So once again, I stink. Sorry for another late upload. I do have a reason this time though, I was working on my other story a bit so that took up time! Thank you to everyone who's given a review, although I've only gotten one for the christmas special. Please post your christmas wishes for what you'd like to see happen between the characters. Maybe I'll introduce a new couple. Maybe not. Anyways, you came here for a story, and a story you're going to get. Please Enjoy!
I don't own Naruto, although that would be quite helpful economically, but a pain in the arse to manage. Can't catch me for copyright now can you?! HA!
]}{*
Rain is a double edged sword. Providing both comfort and sorrow. Naruto had always found comfort in the rain. It was one of the few times he could walk around town without facing the dirty looks of others or having a mob chase him. Today. It did not bring comfort. Today, the rain acted as a reminder of what had happened. It dampened his clothes, covering his body with it's coolness. As if draining his happiness with each drop that landed upon him. Despite Kakashi urging him to go, Naruto had not gone to the main ceremony with the rest of the village. Instead he stood on the top of the Hokage monument, watching from a distance so as not to anger the villagers. Once the crowd had left, Naruto made his way to the cemetery, looking at each picture that had a ninja that had lost their life in the attack.
'Each one of these people had a family that loved them. The sand ninja that died probably did too. What did we gain from this besides pain? What good is war if nothing is gained?!'
"War is not a pleasant concept of life. All living things engage in it. Hoping to win something, but they never feel like the outcome was worth the cost when they finish. However, this attack was not completely useless. You have saved your fellow jinchuuriki and have been accepted by your friends despite being my prison. War is not something that one should strive for, but when it happens you must grow from it and improve upon what was lost in the conflict. Remember what you have seen today, because it will not be the last time you see a sight like it. Remember the sorrow caused by war and work to avoid it. If you must engage in it, make sure it has meaning unlike this one".
Naruto had Kurama's words resurface as he came to the Hokage's grave. "Jiji. Why did you have to die? I…" Naruto paused to take a shaky breath as tears started to surface. "I still needed help from you. You were the first to show me kindness and I never thanked you for that. And what about Konohamaru? He wished to follow you in your footsteps but now you won't be there to even see him graduate from the academy". Naruto felt like ancient ruins that were finally grumbling down after years of erosion. "I'm so sorry Jiji. Thank you for saving me from becoming Gaara. Thank you for showing me what kindness was. Thank you for being the first person who treated me like another person instead of a demon. Thank you Jiji".
Naruto couldn't handle it any longer. With haste he ran away from the cemetery to his apartment. Since he couldn't pay for heat, Naruto sat in the middle of his room, curled up in a ball, emotions wrecking through him. Kurama used this moment to pull Naruto into the mindscape and let Naruto cry into one of his many tails until Naruto fell asleep from exhaustion.
[}-:-{]
The village spent the next day mourning. Only a few people went to work. Just enough to provide a basic level of security for the village. Even then, those who went were in no shape to defend the village.
After the day of mourning people forced themselves to continue with daily life. The clan heads, councils, and high ranking ninja attended a meeting to decide on the next course of action. After much dispute, they came to the conclusion that Jiraiya would set off to find Tsunade, and if he couldn't bring her back within a month, he would be deemed the Hokage. In the meantime, it was decided that Shikaku would handle the basic paper work of the Hokage. A decision to which the Nara commented as being quite "troublesome".
Danzo was quite displeased with the outcome, hoping to have taken the seat of Hokage himself, but with the factors of age and his war hawk nature, most of the council denied him of the position.
Jiraiya's face was grim when he left the council room. He had never been thankful for not being part of a clan until he came of age to potentially be involved in council matters. As one of the strong ninja in Konoha at the time he would've definitely been made clan head or would've been important enough that the clan head would bring him. WIthout a clan, he never had to attend the regular meetings they had and deal with the idiocy of those people.
'Time to finally bring Tsuna back. First I just need to find out where the hell she is. Might as well bring Naruto I guess. I can start teaching him the rasengan while I look. But first, I need to do a little research before I leave, that meeting sucked the life out of me'. The thought of research brought a small smile to Jiraiya's face as he raced to the hot springs.
{]!_![}
Konohamaru's friends had tried talking to him multiple times but their efforts remained fruitless. He would run away, turn invisible, and lock his doors. It got so bad that even Hanabi was worried about him, of course never explicitly admitting to such feelings. Konohamaru had shut himself from the world and stayed that way for three days until Naruto found him on the Hokage monument on top of his grandfather's head. Being that they were like brothers, Konohamaru let Naruto sit next to him.
They sat in silence for a few seconds before Naruto started sharing some memories of their grandfather. Things like how the man had taught him how to do laundry properly and how instant ramen was supposed to be cooked, not eaten raw. This story brought a laugh to Konohamaru, but it was short, his laugh turning into a sob. Naruto hugged Konohamaru, letting him cry into his jacket, Naruto joining him eventually. They stayed that way until Konohamaru was in control of himself again.
"Thank you" was all Konohamaru said. And it was all that needed to be said. The two spent a few more minutes enjoying the view and weather before Naruto had to go back to training. Konohamaru stayed a bit longer, finding himself inspired to become just as great as his grandfather was. 'I remember Uncle Asuma saying something about Jiji having a book he kept his jutsu in. Maybe I can learn how he fought and make my own name honoring him with his jutsus. I will become Hokage. I'll be an even better Hokage than Jiji!'.
The young Sarutobi leapt off his grandfather's head, starting the search for his grandfather's notebook as soon as possible.
_}\/{]
Naruto had just gotten back to training with his team when Jiraiya appeared. "Hey Pervy-Sage. What's up?".
A tick formed on the Sannin's forehead. "Didn't I tell you that if you kept on calling me that I'd put Gamabunta's sake tab on you?!"
"Ha, like I'd be able to pay for that monstrosity, besides I'll only stop calling you it when you stop being a pervert". Naruto then turned back to practice his training in earth jutsu. Hinata and Sasuke had stopped their own studies hearing the sannin and watching the interaction. The threat of a sake tab made the two wonder just how bad it was.
"Oh yeah, add 20 more barrels of Sake to the usual. I summoned Gamabunta to help with the invasion". Jiraiya's eyes went white and his jaw hit the floor.
Hinata and Sasuke's jaws dropped too at hearing the scale of Sake that the two were talking about.
"What they hell! You little piece of… ooo… you're going to get it brat. I'm going on a journey to find an old teammate of mine and you're coming with me. No argument! I'm going to work you till you almost pass out and then I'm going to make you read my books. You may resist, but I have ways of making you cooperate! Now, go pack! We leave in 4 hours".
Naruto smiled, running off to pack the little belongings he had. Hinata and Sasuke were both looking at each other, trying to understand what had just happened before them. Having given his message to Naruto, it was then that Jiraiay actually noticed the two.
"You two are his teammates?". The two nodded in confirmation. This got Jiraiya thinking, 'I know the brat will help with getting Tsunade back, but I wonder if these two will help too. Probably not, although I'd like to see their abilities sometime. If what I've heard is true, these three will be the next round of sannin. Of course they'll have to have a different name. The Densetsu? Nah. Myths of Fire? Nah. I'll think of something'. Turning his attention back to the world outside his thoughts, Jiraiya shunshined to his apartment, himself starting to pack for the journey.
When he got to his wallet he grew somber. Remembering just how many barrels of sake he now owed Gamabunta. While he was a world renowned writer with no shortcomings in wealth, it still took a large chunk out of his bank account. "I guess that makes 74 barrels of Sake I owe him now. Damn that toad's expensive. I've got to get Naruto working with Gamakichi. Maybe my bank account will finally have a break".
Naruto and Jiraiya set off around midday, giving them only 8 hours to reach the next town before it got dark out. Within 8 minutes, Jiraiya grew irritated with the boy. Naruto was restless and kept asking questions about what town their going to, what food they'll have, why he kept his hair spike and so long. It was at the 9th minute that Jiraiya shouted in frustration.
"AARRGGG! JUST SHUT UP FOR 3 HOURS BRAT!!! HERE!" Jiraiya tossed Naruto a water balloon. "If you're going to be annoying then I'll give you something to shut you up! I want you to burst the balloon with just chakra by rotating the water inside. Like this". Jiraiya then demonstrated, holding a water balloon in his left hand and bursting the balloon within seconds. Naruto was slightly impress by the feat. "I'm teaching you a jutsu this month and this is the first step, I can't and won't give you any hints. You have to figure it out on your own!". With that Jiraiya started forward at a brisk pace, forcing Naruto to jog a little to catch up.
The water balloon had disinterested Naruto after a few minutes of failing, although he was refilled with enthusiasm after Jiraiya demonstrated the new jutsu when they had been attacked by bandits. "It's called the Rasengan. It's a very powerful jutsu that uses up a lot of chakra for a normal shinobi. For you, when you're older, it should be as easy as making a shadow clone right now. The first step is rotation. Figure out that and then we'll continue to the next".
Naruto was awestruck by the jutsu, he had to master it. Luckily for Jiraiya, after showing the jutsu, Naruto was completely silent. The next 6 hours of walking were bliss for Jiraiya.
When they arrived in town, Jiraiya booked a room at an inn. "You stay here and continue to practice, I'm going to get some information on the person we're looking for".
"Yeah right you Pervert! You're going to go to the club and do some quote on quote 'research'"
A smile dawned on Jiraiya's face, "Hey that's not such a bad idea. Get some information and then do some research! Thanks kid, I knew you were good for something!". Before Naruto could shout back a retort, Jiraiya had shut the door and run off to the local pub for information.
"That bastard". Naruto settled back on his bed, holding the same water balloon from before in his hands. The only results he was gotten were the balloon stretching into a more disc shape, but never enough to pop it. 'Plus, Pervy-Sage's balloon formed spike all over in random direction, not a disc'. A light bulb illuminated in Naruto's head. 'Wait. All different directions. Maybe if I…'. Standing up Naruto channeled his chakra into the balloon, swirling it clockwise like he had down the entire day. Then he tried moving the chakra in another direction. Instead of having two different swirls of chakra, he ended up just changing to the other. Scowling, Naruto tried again.
After 15 fails Naruto took a break, flopping on the bed. "Great, so now I know what to do, but I don't know how to do it! It's like looking in two directions at once! I can only look one way at a time, just like my hand can only do one thing at a time!"
'You have two hands, idiot'
Naruto facepalmed. Kurama sighed in disappointment in his host. Once more Naruto was standing, this time, using one hand to hold and swir the balloon one way, while using the other to rotate the water and chakra in different directions.
His results ended up with him receiving an explosion of water in his face with what was left of the water balloon in his hand and resting in his hair.
Naruto cheered, "Yes! About damn time!! One step down two to go! Day one and I've already mastered the first step! I'll learn this jutsu no problem in a week, much less a month!".
It took more than a week. While having finished the first step, Naruto found the second to be much harder. While he had no problem in strength, it was the act of focusing all that power into a rubber ball that made it so difficult. Oftentimes his chakra ended up exploding in his face, bringing much amusement to Jiraiya. It wasn't till the 2nd week of their journey that he had succeeded in the task, and it took another day to do it repeatedly.
!]}{_!
Itachi and Kisame had finally arrived at the hidden leaf. They had just taken care of an assaination mission, and were taking a small detour on the way back per Itachi's request. Kisame didn't really care. He was dreaming of when he'd get to fight more strong opponents again.
The two entered under the title of merchants. As they walked through the village they were met with many curious eyes. They were quite a sight to see in long black cloaks with red clouds, a large strange hat on top. Because of their outfits, some anbu had tagged along to spy on them. With the use of his ring, Itachi was able to place them under a genjutsu so the Anbu believed he and Kisame were going another direction.
The two Akatsuki members took a seat in a tea shop, taking a much needed break from walking. From the tea shop, Itachi had a nice view of the other open area restaurants. In one he say Asuma and Kurenai sitting together at a booth, enjoying a nice meal together. He saw Kakashi and Gai having another contest, seeing who could eat the most sushi. Itachi still didn't know how Kakashi was able to eat so quickly while still concealing his face. What surprised him the most was seeing Anko snogging Iruka in the corner of the Dango shop.
Seeing them all reminded Itachi of his own ties to Konoha. More specifically, Sasuke and his girlfriend. The two he had initially made the pitstop for. Leaving the tea shop, he led Kisame to an ally that he made a shadow clone in that he set with Kisame to walk around town.
(For story of Kisame and the Itachi clone and their battle with the senseis, look to youtube once more)
Itachi put on a henge, looking like a citizen he had seen in another village. With his disguise up, he set off into the village to find his brother and lover.
The first he found was Sasuke. Finding him at the training grounds with his teammate and Anko. 'He seems to be growing rapidly. But it seems he won't be strong enough for the future. I'll have to train him privately. But I won't be able to do it personally. Maybe me and Kisame can take an extended mission. Kisame will enjoy his enthusiasm. I just need to get in contact with Jiraiya'.
Itachi turned away, knowing the guilt would grow if he continued to watch Sasuke.
Itachi summoned a crow, sending it to signal his lover. He then ran to the forest behind the Inuzuka Compound. The Clan rarely used it, and it was so vast if they did for training it was a small chance they'd find him. It was in this forest that he and his lover had spent many nights together.
He only was waiting for 7 minutes before she arrived.
"Itachi!"
Itachi turned to see his childhood crush and lover, Hana Inuzuka. She rammed into him, locking lips as he fell backwards into the ground. He embraced her and welcomed the kiss. They stayed that way for 3 minutes before Hana stopped, settling for just hugging him.
"I've missed you so much," Hana said. Her voice muffled by her stuffing her face into Itachi's cloak.
"I've missed you too. It's too long since we last did this". Hana nodded her head in agreement into his robes. She shifted her head to the side now, now able to hear his heart beat.
"I was heartbroken when you left last time. Please tell me I won't have to wait much longer before we can be together again. If you can't return, then I'll leave. Just tell me that I won't have to suffer through another 5 years without you"
"Please don't say such things. You do not want the life I have right now, and those who I work with would tear both you and myself apart. They're insane. However, I have plans to train Sasuke on an extended mission. After that extended mission, the organization I'm in will start enacting their final plan. At that point there will be no more information I'll be able to gather. With the help of Jiraiya, I should be able to finally return home with my name cleared"
Hana smiled at the thought of being able to be with Itachi in the village again. "Don't do anything rash while I wait. I let the triplets loose on you if you do". Itachi smiled, remembering the three pups Hana had when he had last been in the village.
"The Haimaru Brothers. They're full grown dogs now. I wonder if they still remember me"
"They do. I have a picture of you that I keep hidden. When I take it out, the three whine. They miss you too"
"Do they miss me or the treats that I would spoil them with?"
"Ha ha. Let's say it's a bit of both"
The two sighed after that, enjoying one another's company. It was then that Itachi's clone dispersed. Sending him all the knowledge about the battle it had with Kakashi and how Kisame was waiting outside the village.
"I have to go". Hana hugged tighter, not wanting to let him go. Knowing if she did, it'd be the last time she'd get to hold him in a while.
"You better wrap up this spying business. I can only hold off on my mom's pushes to get married for so long". Itachi smiled, hearing that Hana had remained faithful all this time.
"I'll finish it up as quickly as possible. Maybe I'll be able to make a few pit stops here when I train Sasuke"
Hana grew excited at the thought of seeing Itachi at a date sooner than 3-4 years. She finally let go of him, standing up. Helping Itachi to his feet too. "When you finally get your name cleared, you better have a ring, otherwise I'm going to be the one to propose to you"
Itachi smiled at this. "Is that right? I guess it's a good thing I have three years to find one suitable for you". He finished his sentence with a kiss. Hana closed her eyes, enjoying the kiss. When it ended, Hana opened her eyes to find that Itachi had vanished.
()_()
When Itachi reached Kisame, he continued to run, leaving Kisame to catch up. "What's the rush Itachi? It's not like any of those weaklings are a threat".
"That's true, but a man named Danzo is. Anyways, I have to get in contact with Jiraiya again. The way Sasuke is now, he'll never be strong enough. I'm going to have Jiraiya take both Naruto and Sasuke for an extended training trip, and then take Sasuke from Jiraiya after they're a safe distance from the village. He's got spunk, and potential greater than my own. You'll love him".
Kisame's insane grin widened. "A brat that'll be stronger than you? Now you've got me excited! I'm in, although I can't guarantee I won't help retrieve tailed beasts".
"Kisame you realize that they send two of us when usually one of us is enough for a tailed beast. You'd have a better time defending tailed beasts than catching them. Besides didn't you say something about eventually wanting to settle down by the sea? We get rid of the organization, you get to fight strong opponents and also get to settle down afterwards. Who knows, you're still young so maybe you could train your son or daughter to be the next sword wielder"
"Ha. You think anyone would fall in love with a man who's half shark, and is a traitor to his own nation?"
"I'm still loved, despite being a traitor to my nation. Besides, the shark features could be seen as charming by some. Just remember your manners and refrain from mutilating people in front of people interested in you"
"Always the optimist aren't we"
]
Jiraiya yawned as he returned to the apartment. He had been tracking Tsunade for weeks now, and just now was certain that he'd be able to find her. According to the local casino, she had just been here the day before. Knowing that, Jiraiya knew he didn't have time for research. If he and Naruto were to catch her, they'd have to be going bright and early in the morning. Unfortunately, right as Jiraiya got comfortable, he heard the creaking of floor boards outside, two pairs of feet showing under the door.
"Great. Who the hell are these idiots?". Rising from his bed, Jiraiya readied himself, creating a shadow clone to open the door as he prepared a kunai. To his delight the clone didn't poof instantly upon opening the door. Instead the clone grew very serious, poofing on it's own to inform Jiraiya it was Itachi and Kisame.
Walking into the doorframe, Jiraiya set eyes on Konoha's most hated ninja, and Kirigakure's worst fear. "Well it's a bit late, don't you think? Has something happened?"
Itachi spoke, "I need you to make an addition in your plans to take Naruto for a training mission"
"Oh? And why is that?"
"My brother will never become strong enough if he stays in the leaf. I need to train him. I need you to take him with you for a little while, just enough so I can safely take him. Then after three years we'll meet up and he can return with you. After that I require you to talk with the Hokage so my name can be cleared. Something big is happening in the next three years. The Akatsuki will soon be disbanded. I would like to be able to defend that of which I love without them trying to kill me"
Jiraiya nodded in understanding, processing all the information. "If I'm able to bring home Tsunade I can guarantee that, but the people of Konoha are another thing all together, although I'm sure you've thought of that. I can do what you've asked of me, although we'll need to plan when to meet up. I'm planning on taking Naruto for training at the beginning of June. That gives you a little over 2 months to prepare"
Itachi bowed his head. "Good, I will see you then". Without another word the two Akatsuki members walked away, allowing Jiraiya to finally sleep.
*}{[}{*
Jiraiya and Naruto set out early the next morning, much to both of their disappointment. "Pervy-Sage why do we have to…*Yawn*...get up so early?"
"Hey don't…*Yawn*... do that or I'm going to start doing it too. Anyways, I've finally gotten a confirmed location for Tsunade, the woman we're looking for. She should have arrived in the next town last night. She'll stay there for a couple days, but we need all the time we can to persuade her to be Hokage"
"Ahh. How will I know we've found her? I've never met the woman"
"Easy, when you see a blonde with the biggest bust you've ever seen, you've found her. Usually in a casino or pub. They call her the 'Legendary Sucker'. A title given to her because she can never win, but still she keeps on gambling"
Naruto struggled a little to process all of this, still battling the weariness of the morning. All he said in reply was, "Okay". Not even attempting to jab at Jiraiya's perviness.
Together the two fully woke up around an hour into their journey, going back to their usual activities while on the world. Naruto now practicing to contain the rasengan in the balloon while Jiraiya thought of ideas for his books or looked at a map.
By the time they had reached the town, Naruto had gone through 20 balloons, with little success. Now that they were at the next town, he'd have to put his training on hold. "Okay kid, let's split up. You book a room in the hotel over there and then go searching. If you find her, activate this seal". Jiraiya handed Naruto a small piece of paper, a delicately designed seal on it. "It'll signal me where you are and that you have found her. Like I said before, she'll probably be in a pub or gambling house of sorts". With that Jiraiya walked off, supposedly to look for this Tsuande, but Naruto knew he was really going to the hot springs or to the local strip club.
Sighing, Naruto started off to do what was told of him. Making a clone to book the room as he searched for their future Hokage.
Naruto had been searching for 3 hours when he heard some sort of uproar from the next street over. Leaping over the buildings, Naruto could see that it was some thugs who had tried to rob a woman with the largest breasts he had ever seen! All three of the robbers with a crater of their own to rest in. Naruto gulped imagining just how strong this woman was.
'Wait, woman with large breasts!'. Taking another look Naruto also took note of her being blonde. 'Must be Tsunade'. Taking out the seal, Naruto activated it as he sped off to catch Tsunade.
Naruto called out to her, trying to catch her attention, "Hey! Hey Lady!". When he got within her range, she sent a casual backhand to slap him into the nearby wall. Naruto was barely able to bend backwards to dodge the strike. "Hey! What the hell Lady?! That would've seriously hurt!".
Tsunade actually turned around this time to face Naruto. "Shut up brat, or I'll throw you halfway across town". She was momentarily started on how similar he was to her little brother.
"Hah! You may be strong, but I don't think you can throw me more than 12 feet!"
"Oh you want to test that you little imp!". Tsuande then grabbed Naruto by the collar, pulling her arm back to chuck him across town and then some. She was surprised to find him poof into a cloud of smoke.
"Just because I think you can't throw me far doesn't mean I'll let you try. Besides, I need to get you to become Hokage! I don't have time to find you again"
Tsunade followed the voice to find Naruto sitting on a crate behind her. "Why you little". Now Naruto had gotten her mad. "Like hell I'll be Hokage, although I'll gladly pound you into the ground anyways". Naruto kept his composure, remaining calm in this massive power gap situation, but still wanting to push her buttons.
"I. Don't. Think. You. Can". This was the final straw for Tsunade. She lunged at the boy, almost catching him, but Naruto had substituted again with a nearby empty bottle. Tsunade looked to her left to see him waving at her with a mischievous smile, before he turned and ran. A tick mark forming on her head, Tsunade chased after him. Naruto had to release all of his restrictions in order to stay just out of her reach.
'Damn, this brat's pretty fast. Or am I just out of practice? Doesn't matter, when I get my hands on him, he won't be able to walk for the next three weeks!'.
Naruto had led Tsunade to the forest, and it was there the two battled it out. Or more so, Naruto dodged and ran, making small strikes every now and then that just made Tsunade even more angry. Jiraiya no longer needed the seal to guide him, he just needed to follow the destruction.
Shizune sighed, 'what poor bastard got her mad?'. Picking up Tonton, Shizune ran to go calm her master before something really bad happened.
{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}
Naruto was starting to become genuinely terrified or this woman's strength. She was punching through trees as if they were toothpicks, and if not for his slight advantage in speed, he'd probably be in the hospital. Unfortunately for Naruto, he slipped up. Having not seen a wet patch of leaves, Naruto slipped. Tsunade capitalized on this, lunging forward with a fist ready to send him into the stratosphere.
Out of nowhere Jiraiya appeared, and without flinching, took the full force of the punch into the palm of his left hand. Both Naruto and Tsunade were dumbfounded by it. Never had anyone been able to stop her punches so effortlessly before.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't send my pupil to the hospital, Tsuna. I know he's a pain, but I need to teach this pain a jutsu. Once he learns the jutsu, you can make him into a pancake"
Tsunade narrowed her eyes before turning away, "We'll talk over some Sake". Once Tsunade was out of hearing range, Jiraiya curled into a ball. "OOOOOWWWWW!!! THE GREAT TOAD SAGE'S WARTS THAT HURT!". Jiraiya was whispering, so only Naruto could hear his pain. "That's the only time I'll take one of her punches for you brat! One more and I might get my wrist turned to dust!". Naruto put on a sheepish smile, and scratched the back of his head.
'If you're not scared of the blonde woman, remember that you're little vixen would gladly try out her new water taijutsu on you if she found that you were being an idiot and pissed off the future Hokage'
Naruto shivered at the thought of being on the receiving end of Hinata's water. 'Good point'. He then scurried off to catch up with Jiraiya, who was now holding his wrist in pain.
[}{]
"So what do you want Jiraiya?! You wouldn't come looking for me without a reason! Have you come to tell me you've renounced the ways of a pervert?"
"Hiruzen-Sensei is dead". The table went silent. Both Shizune and Tsunade were shocked by the information. Tsunade started to open her mouth to say something when Jiraiya interrupted her again, "Orochimaru killed him". Tsunade closed her mouth once again, processing the information and the implications with it.
Tsunade lifted her saucer of Sake to her lips, "It was bound to happen to that old fool". Shizune's eyes went wide, hearing her master say that. Naruto on the other hand was about to explode at her for insulting his grandfather when Jiraiya lifted a hand in front of him and gave him a look that told him to cool it.
"Hiruzen-Sensei may have been idealistic, but he was never naive. Now, what I came here for. It has been decided that you're to be the next Hokage".
"Ha! You think I'd take that kami forsaken position?! Nothing good comes from being Hokage, only pain. Look at my grandfather and uncle! Both became feared Hokages and now I'm the last of my clan! Look at the forth! He's dead, sacrificing himself to save the village. And Now Hiruzen-Sensei who has died, leaving a leaderless village behind and has made no progress is getting rid of ROOT!"
"All that may be true, however, that's not why you are turning down the position. All those men became Hokage because they wanted to change the village, to protect their people. Why do you think Nawaki and Dan even wanted the position?!"
"BECAUSE THEY WERE FOOLS THAT'S WHY!"
The restaurant went silent, no one making a sound until Tsunade continued. In a soft voice she spoke, "They were both fools that were blind to the horror of the world. I was blind to the horrors of the world too. You have no right to speak of them!"
"And you do? Tsuna you've been traveling all about fire country for the last 15 years getting drunk and gambling away money you don't even own and then running when the owners come to find you! Neither Dan or Nawaki could take pride in the woman you've become! They loved the village that you have abandoned and by leaving behind the village you have left behind what they loved most!"
"That blasted village is the reason they died! A village that doesn't care about the poor! A village that threatens the unusual and ignores the weak! And don't tell me otherwise! You out of all people should know how that feels!"
Naruto's eyes went wide hearing that Pervy-Sage had gone through such things. 'Is Pervy-Sage like me?'.
'No, but he was an orphan. You have not been my only jinchuuriki. I have seen many people like you in Konoha. No family, no money, no love. Konoha treats them all the same. As outcasts. However, I must say I have never seen the village treat someone as badly as they treated you. Unlike the others though, you had love. The love of a brother. Jiraiya is not a jinchuuriki, but he knows what it feels like to be the village outcast'.
Naruto took a few minutes to process this. He had never thought that there would be others like him in the village, and yet, he was sitting next to one. An outcast who became known as one of the three legendary sannin of Konoha. Naruto had been ignoring the conversation the entire time he had been processing, and only rejoined it when he had heard. "Alright, let's have a gamble shall we?".
Tsunade grabbed the necklace around her neck to show it to Naruto. "See this brat. Jiraiya says you've been working on the rasengan. Well I want to make a bet with you. If you can master the Rasengan within a week, I'll return to Konoha, and you can have this necklace. However, if you fail, you and that pervert of a teacher you have must never bother me again!".
Naruto looked to Jiraiya for an answer but he was only met with a shrug. Taking the clue that it was his decision, Naruto had a foxy smile form on his face. "You're on Ba-chan!". Both Jiraiya and Shizune struggled to contain their laughter at the title Naruto had given Tsunade.
A dark aura started to form around Tsunade though as the nickname settled in. "What was that brat?"
Naruto seemed to be oblivious to her anger and continued. "Ba-chan. You're old like Pervy-Sage over here so it seems to be appropriate". Naruto finished his comment with a sip of his water. Shizune was dying of laughter at hearing the two nicknames given to her elders. When Naruto finished his drink, he placed the cup back on the table and moved his hands underneath the table.
"Would now be a good time to run Pervy-Sage?". Jiraiya didn't even acknowledge the nickname, only nodding his head, worrying that his pupil may not be around in the next hour. Naruto turned back to Tsunade with a foxy smile. "See you next week, Ba - chan".
With that Naruto poofed. He had made a shadow clone secretly and then substituted with it. Tsunade was enraged, smashing the table to splinters. "GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE BRAT SO I CAN SEND IT ACROSS FIRE COUNTRY!!!". With that, Tsunade chased after Naruto.
Jiraiya turned back to Shizune. "So how have you been, Shizune? Met any handsome fellas yet?".
Shizune sighed, "yeah, but with Lady Tsunade moving so much, it's a bit hard to actually make a connection with them".
"Yeah that would be a problem now wouldn't it? What are you looking for in a man? While Tsunade may not want to go back to the leaf, that doesn't mean you can't. There's plenty of handsome eligible men for you! Tell me, what are you looking for in a man and I'll hook you up when we get back to the leaf".
Shizune smiled. Jiraiya had always been like an uncle to her. Looking out for her, protecting her, and yet still having that feeling of being a friend. "Well, besides looks, he needs to be good with kids to some extent. He needs to be open minded, I'm not going to waste my time on someone who can't get over the idea I might be stronger than him… He doesn't need to but it'd be cool if he had a sense of mystery about him… he needs to have a stable income. HE CANNOT be an early bird. I find those people annoying in the morning... Umm… He needs to be okay with pets. Tsunade can't be trusted with Tonton… I can't think of anything else at the moment".
Jiraiya gave himself a minute or two to file through the possible candidates. 'Let's see. Might G… no. Let's not continue with that. Hmm. Asuma? No he's going out with that red eyed beauty. Iruka? No, he's going out with Anko. It would be very unwise to throw a wrench into that relationship. Wait there's that weird instructor Hiruzen sensei assigned to his grandson, although he's not exactly the brightest or most humble of the bunch. I guess that leaves...'. Jiraiya smirked, having his candidate selected.
"I think I might just know that perfect guy for you. And I bet you remember him from the academy too"
Shizune raised an eyebrow at this. "Oh really? And who is this 'Perfect' guy?".
"Do you remember a boy named, Kakashi Hatake?"
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C'est fini! I hope you enjoyed. If anything seemed off to you or you thought wasn't fluent with the story, please review so I can change that in future chapters. If you didn't see anything then review your ideas for a christmas special! If you don't have an account that's okay, I still get the review and you remain anonymous. With all that said and done, I hope you enjoyed and see you next chapter!