A/N: Whew glad I finalized chapter 52. Now, I could pub this chappie…
Chapter 50
"Aren't you going to ask what the kid and I talked about?" Tsunade enquires, watching the man as he fills their cups with sake.
"You will tell me if it's important," Jiraiya quips before he tips the clear liquid into his mouth. He won't pry but he has an inkling what's it about.
"It is important that you know, as the Hokage." Tsunade takes a swig of her own sake, some of it then drips to her chin. She wipes it off with back of her hand.
"If I'm not the Hokage, I don't need to know?" Jiraiya's lower lip protrudes in a childish pout. Tsunade should tell him because she considers him her friend or, better yet, her special friend. With voice sounding hurt, he remarks, "Then I announce I am not the Hokage anymore so that you aren't obliged to tell me."
"You're not that drunk yet, Jiraiya," the blonde medic snaps, "and even if you declare you're not the Hokage that doesn't make it so."
Jiraiya, whose legs are crossed in front of him as he and Tsunade sit on the inn floor, a low lying table with nine bottles of sake and two cups between them, suddenly appears serious, his back straightening as he admits, "I searched for you so I could quit being the Hokage."
"What do you mean?"
"The council already knows and approves."
"No." Tsunade shakes her head. She heard before that the Third Hokage retired and people speculated it was because he's sick, however, he probably just feels he's too old to be holding the position. With the Fourth already dead, Jiraiya is the only choice as the Third's replacement. Not her. Never her.
"Whatever wrong you think you've done in the past, being the Hokage you could right those things…" Jiraiya lets his meaning sink in.
"No. I won't be the next Hokage."
"Just think about it for now.
—o0o—
During the next day, while Tsunade is checking the binding on Naruto's belly, the blond shinobi suddenly mumbles, "What happened?"
"You went on a rampage and almost killed the Suna nin." Tsunade tears off the piece of bandage. Naruto's wound has healed nicely, and the seal now drawn around his navel will hold the Kyubi, the Nine-tailed fox. No one at the inn is in danger.
Naruto defensively sits upright on his bed and explains loudly, "He took your picture!"
"Ha!" Tsunade guffaws knowingly, "You like my picture that much!"
"Heh?...No! No! No!" Naruto denies at the top of his voice while vigorously shaking his head. "Nobody would like your picture, Baa-chan!"
Baa-chan? Did this squirt just address me as Baa-chan? The vessel on Tsunade's forehead pops out. Fisting the collar of Naruto's pyjama top, she bites the words out into his face, "Then why were you so angry that you transformed?"
"I didn't lose my te—temper la—la—like you," Naruto stutters, staring almost cross-eyed at Tsunade's too close face and gulping.
"I was there. The Nine-tailed fox's four tails were already out." Tsunade roughly let go of Naruto's collar, settling him with a glare, pointedly condemning his lack of control.
Naruto lowers his head, appearing subdued and when he raises it again; his eyes are shining, as he discloses, "I was trying to protect you."
Tsunade is taken by surprise with his answer. Slapping Naruto's head down, she yells, "Baka, that's just my picture!"
Naruto's head meets his bed in a loud thump with the bed frame creaking loudly. Rubbing his head, Naruto whines, "That Kamaru was able to take your picture. If I didn't stop him, he'll be able to—"
"You call him Kamaru?" Tsunade pauses, thinking about what Shikamaru revealed about his adoptive mother the time they talked. "Kamaru is not an enemy," Tsunade argues, wanting Naruto to be less apprehensive of Shikamaru.
"Hai," Naruto, bobbing his head up-down energetically, agrees. "He offered me a bowl of ramen and ate with me this morning," Naruto mentions it proudly, seeming to consider it a feat. After all, he's used to people ignoring him and those have not yet actually seen his red fox form. Kamaru has witnessed his monster form but still the foreign nin doesn't seem to consider avoiding him. Yoossh, Kamaru might not have spoken at all but the ramen this morning wasn't poisoned, it was delicious. Naruto smiles. "He's okay, dattebayo."
Lady Tsunade just continues poking around Naruto's arms, chest and legs, looking for areas that are still open and must be sore. Mainly what she could see are just spots of redness on his skin, so far from what it appeared like three days ago after the Kyubi's chakra had burned off Naruto's skin.
Finally done, Lady Tsunade throws the soiled dressing at the nearby garbage bin. She readies to stand up from the bed when she feels Naruto's hand grasping her arm.
"I'm going to be a Hokage," the already well patient declares, freeing Tsunade's arm while a huge grin splits his face. "And I'm gonna protect everyone— Konoha, you and our allies from other villages!"
The boy's enthusiasm sounds so genuine and hopeful that Tsunade can't help but feel curious why he should feel that way. "Why?" she is compelled to ask.
"So people will acknowledge me." Naruto, lifting a hand and balling it into a fist and then shaking it in front of him, giving emphasis more to himself than to Tsunade, his dreams.
"That's your purpose?"
"Uh hum!" Naruto's eyes gleam, already seeing in his mind his dream coming true. People smiling at him, him wearing a flowing robe with the Hokage's insignia, a little kid asking for his help, him being able to reunite the kid with her parents. Him fighting for his way of the shinobi; never ever giving up.
Tsunade witnesses the glimmer in Naruto's eyes and realizes something vital.
The stupid boy thought just because Shikamaru had successfully taken her photograph, she has been in danger. Tsunade's forehead knits into a frown, knowing that that also means Naruto felt strongly about her safety.
Naruto could have done some irreversible damage to himself just because he was worried about her. Baka! Tsunade is tempted to give his head another well deserved whack.
There's no denying how stupid the boy is…And that Jiraiya believes in him.
One of Jiraiya's former students was the Fourth Hokage. And the Fourth Hokage gave his life to Konoha eighteen years ago fighting the monstrous Kyubi. Even though, Tsunade had already left Konoha by then, the stories involving the Fourth Hokage's bravery and sacrifice had reached her.
Hence, Tsunade could only admit that Jiraiya had taught the Fourth Hokage well.
With the demise of his student, Jiraiya could have become the new Hokage. The Third Hokage certainly would have offered the deserted position to him.
But Jiraiya didn't want the position eighteen years ago. And he still doesn't want it up to now.
It seems that Jiraiya had decided his path long ago. He chooses his students, training and instilling in them the Will of Fire, willing them to lead his beloved Konoha to a better future.
Obviously, Jiraiya has chosen this stupid, loud-mouthed boy to be the next Hokage.
But apparently the boy isn't ready to be the Hokage just yet. He could not control the Nine Tail's chakra; instead of bringing peace to Konoha he might bring its destruction.
Tsunade finally becomes aware of Jiraiya's objective and her role in it. The scheming old man is asking her to hold the position while he readies Naruto.
"Hey Tsunade baa-chan, you, what do you want to do? Ero-senin wants—" Naruto notices Lady Tsunade raising a brow at the way he calls her and master Jiraiya, grinning unrepentantly, he continues, "— a lasting peace but he said he could help accomplish it by not being the Hokage." Naruto sounds a bit confused. "One could accomplish a lot of things if one is the Hokage, dattebayo. But all Ero-senin wants to do is research for his book."
"Naruto, have you read the 'Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi'?"
"Eh?"
"Your parent had named you after the protagonist of that book written by that pervert," Tsunade muses. Jiraiya is right. He himself doesn't need to be the Hokage to make a change. Being the Hokage might even hamper him in his way of supporting Konoha.
"Nani?"
It is not her place to tell Naruto about the 'gutsy shinobi' but Jiraiya's. Naruto is Jiraiya's student after all. Not hers. But she can answer his other question, what does she want to do? "I want to make things right," Tsunade mutters to herself. Unfortunately for her she might need to become the Hokage to accomplish that.
But then Tsunade asks herself; is it really possible for her to accept the position of being the Hokage?
Especially after what she had done eighteen years ago…
TBC
—o0o—
~4 23, 5 4 12AF~