"Ugh, I'm exhausted!"
Inside the Hokage's office, Tsunade took off her cape and tossed it onto the desk.
In front of her two disciples, she showed no sign of being a master or the Hokage.
"You've worked hard, Tsunade-sama."
Shizune's voice was gentle as she stepped forward to massage her shoulders.
"Yeah, carrying such big shoulders must be really tough!"
The pink-haired girl formed a circle with her hands like binoculars and held them up to her eyes.
Her emerald eyes, hidden in the shadows, stared intently at that pair of enormous things defying common sense.
"Hoho, are you jealous, young one~"
Tsunade's smile was seductive as she placed the object of Sakura's intense gaze on the table.
"Tsk!"
An impatient click of the tongue sounded.
"Hahaha!"
Tsunade's laugh was very hearty.
"Alright, what's the reason for keeping me here specifically?" Sakura said impatiently. "If it's nothing, I'll go now. I still need to head over to the Medical Department to familiarize myself with the work."
Seeing Sakura make a move to leave, Tsunade stopped her. "There's no rush for Medical Department matters. Shizune will handle the routine affairs for you."
Shizune: "???"
Ignoring the look of betrayal on her senior disciple's face, Tsunade crossed her fingers and rested her chin on them. "Actually, I have something to ask of you. When the medical unit heads north, take someone with you."
"Oh~" Sakura's expression became solemn, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up. "Whose young master or miss is it? Getting their credentials padded all the way to you, Tsunade-nee?"
"Uzumaki Naruto!"
Tsunade smiled, sunny and cheerful.
"Huh?"
Sakura couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. It was like watching someone light a firecracker in front of her, then kick it into a cesspit...
'Was it really necessary? It was just a garrison mission. It wasn't even certain if everyone would actually fight, and she was already throwing in a Jinchuriki, a nuclear weapon?'
'Had Tsunade-nee awakened her love for watching the world burn, wanting to see rivers of blood?'
"I don't plan to put him on the front lines. That would cause misunderstandings."
Tsunade sorted the documents on her desk, starting to sign and stamp them. "But at his current strength, it's a bit wasteful for him to always be doing Genin missions. However, that idiot's rank just never gets promoted. So, I'm thinking of sending him to the battlefield..."
'Got it. Promotion by fire.'
Tsunade didn't finish her explanation, but Sakura already had a knowing expression.
With Naruto's current impatient mindset, having him take a regular Chunin Exams would definitely fail.
But the various villages weren't too strict about rank promotions either. Unexpected factors like war could always prevent the Chunin Exams from being held.
At such times, if a newcomer performed exceptionally well on the battlefield, the village could enact wartime regulations and directly promote Naruto to Chunin, or even Jonin.
As for any lack of knowledge, they could slowly make up for it later.
"Done! Here you go."
Tsunade handed the signed transfer order to Sakura. It had Naruto's photo and his name on it.
Accepting this meant Naruto was officially assigned as her subordinate.
"Alright, I'll take this guy off your hands." Sakura shook her head, laughing as she accepted the document.
"By the way, let me explain something to you..."
Tsunade began rambling on and on, while Sakura, bored, propped her chin on her hand, watching the blood-red setting sun gradually descend outside the window.
By the time she walked out of the Hokage Building, the sky had already turned completely dark.
Having listened to Tsunade's explanations for half the day, she was somewhat dazed. Following the flow of the crowd on Konoha's main street, she unconsciously arrived outside the Uchiha Clan's compound.
"Oh? Isn't this Sakura-chan?"
Naruto, carrying a grocery basket, walked up from behind her. He looked curiously at the girl in front and greeted her.
Sakura turned towards the source of the voice. There stood the blonde boy in a gray long-sleeved shirt, a black and white striped apron hanging on his chest, the apron strings tied around his waist, the hem dangling between his legs.
Combined with the grocery basket hanging on his arm, his overall appearance looked just like a housewife just returning from the market.
"What's with the outfit?" Facing this Ninja ranked number one in unpredictability, Sakura couldn't help her eyes twitching.
'Had this guy, in the past few days, perhaps reached a successful conclusion with Sasuke at his house?'
"Was helping Aunt Mikoto cook, then realized we ran out of ingredients. So I went out to buy some."
Naruto led Sakura towards Sasuke's house. At the entrance, he took out a key and walked in as if it were his own home.
After Sakura and her parents moved out, Naruto, who had been living alone, accepted Mikoto's invitation and stayed at their home .
Perhaps he truly felt a long-lost sense of maternal love from Mikoto. Naruto, contrary to Sasuke's expectations, agreed and had been living there ever since.
"By the way, I'm here to deliver Tsunade-nee's orders." Sakura took the transfer order Tsunade had signed for her out of her pocket and handed it to Naruto.
"Huh? The battlefield? A medical unit?" Question marks popped up over Naruto's head. He raised his finger in confusion, pointing at himself.
Him, in a medical unit? Seriously?
"Anyway, this is the order Tsunade-nee gave. It's up to you to decide whether to go to the battlefield or not." Sakura tapped the end of the document.
If the goal was just to get some promotion credentials while ensuring Naruto's safety, then the staff headquarters where the Ino-Shika-Cho trio were located would be his best destination.
But specifically inserting Naruto beside her, a Wood Release user, could only mean that Tsunade's little scheme was already clear for all to see.
Whoosh!
Just as the living room fell into silence, the sound of a wooden door being pushed open came.
After finishing the Jonin Team Meeting at the Hokage Building, Sasuke had also attended a clan meeting at the Naka Shrine.
Returning home now, he saw Sakura and Naruto sitting in the living room, drinking hot tea.
"What are you doing here?" Sasuke walked over and also sat down cross-legged beside the low table.
Naruto, as if by unspoken agreement, handed him a cup and filled it with tea from the clay pot.
"Came to deliver the Hokage's orders. Bringing someone to the front lines!" Sakura jutted her chin towards the document on the table.
"Placing the Jinchuriki beside a Wood Release user... for the Tailed Beast?" Sasuke lowered his head, pondering.
Having already become a Jonin, he had access to view a lot of intelligence in the village. It was natural that he would understand what was special about his teammate, Naruto.
"That depends on Naruto's own choice." Sakura's gaze was somewhat meaningful.
Tailed Beasts were, after all, intelligent beings with self-awareness. To gain their help ultimately depended on what qualities Naruto had that could attract them.
"Oh, don't worry! It's just a big fox. I'll definitely handle it!" Naruto's composure didn't last more than three seconds before he immediately revealed his characteristic, getting carried away with pride.
"Hmph, idiot." Sasuke shot him a glance, but inwardly felt happy that Naruto could become stronger.
However, Naruto had found a path forward and was about to journey far. Where, then, lay his own path?
Seeing Sasuke's lost expression, Sakura raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"
Sasuke took a deep breath and made a proposal. "Sakura, please have a fight with me!"