A/N: Hey hey, here's your new chapter ;)

Chapter 5: Hijinks, Ramen, and Terminal Illness!

"I can't believe neither of you have been to Ichiraku!" Naruto exclaimed. "They only sell the best ramen in the history of ever!"

The trio had just finished failing their bell test and was on their way to get ramen. Kakashi said that spending time together would improve their teamwork. Naruto wanted to be friends with these two girls but he wasn't sure they felt the same.

"I've never really cared for ramen," Tenten explained. "It's too salty."

"Well get ready to have your worldview shaken because Ichiraku isn't your everyday ramen," Naruto said.

The streets of the village were bustling with people, as they often were. Groups of all different kinds of people filled the area. It was always nice to see the village so full of life.

"Naruto!" a girl called from the crowd.

Naruto turned to see Sakura and Lee approach them. Naruto pulled a cheeky grin upon seeing his old teammate. He thought about how much she had changed since he first knew her. It made him remember the old crush he used to have on her, but thinking about that made him feel weird; he didn't have the same feelings as he had back then. He could still admit that she was pretty, but something inside him kept him from liking her as more than just a friend.

"Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed. "What's up?"

"Lee and I were just about to get something to eat," Sakura explained. "You remember Lee, right?"

"Oh yeah, Bushy Brows!" Naruto could recognize those eyebrows from a mile away. Naruto looked at his team and realized he hadn't properly introduced them. "These two are my new teammates; Emi and Tenten. We're actually on our way to Ichiraku right now, if you'd like to join us."

"What a youthful idea!" Lee exclaimed passionately.

"So you're Sakura? It's nice to finally meet you. Lee's told me a lot about you." Tenten seemed to be subtly scanning the area. "Neji isn't with you guys, is he?"

"No, unfortunately," Lee answered. "He said he wanted to catch up on training."

"Which is just his excuse for not wanting to spend time with us," Sakura retorted.

He heard Tenten sigh. He had completely forgotten what team Tenten transferred from; he didn't realize it was the same team that Sakura had been moved to.

The group continued chattering as they walked over to the ramen stand together. They all chose a seat and told their order to Mr. Teuchi.

"Coming right up!" Mr. Teuchi would say after every order. It only took a few minutes for everyone's order to be prepared.

"Naruto, I meant to ask you something," Tenten said before Naruto started to dig into his meal. "During the bell test, how come you didn't activate your sharingan?"

Sakura didn't look up after hearing the question. Her head and shoulders slouched. The rest of the group looked at Naruto, curiously waiting for an answer.

"Oh, well that's easy," Naruto responded. "Sasuke's eyes work with a sealing jutsu, so it takes a lot of chakra to activate and deactivate the sharingan. Using it in smaller battles would only be a detriment." The group seemed satisfied with that answer. Naruto felt proud of his brief and intelligent explanation; even though he was just saying what Jiraiya told him verbatim.

Naruto glanced at Sakura who was eating her ramen in silence. "Whatever happened to your feisty attitude, Sakura?" Naruto teased. "You're a lot calmer than I remember you being."

Sakura shot her gaze in Naruto's direction. The sweetness in her green eyes was replaced with annoyance and her veins were visible through her forehead. "I've only been so polite to you because of how long you've been gone," Sakura growled. "Plus, I don't waste my energy on idiots."

There's the Sakura I know, Naruto thought.

Sakura frowned and her shoulders sank. Her eyes were fixed on the table in front of her. "It's just that…" Sakura was struggling to put her thoughts into words. "I've never heard you refer to your eyes as Sasuke's."

"Right… It's been a while since we've seen each other," Naruto remembered. "I find it a lot easier to call them Sasuke's eyes rather than my own." He paused for a second then grinned. "But it helps to keep his memory alive. It helps me to remember that there's a part of him that's with me."

Sakura's eyes lit up. "You're right," she said. "I haven't thought of it like that."

Naruto heard a sniff and turned to see Lee crying next to him. His two round eyes made enough tears to fill a swimming pool. "A true bond with a teammate. It is a special connection."

Jiraiya hummed as he strutted through the hallway. He turned into the Hokage's office to meet with his old sensei.

"Ah Jiraiya," Hiruzen said. "Come on in."

The old man looked like he hadn't had a good night's sleep in a while. His face was pale and the bags under his eyes seemed to drop to the floor. "Are you alright, sir?" Jiraiya decided to ask.

"Oh yes," Hiruzen answered, seemingly out of breath. "I'm quite alright."

"I'm just here to file these last few papers, then I should be off to continue the observation on the Akatsuki." Jiraiya looked at the Hokage with concern. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

"Yes I'm doing fine, I'm just-" Hiruzen interrupted himself with a loud and raspy cough. "I'm just tired, that's all."

"Maybe you should take the day off," Jiraiya suggested.

Hiruzen shook his head. "There's too much work to be done. With Naruto being back, we have to keep the village under high alert."

Jiraiya was bothered by his sensei's lack of concern for his own health. As strong as a ninja as he used to be, the Third Hokage was growing older. A gust of wind that was too strong could hurt the guy.

Hiruzen's coughs became more vigorous. He grabbed a tissue and held it to his mouth. Each cough sounded like they hurt more and more each time. When his coughing fit was over, Hiruzen dropped his tissue in the trashcan near his desk. Jiraiya looked over to see that his trash was overflowing with bloody tissues. He wasn't just coughing. He was coughing up an alarming amount of blood.

Jiraiya opened his mouth to comment but Hiruzen spoke first. "That's been happening for a while, but I assure you, I'm fine.

"I'm just worried," Jiraiya admitted.

Hiruzen looked spaced out. His eyelids lowered, making him look even more tired than before. He stared off into space for about thirty seconds, until his head started to look too heavy to hold up. His eyes went up behind his skull and his body went limp. His head slammed against the table.

"Lord Third!" Jiraiya exclaimed. He ran up to him to check if he was alright. To his relief, he was still breathing, but he was unconscious.

Jiraiya fidgeted in his seat. His anxiousness was showing, but he didn't have time to care. He was outside of the room his sensei was in. A medical ninja came out with a clipboard in his hand. Jiraiya jumped up.

"Well?" Jiraiya demanded. "Is he okay?"

"He's awake, but it's getting a lot more serious," the medic answered."He's entered the stage of his sickness where it's nearly impossible to reverse the effects that it's already had on his body. I predict that he has a few days left at most."

"What are you talking about?" Jiraiya raised his voice. "What sickness?"

The medic's eyes widened as he realized that Jiraiya didn't know what he was referring to. "Lord Third was diagnosed with an illness that we don't have a cure for yet. I'm sorry, I assumed that he told you."

Jiraiya's face went white. His legs trembled at the thought of losing someone else this close to him. "Am I allowed to visit?"

"Of course." The medic stepped away to let Jiraiya through.

Jiraiya cracked the door open and walked up to his old sensei. "Why didn't you tell me that you were sick?"

"I didn't tell anyone," Hiruzen rasped. "The village would be in shambles without a hokage."

"You should've stepped down," Jiraiya said firmly. "Someone else could've taken your place."

"No," Hiruzen groaned. "There was no one fit to become hokage. It's a job meant for the strongest. It's meant for someone who cares for their village like family."

Jiraiya looked at the ground. The position of hokage was one that many children dream of obtaining. Thoughts of Naruto came into his mind. He never understood it. He couldn't imagine the stress that came with withholding a position of power.

"The title of hokage is meant for a very specific person," Hiruzen continued. "I believe that person is you, Jiraiya."

Jiraiya's eyes widened. "You're joking, right? I mean, I can't become hokage."

"I disagree."

"What about my previous mission? The one where I observe the Akatsuki. I can't just abandon that."

"We can have the Anbu Black Ops keep tabs on the Akatsuki's whereabouts," Hiruzen suggested.

"There has to be someone else who can take over for you." Jiraiya paced around the room thinking. "What about Tsunade?"

"Tsunade's going to want the position even less than you do," Hiruzen said. "Plus, she left the village on her own accord. She won't be happy with us bringing her back."

"I mean this as respectfully as possible, but I think you're making a mistake," Jiraiya admitted.

"I'm not."

"I'm sorry," Jiraiya whispered. "I don't think I can take the position."

"Jiraiya," Hiruzen rasped. "Please, I need you to at least consider it."

Jiraiya couldn't bear to look at Hiruzen. He couldn't even fathom the fear and pain he must be in. First, he was diagnosed with a fatal sickness that he felt he couldn't share with anyone; now, his pupil was denying the position that he had generously laid out for him.

"I'll think about it, Lord Third."

Wow did this chapter have hijinks, ramen, AND terminal illness??? It's starting to get real wacky man. Thanks for reading!