Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Hana Yori Dango. This is my first Naruto Fan Fiction attempt, so there is no way Naruto could be mine.
A/N: Hopefully, this is a one-shot. It may become a part of a larger series, but for now I'm not planning on making more of this particular storyline. Also, the Hana Yori Dango references are the names of two of the main characters: Domyouji Tsukasa (Main Character) and Nishikado (Family name of Sōjirō, the playboy of F4 whose Family specializes in Tea houses.)
Clearing Your Debts
By: Nanio-713
"Do you know how much Ryou you owe to your Debt Collectors, Tsunade-Sama?"
Tsunade smirked at Naruto, who had just returned from the bathroom. "No Baa-Chan today? Is something wrong?" Hearing no response, she took a small sip of Sake. "I don't know the exact number, but if I had to tally up all of my debts and add interest, I'd say I owe quite a bit."
Naruto nodded before looking around. He and Tsunade were currently in a very upscale sushi restaurant located near the Hokage Tower, which was well known for being a great place to eat for Jounin and Council members. The now twenty two year old Jinchūriki and Special Jounin turned to his sixty-something year old Boss and sighed. He wished Shizune was here; she'd help him explain everything to her much more easily. Alas, she had to work an extra shift at the hospital, leaving him alone to fight this battle.
The blonde boy straightened his black and orange kimono before he sat down and took a sip of his own Sake. "Why do you gamble so much anyway, Tsunade? I'd figure you'd be smart enough know when to stop and cut your losses, and find something you're actually good at."
Tsunade frowned. "Gambling helped me back then. It took my mind off of things that would have driven me mad with grief, otherwise. I didn't care that I was so bad at it, – I still don't – all that mattered to me was forgetting."
Naruto watched Tsunade as she clenched her sake bottle tighter. He reached across the table and took one of her hands in his own. "I can understand that, but don't you think that was a bad way to forget? As a medic, you should know that not all addictions are based on substances."
"Does it matter why I buried my grief in dice, or Pachinko machines?" Tsunade growled as she pulled away from Naruto. "Okay, so I made a few mistakes in the past. Big deal! Everyone has had at least one time in their life that they regret. Why should I be looked upon differently?"
"Because," Naruto growled. "You are the Fifth Hokage of Konoha. Do you know how your previous reputation as 'the Legendary Sucker, who skipped on every debt' affects the way Feudal lords and other hidden Villages see us? If it wasn't for the fact that you were a Sannin and one of the most powerful fighters and medics of Konoha, we'd be looked at in a much more negative light!"
Naruto stopped as the Waiter came to the table and served Naruto and Tsunade their plates. Naruto had two rolls of king Crab Maki-zushi, and one of cucumber, and Tsunade had a plate full of Oshizushi and Narezushi. Tsunade took advantage of Naruto's silence, and began talking the moment the waiter was out of earshot. "I don't run out on all of my debts. Sometimes I offered my services as a medic, a Nin, or even as a diplomatic mediator. The only times I ran was when paying off my debt required I stay somewhere for too long, or if they wouldn't take my services and only wanted money, or if they were some of the seedier members of society."
Naruto countered with, "That still doesn't justify the amount of money you either owe or lost while gambling for all those years! I learned a lot about you in those three years I spent traveling with Jiraiya, and a lot more when I returned and started going on my Jounin missions. Would you like to know some of what I've learned?"
Tsunade, curious about where Naruto was going with this subject, quickly nodded. "As Hokage, you know Ero-Sennin and I made a lot of money doing missions while I was training for two and a half years, while looking for Sasuke-Teme. You also know that neither of us got a Ryou from those missions until after I returned and saved Gaara's life when Shukaku was stolen by Akatsuki."
Tsunade nodded as Naruto took a bite of his sushi. "You made nearly enough to buy a nice house up front. I remember you saying something about a 'big deal' you were going into, but I never did find out what you or Jiraiya did with your money."
Naruto smirked. "Ero-Sennin used the money to promote his Icha Icha series, and I'm about to tell you what I did with my money later. Anyway, since we were practically broke on our travels, we worked a lot of odd jobs in between training and Konoha missions. One of those missions happened about a year into my training, when we were near the border to Wave Country. Have you ever heard of Domyouji Tsukasa?"
Tsunade nearly choked on the piece of Narezushi that was in her mouth. The Domyouji Corporation was one of the largest corporations that dealt with business between Wave and Fire country. It was also known as being heavily involved in underground gambling rings and had a rather large tab with Tsunade's name on it, according to Shizune's debt ledger the last time she checked.
Naruto grinned. "I take it you know the name well, by your reaction."
"Domyouji Tsukasa is the head of the Domyouji Business Corporation," Tsunade recited. "He's a powerful and shrewd businessman, who is very vicious to those who get in his way."
"He's also fair in his deals, and only plays dirty when he's feeling cheated." Naruto added. "We met him in a city just beyond the border looking for guards, since his caravan was attacked by Bandits the previous day. The trip he was making was back into Fire country, which meant that Ero-Sennin and I would have to move in an arc to reach wind country instead of a straight line, but the money was good and we weren't headed anywhere in particular anyway. We took the job as guards."
"We protected him from Thugs and more Bandits that very night, which put us greatly in his favor. As we were on the road, we talked a lot about ourselves. I told him about my three year training agreement with Jiraiya, and about how we were traveling all over Japan while he trained me. In return, he told me about how he learned 'the Legendary Sucker' was Konoha's newest Hokage, and was finally on his way to personally call in an outstanding debt from her."
Tsunade paled. The head of the Domyouji Corporation was going to Konoha himself to collect her debt? Why hadn't he arrived? Will other collectors begin appearing soon?
Naruto took a sip of Sake before eating another piece of Sushi. "I talked to him for a while, and managed to make a deal with him. I convinced him to let me buy the debt from him at about seventy percent of its worth, with no more interest beyond that date, if he would hold off on collecting it until I turned sixteen. After checking the numbers, I learned that I agreed to buy a forty-five thousand Ryou debt from the Domyouji Corp."
"What?" Tsunade nearly shrieked. She kept her voice low, so as not to disturb the other diners, but there was a distinct edge of panic in her voice. "I didn't owe them nearly that much."
"I'm not the only one who has ever bought your debts before, Tsunade." Naruto explained, making sure to remove the honorific from her name. "A few bookies and small businesses made deals with Domyouji in order to cut their losses. He made a lot of money, in the end."
Tsunade reeled back in shock as Naruto continued his story. "I kept in contact with Tsukasa-Sama after I returned to Konoha, through the occasional letter and telephone call. We created a sort of loose business deal, and for some reason he dealt with me directly."
"Wh-what sort of deal?" Tsunade stuttered, shaken by the knowledge that she owed Naruto so much money.
"Tsukasa-Sama knows a lot of people, and would let me know when someone wanted to make their money back from Konoha's Hokage. I would then buy the debt with as little fuss as possible; Tsukasa-Sama made sure the transaction was as mutually beneficial as possible."
"Where did you make the money for all of this?" Tsunade asked.
"Baa-Chan," Naruto said teasingly. "I haven't done anything under a B-ranked mission since I was sixteen. I wiped out over half of Akatsuki on my own, who all had at least S-class bounties on their heads. Haven't you ever wondered why I live in a decent sized house instead of a mansion, or why I own a ridiculous amount of nice formal clothing?"
Naruto finished his second roll of Sushi. "Domyouji realized that I make a good amount of money as a Jounin, and have good ethics when it comes to business, so he brought me in on a few lucrative business deals. He's calling me a silent partner on a few projects he's working on, and I'm turning a very nice profit on them. I'm one of the wealthiest members of Konoha now, even if I don't show it. The only people who are richer than I am belong to one of Konoha's prominent clans."
"After Ichiraku decided to completely retire and closed the shop, I hired Ayame-neechan to handle my business books. She put this together," Naruto pulled out a small red notebook from his pocket and passed it to Tsunade. "And that states that even with no interest being collected anymore, you owe me over a quarter million Ryou. As the Hokage, having that sort of debt because you couldn't deal with your past is beyond shameful."
Tsunade put down her last piece of oshizushi, feeling unable to swallow with the lump of fear in her throat. "So… are you trying to tell me that you want to collect on this?"
Naruto shook his head. "No, I'm not. That notebook, and whatever debt slips Shizune-Chan has, is all the proof left that you owe anything. You can do whatever you want with that notebook now. Keep it and get rid of you old slips, burn it all and forget it ever existed, pay it off… that is completely your choice."
Tsunade thanked the Gods above before fully realizing exactly what Naruto just said. He was giving her the choice of paying off her debts? That meant that he was practically giving her over two hundred thousand Ryou! "Naruto… why are you giving me this choice? Why pay all of my debts?"
"Because," Naruto replied. "A Hokage should not be disgraceful. I just did what I could to ensure that belief was upheld for my Hokage. Also, I-"
The Waiter, seeing that they finished their food, chose this moment to interrupt. "Would you like anything for desert? Perhaps some Karumetou, or Mirukurepu?
"No thank you," Naruto replied. "I think we're done here. Would you please bring us the check?"
"Yes sir," the waiter said. "Thank you for eating at the Nishikado Sushi Restaurant and Tea house."
The check came quickly, and before Tsunade realized what was going on she was walking alongside Naruto towards her home, with the notebook tucked protectively under her arm. She glanced at the Blonde Jounin, realizing that the whisker marks on his face were just a little more prominent, his nose a little more aristocratically sharp, and his hair a lot longer and silkier than she remembered. It struck her as odd that she hadn't noticed these differences, since she always kept an eye out for the young man who reminded her of what it was like to live.
Naruto turned to Tsunade and grinned. "So, what are you going to do?"
Tsunade sighed. "Many people think that being Hokage means you're paid well, but my Salary is comparable to most Chuunin, actually. I get free housing and an allotment for food, but otherwise I'm sparsely paid. My side job at the Hospital doesn't pay much, despite the amount of responsibility I have there, since I'm only listed as part-time due to the fact that I'm Hokage. It looks like I'm either going to be in debt to you for the rest of my life, or I need to find an alternative way to pay you."
Naruto grinned. "Did you know that the Kyuubi has been losing some excess chakra over the years, while my body also absorbed rest of it?"
Tsunade's turned to Naruto, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What-"
"The seal," Naruto continued as if Tsunade hadn't talked. "It is a very interesting creation. It absorbs the Kyuubi's chakra and fuses it with mine, making my reserves larger and my lifespan longer. It also takes portions of the Kyuubi's chakra and removes it from the host, depositing it into my intestines for it to be dispersed once it leaves my body. It's like a bottle with two tubes, where one leads to a container and one spills into the street in order to empty the bottle faster. By the time I'm thirty, I'll have enough reserves and attributes to live past one hundred years old, and the ability to break the seal and remove the Kyuubi without dying. The Kyuubi, while it will still be quite powerful, will not be strong enough to attack Konoha again with the strength to match the first time for at least four Millennia, since by the time I let him go his power will be the equivalent of three or four tails."
"So, you'll have the strength of more than four tails by that time in your own reserves?" Tsunade asked.
Naruto nodded. "I also found a way to use the extra chakra my body disposes. Jiraiya-Sensei manipulated the seals so that I can place a bottle of water against my belly button and activate a new seal design he added there, which diverts the extra chakra it collects to infuse itself to the water. If a person drinks it in small portions, it can raise their reserves and actually make them look and feel younger. Jiraiya has been drinking the stuff for a few months now, and Shizune-Chan's said that he appears to have lost five years of aging. His body is now equivalent to how it was when he was fifty-five, and I was seventeen, and his chakra reserves are even larger. His continued use of the water will continue to make him look and feel younger."
Tsunade's eyes widened. "So it's a type of de-aging solution?"
Naruto nodded. "Jiraiya has already writing a report on this for you, listing it as an SS-class Kinjutsu seal. We don't want anyone outside of the four of us knowing how to do, or make this. Someone can easily cripple a Jounin and turn his body into a machine to pump this solution out. Shizune's also working on making the water into a serum to pump into the bloodstream in order to make the results faster, but anything larder than a drop or two appears fatal at this point. Not that we've injected anything with it, of course."
"Why?" Tsunade inquired. "Why are you trying so hard to make something like this? Are you trying to make your precious people live forever. Naruto, that line of thought can lead to very dangerous and evil paths. Orochimaru is the perfect example of that."
Naruto smiled. "Tsunade, I don't want everyone to live forever: I just want the four of us to live a long life together as a family. Jiraiya and Shizune already agreed that they want to keep me company for as much of my life as possible. We just don't know how you would react. I'll consider your debt repaid if you help Shizune and Jiraiya perfect this serum. We're planning on destroying all of the research of the serum anyway, since we're only planning on using that to align our ages faster."
Tsunade didn't know how to react. "I… I don't know…"
Tsunade stopped, noticing that they were in front of her house. Naruto cupped her chin and moved his face very close to Tsunade's. "I'm sorry to surprise you with this, especially considering that your… intimate… relationship with Shizune may be a little rocked by this."
Tsunade gasped. No one knew of her forbidden relationship with her pupil. "How-"
"After I admitted my feelings to her last month, after she started working on making a serum for herself and Jiraiya, she told me about it." Naruto explained to the befuddled Sannin as he wrapped his other arm around her waist. "None of us care that you are together. Jiraiya knew since shortly after you returned to Konoha, and I'm just glad that you found some form of happiness."
Tsunade stared deeply into the Blonde's eyes. "You love Shizune, and she told you about us? Well, I hope you weren't too disappointed." Naruto was about to speak again when Tsunade covered his lips with one finger. "I'm not so much upset about the idea of her wanting to live with you and Jiraiya like a family, but I am mad at the fact that she's been helping you for months and never told me a thing."
"She didn't agree to making herself younger until I told her about my plan to invite you to join me and Jiraiya so that this," he brushed his fingers on her cheek, "doesn't have to be a Genjutsu. She didn't want to do anything if you weren't involved."
A tear slipped down Tsunade's cheek. "Naruto…"
"Besides," Naruto interrupted, "it wasn't Shizune that I originally admitted to having feelings for." Naruto quickly leaned forward and captured Tsunade's lips with his own. He pressed lightly as Tsunade froze in shock, but began to deepen the kiss as Tsunade began to relax. His tongue slid across her lips before she parted them to allow him access. Naruto deepened the kiss for a short moment before pulling back and breathing deeply. "I have fallen for Shizune, yes, but that only happened recently. Originally, I was just hoping to have you by my side; Jiraiya, as our friend, and Shizune, as your and possibly even my lover, joining us is just an added bonus."
Tsunade, still dizzy from the kiss and trying to cope with the new information she received, nearly fell as Naruto pulled away from her. "There's a few pages at the end of the notebook with notes from the research. If you're interested in seeing more, just talk to Ero-Sennin or Shizune-Chan about it. Please, think seriously about whether you want to be a part of this and let us know. This is a very large decision to make."
With that, Naruto disappeared in a swirling of leaves. Tsunade shakily made her way through the house Konoha's council gave her for being Hokage and found her stash of Sake. She took a few drinks to calm her nerves before thinking about the situation.
Naruto obviously had a long time to think about the effects and ramifications of his plan, if he was able to convince Jiraiya and partially convince Shizune to agree to his plan. She understood what Naruto was asking her: He was asking her to face the public outcry for using a newly created Kinjutsu, and social destruction by becoming the Kyuubi container's lover as well as the member of a possibly public three-way relationship. The fact that she was also nearly forty years his senior added an extra sense of taboo to the equation as well.
She took another drink of Sake. She was originally planning on giving Naruto the Title of Hokage within the next year and going back to traveling with Shizune and Tonton, but now she didn't know. Did she really want to live another century? This past half-century was bad enough as it was. Well, Tsunade mused, it should prove entertaining, at least. Besides, I can wait until after Naruto gives up the title of Hokage before traveling again. I just hope Dan and Nawaki don't mind waiting a little longer before seeing me again.
The End
A/N: I didn't mean for this fic to go this way. Originally, it was going to just be Naruto admonishing Tsunade for shaming the Hokage name, and he helped her regain honor because of his duties as a Shinobi of the leaf. The problem, though, was that I didn't know how to end it. The, it turned into a fluffy smut piece when I started typing randomly and making things up as I went. That then created the seal idea and the Naru/Shiz/Tsuna pairing. Let me know what you think. If people like this work I may end up writing a sequel with a lemon, but for now this is just a one-shot.
A/N/2: I don't know much about Sushi, so if those desserts don't match what you would normally eat as a dessert after sushi, or if you would even have dessert after sushi, I wouldn't know. I just know that those are actual Japanese dishes.