SHIMMERING MIST : HATAKE SI (Naruto)

Part 8

Chapter 8

TSUNADE SENJU

In the hospital of Konoha, Tsunade Senju sat in her office as she took a break after working for more than a day straight. She had felt exhaustion creeping in, yet she couldn't stop. There was so much work to be done. The hospitals had been ravaged by mismanagement, and the med nins lacked proper training. The hospitals had lost their standard since the last time she had been here.

Her office was filled with mess, as reports of various cases lay strewn across the room, and she knew she would need to clean up soon. Or she could just wait for Shizune to show up. Yeah, that plan was much better.

Just like the wine she was drinking, she once more looked over the shinobi sitting in front of her. Ohashi Hatake, son of the White Fang and a Kato Sumiko. Kato, and hadn't that name been a surprise to her? A cousin of Dan's whom she had never met, she had been surprised when she had first heard of his existence.

The kid belonged to two prominent bloodlines yet had been raised in an orphanage. He had refused any help from his father Sakumo, an idiotic move in her opinion. The kid should have sought every advantage, for that was what kept Shinobi alive, and that was all that mattered.

However, he had written to Shizune about his reason, and she found it honorable, if not naïve. And so when he had asked for some instructions about her Grand Uncle's techniques, she had decided to tell him the basics.

And then he went on to do the impossible. He went on and reengineered it. A feat that even she hadn't been able to achieve. They had maintained communication ever since and she would often send him some training tips, and the kid had continued to shatter her expectations.

And coincidentally, the kid even looked like her Grand Uncle. His hair was a shade darker, yet she noticed both had similar facial structures. She picked up the bottle and brought it to her mouth as she took another gulp of the special wine from Land of Honey, a delicacy that must have cost him quite a pretty penny.

"AHHH!" she brought it down and placed the bottle back on the table, using her chakra to wipe away the excess alcohol in her system. She was in no mood to get wasted.

"You didn't have to bring this kid. From what I have heard, you would have been able to succeed even without my help," she said as she looked over him and felt a pang of regret as she saw him in that special jounin vest.

Nawaki would have been a jounin by now.

The kid was abashed by her praise and replied awkwardly.

"I don't know about what kind of rumors are going on about me, and I am flattered that you think so highly of me, but your help was instrumental in the breakthrough I achieved. So, consider it a token of my appreciation," he said with a smile, and Tsunade was surprised for a bit as she saw the resemblance the kid shared with his father.

"Ahh, well, it's just the standard kind of rumors. Youngest jounin, upcoming prodigy," and she took another gulp of the bottle before she looked the kid straight in the eye as she added with a huge smile on her face.

"And I also remember hearing about a fiery forbidden romance with a very fiery Kiri nin," and the kid spluttered at that as his eyes widened, and he spoke out scandalized.

"Where the hell did you hear about that?" he asked her, and she laughed, for the small flush on his face told her everything she needed to know about that. Many would have asked her to discourage the kid, but Tsunade would never stand in the way of young romance. Especially one as speicy as this one.

"Ahh, it seems it's true. Well, you've got a challenge on your hands kid. You might even have to steal away that girlfrie...." And he cut her off.

"She isn't my girlfriend! Gods, I am going to kill whoever spread that around!" he said through gritted teeth and Tsunade shrugged as she stifled her laugh. It seemed it was worth reading those letters from her old teammate.