"Shengu Xuan! You're going today whether you like it or not! If you don't bring Sasuke back, no more barbecue for the rest of your life!"
Tsunade's voice, like a roaring lioness, echoed through the Hokage's office, making the windowpanes buzz.
Shengu Xuan, who had been about to step through the doorway, stopped dead. He turned his head, his lazy, half-asleep expression vanishing in an instant, replaced by an extremely dangerous, icy gaze. He stared fixedly at Tsunade and said through gritted teeth, "You old hag, you dare threaten me with my barbecue?"
"Hmph, so what if I do?" Tsunade folded her arms. Though inwardly somewhat intimidated by Shengu Xuan's terrifying strength, she maintained a composed front. "You forced my hand. As long as you bring Sasuke back unharmed, not only will I keep covering all your barbecue bills, I'll triple the bonus for this mission! Well? Are you in or not?"
At the words "covering all your barbecue bills" and "triple the bonus," the chill in Shengu Xuan's eyes instantly disappeared. Resuming his flippant expression, he picked his ear with his little finger and drawled, "Deal. You could've just shown that kind of sincerity from the start, instead of making me lose my temper. But let me make this clear now: I'm only responsible for bringing him back. If he's missing an arm or a leg, that's not my problem."
"As long as he's alive!" Tsunade let out a long sigh of relief and quickly handed him a personnel list. "These are the Genin the village can spare right now. Pick a few quick-witted ones to help you."
Without even looking at the list, Shengu Xuan casually rattled off several names. "Naruto Uzumaki, Shikamaru Nara, Kiba Inuzuka, Neji Hyuga, Choji Akimichi. Those brats will do. Just enough for a