Seven years ago.
"Come on Ba-Chan," The blond pleaded, a hopeful look in his blue eyes.
Tsunade fought back the urge to shout at him, the boy could be so persistent. Then again, it was one of his more…redeeming qualities. "I told you yesterday, and the day before, I'll tell you again today and the next day. No!" she shouted the last word loud enough to make the boy jump back a little.
"But why not?" He asked sadly, trying to make her feel sad for him.
She sighed and forced herself to her feet, it had not been long since the war had ended and the injuries she had suffered still bothered her. She walked to the window slowly, as much to gather her own thoughts than to keep the boy strung up. "Because you're not ready for it yet." She said simply, realising that of all the reasons she could come up with, it was the only acceptable one; his age was irrelevant considering Garra was the Kazekage and anyone that argued he wasn't strong enough was just being ignorant in the extreme. She knew he wanted the title of Hokage for honest reasons.
He truly wanted to do good by the village, he wanted to protect it, lead it into a new age, something this 'Ba-Chan' wasn't suited for, she admitted to herself, sadly.
"Oh come on!" The boy shouted angrily, something that was another problem for him. "I beat Tobi and the Juubi! How am I not ready?" He asked hotly.
"The fact that you have to ask that proves you're not ready, dope." Another voice said. Naruto and Tsunade turned to the door to see Sasuke and Sakura walking in.
"Shut up teme, I'll kick your ass." Naruto shouted hotly.
"Give it a rest baka," Sakura sighed wirily, holding a hand to her forehead.
Sasuke only smirked, ready with another quip but Tsunade spoke before he could continue. "Yes Naruto, you did defeat Tobi, but I ask you, aside from war time, how often am I fighting the enemy?" She asked him, turning around to look at him.
Naruto caught off guard by the question stumbled over his words for a while before muttering something about how she did not in fact, fight the enemy personally until they were literally at her doorstep, or the village was at war.
"Correct, what do I do all day as Hokage, Naruto?" She asked.
"Umm…Well you…that is to say that…you uh…I don't know…" He said eventually, giving her an ignorant grin and scratching his head.
Sasuke couldn't hide the smirk on his face, he was about to make another comment, but the stern look he was getting from Tsunade stopped him from saying it.
Tsunade sighed heavily and sat back own slowly, wincing slightly. Concerned Sakura moved to help her but she waved the girl off. She didn't need her to stand up and sit down. "That is why you are not ready to be Hokage yet, Naruto." Tsunade said evenly. "You have spirit and the heart for Hokage definitely, however, you don't have the skill that comes with it." She explained making sure to keep her voice even, speaking to him as if he were her equal, something which was, thankfully, not lost on the blond.
"Being Hokage is much more than being a strong shinobi with a good heart." Tsunade continued. "As Hokage I am also a teacher to the younger generations, and I am – more often than not." She said a little bitterly. "A bureaucrat, I sit at this desk and I do paper work. I assign team's mission – some of whom do not return." She added in a very serious tone. "And I see to the daily ins and outs of the village's needs. I deal with nobles and lords from other nations and I negotiate with them, something which requires tact, a cool head and understanding. Something you sorely lack."
Naruto was about to say something about that, but realised that saying so would only prove Tsunade right. So in one of his rare moments of self-control and understanding, he only nodded.
Tsunade hid her grin when she noticed this. Then finally she gave in and pampered the blond a little. "Naruto there are some qualities that a Hokage needs, qualities that cannot be taught, and qualities that can. Luckily for you, you have the qualities that cannot be taught."
Naruto only grinned at her. "See, what did I tell you, I can totally be Hokage!" He shouted triumphantly.
Tsunade later felt guilty for the small amount of pleasure she felt when she sent the young man crashing back to reality. "True enough, but you have none of the other qualities in any noticeable form, if I left you in charge, the village would be bankrupt and we'd be at war within the week. For all your charm and sway with the other villages, they are at the end of the day exactly that. Other villages, with their own rules, their own customs and their own way of doing things, as such you are not a suitable successor for Hokage at this point in time."
The look of crushing despair on the boy's face was almost humorous to Tsunade, but she didn't let her own amusement show. His two team mates watched the show silently, though Sasuke and Sakura both had to turn their faces to hide grins, luckily neither laughed.
"In light of this I'll make you a deal Naruto." Tsunade said after a long silence. Sasuke and Sakura exchanged glances, and Naruto – who had been moping in the foetal position – sprang up to her desk a delighted gleam in his eyes.
Tsunade leaned back in her chair and took of her glasses. "I want 9," She said eventually.
Everyone in the room tilted their head in confusion.
"9?" Naruto asked. "9 what?"
"Nine shinobi," She said evenly.
Sakura and Sasuke understood then and there what she meant, but Naruto was, as usual, a little slower on the uptake.
With a sigh she reached into her desk draw and pulled out a large pile of folders, letting it hit the desk with a heavy thud, less than in inch from his nose.
Naruto recoiled and hit the ground with a soft thud. He glared at her, but she only offered him a bemused grin as she gestured to the stack of folders. The blond approached the stack of folders cautiously, as if thinking they were going to bite him.
He opened one and a puzzled expression passed of his face. "These are academy students." He said blankly.
Tsunade sighed inwardly.
Sasuke laughed and Sakura groaned.
"She wants you to be a Jonin Sensei, loser." Sasuke said. Naruto tuned to say something, before he realised the implications of what Sasuke had said were.
He did a double take and looked at Tsunade, "Really?" He asked ecstatic.
Tsunade grinned and nodded.
"Are you sure?" Sakura asked not bothering to hide the uncertainty in her voice. Everyone turned to facer and she continued, a little shakily. "Is it a good idea to leave three impressionable Genin with Naruto?" She asked. She didn't want to bruise Naruto's ego – well not a lot anyway – but she still had to speak her mind about this.
"Oh come on Sakura," Naruto said a little saddened by his friend's lack of trust in his abilities. "I'll be a great Sensei and those kids will be Chunin in no time." He said with a grin.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that Naruto." Tsunade said from her desk. The blond turned to her, eyebrow raised. "Beside passing three teams there are some other conditions I will be enforcing for this." She began, the other three moved a little closer to her.
"Firstly, only when you have tutored 9 students to the Chunin level will I begin to start your Hokage training; there are a few precautions you need to understand before you begin." She said carefully.
"And those are?" Naruto asked seriously.
"This is to be taken with the up most respect for your task. Don't think even for one second that just because you complete this task you are entitled to be Hokage." She said heavily. "I assure you that training and guiding Genin to Chunin is the most important thing any Shinobi can do. If you do not treat this task with the respect and caution then you will fail. You cannot win with persistence and fortitude like you have so often in the past. If these shinobi fail it is because you were a bad teacher. Their lives are your responsibility, and if you take that to lightly then you will never be fit for Hokage, do you understand?" She asked.
Naruto nodded "Yes."
"I'm serious Naruto," She said, standing to look him in the eye at face level. "If you let even a single Genin die because you wanted to become Hokage then I will never acknowledge you as my successor, understand?"
The tension between the two was almost palpable. Naruto took a deep breath and cantered himself before looking her in the eye.
Tsunade smiled as she saw the sheer determination and understanding shine in his eyes. She knew then and there that Naruto would train nine of the best Shinobi in Konohagakuen would see for some time, and among them would undoubtedly be his successor, she was sure of it.
"I Understand, Hokage-Sama." Naruto said bowing deeply.
Tsunade nodded her approval and sealed the Genin files in a scroll handing it over to Naruto. "I want your first team from you first thing tomorrow, read the files, tail the students, whatever you think is necessary, that is all." She said with a note of finality in her voice.
Naruto nodded again, put the scroll in his pocket and walked out of the room, waving to Sakura and Sasuke as he did so. His two team mates watched Naruto walk out of the room in silence. There was a long pause in the room after Naruto had left before Sasuke spoke. "Did you really mean it?" He asked her.
Tsunade nodded. "Every word,"
The silence hung in the air for a while before Sasuke spoke up again. "So what did you want to see me about Lord Hokage?" He asked, offering her a slight bow of respect.
Tsunade smiled. "Well I do have a few positions in ANBU that need to be filled immediately." She began.
Only once Naruto exited the Hokage's tower did he allow the massive grin to break out over his face. He looked at the scroll in his hand and could feel his heart racing. He knew just how big the responsibility that Tsunade had just given him was, and he was determined not to let her down.
He smiled as he put the scroll back in his pocket, before he read the reports he had a few people to tell about this, and more than a few people to ask for advice. He looked about himself and smiled as he recognised someone in the crowd of people around him.
"Hey Iruka Sensei!" He shouted eagerly, running over to his former teacher. "Guess what?"
Authors note:
Okay I'm working this off the manga, but I have not finished it completely, I have only read up to Naruto befriending the other Bijuu, so if for whatever reason what I say conflicts with information past that point, all I will say is that is a F**king fanfic so I don't care.
All in all hope you enjoyed, and don't wait up, I will continue this, but I will not guarantee that I will do it with any sort of regularity.
Until next time I wish you all the best.
Yours truly.
Nicolai Grey.