The beautiful buxom blonde looks at him for a long moment, before giving a slight nod to Shizune. Casting one last glance of her own in Naruto's direction, Tsunade's apprentice steps back out of the office and away entirely, leaving the two of them alone. Well, as alone as one can be in the office of the village's leader. Still, Naruto steps forward all the same.
He's worried that Tsunade won't let him finish once he tells her why he's here, so he starts off and he doesn't stop, doing his level best to get it all out in one big rush.
"Ma'am, I want you to send me after Jiraiya. He's in over his head with… with whatever it is that he's doing now. Think about it, he's spent the last few years with me at his side, watching his back, shoring up his weak spots. Even if I was a snot-nosed brat when I left, I learned a lot… and he almost certainly got used to having my help. He's not used to going it solo anymore, and if he thinks that he's protecting me by leaving me here, that has to mean whatever this is he's doing now is way too big for him alone!"
There, all of it rushed out… and maybe a bit of how Naruto used to be is leaking through as well, because Tsunade has a little bit of a small smirk on her face. She cocks an eyebrow at him as he stops talking, waiting a beat before snorting in amusement.
"What? No 'believe it!' to cut it off? I'm almost disappointed, kid."
Naruto goes a little red at that, because to be honest, it'd been on the tip of his tongue, but he'd spent the last couple of years training that particular verbal tic away, and he wasn't going to let himself regress now. Seeing that he wasn't going to respond to her teasing, Tsunade sighs and runs a hand across her face as she leans back in the chair for a moment. Then, she looks at him again, far more serious this time.
"Jiraiya's work for the village… isn't up for discussion, Naruto. I'm sorry, but your place is here, in Konoha. The old pervert has made that very clear to me. He said you've got work to be doing here, though he was rather… circumvent about what that was."
… Is it just him, or is Tsunade's face getting just a little red? Naruto furrows his brow, ready to argue his case some more, ready to fight this with all his might… when a distinct clawing sensation stops him dead in his tracks. In the back of his mind, Kurama is scraping against the bars of his cage… a surefire sign that the fox wants to talk and wants to talk NOW.
This really wasn't the time or place, and Naruto tries to send that back along the connection that he and the Nine-Tails have developed, tries to get that across to Kurama through their bond… but Kurama is having none of it, and Naruto winces, bringing a hand to his head.
"Naruto? Are you alright?"
Tsunade's concern has him looking to her, and he lets out a small laugh.
"A-Aha… yeah, I'm uh, I'm fine. I assume that Jiraiya explained everything that's happened between me and my passenger, yeah?"
It would be silly to expect Jiraiya to keep secrets from Tsunade and Konoha after all, just as silly as it would have been for Naruto to keep secrets from Jiraiya. Tsunade slowly nods, still frowning, and Naruto lets out another laugh.
"Ah, well… Kurama is demanding an audience really quick. Do you mind?"
Her face slightly redder by now, and wasn't that odd, but ow, Naruto couldn't really think too hard about Tsunade's complexion with Kurama scraping across the back of his head, the Hokage slowly shakes her head, indicating that she doesn't mind. So, without further ado, and much to his own relief, Naruto looks inward and finds himself in his mindscape a moment later. He's still in the Hokage's Office of course, and still standing there, but he's not… present anymore.
Still, if Tsunade and her ANBU guards can't keep his body safe, Naruto was boned anyways.
"What?! What is it, you stupid fox?!"
A low growl resounds from behind the massive bars that signify Kurama's cage and the seal on Naruto's belly. However, the area beyond said bars is no longer shadowed and impossible for Naruto to peer into. It's actually filled with quite a lot of light now, and even some basic amenities that Naruto and Kurama had managed to will into being within the demon fox's cage. All part of their deal that they'd made.
Now though, the Nine-Tails is clearly agitated as he steps up to the bars, looking down at Naruto in all of his majestic glory.
"What do you think you're doing, brat? Trying to run off after that old geezer. We have a deal, remember? You're supposed to be looking for potential mates… and there are plenty right here in this village. That one girl was certainly fun, but even I could tell you had to hold back with her… why stop at just her, huh? Why not have some fun, yeah?"
Naruto scowls at the fox, crossing his arms over his chest somewhat mulishly.
"I can find just as many mates out there on the road with Jiraiya, Kurama! C'mon, Jiraiya needs us, you know he does!"
Scoffing, Kurama shakes his massive fox head back and forth.
"Don't be ridiculous. Even with all of your progress, that one is still so far beyond you, it isn't even funny. Whatever he's doing now, whatever he's decided to leave you behind for… it's because you aren't ready. Which is why you should stay in this village and make mates out of all of its women!"
… Sage, why did the Demon Fox have to be such a massive pervert? Honestly, Naruto didn't mind it, most of the time. He quite enjoyed 'mating' as well, so most of the time, he and Kurama were on the same wavelength. But right now… ugh, the sucky part was, Kurama was probably right too. And so was Jiraiya. Whatever it was, Naruto probably wasn't ready to handle it. But that didn't make him any happier about it. It didn't make him any happier about being sidelined.
Although… frowning, Naruto narrows his eyes at Kurama suspiciously.
"… Why'd you have to summon me in here to tell me all of this, you dumb fox? You could have made your point clear without the face to face."
Suddenly, Kurama is averting his gaze, the demon fox scoffing again, but far less believably this time.
"Maybe because I knew it wouldn't get through your thick skull without a face to face conversation?"
No… no, that wasn't it. Scowling, Naruto turns his focus outwards again, transitioning from his inner mindscape to being back in the present, in the real world, in an instant. What he finds is… well, it explains why Kurama was trying to distract him. The Hokage isn't just slightly pink any longer… Tsunade is staring at Naruto rather hungrily, blushing profusely and visibly aroused. Naruto would know, he's had plenty of experience with what Kurama's musk can do to people.
It's not mind control, nothing like that. It doesn't force anyone to do anything against their will. Which is why it's all the more surprising that Tsunade is looking at him like a piece of meat. Though, even as aroused as Kurama has managed to make her… the woman still manages to keep her composure.
"Naruto… I think I understand why Jiraiya left you behind now. And I think… I think that his and the fox's scheme holds some merit."
Wait, what?
Tsunade smirks a little at his poleaxed expression.
"It would do well for the Uzumaki Clan to be reborn here in Konoha. Perhaps… mm, perhaps we should start with Shizune."
Okay, wait, this was a lot more than Kurama's musk. This was… Tsunade was… Naruto flares his senses for a moment, and only realizes then that while he was distracted, Tsunade dismissed the ANBU guards. It's just him and her in her office… and she's about to call in Shizune and… what, offer up her apprentice to his not-so-tender mercies?
Is everyone in Naruto's life a giant pervert? Just a little bit of Kurama's musk, and Tsunade is dropping all pretenses. Naruto… Naruto isn't sure what to do. Except, Kurama is purring in satisfaction in the back of his mind, and his dick is getting hard in his pants… and fuck, it's not Shizune he wants… at least not just her. And part of him wonders if this might be his best chance to get with Tsunade herself and put the gorgeous older woman in her place.