Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Sacrificing Others to Save Myself
"By the way, remember to tell your sister when you get back. It'll be mealtime soon, so she should come over to eat," Takuya instructed, a resigned expression on his face. It seems I have to cook separately after all.
Luckily, with Tsunade as their cover, no one would dare to complain. Tsunade's importance in the camp was no less than that of Danzo, the commanding officer. If she wanted to cook separately, who would dare to object? Not only would no one say it was wrong, but they'd probably think it was perfectly reasonable.
"Is this... really okay?" Nawaki, remembering Takuya's culinary skills, swallowed his saliva unconsciously. He was getting tired of eating rations all the time.
"If you're not willing, then just keep gnawing on your dry rations. I'm going out for a bit," Takuya said, spreading his hands in exasperation. If Nawaki didn't want to go along with the plan, Takuya would just find his own way.
The Land of Rain was harsh, but it wasn't devoid of resources. Takuya didn't believe his cooking skills wouldn't earn him a little special treatment.
"Wait! I'll go!" Nawaki wasn't stupid. With the chance to get better food and using his own name, why wouldn't he take the opportunity? He was tired of the camp's meals and rations. With Takuya being such a good cook, the special treatment was a must.
Stopping Takuya from leaving, Nawaki donned a raincoat and dashed towards the logistics department.
"He won't get scolded, will he?" Minato asked worriedly, watching Nawaki's silhouette disappear into the rain. Using Tsunade's name like that, there was a high chance Takuya wouldn't get scolded, but Nawaki might end up being the one to suffer.
"Then you can keep eating rations," Takuya replied with a disdainful glance. You want special treatment, but you're worried about Nawaki getting scolded?
"Ahem, the weather is nice today," Minato quickly changed the subject, pretending as if he hadn't just been worrying about Nawaki getting scolded. After all, compared to getting better food, whether Nawaki would get scolded or not wasn't that important. Tsunade wouldn't hit him, after all.
Sacrificing others to save myself—that's a lesson I learned from you, Minato thought.
Nawaki, using Tsunade's name, arrived at the logistics department and explained his request. Nervous, he anxiously awaited the response of the logistics manager, a higher-ranking ninja.
"What?" the manager said, his reaction far more intense than Nawaki had expected, making Nawaki even more anxious.
"You're doing this for Tsunade-sama?" the manager continued, before firmly stating, "If it's for Tsunade-sama, we'll accommodate her needs, no matter what. Please wait here; I'll have someone deliver the supplies right away. From now on, you won't even need to come here—we'll make sure everything is delivered daily."
The logistics manager patted his chest, reassuring Nawaki. Though the manager was a shinobi from the Shimura clan and had been promoted by Danzo, he had deep respect for Tsunade. Without her, who knows how many Konoha shinobi would have perished on the battlefield?
That worked? Nawaki thought, still in disbelief. This seems almost too easy.
As Nawaki left the logistics department, his mind was still buzzing. But he didn't forget to go find Tsunade.
"What do you want?" Tsunade asked. Having rushed to the camp in the Land of Rain and performed two surgeries already, even someone with Tsunade's strength and stamina was exhausted. She leaned back in her chair, legs propped on the table, her arms crossed, and she warned, "If this is about going to the battlefield, forget it. Talk to Orochimaru about that."
Tsunade's biggest headache with Nawaki was his constant desire to go to the battlefield and fight. He had come to her many times asking for help in convincing Orochimaru to let him go. So Tsunade laid it out right away—she wouldn't discuss anything related to the battlefield. Nawaki would have to talk to Orochimaru when he returned.
"It's not that," Nawaki said quickly, "It's about Takuya. He said you've been working hard and need a special meal. I already went to the logistics department; they'll deliver the supplies to my place. They asked you to come over for dinner."
"Alright," Tsunade agreed immediately. She had long grown tired of the camp's meals. If she had the option, of course she would prefer something better. With Takuya's cooking skills, it would be a waste not to have a special meal.
"I'll be heading back then," Nawaki said, relieved now that Tsunade had agreed.
"Wait!" Tsunade suddenly realized something. "Did you say you're using my name for the special meal?"
"..." Danger! Nawaki immediately sensed that he might be in trouble. Realizing his life might be at stake, he hurriedly explained, "It wasn't my idea! It was all Takuya's. He said you'd definitely be okay with it, and that using your name would prevent the logistics department from giving me any trouble. Otherwise, people might gossip."
"Ugh, I knew it," Tsunade sighed, her enthusiasm gone, and even the idea of hitting her brother was dismissed.
"Huh?" Nawaki blinked in confusion. She's not angry? Has the sun come out today?
"You little brat, are you asking for a beating?" Tsunade's rage returned in an instant. Slamming the table, she gritted her teeth and said, "If you had even half of Takuya's brains, I wouldn't have to worry so much. Now get lost, and tell him I'll be there on time. I'll handle things in the camp, so keep the special meals coming."
"Right away!" Nawaki, fearing for his safety, dashed off, clutching his head to avoid a potential smack.
Sigh... Tsunade let out a weary sigh. "I hope spending time with Takuya will help this kid wise up a bit." Tsunade didn't have high expectations for Nawaki. As long as he grew up safely, she'd be satisfied. As for his ambitions of becoming Hokage and standing shoulder to shoulder with their grandfather, achieving that would be great, but she wasn't counting on it.
Even Tsunade herself didn't have much faith in those dreams. The idea of becoming Hokage and standing alongside Hashirama Senju was almost impossible, something she didn't need to worry about.
As for becoming Hokage... it was too early to talk about that. The Third Hokage was still in his prime and wouldn't easily step down. Even if he did, without securing the power that comes with the position, being Hokage would be a difficult, if not humiliating, role—like what happened with Minato. Even after being chosen as the Fourth Hokage over Orochimaru, most of the power remained with the Third Hokage or was held by Danzo and his group. Minato was left feeling like a mere puppet.
"Danzo-sama, this is a report from the logistics department regarding supplies sent to Tsunade-sama," a subordinate reported. Given that Danzo was the camp commander, any significant matters had to be approved by him first.
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