Naruto's POV (Courtyard of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)
Naruto was running out of muscles to stretch… it bothered him that his opponent hadn't arrived yet. He had been looking forward to his bout with Samui. Not that he was mainly interested in harming her. Just had wondered how a fight between the two would go. Though Naruto did consider it a plus, he could avenge Ino while having a blast during their battle. Though as much as the blonde would love to enjoy the fight to the fullest, he wouldn't underestimate her.
While neither Tenten nor Kurotsuchi had been too much of a challenge for Naruto, they had clarified one thing. Naruto was holding back too much, mainly to hide his more robust techniques from the likes of Gaara or Sasuke. But now he doubted such would matter; as strong as both were, such a slight advantage would mean relatively little. He wouldn't expose it all; the surprise was part of the plan. But Naruto would be looking for the finish from the start. Though it would be harsh towards a friend...
Kakashi also looked confused as he subtly gestured to the Kage Box. Notably, the Raikage stood and gave a thumbs up to him. Kakashi and Naruto seemed confused by such a thing until the steady rhythm of boots marched toward them. Both glanced down and saw Samui was present. Looking as unbothered as always as she squared up to Naruto.
Naruto couldn't help the smile that filled his face. Samui had a similar style to his own and seemed to be someone Naruto would love to be closer to. It may be odd, but one of the best methods Naruto had discovered to do so was combat. For some reason, when Naruto fought someone, he felt closer to them. It was as if somehow, in the storm of violence, he had found some peace. Neji, Tenten, and even Kurotsuchi had shown such. Naruto wondered if he and Samui could communicate clearly…
"Is everything all good?" Kakashi asked while he glanced at both. Both nodded determinedly, their eyes never leaving each other as they faced down. "Huh, I'm a third wheel again. I should've said no to reffing. Anyway, begin." With his piece, his aloof sensei poofed away. The job was done with the usual level of oddness.
"Naruto," Samui stated with a confident smirk. "How about a bit of wager?"
"Betting, eh?" Naruto asked, confused. "I mean, I guess, but my mom warned me that gambling is like evil or something. Oh, a lethal vice, I think that's what she called it!" Was she trying to win some money off him or something?
"There's Nothing evil about this," Samui said with an airy chuckle. Naruto wasn't sure why, but he found the laugh pleasant. It made him focus on her slightly, made him wish to make her laugh more. Did she laugh like that before? "A simple one: whoever wins gets to give the loser an order they can't refuse."
Naruto wasn't a social butterfly, but he could feel something off about that. "That's kinda cryptic; I don't know if I could agree to something like that unless I know what I'm doing…"
"Nothing too strenuous. I'll be gentle..." Samui assured Naruto, giving him a warm smile. Naruto felt a blush nearly appear on his face. Somehow, that had felt innocent yet heady. How could it be both? "From what you told me, you don't back down or go back on your word."
Naruto frowned; he stuck to his word and, to be frank, was strong enough to win the bet regardless. Naruto doubted he would be defeated here. Besides, she was a friend. What would the harm be? "Damn, throwing my own words at me." Naruto laughed earnestly. "Fair enough, the victor gets one order or whatever."
"Do you know what you want?" Samui asked with a wink. Naruto caught the suggestive tone. "I can think of some things…"
"Wait, what?!" Naruto asked. What was she talking about? But as he opened his eyes to demand what she meant, he saw Samui was already closing the distance between them…
Sai's POV (Outside of Kage Box - Land of Iron)
Sai and Tenten calmly walked toward the Kage Box, determined to speak to the Hokage.
"Why exactly are we doing this without Shikamaru again?" Tenten asked, slightly miffed to be sent on an errand like this. It reminded her of her time in the Root, doubtless.
Sai held no such intense ill will towards the task. He knew most would think it related to the supposed trauma received from the Root. But it mattered little to Sai; Sai was free and had gotten the friends his brother had asked him to find all those years ago. He even had gotten to keep Tenten as one.
"Earth to Sai, are you zoning out again? I was supposed to be free of emotionless silence, but somehow, I got stuck with two more social creatures."
"I am human." Did Tenten think he was such an odd animal? Wait… Sarcasm. "Never mind, Panda."
"I'm impressed you detected it this time, Sai… WAIT! Stop calling me Panda, you bastard!" Tenten yelled at Sai.
"You told me not to personally insult people," Sai reminded his friend with a wag of his finger.
"And?"
"I am a bastard, but it is rude for you to point that out," Sai said with a proud nod. Learning the complexities of social interaction was challenging, but he had come a long way. He rarely had misunderstandings!
"So close and yet so far," Tenten sighed. "The answer to my question?"
"When you sent me to retrieve him, he explained he was too injured to come with us," Sai answered obediently; he knew when Tenten was serious about doing so as well. "He asked his teammate if I would help him by carrying his burden today. It only felt right to do so. I am working on being the best teammate I can be."
"That's odd, I thought he surrendered before Sasuke could land anything significant." Tenten pondered. "Wouldn't he have been healed anyway?"
"Oh no, he assured me such a thing happened but was ineffective," Sai explained.
"Did you, by chance... check?" Tenten asked with a frown.
"You told me I should trust my friends, so I figured he wouldn't lie," Sai answered sweetly. "I suppose that trust in friends is rather nice. Though it does feel rather risky."
"I am going to kill Pineapple for taking advantage of you," Tenten promised vengefully. "It's like he took candy from a baby."
"He did no such thing!" Sai assured her. He had created another misunderstanding! Life had been much simpler in the Root. But he would work hard to adapt to it.
"Oh brother, I'm surrounded by idiots." Tenten lamented, head in hands.
"Hey, kids, I assume you have a decent reason for making as much racket as you are? I don't like the bastards myself, but you little shits are expected to act proper around the Kage. Something I'm forced to force you all to do." A stern womanly voice called out.
Standing in front of the door to the Kage Box was one of the Sannin. Tsunade Senju. The only female S-rank shinobi, the world's most renowned medic, and the unfortunately known gambler. She was facing the two down and seemed less amused to see them.
Tenten gasped in shock and seemed to hide behind Sai. Was she nervous around the legend? He supposed such was only suitable. Even in Root, Tenten had always looked up to Tsunade; Shikamaru had described her as a super fan. Sai took a step forward and offered a quick brow. If Tenten was starstruck, as they say, as a supportive teammate, the burden to take over was his.
"Hello, mam. We are requesting an audience with the Hokage," Sai politely informed. We recognize such is unorthodox, but we must insist. We have information we are certain he'd be interested in."
Tsunade sighed, obviously somewhat annoyed with their presence. "Well, the old man can't simply stop observing the exams. I suppose you could step in and offer such now if it was truly vital. Otherwise, it will have to wait."
"We cannot do such Senju-sama." Tenten chimed in, having apparently overcome her star fright. "The information is of a delicate nature; we can't just offer it in the presence of foreign entities." Sai nodded, as young and inexperienced as they were. All Root members were trained to deal with situations like this. Training Sai once again found helpful, and Tenten often fell back onto when stressed.
"Hmmm, well, you can't speak to him right now; if you tell me, I'll inform him as soon as I have the chance to do so." Tsunade offered to them. Annoyed as she was, it would be foolish to at least not hear them out.
Sai looked back at Tenten to ensure she agreed with this and, seeing her nod, offered their info. "Yesterday, we were celebrating with Dickless and Pineapple."
"Sai, god dammit, use their real names, not your nicknames for them." Tenten critiqued.
"I thought humor was good for diffusing tension?" Sai asked, confused.
"Also good for ruining credibility," Tenten said with a sigh.
"My apologies, then," Sai offered with another bow. "Naruto Uzumaki and Shikamaru Nara. Things were going well. Almost everyone was somewhat affected by alcohol. During this, Samui of the Cloud arrived and asked to speak to Naruto on her lonesome. Shikamaru and I found this suspicious; Tenten was already unconscious.
"SAI!"
"I believe it to be risky to allow a foreign shinobi to speak to our ally alone while he is intoxicated and somewhat interested in seeing if they are hooking up," Sai explained in his usual straightforward way. He saw Tenten drop her face in her hands but was unsure why and barreled on.
"You really intended to bother the Hokage with gossip?" Tsunade asked incredulously.
"Yes, though this gossip happened to be Samui of the Cloud being assigned and attempting to win over Naruto Uzumaki to the Cloud." Sai finished simply. Silence filled the room at the statement. He always enjoyed responding to attitude when it was apparent. Easy to pick out and respond to. Even amusing to fuel a tiny bit. Gaslighting, they called it, apparently.
Tsunade offered a weary sigh before nodding her head. "Alrighty, I'll tell the old man whenever I can. Good job on reporting this to me. I'll handle it from here." The two Genin looked to themselves before bowing respectfully and marching off.
Tsunade waited for them to be entirely gone as she kicked around their information in her head. So Samui had been ordered to win Naruto over. Despite their concern and what Tsunade was sure A thought was compelling reasons, Tsunade was confident Naruto would never change sides. Jiraiya had a habit of teaching men as talented as they were foolishly loyal.
Furthermore, if she had told Hiruzen, he would have been forced to respond somehow. That would be dull; the brat had boldly declared her wisdom defunct. But now her warning would come full circle. It would be interesting to see how the arrogant brat dealt with the truth of the world.
Tsunade would withhold this information for now. It was time to see if Naruto Uzumaki was merely talking heedlessly. Could he truly navigate the problematic situation Kunoichi faced? Could anyone stop such a situation? Tsunade would find out if a fool like those she kept meeting truly could change anything.
The last two sadly hadn't.