Shizune looked over Tsunade watching Naruto sleep "How's he doing?"

"He's collapsed from exhaustion." Tsunade told her "And his right hand is severely burned from concentrated chakra. He's out of it, he won't wake up till the day after tomorrow at the earliest. That boy Tatsu was right about me, to think I've sunk so low I'd bet against a kid. What am I getting so torn up about? It's his problem not mine."

"And tomorrow? Please tell me you're not going tomorrow."

No response.

"Why don't you answer? Say something! Lady Tsunade, answer me! I need to know because if you tell me you're going…"

"What then?"

"I will try and stop you if even if it costs me my life."

"Shizune, have you forgotten who you're talking to?" she then knocked out Shizune with one blow to the gut and left the room.

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As they made their way to rendezvous with Tsunade, Orochimaru ordered Kabuto to kill Shizune to be on the safe side, and so Kabuto went off in another direction.

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"Hey, where the heck am I?"

Shizune finally too "Naruto, I-" then she freaked "Naruto, what time is it? What day is it today? What day? What time?"

"It's Monday morning. Why? What is it?"

"It's amazing, are you sure you're feeling alright? You were supposed to be out for 2 full days at least."

"Not a chance, no matter how beat up I get just give me a good night's sleep and I'm right back at the top of my game."

'Of course, the Kyuubi.'

"I know what you're thinking, and his name is Kurama. Besides, I've got a date to keep with that rotten old witch Tsunade! Today's the day I wipe that smirk off her face."

"So you've mastered the jutsu?"

"Tatsu gave me a little tip that he used to perfect it, I've just been pretending to struggle this past week to screw with her. Honestly, Tatsu's a pranking genius. If I had him with me when I was a prankster I'd be unstoppable!"

Shizune laugh, then winced 'What am I doing? We're running out of time.' she quickly bolted to her feet "Stay here Naruto, you hear me? Stay here!" she opened the window, only for a kunai to whiz past her face "What in the world?"

"Hey." Tatsu stood there with Dosu's arm slung over his shoulder "So the procedure went well?"

"Um, yes."

"Good. The anesthesia hasn't worn off, so he's a little out of it."

"What're you talking about? I'm fine…" Dosu mumbled "Onward to Oz!"

"...See what I mean? Anyway, where's Tsunade."

Then Shizune got back on topic "She went to meet with Orochimaru."

"Spill the details on Tsunade and Orochimaru, what kind of deal are they making?"

"I never imagined she would go through with it, and that's why I didn't say anything about it before. But now… There's no time to lose. You must come with me quickly, I'll explain on the way."

"Let's move. Naruto, take Dosu." he shoved Dosu over Naruto's shoulder and rushed off in the lead.

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Orochimaru found Tsunade "Well, what's your answer?"

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Naruto stared at Shizune in horror "You can't be serious, the answer has to be no, at least it'd better be."

Tatsu frowned 'Sorry Jiraiya, but things are worse than you thought. Could it be that the loss of her loved ones has clouded her judgment? You give me no choice Tsunade, if I have to kill you then I will and I'm the only out of the 4 of us who can.'

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Making him swear to leave the Leaf alone, Tsunade prepared to heal Orochimaru's arms, but before she could do so she was stopped by Kabuto, who realized that she was planning to attack him, so he decided to force her as the battle began, taking it away from the castle ruins.

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By the time Tatsu's group showed up, he knew they were nowhere in sight "Naruto, Dosu, remember this sight. It's the effect caused by a maiden's wrath. Or simply put, Tsunade was pissed off by something."

Shizune looked down 'So this must mean she refused him.'

"Let's move before we get caught here and have to pay for property damage."

"But where is she now?" asked Dosu.

"Well I could sense her chakra, or I could just follow the path of destruction. Alright guys, let's move."

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Though Tsunade had far more battle experience, Kabuto was able to hold his own and even managed to land a few debilitating attacks.

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Tatsu sensed out the situation 'Three large chakra signatures, there's Tsunade and Orochimaru so that last one must be Kabuto.'

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"So you fear the sight of blood eh?" Kabuto charged in with a kunai "Let's put it to the test shall we?" he prepared to bring it down, only to be interrupted by a smokebomb.

Then Tatsu, Dosu and the others appeared "Hey, sorry we're late."

Then Naruto took a minute to recognize Kabuto "Hey, Kabuto aren't you?"

Kabuto smirked "Naruto."

"Yeah, we took the Chunin exams together. What're you doing here Kabuto?"

"Out of the way!" then Tsunade charged "Stay out of this, I can handle them!" she charged and forced Kabuto on the evasive "So you recovered quickly. No matter, you're still not at 100%! The game's up kid!" she watched Kabuto pull out a kunai "Too late for that!"

Blood spilled, and Kabuto smirked "Your jutsu has worn off, now I am at 100%."

Tsunade froze 'Blood…'

"I knew that I'd never be able to take on Tatsu as well as one of the legendary Sannin at the same time, but now at least I've got one down!" Kabuto slugged Tsunade in the face, knocking her back into Shizune.

Naruto blinked "I don't get it, what's going on? I'm confused, did I miss out on something? How come Kabuto and Grandma Tsunade are mixing it up?"

"I see you're as… slow as ever… Naruto… No wonder you're no match for Sasuke."

"Hey, low blow man!"

Tatsu smacked him on the head "Have you not been paying attention you idiot? Just look at his headband, he works for Orochimaru and always has."

Kabuto nodded "That's right, I'm a spy from the Village Hidden in the Sound."

Naruto froze "But… a spy? That's impossible. You don't really mean it? But you- you helped us get through the Chunin exams, you saved our lives."

"Only in order to gather information about all of you, that was my mission. Indeed, I learned one very important thing about you Naruto. You lack any ninja ability, you're not a bit like Sasuke or like Tatsu over there."

Naruto looked back to where Tsunade was trembling 'Grandma Tsunade.'

"Go on, glare at me all you want. You're still just a pint-sized genin that's in over his head. I admit that the demon inside of you had me worried for a time, but surrounded by two of the three legendary Sannin and Tatsu I see how insignificant you are. Next to them, you're a mere child sitting at the grownups' table. Stay out of it, or die."

"Oh yeah?" Naruto charged in blindly 'His right hand, I think it's hurt. I can hit him with multiple attacks, then come at him from the right side where his defenses are weak! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he summoned a barrage of clones that all shot out shuriken and formed several hand seals "Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!" the shuriken multiplied, and all of the clones charged.

Kabuto managed to dodge most of the shuriken, receiving a few shallow cuts across his body but nothing more, and managed to dispel the clones with ease before throwing the original away.

"Naruto!" Shizune caught him and spat out some needles.

'Poison needles! My reflexes are still out, I can't dodge them! If I can just…' Kabuto moved his head down to block them.

'He blocked them with his headband!'

Kabuto retreated to Orochimaru's side and pulled out a food pill.

'So that's it. Plasma pill."

Naruto finished wiping his eyes of the blood Kabuto spilled "Plasma pill?"

"He's trying to replace the blood he's already lost, so he's a medical ninja like me."

"We can't have too much blood, can we Kabuto?" Orochimaru chided.

Kabuto smirked "Lord Orochimaru, isn't it time to take the bandage off your arm?"

Orochimaru bit off the bandages for one of his arms.

Tatsu stepped forward "Now we can finally get down to business. Shizune, you and Naruto take care of Kabuto while I take care of Orochimaru myself and Dosu will back me up. Lady Tsunade, use your healing jutsu and rest for now."

"What about me?" asked Naruto "What should I do?"

"Have some Shadow Clones guard Tsunade and the pig, the real you is Shizune's backup. Kabuto might be partially right when he says you're in over your head, but I know you can handle him, but only him. Orochimaru is one of the Sannin trained by the Third Hokage himself, whom he also killed. I'm gonna need to pull out all the stops to beat him. Besides, Kabuto could go toe-to-toe with Kakashi if he had to, but you're skilled and crafty enough to at least hold your own for awhile."

"Don't worry, not a problem."

"Remember, clones won't work here. With someone like him it wouldn't even distract him, you'd just waste your chakra. These two are a dangerous pair. So then Snake-Pedo, let's get this started." his eyes turned blue with golden irades as his Tenseigan flared into life, then he bit down on his thumb "Summoning Jutsu!" he slammed his hand into the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Kabuto took some of Orochimaru's blood and slammed his head into the ground, summoning a three-headed snake.

Tatsu looked down at the ground and saw a note where his summon should've been "What the hell?" he read it "An IOU? We're sorry, but all dragon summons are currently on a yearly retreat to the home of the hawks. Please try again later. Are you kidding me?"

Orochimaru smirked "Well Tatsu, still playing the fool I see. Your father always was ridiculous as was your father, but this time you've outdone even him. Those dragon summons truly are a pest aren't they?"

'Well how do you like that, I got screwed before the battle even started.'

"You're as big a disgrace as your father was."

Naruto finally had it 'That's it, I'm not gonna stand here and let that slimy son of a bitch insult Tatsu!'

Orochimaru took a moment to recognize Naruto 'That's the Kyuubi brat from the Chunin exam, I suppose I should've killed him when I had the opportunity. For the sake of the Akatsuki and their goals, I let the boy slip by. But the only ones ever capable of breaking a 5-pronged seal were the Third Hokage and we of the legendary Sannin.'

"That may be, but Jiraiya is training the boy." Kabuto pointed out.

"You could be right, if he's learned to wield the power of the Kyuubi then it's not impossible. Then again, that doesn't appear to be the case."

"Well he never had any skill as a shinobi to begin with."

"Now then, let's begin!" Orochimaru had the snake charge in "I want you to leave the Kamikaze boy to me, the rest are yours to play with as you will."

"Now that is a shame, I'd been hoping to test my mettle against someone who could defeat one of the Sannin!"

"I merely underestimated him, that's all!"

"As you say lord Orochimaru." the snakes hit the ground and Kabuto charged forward and slugged Shizune in the face, sending both her and Shizune crashing to the ground.

Tatsu watched as Naruto got eaten by a snake "Naruto!"

"You're dealing with me, boy!" Orochimaru appeared behind him "I still owe you for that Rasengan in the Forest of Death."

"No problem. Dosu, do it!"

"Right! Earth Style: Dark Swamp!" Dosu formed several hand seals, and both snakes were drowning in mud 'The bog is way too small, it's not deep enough to sink them. It's not a total loss though, these snakes aren't going anywhere in this state.'

Orochimaru smirked "Most impressive Dosu, you've improved."

"And I still owe you for sending my team on a suicide mission!"

"I suppose the loyal dog wasn't so loyal."

"Well I just found a better master."

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Kabuto dodged several poison needles and hit Shizune with his Chakra Scalpel, sending her back.

"Ninja Art: Poison Fog!" Shizune unleashed a poisonous cloud.

'One breath of this and I'm a dead man.' Kabuto was quick to hold his breath, then quickly disappear "Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!" he grabbed Shizune from underground, still using his Chakra Scalpel.

"My leg tendons…"

"No way in hell I'm letting you eat me again!" Naruto broke free of the snake's mouth, letting it drown.

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"Get ready boy." Orochimaru charged in.

"Lightning Style: Thunder Armor!" Tatsu was covered in a layer of lightning chakra, frying Orochimaru's foot as he attempted a kick.

"Even if I am impaired, you haven't a chance of beating my true power. You might as well give up already."

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Tsunade was frozen 'Blood…' she slapped Kabuto's hand away frantically.

Kabuto scowled "What a tragedy, I had only the utmost respect for you as a fellow medical ninja."

"Stay back! Get away from me!"

"Please get ahold of yourself Lady Tsunade, else the name of the Sannin of which Lord Orochimaru is counted weep for shame." he started kicking at her, despite her frantic screams.

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Orochimaru smirked "To think your potential is wasted by plodding along dutifully for the village with those brats in tow. Such talent wasted."

"You obvious don't understand it." Tatsu snarled "What it means to fight to protect something."

"So be it, there is another. With that brat over there, all I see is insipid mediocrity."

"Then you're a fool, he's got more potential than either me or Sasuke. Still though, where's the fun in teaching a kid who's already a genius to begin with?"

"How touching, you're drawn to him because he reminds you of your dearly departed brother is that it? That brat over there could never beat the Uchiha, born as he was into the shinobi art of Sharingan. Without a Sharingan, poor Naruto hasn't a chance of surpassing him. A shinobi's strength rests upon his ability to obtain and master all the jutsu of this world. The very reason we are called ninja is because of the many ninjutsu arts that we wield."

"You're wrong, that's not what makes a shinobi though I can't expect you to understand. A true ninja is one who endures, no matter what gets thrown at him."

"A difference of opinion I suppose."

"Let me explain something to you. There's only one thing that matters if you're a shinobi, and it's not the number of jutsu you know. All do you need is the resolve to never give up, and Naruto has that in spades." he flashed into his Tenseigan Chakra Mode "And I should follow his example. Dosu stay out of this, I'll take it from here."

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Naruto appeared and blocked Kabuto's fist with his headband "Back the hell up, you traitorous son of a mather f*cker." he forged his incomplete Rasengan.

Kabuto easily sidestepped the attack and severed the tendons in Naruto's leg 'I don't know what jutsu you've learned, but you'll need to be more subtle than that if you want to beat me.'

'It's no use, I'm not gonna be able to hit a moving target.'

"It looks like you fractured the thigh bone in your left leg during your little tussle with the serpent, if it were only the bone then you could still move but it's beyond that now. I've severed the lateral vastus muscle in your right leg as well."

'What do I do? I need both my hands to do this, if he gets even one of my arms then it's over!'

"What's the matter, are you frightened? Hope you don't feel like running away." he held up one of his Ninja Info Cards "Naruto, as I remember you were nothing but big talk during that first Chunin Exam. Don't underestimate me, I don't run away. I don't care if I'm a genin the rest of my life, you guys aren't going to scare me off. I'll still be Hokage someday. So where's all your big talk now? You're not a kid anymore, you don't want to shoot your mouth off like that. Admit when you're in over your head, sometimes it's better to run away."

Naruto shot a fierce glare.

"Come now, what's the matter? Why such a look? If I kill you then you can kiss your dreams goodbye. Little kids think life is so easy, that's why they're always going on and on about their dreams. That's why they never give up." he started kicking Naruto "They go chasing after some stupid dream, and they die."

Then Naruto caught Kabuto's foot "That's enough! I'm not gonna run away! I never go back on my word! That's my nindo- my ninja way!"

Kabuto fired up another Chakra Scalpel "You should've stayed out of this Naruto." with it he smacked Naruto to the ground.

Naruto stood once more.

Tsunade had been shaking and watching the battle this whole time, and finally reached the point where she had to ask "What're you doing?"

Naruto slowly got to his feet "Alright Grandma…"

Kabuto scowled "Still haven't had enough?"

"Get ready to pay up on our bet, that cursed necklace of yours is about to be mine. Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he formed a single clone 'Like I practiced, just keep focused.'

Tsunade stared in horror 'Shadow Clones can't help him here. Enough, Naruto you don't have to protect me! Stop already!"

Kabuto drew a kunai "I warned you not to be stubborn, now you die!" he charged "You've just thrown it all away, dreams don't come true when you're dead!"

"Just get out of the way Naruto! No, look out!"

"Don't you worry about me." Naruto stopped the kunai with his bare hand, then firmly gripped Kabuto's fist "Until I become Hokage I don't care what happens, I'm not gonna die! Okay, let's see you dodge me this time." the clone began building the chakra in his hand "Okay, let's see you dodge me this time!"

"He's channeling chakra again, like before." Kabuto noticed "No, this is different!"

Tsunade felt realization hit her like a ton of bricks "Now I see, he made up the clone to gather his chakra. Ingenious."

"Compress the chakra… keep it going… Rasengan!" Naruto slammed the Rasengan directly into Kabuto's gut, sending him tumbling back into a boulder.

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While clashing with Orochimaru, Tatsu observed Naruto's victory and smirked 'I knew he'd do it, good job Naruto.'

Orochimaru scowled 'A child mastering a jutsu like that, it's unheard of.'

"For the record, I mastered it before he did."

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Tsunade was just as awestruck 'It's impossible, but he did it. He actually mastered the Rasengan in one week!'

Kabuto had a huge wound grinded into his chest, but still smirked 'Any second now…'

Then Naruto suddenly coughed up blood, then blacked out and collapsed.

Tsunade rushed over to his side, then looked at Kabuto "And you, how can you be standing after that?"

Kabuto chuckled "I focused my chakra at the point of impact, before he'd even hit me I'd started healing myself. You see now why Lord Orochimaru values me so highly, not only for my skills and knowledge of jutsu but most of all for my recuperative powers. No matter how great the injury, I can repair and re-energize any damaged cells. But there is a limit, and I'm almost out of chakra. Naruto on the other hand doesn't have that gift, he looks finished." he slowly limped forward, then stopped 'What?' his glasses cracked 'No!' he collapsed 'I never thought- Even with my healing powers, the damage was too great, and now I haven't enough chakra left.'

Tsunade checked Naruto's heartbeat "His heart is failing." she opened his jacket and put her hands on his chest "The muscles surrounding his heart have been torn to shreds."

Dosu limped over "But how did he do it, and when?"

Tsunade froze 'Wait, of course. That moment just before they separated, Kabuto must've struck his heart.' she placed 2 fingers on Naruto's chest 'Stop shaking, get a grip.' she sliced open his t-shirt.

Kabuto smirked, despite his position "You're wasting your time, it's all over for him. With the last of my strength, I severed his heart's chakra network. I cut him off from getting any help from the Kyuubi, and he hasn't the power to save himself. I'm telling you, he's finished. Dead. All your skills are useless now-"

"Oh shut up! You'll be dead soon, I'll see to that." Tsunade let out a gasp 'He's stopped breathing… no… no… no! I won't let it! Don't die! Don't die! Don't die! Don't die!'

Then Naruto suddenly reached up and grabbed Tsunade's necklace "Hey… don't forget… our bet… I won… remember?" then he passed out.

"To be Hokage. That's still your dream Naruto, isn't it?" she held his hand in hers, healing chakra flowing into it 'One more time. Just one more time, for the last time, I want those words to be true.' she placed the necklace around his neck.

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Orochimaru smirked "Poor boy, I really don't think he'll make it."

"You're forgetting Tsunade's healing powers." Tatsu pointed out "Don't worry about him, he'll be back on his feet in no time."

"Perhaps so, but that's not what I meant."

"Forget Naruto for now, I'm the one you should be worrying about."

'There's far more to this little genin than meets the eye. There's no telling what might happen if the Akatsuki get their hands on him, but if he were to die right now-' he dove down.

"No!" Tatsu dove after him.

Orochimaru extended his tongue and used it to grab Tatsu by the ankle.

"What the f*ck?"

Orochimaru used it to slam him into the ground, then charged towards Naruto and unleashed his Snake Sword.

'He's coming for the boy.' Tsunade suddenly appeared in front of Naruto and took the blow for him, the sword straight to the chest, causing her to cough up blood.

Shocked, Orochimaru retracted his Snake Sword "Tsunade, you are the one person I wouldn't want to kill. Listen to me, if that brat is allowed to live then it will mean more trouble than you and your friends could ever imagine. Stay out of my way."

"No, you listen to me. If I do nothing else, I will protect this boy."

"And how do you plan to do that? Look at you, your body is shivering like a leaf in the wind. Besides, why would you, one of the Sannin, risk your life to save a lowly genin?"

"By saving him, I'm saving my home, the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

"You really think you're protecting the village?"

"You see, this boy, this lowly little genin, has been chosen by fate to be Hokage someday."

"What nonsense, even if it is true what of it? Who cares about the Hokage? Only a fool would want that job."

Tsunade froze, and after moment of thinking of what everyone told her, and was quick to regain her resolve "From now on, I'm gambling everything too. I'm putting my life on the line."

"Well if you're really willing to throw your life away for the sake of one insignificant brat then I'm happy to accommodate you!" he slashed Tsunade across the chest with his Snake Sword, drawing blood.

"Now all that's left is Naruto himself." Orochimaru brought down his sword again, only to see Tsunade take the blow instead 'She's torn to ribbons, and she can still move that quickly. You really are determined aren't you? I'm impressed."

"Didn't I make it clear enough you fool? I meant what I said, I will die before I let you touch him!"

"You're half dead already!" Orochimaru kicked her to the ground "Such brave talk but look at you, you're still trembling all over. Poor thing, you just can't shake your fear of blood can you? You see how pointless it is, and all for what? For the sake of an obnoxious little boy you don't even know? For the sake of a worthless village you left behind years ago?"

Tsunade stopped trembling.

"What?"

Tsunade sent him flying with a kick.

"You stopped the trembling, how?"

"I finally remembered something. I've been chosen as the Fifth Hokage of the Leaf Village." a mark appeared on her head.

'What? What's that mark? Whatever you call yourself, it makes no difference. You may have conquered your inner weakness, but what about the rest of you? You can hardly expect to defeat me in your condition."

Tsunade formed a hand seal "Reserve Seal Release! Ninja Art: Mitotic Regeneration!" all of her wounds began healing themselves.

'What jutsu is this? It seems I'm not the only person who's been spending their time discovering new jutsu. This one's very impressive, how's it done?"

"My chakra, for years I've stored it up in a space behind my forehead saving it for such an occasion. With this chakra reservoir, my body's ability to create new cells is accelerated. The cells divide rapidly, spreading throughout my body and regenerating any damaged organs. It's like having the ability to reincarnate. You see you can slash away at me all you want, but I can't be killed." she rubbed some of her blood on her hand.

Kabuto froze 'Oh no, that can only mean- Lord Orochimaru!"

Instantly, Orochimaru was by him.

Tatsu blitzed over to Tsunade 'I'd better use my Tenseigan chakra to make this sure it's the real deal this time.' he bit down on his thumb "Summoning Jutsu!" he slammed his hand down, and summoned the dragon boss Ryu.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Tsunade summoned the slug boss Katsuyu.

"Summoning Jutsu!" using Orochimaru's blood, Kabuto summoned the snake boss Manda.

"Manda and Orochimaru, Katsuyu and Tsunade." Ryu noted "We're only missing Bunta and Jiraiya, but I think we can make it work."

Tatsu smirked "Fighting in the same battle as two of the legendary Sannin is a one in a lifetime chance. Your little grudge against Manda has been going on since the Second Great Ninja War, I think it's about time to end it. I'll finish what Jiraiya started and put Orochimaru out of his, Jiraiya's and Tsunade's misery once and for all."

Manda was already pissed over just being summoned "Well Orochimaru, why have you dragged me here? You know I don't like being summoned. Maybe I should just eat you and be done with it."

"No, please don't talk that way Lord Manda." Kabuto pleaded "You'll be well rewarded for your trouble, don't worry."

"Who do you think you're talking to, you little bug? What would the likes of you have that I could possibly want?"

That shut him up.

"So Orochimaru, when this is over I'll expect 100 human sacrifices."

'If Manda finds out that his master can't use any of his jutsu, he's more than likely to betray us. This was a mistake, no matter how hopeless things looked he never should've summoned Manda. Not in his condition.'

"Katsuyu, see to the boy." Tsunade instructed, referring to Naruto "Take him to Shizune quickly."

"Yes my lady, at once." Katsu formed a mini-clone of herself from her flesh, and it carried Naruto on its back down to where Shizune was "Shizune, please look after the boy. The battle to come promises to be a most fearful one. You and this clone of myself must take the boy somewhere safe and see that no harm comes to him. This is the wish of your mistress."

Shizune looked up 'Lady Tsunade…'

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"I'm going to pop you like a balloon you damned lizard." Manda snarled.

Ryu drew a tanto blade "You're one to talk, but if you wanna try I've always wanted a snakeskin wallet."

"Orochimaru, you are no longer fit to be one of them." Tatsu declared "Your evil is finally at an end."

Orochimaru smirked "One of them? What an insult."

"After this, there'll be one less Sannin in the world." Tsunade declared.

"Acid Slime!" Katsuyu made the first move towards Manda and unleashed her Acid Slime.

Manda circled around a large boulder and dodged the acid, then constricted himself around Katsuyu with his body "I'll start with you!" he made to devour her.

Then Ryu charged in with his tanto 'I could just fly in and swoop down, but where's the fun in that?'

Manda bit down on the tanto.

"Now Katsuyu!" Tsunade barked.

"Yes my lady." Katsuyu split apart into thousands of mini clones and rebuilt herself outside of Manda's grip.

"They're coming." Ryu warned "Alright Tatsu, get ready!" he was quick to dodge his tanto blade that Manda threw at him, causing it to land near Tsunade and Katsuyu.

"Tsunade stay back, I've got this!" Tatsu went through several hand seals "Ryu, you know what to do!"

"Right! Wind Style: Dragon Cyclone!" Ryu breathed out a tornado.

"Fire Style: Crimson Dragon!" Tatsu breathed the red fire dragon onto Ryu's wind attack, enhancing his fire exponentially, engulfing Manda and his party in a massive explosion of flames.

When the flames cleared, it was revealed that Manda had shed his skin and dodged the flames at the last second.

"I should've figured, too easy." then he felt shaking "Crap. Ryu, up!"

"Right!" Ryu took to the air just in time.

Manda emerged, clearly pissed "Come down here coward!"

Tatsu smirked "Or you could just get a huge hole through the mouth. Now Lady Tsunade!"

"Right!" having carried Ryu's tanto into the air while Manda was distracted, Tsunade drove the tanto down through Manda's mouth "There, take that!"

Orochimaru scowled 'Fighting one Sannin is hard enough, but with that boy too?' he extended his tongue and grabbed Tsunade by the neck with it "I've often wondered what it would be like to wring that pretty neck of yours."

'No chakra… can't get loose…'

'You say you can't be killed by a blow in battle, but what if I keep squeezing the life out of you as quickly as you can regenerate it huh?'

'I haven't the strength… How long? How many more seconds can I keep this up? I can't give in! I have to give it everything I've got!" with a burst of strength, Tsunade broke free and swung Orochimaru towards her, and sent him crashing to the ground with a mighty fist to the face, then swung him back up "Come on, I'm just getting started!"

"I'll take it from here!" a voice called.

Tsunade looked up to see Tatsu holding a gigantic ball of chakra "Is that what I think it is?! He wasn't bluffing, he really can make a Rasengan.'

"This is it Orochimaru! This is for you insulting my father, for what happened to my sensei during the invasion, and this is for the Third Hokage! GIANT RASENGAN!" Tatsu charged down and slammed the Rasengan into Orochimaru's gut, sending him crashing down to the ground below. He landed beside Tsunade, panting heavily "There, got him."

"I had him!"

"No you didn't and don't try to bluff. You forget that I can sense chakra, and you're almost out of the stuff. Look, just wait until you're back at full strength and then we can go after him."

"So you suggest we just let him get away?!"

"For now yeah, we've gotta play this smart. Now come on, let's go get the others." he leapt back down to the ground, with Tsunade following reluctantly.

"Fine brat, I'll play along for now."

Manda let out a grunt "He made me clumsy and careless, I'd eat you both right now but I won't be swallowing solid food for weeks thanks to this hole in my mouth. But if we meet again- well he'd better hope we don't." and he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

From within the smoke, Orochimaru stood, battered but still conscious "Tsunade… so you refuse to heal my arms do you? Very well then, I don't need you. There is one other way. I will destroy the Leaf Village, depend on it. I hope we'll all meet again very soon when I once more walk among you. Until then my dear old friend, when I return with the Elixir of Life I'll show you what it means to be truly immortal…" and with that, he disappeared into the ground.

"We'll meet again…" then Kabuto formed various hand signs and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Tatsu winced as he powered down 'Damn, cracked ribs and a broken foot. Then again, I'm lucky to get out of a fight with Orochimaru alive with just that. 4 minutes and 52 seconds, I was cutting it close.' he turned to Tsunade "You alright?"

Tsunade grunted "Don't worry about me, I'm one of the Sannin. I'm just fine. I wish I could be sincere, the side-effects of my jutsu are kicking in. Already, my body is…' the mark on her forehead reappeared.

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Tatsu knelt down beside Naruto "I told you he could do it. You know Jiraiya's right, you can't recognize a fool's bet to save your life."

Tsunade looked down and remembered her bet with Naruto and his declaration of his dream to become Hokage 'Nawaki… Dan…' then she felt pain "The jutsu's side-effects…" her transformation wore off.

"I see… Oh lord I can't unsee that!'

"It's alright, if I rest a bit then my younger form will be restored. I'll go into town, and once Naruto's recovered we can head back to the Leaf Village.."

"Lady Tsunade…"

"No more first names, you know what you've got to call me now."

"Right. Lady Fifth."

"For the record Tatsu, you fought one of the Sannin and defeated him." Dosu pointed out "This probably isn't the best time, but I think you've earned a rank higher than just chunin."

Tsunade nodded "That's true. Tatsu, what would you say if I were to promote you from chunin to Tokubetsu Jonin?"

Tatsu shrugged "I'd have to say thanks but no thanks. My brother rose through the ranks every chance he got and became and ANBU at age 14, but because of that the only true friend he made was Itachi and look how that turned out. I wanna take my time going through the ranks, making friends and building bonds. If I wanna be a jonin, I'll wait until I'm a little older and more experienced."

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Naruto was pissed when he got clued in "What?! The Fifth Hokage?! Unbelievable, I'm out of it for a few minutes and I wake up to find out she's the Hokage!"

"You've been out of it for 2 days." Tatsu pointed out "What're you so mad about anyway?"

"Come on, shouldn't the Hokage be kind and wise and everything like the old man used to be? And she's well mean and greedy, and with a nasty temper, and she's not all that smart. Nothing personal or anything, but it's a big job and I'm not sure if she's up to it. On top of that, she's a 50-year old lady who uses jutsu to look like a young woman. I just wonder if we really want a Hokage like that. You know, someone who's living a lie."

Then Tsunade had it and got up in his face "You wanna take this outside kid?"

Tatsu sighed 'Great, this again. Dosu, Shizune, be prepared to retrieve the body."

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They were outside again.

Tsunade smirked "I may not be anyone's idea of perfect but I am Hokage now, and even though I shouldn't dirty my hands on a little squirt like you one finger's all I'm gonna need."

"Not this time grandma, and stop calling me squirt!" Naruto yelled "Right now I'm just a kid, but I'll be Hokage myself one day! You asked for it!" he charged in with a fist.

Tsunade ducked and knocked off his headband, then prepared to flick him.

'No, not the forehead again!'

But instead she kissed him on the forehead and lightly tapped him "You'll grow up to be a fine man. And a great Hokage too.'

Naruto gave a huge shit-eating grin "You bet!"

"Alright people let's head out, the Leaf Village is a good walk away.

"Ichiraku's here I come!" Naruto took off in the lead.

"5 minutes before he realize he has no idea which way to go."

"I think he's got the right way." Tsunade just smiled and walked after him 'Do you see him Nawaki, Dan? Be at peace my beloveds, your dream is still alive in him…'

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After 2 days of travelling, the group returned to the village.

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Tsunade wasn't keen on all of the duties "I hate all of this, my body's sore and stiff. All I want is to sit down and relax with nice hot cup of tea."

"Not so fast." Tatsu appeared in front of her "I think there's something you're forgetting."

"And that would be?"

"Healing my dying sensei!"

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Yugao was holding Hayate's hand as he lay there unconscious 'Hayate…'

"Can I come in?"

Yugao looked to see Tsunade coming in "You're lady Tsunade…"

"Yugao." then Tatsu came in "Don't worry, she'll heal him. I promise."

Yugao bowed "Please, if you can heal him…"

"I'll see what I can do." Tsunade placed both her hands on Hayate's chest, then she suddenly stopped "Shizune, begin preparations for surgery. I'll take care of Kakashi while you do that."

Tatsu stared at her for a moment 'Her chakra pattern is fluctuating, that's not a good sign.'

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Tsunade sighed "Disgraceful, to be taken completely out of the game by two lowlife punks like that. I thought you were supposed to be the best."

Kakashi looked down "Sorry to disappoint you."

"Just don't let it happen again." then she turned to Tatsu "We need to talk." she quickly led him out of the room.

"Be real with me, will he pull through?" asked Tatsu quietly.

Tsunade let out a long sigh "Honestly, the chances aren't great. Most of his internal organs are failing along with a large number of the cells in his body, sheer willpower is the only thing keeping him alive right now. Even if he were to wake up, he'd be physically incapable of carrying out the duties of a shinobi."

"So he has no chance? Will he at least live?"

"The chances aren't great. No one but me could even attempt the operation, but even with my skill the risks would be enormous."

"What risks?"

"The chances of it being successful are 50/50 at best, and if it should he fail then he'll die, end of story."

Tatsu looked down, his hair covering his eyes "I see. Thanks anyway." and with that, he slowly made his way out of the hall.

"If I had known you'd say that, I would've gotten him out of there."

Tsunade looked to see Mizuki in the doorway "I understand. Believe me, I get no pleasure from this. But he needs to know the truth, and to know it now. A choice has to be made and he's the only one who can make it, putting it off won't make it any easier."

"Hayate always said that if anyone was going to pull the plug, he wanted it to be Tatsu. I can't even imagine how much pain he's feeling right now."

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Naruto had brought Sasuke and Lee into Limbo "So this is it."

"This is Limbo?" asked Lee incredulously.

"Exactly, Tatsu told me about it. No other people, no landscape, dilated time so it's the perfect place for training. Plus you can meet all these dead guys here so you can learn all sorts of techniques."

"So why did you bring us here?" asked Sasuke.

"Because there's something I have to tell both of you, and someone you both should meet. For the record, Tatsu knows about this." he took a deep breath "12 years ago, the Kyuubi attacked our village…"

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Tatsu stood by the bridge, gazing down at the river 'Hayate-sensei has a 50-50 chance of surviving the operation at best, and if it fails then he'll die. But if he doesn't get it, he'll almost certainly die. Is it worth the risk?'

"Tatsu, there you are."

Tatsu looked to see Ino coming up to him "Oh hey Ino, listen now's really not a good time."

"I heard Hayate-sensei is gonna have an operation."

"Yeah, he's got a 50-50 chance of pulling through and if it fails then he'll die."

"And lady Tsunade can't do anything?"

"She's the only one who can even attempt it, and the chances still aren't good."

Ino wrapped her arms around him "Just remember, if there's anything I can do to help just let me know." and she walked off.

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Tsunade looked around "Look at this place, not a single gambling hall anywhere."

"Well you don't have time for that anyway." Shizune pointed out "There's an awful lot of work waiting to be done."

"Nowhere to gamble or get a drink, what a boring little dump the Leaf Village is. It's no fun at all, just like the Third Hokage."

"Lady Tsunade!"

"I'm exhausted, I just wanna sit down and have a drink somewhere. Is that too much to ask?"

Shizune stopped suddenly "If that's what you want, if it's absolutely necessary then I'll find you a place where you can have a drink alright?"

"Really?"

"But only if you promise to get to work."

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Tsunade wasn't amused 'Seriously?'

Shizune couldn't hide her grin "Go ahead, you wanted a drink so go on and have a drink."

"Look Shizune, a cup of tea wasn't exactly what I meant."

"Oh I know what you meant alright, I think sometimes I know you better than you know yourself."

"What does that mean?"

"Part of you was relieved you couldn't get into the Hokage's rooms because it meant you wouldn't have to do any work right? That's why you left it to Naruto's Shadow Clone, hoping you'd get a day off."

"Maybe."

Shizune handed her a book "Anyway, here's the updated roster of the newest ninja. You should really go over it, there've been a lot of changes in personnel. You'll need to familiarize yourself with them. You have a lot of work to do."

"It's all such a bore."

"Look, they have sweet dumplings!"

"You know those things make me gag."

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Naruto finished explaining the situation to Sasuke and Lee "Hence why we're here."

"So you're the human jail cell of a gigantic dog?" asked Sasuke.

"Pretty much yeah."

"HEY!" a pissed off Kurama barked from behind Naruto "I resent that!"

"Sorry."

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Tsunade looked at Hinata's file "8 D-rank missions, 3 C-rank missions, exactly like Kurenai's own team. It's not hard to see what the Third Hokage was thinking." then she went onto Shikamaru's file "This squad is a mirror of their parents' team."

"I see." then Shizune got out Lee's file "Look how well-balanced this squad is, each member with his or her own specialty."

Tsunade stood "My neck's getting stiff, I need some fresh air." and she walked out.

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Naruto finished explaining to Sasuke and Lee about the Akatsuki "So that's about it."

Sasuke put a hand on Naruto's shoulder "Don't worry, we'll all be ready to face these Tailed Beast hunters or whatever, but don't forget that Itachi's mine."

Lee nodded "Same goes for me, but I want Kisame myself."

Naruto smiled "Thank you."

"By the way, where's Tatsu?" asked Sasuke.

Lee looked away "He's not taking it well."

"Taking what well?"

"Hayate-sensei. He needs a surgery, but the chances are 50-50 at best and if they fail then he won't survive. Tatsu isn't taking it well."

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Shizune found Tsunade actually studying the jutsu Kabuto used to create new cells and maybe apply that technique to Hayate to increase his odds of surviving the surgery.

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Tatsu sat on the roof of his apartment building, lost in his thoughts 'Hayate-sensei…'

"Hey."

Tatsu looked to see Mizuki climbing up the wall behind him "How'd you know I'd be up here?"

"I didn't, this is where I come to be alone. Naruto and Ino and the others are worried about you. I know you don't want them to be concerned like that."

"I don't, but… look Mizuki, you know how I feel about this. Hayate's the closest thing to a father I've ever had, he took care of my brother and me until I was 5 when we started sharing an apartment after he became a ninja. It was nice for awhile, until my brother was killed by Itachi. I was in a dark place after that, but Hayate-sensei was there for me and helped me become stronger. I probably wouldn't be a ninja without him. But now…" he gripped his fists tightly, tears streaming down his face "But now it's not the same, he was there for me but there's nothing I can do to be there for him! I'm useless right now! I don't know what I do… tell me Mizuki, what can I do to fix this?"

Mizuki sighed and put a hand on his shoulder 'It must be painful, knowing the one you admire most is about to be ripped away from you and you're helpless. Listen Tatsu, if you wish to be free of this suffering then you need to have some faith. If you lose him, you'll undergo pain far worse than what you're feeling right now. But if he pulls through, all of your pain will be gone. Tatsu, there will be times when you're helpless to stop things from happening no matter how much you wish you could. But even if you don't have any say in a matter, there are others who do. Hayate has too much to live for, not just you but Yugao too. Hayate's will is strong, I promise on my life that he'll pull through. And besides, if you can't trust your favorite academy teacher then who can you trust?"

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Morning came.

Shizune woke up to find that Tsunade had increased the chances of Hayate surviving the surgery up to 58%, and smiled "Lady Tsunade."

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With Jiraiya and the elders behind her, Tsunade stood before the entire village "From this day on, I shall protect the Hidden Leaf Village as the Fifth Hokage!"

Tatsu could only smile 'Don't worry old man, the will of fire has been rekindled and now it's stronger than ever.'

A/N:

I know you guys are probably mad at me for cutting out Jiraiya and by extension the whole 3-Way Deadlock, but it's to show how formidable the power of the Tenseigan is even at Tatsu's current level.

That little scene with Tatsu and Mizuki is to prove 2 things.

First, to show Tatsu's emotional side.

Second, to further emphasize Mizuki being a good guy.