Chapter 30

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Unedited version, will update once it's edited.

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It took me roughly two hours to clean my house and get ready for the festival Tsunade wanted to go with me. For my attire, I picked something classy, a black and white Yukata, not too expensive, not too cheap, the perfect in between. After that, I went to pick up Tsunade, who was wearing a Junihitoe… maybe I wasn't going formal enough.

"How do I look?" Tsunade asked, her cheeks once again coloring in a deep red, I suppose she was embarrassed by her outfit that no doubt had been picked by her grandma. Before I could reply, Tsunade sighed, "I knew this was too much, I told grandma, let me use a normal Kimono, but nooo, she went with the Junihitoe!"

"Relax, you look good," I assured her, which calmed her a bit. "If anything I look underdressed."

"You look good," Tsunade muttered under her breath.

"So… a question for personal curiosity," I hummed, "Is that comfortable to wear, I mean it looks… rather, heavy,"

Tsunade chuckled at my question, "Not that heavy, considering I normally use weights of over fifty pounds on each leg, this feels rather… light."

"Well let's go," I chuckled, but before I started to walk with Tsunade to the festival, Mito flickered in front of me, stopping me dead on my tracks, "Or not?"

"Tsu, you go ahead, I need to have a word with this young gentleman," Mito informed, as Tsunade gave her a look that said, I am seeing you!

"Fine… but hurry!" Tsunade eventually relented under her grandmother's stare, leaving us alone.

"So… hi?" I saluted, not sure where this was going.

"You have no idea what is going on do you?" Mito smiled, a disturbing smile… since when was she this creepy.

"That assumption would be correct, hmm yes," I nodded.

"Well allow me to color the picture for you," Mito began, her disturbing smile still in place, "You have invited my granddaughter, and future head of the Senju clan to the Festival, do you have any idea of what this entails?"

"That… we are going to the festival to eat food, and hang out?" I answered unsure of what was happening.

"God, you are denser than Hashi," Mito sighed, "The moment you enter the festival, with Tsunade… all the clans in Konoha will assume you are spoken for." Spoken for… spoken for… oh no.

"Oh… ohhhhhhh" I gasped in realization, heck the situation was so… fucked up, that my gasp wasn't a normal gasp but a french gasp the highest level of gasp, a Le Gasp.

"You are a weird mix between Hashi and Tobirama," Mito chuckled, "So… you have two options, one let Tsunade go alone… or two go with her."

Letting Tsunade go alone, what kind of monster did she think I was, "I will go," I declared, what other people thought didn't matter to me, not anymore.

"Are you sure? from that day forward… everyone in Konoha will think you two are engaged," Mito inquired.

"I won't hurt Tsunade just because I am scared of what others think, not again…" I answered.

"Then let's make it official shall we?" Mito grinned, why was she grinning… I don't like this. "Let's engage the two of you."

"For the love of… we are kids…" Especially Tsunade.

"Oh simmer down," Mito rolled her eyes, "You won't be kids in a few years, besides the engagement, it's more or less to stop the living nightmare you have brought upon me the moment you joined the clan."

"What?" Nightmare the heck she was talking about.

"This," Snapping her fingers, a seal appeared above my head, as a mountain of papers fell upon me like the sword of Damocles. "Those are just for this month, each and every single one of those eleven hundred letters, are clans trying to marry you off to one of their already adult daughters, or future daughters they are planning to have, or granddaughters... with Tsunade I don't have this problem, she is to be the head of the clan, but with you…" she grinned, "Everyone wants a piece of you… so, let's help each other out."

"Well… all is fun and such, but I doubt Tsunade will agree to any of this," As if my headstrong blonde friend would accept this, ha!

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My headstrong blonde friend accepted, rather happily might I add, I didn't even see that blow coming, no wonder Mito chuckled at my statement, so in the end, I also accepted after weighing the cons and pros… and mostly not to bother Mito with my popularity, and besides I suppose it's not that bad, the engagement is nothing but a facade that is only supposed to last until we reach our sixteen birthday, which is when Tsunade will take control of the clan and by clan law, I will be old enough to reject any propositions without consulting the clan head, archaic system, but what can you do about it.

"Let's go!" Tsunade giggled as she dragged me across the festival, all while I wondered, was Tsunade interested in me beyond our friendship? Hmmm… if so… how will I deal with it?

"Tsunade, I have a question." I sighed.

"Ok," Tsunade smiled.

"Do you like me like me?" I asked in the most childish possible way.

"I... I-I do," Tsunade stuttered, blushing once again… once.. ag… oh my god, am I that DENSE!? "Do you like me?"

Protocol avoidance activated, "Tsu we have been friends for the longest, and I am flattered you like me, but aren't we a bit young to think on any of that right now?" Perfect, I avoided answering her question, I mean… how was I supposed to answer, I am a young man reincarnated into a little boy… maybe in the future, but right now we both look like potatoes, illegal potatoes.

Tsunade grinned, her blush still there, "Well then, I will ask you again once we become adults, and I promise you… by that time, you will say yes."