An Invitation from the Village Hidden in the Leaves

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.

September 18, x785.

Not even five minutes after Ritsu left Ur's office, the elevator doors opened again. And just like she promised, Ritsu had returned accompanied by Tsunade. However, if the tears at the corners of Tsunade's eyes were any indication, she did not have a nice trip up to the top floor of the Fairy Tail guild hall.

On top of that, Tsunade's hands were covered in the green glow of her [Mystical Palm Jutsu] while rubbing her head and stomach. So, Alfonzo, Ur, and Shizune had no doubt that she would be sober enough to discuss business shortly.

"Would it have killed you to wait until tomorrow, Kid?" Tsunade grumbled as she walked towards the couch opposite Alfonzo.

Rolling his eyes in response, Alfonzo ignored Tsunade's discontent. Instead, he turned his head towards Ritsu.

"Thank you, Master Unohana." Alfonzo said as he bowed his head politely. "I really appreciate your help."

"Think nothing of it." Ritsu replied with her usual gentle smile. "But if you truly insist on thanking me, perhaps you could treat me to a home cooked meal."

'Wow, she didn't even wait until I insisted.' Alfonzo thought to himself as he raised his head.

"Sure, I think I can manage that." Alfonzo replied. "When do you and the members of Mermaid Heel plan on returning home?"

"The plan was to leave tomorrow after lunch." Ritsu replied with her smile broadening.

"Then, you should come have lunch with us at the mansion." Alfonzo replied with a smile of his own. Then, he turned his attention to Shizune. "In fact, you and all the girls downstairs should join us, too."

"Are you sure?" Shizune asked while stealing glances at Tsunade.

"Of course, I am." Alfonzo replied with a smile, consciously ignoring Tsunade.

"Great, we'll all get to eat the kid's cooking again." Tsunade, who was focused more on healing her intoxication said happily.

"Tsuna, I don't believe he mentioned you when he gave the invitations." Ritsu said in a gentle tone.

Immediately upon hearing what Ritsu had to say, Tsunade completely froze. Then, her eyes opened wide in disbelief. A moment later, she shot a scolding glare in Alfonzo's direction.

"Don't look at me like that, Master Tsunade." Alfonzo said with a neutral expression. "If it weren't for Master Unohana, you would have unilaterally rescheduled our appointment. So, why should I invite you to my home after you did something like that?"

Tsunade wanted to rage. However, no words came out of her mouth. She knew what Alfonzo said was right. And because she had sobered up quite a bit, she could not bring herself to say anything. Not to mention the punishment she would have more than likely received from Ritsu had she done so, as well.

"You should take this as another lesson about the value of discipline, Tsuna." Ritsu chided quietly. "Perhaps you'll think of the consequences next time you decide to do something like this."

To that, Tsunade could only hang her head in frustration.

'Damn it, those girls are going to be insufferable after getting to eat his cooking while I'm stuck eating regular food.' Tsunade thought to herself. 'And I know they're not going to shut up about it until we get back to the guild, at least.'

"Anyway, now that I've brought Tsuna, I'll head back downstairs." Ritsu said with a smile. "I'm sure the girls will be thrilled to hear the good news."

Then, without waiting for a reply, Ritsu, with her usual gentle smile on her face, turned towards the elevator and started walking. And just like the last time she left Ur's office, the doors opened for her without her having to wait.

"You should go back, too, Shizune." Tsunade said after hearing the elevator doors close. "Unfortunately, your status is not high enough to participate in these negotiations."

"I understand, Lady Tsunade." Shizune said while bowing her head politely.

Then, like with Ritsu, Ur opened the elevator door for Shizune before sending it down to the ground floor.

As soon as Alfonzo, Ur, and Tsunade were alone in Ur's office, Tsunade's expression changed.

"Before we get started, let me confirm that the price for six training chambers the same size as the ones you installed in the Mermaid Heel guild hall will cost the same amount, correct?"

"That's right." Alfonzo replied with a nod, his expression turning solemn as well.

Hearing the expected response, Tsunade nodded her head.

"Then, there should be no issue with the indoor training areas." Tsunade said. "But most of the training grounds in the village are outdoors. On top of that, they are quite vast."

"Not to sound rude, but what do you want me to do with that information." Alfonzo asked with his eyes narrowed.

'The village isn't thinking of asking me to upgrade all the training grounds around the village in some way, are they?' Alfonzo asked himself. 'I mean, there are at least forty-five training grounds in the canon version of the village. And they're all fucking massive.'

"The village would like you to modify the outdoor training grounds as well." Tsunade replied, exactly the way Alfonzo thought she would.

"And what kind of terrain do these outdoor training grounds have?" Alfonzo asked, his brows furrowing as he spoke.

"All kinds." Tsunade replied. "Forests, plains, mountains, rivers, any kinda of terrain you would expect to see in Fiore." Tsunade replied.

"I bet you all don't have anything like Mt. Hakobe." Ur said, cutting into the conversation.

"That's right." Tsunade replied with a nod, not bothered in the slightest by Ur's interruption.

Alfonzo, on the other hand, had a bad feeling after seeing how calm Tsunade was when Ur pointed that out.

"But, if possible, we would like you to change that, Alfonzo." Tsunade continued.

'Yup, I saw that coming.' Alfonzo thought while not allowing his thoughts to show up on his face.

"*Sigh* And I know I'm gonna regret asking this, but how many training grounds are there in the village?" Alfonzo asked, almost dreading to hear the answer.

"There is a total of forty-seven." Tsunade replied.

"Damn..." Ur muttered.

"And do you have a map and a list of all the modifications you'd like for each training ground?" Alfonzo asked, expecting to receive a negative response.

"Unfortunately, I don't." Tsunade replied while shaking her head. "While I could tell you exactly what kind of modifications the village would like implemented, showing you a map is impossible. Because on the off chance that it was lost, it could be disastrous for us."

'I guess that's why Orochimaru was so high profile.' Alfonzo thought to himself. 'The Village Hidden in the Leaves probably did not want information about the village to get out. That reminds me, I never heard about what happened to Orochimaru after Bradley took him away. I should ask Gramps about that later.'

"And how do you expect me to quote a price with no information?" Alfonzo asked.

Then, as if she were waiting for Alfonzo to say that, Tsunade smiled brightly.

"Allow me to invite you to visit the Village Hidden in the Leaves." Tsunade replied. "Though, we'll need you to take an oath of secrecy. We can't have you divulging the location, after all."

"Yeah, because everyone who went on that joint quest doesn't have at least some idea where the village is already." Alfonzo muttered while rolling his eyes.

Pretending she did not hear that, Tsunade took a mental note to have a long conversation with Guy about staying calm in all situations later.

"Well, I have a couple of questions about that." Alfonzo said. "First, will I be allowed to bring anyone with me? I mean, even without seeing the landscape, I know it would take at least a year to modify forty-seven training grounds. Not to mention, I'd still have to build all the indoor training chambers. And there's no way I'd want to be alone for that long."

"I would have to discuss that with the Hokage." Tsunade replied. "But I'm sure that could be arranged."

'Now that I think about it, who is the Hokage right now?' Alfonzo asked himself. 'Do the Tailed Beasts exist? If so, did Minato die during its attack? There's a lot I don't know about this world's version of the Naruto franchise. But if they do exist, could I become a Jinchuriki? No, on second thought, that sounds like a horrible idea. I already have two voices in my head that I can't get to shut the fuck up. Lord knows I don't need another one.'

["Fuck you!"] Riot and Bedlam shouted simultaneously.

"It would probably be best to discuss that with the Hokage yourself when you come to scout your work sights, though." Tsunade continued, completely unaware of Alfonzo's thoughts.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Alfonzo replied with a nod. "And when would be a good time to meet with your... Hokage? I said that right, right?"

"Yes, that's right." Tsunade replied.

"Cool." Alfonzo replied. "Then, when would be a good time to meet with the Hokage and survey the work zones?"

"I assume that means you intend to take the job?" Tsunade asked.

"Not necessarily." Alfonzo replied while shaking his head. "Until I see the scope of the work, I can't say so either way. But as long as what you want me to install and the time frame you want it completed by are reasonable, I don't think there will be a problem."

"I see." Tsunade said with an understanding nod. "I suppose I can't expect any more than that."

With that, Tsunade stood from her seat on the couch. Then, she extended her right hand across the coffee table for a handshake.

"I'll relay this conversation to the Hokage." Tsunade said. "And I'll get back to you with his response as soon as possible."

"Sounds good." Alfonzo replied as he also stood from the opposite couch. "I'll be waiting to hear from you, then."

With that, the surprisingly short meeting ended. However, Tsunade was still gripping Alfonzo's hand tightly with a rather pronounced pout on his face.

"Um... Master Tsunade, you can let go now." Alfonzo said while smiling wryly.

Instead of responding, Tsunade continued to hold Alfonzo's hand while staring up at him with a pout. On top of that, she was looking at him with upturned eyes, as well. Meanwhile, both Alfonzo and Ur knew exactly why she was acting this way.

'She really wants to come to lunch tomorrow with the other ladies from her guild, huh?' Alfonzo and Ur thought simultaneously.

"Unless you plan on giving her what she wants, you'll have to use force to get away." Ur said in an amused tone. "So, what are you gonna do, Kid?"

In response, Alfonzo turned his eyes away from Tsunade to glare at Ur. Even so, he still did not speak in the end.

"Don't look at me like that, Kid." Ur said with a wide smile on her face. "I didn't do anything."

Rolling his eyes, Alfonzo shifted his attention back to Tsunade.

'That expression should be criminal.' Alfonzo thought as he looked at Tsunade's upturned eyes and pouting face. 'She's way cuter than any woman her age has the right to be.'

Although Alfonzo did not say a word and only held eye contact with her, Tsunade could feel herself getting annoyed for some reason. So, without knowing why, she began tightening her grip on Alfonzo's hand.

*Zap!*

"Kya!" Tsunade yelped in surprise as she quickly released Alfonzo's hand.

Before she could squeeze too tightly, however, Tsunade was forced to let go when a low intensity arc of electricity ran across the surface of Alfonzo's hand.

"Anyway, since the negotiations are over for now, we should head downstairs." Alfonzo said with a smile. "I really wanna take some time to relax at some point today."

With that, Alfonzo turned and started walking towards the elevator. Meanwhile, Tsunade could only glare at him with discontent. Ur, on the other hand, was thoroughly flabbergasted that Alfonzo would use his magic to get out of such an insignificant situation.

Eventually, Tsunade, after bidding Ur good evening, followed Alfonzo into the elevator. Then, Alfonzo pressed the button for the ground floor. And all though the trip down was short, it was spent in awkward silence, with Alfonzo smiling brightly and Tsunade glaring at him with a rather pronounced pout.

When the elevator eventually reached the ground floor, both Alfonzo and Tsunade were surprised at what they saw after the doors opened. And the people standing outside the elevator, Elicia, Erza, Mirajane, Marin, Sun, Wendy, Carla, Millianna, Kagura, Ritsu, Araña, Risley, and Beth were just as surprised to see Alfonzo and Tsunade standing behind the open elevator doors.

"Looks like you girls are about to do something interesting." Alfonzo said while scanning the faces of the people standing outside of the elevator.

"Yeah, Sun and Kagura are gonna have a little spar." Elicia replied energetically.

Hearing that, Alfonzo turned his gaze towards Kagura.

"I thought you wanted to fight either Mira or Marin." Alfonzo said.

"I was not the one who initiated this challenge." Kagura replied.

"Yup, it was me." Sun said happily as she raised her hand. "Millianna said that Kagura was a really strong swordswoman. So, I wanted to compare notes."

"I see." Alfonzo said with a nod. "And it looks like Kagura accepted. Well, mind if I watch, too?"

"Not at all." Sun replied happily.

"I don't mind either." Kagura added.

"Cool, then let's take it up to the tenth floor, then." Alfonzo said as he pressed the open button.

"I think I'd like to see this, too." Tsunade said as she stepped back and crossed her arms under her breasts."

With that, the group of fifteen broke into two groups before boarding the elevator in turns to head up to the tenth floor for the sparring match.