Naruto: Paws and Whiskers

"Party's over, meow~" Takeshi announced, his whiskers twitching.

"Uh, okay," the barkeep stammered, momentarily frozen in surprise.

The three Sannin sat across from the counter, their faces marked with seriousness. 'Even during important talks, the cat still thinks of himself.'

The money was important to the barkeep, too. Spying for Jiraiya barely paid anything, and that was mostly for protection. The last few months had been rough, and wine sales were down. These four customers had downed ten large bottles and were taking three more. He'd have preferred to keep them drinking here.

"Meow?!" Takeshi squeaked, holding the bill.

The barkeep, sensing the cat's distress, hurried to explain, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "Shinobi-san, these are all high-quality wines, treasured for years. Even nobles pay this price. I only agreed to sell them tonight because you are with the Sannin. It's little enough for the wine consumed." His voice was smooth as honey.

Takeshi was speechless. These three Sannin were all secret alcoholics. Even Orochimaru, who always acted like he despised drinking, had put away two large bottles. So much wine… it cost a small fortune. At least a tenth of his savings.

"Hahaha, Takeshi, how about some barbecue? I remember you love barbecue," Jiraiya chuckled, his eyes twinkling with amusement after seeing Takeshi settle the bill.

"Meow!" 'Go to hell!' Takeshi hissed, glaring at the toad sage.

"What a pity. I was going to treat you," Orochimaru chuckled, wiping his hands with a cloth. He then deliberately picked up a bottle of wine, of course not to drink himself, but to help carry it for Tsunade. In fact, all three remaining bottles were for her.

Takeshi didn't believe a word of it. 'Treat? As if! If you were going to treat, you could have paid just now, instead of indulging in animal cruelty and making me suffer!' Takeshi thought, his ears flattened in annoyance.

Once outside the tavern, Tsunade asked, "Anything else you wanted to discuss? You seem to have plenty of time tonight."

Orochimaru's lips curved in a subtle smile, but his voice remained chillingly neutral. "Thanks to Takeshi-kun, the jonin of Kusagakure now suspect Danzo's involvement in recent events. After a… visit to a couple of Kusagakure elders, they won't be bothering us anytime soon. And while I haven't personally fought on Sunagakure's front, I know Chiyo. It's only a matter of time before we meet. I wonder what flavors of poison she'll try on me this time?" He licked his lips as he finished speaking.

"Huh?" Tsunade glanced at Takeshi in surprise. "This kitty actually managed that?"

"Hey, why do you think he's a Special Jonin?" Jiraiya chuckled.

'This cat probably has more ryo in his pockets than I do,' Toad sage thought, 'so I don't feel too bad about him suffering tonight.' Still, with war on the horizon, he couldn't slack off. Otherwise, he would have liked to get drunk and relax a little.

Of the three Sannin, only Tsunade truly drank to excess; the other two were relatively moderate. Otherwise, Takeshi would have lost even more money. 

But the wine wasn't drunk in vain. Jiraiya wasn't as resentful towards Takeshi as he had been before. He at least no longer thought about how to exact revenge of him every moment, and even though Orochimaru said nothing, no words sent the biggest message.

It's about the potential 'gifts' this snake sanin might provide that is the issue, Sasuke received so many 'gifts' from Orochimaru that he almost died.

"I'm returning," Orochimaru said, handing the wine bottle over. He offered a curt smile and then vanished. He hadn't seen Tsunade in years and had come to see her after hearing of her return. Now that he had seen her and talked with her, it was time to leave. 

Tsunade wouldn't be as useful as previously in the coming war, as her trauma became a big baggage.

The once-glorious Senju clan had reached the point where even their ninjutsu had to be passed down to cats. As Orochimaru departed, a flicker of unease crossed his mind. Even strong people like Hashirama and Tobirama had met their ends. 'Life is so fragile.'

Tsunade gave the remaining bottle of wine to Takeshi to store. Takeshi felt uncomfortable, now he was not only her wallet but also her storage mule. Since he had used storage of system in front of others multiple times in the name of special summoning technique. 

Tsunade and Jiraiya were not too surprised. Since he even learned Flying Thunder God, so they felt Takeshi's talent spatial aspects wouldn't be low.

Jiraiya whispered to Tsunade, "Takeshi really learned it?"

"Do you doubt my teaching ability?" Tsunade scoffed, then sneered, taking full credit for Takeshi's rapid learning.

Takeshi, sensing the danger, remained silent, unwilling to contradict her until he was strong enough.

"It's really amazing," Jiraiya murmured, feeling a pang of envy. It took him ages to learn a single ninjutsu, but Takeshi seemed to master techniques like Flying Thunder God and Super Strength in mere hours.

Meanwhile, Takeshi was scheming about how to get the secret to Sage Mode from Jiraiya and Tsunade. 'Even if I can't practice it myself, maybe my future purchases will be cheaper.'

"By the way, there's another matter we need to discuss," Jiraiya said, suddenly scooping Takeshi up onto his shoulder.

"Meow?"

Takeshi was surprised. 'Why did he lift me up? Enemies nearby?' His eyes narrowed as he scanned his surroundings.

Tsunade glanced at him, her eyes fixed on Jiraiya.

"Hehe, don't look at me like that. These are all orders from the old man. Nothing to do with me," Jiraiya complained.

Tsunade lifted the wine bottle in a silent threat, urging him to continue.

"Actually, after careful consideration, the Sensei believes the northern border is currently safer. The eastern border, however, is very tense and in urgent need of manpower. He wants you both to support that side," Jiraiya explained.

"Meow?"

"Me as well? Has the old man gone senile?" Tsunade raised her eyebrows, threatening to smash the bottle. She'd barely been back a week, and they were already sending her orders.

"You just have to show your face and scare the enemies a little. You don't even have to fight. Just your name and presence will make a huge difference."

"I won't even go to just show my face. There's no discussion to be had on this matter," Tsunade said firmly.

Jiraiya smiled bitterly. "The orders are orders. Otherwise, you can help take care of the north border. I will go to the east with Takeshi, and we will deal with Kirigakure."

"Did Kirigakure attack?" Takeshi asked, puzzled.

Third Hokage despite knowing of her hemophobia. Sending her to the war-torn border meant the east was in desperate need of support.

"Kirigakure lost a half of their special swords and has started rampaging now. If you don't go to Kirigakure, I will go there with Minato to become their target, while their orders were specifically for Team 7 including Jonin sensei. I won't let Minato go there alone..." Jiraiya said, his voice laced with anger.

"So the elders are pressuring you? That one-eyed bastard is still playing his games. I still remember when he tried to demand Senju children for Root and how I almost crippled his jonin servants. And even Sensei seems to be corrupted now." Tsunade sneered, taking another swig of wine and cursing the elders and Danzo. 

This was the work of those three old fogies, especially the strategy of using Kakashi and Minato as bait to lure out stronger Kirigakure forces, giving Konoha's forces bigger targets. And her Sensei had actually agreed to it…

"There's no other way. Kumogakure has been restless recently. Konoha is in danger, Tsunade. The village needs support. Although I..." Jiraiya nearly knelt and begged.

He was caught between a rock and a hard place. On one side was the village and his Sensei; on the other side were Tsunade, his student, and grand students. The situation couldn't wait. Konoha was in dire straits.

Tsunade's mere presence on the eastern border would be enough to scare the enemy. After all, they didn't know about her hemophobia. To them, she was still Tsunade-hime, the Senju Princess, the Goddess of Healing, one of the Legendary Sannin.

She took a few more sips and said unhappily, "Tell the village that I will join Minato on the Eastern border, and I need the support of the Hyuga clan."

"The Hyuga clan has already arrived there. Iwagakure and Sunagakure ninjas wouldn't be launching large attacks for time being." Jiraiya was overjoyed.

"I will leave for good, after the war." Tsunade added, and then walked forward, ignoring Jiraiya.

"Meow~" Takeshi stretched his paws and quickly caught up with the beautiful blonde in front of him.

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