Hokage's Office.
The young secretary, Ino, was diligently organizing the documents, while Tsunade was pretending to work while actually slacking off, occasionally glancing at paperwork and making a few approvals here and there.
Suddenly, the door swung open without warning, and Naruto casually walked in carrying a bag of groceries. No one had ever brought groceries into the Hokage's Office before, so he was the first one to do so.
"Well, well, what a rare guest. Naruto, are you using my office as a kitchen now?" Tsunade sneered as she rested her chin on her hand, speaking coldly to him.
Hearing this, Ino's body flinched, and she carefully controlled her breathing. She only dared to glance at Naruto out of the corner of her eye, fearing that the fight between gods would affect the mortals.
"I don't come here without a reason." Naruto said as he placed the groceries carelessly on the chair. He sat down on the chair lazily, lounging in another as if he owned the place.
"Tsunade-chan…"
"Pfft!!!"
Naruto was immediately punched and sent flying, crashing into the hallway wall along with the chair. Ino stood trembling in the corner, lowering her head and quietly continuing her work.
After a minute, Naruto returned, this time holding half of a broken chair. Clearly, he had learned his lesson and was much more restrained now.
"Tsunade-sama."
"What do you want?" She glanced at him from the corner of her eye.
"There's something I'd like to ask for your help with. Do you have time?" As Naruto said that, he pulled out the bottle of good wine he had asked from Hinata from the seal space.
The moment he opened the bottle, a rich, fragrant aroma filled the room. Then, Naruto respectfully poured Tsunade a glass.
"I don't have much time, but go ahead and tell me what you need." Tsunade squinted and took a sip of the sake. Her body was relaxed throughout the whole process and she showed no signs of anger.
Naruto knew Tsunade was fond of this approach, so he relayed Kiba's situation in a neutral, straightforward manner.
Tsunade didn't respond immediately, and Ino, while glancing from the corner of her eye, pursed her lips and worked silently. The office was engulfed in a brief silence, broken only by the soft rustle of pages turning.
"Let Sakura handle it. I don't have time." Tsunade finally said.
"Okay." Naruto nodded, then picked up the groceries and left.
He understood that Tsunade had her own concerns and couldn't personally involve herself in every issue. Since the Inuzuka Clan's Clan Head hadn't come to her directly, she had no obligation to step in.
There were many underlying complexities in the situation, things that couldn't be easily expressed with words.
Konoha's Street, No. 404.
Naruto placed the groceries in the kitchen and slumped down on the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling to rest. Kurama sidled up to him and asked about the details of the upcoming ritual.
Naruto half-heartedly responded, then suddenly remembered the only bottle of genuine liquor he had was now with Tsunade, and he felt a little guilty.
"Alright, let's talk about it later. The ritual is something I can't avoid." Naruto stood up, fanned himself and said, "I've ran into a problem I can't solve."
"What problem?" Kurama knew it was a trap, but he still couldn't resist taking the bait.
Just as Naruto was about to answer, the doorbell rang.
Open the door.
He opened the door to find Sakura standing outside the corridor with a smile on her face. It was summer, and she was dressed lightly. Her top was a form-fitting pink sleeveless shirt, and she wore denim shorts paired with black stockings.
"Here for the free meal!"
The Clan Head of the Uzumaki Clan thought to himself, 'You came at the right time, free labor +1, and you even came to me willingly.'
"Come in first." He said as he stepped aside.
"Sorry for the intrusion." Sakura stepped lightly into the entrance, bending down to change her shoes, but instead of bending her knees, she simply arched her overly flexible back, lowering herself gracefully.
The way her black stockings shimmered drew attention, making it hard to look away.
"Cough, that's a bit much. Watch it next time." Naruto coughed, walked towards the couch unfazed, lay down on the couch skillfully, and said with his head turned away, "The kitchen is over there. I've bought the ingredients. Go and cook them yourself."
"My cooking skills are average." Sakura pulled off her hair tie, bit it in her mouth, reached out to tie up all the short hair behind her head, and quickly tied it up again with one hand.
"It's okay, just cook whatever you like, I'm not picky." Naruto said without worry.
"I mean, don't you want to try something else? I'm pretty good at other things." Sakura added with a mischievous grin on her face.
"No need, just cook." Naruto smirked.
He was a master fisherman in more ways than one. He'd been trying to reel in Kurama just minutes ago, and now she thought she could hook him? How ridiculous. Falling for it would mean losing the game.
"Oh, okay." Sakura said, heading to the kitchen as Naruto turned his gaze back to Kurama.
Because of Sakura's presence, their fishing conversation had to be postponed. Kurama and Naruto exchanged silent looks, with Kurama mouthing the word 'sake'.
Seeing this, Naruto chuckled to himself, 'Well, it's time to show my cards.'
Naruto shook his head again. Even Zhuge Liang had to visit Meng Huo seven times before Meng Huo was hooked. History has proven that patience was the key in fishing.
Only by being reluctant yet willing, and pulling madly, can one maximize the value of the cards in their hand.
From the kitchen came the rhythmic sound of chopping and the splash of water. Through the half-open glass door, Naruto could see a glimpse of Sakura's black stockings as she worked.
In the kitchen, Sakura chopped vegetables, pondering whether she should just switch into an apron. But she dismissed the idea, worrying it might backfire. Shaking off the thought, she continued cooking.
However, the more indifferent Naruto acted toward her, the more determined she felt to make him show some kind of interest. Simply being in the same room was far from enough to satisfy her, and there had to be something more exciting to stir things up.
In between cooking, she lowered her head, opened her clothes and took a look inside, thinking, 'is normal size, right? The books say that when kissing, there's an instinct to…'
Anyway, the book said that if a couple's fingertips could pull fine threads, then even if things got weird, it wouldn't be her fault.
'It's definitely Naruto-kun's fault things have turned out like this.' Sakura mused, 'Well… a little chaos wouldn't hurt. My life's already chaotic enough. So... Why not mix things up even more?'
With that thought in mind, Sakura's mood brightened again, and she hummed cheerfully as she finished cooking.
"Dinner's ready!" She called out, opening the kitchen door.
At this moment, Naruto was communicating with Kurama using sign language. When he heard this, he turned back and was stunned for a moment.