Winter passed, and spring arrived.
The windows of the Hokage Office stood wide open, and tender green shoots had sprouted from the potted plants on the sill.
The atmosphere inside the office had nothing in common with that springtime scene.
Tsunade sat behind her desk, arms folded across her chest, her expression as dark as the sky before a storm.
Shizune huddled in a corner with Little Pig in her arms, barely daring to breathe.
Across the desk, Genya Uchiha and Hashirama Senju stood side by side.
Both had flushed cheeks and hazy eyes, and the smell of alcohol still lingered on them.
A fish bone clung to Hashirama's collar. Who knew when it had gotten there?
Genya was neatly dressed, though one button at his collar was fastened crookedly.
Tsunade took a deep breath, then another.
"I've found something for you two to do."
The words came through gritted teeth.
"You can't keep living it up in Konoha every single day. Even I, the Hokage, can't stand watching it anymore!"
Hashirama let out a little drunken hiccup, then forcibly swallowed it back under Tsunade's glare.
Genya rubbed his eyes, his voice rough from drinking.
"What is it?"
"The Chunin Ninja Exams being held in Sunagakure. You're going to lead our team."
Tsunade enunciated every word.
The office fell silent for a moment.
Hashirama and Genya exchanged a glance, their expressions astonishingly identical: neither wanted to go!
"What?"
Hashirama spoke first, sounding aggrieved.
"Can't the Anbu Captain just take Itachi and Shisui along for something like that? What do I need to go for?"
Genya nodded beside him, only to freeze halfway through under Tsunade's piercing glare.
"Exactly. You want us to babysit some Genin?"
"So now you're refusing?"
Tsunade raised her voice and slapped the desk, making the newly