16 The office
Tsunade's office was quiet again, the chaos of the battlefield replaced by the steady scratch of a pen.
She signed the final document, stamped it once, then slid it across the desk.
"Well," Tsunade said, looking up at him, "that makes it official. Uzumaki Naruto, Jōnin of the Hidden Leaf."
Naruto stared at the papers for a second before taking them, almost afraid they would disappear.
"And here's your flak jacket authorization," she added. "Proof that you've made it."
He grinned, wide and genuine. "Thanks, Aunty Tsunade."
Temari folded her arms with a small smile. "Congratulations again, Naruto."
Shizune stepped closer, eyes soft. "I still can't believe how much you've grown. A few years ago you barely reached my waist. Now you're almost taller than me."
Naruto scratched the back of his head, ears turning red. "Heh… don't make it weird, Shizune-neechan."
Jiraiya chuckled. "All right, brat. You'd better get going. You don't want to be late for your own party."
Naruto blinked. "It's at eight. I've got six hours."
He glanced at Temari. "You're coming too, right?"
She hesitated. "Wouldn't that be imposing?"
Naruto shook his head immediately. "No way. You came to watch my match. You cheered me on. It'd be rude not to invite you. Besides, no one's going to complain."
Temari smiled. "All right. I'll come."
Tsunade leaned back in her chair. "By the way, Naruto… have you checked your apartment yet?"
Naruto froze. "Uh… that thing's still there?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, that thing?"
"I was gone for three years," Naruto said slowly. "I figured the landlord would've sold it off. I stopped paying rent."
Shizune frowned. "Rent? Naruto… you own that apartment. According to the village records, it's registered entirely under your name."
Naruto stared at her.
"…Then who the hell was that guy who came every month and took money from me?"
The room went dead silent.
Naruto continued, voice rising. "He took my allowance when I was a kid. Took money from my mission pay later too. Even raised the rent by ten percent when I missed a payment."
Tsunade's jaw tightened.
"Let's back up," she said carefully. "If you didn't go home, where did you sleep last night?"
"At the same hotel Temari's staying at," Naruto replied. "Dropped her off and booked a room. I was planning to ask Jiraiya-sensei to help me find a new place."
Tsunade's eyes sharpened. "You told Sarutobi-sensei about this?"
"Once," Naruto said. "He said he'd look into it. Nothing happened. The landlord just came back angrier the next month."
Tsunade's fingers curled into the desk, wood creaking softly.
Temari stood there, stunned. Jiraiya's expression darkened in a way Naruto had rarely seen.
"…I see," Tsunade said quietly.
She exhaled, then straightened. "You're moving into the Senju estate."
Naruto blinked. "Really?"
"Yes. It belongs to you as much as it does to me," she said firmly. "My grandmother was an Uzumaki. My father was half Uzumaki. By blood and by right, it's yours too."
Naruto laughed awkwardly. "I don't have much stuff anyway."
Shizune tilted her head. "You mentioned buying property earlier. What was that about?"
Naruto shrugged. "Jiraiya-sensei released a new book a few months ago. He made me beta-read it."
Temari's eye twitched. "You read that book?"
Naruto raised his hands defensively. "I didn't want to. He bribed me with a high-rank jutsu scroll."
Jiraiya scoffed. "Bribed is a strong word."
"I rewrote half of it," Naruto continued. "Cut out a lot of the garbage. Added some actual story. It sold way better."
Jiraiya turned slowly. "You did what?"
"You're welcome," Naruto said flatly. "And you still owe me fifty percent."
Tsunade's aura dropped ten degrees. "If you don't give him that cut, I'll personally put you through the wall."
Jiraiya raised both hands. "Fine! Fine! Fifty percent!"
Temari shook her head. "So that's why it sold."
"That's how I was planning to buy a house," Naruto said, steering the conversation away. "But I guess that can wait."
Tsunade nodded. "Shizune, go with him to the hotel. Help him grab his things. Then take him to the estate and let him choose a room."
Shizune smiled. "Of course."
Temari stepped forward. "I'll come too. I need to head back to my hotel anyway."
Naruto grinned. "Guess that settles it."
As they turned to leave, Tsunade watched them go, expression unreadable.
Some promotions came with celebrations.