Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I understand why anybody would think I did. This is being posted as fan fiction after all.

Naruto spent the next half hour getting thoroughly chewed out by Akana. Meitoku had, wisely, decided to leave a few minutes into the rant. Naruto couldn't be certain, but he swore he heard a snicker from his usually stoic teammate as the boy walked past him. After she finally ran out of steam Naruto went back to the hospital and took a seat in the hall outside of the operating room. He sat there for two hours in what, for him, was an admirable feat of patience.

He was on his feet the moment the operating room light blinked off though, waiting for Tsunade to emerge. She didn't make him wait long, pushing the door open a few minutes later. He looked at her eagerly until she spoke, "Yugito's going to be fine. Judging from what you told me about the occasional sedative effects of your bloodline and what I was able to observe she should be awake late tonight. She probably shouldn't move around for a while though."

Naruto leaned back against the wall, letting out a deep sigh as he felt the weight of the world fall from his shoulders. "Thank you, thank you so much."

"It was the least I could do. Now I should go see what kind of condition my house is in."

"Isn't there a Hokage Manor here?"

"My grandfather built practically this entire village, including both the Hokage Manor and the Senju Clan estate where he settled his family. He made one bigger than the other."

"Whatever, I'm going to go wait for Yugito-chan to wake up. Umm…what room is she going to be in?"

"They're going to keep her in there so they can monitor her condition during her recovery. I'd wait a few minutes until the Doctors leave, then feel free to go in and wait." Naruto nodded once in understanding and sat down to wait. After the remaining medics left a few minutes later he slipped into the room before settling down into a chair to wait. Naruto felt himself relax for the first time since before the Finals and drifted off to sleep within a quarter hour.

He awoke with a start several hours later in the dead of the night. With someone moving around in unfamiliar surroundings his hand darted down to his kunai holster. Then he remembered where he was, and realized who was moving. He was at Yugito's bedside in an instant, watching her move restlessly for a few moments before cracking her eyes open. Her gaze swept lazily across the room and her voice was a sleepy murmur, "Where am I?"

"Operating Room at the Konoha Hospital."

"What happened?"

"I see your totem pulled the same stunt as mine did. Let's see…Suna Invasion, our fight with Gaara." He noted her wince, much the same as the one he had experienced when his memories came back.

"A building fell on me?"

"Yeah."

"What happened after that?"

"I had to keep fighting Gaara. If I had tried to dig you out he would have killed me in an instant. He called upon the full power of Shukaku, transforming himself into a sort of avatar for the demon. I had to respond with an avatar of my own, To-Remu Konjou: Gonge. I beat him, but received grievous wounds in the process and had my chakra drained almost dry. Jiraiya got there just as I lost consciousness, dug you out and got us both to the hospital."

His hand found hers under the bed sheets, their fingers twining together. "I was unconscious for several days while my totem was healing my wounds. When I woke up you were still unconscious. Rin told me that despite the treatment they gave you you were still hovering between life and death. Then Jiraiya came, told me that he was being sent off to bring back Tsunade to serve as the Godaime Hokage after Sandaime's death. I…kind of snuck off with him, Kaa-san wasn't too happy about it.

Anyway, Jiraiya managed to get word of her in the second city he visited and found her in the third. It wasn't easy to get her come here. She was reluctant to return to Konoha because of her past and took quite a bit of convincing. Orochimaru was after her too; apparently Sandaime did quite the number on his arms. Long story short; I helped Baa-chan find her will to protect again, she defeated Orochimaru, and the snake ran away. Then we came back to Konoha as quickly as we could and Tsunade operated on you. This is the first time you've been conscious in about a week."

Despite herself Yugito couldn't help but laugh slightly. "You make it sound so simple, like it was no big deal."

"It was simple. Rin said you were on the cusp of life and death and that all they could do was keep you alive. To heal you a better medic was needed. Tsunade was the only one I knew of and Jiraiya happened to be looking for her too. So I decided to make sure she came back."

Yugito simply lay still for a moment. Despite all the years she had known Naruto he never seemed to lose his ability to amaze her. When he had a goal in mind seized it with the entirety of person. He'd simplify it to the point of absurdity, which only made it all the more amazing when he succeeded. Truly Konoha had lost a fine shinobi that night ten years ago, had lost a fine man. She pulled herself more deeply into him, content to lapse back to sleep in his arms.

She still wasn't completely recovered though, and her rest was fitful. She awoke in the early hours of the morning, her stirring dragging Naruto with her into wakefulness. She insisted that he passed the time by giving her a more thorough account of the events that had transpired since the building fell on her, or at least as much of it as he knew.

It was with near-perfect timing that Tsunade walked into the room just as Naruto was finishing his tale. Actually it was more due to Tsunade listening outside the door but neither Araiki knew that due to Tsunade's skill at suppressing her chakra signature. "Nice to see you awake," she said as she raised a glowing green hand, "Now if you'd sit still for a few moments I need to check to see how your injuries are coming along."

She lightly pressed her hand to Yugito's forehand before skimming it over just about every square inch of Yugito's body. After finishing her examination she consulted her clipboard for a couple of seconds while the Araikis watched anxiously. "Well?"

"There were no complications yesterday in surgery and I can't find any now. Your wounds are almost healed and the healing factor your bloodline provides has done an excellent job of healing what I wasn't able to get to in surgery. You should probably remain in bed for the remainder of the day but I should be able to clear you to leave the hospital by tomorrow. It'll be a while before you want to undertake any strenuous activity. But you should be perfectly healthy in a few days." Tsunade saw both Kumo-nin relax, each showing noticeable signs of relief. She couldn't, however, tell which one of them appeared to be more relieved. She turned, walking towards the door. "Well, I need to get some politics out of my way so I have to leave now." She paused halfway out the door, "Oh, and Yugito."

"Yes?"

She turned back to glance at the young blondes, "That's some boyfriend you've got there. I'd be sure to hang onto him if I were you." Then she turned and walked out the door, grinning at the blushes spreading across the faces of both young Kumo-nin.

Yugito leaned back in her bed after Tsunade closed the door, her eyes scanning the room. "Umm…Naruto-kun," her blush deepened as she spoke. Not that Naruto, still not the brightest bulb when it came to women, noticed that.

"Yeah?"

"Some of my outfits are in the closet over there. And you know I've always hated hospital gowns."

"Ahh…you want me to leave so you can change."

"Not exactly…I don't think I can reach behind my back or bend very well at the waist. So…I'd need some help."

"Oh, ok. It might take me a while to find Kaa-san though; I'm not sure where she is at the moment."

Yugito sighed, her earlier embarrassment beginning to be replaced by exasperation. "Akana-sensei's not the member of our team I had in mind."

"Well if not Akana then…" Naruto stopped talking suddenly, flushing a deep red as he finally caught Yugito's meaning.

Yugito grinned, her own embarrassment easing slightly as she observed Naruto's. "Well, with all the trouble you went through to bring Tsunade here I figure you deserve a bit of a reward. I'm thinking a peek now and a date later when I can leave." She swung her legs out from under her blankets and pushed herself to her feet. That turned out to be a mistake as Naruto had to move pretty quickly to catch her after her knees buckled.

"Careful," he said, "you're not healed yet so don't push yourself too hard."

Yugito flashed him an exasperated look, "Shut up and get my clothes."

Yugito found getting dressed to be an…interesting experience to say the least. Like most shinobi, Naruto had steady hands and a delicate touch. When it came to seeing his girlfriend naked for the first time though. And when it came to touching his naked girlfriend, despite the contact being perfectly innocent, he turned into a bumbling idiot. Getting on her underwear was a particularly interesting part, and one in which both Araikis flushed a deeper shade of red than either of them thought possible. The bra was a bit tricky as well. That was due to Naruto, in typical male fashion, being clueless when it came to working the clasp. It didn't help that Yugito was physically unable to reach behind her back and help him. The only thing he had proven unable to do was braid her hair, he just didn't know how and seemed incapable of grasping her instructions. And since she couldn't get her hands behind her head to do it herself she was forced to put it into a loose ponytail and vow to teach Naruto how to braid her hair the way she liked it later.

Akana came to visit roughly an hour later, arching an eyebrow at Yugito." Her young charge eyed her warily, "What?"

"Nothing really. I just don't think I've ever seen you without your hair in its braid before."

"I can't reach behind me to braid it. And your son doesn't seem to be able to figure out how."

Akana sighed, motioning Yugito forward and sliding onto the bed behind her. Akana pulled out the tie that held Yugito's hair back and let her hands fall into a familiar pattern as she braided her student's hair. It didn't take her long, and she tossed Yugito a gray vest as she climbed off the bed. "It's good to see you conscious again Yugito, you had us worried for a while. Caused some of us to make some questionable decisions as well." Naruto had the good sense to look a bit meek at that statement. "The various officials who viewed the exams also determined that you're worthy of a promotion to Chuunin. Congratulations."

"Thank you Akana-sensei." She took a few moments to examine the vest. Kumo had always favored a style different than that of the other hidden villages. It actually left a decent portion of the upper right torso uncovered, along with the right shoulder. There was a strap of cloth that stretched over the left shoulder, and the end of it was fastened to the rest of the vest to hold it on. There were no scroll pouches on the front; although the cloth did overlap in several places to form a number of wide, shallow pockets that would be good for holding letters and tags. (AN: If you're having problems picturing it look at manga chapter 408 page 17. There's a pretty good image of Kirabi wearing one.) "I'll have to see if I can find a shop in this village that can embroider our clan symbol on the back of these."

"Oh," said Naruto sheepishly, "I wonder why I never thought of that."

Yugito's voice was filled with wry amusement when she responded, "Because you've always been blind when it comes to fashion. I remember arguing with you for a week to stop you from getting that orange outfit when we were younger."

Naruto crossed his arms in front of him, his voice defensive. "I still don't see why you get to wear orange."

Akana cut in, exasperation obvious in her tone, "Because her chakra is orange, it's the same reason you have the slate-blue. Besides, she uses it as an accent not the primary color." Knowing better than to argue with two women, Naruto wisely shut up.

By the time Tsunade actually got to the Hokage's office for the first time it was late in the afternoon. She had spent almost her entire day meeting with the council. She understood the necessity of it, after so much time away from the village she knew relatively little about its current state of affairs. And despite all the time she had put in she'd still need to invest a lot more, especially when it came to meeting some of the more prominent shinobi that were now under her command. And she had her coronation to sit through too. She was already getting the feeling that this job would have a lot less glamour and a lot more drudgery than most people thought. Not for the last time, she wondered what she'd gotten herself into.

And it seemed that there was more she'd have to deal with now too. The door to her office swung open. Tsunade's eyes narrowed as she continued to regard the document on her desk. There wouldn't be many shinobi in the village who would dare to enter her office unannounced. She had sent Shizune to see how well the hospital was run, Naruto was undoubtedly still spending time with Yugito, and Jiraiya had always come in through the window whenever he had visited Sarutobi-sensei. That left three, only one of which she could imagine coming to bother her now. She glanced up and had her suspicions proven as a bandaged old man walked in with the assistance of his cane.

"Danzo," she said, her tone quietly acidic, "to what do I owe this honor."

Danzo kept his expression composed, ignoring the sarcasm and contempt that was practically radiating from Tsunade. "I have come here to discuss something with you regarding the team Kumogakure no Saito sent to participate in the Chuunin Exams."

"Request denied."

Danzo frowned, pausing a moment before speaking again. "I have not yet made a request."

Tsunade rolled her eyes, "Your motives aren't exactly mysterious Danzo, neither are your views nor favored methods. I'm not about to strain our relations with Kumogakure any further by attempting to abduct either of them."

"With all due respect Hokage-sama, you may be letting your relationship with the boy cloud your judgment."

Tsunade glared at him, and there was ice in her tone as she spoke once more. "My previous interactions with Naruto notwithstanding, my concerns about Kumogakure's reaction are no less valid. I forbid you from trying to keep either of them in Konoha and will hold you personally responsible should anyone take action against them under mysterious circumstances."

"Surely you can't be serious. You know I'm not the only person in this village who wants them to stay in this village."

"Then you had better make sure nothing happens to them."

"I see," Danzo appeared calm on the outside but was seething internally. He knew his chances of convincing Tsunade to back him in this after Jiraiya's stunt were slim, but that didn't make him any less frustrated. He left, a Ne operative falling in step behind him as soon as he was out the door.

The operative didn't speak until they were out of the Hokage's Tower and further away from any prying ears. "It seems that Jiraiya's decision to bring Araiki-san with him had some unanticipated consequences Sir."

Danzo sighed. His Ne Operatives had their strengths, but sadly his conditioning that turned them into emotionless tools also left most of them practically useless when it came to matters of intrigue unless someone else was along to spell things out for them. "The problem in dealing with Jiraiya is that he plays the part of the fool so well that most people forget he's doing just that, playing the part of the fool. He has reasons behind practically every action, even if he's the only one that knows what they are. This "unanticipated" consequence wasn't unanticipated by him."

"I see, sir."

"Of course you do," Danzo had to take care to prevent sarcasm from leaking into his voice. "Now go gather a team of operatives, make sure no one else is going to try something with those two. I'd rather avoid the inconvenience of an investigation if at all possible."

"Yes sir." The Ne Operative flickered from sight, leaving the old War Hawk alone with his thoughts. It looked like he was going to have to resign himself to fighting the same political battles with Jiraiya and Tsunade that he had with Sarutobi. The prospect was not a pleasant one.

True to Tsunade's prediction, Yugito was sufficiently recovered to leave the hospital the following day. She was able to make the walk back to the hotel largely unaided, needing Naruto's help only during an occasional stumble when she wasn't quite quick enough to catch herself. They were, however, forced to take the streets instead of the rooftops. They also had to move slowly, giving the citizens of Konoha plenty of time to crowd around Naruto as had become their habit during his stay in Konoha. The two Kumo-nin were just grateful that the crowd seemed to take care not to impede their progress. In fact, few of them ventured close to the couple, apparently not wanting to intrude too much.

All things considered, the trip back to the hotel wasn't too bad, although it was with a relieved sigh that Naruto sat down on a couch in the suite's common room. Akana looked up at Yugito from a book she had been reading. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore, tired, and disgruntled. I can't wait until I'm healthy again."

"Be patient, you got hurt pretty badly. Not even you or Naruto can recover quickly from something like that."

"I know, but that doesn't make it any less annoying."

"Consider it a lesson in patience then."

Tsunade's Coronation was later that day. Many shinobi of Konoha and dignitaries of Ho no Kuni were present in the open area in front of the Hokage's Tower. The new Hokage and Konoha's Council were present atop the tower according to tradition. Three guests were present as well. Jiraiya had been pressed into speaking for the event. He may not have been fond of public speaking, but he had a flair for drama and anyone who had ever read his novels knew he had a way with words. Naruto was there as well, honored with a spot for his part in bringing Tsunade back to Konoha. Of course, it was also partly due to his relation to the Yondaime. Sarutobi Konohamaru was there as well, making Naruto believe that relatives/descendants of past Hokages were also invited if they didn't already hold a seat on the council as was the case of Sarutobi Asuma.

Jiraiya strode to the edge of the roof, looking down over the gathered crowd before beginning his speech. "The Kage is one of the most important and revered figures in any of the major Hidden Villages, and Konoha is no exception. The Shodai Hokage was instrumental in the founding of our village, forming an alliance with Uchiha Madara and an aspiring noble to form Ho no Kuni and Konohagakure no Saito. He built the village practically overnight with the help of his Mokuton techniques and fought tirelessly to defend it against threats. He lifted Konoha from an experiment to a symbol of military might that other rising nations hurried to emulate. But he died during the closing battles of the Second Great Shinobi War that decided early loyalties and early borders of the era of the Elemental Nations.

He was succeeded by the Nidaime Hokage, his brother. The Nidaime held Konoha together through its grief and saw his village through the end of the war. He presided over the first period of peace our village had known. He instituted many practices that the Shodai had been unable to form during wartime; forming the Ninja Academy, ANBU Black Ops, and much more. But the peace formed at the end of the Second Great Shinobi War was a fragile one, and the Elemental Nations were soon at each other's throats once more in the Third Great Shinobi War. The Nidaime fell in battle as had his brother, almost single-handedly preventing a battle fleet from Kirigakure from reaching Konoha's shores. Even the lords of Mizu no Kuni were never able to challenge his mastery of water.

The mantle was then passed on to the Sandaime Hokage, scion of the Sarutobi Clan and disciple of both his predecessors. He orchestrated a brilliant campaign, steering Konoha through the conflict despite feuding Nations to all sides of its borders. But it is for his accomplishments outside of wartime that the Sandaime is most known. As a jounin instructor he trained the best team of shinobi Konoha has ever known. He presided over the peace talks at the end of the war. And despite his position as the leader of the most powerful village he ensured lasting peace instead of seizing temporary gain. His negotiations ushered in the longest era of peace this continent has ever known. Even then, he worked tirelessly to forge new polices and alliances that ensured the peace remained. It was with content that the Sandaime became the first Hokage to retire instead of being killed in battle.

His successor, the Yondaime Hokage, was my student. He was a genius unlike any I'd ever seen; and he had the potential to become the greatest Hokage, the greatest Shinobi, the greatest man the Elemental Nations had ever known. I believed he would do it too, but it was not to be. Two years into his reign he learned that the Kyuubi no Kitsune was approaching Konoha. Any slim hopes of it altering its path were dashed when Konoha's shinobi forces were forced to confront the beast, to delay it. Then the Yondaime appeared atop Gamabunta to perform the ultimate sacrifice. He sacrificed his own life to summon the Shinigami and seal the beast into his newborn son. Thus did another Hokage die in the defense of his village.

The Sandaime was forced to come out of retirement and take the office of Hokage once again. He faced an unenviable task, having to rebuild Konoha's scattered forces and negotiate through several precarious situations as other villages tried to take advantage of Konoha's weakened state. He was more than equal to the task though, in a few years Konoha was once more considered the strongest of all shinobi villages. But then he met the fate that he had avoided in his first term.

The Sandaime's traitorous ex-student Orochimaru deceived Sunagakure, assassinating the Kazekage and tricking them into attacking Konoha besides his own Oto forces. While the battle raged all around him the Sandaime was forced into single combat with Orochimaru. He gave his life to cripple his former student, forcing Orochimaru to flee and effectively ending all further hostility from the Oto-nin.

Throughout the history of our village the title of Hokage has been synonymous with that of hero. All four Hokages have been among the best Konoha had to offer, both on and off the field of battle. They assisted in the most dire of battles, ensuring that no harm would come to their village. They steered Konoha through the most delicate negotiations, avoiding violence whenever possible. They built this village, they carried it on their backs, and they made it what it is today. They are the greatest heroes this village has ever known.

Now Konoha finds itself in need of a new Hokage once more. Someone who can live up to the legacy left behind by these heroes. Konoha needs someone who can stand toe to toe against anyone on the field of battle. It needs someone who can negotiate in the most extreme circumstances, finding peace whenever possible. It needs someone who is willing to put the safety of Konoha and its villagers above all else, someone who embodies the Will of Fire.

That person has been found. She is the last remaining member of the Senju clan, related by blood to both the Shodai and Nidaime Hokage. She was taught by the Sandaime Hokage, and it was her teammate who trained the Yondaime. She is formidable on the battlefield and knows no equal as a medic. Most importantly; she has learned from her Grandfather, Grand Uncle, and Sensei. She knows what it means to protect others, to lay her life on the line for what's important to her. There is no one better suited for the job." Tsunade strode forward on cue, standing in full view of the crowd in the hat and robes of her office. "I present to you Senju Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage of Konoha no Saito!" Tsunade stood there, an indomitable pillar of strength while the crowd below roared its approval.

Author's Note: Well…the revelation that Naruto will be going on the Sasuke retrieval arc seems to have caused quite a stir, as well as the training trip to a lesser extent. To be more specific you seemed concerned that I'm too worried about following cannon and will ruin my story. My response to your concerns is simple, trust me. How many of you would have thought I'd be able to convincingly send Naruto along on the Tsunade Retrieval Arc?

I have my reasons for including the Sasuke Retrieval Arc in this story. Remember, I've had my twists in each of the cannon arcs I've used so far. The Sasuke Retrieval Arc is no different, nor is the training trip. Actually, I think you'll particularly enjoy what I'm going to do with the training trip. Sot sit back, trust me, and enjoy the ride.

Oh, and keep the reviews coming please.

Translations

To-Remu Konjou: Gonge: Translates to Totem Spirit: Incarnate. This is the third stage of To-Remu Yajuuki, where the bearer creates an avatar out of his chakra and allows his/her totem to manifest in the physical world. The size and power varies with the amount of chakra put into the technique; from something barely noticeable to an avatar the size of a boss summon. It is without a doubt a powerful technique, though a difficult one to master.