Naruto jumps in surprise as Pervy Sage falls face first onto the table. "Granny! I think Pervy Sage is dead!"

"Don't be silly," says Tsunade. "I put a sedative in his food."

"Why?" asks Naruto.

"Because I want to go to the hotsprings before we leave," Tsunade tells him. "But the ones in this town are mixed bathing, and there is no way I am going to give Jiraiya the opportunity to peep on me so openly."

"Oh." Naruto's face falls. "I wanted to go to the hotsprings too. But I've been so busy training and -"

"Just come with me."

"But I thought you wouldn't want-"

"You're a kid. Jiraiya's, well, Jiraiya," Tsunade points out. "Besides, your mother was from the same clan as my Grandmother - her great niece, or something. We're related, so stop that line of thought right there."

"Okay!" Naruto grins.

"You coming, Shizune?" Tsunade asks, as she gets up to leave.

"No," Shizune says, shaking her head. "Some one better stay and make sure Jiraiya stays unconscious. Besides, I went while he was drunk and unconscious last night."

"Okay then. Come on Naruto!"

"Coming Granny!" Naruto jumps up and runs after Tsunade.

"Stop calling me that!"

"But I've never had a Grandparent before!" protests Naruto. "'Cept Gramps Hokage. Besides, you're actually related to me!"

"Yea, as a distant cousin."

"But...but...I never had an adult female relative…!"

Tsunade feels a definite tug on her heartstrings. Poor kid. "Fine," she relents. "You can call me 'granny'. But if anyone else does, I will break them so badly even I will have trouble putting them back together."

It is Naruto's first time at a mixed bathing hot spring, and he is a little nervous that he will get beat up for staring at a strange girl. To his relief, there are only two other people there, a fifteen year old boy and a lady who looks like she's Shizune's age.

Naruto goes over to the boy to make friends with him, while Tsunade sits next to the lady and chats to her about the price of sake.

"I'm Naruto," says Naruto, brightly. "Who are you?"

"I'm Chojuro," says the boy shyly.

"Soooo, are you a ninja?"

"Yes."

"Cool, so am I. I like to prank my foes rather than kill them. The ANBU nick named me 'The Orange Terror'. And like, a few weeks ago, I pranked some guy called Orochimaru, he's supposed to be some S Rank missing ninja or something, but he was easier to take out than the One Tail."

Chojuro just stares at Naruto, a look of disbelief on his face.

Over on the other side of the pool, the Lady Tsunade is chatting with is complaining about the scarcity of nice men. "I mean, how am I supposed to find a nice man, who is a good ninja, loves kids and doesn't mind doing hours of boring paperwork?"

"My village doesn't have a shortage of those," drawls out Tsunade. "Or, at least it didn't last time I was there. For all I know they all got married."

Chojuro sighs. "That's Lady Mizukage, she just wants to get married."

"Wait, she's the Mizukage?" Naruto whispers in awe, looking from Chojuro to the auburn haired lady and back.

Chojuro claps his hands over his mouth, wide eyed in horror.

"Are you guys undercover?" Naruto whispers, conspiratorially.

Chojuro nods.

"Sweet," Naruto grins. Then he sloshes over to the two chatting ladies. "So Chojuro accidently let slip that you're the Mizukage." he says conversationally. "Granny Tsunade is gonna be the fifth Hokage."

"I'm sorry Mei-sama!" Chojuro apologises frantically.

"It's alright, Chojuro," says the Mizukage, patting him on the head.

"In the old days, he probably would've been killed for a slip up like that," remarks Tsunade.

"True," says the Mizukage. "But those days are over. Now that I'm in charge, the Mist will move towards more peaceful, kinder ways."

"So do you wanna join our peace movement?" Naruto asks. "The Rain and the Leaf and all our allies are joining together and making permanent alliances with other villages. We have the sand and the Akatsuki on board, and the Akatsuki are in the middle of convincing the Stone. Our aim is world peace, and no more ninja wars!"

"That seems to be an intriguing idea," muses the Mizukage. "But how would I know you aren't trying to trick the Mist into an alliance so you can stab us in the back later?"

"Konoha is full of single men," says Granny Tsunade, apparently catching on to Naruto's idea. "You can take your pick. We'll organize a political marriage alliance, how's that?"

"You would find me a husband in the name of peace?" the Mizukage seems surprised.

"Yep!" Naruto confirms cheerfully.

"So, Naruto," asks Granny Tsunade. "Who are Konoha's current bachelors?"

"Well, there's Ebisu, Kakashi-sensei, most of the ANBU, Ibiki - actually, no. Sakura said Ibiki's started going out with Anko. I suppose we should make up a list, huh?" Naruto says, thinking hard.

"Wait, are Ibiki Morino and Anko Mitarashi dating?" Granny Tsunade asks. "Since when?"

Naruto shrugs. "I dunno. I didn't even know who they are until a month ago."

The Mizukage says, "What if you pick a guy I don't like, or who doesn't want to marry me? I don't want to force someone to marry me."

"I suppose we can set you up with a marriage interview with the men that fit your criteria," says Granny Tsunade. "You can pick the one that's right for you. And if we don't find him in the Leaf, we'll just have to go through our allies' supply of men."