Since they were heading to negotiate, they might as well bring Shikaku along.
"Whatever," Tsunade shrugged.
Takuya didn't care either. As long as she was in charge, he'd just follow along. Tsunade would be the one leading, while Takuya would handle the talking when necessary. It was already decided.
As for whether Takuya agreed… well, by the time they got to the Rain Village, it wouldn't matter. By then, he wouldn't have the option to say no.
Once you're pushed into a situation, you're committed—whether you like it or not.
Takuya still thought he was just tagging along for the ride, so he didn't give it much thought. Casually, he asked, "When do we head out?"
"Once the medical team from the village gets here," Tsunade answered with a sigh.
She wanted to leave right away so she could finally be done with everything, but the medical team was traveling with heavy equipment and medical supplies, making them slower than Takuya, who could move much faster. It would be another day or two before they arrived.
"Alright, just let me know when it's time," Takuya said.
If this were anywhere else, he might've wandered around the village. But in the Land of Rain, where it poured constantly and clear skies were rare, there wasn't much to do except get drenched. Might as well find somewhere to lie low and relax for a couple of days.
Meanwhile, an ANBU ninja approached Nara Shikaku. "Nara Shikaku, you've been reassigned. Please report to Lady Tsunade."
"Reassigned?" Shikaku asked as he set down the papers he'd been working on. He left his tent and headed to the medical camp.
When he got there, Tsunade was busy treating a wounded shinobi. Without looking up, she said, "The ANBU will take you to Takuya Yagami. He'll explain what comes next."
"Yes, ma'am," Shikaku replied. He left and followed the ANBU ninja to find Takuya.
At that moment, Takuya was sitting in his tent, absentmindedly petting Snowy, his white fox summon, while thinking about his training in Sage Mode. Since his Sharingan had evolved into the Mangekyō, all of his other abilities had improved as well. His next step was to start absorbing natural energy and refining Sage Chakra.
Luckily, Snowy was there to assist him, so there wouldn't be much risk involved.
"Lord Takuya, Nara Shikaku is here," the ANBU ninja announced as they entered the tent.
"Nara Shikaku?" Takuya turned to face them.
Hearing the ANBU ninja refer to Takuya as "Lord" caught Shikaku off guard. ANBU members rarely spoke with such respect unless it was toward high-ranking individuals or people they admired.
Has something major happened since I left the village? Shikaku thought, but he kept his questions to himself.
"Lord Takuya," Shikaku greeted, "Lady Tsunade told me to report to you."
Of course, this was Tsunade's doing, Takuya thought. He had suggested bringing Shikaku along, so naturally, Tsunade sent him over.
"Thanks," Takuya nodded to the ANBU ninja, who promptly left. "No need to be so formal, Shikaku. Come on in and take a seat."
He continued, "We'll be leaving in a couple of days for a special assignment. You'll need to get ready by then."
"A special assignment? Does it involve Lady Tsunade?" Shikaku asked, curious about the mission.
Takuya nodded. "Yeah. Nothing too complicated, just be prepared."
"Should I move my stuff over here?" Shikaku asked.
"Up to you," Takuya said casually. He didn't mind either way. More company wouldn't hurt, and it wasn't like he had any secrets to hide.
"Alright, I'll gather my things and be back soon," Shikaku said, relaxing a little as he noticed Takuya's laid-back attitude.
As Shikaku was about to leave, Takuya called after him. "Oh, and stop by the logistics unit. We'll need ingredients for dinner later."
"Dinner?" Shikaku almost tripped. Cooking our own food in the camp?
Takuya just nodded, unfazed. "Yeah, why not?"
This... Shikaku thought, Is this really how things work with Tsunade?
It wasn't long before Shikaku's view of things was further challenged. After gathering his belongings and heading to the logistics unit, he mentioned Tsunade's name, and the logistics officer gave him a knowing smile.
"Lady Tsunade deserves a good meal after all her hard work. If this isn't enough, come back for more," the officer said as he handed over a generous amount of food supplies.
Seriously? Shikaku thought, utterly confused as he returned to Takuya's tent, where Takuya was already busy cooking dinner.
Before Shikaku could process it all, things got even weirder.
"I'm so damn tired," Tsunade muttered as she entered the tent just as dinner was ready. She briefly glanced at Shikaku before plopping down beside Takuya. There wasn't much space, so she nudged him. "Move over, would you?"
"Maybe if you didn't have such a giant ass," Takuya retorted.
"What's it to you? I like it this way," Tsunade shot back, pushing herself even closer.
Shikaku stared, feeling like he had just walked into something... strange. Is this seriously happening?
Tsunade noticed him staring and frowned. "What's the matter, Nara? You're not going to eat?"
"Oh, uh, sorry, Lady Tsunade. I got distracted," Shikaku stammered, quickly standing up and bowing.
"Relax, will you? Just sit down and eat," Tsunade said, gesturing for him to join them.
Shikaku sat down and grabbed his chopsticks, feeling like this was the most unconventional meal he'd ever had. Meanwhile, Takuya had already dug in without a second thought.
As they ate, Takuya suddenly asked, "So, anything special I should know about this negotiation?"
Tsunade glanced at him. "Not really. The old man just said not to agree to anything crazy that the Rain Village demands. Other than that, we'll figure it out as we go. I'm not really good at this kind of thing."
Takuya sighed, "Neither am I. But no worries, we've got an expert right here, don't we?" He motioned toward Shikaku.
***********
Note: If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 236+ at patreon.com/ Emik01. Don't forget to give a power stone for many bonus chapters