"You want me to make a weapon to kill the Kyuubi?" Jiraiya asked. "Well sure, that shouldn't be too hard. Do you have any other small requests? Maybe while I'm at it I can invent a perpetual youth jutsu or turn led into gold."

"I am being completely serious Jiraiya," Danzo said.

"I know, that's what makes it so damn funny."

"Naruto must die," Danzo said in a calm voice. "Konoha will never know real peace as long as he is out there."

"And your answer is to have me invent some magical weapon that can kill him?"

"Shikamaru informs me that during their encounter he was impervious to both the Nara shadow techniques as well as the Yamanaka mind possession techniques. Naruto claimed that he was shielded against genjutsu and all other possession jutsus. Given the fact he is a seal master that is likely to be no idle boast. Combined with the protection of the Kyuubi's chakra and his advanced healing he is already more or less invulnerable to physical attacks. So how else is he to be killed?"

Jiraiya grimaced, when put that way it was a damn good question. "So the solution you come up with is to have me whip up some sort of super weapon that can not only defeat his seals but his demonic chakra and healing ability? That's something not even the Yondaime could make. Do you even get what you're asking?"

"Of course," Danzo replied, still calm. "I am asking you for a miracle. The same sort of miracle the Yondaime provided all those years ago."

"Don't compare this to that!"

"And why not? As before the village is threatened with utter annihilation due to the power of the nine tail demon fox. Now as then we are defenseless against that power and must turn to one of our heroes for salvation. Will you turn your back on Konoha?"

"Has it occurred to you that we wouldn't have to worry about Naruto seeking vengeance if the village had just treated him decently like the old man and Minato wanted?"

"That would also be the case had he been placed within the ANBU from the very beginning as I suggested."

"You would have made him a living weapon," Jiraiya said contemptuously. "He'd have been nothing but a mindless puppet."

"And so?" Danzo replied utterly unmoved. "He would have been utterly loyal."

"He is the Yondaime's only son! You know that as well as I do, even if you won't admit to it publicly. Minato's last wish was to have the village treat him as a hero. At the very least we owed him the chance at a normal life."

"That was always Sarutobi's argument," Danzo said. "And see where that sort of thinking has led us. He was always much too soft and sentimental, a leader must be absolutely ruthless. And I find it a bit strange Jiraiya to hear this argument coming from you now. At least Sarutobi acted on his convictions, misguided as they were. You never even met him until shortly before the Chunin Exams. Had you been so concerned with his welfare you might have at the very least checked in on him from time to time."

Especially since I was the boy's godfather. Jiraiya thought. He was very glad that people didn't know about that. The shameful truth was that when Minato and Kushina both died he was too consumed by grief to do what a godfather was supposed to do. The idea of taking responsibility and becoming Naruto's father was just too much for him.

And so he'd run. He'd you'd the excuse of carrying out important missions for the village. He'd stayed away for years, never returning even to check in. He pretended to be carrying out his duty, but the sad truth was that he was doing just the opposite; running away from his duty to Minato and Naruto. Would things have been different if I had stayed? He wondered if the villagers would have treated the boy in the same way if he'd been officially adopted by one of the Sannin. Would that have been enough to get him decent treatment? Would that have been enough to change things? He would never know, and that was his own personal torment and shame.

"I made mistakes," Jiraiya admitted in a small voice.

"As did Sarutobi," Danzo replied patiently. "It now falls upon me to correct those mistakes. Will you not set aside your personal feelings and help me? If not for my sake then for the good of the village?"

"For the good of the village?" Jiraiya echoed dully. "Funny how the worst and bloodiest crimes are usually excused with those words."

"Destroying a traitor and safeguarding the village is no crime. The causes and the mistakes are all in the past now, all that is left to us is to solve the problem. Do you have some other solution?"

Jiraiya would have loved nothing better than to have given him one. But try as he might he didn't have one. It was obvious that no matter the reason there was no chance of talking to Naruto now. No chance that he would ever be anything but Konoha's enemy. Sadly the Toad Sannin shook his head.

"Then you agree with me that he has to be destroyed?"

"Yes," he hated saying it but that was the truth of their situation they were now in. Naruto would never be a friend and he was far too powerful to be left alone. What did that leave?

"Then you will do as I ask?"

With a defeated sigh Jiraiya nodded. "All right, I'll help."

XXX

They were outside a decrepit and run down brick apartment building. Outside garbage was piled up and a couple scrawny dogs were digging through to find whatever they could. Nearby a weary old bum sat in the middle of the sidewalk drinking from a bottle. He seemed oblivious to the world around him, more a part of the scenery than an actual person. The few people walking past avoided stepping on him but otherwise failed to even notice. This was one of the poorest slums in Nagamo, a place you came to only when you had absolutely nowhere else to go.

"I've seen nicer looking prisons," Zabuza quipped.

Naruto silently grinned. He liked the way Zabuza always spoke his mind. It was a refreshing change from all those who mindlessly agreed with him and always tried to tell him what he wanted to hear whether it was the truth or not. Since becoming Otokage a couple months before he'd noticed it was harder and harder to find people to tell him what they really thought. And it hadn't been that easy before when he was only the Kyuubi's jinchurikki. "Are you sure she's here?"

"As sure as I can be," Zabuza said with a shrug. "She's damn hard to track down."

"So I've noticed," Naruto said dryly.

"We are fairly certain it is her Naruto-sama," Haku said politely. "As per your orders we did not attempt to contact her directly."

Naruto nodded. If they had tried to confront her there would have been a fight or she would have tried to run. More likely there would have been a fight and she would have tried to run. The once proud kunichi had been reduced to a life in the shadows like some common thief. All she could do these days was run and hide from all those who were so keen on trying to find her.

"Is this stupid bitch even worth the trouble?" Tayuya asked loudly. Like Zabuza she also was not afraid to speak her mind.

"Well she is a Sannin," Naruto said. "And the last of the Senju and the world's top medical ninja and expert on medical jutsus. That makes her pretty special."

"I guess they aren't paying medic nins what they used to then," Zabuza joked.

Most of the Sound Seven had a good laugh at that.

"Well it's hard to find work when you have to spend all your time hiding from your creditors," Naruto said. "All of you wait here." He then leapt down from the roof of the building. He landed before the front door and simply walked inside.

XXX

She was all alone now.

She had no one left in her life anymore.

Shizune had stayed by her side for a long while. She had tried to get her to change her ways without success and had stood by her much longer than she should have. But finally even she had despaired and given up. She'd said her goodbyes and returned to Konoha to begin a new life.

Tsunade didn't blame her. How long could you expect someone to put up with babysitting an old drunk like her? Eventually Shizune had been forced to give up. She tried to convince her to return with her right up until the moment she left.

Alone in her room she made a rude noise and reached for a bottle. Return to Konoha? For what? So that she could be reminded of all the things she'd lost? To return to the village that had taken her two loved ones? No. No, there was nothing in Konoha for her anymore.

In the end a tearful Shizune had left to return to Konoha alone.

That was how the 60 year old Tsunade had found herself all alone in a cramped, roach infested, moldy apartment. She tried to drink from the bottle but found it was disappointingly empty. She was surrounded by empty beer and sake bottles. Looking around blearily she wondered if they were all empty. If so she wondered if she had enough money to go out and get more. If not she would have to scrounge around to find some sort of work. In spite of her age she was still immensely strong physically. She could henge into a rough looking man and find some manual labor. It didn't pay much but it would be enough to take care of the rent here and get her more booze. (Things like food and other necessities she didn't worry too much about.) It was also much safer for her than trying to find work as a medic nin.

In what had to be one of the all time great ironies, she, the world's acknowledged top expert on medical jutsu could no longer practice her trade. Even with a henge it was impossible. The moment word spread about some unknown medic nin got out there would be a swarm of bounty hunters and investigators looking for her. She had racked up debts totaling just under 50 million ryu. She had borrowed money from banks, nobles, governments, and even loan sharks. Now all of them were looking for her and demanding repayment. Those to whom she owed at least a million would also be demanding she hand over her sole remaining asset to them, the Shodai's necklace.

She looked at the crystal hanging by its chain about her neck. With it you could buy two gold mines and the mountains on top of them. Even now she could sell it and have enough to pay her entire debt off and still have more than enough left over for a comfortable retirement.

"Why don't I then?" She muttered to herself. She wasn't sure she had enough to buy herself a bottle of rot gut but she had a fortune literally in the palm of her hand.

All she had to do was sell it.

Despite asking the question out loud she knew she could never part with it. She was ready to die alone and in poverty first. It was all she had left of the two people she had loved the most. Nawaki, her little brother, and Dan the one true love of her life. Selling the necklace would be like truly saying goodbye to them forever. That was foolish. They were both long dead now, but she couldn't bear to part with it just the same.

It was at that instant that a polite knock sounded from the front door.

She glanced at the door nervously. Rent was not due until the end of the week and she had not ordered anything. These days unexpected visitors were always unwelcome. She glanced at the windows and began mapping out escape routes in her head. She was ready to leave with nothing but the necklace and the clothes on her back. She'd done it before.

As if picking out her thoughts a voice came from the door. "Please let me in honored Tsunade-sama. I give you my word all I want to do is talk. You should also know I have ninja waiting outside. If you try to run they have orders to bring you down with as much force as is necessary. I would like to avoid that. I want things to remain pleasant."

"Pleasant, right, just who the hell are you?" Bill collectors didn't usually bother asking to chat.

"I am Lord Uzumaki Naruto, Otokage and holder of the nine tail demon fox."

Uzumaki?! Despite being constantly on the move and in hiding she still knew about the events connected to him. Sliding back a dead bold she opened the door just a crack in order to get a look at him. He was dressed in a ridiculous orange and black outfit that included gloves. He had a hitai-ite with a musical note stamped into it. On each cheek were three whiskers like scars and he had spiky blond hair. But what really caught her attention were his eyes. They were the exact same shade of blue as Minato's had been, and looking at his face he looked just like a teenage Minato. There was no mistaking just whose son he was.

He stood there and smiled at her, making no effort to force his way in. "May I come in?"

She stood there a moment just staring. Then finally stood aside and opened the door wide. "All right, come in."