[Tavern, same night]

"Shizune is in her, girl finally found her taste. Made sure she will not die from alcohol poisoning. What about Naruto?"

"Unconcious, he needs some time alone. I think you broke him."

"Nah, boy is made of stern stuff, he will survive. I just cut most of the puppet strings."

"You should not have done that. He will now hate Konoha."

'Jiraya and Tsunade sat down at a table in the otherwise empty inn. Tsunade smirking while Jiraya was looking angry.

"So do we."

"I LOVE my village!"

"Then tell me the real reason why you didn't want to be Hokage, and no bullshit about your research. I know you would order a different uniform and make a yearly practical test in seduction mandatory."

"Only I can use the spy network. It is important for Konoha."

"One reason, but not THE reason you reject. You are no fool, there are contingencies. And how can a Hidden village exist without a good spy network."

"Konoha prefers Battle and assassination. The village has some decent spy's but too few really are good. And these are compromised beyond belive. Some clans have decent spy's but there it's clan first, maybe Konoha second. Then there is Root."

"WHAT? Root still exists ?! Just Ochimaru was not enough was it?"

"Danzo is a fanatic. Nevertheless his loyalty to Konoha is without question. But he would not be a good Hokage, even he sees that this could lead into a civil war. Shinobi following Sarutobi's way would object to his methods."

"Great, so this is the reason. If I object there may very well be a civil war. Were it not for Naruto I'd say great and cheer from the sidelines. Hey he may follow me away and watch this hellhole burn."

"Is this what your husband, your child died to protect?"

"I said cut the bullshit. We were naïve. It was a different Konoha. Last chance be honest. What is the real reason you want me to be Hokage?"

'Jiraya knew know he had to be absolutely honest else Tsunade would never become Hokage.'

"You follow the will of fire like Sarutobi toughed and are strong. You may be the spark igniting the will of fire and make Konoha the village it should be. At the very least you will not allow it to follow the way of Danzou. Your strength is needed so that the other villages will not regard Konoha as prey. It would be expected that I fight for Konoha, you are regarded as an indipendant power and at the moment Konoha needs all it can get. There are smaller reasons. You are a LOT more civil than I which makes a better politican. You are the greatest medic in the elemental nations, and after the fight we are in dire need of medics. And I would like to see you more often."

"Tell me, is this really the village you want?"

"No. But I didn't give up like you. There are still more Shinobi truly following the will of fire than there are brainless followers of Danzo. Dare I say, it nearly is the Konoha your husband, your kid fought for. A small push is all that's needed and most will remember the will of fire. But I can't be that spark.

"Neither can I. I am old Jiraya. I don't have much fire left."

"I saw something different when you fought Ochimaru. YOU CAN MAKE THEIR DREAM A REALITY."

"Not alone. No bullshit, tell me what is really worth fighting left in Konoha."

"The new generation. They are strong and determined. They have their heart in the right place. They are already called Konoha 11. All made it through the preliminary's in their first try. You can count on most clans, exception being Hyuga."

"Which is just the biggest and most influential clan. Who would be my adversaries?"

"Danzou will probably try to mold you, control you if he can. The council, especially the civil part will make a lot of demands and try to be the ruling body. The clan council can be a pain in the ass since you could grant them even privliges but I guess the civil part with their talk over money will be worse. Oh and since we just lost our Hokage and Konoha was nearly destroyed the whole world will try and prey on us."

"Let me guess. The situation with Suna still needs to be resolved. Iwa and Kumo may make a move, maybe even a war. Just like smaller villages will try and profit from our problems – remember Amagakure? Oh and you forgot to mention, the Jonin may not like an appointed leader, some may have reservations against a woman, some may not like that they are only allowed to vote after some council made the choice."

"Not really. Most still remember you when they were genin or chunin. Those that don't know you personally are impressed by your S-class profile. You still are one of the strongest kuchoki, arguably the strongest alive. NO one will question that."

"Then Konoha has indeed fallen deep. The Jonin will not demand a vote who leads them? How can they be that easily controlled by an ineffective council and some clan heads?"

"They follow their orders all their life. You can forget to think for yourself. Some still do. I hope that most still can and that you show them how to think for yourself, how to truly follow what is right not just because you are ordered but because you believe it is the right thing to do."

"To sum it up, I should become the leader of a certain half destroyed village the whole world plans to prey on, with an elite which will try their best to make me a figurehead and pencil pusher and which I reasonably loath. You remember why I left?! That time they wanted me a baby factory and a doctor to their human experiments. You really expect me to sign up?"

'A big fake smile was on Tsunades lips while Jiraya was trying to find something positive.

"The situation is just as bad as it were in the third war. Doesn't this make you feel young again?"

'Still that big smile. Something didn't feel right.'

"This time I call the shot's right? This is what a Hokage does right?"

"Yes. You could call the shots. This time you are the leader and not just a very strong jonin… And you are not alone, there are many who will help you. I will help you"

"You know what? It does make me feel young again. Let's show all these pencil pusher and young fools how it ought to be done. " the table burst into splitter buy Tsunades hit. She was laughing madly, just like she had in old times, when the three Sannin earned their legacy, surrounded and far behind enemy lines.

"W- What ?"

"Well, what would my grandfathers do, what would our Sensei, the "God of death" do, what would the "Yello Flash" do in our situation? Easy, destroy who attacked us, tear down what hold us back. Don't tell me that we don't know about some of that Snake's base."

"But they are in different countries. This could mean war."

"Didn't YOU tell me that the village was nearly destroyed? The Yodamire, hell even SENSEI would go ALONE and tear that snake a new one. If someone had a problem with that tough luck, than that someone got torn a new one too. Jiraya, Konoha is already at war, the other nations will just have to decide if they support that snake or not. And I do not think anyone could be that dumb."

"… and you say you have no fire left in you."

"Jiraya, THIS is how I will act. Do you have my back, like in old times?"

"Did I ever turn on you?"

[Tavern, next... let's call it morning]

'Shizune was the first to awake. She saw the time and remembered that the group wanted to leave- yesterday. In panic she hastily packed her things and runs down into the bar. Nearly out of the inn her brain finally managed to register that she indeed saw Jiraya. Jiraya AND Tsunade. Without her usual body jutsu. In a position no one should ever see, that should be forbidden for people that old. Against better judgment she looked again. She had woken the two who now waved at her. She passed out.

A little later Naruto came down to the smell of ramen noodle. At least something no one had corrupted, something good he could trust. He really needed something good. His whole live had been a found a whole pot, waiting just for him. Not bothering with a spoon he took a gulp ... it tasted horrible. Slowly, very slowly he set the disgusting thing down and took a closer look. Looked right, smelled right... wait that smell... no he had learned to ignore that smell out of instinct. A drop, his eyes followed to the starting point - the typical fumes of the bar had condensed above him and now dropped into his glorious meal corrupting it like nothing before. Why not poison, he could handle poison, sometimes it gave ramen the right kick. Reality closed in, even ramen was corrupted in this world. This was too much for poor Naruto, he passed out.

He awakened in front of another bowl. Clothe inspection, a very careful test... then he relaxed. The world was right again. Just after the meal he registered the room. Shizune was drinking again (or didn't stop since he passed out, Naruto had no way of telling and the amount of bottles would support both theories) mumbling something of "forgetting some halucination". Tsunade and Jiraya sat at the table, looking at each other with a strange smile.

"Well, should we stay another day or leave for that dirty Village?"

"NO THIS IS A CURSED VILLAGE. CURSED I TELL YOU!"

'Shizune stoped drinking, concluding she was drunk enough. She couldn't even remember how she got here, where here was, or who that blond kid was. This was which was what she had been aming for, for some reason. Right, Tsunade saying something about Konoha... medical experiments, was it that? Probably.

"Tsunade I am glad that you don't want to be the leader of that hellhole."

'Tsunade and Jiraya didn't react, captured in each others eyes. Shizune's stomach had a natural reaction, her mind still thankfully paralised by the alcohol. The new puddle between both was enough to get them out of the moment.'

"Still want to go back boy?"

Naruto interrupts his busy rescue mission of ramen for a short statement.

"Have to, my nindo. I swore to protect them and I will."

"Still want to be Hokage?"

"HELL NO. I will be the best hunter nin ever! I will become strong enough to do what is right."

"See Jiraya I told you he is made of sterner stuff. Tell me, boy what would you have done as leader of that hellhole?"

"Force the Hyuga to stop it with that evil seal. Tell the civilians this is a fucking ninja village and make it that it is a really bad idear to badmouth ninja. Retrain the Anbu so that they are no joke anymore. Teach some of these fools some independence, they only act if ordered no creativity. Get back at this snake-guy, he fucking destroyed half the village. No excuse like we can't kill what we can't find. Are we ninja or what? Oh. And rebuild the village."

'Naruto had stood up and done his proclamation loudly. Somewhere in the back he heard Shizune clapping her hands. Jiraya and Tsunade had tears in their eyes. They were obviously very proud about what Naruto said.

"Couldn't have put it better myself. Jiraya, Shizune, let's go. It is a week till Konoha. Enough time for a medic, a hunter nin and two Sanin to come up with a plan to do exactly that."