The afternoon sun beat down on Konoha's newly repaired roofs lifting heat waves off the pavement, and although there was noise everywhere with hammers striking wood and foremen shouting orders, Naruto seemed to be in his own bubble of tranquility as he walked with a grease-stained paper bag in one hand and a half-eaten cinnamon bun in the other.
He stopped in front of the Higurashi family weapons shop, which was open but empty of customers, so the only thing filling the air was the repetitive metallic sound of someone cleaning steel with too much force. Naruto peeked in while chewing and saw Tenten sitting on a reinforced wooden crate with a cloth in one hand and a kunai in the other, rubbing the metal with an intensity that suggested the weapon owed her money.
"You're going to dull the edge if you keep at it like that," said Naruto, swallowing his mouthful of cinnamon, "or you're going to set the rag on fire from the friction."
Tenten looked up but didn't blink immediately as if she struggled to emerge from her thoughts, and her eyes looked dull, lacking that usual spark she had when talking about ninja tools.
"Oh, hi, Naruto," she said with a voice so flat he almost dropped his bag. "Are you here to buy? We have a sale on expired smoke bombs that make the same noise but smell like old fish."
Naruto grimaced and walked over to lean against the doorframe.
"I'll pass since I already smell bad enough after training," he replied, offering her the open bag. "Want one? They have extra glaze because the old man at the bakery says it's to 'sweeten the reconstruction,' whatever that means."
Tenten looked at the bun inside the bag and then at her kunai, finally letting out a long sigh that seemed to empty her lungs.
"I'm not hungry, thanks." She went back to rubbing the metal, though with less violence this time. "I'm just here doing inventory again, counting kunais and explosive tags to verify the katanas don't have rust, which is fascinating."
"You sound like you're grounded," observed Naruto, taking another bite of his bun. "I thought you'd be training, you know, throwing stuff at logs or something."
"For what?" Tenten dropped the kunai into a box with a thud and wiped her hands on her pants, leaving gray oil stains. "Lee is still in the hospital recovering and Neji is obsessed, for ever since he lost to Hinata he has locked himself in the dojo and won't come out even to eat, so I'm here selling weapons to Genin who will probably lose them on their first mission."
Naruto stopped chewing for a moment as he remembered the exam fight, the wind, the giant fan, and how Tenten had fallen onto Temari's closed fan.
"Temari of the Sand was strong," said Naruto, deciding honesty was better than fake comfort. "That fan of hers is insane."
"She wasn't just strong, Naruto, she nullified me," said Tenten, looking at her stained hands. "I prepared for a year calculating trajectories and practicing my aim until my fingers bled, but she didn't even have to move from her spot, she just waved that fan and swept me away like I was trash." She clenched her fists on her knees. "I feel useless because my team is broken, my teammates are in their own personal hells, and I'm here being the girl who tends the shop."
Naruto finished his bun and licked the sugar off his fingers thoughtfully while looking at the stacked boxes and weapons hanging on the walls.
"Hey," he said suddenly, straightening up. "I'm going to Suna."
Tenten looked at him, confused by the sudden change of topic. "To Suna, the Sand Village? Why? Did you get exiled for painting the Hokage Monument again?"
"No! It's a real diplomatic mission," protested Naruto, offended. "I'm going to escort the Sand delegation back to sign the final treaty and I'm going to see Gaara."
"You're going to see Gaara," repeated Tenten, and then her eyes widened a little more. "Wait, if you're going with the delegation... then you're going to see her."
"Temari? Yeah, sure."
Tenten looked away toward the box of kunais. "I guess that's good."
Naruto watched her for a second longer and saw the frustration, but he also noticed boredom and a desire to do something to stop thinking about her defeat, so an idea crossed his mind, fast and bright.
"You know, we have a problem," said Naruto, putting on a face of exaggerated concern. "A huge logistical problem."
"What kind of problem?" asked Tenten skeptically.
"Gifts, supplies, and heavy stuff," Naruto started gesturing, improvising on the fly. "Granny Tsunade wants us to take a bunch of goodwill items to Suna like medicines and scrolls, but Shizune is busy and I suck at organizing things, so if I stuff everything in my backpack I'll probably arrive with herb puree and bent kunais."
Tenten raised an eyebrow. "Naruto, you're a ninja and you know how to use storage scrolls."
"Yeah, but not like you!" he insisted, leaning in and lowering his voice as if it were a state secret. "You're the specialist and no one packs more stuff into a piece of paper than you, so we need someone to make sure everything arrives intact. Besides, think about it, it's a long trip of several days and once we get to Suna you could talk to Temari."
Tenten tensed up. "Why would I want to be near her? So she can humiliate me again?"
"No, dummy, to study her," said Naruto, pointing at her with his index finger. "You lost because you didn't know how her wind worked, right? Well, there's your chance, since if you go with us you can see what makes her so strong." Naruto grinned, punching his fist into his palm. "And next time you'll know exactly where to throw the kunai at her."
Tenten remained silent looking at the empty and dusty shop, then she looked at Naruto who was smiling with that contagious confidence that seemed to ignore all rules of logic. The idea of leaving the village and stopping the inventory count was tempting, and the prospect of analyzing Temari up close without being in a death match was even more attractive.
"Do you think the Hokage will allow it?" asked Tenten, standing up slowly. "I'm not part of your team and technically I don't have an assigned mission."
"I'm the Hokage's Secret Advisor! Though don't tell anyone because it's a secret," said Naruto puffing out his chest. "I decide who comes on my escort team, so if I say I need a weapons logistics specialist she'll listen to me. You have to come, I can't carry all that by myself or I'll hurt my back!"
Tenten let out a small laugh, her first in weeks, took off the shop apron, and tossed it onto the counter.
"Alright, I'll go," she said with a voice that held a bit more strength. "But if it's a lie and you make me go to the Hokage's office just so she can yell at me, I'll use you as a practice target for my shuriken."
"Deal! Let's go, Granny is in the office now!"
The walk to the Hokage Tower was quick because Naruto wouldn't stop talking about how amazing seeing the desert would be, and Tenten, though she tried to maintain her composure, walked with a much lighter step than before. When they arrived at the office, Naruto didn't bother knocking and burst the door open.
"Granny! I bring solutions to problems you didn't even know you had!"
Tsunade was behind her desk surrounded by towers of paper that defied gravity, holding a quill and wearing an expression of murderous concentration that broke the moment the door hit the wall.
"Naruto!" she roared without dropping the quill. "How many times have I told you to knock? I could have been in a confidential meeting, changing clothes, or drinking!"
"But you weren't doing any of those things," said Naruto walking in without fear and dragging Tenten with him. "You were signing boring papers, but look, I brought Tenten."
Tenten, who didn't possess Naruto's suicidal immunity to authority, froze and performed a quick, nervous bow.
"Hokage-sama, excuse the intrusion."
Tsunade sighed rubbing the bridge of her nose, put down the quill, and looked at the girl.
"Tenten from Gai's team," said Tsunade lowering her voice to a more normal but still tired tone. "I remember your medical report regarding severe contusions from wind impact. Are you discharged?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama, I'm at one hundred percent," replied Tenten quickly.
"Good. And what are you doing here with this loudmouth? Are you here to file a harassment complaint?"
"Hey! I'm not harassing her, I'm recruiting her," interrupted Naruto approaching the desk and leaning his hands on it. "Listen, Granny, for the Suna mission we need logistics and someone who knows how to handle equipment and diplomatic gifts without making it look like a blind monkey packed them, and Tenten is the best at that because she's a master of spatial storage."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow and looked at Naruto, then at Tenten. "Logistics? Since when do you care about how we carry supplies if you usually just stuff ramen in your pockets?"
"I've matured," said Naruto with a solemn face that fooled no one. "And besides, Shizune is busy with the hospital and Tonton can't carry boxes, so since Tenten is free because her team is on pause, she's perfect for the job."
Tenten took a step forward seeing that Tsunade hesitated.
"I can handle all the material transport, Hokage-sama," she said adopting a professional tone. "I can seal medical supplies, water, and camping gear in scrolls to reduce the entourage's weight by ninety percent, which will allow us to move faster and with less fatigue."
Tsunade looked at her evaluating the offer while efficiency shone in her eyes.
"Reducing the load weight would speed up the trip by at least half a day and avoid me having to hire civilian porters who complain about the heat," murmured Tsunade drumming her fingers on the table. "It's not a bad idea, as strange as it seems coming from Naruto."
"I'm a strategy genius!" exclaimed Naruto.
"You're a nuisance genius, but sometimes it works," corrected Tsunade. "Very well, Tenten, I will assign you as..."
BANG!
The office door exploded inward as Akamaru entered first barking as if he had detected a giant squirrel, followed by a Kiba who looked on the verge of a nervous breakdown and a Shino who walked with a calm so absolute it was disturbing.
"I object!" shouted Kiba pointing an accusing finger at Tsunade before turning to Naruto. "I knew you were here because my nose never lies!"
Tsunade closed her eyes and counted to three under her breath while the vein on her forehead began to pulse visibly.
"What is the meaning of this?" she asked with a dangerously low voice. "This is the Hokage's office, not a dog park, so control your animal before I turn him into a coat, Kiba."
Akamaru let out a whine and hid behind Shino's legs.
"It's a national emergency!" insisted Kiba ignoring the threat and planting himself in front of the desk after shoving Naruto aside with his hip. "Hokage-sama, you have to stop this! I found out Hinata is going to Suna with him!" He pointed at Naruto again.
"So what if she goes?" asked Naruto crossing his arms. "Hinata is strong and I'm going to be there."
"That is the problem!" Kiba turned to him with wide eyes. "Do you have any idea what Suna is? It's a desert with hot sand and wind storms full of weird people who don't laugh at your jokes. Hinata is too nice for that place, and besides if you get into trouble, as you always do, you're going to drag her into some fight with bandits or sand monsters without her team there to cover her back."
"Correction," intervened Shino from behind adjusting his dark glasses with one finger. "The problem is not just Naruto's combat capability, which is variable, but the lack of specialized sensory coverage in a hostile and unknown environment."
Shino took a step forward to stand next to Kiba.
"Hinata's Byakugan has excellent visual range," Shino continued speaking as if he were reading an instruction manual, "however, the desert presents visual obstacles such as sandstorms and heat mirages. My kikaichu can track chakra signatures through physical interferences and Kiba's sense of smell can detect biological threats from kilometers away, so logic dictates that sending a Byakugan user without medium and short-range tracking support is a tactical inefficiency that puts the diplomatic mission at risk."
Tsunade looked at Shino blinking slowly and then at Kiba, who was nodding frantically at his teammate's words.
"Did you just tell me I am tactically inefficient?" asked Tsunade.
"He said the formation is inefficient, not you, Granny," translated Naruto quickly. "But they're exaggerating because Hinata can take care of herself and has trained a ton."
"It's not about that!" yelled Kiba. "We are Team 8 and we look out for each other, so if Hinata goes to the end of the world we go with her! Besides, who is going to stop you from doing something stupid and offending Suna? You need professional supervision, Naruto."
"You are the professional supervision?" Naruto laughed. "The last time we went on a mission together you ate a mushroom that made you bark at trees for three hours."
"It was a hallucinogenic mushroom and it was a tactical learning experience!" defended Kiba turning red.
"Enough," said Tsunade cutting the argument short.
Everyone fell silent and looked at the Hokage, who leaned back in her chair making the leather creak under her weight. She looked at the group in front of her: Naruto with his defiant smile, Tenten with her silent hope, Kiba vibrating with overprotective anxiety, and Shino standing there like a statue of inscrutable logic.
In another moment she would have kicked them out, but looking at them she saw something else, a generation trying to pull itself together after the war and teammates who didn't want to leave their friends alone, and being honest with herself, she saw the opportunity to get rid of two of the village's loudest Genin for a week.
"So," said Tsunade with a small smile curving the corner of her lips, "are you volunteering to cross a hellish desert, sleep on the ground, and eat dry rations just to make sure Hinata doesn't have to endure Naruto alone?"
"Basically, yes," said Kiba.
"It is a logical preventive measure," added Shino.
"And logistical," reminded Tenten raising her hand timidly. "Don't forget logistics."
Tsunade let out a dry chuckle, shook her head, and took three blank mission scrolls from her drawer.
"Fine, approved."
Kiba blinked. "Seriously? You're not going to yell at us?"
"Don't push your luck, dog boy," warned Tsunade dipping the quill in the inkwell and signing furiously. "I am assigning you as a special support squad for the diplomatic delegation; Tenten will be in charge of supplies and transport so every gift arrives in Suna without a single scratch, while Kiba and Shino will be the sensory escort whose job is to detect threats before Naruto has to punch them. Understood?"
She threw the scrolls into the air so Tenten could catch hers deftly, Shino could take his with one hand without looking, and Kiba had to jump to grab it before Akamaru tried to bite it.
"One more thing," said Tsunade as her tone changed and the air in the room became heavier. She leaned forward resting her elbows on the table. "You represent Konoha and you are not going as tourists, but as Leaf shinobi on a vital peace mission. If you cause trouble, insult someone from the Sand, or Kiba pees on some sacred statue..."
"I wasn't going to do that!" shrieked Kiba.
"...if you do anything to embarrass this village," continued Tsunade ignoring him and locking eyes with Naruto, "I will skin you alive when you return, and that includes you, Naruto, behaving at the table and stopping slurping soup like a wild animal in front of dignitaries."
"Understood, Granny!" Naruto gave an exaggerated military salute. "We'll be the best diplomatic team in history, elegant and silent!"
"I highly doubt that," murmured Tsunade. "Get out of here."
"Let's go!" shouted Kiba turning on his heels. "I have to buy jerky for Akamaru and scorpion repellent!"
"Scorpions do not react to conventional chemical repellents, Kiba," explained Shino as they walked out. "We should focus on..."
"Shut up, Shino! It's the thought that counts!"
Tenten looked at Tsunade one last time, bowed much more confidently than the first time, and followed the boys saying, "Thank you, Hokage-sama," before closing the door.
Naruto was the last to leave, stopping in the doorframe to look at Tsunade.
"Don't worry, Granny, I'll take care of them and bring Gaara back to the sane side if he gets weird."
"Just make sure you come back in one piece, brat," she said without looking at him and returning to her papers.
Naruto smiled and closed the door, leaving Tsunade alone in the sudden silence of the office, where she heard footsteps and arguing voices fading down the hall as Kiba shouted something about who was going to carry the tent and Naruto complained that he didn't want to carry dog food.
Tsunade slumped against the back of her chair and looked up at the ceiling.
"Poor Suna," she murmured to herself picking up her cup of cold tea. "I'm sending them a hurricane, a pack of dogs, and a plague of insects wrapped in gift paper." She smiled, a genuine and slightly evil smile. "Well, I wanted to strengthen relations, and nothing unites two villages more than having to endure Naruto Uzumaki together."
She picked up her quill again, crossed off the next item on her to-do list, and for the first time all day the paperwork didn't seem so terrible.