

"Big Brother, I'm leaving," Kawakaze said as he finished his meal and stood to bid farewell to Sakumo.

"Go ahead. I won't see you off," Sakumo replied, staying seated as he waited for Kawakaze to wave and walk away.

Only then did Sakumo rise, heading slowly toward the ancestral hall.

...

When Orochimaru arrived at the meeting place, Kawakaze was already waiting for him.

Not long after, Orochimaru appeared before Kawakaze.

"What took you so long?" Kawakaze asked. "What were you doing at home?"

It was a normal question, but Kawakaze's strange laugh immediately ruined the mood.

"You talk too much," Orochimaru replied, avoiding a direct answer as he walked ahead.

He recalled that, earlier that morning, Pakura had uncharacteristically prepared breakfast for him.

It had been bland, but a sincere gesture of goodwill. Before leaving, he had also given her his personal amulet, stirring another ripple of emotion in her heart. With the parting words, "I'll be back," he had left to meet the infuriating Kawakaze.

"Why are you running so fast..." Kawakaze complained, jogging to catch up and falling into step beside Orochimaru.

"How's the research into Kekkei Genkai going?" he asked, his tone serious this time.

"No progress. I guess I really don't have the talent for it," Orochimaru admitted, shaking his head. He had shown no signs of successfully fusing the techniques.

"It's just Kekkei Genkai. Do you want to hear an idea I have?" Kawakaze said with a fleeting, unreadable smile.

"Tell me."

Seeing Kawakaze's serious expression, Orochimaru tilted his head slightly, ready to hear whatever brilliant idea he had.

"It's okay if you can't practice it. There's a certain chance you could pass on Scorch Release if you have a child with Pakura," Kawakaze said before taking off running. Who knew if Orochimaru would get angry enough to bite him with a snake?

"You're lucky you ran away," Orochimaru muttered as several snakes poked their heads out from his sleeves. If Kawakaze hadn't escaped in time, he might have been bitten.

"Haha, I'm telling the truth. You could try it," Kawakaze called back, still recklessly jumping back and forth on the line between life and death.

"You'd better have a child with Tsunade first," Orochimaru countered. "It's been so long, and you haven't gotten her pregnant yet. Who knows if there's something wrong with someone?"

"Don't talk nonsense! Believe it or not, I'll sue you for defamation!" Kawakaze shouted back.

"We currently have no plans to have children," he added loudly, but Orochimaru feigned deafness, smirking slightly.

With that, the two were considered even in their banter.

After finishing their exchange, they left Konohagakure and made their way toward the Land of Hot Water. Kawakaze had left no Flying Thunder God Technique markers along the route, which made the journey slower than it could have been.

...

"Has he set off?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, without looking up from his paperwork.

"Yes, they've left the village," Homura Mitokado reported cautiously. "Orochimaru is going with him."

"Do they all have to go against me?" Hiruzen suddenly slammed his hand on the desk, his anger visible. Orochimaru was his most talented student, and he had no desire to take action against him.

"I understand how you feel. But this is a rare opportunity. Look..." Homura trailed off, hesitating to finish for fear of softening Hiruzen's resolve.

"Sigh... Spread the news," Hiruzen said after a long pause, letting out a weary sigh. He had thought it over and finally made up his mind. Orochimaru's actions had left him no choice but to be ruthless.

The bond between master and disciple was painfully fragile in the face of power.

"Fine, I'll get right on it," Homura replied, turning and leaving promptly.

Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, looking as though he had aged several years. He hadn't wanted Orochimaru involved, but he knew that if he missed this chance, he didn't know when another would come.

After some time, Hiruzen straightened himself, gathered his thoughts, and returned to his work.

...

"What's your plan?" Orochimaru asked, running beside Kawakaze. He was someone who always thought three steps ahead and wanted to be fully prepared for such a dangerous mission.

"Just charge in and do it," Kawakaze replied jokingly, watching Orochimaru's reaction.

"Excuse me, you go ahead," Orochimaru said, his face darkening as he pretended to slip away.

"Haha, no way. I already have a good plan," Kawakaze said, clearly enjoying himself.

"Now I understand why Sakumo always wants to beat you up. Hurry up and tell me," Orochimaru said, trying to restrain his temper. He didn't want to start a fight with Kawakaze before they even reached the Land of Lightning.

"First, we'll go to the Land of Hot Water," Kawakaze began, deliberately stopping short.

"Then what?" Orochimaru asked, resisting the urge to glare at him, fearing he might lose his patience entirely.

"Then we can soak in the hot springs," Kawakaze said with conviction. "If we don't soak in the hot springs when we get to the Land of Hot Water, then we've come for nothing."

"Soak, soak, soak," Orochimaru muttered, punctuating each word with a solid kick to Kawakaze.

"I'm not going to argue with you," Kawakaze grumbled, brushing off the footprints on his clothes.

"I'll give you one more chance to talk it over," Orochimaru said, his snake-like eyes narrowing as his anger threatened to erupt.

"Haste makes waste. This mission is dangerous. We need to plan carefully and put safety first," Kawakaze said, spouting a load of nonsense that amounted to saying nothing.

"If you don't have a plan, just say so. What's the point of pretending?" Orochimaru finally realized the truth—Kawakaze didn't have a plan at all.

"Hey, you're here, aren't you?" Kawakaze replied without a hint of embarrassment. It would be a waste not to use such a good brain.

"I shouldn't have agreed to go with you on this trip," Orochimaru muttered, glaring at Kawakaze in regret.

"Oh, calm down. I'll pay for all the expenses along the way. You can do whatever you want, and I'll make sure you're satisfied," Kawakaze said with an ambiguous look that any man would understand.

"So what if you're rich? Don't corrupt me with your filthy thoughts," Orochimaru replied, unfazed. He was not someone to be easily swayed.

"I know someone in your family. I don't have the guts anyway," Kawakaze added, continuing to push Orochimaru's nerves just to pass the time.

"Shut up already or I'm afraid I can't help but kick you again," Orochimaru said, giving Kawakaze one final glare. The conversation ended there.

...

A few days later, the two arrived in the Land of Hot Water. By now, Orochimaru was in no particular hurry; a task like this couldn't be rushed.

"Choose one," Kawakaze said as they walked down a street lined with hot spring inns on either side, leaving the decision to Orochimaru.

"Let's go in here," Orochimaru replied, pointing to the inn with the most luxurious facade, showing no concern for saving Kawakaze's money.

"Let's go," Kawakaze said as he entered the store first. A curvaceous woman quickly approached them to offer a warm welcome.

"Please come in, my lords. We have all kinds of services here," she said, leaning toward Kawakaze in a way that often helped her bring in business.

The heavy perfume she wore was overwhelming and greatly displeased Kawakaze.

"A good hot spring pool doesn't need any other services," he said, pushing her aside with one hand. In his mind, someone like her couldn't even compare to a strand of Tsunade's hair. Even with Orochimaru present—or without—he wouldn't be swayed by such a woman.

"Hurry up," Orochimaru said in a cold tone. His snake-like eyes flicked toward her briefly, frightening the woman. She quickly led them to a hot spring room and left without looking back, realizing there was no point in attempting to persuade them further.

"Go on in. What are you shy about?" Kawakaze teased, tugging at Orochimaru as they entered the hot spring room.

The two had no reservations as they settled in. Before long, Kawakaze cast Orochimaru a mischievous glance, his eyes widening in surprise.

This couldn't be Orochimaru!

Fortunately, Kawakaze thought, his own assets were respectable enough, or he would have been overshadowed by Orochimaru.

"Disgusting, isn't it? Don't you a similar one?" Orochimaru gave Kawakaze a sideways glance before stepping into the hot spring first. He sat down by the edge of the pool.

"Beyond there is Crescent Moon Island. We have to be careful," Kawakaze said as he entered the hot spring, settling not far from Orochimaru. Dropping the jokes, he got straight to the point.

"After the island, we'll enter the Land of Lightning." Kawakaze continued.

"Are you hiding something from me?" Orochimaru asked, noticing Kawakaze's conflicted expression, as though he wanted to say something but couldn't.

"Our actions may have been revealed, so we need to be more cautious moving forward," Kawakaze admitted, though he didn't spell it out completely. It was, after all, his plan, and he couldn't shift the blame entirely.

"You mean Sensei?" Orochimaru asked, quickly catching on as he wiped his face.

"Hm." Kawakaze nodded, unsurprised that Orochimaru could deduce it.

"You're dragging me down with you," Orochimaru said flatly. Then, after a brief pause, he added, "If what you say is true, then Sensei has really gone too far. Spending too much time in that position has changed him."

Orochimaru's thoughts drifted back to the battle in the Land of Rain. The delayed supplies had left him deeply dissatisfied with Hiruzen's weakness. And now, if he was targeting Kawakaze for power, Orochimaru questioned whether the Hokage's seat was still suitable for him.

"Sorry. If you don't want to take any risks, it's just a two-day trip. I'll go by myself," Kawakaze said sincerely, meeting Orochimaru's gaze. His hesitation earlier stemmed from not knowing how to bring this up, and he hadn't expected Orochimaru to ask first.

"You underestimate me. I'm already here—I'm not going back," Orochimaru said with a soft laugh, shaking his head. He was fully committed to reaching Kumogakure.