"On second thought," Hiruzen cleared his throat, "I think it might be a good idea to get him out of here for a bit. I'll help you find a mission. How about border patrol? That could take a good year. By the time he gets back, maybe she'll be married off already."
The Hokage's enthusiasm surprised even Tsunade. His eagerness to push her brother out of the village left her momentarily stunned.
Nawaki having a crush was supposed to be good news for the Senju clan's future. But when the object of that affection turned out to be a Hyuga, things got a lot more complicated.
Hiruzen, not one to miss an opportunity to avoid future headaches, was more than willing to send Nawaki off on a mission. He started flipping through scrolls with a fervor, hoping to find the perfect way to get him out of the village for a while.
"Here we go," Hiruzen said after a moment, pulling out a scroll. "Guarding the border for a couple of months. It's not too long, not too short. Should be just enough to let him cool off."
Guard duty again? Tsunade could already picture the whining from Xin. She quickly changed the plan to a more palatable option: guarding the shipping lanes. It would still take about two months, but at least it wasn't the border.
After securing the mission, Tsunade rushed out of the office, task in hand.
Watching her go, Hiruzen rubbed his temples. "Of all the girls in the village, you just had to go and like a Hyuga, didn't you, Nawaki? Don't you realize how impossible it is to marry into that clan?"
If only Hashirama or Tobirama were still around. With those two, the Hyuga wouldn't dare cause trouble. But now? Even if Hiruzen's own son had feelings for a Hyuga, he wouldn't dare entertain the thought.
When Tsunade returned with the mission scroll, she handed it off to Xin and Minato. "Here's the mission. You leave tomorrow. I took care of the paperwork, now you just need to get Nawaki on board."
"Great. I'll go pack. You handle Nawaki." Minato grinned and, in an instant, disappeared using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Minato's gotten way too good at that," Xin said with a sigh, watching him vanish.
"Don't blame anyone but yourself," Tsunade teased. "I gave you the same opportunity to learn it, but you couldn't figure it out. It's your fault."
"Yeah, but you used to bully Minato all the time," Xin said with a smirk. "You'd better watch out-one day, he'll come for revenge."
Minato had always joked about how he'd get back at Xin one day, especially now that his Flying Thunder God Technique was near perfect.
"Minato? Revenge?" Xin yawned, waving his hand dismissively. "Flying Thunder God isn't everything."