I, Your Father, Carry a Big Stick

After spending the evening with Tsunade, Wu made a light breakfast for everyone living in the main house before everyone headed out together for their morning training. It was becoming a tradition of sorts for all the compound's residents to gather whenever he returned from a long trip, so Wu spent the morning sparring and testing everyone's improvement while Hashirama observed and offered pointers from the side.

As it had only been about a month since he saw everyone, Wu was a little surprised to see how much some people had grown. Kagero, in particular, had been training with Hashirama to master her Forbidden Jutsu. It was a technique that was 'supposed' to be limited to a single use, but so long as she had someone nearby that could heal her, Kagero could use it as often as she liked.

When active, Kagero's 'Antlion Ninja Art: Ephemeral' allowed her to sprout four insect-like wings formed from Chakra. She could fire off said Chakra in a single burst capable of 'obliterating' a small hill from existence, but it was infinitely more suited to being a utility Jutsu as it allowed the user to fly and teleport short distances.

As her health and fitness continued to improve, Kagero could maintain her Ephemeral transformation for longer periods. She was no longer the pitiful and emaciated girl Wu had stabbed in the ass more than a year ago. Now, her figure was nearly identical to Sakura's, and while that still left a lot of room for improvement, particularly around the chest area, she was happy, healthy, and a complete nympho in bed...

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After reluctantly refusing Temari's invitation to go and watch the latest Princess Gale movie, Wu made his way over to the Hokage Tower to see what Hiruzen wanted to discuss. There, he found the man up to his neck in paperwork, his face somehow looking even older than when he was a much older man.

Catching the weary Kage by surprise, Wu popped up next to him and asked, "You gonna be okay, Jiji?" in a concerned-sounding tone.

Though his left eye twitched, Hiruzen managed one of his characteristic grandfatherly smiles as he replied, "So long as a certain someone keeps their promise, I can hold out a few more years."

Nodding his head in approval, Wu walked around to the front of Hiruzen's desk before asking, "So, what's this about you needing my input regarding Kumo? Has the Raikage finally decided who he was going to send over...?"

Returning a nod of his own, Hiruzen revealed, "Indeed. And that's just one of the issues I'd like you to address..."

Reaching into one of the desk's drawers, Hiruzen pulled out a file and slid it across the table for Wu to peruse for himself. What he found within was the profile of a young girl with brown skin, black hair that reminded him of Fu, and silvery-grey eyes. The smile she displayed in her picture made her seem like an incredibly social girl, but Wu frowned when he noticed that the girl's Shinobi Registration Code was blank despite Kumo's graduation age being 10-12. She was currently thirteen, so that could only mean she had flunked out of the program...

Looking at the name listed in the profile, Wu muttered, "Aya...? Why does that sound foreboding..."

Confirming Wu's suspicions, Hiruzen revealed, "She is the daughter of the current Raikage, Ay. When she failed to become a Shinobi, she was all but disinherited. Now, however, he has proposed sending her to Konoha as a 'liaison' of sorts. More specifically, he wants you to take her in as both an apprentice and a potential member of the Senju Clan..."

Though he assumed someone as old as Ay would have at least one kid, Wu didn't expect him to have a 'useless' daughter. The thought of having such a burden thrust upon him made him annoyed, but, at the same time, Wu was kind of interested in seeing if he could make her 'useful.' Sakura and Ino were exceptionally weak when he started training them, but now the duo was among the most promising members of their generation...

Having made up his mind, Wu responded, "Inform him of my acceptance. However, I have no intention of playing babysitter to someone that might prove to be useless. If they're going to send her over, they should at least send that Mabui woman with her."

Nodding his head in approval, Hiruzen mused, "I'll be sure to relay your words. Now, onto the second matter..."

Reaching into his robes this time, Hiruzen pulled out a scroll with red and gold accents, indicating it was an A-Rank Mission Scroll.

Not expecting to receive an 'official' mission, Wu's brows perked up as he asked, "What's this? Someone trying to lure me into a trap by specifically requesting my services...?"

Without waiting for Hiruzen's response, Wu opened up the scroll, a rare expression of astonishment adorning his face as he read the contents. At the same time, Hiruzen caressed his pointy beard and explained, "The Fire Daimyo himself has petitioned to have you serve as an escort for the Land of Fire's most celebrated Actress, Fujikaze Yukie. She appears to be the favorite actress of his niece, Princess Naho, so if anything were to happen to her, the young miss would be beside herself with grief..."

Finished with the scroll's contents, Wu remarked, "It says here that the duration is between 1-3 months and that I need a Team to accompany me as 'additional support.' Since when did I become a Jonin-sensei...?"

Without missing a beat, Hiruzen mused, "Around six years ago? You can't deny that you've done more for the current generation than most. This is an excellent opportunity for you to promote their growth even further. As much as you enjoy your freedom, I know you enjoy improving yourself and watching others grow even more..."

Rolling his eyes, Wu pocketed the scroll and warned, "You should prepare your armor and steel yourself. I just told Tsunade I wouldn't be leaving for a while, so she's probably going to beat your ass when I inform her I have an actual mission."

Though he tensed noticeably, Hiruzen managed to retain his smile as an awkward chuckle emanated from his throat. He wouldn't even be bringing up the mission if it wasn't a direct request from the Fire Daimyo...

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"Damn that old bastard! I'll wring his neck...!"

After receiving the bad news from Wu, the only thing preventing Tsunade from charging over to the Hokage Tower was the enormous bottle of sake he pulled out of his Storage Pouch.

Before she could ask, Wu explained, "Enma-jiji and the Monkey Clan are experts in the production of wine. This is something I had them brew for me a while back. It's been anointed the Immortal Monkey Wine, and, as the name implies, it effectively suspends the effects of aging for anyone who drinks it. Just be 'extremely' careful, as drinking more than a single shot has the same effect as a revitalizing peach..."

Though he knew giving Tsunade a bottle of sake was like giving someone in the desert a glass of water, Wu chose to believe she had enough sense not to drink herself into infancy. Fortunately, she had already taken steps to reduce her drinking, so there shouldn't be any significant issues...

Deciding not to risk it, Wu retracted the bottle before the starry-eyed Senju could seize it, stating, "On second thought, I'll be entrusting this to Shizune. If I come back from my mission and discover you've become a toddler, I'm spanking your ass every day until you mature..."

Furrowing her brows, Tsunade asserted, "I might enjoy drinking, but I'm not an alcoholic, Wu. I can restrain myself when I want to..."

Nodding his head, Wu replied, "I have absolutely no doubts about that. However, considering your 'condition,' I'd rather play it safe. Besides, if I'm really gone for three months, you might get so lonely that you grab the nearest bottle without thinking..."

"..."

Deciding she would rather not argue about it, Tsunade crossed her arms and asked, "So, have you decided who you'll be taking with you? If not, I suggest taking along Sakura. If anyone in the production team gets sick or injured, she'll be able to treat them without you needing to utilize your Mystical Monkey's Palm or the revitalizing peaches."

As Sakura was fairly high on the list of candidates he was considering, Wu didn't hesitate to reply, "Fair points. Besides her, I'll most likely be taking Kaia and Fu. I want to take Temari, but it would probably send Suna into a tiff if I were to take a political hostage on an A-Rank Mission. The odds of anything happening are pretty slim, but I figure it's better to be safe than sorry."

Since Tenten, Hinata, and Ino were away on missions, Wu didn't have the option of taking them along. Tayuya was far too standoffish to work with a group of civilians, especially in her transformed state, so Kaia, Fu, Kagero, and maybe Hanabi were his only options. He could invite Tsunade, but he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she would refuse.

Approving Wu's selection, Tsunade nodded her head and replied, "Those three are certainly the most suitable for the task. As for whether or not anything will happen...I've learned the hard way that the less you expect an incident to occur, the more likely it is to transpire. You're very powerful, Wu. Give it a few more years, and you may even surpass my Grandfather in his prime. However, even that won't make you immortal. Never let your guard down, and make sure to look after those girls..."

Though he 'really' didn't need to be told such things, Wu nodded his head as if he was taking Tsunade's words to heart. He had yet to meet a single person as 'meticulous' as he was when it came to planning and preparing countermeasures. Besides, if someone was fast and powerful enough to blitz him before he had a chance to respond, they 'deserved' to have his head...

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After wrapping up his conversation with Tsunade, Wu confirmed Fu's participation in the mission before making his way over to the Inuzuka Clan Compound and Konoha Hospital. Kaia didn't hesitate to agree, but Sakura was a little trepidatious as she hadn't gone on a mission since she became Tsunade's apprentice and Naruto enacted the Clan Restoration Act.

Fortunately, while Sakura sometimes lacked confidence, she more than made up for it with her rapidly improving capabilities. Wu just needed to state a few objective facts regarding her growth, and she was more than prepared to take on 'any' mission, much less a simple escort assignment.

With the members of his Team decided, Wu gave the girls two hours to prepare before flying each of them over to Taki to let Fu offer up a prayer to the deceased villagers. The escort mission had already been delayed nearly two months, so the production company could wait another day or two for them to arrive. After all, they were getting 'the' Senju Wu as their escort for a mere 400,000 Ryo per month. That was less than the passive income the Senju Clan earned in a week, so they had practically won the lottery by getting the Fire Daimyo to mediate on their behalf. Thus, even though he was usually a very punctual person, Wu gave Fu the time she needed before flying the girls to their penultimate destination, the largest shipping and export city in the Land of Fire, Yokohama Port...

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(A/N: Wu is gradually collecting all the people that can fly xD...)