LeafRanger: *Slowly peeks into the Naruto area of the Ranger Lair* Is anybody there?

Diehard NaruHina LeafRanger: What's got you so spook.

LR: The fact that I just dealt with krogans and aggressive robots and I'm totally expecting the same shenanigans here as well. Plus I'm not totally over you all trying to kill me.

Elroth: Let it go man, we've already moved on. Well besides when you make us do back breaking labor.

LR: I suppose so. *enters the area* So, glad to see everything seems to be normal here.

Arashen: Yeah, no crazy hi-jinks here. *fingers crossed behind his back*

LR: …uh-huh. Anyways, just one announcement here, to brutusjr the guest reviewer. Thanks for your review, glad you enjoyed the fight between Hinata and Neji! And I'm also glad a lot of people seemed to like where I went last chapter, with Naruto's confrontation with Itachi and Kisame. I wanted to sort of help show where Naruto's power level was at in regards to later enemies in the story, but also to show that these powerful enemies potentially could be defeated due to overconfidence. And that seemed to come across to a fair amount of you, so I consider it a success.

RagingStar19: *walks in with a crate* I got those explosives you guys wanted, where should I…oh *Sees LR*

LR: …no crazy hijinks, huh? *Looks at DNHLR, Elroth, and Arashen*

Arashen: Uuhhhh…LOOK, ANKO POSING SEDUCITVELY! *points and tries to flee*

Raphael: *clothesline Arashen* I'll thank you to speak of her with greater respect next time, senor.

LR: Good work. Now…what's this about explosives? *raises eyebrow*

RS19: Meep.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Assassin's Creed. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Ubisoft respectively. This is a non-profit work of fan made fiction. Please support the official releases.


Chapter 44

The Legendary Sucker

To say Orochimaru was in a foul mood would be an understatement. He was in a towering fury as he looked over the reports concerning the failed invasion of Konoha. He had lost quite a few shinobi in the battle, including Kabuto, his most reliable lieutenant and spy within Konoha. And he had failed in his objectives. Konoha stood, bloodied but unbroken, and Sarutobi still lived.

That was the worst of it all. If he had managed to kill Sarutobi he might have been able to feel some satisfaction, but even that had been denied him thanks to the interference of the Raikage.

He snarled angrily as he threw the reports aside, standing up and pacing. He could not let this stand. Konoha could not be allowed to gain more fame and reputation from this. His sensei could not be allowed to gloat over this victory. He needed to strike back somehow at the village, to turn this defeat into a personal victory. But how to do it?

He paced quietly, thinking over the problem. He did not have the manpower for a strike against Konoha, even a quick raid. The village would be on heightened alert, and his shinobi were already bloodied and demoralized after the failed invasion. Even if Orochimaru cared nothing for their lives, he knew pointlessly throwing them away would earn him nothing and make recruitment in the future harder. So how else could he strike at Konoha?

He already was setting plans into motion to recruit the Uchiha he had marked, and he knew such an act would earn him a victory, but that could take months before he was ready. He needed something more immediate. Turning, he stopped as he saw one of the reports lying on the ground. An intelligence report recently arrived from one of the very few spies left in Konoha. He picked it up, frowning as he noticed it mentioning Jiraiya. Starting to read it, his eyes widened considerably. Jiraiya had been seen leaving the village in the company of Naruto Uzumaki, the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. Orochimaru looked up at the ceiling, turning this information over in his head.

He knew Jiraiya wouldn't leave the village at a time like this unless it was important to the welfare of the village. And it obviously was not a spy or combat mission, or he wouldn't be taken a genin along, even one that had proven quite resourceful and skilled. So what reason could he have to leave Konoha? Unless…of course. Orochimaru smirked in sudden realization as he turned and left his office, moving through his underground lair. He soon reached a training room where a figure was seen standing near several targets. With a sudden flourish, they launched several small pink colored crystal shuriken into the targets, striking most of them. "Guren…I have a mission for you," he said, causing the figure to turn to him.

Hi no Kuni

Naruto frowned as he followed Jiraiya, the duo on the road again. The reason for his frown being him thinking over what Jiraiya had revealed to him the day before, after the fight with Itachi and Kisame. It had not been easy, learning the truth about why they were after him.

Flashback

"They're part of a group called Akatsuki," Jiraiya explained as he and Naruto sat in the room, the latter drinking some tea to help calm his nerves. "It's a group of missing nin I've been tracking for a few years now."

Naruto set his cup down, frowning. "Okay, so why do they want me? Is this about Kyuubi or my parents?" He asked Jiraiya, who shifted a bit uncomfortably.

"It's the former, gaki. They're after the jinchuuriki. I don't know why yet, just that they're hunting down jinchuuriki. Its part of the reason I came back to Konoha when I did. I wanted to get you prepared for dealing with them, since they're starting to move out. My contacts have heard they're putting feelers out for the identity and locations of the various jinchuuriki across the land," he said.

Naruto took a deep breath, trying to digest that information. "…have you told Yugito nee-san yet?" he asked, only for Jiraiya to shake his head.

"I was more worried about getting you ready since you're a much easier target for them. This is a group of S-ranked criminals. Itachi and Kisame are some of the higher ranked members of the group but all of them are deadly," Jiraiya said, only for Naruto to growl as he stood up.

"If they're that dangerous then she needs just as much warning as I do! She's strong but there's no way she can handle two of those guys! That blue fish asshole pretty much blew through everything I had, and Itachi is probably worse than that!" Naruto said, slamming a fist down on the table.

Jiraiya raised his hands peacefully. "You're right, you're right, but like I said, you're an easier target. She's a lot more experienced then you, and could probably escape more easily. I'm just trying to look out for you. But I swear, once we get back to Konoha, we'll tell her together. I promise."

Naruto glared at him, before sitting back down. "Is that it though? Anything else I need to know? Like maybe having a bounty on my head or there being a secret cult that wants to kill me to release Kyuubi?" He snapped sarcastically.

"No, nothing at all," Jiraiya said, shaking his head. Naruto looked at him suspiciously, before shaking his head, getting back up.

"I'm taking a shower. Unless you want to go off chasing more tail?" He said, turning and walking off while Jiraiya let out a sigh of frustration.

Flashback Ends

After taking a shower and cooling down a bit, Naruto had thrown himself into what training he could do. He had a clone reading the book on fuinjutsu for the rest of the evening, while another one was reading over the wind jutsu Jiraiya had supplied him with. He himself, meanwhile, stuck to what physical training he could do without stressing his arm, needing to blow off steam even more. By the time he went to bed, he had felt exhausted but slightly better than he had earlier.

Now on the road again, Jiraiya had quizzed him on what he had read, both concerning the fuinjutsu book and the wind ninjutsu scrolls. When that had finished, the two settled into a somewhat tense silence, not really having anything else to speak about and Naruto still being annoyed and frustrated over the previous day. After a while though, Naruto decided to speak up. "You know, you still haven't told me what she looks like," he said.

Jiraiya blinked, looking over his shoulder at Naruto. "Huh?"

"Tsunade-san. You haven't told me what she looks like. It'll be kind of tough to find her if I can't identity her," he said.

Jiraiya had a slightly sheepish grin before reaching into his vest, pulling out a bounty poster. "Here you go gaki," he said, as Naruto raised an eyebrow at the sight of the poster.

"…she's got a bounty on her head?" He asked, taking the poster from Jiraiya, who was still sheepishly grinning as he rubbed the back of his head through the long mane of white hair.

"Not for anything really serious…just maybe crashing a casino and putting five of the guards in the hospital," the toad sage replied, as Naruto looked at the picture. He blinked in surprise at the sight of a very attractive blonde woman with brown eyes, her hair in two long low ponytails with shoulder length bangs framing her face, wearing a green haori over a grey sleeveless kimono top that was closed rather low, revealing the cleavage of her rather ample chest. Her outfit was completed by a pair of dark grayish-blue pants and strap on high heeled sandals, as well as a diamond marking in the middle of her forehead and a necklace with a crystal dangling from her neck.

Naruto frowned as he looked the poster over. "…wait a minute…she's your teammate?" He asked, looking up at Jiraiya then back down at the poster. "There's no way that's possible, she looks like she's barely in her thirties! You're pushing fifty if not past it already!" Naruto exclaimed.

Jiraiya grabbed the poster, eyebrow twitching. "Thanks a lot kid," he said, stuffing it back into his vest. "She uses a jutsu to hide her age, making her look younger then she actually is. She likes to fluctuate it from time to time, going from her early twenties up to her late thirties, but her appearance otherwise doesn't change."

Naruto shook his head slightly at that. "Talk about vain," he said, only to find another poster pushed into his hands. This time he found a woman with short black hair and black eyes, dressed in a long charcoal black kimono and carrying a pig wearing a red vest and a pearl necklace of all things. "And who is this?" He asked, looking up at Jiraiya.

"Shizune, Tsunade's apprentice. She's been traveling with Tsunade ever since my teammate left the village. If we see her, then Tsunade is definitely in the area. Those two are almost never apart," Jiraiya explained, causing Naruto to nod as he took in the details of Shizune's appearance. "We'll most likely find them in any town that has casinos or gambling of some type. Tsunade never could say no to a game of chance," Jiraiya said a bit wistfully.

Naruto blinked and looked up at him. "Huh?"

Jiraiya let out a soft chuckle, lost in nostalgia. "Tsunade loves to gamble. Even when she was a kid, younger then you, she was always ready to take a bet. Her grandfather, the Shodai Hokage? He couldn't say no to her, kept giving her money to gamble with. And she was so bad at it too. She lost so many times that people started calling her The Legendary Sucker. Her luck is that horrible when it comes to gambling," Jiraiya said, the smile on his face dropping.

Naruto watched Jiraiya, seeing the look of sadness on the old man's face. He sensed this probably had to do with why Tsunade left the village, but he was almost certain if he pried, Jiraiya would close off that line of discussion. He waited for Jiraiya to shake himself from his thoughts, before the young Assassin returned the poster to him.

Jiraiya took it, trying to get upbeat again. "So, we keep an eye out for either of those two, and we'll find them," he said, as Naruto nodded. Jiraiya's next words caught Naruto off guard. "The trick will be getting to the right village or town in time."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Naruto asked, surprised. "You don't know where they are?"

"I have a general area but otherwise, no," Jiraiya said, looking sheepish again. "Because Tsunade loses so often, she can incur large gambling debts. She tends to move on from town to town quickly, to avoid the debt collectors. She could be in a town for a couple days or a week, and then a week later she'll have already moved through three more towns. The trick will be either finding her trail and following her, or finding a place that is most likely going to draw her in."

Naruto let out a groan at that, rubbing his forehead. "Well…guess this won't be a short trip," he muttered quietly.

"Think of it this way gaki! More time to train uninterrupted," Jiraiya said with a grin, as Naruto just grimaced.

"Yippee," he said, as the duo trudged along, heading off to the next town.

Konoha, Kurama compound

Rock Lee nervously knelt in the main meeting room of the Kurama clan, doing his best not to look nervous as he currently found himself in the presence of not just Yakumo but her parents as well. He wasn't sure exactly why but he had received an invitation to meet with them at the Kurama clan compound, which was situated a bit further away from the village interior then other clan compounds.

He did his best not to shift, feeling conspicuous due to the more formal attire of kimono and hakama rather than his normal ninja gear. Nevertheless, he did his best to appear calm as the head of the Kurama clan studied him quietly.

"I thank you for accepting our invitation, Lee-san," Murakumo Kurama, head of the Kurama clan and father to Yakumo, said. He was a man of average height and build, with long black hair and a neatly trimmed moustache, and light brown eyes. Next to him was his wife Uroko, an attractive woman with silver shoulder length hair and darker brown eyes then her husband. She gave Lee a gentle smile, while on the other side of Murakumo, Yakumo also did her best to hide her nervousness. The heiress was not sure exactly why her parents wanted to meet with Lee, beyond that they had only shown an interest after she had told them about what had happened during the invasion.

"I am honored to be invited into your home, Murakumo-sama," Lee said, bowing his head, before raising it.

Murakumo simply bowed his head in return. "I'm sure you are curious as to why we wished to speak with you. The answer is simple: my wife and I wish to thank you for what you've done for not just our daughter, but for our clan. You have aided my daughter greatly in her training, and she speaks highly of your continual efforts to motivate her. This alone would be enough for us to give thanks, but we find ourselves indebted to you even more."

"W-what do you mean, Murakumo-sama?" Lee asked curiously, as Uroko smiled, speaking up this time.

"You saved our daughter's life during the recent invasion. She told us of how you came to her aid and saved her during the battle. We cannot ever repay you for the life of our daughter."

Lee's eyes widened, before he bowed his head with the barest hint of a blush. "Yakumo-san has been an excellent friend and comrade. I would never allow harm to come to her or anyone else I consider a friend, if it was in my power to help them," he said with a hint of embarrassment.

"Even still, we wished to thank you and to let you know that the Kurama clan is indebted to you. You will always find friends here," Murakumo told him with a smile, before looking to Yakumo with his smile growing a bit more knowing. "Is there anything you'd like to add?"

Yakumo blushed, before bowing low to Lee. "Thank you Lee-san, for saving my life," she said, only for Uroko to giggle.

"Dear, let's leave these two so she can more properly thank him. I'm sure our presence is making this so awkward for them," she told Murokuma, who chuckled in response.

"I'm sure they'll appreciate some privacy," he said, before standing, causing everyone else to rise as well. He bowed to Lee, who bowed back to him. "Thank you again, Lee-san."

Lee raised his head in acknowledgement as the two adults left the room, sending knowing smiles back to Yakumo who simply blushed in response. When they were gone, Yakumo let out a breath of relief, relaxing as she looked to Lee. "I'm so sorry Lee-kun, I would have said something ahead of time if I had known what they wanted," she said, having been able to tell he was nervous.

Lee merely smiled, giving her a thumbs up. "Fear not Yakumo-chan, I am glad to know that they simply wished to thank me. Though it was not necessary," he added with his trademark grin, his usual energy returning.

Yakumo smiled at that as she indicated another door on the side of the meeting room, which opened into a garden. "How have you been?" She asked, happy to see him again. Due to the invasion they had not been able to train together, due to Lee and his team being busy helping rebuild.

"We've been quite busy," Lee told her. "My team has been helping out around the village, clearing rubble. We only finished yesterday. We've also been training and taking rotations on guard duty as well. But I am doing quite well. I view it all as a way to express my youth, and help build bonds with my fellow shinobi," he said with a smile.

She giggled a bit at that, smiling at him. "I'd imagine so. How are your teammates? I imagine that Neji-san is perhaps…a bit unsettled," she said.

Lee nodded, frowning slightly. "He has been rather quiet since his match with Hinata-san. I do not know how the battle has affected him," he said, looking pensive. "I hope he might open up to either Tenten-san or I, so that we can help him."

Yakumo gave Lee a warm smile at that. "Even though he has mocked and ridiculed you in the past?" She asked him.

"He is my teammate, and he has fought beside me. I will do what I can to help him," Lee said, causing Yakumo to smile more.

'And that, Lee-kun, is one of the reasons I admire you,' she thought to herself, before taking a deep breath. Stopping him, she turned to face him as he looked at her with slight surprise. "Lee-kun…I was hoping perhaps that you and I might…perhaps..i-if you want I mean," she started to say, suddenly feeling very shy as she saw the look on his face and stumbling over her words.

"Yes Yakumo-chan?" He asked her, trying not to smile at the cute look of embarrassment on her face.

Yakumo took another deep breath, looking back up at him. "Would you like to go and get dinner sometime? With me?" She asked, watching as his eyes widened in surprise.

He blinked at her, before he grinned, a softer, warmer smile then his normal one. "I would not only be honored…but I would enjoy that, Yakumo-chan," he told her, causing her to smile back.

From a doorway, both Murakumo and Uroko could only smile as they quietly watched the two interact. "It was a good day, when the two of them met," Uroko said softly.

"I might need to have the 'father talk' with him soon," Murakumo added, causing Uroko to lightly smack his arm, before the two left Yakumo with Lee.

Elsewhere, Neji stood in a training field, panting slightly as he continued to launch combo's of Jyuuken strikes against a training post. He let out the softest of grunts each time he struck, his fingertips and palms feeling numb from the repeated strikes. He would have welcomed the feelings though as a distraction from his thoughts, except they weren't distracting him. Instead, he found his mind dwelling on a simple, inescapable fact: he had lost to Hinata.

Before the Finals it had seemed impossible to him. He should have won. He had a year of experience over her, he was far better in the Hyuuga taijutsu then any other Hyuuga near his age, and he had even figured out and learned two of the techniques the Main Family had tried to keep for themselves. Fate had all but verbally decreed he would win the fight.

And yet that wasn't what happened. Instead of the victory he was so certain of, she had fought him on almost equal terms. And what's more…she had beaten him. Despite his proclamations otherwise, fate had not given him victory. He couldn't understand why. It seemed inconceivable that he could lose. He couldn't even use fate as an excuse for his loss because the only way he could see her being fated to win was if she were part of the Main Family of the Hyuuga clan, and thus destined for a life of always being above him. But she had been cast out by the clan, proclaimed a weak nothing by the Elders and her own father. Fate would not have sided with her, at least not according to his view of what fate was.

He finally stopped hitting the training post, standing there with hands trembling, trying to understand. He had spent his whole life since his father's death, so certain in the idea of fate controlling everything, so certain that everything was predestined. And now that entire belief had been shaken by this one single fight. That and by her words afterwards. About how she fought for her friends, her teammates, to prove their faith in her was not misplaced.

Neji shook his head at the thought. She couldn't have beaten him that way, could she? How did that make her any stronger, any better than him? Growling in frustration, he slammed a fist into the training post, wincing as he felt the hard wood slam into his hand.

"I wouldn't do that. You don't have the toughness and calluses for it," spoke a female voice, causing Neji to look up and see Tenten standing there. He slowly withdrew his hand from the training post, shaking it out as she approached. "What's got you so worked up?"

"Surely you are not serious, Tenten-san," he said, turning back to the training post and preparing to strike at it again.

Tenten just rolled her eyes, sighing as she moved to stand on the other side of the training post so he would be forced to see her as he struck at it. "You really are obsessing over this, aren't you? You lost, get over it already," she said, crossing her arms.

"How can I simply get over it? She should not have been able to even compete against me. She was weak, worthless, a disgrace that the clan banished. She had no way to develop her Jyuuken or Byakugan," Neji stated, only for Tenten to shake her head.

"Neji, your clan's techniques are strong. The Hyuuga are a strong clan. But you're not the end-all-be-all of the shinobi world. Just because she couldn't learn Jyuuken doesn't mean she couldn't grow stronger in different ways. And she clearly did. But have you considered that maybe it wasn't just her techniques that beat you, but something else? Something inside?" Tenten asked, tapping her chest.

Neji stopped and looked at her, reminded of Hinata's words. "Elaborate," he told her, causing Tenten to roll her eyes.

"I mean that maybe Hinata found something that was worth pushing herself to her limits, and even beyond them. Look at Lee. When we first teamed up, he was an abysmal mess. Now he's so strong and fast I'd be hard pressed not to be knocked out within the first couple minutes of a spar between us. And that would be with him holding back so as not to seriously hurt me. And he's grown that strong because he has a desire to grow stronger and prove that he can be a strong shinobi even with just taijutsu. Maybe Hinata found the same drive to grow stronger," she said as Neji turned away, looking to the sky.

"…she told me as much…I didn't want to believe her, but she said that was part of what helped her to beat me. After our match, when I asked her," he said quietly. "…surely such a thing isn't possible though, is it? That she could deny fate because of emotions?"

Tenten sighed quietly, shaking her head. "Maybe the reason you can't figure this out is because you keep trying to fit fate into everything. For once Neji…forget about fate. You'll probably get your answer a lot simpler that way," she said, heading off and leaving her confused and frustrated Hyuuga teammate behind.

Tanzaku Quarters, one week later

Tanzaku Quarters, a popular tourist stop within Hi no Kuni, was a bustling town. Surrounded by a wall to protect it from dangers, the city had been built up around the castle of a famous samurai warlord from the warring period before the advent of chakra, when armies of samurai retainers and drafted peasants dominated the battlefield. One of the few remaining structures to survive the turbulent transition to the Shinobi period, it had become a landmark tourist attraction, around which a town had sprung up to cash in on the tourists visiting said castle. Gambling, souvenirs, and various plazas and theaters for festivals could be found, creating quite a lively atmosphere.

All this was lost on the blond haired woman currently sitting in one of the gambling halls, staring at the pachinko machine in front of her. Given the fact that she had witnessed a very large portion of the balls being 'captured', one would think she would be quite happy, as a big payout was waiting for her. Yet instead her beautiful face was marred by a frown, her brown eyes staring at the machine with a mixture of growing horror and astonishment.

"Oh wow, that's amazing Tsunade-sama! Looks like your luck has finally changed!" Said the woman standing next to her. Tsunade turned her head to look at Shizune, her apprentice and traveling companion, who was grinning happily at the flashing lights on the machine, declaring Tsunade a winner.

Tsunade looked back at the machine, not sharing Shizune's enthusiasm. Instead she grabbed the ticket exiting the machine, standing up to go cash it in while Shizune blinked and followed her quickly, making sure the pig she carried in her arms was secure and stable.

Tsunade quietly took the money given to her by the establishment owner and left the building, while Shizune followed her, sensing something was amiss. "Tsunade-sama, is something wrong?" She asked worriedly.

"We're leaving," Tsunade said quietly, moving forward with a purpose while Shizune blinked in surprise.

"B-But…you're on a hot streak. Tsunade-sama, if you win a few more times w-we can finally pay off some of the more immediate gambling debts, and-," Shizune started to say, only to be silenced by a look from Tsunade.

As Shizune quieted down, bowing her head slightly, Tsunade looked forward. She couldn't blame Shizune for not knowing, Tsunade hadn't told her. Shizune knew of Tsunade's legendary bad luck, she had witnessed it all this time. Tsunade had never told her what happened when her luck changed. How each time it had happened something terrible had occurred. The only thing she was grateful for was so far she hadn't truly won in a big way. She had won a minor lottery earlier that morning, and had experienced good luck in a few other minor games of chance. Even still, she knew something bad was coming.

Shizune, following behind her master, could only blink as she saw her start taking back alleyways and side streets, causing her to frown. She immediately opened up her senses, trying to detect anyone who might be following them, wondering if Tsunade had perhaps sensed someone watching them. Yet she couldn't sense anyone following or stalking them. She kept her senses alert as she followed Tsunade.

The duo were turning down a side street when Tsunade suddenly froze, staring ahead with one fist clenched. Shizune moved to the side to see what had caused the older woman to stop, only for her eyes to widen as she saw a pair of figures ahead of them, her frame freezing as well as she instantly recognized one of them.

Before them stood Orochimaru, Tsunade's former teammate. Someone Shizune was all too familiar with given his rather infamous reputation. Tsunade had told her about Orochimaru, mostly as a warning to stay away from him if they should ever see him. Next to the snake sannin was a blue haired woman, her hair done up in a high ponytail with bangs framing her face, her skin pale with red lipstick and dark colored eyes accenting it. She was dressed in a green kimono like dress with a short right sleeve, and a red short-sleeved turtleneck underneath, her outfit completed by a rope belt around her waist, and brown gloves and calf length sandal boots.

Orochimaru merely smiled at the pair as he took a step forward. "Tsunade-chan…how wonderful to see you again," he said.

"Orochimaru…it hasn't been long enough," Tsunade responded, her body tense.

Orochimaru gave her a mock hurt look. "Is that anyway to speak to an old teammate?" Orochimaru asked her, as Tsunade scoffed.

"Considering what I've heard about you since I left Konoha, be glad I'm not greeting you with a fist to the face. What do you want?" She snapped.

The blue haired woman took an angry step forward, a snarl on her face, only to be stopped by Orochimaru's hand on her shoulder. "Careful Guren. You would be destroyed before you had a chance to even attack her," he said, causing Guren to step back. The snake sannin just smiled at his former teammate, speaking again. "I simply thought it might be time to finally reconnect with my fellow sannin. I'm sure you've heard about my recent reunion with Sarutobi-sensei," he said with a smile.

"I heard you tried to lead an invasion of Konoha. Sounded like it didn't go too well," Tsunade said while crossing her arms, trying to look more relaxed and nonchalant.

"Indeed. I might have…underestimated the potential dangers of unforeseen variables," Orochimaru admitted, still smiling. "But in the end, I like to think I at least gave our old home village a wakeup call."

Shizune, tensing slightly, had set the pig Tonton on the ground. "Tsunade-sama…," she said, sliding her hands into the sleeves of her kimono, settling one hand on the hidden senbon launcher there.

Tsunade gave the slightest shake of her head before speaking up. "You want to hurry up and tell me what you want? Or did you just come here to reminisce and tell me about your failures?" She asked, seeing the slightest twitch of annoyance from Orochimaru.

"I suppose I shall forgo the pleasantry of small talk then. I came here to make you an offer, Tsunade-chan. I want you to work for me," he said with a smile.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "…I don't know what the hell you've been drinking to think that was a good idea, but I think even I would want to stay away from it. What exactly makes you think I would even entertain that idea?" She asked him.

Orochimaru just continued to smile at her. "I was thinking perhaps I would offer to give you back that which you value most. The…two things you want most in this entire world," he said with a smile.

Tsunade scowled at him, her hands moving to her side, clenched into fists. "Careful there, hebi-teme. You know what I can do when I'm angry. And don't think your helper there will even slow me down," she warned him.

"Indeed, but I'm not here to anger you, Tsunade-chan. I'm here to make a sincere offer. I've learned a lot in my time away from Konoha. Even a very…unique jutsu your granduncle created. One that would make you quite happy. My offer is simple. Agree to work for me…and I'll return to you both Nawaki and Dan," he said.

Tsunade growled, crouching down and tensing herself, preparing to launch towards him. "Don't you dare speak their names!" She shouted, hurling herself forward with a fist drawn back.

Guren moved forward as if to protect Orochimaru, but Tsunade's fist slammed into her before she could react. And then she disappeared in a cloud of smoke, as Tsuande's eyes widened. 'Orochimaru' merely smirked before disappearing in a second cloud of smoke, while another one appeared on one of the rooftops with Guren. "I was hoping your temper wouldn't get the best of you, but it pays to be cautious," he taunted. "I will give you a week to think about my offer, Tsunade-chan. And I'll even give you proof that my offer is genuine. Expect a visit from an 'old friend' in three days time," Orochimaru said, before disappearing with Guren in tow.

Tsunade let out a growl of annoyance, slamming a fist into the wall of one of the buildings and causing a rather large hole to appear in said wall. Thankfully no one was inside the room on the other side, as Tsunade drew her fist out of the hole while Shizune rejoined her, followed by Tonton. "Tsunade-sama?" She asked quietly, her voice shaking a bit.

"I need a drink," Tsunade said, turning and heading to leave the alleyway with Shizune quickly following her, the latter stopping only to grab Tonton and carry her along.

That evening, with the sun starting to set, both Naruto and Jiraiya entered the town. After their encounter with Akatsuki the duo had traveled at a 'shinobi forced march'. Usually when a group of shinobi needed to cover a lot of distance at speed, they would travel either on foot or by tree-hopping at the fastest speed they could maintain for an extended period of time. They would keep that pace for one to two hours, depending on the chakra or stamina of the shinobi in the group, before slowing down to either a light jog or brisk walking pace for thirty minutes, then returning to the faster pace afterwards. Every four hours they would take a break to catch their breath, usually no more than ten to twenty minutes, and then set out again.

Naruto and Jiraiya had been maintaining this pace for a week or so, stopping only in towns to search for news of Tsunade, which had led them here. Now as they passed through the city walls, Jiraiya could only grin. "I've got a good feeling about this town," he said.

Naruto snorted at his comment. "You said that about the last two towns," he retorted, only for Jiraiya to wave a hand.

"I was close on the last one though, wasn't I? She passed through there only a few days ahead of us!" He said with a grin before getting more serious. "Go ahead and send your shadow clones out, see if they can spot either of them. If not I'll start my questioning tomorrow," Jiraiya stated.

Naruto quickly summoned twenty shadow clones, who nodded and shot off in different directions. Some of them took to the streets and alleys, while others vaulted up to the rooftops, spreading out and quickly disappearing to the shadows. Naruto meanwhile followed after Jiraiya, the duo deciding to hit up a restaraunt first for some food.

As they walked, Jiraiya looked back at Naruto. "You know, I'm honestly kind of surprised how well you reacted to my 'investigation method'," Jiraiya stated. When Naruto had first seen Jiraiya sitting in a gentleman's club, a pair of escorts sitting on either side of him flattering him and giggling while he got drunk, the sannin had expected Naruto to berate him for wasting their time. Instead, Naruto had simply told him his own investigations had turned up nothing and then left.

Naruto shrugged as he walked alongside Jiraiya. "Information comes from all kinds of sources. And few sources are as informative as those in the seedier side of society," Naruto told him. "One of the things I've learned from my time with Raphael-sensei."

Jiraiya frowned slightly at that, though he made sure Naruto couldn't see it. He couldn't argue with the statement as it was true. Thieves, gamblers, crime bosses, geisha, bar owners, all of them usually heard and knew things around town that most people would never expect. But it did slightly disturb him that Naruto already seemed to be as exposed to such a world, to a point where it was not surprising to him.

Shaking his head he looked forward again. "We'll probably want to hit the various gambling establishments first. Even if she isn't in one of them, the owners will have seen her," he said.

Naruto nodded only to stop, eyes widening as one of the clones dispersed and its memories returned to him. "…found her," he said, causing Jiraiya to whirl towards him with surprise on his face.

"What?! Already?"! He asked, eyes wide as Naruto nodded, pointing off to the left a bit.

"She's sitting in a restaurant about two hundred meters that way. My clone got a glimpse, and it looks like she's drinking herself into a stupor. Her assistant Shizune-san is there as well, looking uncomfortable," he reported.

Jiraiya frowned a bit at that. "Tsunade likes to drink, but this doesn't sound like an enjoyment binge. Something might be up," he said, looking to Naruto. "Alright follow me gaki, but don't spook her. And…keep your shadow clones close, in case she tries to make a break."

Naruto blinked but nodded, knowing his clones already would be converging on that location once the first one dispersed. He quickly took point, leading Jiraiya to the restaurant.

When they arrived, Jiraiya took the lead. "Act like we weren't expecting her to be there," he cautioned Naruto, only for the blonde to shake his head.

"You really think she'll fall for that?" He asked, only for Jiraiya to shrug.

"Not really, but she'll be expecting me to act that way," he said with a sheepish grin, causing Naruto to give him a deadpan stare. Jiraiya just turned back and entered the restaurant, giving a look around only to start in 'surprise'. "Tsunade-chan, is that you?" He asked in a 'surprised' voice.

Naruto, following behind him, got a better look at the duo of women they had been sent to find. He definitely had to admit, Tsunade was quite beautiful, though that beauty was marred by the grouchy look on her face as she now drunkenly glared towards Jiraiya, who walked jovially over towards her table. Naruto simply followed and sat down, taking in the surprised and still worried look on Shizune's face.

Tsunade growled in annoyance as she set the empty cup in her hand down. "Jiraiya, you old lecher. What are you doing here?" She demanded, pouring herself another cup.

"Oh we were just were looking for a place to get food before we turned in for the night. Just got to town, looking for a comfy bed for the night," Jiraiya said back, helping himself to the sake after she had poured her cup. "I'm honestly surprised to see you here though. Small world, isn't it?" He asked.

Tsunade scoffed. "Yeah, small world," she said sarcastically, looking at the armed figure next to Jiraiya. "And who's this shrimp? Get yourself a new apprentice? Hope you're not filling his head with bullshit like you did the last one," she said.

Jiraiya tensed a bit as he could feel Naruto stiffen next to him, sensing the boy was angered by Tsuande's jab at his father, even if she didn't know it. However Naruto took a deep breath, before speaking. "Naruto Uzumaki, genin of Konoha," he said shortly.

Tsunade blinked as she heard his name and focused on the blonde boy now, before realization crossed her face. "…well I'll be. Minato and Kushina's kid. All grown up and a ninja now?" She slurred out, setting the cup down. "Figures Jiraiya would take an interest in you, since he-," she started to say.

"Taught my father. Yes, I know. Though I'd appreciate it if you didn't announce that fact to the entire world," Naruto said, glancing around. Thankfully there didn't appear to be anyone in earshot, but he wanted to be cautious. Last thing he wanted was an Iwa death squad or Kumo extraction team coming after him.

Tsunade snorted at that. "Kid has some sense at least. Not out to be some hero or something?" She asked, pulling a deck of cards out of the pocket of her jacket slung over the back of her chair. "So are you going to tell me why you're really here Jiraiya? I don't think it's a coincidence that shortly after Konoha is attacked, you show up," she said, shuffling the deck.

Jiraiya sighed, dropping his jovial attitude. "Fine," he said, watching her deal the cards out. "I'm here under Sarutobi-sensei's orders," he stated as he picked up his cards and looked them over. "He wants you to return to Konoha at once."

Tsunade, looking over her own cards, did not answer for a few moments before setting down two cards and drawing two more. "And what does he want from me?" She asked, her voice growing more serious though still holding a drunken slur to it.

"We need your help in healing wounded from the invasion. There are several people who would recover faster, or have a higher chance of recovery, if you were present. However that is not the only reason. Sarutobi-sensei is retiring again…and you're the best choice to become Hokage," he said, discarding three and drawing three more.

Tsunade stiffened, staring at her cards. She held four a kind in her hand, a very strong hand. Taking a deep breath she looked back at Jiraiya, who was shuffling in the three new cards he had. "Is that so?" She asked, her face as neutral as she could make it.

Jiraiya nodded quietly. "Out of the possible contenders, you're the best choice. Unless you like the idea of me being put in charge of the village," he added with a grin on his face.

Tsunade, however, did not react to his humor, instead focusing on him. "…did you and Sarutobi-sensei really think I would accept?" She asked him.

Jiraiya let the smile drop, before sighing in frustration. "We both believe you're most likely the best person for the job. I have obligations that prevent me from being able to take the position. And the next best choice would most likely run the village into the ground," he said, laying his cards on the table, revealing a flush.

Tsunade looked at the cards, before setting her own winning hand down. "Then you and Sarutobi both are going senile," she said, causing both Shizune and Naruto to stare at her in shock. "There's no way in hell I'm going back to that cursed village, let alone becoming its leader."

Jiraiya frowned at the look on her face. "Tsunade," he started to say, his voice serious, only for her to cut him off.

"You know just as well as I do that the position of Hokage is cursed. Sarutobi-sensei is the only one who's managed to avoid it so far, but not by much. My grandfather, granduncle, your student though…all of them died. And how many people have died chasing the dream of being Hokage?" She asked, slowly touching the necklace around her neck. "It's a fool who wants to be Hokage, and I'm no fool. Let some other idiot take the position."

Shizune looked down, both saddened and slightly shamed by Tsunade's words. Jiraiya, knowing exactly what caused Tsunade to have such beliefs, shifted uneasily as he tried to figure out how to handle the situation. However, the surprise reaction came from Naruto who slowly stood up, causing the trio to look at him as he stood there, head lowered a bit so his eyes were shadowed.

"...Jiraiya-sensei…when you're done with this coward…I'll be waiting for you outside," he said simply, turning to leave only for a fist to slam onto the table and causing him to stop.

"What the hell did you say brat?" Tsunade demanded, glaring at Naruto, who simply turned his head to look at her with cold eyes.

"You heard me. You're a coward. Sitting here, slandering the dead, insulting people who were willing to give everything they had, even their lives, to protect the ideals they believed in, and the village they swore to lead and preserve. What gives you the right to judge them, you who only seem interested in drinking and gambling and shirking any kind of responsibility to those in need? You're nothing but a coward, and a disgrace to your grandfather and granduncle," Naruto said, his voice hard.

Tsunade let out a yell as she flipped the table over, rising to her feet. "Shut up brat! You've no idea of what kind of hell I've been through!" She yelled at Naruto.

"And you have no idea what I've been through. Doesn't change what I see in front of me," Naruto shot back, even as he had turned to face her. He knew he was pissing off a sannin, someone who was on the level of Jiraiya or Orochimaru. And he already knew, from his clone's experience, he stood pretty much no chance against someone like Orochimaru.

But hearing her slander his dad like that, a man Naruto never got to know because of the Kyuubi attack, had angered him. He knew, thanks to the scrolls left to him by his parents, that his father had loved the village, and that being Hokage was his dream, to be able to do all he could to protect Konoha, both the ideals and the people of the village. While Naruto did not have as much of a desire as his father did, he could still understand the man's thoughts and feelings. And hearing Tsuande's insults angered him, as she was trashing one of the things he could connect to his father about.

Tsunade growled as she stood over him. "I'll show you gaki. Outside, right now!" She demanded, only for Naruto to scoff.

"Oh sure, a sannin fighting a genin. That'll prove you're not a coward," he said, before stepping aside. "After you."

Tsunade started to storm outside with Shizune following, while Jiraiya grabbed Naruto. "Gaki, what the hell are you doing?! You're going to get yourself killed here!"

Naruto looked at Jiraiya. "Don't worry ero-sennin," he said, before stepping outside. Jiraiya growled before following him.

Tsunade stood there, glaring at Naruto as he moved opposite of her. "I'll make this quick brat. One single finger is all I need to put you down for a week," she said.

Naruto merely said nothing, instead settling into a taijutsu stance as Jiraiya shook his head, thinking this would not end well. The genin shot forward, heading towards Tsunade while suddenly making the handsign for his kage bunshin. Immediately two shadow clones appeared on either side of him.

Tsunade's eyes widened at that as the three charging blonds switched positions rapidly, confusing her on which was the real one, before all three moved to attack her. She quickly slammed a fist into the ground, causing the road to shake and threw all three off balance, before she lashed out with a powerful kick, slamming into all three. Her eyes widened as all three burst into smoke, revealing all of them had been clones. At the same time four more descended on her from above, fists drawn back.

Tsunade snarled as she leapt up, unleashing a flurry of punches at them and destroying all four. As she landed another Naruto charged towards her, rearing back with his fist. She kicked a rock at it, thinking it was another clone and that would disperse it, only to see the rock slam into that Naruto and send him skidding back due to the force behind it. Realizing that was the real Naruto she hurled herself towards him, flicking her finger towards his forehead while channeling chakra in order to knock him out. Yet just as her fingers hit, 'Naruto' burst into smoke, revealing another clone. And at the exact same moment, she felt metal poking at her back, right behind where her heart would be.

Both Jiraiya and Shizune could only stare in surprise as Naruto stood behind Tsunade, the hidden blade extended from his left bracer and aimed at her back. If he had wanted to, he could have stabbed through, piercing her heart. Jiraiya narrowed his eyes as he quickly understood what Naruto had done. He had used his clones to hide his presence, constantly changing out with them, using the numbers and their speed to keep to keep Tsunade from ever seeing the real him. When he had her off balance he went for the kill, substituting himself with a clone right before she had flicked him, and struck at her back.

However, Jiraiya knew this outcome wouldn't have happened if Tsunade had been sober and focused. It was only because of her anger at Naruto's words and the fact that she was drunk that allowed him to get this lucky, due to her senses and reflexes being slowed. She had still torn through his clones even then. Still, he couldn't help but feel some pride at seeing Naruto outthink his opponent. (1)

Tsunade looked over her shoulder as Naruto withdrew the hidden blade at her back, before turning to face him. The sudden realization that he could have honestly killed her there had created a sobering effect on her, causing her to actually look him over, seeing the weapons and equipment he carried. Especially the blade that retracted back into the underside of his bracer. He wasn't just some genin dreaming of heroics, this was someone who was ready to fight…and kill.

Still, she felt her anger rise up, fueled by her embarrassment at him actually managing to catch her off guard. "Don't think that counts, brat. I was holding back," she snapped at him. "And don't think this changes anything! I'm not going back to Konoha!"

Naruto shrugged at that. "I don't really care. You wouldn't benefit the village anyways," he said, turning and walking off. "I'll go find us a hotel, ero-sennin," he told Jiraiya.

Jiraiya just sighed before looking to Tsunade, who was still fuming. "Tsunade…this isn't a request. Sarutobi-sensei has ordered you back to the village. Even if you're not going to take up the mantle of Hokage, he still wants you back in the village."

Tsunade just glared at him. "And what's he going to do if I refuse? He can't mark me as a missing nin, that'll just have every shinobi from other villages swarming down on me to try and capture or persuade me to join them. There's nothing he can do to bring me back."

Jiraiya just looked at her with a mixture of sadness and disappointment, before speaking. "He thought you'd say that. I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but…if you don't return to the village he'll freeze the Senju accounts, preventing you from drawing any more money. You'll be completely on your own financially."

Tsunade froze at that, eyes wide in surprise as her mouth dropped open before she glared furiously at Jiraiya. She knew she'd never make it if she lost access to the Senju accounts. While she was able to successfully stay ahead of most debt collectors, a few managed to corner her, and unless they got really violent or made utterly ridiculous demands, she'd pay off the debts with money from her family accounts. Without the Senju accounts she'd have no money to pay off those gambling debts she couldn't outrun, and she'd be sunk.

Suddenly feeling even more furious at this knowledge that she essentially was trapped, she turned and stormed off angrily, with Shizune bowing to Jiraiya. "I'm sorry for the trouble she caused, Jiraiya-sama," the raven-haired assistant said, before rushing after Tsunade. Jiraiya just let out a sigh, creating a clone that followed them before turning to go after Naruto. It seemed this was turning out to be as tedious as he thought it would be.

He didn't notice the figure watching the whole scene from an alleyway, before said figure disappeared, to go warn their master of this new development.


And scene…well, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Had a different ending originally, but it didn't really feel…organic or realistic. So I hope this new ending works. I'll tell anyone what the original ending was if they want to know.

RS19: Wow, you were really working hard on this one, weren't you? *Is smiling innocently at LR*

LR: Don't try to butter me up, get back to work. You know the rules. *points to chalkboard on the wall*

RS19: *whimpers as she goes back to writing "I will not blow up the Ranger Lair" on the chalkboard, with several rows of the same sentence preceding it*

Elroth: *Is being forced to sort through LR's reviews* She does have a point though.

LR: Well I did want to get this one out before or on Christmas. As a sort of Christmas gift to my readers. I hope they enjoy it.

Arashen: Oohhh, will we get a Christmas party here? *Is smacked upside the head by Raphael's training sword*

Raphael: Focus, idiota. You're still in 'training' here. *Smirks as Arashen is forced to spar with him using heavy weights around his arms and legs*

LR: Maybe if you all didn't keep trying to blow things up I would be able to throw a party here. For now, you'll just have to settle for my Christmas gifts to you instead. *turns to the camera* So that's all for this chapter, I hope you all enjoyed it! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!

Thanks go out to Bill Alain for his help in betaing this chapter! Thanks so much man!

1. I just wanted to make this point clear, so no one thinks I'm being inconsistent or overpowering Naruto. Naruto here won this little skirmish because he was able to outthink his opponent, but also because Tsunade was angry and drunk. He was able to use that to his advantage and keep her off balance long enough to get into a position where he could strike the killing blow. However, if Tsunade had been sober and more focused, she'd have decimated Naruto. She's a lot stronger, far more experienced, and possibly is even faster than Naruto. But I did want to also show though that with the right planning and skills, someone as powerful and strong as Tsunade could be taken out by someone with a lower rank and abilities. This is sort of a way to say that power and rank mean nothing if your opponent can catch you at just the right moment. You can be one of the most powerful shinobi out there, but you make that one mistake and even a genin can end you.