MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE – I CAN'T DO IT
The New Hidden Leaf Camp
Eventually the villagers stopped their retreat, settling on a spot they considered ideal for a camp. It is here that the Hokage would train for the upcoming tournament, that either the impossible would become possible or they would all die. This was the place that their destiny would be decided, that they would either overcome the odds or die trying.
Shortly after reaching this place Naruto and Hashirama were separated from the others, left alone under the shade of the wispy trees. Not even Hinata and Mito stayed with them, having more urgent things to arrange, shelter, water and medical attention for those with injuries.
Hashirama had woken up with only Naruto for company, the two Hokage who mirrored one another in so many ways.
"He was my best friend" Naruto explains, thinking about Sasuke, "He was a good man at heart and after the war… it seems he was a good man until the very end".
"It was the same for Madara and I" Hashirama smiles while noticing the similarities between them. It seemed to him as if he and Madara had been born again in the future, the result being the rise of Naruto and Sasuke. Of course, this is closer to the truth than the 1st Hokage realises.
"Well Old Man Six Paths did say that you and I were both transmigrants of his son Asura". It was not too long ago that Naruto met the sage of the six paths, that they shared a conversation about Naruto's ambition, about his philosophy. It is a philosophy created by Asura and passed down through Hashirama, Naruto and many more before them.
"Asura?".
"Yeah, Sasuke and Madara were transmigrants of Indra, the more talented brother. We are transmigrants of the brother with no talent to speak of".
Hashirama bursts into a bout of laughter. "That sounds about right".
"Don't you think it's funny old man 1st?".
"What's that?".
"You and I are sitting here, broken and beaten yet we have to prepare for the contest, we have to defend Earth. Despite that, our talented friends are dead".
"From what you told me, they did their bit to defend us today" the 1st Hokage leans gently back against the stretcher, referring back to Naruto's version of events.
If what Naruto had sensed was correct then both Konohamaru and Madara had been summoned, probably by Mitsuki. Both had fallen before Sakura arrived, making Sasuke stop in his tracks. After Sasuke had killed Sakura, their daughter Sarada had been driven mad, meeting the final requirement for her unlocking the rinnegan.
Naruto understood the conditions for required for the rinnegan better than most. The rinnegan had been unlocked by Madara and Sasuke when they had fused Senju and Uchiha chakra together. Though that hadn't worked for Sarada, the loss of a loved one had. He silently concluded that because Sarada's Mangekyo Sharingan was taken from Sasuke that she had yet to fulfil the condition of losing a loved one. That is perhaps, why Sakura's death had been the awakening for her daughter.
"I guess they did their bit to defend us. They really are special, the Uchiha clan". Naruto has had limited experience with the Uchiha clan, most of them dying when he was very young. He had met a few though, Sasuke, Itachi, Madara, Obito, just with this sample his words took a lot of meaning. Truly they were something special.
Footsteps sound from the nearby grass as a woman approaches. A woman who had not so long ago been in the heat of battle against Uchiha Sasuke. That woman is Senju Hashirama's granddaughter, Senju Tsunade.
"Grandfather… Naruto…" she calls.
"Tsunade" Hashirama waves more enthusiastically than his condition should allow. "You've come to visit your poor old grandfather".
"Stop acting like an old man" Tsunade shouts while she waves her fist at her grandfather, "You're not that old yet".
"Hey Grandma Tsunade" Naruto then shouts as he too waves enthusiastically towards Tsunade.
"I'm not that old either, I'm not that much older than you kid".
The 1st Hokage laughs hysterically at the scene before him. With all the death and destruction this world has become filled with, he decides that it is good to laugh when he can. The childish banter that Naruto generates is always a good source for laughter.
"All of us are old men and women when you think about it" he declares.
"Are we… if Himawari is… uh… how old is Himawari?". Naruto hasn't been in this time for very long, not long enough memorise the ages of his children, the dates of their birthdays. Things he hopes to do after liberating the world.
Tsunade shakes her head at the duo. This world had become so serious with so much death, with nothing but bad news and these two were taking it so lightly. It is as if they have no recollection of the upcoming contest, no idea that it will probably be their turn to die next.
"So Tsunade, to what do us old men owe the pleasure of your visit". The old-man / grandfather asks.
"Actually" Tsunade answers, "I'm here to see Naruto".
"Me…".
"What did you want to see me for" Naruto questions.
This is the first time that Tsunade has seen Hashirama awake since the battle against Peterson. For that matter, with the exception of Naruto has seen Hashirama awake. Now that his granddaughter is here she hasn't come to talk to him but instead his 'roommate'.
"It's about your new arm" Tsunade explains. Even Naruto who is not an expert at reading people can tell that she is not in a good mood.
"The one that will allow me to use my full power again?". Indeed, the arm would give Naruto access to his full power once more. A power he hasn't been able to use since losing his arm against Sasuke in the final battle of the 4th Great Shinobi War.
"I won't be able to give you a new arm".
"What… but… why…" Naruto stutters one word after another. Perhaps Sasuke could do it but from a purely selfish point of view he didn't want to walk around with an arm for the rest of his life. More importantly than that the contest was fast approaching. Together he and the Sasuke of this time were unable to defeat General Clyde so how could this him possibly do it without his full power.
"In the panic after Sasuke arrived, the prosthetic we were developing was destroyed" the 5th Hokage elaborates.
When Sasuke had arrived, panic had indeed been the reaction. Those from the past were actually relatively calm compared to the villagers, that is because those villagers understood just how legendary the Uchiha clansmen was. They had grown up with the knowledge of Sasuke's deeds, of his battles against the Kage, against Madara and against Naruto. Such a man was more respected than anyone with only one exception to be found. Uzumaki Naruto himself.
"Can't you just make another prosthetic".
"Without Sakura to talk me through the procedure" Tsunade begins before hesitating, "I'm sorry but I can't do it".
"There has to be another way" come the protests of the man who would become the 7th Hokage, "I need to be at my full strength to fight Clyde".
Tsunade knows that Naruto is right. This man Clyde is a general. That may not sound threatening, after all Kakashi was a general in the 4th Great Shinobi war but this was a general of the invading forces. Only two generals had ever been witnessed by the people of this world and one of them was secretly seen by Boruto. Every general that had ever been seen was incredibly strong, stronger than even Naruto and Sasuke who had inherited six paths power.
In her mind Tsunade did question how the generals were so outrageously strong, but quickly dismissed the thought, deciding that it didn't matter. All that matters, is their survival.
"Perhaps grandfather could do it. He was a genius medical shinobi".
"Tsunade, I may be a medical shinobi, that much is true. Further to that, I could also heal wounds without weaving signs. That is enough for me to be considered a genius".
"Still, you are more than that" Hashirama asserts. "You are a doctor, someone who understands the way the body works, the way chakra flows through it. I cannot do what you do, I can only heal wounds. Transplanting an arm… no, this has to be you".
Naruto firmly resolves himself. "Lady Tsunade, what are the risks? If you were to make a mistake in the procedure how bad would it be".
"You would die".
A blunt response leads to an explanation.
"If I joined your new arm incorrectly chakra would flow through key points in the wrong direction. If I created the prosthetic incorrectly then it would be just as much a disaster".
"So it's not a very enticing choice" Naruto sighs.
"Choice" the 5th Hokage says the word as if she has just heard a great joke. "How is it a choice at all? If you let me do this operation you will die".
"Probably".
"Almost certainly" Tsunade retorts.
"But, it's not that different if I don't have the operation, is it? You weren't there when we fought the colonel, his power was on level with if not greater than my own".
"I cannot win if I don't get stronger".
Tsunade raises her hand and shakes her head, "I'm sorry, I can't do it".
After that, she walks away without another world said.
"Tsunade…" Hashirama says under his breath.
Four Days Later, An Abandoned Field
Four days after the battle of the rinnegan users, Kakashi stands opposite Minato in an abandoned field. He judges from the climate and the environment that they have now reached the land of hot water.
As the copycat shinobi looks at his teacher he admires the rasengan in his hand. Namikaze Minato had created this technique but had never mastered it, that duty was accomplished instead by his son.
"That's right sensei" Kakashi encourages, "Just add spin".
As the rasengan begins to spin even more violently Kakashi encourages his teacher further.
"Just a bit more spin and you're there".
Minato is unsuccessful in adding said spin though. Instead the blue ball of chakra in his hand begins to expand rapidly before blowing up in the face of the 4th Hokage. The power of the explosion is quite dramatic, knocking Minato onto his back and several meters away. To him this sort of power is incredible, unthinkable even. Despite that he recalls the tales of his son's power, Naruto had become even stronger, Naruto had become the one to unite the tailed beasts and fulfil the prophecy left to the sage of the six paths by the great toad sage.
Kakashi approaches Minato and offers him a hand. The hand is quickly accepted and working together they pull the Namikaze clansmen to his feet.
"Dammit, how did Naruto master this so quickly?" Minato resists the temptation to stamp his feet. He had been told that his son didn't have much talent, so how could he accomplish so many legendary feats.
"He used clones, thousands of them, that way he could learn quicker" Kakashi explains. He understands the method well, after all, he invented it.
"I can't train with clones" Minato shakes his head, "I don't have the chakra required for such a thing".
"I know, you will have to rely on your own talent Minato sensei".
"Yeah. Kakashi, you're spending this time helping me with my training, how is your own training going?". Minato has no recollection of Kakashi training since coming to the future. The 6th Hokage was a relatively weak Hokage as well, his lack of training against a foe like a colonel could prove fatal.
"I have my own training planned, Mitsuki is going to help me with it. We will be leaving shortly".
"Leaving?" Naruto's father starts.
"Don't worry, I will be back before the contest begins". Although the mask covers Kakashi's face Minato can tell that he is smiling. It brings him a personal sense of satisfaction, rarely had Kakashi been seen to smile in his youth. It would team 7 brought a great deal of joy to him.
Looking to his side Minato smiles, "Here she comes".
"Hey, Minato, Kakashi" comes the call of the aforementioned woman. That woman is of course Minato's wife, Uzumaki Kushina.
"Hey Kushina, how is Naruto?".
"It's not good" Kushina frowns, "Tsunade has said that she cannot do the operation without Sakura's support".
The masked shinobi sighs, now that Sakura has died perhaps he knows Naruto's past better than anyone in this world. It is important to understand that even Boruto and Himawari didn't fully understand the full power of Naruto and Sasuke until they witnessed it recently.
"I would never have imagined that my students would be so important in so many different way". Despite his regret Kakashi feels a semblance of pride. Not only was Naruto being relied upon to save the world with his strength but Sakura was a legendary medical shinobi who even Lady Tsunade herself came to rely upon.
"Can't she at least try?" Minato asks.
"She says that the chances are Naruto would die. He told her to do it anyway but… she says she can't".
"Is there really no way?" Minato is anxious at this. The only display of his son's strength that he has witnessed was his ability to create clones but that was amazing enough. Not only was it so amazing but it was also completely effortless and despite everything, when a captain arrived Naruto didn't even flinch at the thought of fighting him.
"Mito and Biwako are trying to convince her to try it anyway but it's not looking hopeful" Kushina sighs, wishing that she herself could do something, her powers are unique but unfortunately not even the Uzumaki clan powers can help her now.
Kushina continues. "It's an enormous burden, if she were to get it wrong, that is probably it for this world".
"True" Kakashi notes.
"But if she doesn't even try then we'll die anyway".