Rei and Tsunade in her guise of the dark-skinned Nadetsu Juusen walked the streets of Takigakure, hand in hand as they enjoyed the bustling atmosphere of the streets with various stalls where merchants tried to sell their wares.
For a ninja village, Takigakure was oddly weird, yet familiar. They clearly tried to imitate Konoha’s way of doing things if the number of merchants and civilians inside the village was any indication but it was also obvious they simply failed to imitate everything.
The overall strength of their ninjas, for one, was quite pitiful.
Alas, while the couple could not just turn off their instincts and NOT notice these things, they indeed did their best to ignore it and casually enjoy their time together.
“This is quite tasty, try it.” Tsunade’s eyes lit up as she took a bite from Takigakure’s special takoyaki before gently putting the stick in front of Rei, beckoning him to try with a wide expectant look.
‘She is too cute for her own good.’ Rei smiled and took a bite as Tsunade turned them around and pulled him back towards the stall with the takoyaki before buying five more sticks.
“If you are hungry, we can go to a proper restaurant.” He said before patting her head, making her puff out her quickly reddening cheeks like a squirrel. “You know, somewhere where we could sit down and cuddle a bit while eating.” He temptingly added.
Hearing that, Tsunade deflated and embarrassedly nodded in consent. “Just give me a moment.”
Seeing a pair of kids nearby, Tsunade briefly let go of Rei’s hand and approached them. She didn’t really need five takoyaki sticks if they were going to a restaurant. A moment later, she returned to Rei, three takoyaki sticks lighter, and gave one of the remaining two to him as she again took a hold of his arm and snuggled into his side.
“Onwards, then!” She exclaimed with a grin before starting to munch on the meat on her stick.
Rei amusedly shook his head, finding her unbothered attitude funny. Especially since they were followed and observed almost from the second they entered the village. Tsunade’s persona of Nadetsu Juusen was an internationally known woman with a lot of pull, both political and economic. It was only natural the leader of Takigakure would instantly order his men to follow her and try to find out the reason for her visit so he could attempt to gain some benefits from it.
Tsunade obviously knew about their little stalkers but since she was on a date with Rei, she didn’t care. If they crossed the line, however…
Both Rei and Tsunade decided to be extremely frustrating for their observers and the current leader of Takigakure, Shibuki, who probably expected Nadetsu to pay him a visit. They slowly walked through the village, buying things like plushies, make-up, clothes… just like any ordinary couple on a vacation, giving no indication that they were present for a business deal or anything similar.
Having somebody like Nadetsu visiting and being unable to even greet her properly without coming off as pushy and potentially making her disgruntled… the village leader must have been quite aggravated and nervous.
Needless to say, Tsunade enjoyed making the boy squirm in his seat quite a lot, making sure to enjoy her time with Rei to the fullest, and being extremely affectionate. That way, she not only got the most out of her date but also got the satisfaction of watching how dismayed their observers were, not knowing how to invite her for a chat with their leader without offending her.
In the end, the duo eventually ended up in a booth of one of the high-class restaurants in the village.
Tsunade sat on Rei’s lap and snuggled her back into his chest much to the dismay of the poor waitress who was selected to serve their booth. Rei had his arms around her waist and leaned his head over her shoulders to read the menu in Tsunade’s hand, their cheeks affectionately nuzzled together as they enjoyed the warm and quiet atmosphere.
“We… aren’t really choosing, are we?” Tsunade giggled, realizing they were staring at the menu for the last twenty minutes, not moving an inch from their position.
“I suppose not.” Rei tightened his hold on her. “Even with the menu in front of me, it is kinda hard to concentrate on it with such a delicacy just an eye-flicker away.” Tsunade wearing a sexy loose-ish kimono was quite the problem for Rei. One that Tsunade clearly felt and enjoyed, considering the hardening of a particular part of his body on which she currently sat.
“Pervert.” Tsunade teasingly whispered and subtly wiggled her butt, making Rei almost let out a moan.
“You are one to talk.” He gently chided into her ear, causing a shiver to run up her spine. Rei could see she was starting to get excited from the way she bit her lower lip. Unfortunately for him, he had to cut the mood short. He was not keen on bending Tsunade over the table in front of the waitress. “But we should already order food or the girl in the corner will faint from embarrassment.”
Tsunade pouted but obediently listened. They both picked their food and relayed their orders to the waitress. As she left the booth with their orders, Tsunade turned towards Rei, “Faint from embarrassment, my ass. You do realize what kind of restaurant this is, don’t you? If you demanded it, she would join.” She rolled her eyes.
“And then you would kill her for it.” Rei chuckled, “I like to think myself not desperate enough to visit high-end restaurants to have my wicked ways with the waitresses. That’s honestly below me and I have no idea why they even provide that kind of service.” He shook his head. Sometimes the medieval-like mentality of his world still surprised him. “You girls are enough for me.”
“Eh~, is that why you not-so-subtly intend to make Kaguya our new sister?” Tsunade teased. She didn’t really mind overly much. As long as Rei didn’t neglect her, it was fine by her. It really helped that Rei put more effort into keeping his girls happy than his actual work in the village.
“Well, that’s not my fault. It kinda just… happened.” Rei helplessly shrugged.
“I see. The same way I, Mei, Ringo, and Pakura just happened, huh?” Tsunade amusedly giggled.
“Mhm. Can’t argue about that.” Rei straightforwardly stated and kissed Tsunade’s cheek.
“Looking for you and Konan was the best thing that happened to me in my life.” Tsunade said, shuffling in Rei’s lap to turn around enough to face him. Her hands clutched at Rei’s shirt as she looked straight into his eyes, “I am very glad that I ‘kinda just happened’.” She smiled and leaned forward, planting a quick kiss on Rei’s lips. “I am sure you can make that grumpy Goddess happy again.”
“You know she can hear you, right?” The corner of Rei’s lips twitched.
Rei would normally cut the mental connection with Kaguya but she made sure to ask for permission from Tsunade to ‘eavesdrop’ on them during their date because she was extremely curious about it. He had no idea why Tsunade agreed but she did.
“I do. That’s why I called her grumpy. I tried to be polite to the harlot.” Tsunade cutely nodded, unable to suppress her smirk, and Rei sighed as his head was filled with the impression of pouting and disgruntlement. He decided to make Tsunade feel a bit of it so he put his forehead on hers and connected her mind to the connection with Kaguya…
“She is quite butt-hurt, isn’t she?” Tsunade smugly smirked when she felt Kaguya’s feelings bleeding through the connection.
“You would be too, after spending a millennium in a seal.” Rei tried to play it off. He didn’t need Kaguya raging, huffing, and puffing in his head for the rest of the day.
“I know. I am just a bit angry that she can spend all of her time with you thanks to the mental connection.” Tsunade confessed and the couple fell silent.
Rei and Tsunade stared into each other’s eyes, their foreheads connected, hugging each other. There was no need for more words. The wonder of the mental connection was that it was capable of relaying feelings and emotions. While it also sent these emotions to Kaguya, right now, neither Rei nor Tsunade cared as they flooded the other with their care and love for each other.
Poor Kaguya was rendered a blushing wistful mess without either of the two lovers even noticing.
