Chapter 21: The Night Before
/Konoha, Senju compound/
/Zasu Pov/
After finishing my training, I headed back to the main house. Shizune had left halfway through to prepare dinner and check up on Roberta. As I made my way there, I couldn't help but think about my meeting with the Hyuga clan tomorrow. Mainly Hinata and Hiashi, I'm not concerned about the engagement as I know it's only a benefit for me. I'll not only gain the Hyuga clan as my backers, but I'll be able to solidify my position in the village. As for Hinata's happiness? It's not my concern. I'm not foolish enough to make my life more difficult for myself or Tsunade. Cannon went out the window the moment I appeared in this world.
'I could always put pressure on the Hyuga.' I thought calmly. However, it may seem like the engagement benefits the Hyuga clan and me. In actuality, it mainly benefits the Hyuga; they gain a connection to another dojutsu and a bloodline selection, while I gain what? Influence? No, I have Tsunade for that. A beautiful wife? She loves someone else. I have the leeway to add a few more points to the deal.
I entered the house and headed to the kitchen, knowing that Tsunade would be there. And as I thought, I saw her sitting down and drinking.
"Why are you always drinking whenever I see you here? You're drinking?" I said, laughing.
"what? Jealous you can't drink, ha! Child." Tsunade laughed as well
"you 'slept' with this 'child' just the other night." I smiled teasingly.
"don't misunderstand!" she yelled at me.
I sat down and stretched before talking to Tsunade about my training.
"I'm not even surprised that you managed to learn that technique." she sighed "the fourth Hokage was able to become the village hero with it, and here you are learning it as if it was a simple substitution."
"Though, as I told you before, you should keep it a secret now." Tsunade looked at me and said frustrated "why are you such a monster! It would've been easier if you were 'normal.'"
"you wouldn't have paid me attention if I was 'normal.'" I said, smiling "you mentioned the fourth Hokage? I thought your grand uncle created the flying thunder god technique?"
"my grand uncle? Yes, he created the technique. However, the fourth mastered it to an entirely new level, making it his own." Tsunade sighed "not saying that my grand uncle's use of it wasn't powerful."
"More importantly, I had Kiwi fly around the village for me to take in the sights and listen to the gossip." I narrowed my eyes and said
Tsunade raised her eyebrow "you are spying on the village?"
"Well, I'm not going to throw myself into the unknown, am I? So why does it bother you?" I said, confused, "if you want me to stop, I will."
Tsunade stared absentmindedly for a moment "no, it is fine; being wary is normal. It's good that you're not very trusting about the village without justification. It would have done me good to be that wary when I was younger."
It was my turn to be intrigued "what do you mean by that? Since you brought me here, I had assumed that you were confident in the village."
"The village itself is my home. As much as I hate it, I love it all the same. I want you to have a home, too; it's not good to wander around the world at all times when you're young. It would be best if you had a place to settle down. That's why I brought you here." Tsunade said, deep in thought, "but that doesn't mean I trust it. I am confident that I can protect you in case things go wrong.
"My family built this village. Yet I'm the only one left until recently." she looked up from her drink to stare at me.
"As I said before, I'll try my best to integrate myself here, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let myself get taken advantage of." I stared back at her "with that being said. It brings me to my next point."
"oh, what would that be?" Tsunade says interested.
"Kiwi followed my fiance today," I said with a smile.
"How did you even know what she looks like? From what I know, you haven't seen a picture of her." she stares at me in disbelief.
"The Hyuga is pretty famous. I had Kiwi hang around their compound, and eventually, a certain 'princess' was mentioned. It turns out Hinata is pretty famous." I said with a sarcastic smirk, "it didn't take long for Kiwi to find her after that."
"So you stalked the Hyuga princess?" Tsunade said with a deadpan expression.
"what? Why are you saying it that way? I was doing some research before the meeting tomorrow. I'm quite glad I did too." I said with an honest face.
"Hmm, found something?" she said, curious.
"oh yes, something that can be used in the future if played right." I said, smiling "have you ever heard of Naruto Uzumaki?"
Tsunade's eyes flickered for a second before answering, "yes."
I figured I could get her to tell me about him if I kept pushing, but I decided against it. "Well, it seems like my fiance has not so little liking towards him; she was apparently staring at him training all morning."
"What are you jealous?" she said, smiling.
"Are you kidding me? I can use it to get something out of the Hyuga clan during the meeting." I said, looking at her blankly.
"The meeting is for all parties involved to make a good impression, and yet you're telling me you're going to ask for something using blackmail." Tsunade almost choked while speaking, "are you not afraid that they'll pull out of the deal and end the engagement?"
"The Hyuga clan has a lot to gain from this deal. Although the clan head has a say on who his daughter marries, it doesn't mean he won't experience pressure from the rest of his clan. Hinata is in 'love' with someone else, yet agrees to the engagement nonetheless. She must have it in her head that she 'must' go through with it. If that's the case, she won't disagree with what I ask, so her father wouldn't be able to disagree either." I said, thinking about a particular topic.
"Are you going to use an emotionally unstable girl's mind against her to gain something from her father?" Tsunade said with a wry smile, "isn't that a bit too cruel, Zasu?"
"It's a cruel world." But then, I said calmly, "I only care about you and Shizune. Don't worry, though; I'm not going to go overboard with what I ask for."
"What are you going to ask for?" Tsunade asks me.
"It's simple." I smile deeply.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone