The Fire Nation is relatively stable; the daimyo can't make too much trouble there.
But the Land of Wind is a different story. It's like a massive weight pressing down on Sunagakure.
"By the way, what do you plan to do with Pakura?" Tsunade asked, giving Takuya a look that clearly meant, "You know what I mean." Takuya rolled his eyes and replied, "Come on, don't look at me like that. If I really wanted her, wouldn't I have just asked you for help?
Are you saying your figure and beauty are inferior to hers? Though, you're a bit older."
"At least you have good taste, kid," Tsunade agreed, but something felt off. Her smile turned into a glare.
"What did you say, brat? Are you calling me old?"
There it was—age, the one thing you should never bring up around a woman!
Without hesitation, Takuya bolted for the door.
"Once Pakura's registration is complete, send her to the hotpot restaurant to find me. If you plan to keep her as a bodyguard, just make it official. I'm off," he said as he dashed away.
Why waste time arguing with Tsunade when he could be enjoying hotpot, relaxing in the hot springs, or paying a visit to his future student, Kakashi?
Man, what a hassle!
Thinking about the straight-laced Kakashi, Takuya scratched his head. "I just hope I don't end up leading this kid astray."
"That brat!" Tsunade muttered angrily as she slammed the window shut.
Half an hour later, Pakura returned to the Hokage's office, with her ninja ID successfully in hand.
By this point, Tsunade had already immersed herself in her work again.
"Takuya brought you here. His intention is for you to stay and become my bodyguard, but I don't quite trust you yet.
In the meantime, you can follow him around. He wants you to meet him at the hotpot restaurant, and I'll have ANBU escort you there," Tsunade explained.
In the original story, Tsunade's assistant and bodyguard was Shizune, Kato Dan's niece. Though Shizune had the strength of a Jonin, her power was quite average.
If Pakura could be trained, she would make a decent assistant and bodyguard for Tsunade. But for now, Tsunade couldn't fully trust her. Pakura was still too new; she needed time to prove herself.
Tsunade wasn't the type to play games or engage in deceit, so she laid everything out openly.
"Understood. I will do my best," Pakura said, bowing gratefully.
Tsunade's straightforwardness about not trusting her didn't bother Pakura. After all, switching villages mid-way and instantly gaining trust wasn't realistic—it was normal to face some trials.
In fact, Tsunade's direct approach made Pakura feel more at ease. A facade of false trust with secret surveillance and investigations would have hurt far more.
Led by an ANBU operative, Pakura made her way to the hotpot restaurant.
"Sit down and eat. Afterward, we'll get you some new clothes and have a walk around the village so you can get familiar with things. Do you want off-the-rack clothes, or do you want something custom-made?" Takuya asked.
"Just regular ones will do," Pakura replied.
She wore a backless outfit, not because she enjoyed exposing her back, but because of Sunagakure and the Land of Wind's harsh environment. It was simply more comfortable in the heat.
Now that she was in Konoha, her outfit seemed out of place. Starting anew, Pakura decided it would be best to change her style.
"Alright," Takuya nodded.
He didn't care what Pakura wanted to wear. How someone dressed was their own business—he didn't need to interfere.
For Pakura, who was eating hotpot for the first time, the experience was a thrill. Takuya could see she had let her guard down. She was starting to see herself as part of Konoha, leaving behind her past identity and the baggage that came with it.
After finishing their meal, the two wandered the streets of Konoha, with Pakura buying a few sets of loose-fitting clothes. As for combat outfits…
Takuya finally understood why Pakura preferred her backless style—regular clothes were simply too tight.
It seemed like Tsunade's wardrobe didn't have many options, but each piece she owned was custom-made for her.
The woes of having a larger bust, apparently?
With their shopping done, Takuya took Pakura for a walk around the nearby areas to familiarize her with her surroundings, eventually leading them to the entrance of the Ninja Academy.
Another boring day.
Kakashi walked out of the Ninja Academy, his hands resting on the back of his head, his eyes gazing lazily at the sky.
Since his father, Sakumo Hatake, hadn't committed suicide, Kakashi had no reason to be emotionally scarred. Though he already had the skill to graduate, he obediently stayed in the Academy.
Sakumo would never allow Kakashi to graduate prematurely just to take on missions. It wouldn't benefit his development.
Sakumo was cautious. One wrong move, and this kid with his dead-fish eyes could grow up with a warped sense of things.
"Is this guy just bored of being too strong?"
Seeing Kakashi looking up at the sky, ignoring everyone around him, Takuya couldn't help but laugh.
Kakashi had always been a loner. He didn't really care to interact with others.
"Go teach him a lesson, make him understand how cruel the world can be," Takuya said, giving Pakura a task.
"???"
What do you mean? Pakura looked at him, confused.
Leaning against a tree trunk, Takuya explained with a grin, "Because of the war, I asked Sakumo-senpai to help split the workload. So, in return, he asked me to take Kakashi as my student. This kid's a genius, but his personality's a bit odd. He needs to experience setbacks. Just don't hurt him too much."
"Sakumo Hatake...senpai?" Pakura hesitated, looking at the boy with the white hair and quickly piecing it together. She blurted out Sakumo's name but then caught herself, realizing she had been impolite.
Since she would be a Konoha ninja now, she added "senpai" to show respect.
"Mm-hmm." Takuya nodded, signaling for Pakura to go ahead.
"Kakashi, want to come to the hotpot restaurant with us?"
Rebellious Asuma, with a toothpick dangling from his mouth, walked beside Kakashi, acting tough.
"Not interested!"
Without even pausing to consider, Kakashi refused.
It wasn't that he disliked hotpot—he actually enjoyed it a little—but he had no desire to hang around Asuma.
If someone made a list of the kids Kakashi found most annoying in the Academy, Uchiha Obito would undoubtedly be first—no question about it.
And Asuma would come second. Ever since the slander against his father, Sakumo, Kakashi had grown to dislike the Third Hokage, and by extension, found Asuma irritating as well.
Add to that Asuma's rebellious attitude, and the boy practically looked like a mini delinquent. If he weren't the Hokage's son, Asuma would probably get beaten up eight times a day.
"Well then, how about we train together, Kakashi? I still don't really understand what sensei taught us about throwing weapons," Rin said hopefully, glancing at Kakashi.
"No thanks, I'm heading home," Kakashi replied, uninterested in wasting his time with these kids who couldn't even grasp the basics.
"Darn it, Kakashi, you…"
"Tsss!!"
Obito, ready to give Kakashi a piece of his mind, was interrupted as Kakashi gasped in pain. His head snapped back as though something had struck him in the forehead.
Someone was attacking!
The kids finally snapped out of their confusion.
Holding his forehead, Kakashi scanned the area, trying to find his attacker.
He had seen the stone coming at him, but it had been too fast for him to react in time—and now his forehead was throbbing.
Standing at the entrance of the Academy, Pakura tossed another stone up and down in her hand, looking amused.
A beautiful woman none of them recognized… where did she come from?
_______Bonus Chapter________________
Next Bonus: 600 - > 900
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 490+ at Patreon com/ Emik01.
And Visit Me On Scribble_Hub for the other chapters
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