Chapter 3: The Death of Tsunade.

Hiashi was nervous when walked down the corridor. He always hated going through this part of the compound. He always hated having to talk to him. He always knew how to get to Hiashi. In front of the room were two of the finest members of the Hyuga clan. They stopped him from entering the room. They searched him for any concealed weapons. When they saw he had no weapons, they opened the door. Hiashi took a deep breath and walked into the room.

It was pitch black. He never let any light enter this room. Even though Hiashi couldn't see him, he felt his presence. Sitting at his desk, writing his book. It was the same as when he was a kid, and will probably remain the same after he died.

"You're late!" yelled a voice from the darkness, "You said that you would come meet with me at five o'clock. It is now seven. I guess I was right about the attack."

Hiashi lowered his head, "Yes. You were right. But why were they trying to attack me. What business do they have with us?"

The voice gave Hiashi a frightening laugh, "Please Hia-chan, you think way too highly of yourself. They were not after you. Compared to the events that are going to be put into place, the fate of our clan would is meaningless." In the silence, the sound of brush strokes filled the air.

"What do you mean?" shouted the head of the Hyuga clan's main branch, "Stop speaking in riddles and tell me what is going on!"

Before he knew it, Hiashi was flung to the wall. A hand was griping his throat. "You underestimate me Hia-chan. You forget who you are dealing with. You are merely an ant compared to the scorpion." Then in a split second, Hiashi was freed from the grip of the elder Hyuga.

While breathing heavily, Hiashi regained his composer, "Forgive me grandfather. But I must know, if I wasn't the target, who was?"

"The Namikaze heir was the one they were after."

Hiashi's mouth had dropped, "Minato's bastard. What is so important about him?"

"Well Hia-chan, besides being the Sixth Hokage, Naruto Namikaze is the last of the Third Child's bloodline."

Hiashi looked confused, "What does that even mean? Third Child of who?"

"It is not time to reveal that information and it is not for you to know. But here is some information that you need: Tonight the Senju bloodline dies."

Hiashi knew that what his grandfather meant. He quickly left the room. As the head of the council, he had to be there when the Hokage died.

The elder Hyuga was in deep thought, "The middle child's line has faded. Who will inherit the power to change the world: The child who lusts for power or the child who was all but forgotten? The Tennin have really made an excellent game to play." He chuckled as he returned to his work.

Naruto and Sakura were called into the hospital by Shizune. It turned out things were going to get worst for Tsunade. It turned out the the illness was actually a combination of her Souzou Saisei technique and something people couldn't believe she had:a very rare heart disease that is usually a hereditary. She only has a few hours, at best left to live. Naruto was pissed. He thought that she would be better than that. At best, he thought the old lady would have days, maybe weeks. But this was heavy. He and Sakura were led into the room that Tsunade was staying. She didn't look good. Her true form was revealed. She looked much older than she should. Almost twice as old as she really is. Her hair was stark white. Her body was almost withered away. A shell of her former self.

Naruto said, "It's nice to see you again Baa-chan." Sakura gently punched Naruto in the shoulder. She giggled a little. She was a little happy that he kept his inner child alive.

Then there was a groan. Tsunade slowly opened her eyes and smiled, "Always the joker. I can't believe that I'm making you my successor." She giggled as a tear rolled down her eye, "It is good to see you Naruto."

Naruto lowered his head in shame. For some reason, Naruto felt like it was his fault that Tsunade was dying. She was the only family he had left. He was from the Uzumaki clan and her grandmother was an Uzumaki. In a sense, they were cousins. But they developed a deeper bond than either of them realized. Tsunade was the closest thing he had to a mother. He had seen death before. It happens all the time on the battlefield. But this wasn't a casualty of war. This was the death of someone close.

"I'm sorry," said Naruto weakly, "Maybe if I had come here sooner, my teams medics could have helped. I could have given you some of the Kyubi's chakra to help you heal. Fuck!" Then Naruto punched the wall, creating a massive hole. Tears began to swell up in his eyes. He was suppose to be so powerful, but this was one enemy he couldn't defeat.

Tsunade smiled, "It's okay. Naurto, this is something that no one could stop. But you shouldn't worry about me. I want you to listen to me carefully. I'm proud of you. Both of you." Sakura smiled and blushed a little bit. A tiny smirk cracked through the blonde's sorrowful face. Tsunade slowly closed her eyes. But before her eyes completely shut, she saw the faded images of a young boy and a young man, standing over her, smiling.

The entire village was gathered around the grave of Tsunade, the last of Clan Senju and Fifth Hokage. It was surprisingly sunny outside. Nearly everyone had was in tears. The only ones that remained stoic were the members of Naruto's team. Kakashi shed a tear or two, but everyone else just stared. Naruto feared for his team. They had seemed to lose their value to human life. This scared him. They might do something drastic.

Madara bowed to the statue, "Our spies have found out something. Tsunade of the Senju is dead."

The statue's eyes began to glow with a white light, "What about the Namikaze? Is he dead?"

Madara stood up, "No. His power is growing. He might become a problem. Should I send the Yugare?"

The statue let out a frightening roar, "YOU DARE PUT MY CHILDREN ON THE LINE! YOU ARE IN NO WAYS CAPABLE OF MAKING SUCH A DEMAND!"

Madara stepped back a bit, "I am sorry. But may I suggest that we use her if we cannot use the Yugare?"

The statue sighed, "She is a weak child. The weakest of my daughters. Very well. She will do as you command. But be warned Uchiha, we made a promise. I hold you to that." The voice faded and the light from the eyes dimmed.

Wow. Sorry for not updating last week. I didn't because only one person reviewed. So what will happen next? Why is Hiashi's grandfather so important and cryptic? How will the village react when Naruto is announced Hokage? What is the statue Madara is speaking to? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootse Pop? Review and find out!