Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

Chapter 03: The Senju-Princess (04.10.36 AfoK)

The loud chirping of birds outside the window of my room woke me up. I turned around and was greeted by warm sunbeams falling on my face. Squinting my eyes at the brightness to little effect, I resorted to shield my eyes with my hand. Flipping myself on my back, I rubbed the sleep out from my eyes and stretched my body like a waking cat. In the process of doing so, my blanket got kicked on the floor.

I moved to a sitting position and rolled my shoulders. Impressed, what a good night's rest in a comfortable bed could do for one's wellness. I stood up and gave the room another once over, which confirmed I didn't misinterpret what I saw yesterday. This really was a large room. I wondered with what I earned it.

Lying on a chair next to the Futon was a white Kimono, as my touch confirmed it was manufactured from the finest cloth, something I couldn't have afforded as a child. Later on in my life, when I could, the last thing on my mind was owning fancy clothes.

Placed on top of it was a note, written in the most artful handwriting I have ever seen.

You might prefer something more comfortable to wear than your rags

- Mito

Thinking about it, yeah, actually I do. On the other hand, calling my badass clothes rags was a bit too much. For just a moment, I considered ignoring those clothes merely to show how awesome they were but thought better of it, I no longer was an obstinate child, so I should start and act like it.

I ended my introspection and focused on my surroundings. The only person in the vicinity was Kushina. Given her position, she must still be asleep. Strange shouldn't she be at the academy around this time? Shrugging, I assumed that she might still be suffering from the aftermath of yesterday's ramen eating contest.

I grabbed a towel as I left the room. Standing in the middle of the hallway, I wondered where I would have hidden the bathroom.

This presented me with the perfect opportunity to have a closer look at the house. The little I saw yesterday was already incredible, and I had no doubt the rest wouldn't disappoint either.

After taking my time exploring the house, I had to say it was breathtaking. The size and the love for detail were just mind-blowing. My old apartment didn't even compare and using the same terms to describe this kitchen, and the one in my apartment felt just wrong. They were so far apart in functionality, equipment, and just general awesomeness that it felt like the right thing to do would be to come up with a new term to call it, simply to make the difference between a kitchen and THIS more clear.

The same could be said about every other room I stepped into. It took me a while to shake off the impression the house had on me, and more than once, I had to ask myself how loaded was the Uzumaki clan. This house made it seem as if the Hyūga and Uchiha were nothing but beggars in comparison.

The fifth door I opened ended my search for the moment since I found myself standing in the bathroom, and in the same way the whole house took my breath away, it was no different. The ground and the wall were plastered with white marble carved into it were different motives. For the most part, consisting of fish or other sea creatures. It gave the whole room the feeling as if it was wholly underwater and allowed for an unobstructed view of your surroundings.

It was a nice touch and must have cost a fortune. In the back of the room, there was an in-the-ground sunken bathtub. A good deal larger than my old living room. Stairs allowed one the slow descent in its confines. Which easily could allow a whole family to bathe together. I had a hard time to keep calling this a bath in my mind. Admittedly I visited hot springs in the past which were smaller than this.

I stripped out of the only article of clothing I still wore, placed the towel on a small marble shelf, and walked down the steps to the center of the tub. Marveling, that the edge of it reached above my hip while I was still standing upright.

My attention was drawn to a set of seals on the wall. Each one was labeled with a different word. I tried to push a little chakra into the one with water written on it, and immediately the tub started to fill up with water. To my misfortune, it was freezing cold, which caused me to reach for the seal labeled fire. The good news, yes, it indeed increased the temperature of the water within the tub. The bad news, the freezing water was now steaming hot, and I was jumping around to prevent my feet from burning up.

I deactivated the Fire seal, and slowly but surely, the temperature started to drop as the hot water mixed with the additional water streaming from the Water seal. It didn't take long for the temperature to pass the pleasant warm mark and started to cool down again.

Since I was convinced that there should be more settings than steaming hot and freezing cold, I tried activating the Fire seal again. This time, though, I took great care in how much chakra I channeled through it.

And behold, it worked the water slowly started to heat in proportionate to the amount of chakra I used. After some fine-tuning, mostly owed to my shot chakra control, I managed to get the water to adopt the perfect temperature.

With that hassle finally over, I enjoyed the bath. Once more, being reminded that you usually don't appreciate the small things life has to offer until you find yourself deprived of them.

I leaned against the smooth marble and closed my eyes, thinking that I could use my time in the bath at least somewhat meaningful, and tried to get a grasp on my willful chakra. There simply was no way I could allow myself the luxury to allow it to stay this way, and as a result, keeping me from utilizing a vast degree of my Jutsu repertoire and abilities.

I could call myself lucky, If I still could manage so much as a one-handed Rasengan at this point. It was an untenable situation. Should I get into a fight, I would have to fight my chakra to a greater degree than my opposition.

I really hoped that I wouldn't be separated from Kurama for too long. In the event, I managed to get accustomed to my current state. Because getting him back might shoot my chakra control once more, and I would have to start all over again.

Not a situation I would like to find myself in. Especially not with the start of the Second Shinobi World War on the horizon. I needed to be at my best. Despite my misgiving of what that would mean for Mito, I knew there was no other option, and I soothed myself with the knowledge that independent of my arrival, she would have transferred him to Kushina in a few days anyway.

This way, I might even spare Kushina the self-loathing and hate she otherwise might have felt for my nine-tailed friend for taking away her obaa-san.

I entered a deep state of meditation and even went so far as to extend my awareness to the nature-energy flowing around me. However, I didn't dare to touch it. For obvious reasons, I wasn't keen on ending up a statue, which without a doubt would have been the result in my current state.

I circulated the chakra within my body and lost myself in doing various chakra control exercises with it.

When I opened my eyes to pruney skin and the feeling of cold water around my up to my torso submerged body. The results of my hour-long training sessions were varied but helped me in getting a clear picture of what jutsu I should rather not attempt.

I dunked my head one last time under the water and then waded through the water towards my towel. Right, in my morning drowsiness, I forgot to take some actual clothes with me other than the underwear I wore coming here. A bad habit that I formed while living alone. Something that I was better of breaking before I ended up in an awkward situation.

Kushina, to my great relief, was still in her room and, according to her energy activity, still sleeping.

I grabbed the towel and started to rub myself dry when I sensed somebody entering the Uzumaki compound and closing the distance to the house fast. I knew that particular signature rather well, which meant I might get into quite some trouble if I was found this way.

I hurried up to remove the water sticking to my body. The instant I finished, I put the towel around my hips. A short touch was all it took at another seal, and the water was drained from the tub. Meanwhile, I proceeded to leave the bathroom fully expecting the visitor to stop at the front door for someone to come and open it.

I, of course, should have known better. Hence I ended up blaming the soft bed for my lack of caution and awareness. It was a dangerous thing to return home and to grow too comfortable with amenities. To start feeling safe and drop your guard altogether. In my defense, compared to where I came from, it couldn't get any safer than here. Still, this would have consequences when suddenly the door swung open, and standing in the doorframe at the other end of the hallway was none other than Tsunade.

She was looking at me with incomprehension clearly pasted on her face, my expression probably not any better.

We stared at each other for a moment. The open door allowed a balmy breeze of fresh air into the house and reminded me painfully, by causing goosebumps as I was hit with by it, that I was only wearing a towel right in front of her.

I loudly gulped. Even if it has been a few years from my perspective since Tsunade died, I could still vividly remember her temper as if it was only yesterday when I was on the receiving end of it the last time. What exacerbated the situation, back then, she considered me as her adopted son, grandson, or something along those lines. I wasn't a total stranger half-naked standing in the hallway of her grandmother's home.

I could see how her hand slowly formed into a fist, and her face became flushed with anger. My mind was racing, searching for ways to escape my predicament when suddenly Kushina, still half-asleep came down the stairs, which conveniently ended in the middle of the hallway Tsunade and I had our stand-off.

Her gaze, with still half-lidded eyes, found me first.

"Onii-chan, what're you doing there standing in the middle of the hallway half-naked?" She asked, yawning.

Only after I gave her no response, she followed my gaze and saw Tsunade standing there.

"What're you doing here?" She asked with a barely disguised hostile undertone. "If you're searching for Mito-obaa-san, she isn't here."

With those words spoken, she slowly proceeded to walk away, no longer caring about us. I was not sure she comprehended the full extent of what she saw in her sleep-addled state.

Luckily, I was able to overcome my surprise faster than Tsunade, which gave me ample opportunity to dash forward and flee into my room before she had time to react. I closed the door behind me and was about to reach for one of my scrolls to unseal another set of my clothes when I noticed the Kimono Mito so graciously provided was still lying where I left it. Consequently, I changed my mind.

I grabbed the Kimono with the Uzumaki swirl on its back and put it on. My scrolls, despite not containing anything important or compromising left the room with me. Safely tucked in between the orange Obi and the Kimono.

To my surprise, I sensed Tsunade following Kushina into the kitchen, which made my improvised precautions rather superfluous.

I thanked the lucky star I was born under, left my room, and followed the scent of food. Carefully peeking through the ajar door, I slowly opened it to get a good look into the kitchen behind it. Expecting to run right into an ambush, only to learn my hesitance was for naught. Since no angry Tsunade was lying in wait for me to emerge and to pounce on.

Instead, I found her leaning on a wall, with her arms crossed under her breasts, watching the cooking Kushina.

"Who was that guy?" She probed. "And don't think for a second, I'd fall for that Naruto-onii-chan routine you tried to sell me."

"Häh" the redhead exclaimed, "What are you talking about? what routine? He's my Onii-chan, and that's it."

"So, you are telling me you aren't the least bit suspicious of a stranger just appearing out of the blue, who then gets invited to live with you and grandmother?" Tsunade questioned.

"What's there to be suspicious about someone visiting his family?" Kushina wondered, not taking the eyes from her food.

"Family? He doesn't have red hair ... " Tsunade started only to be interrupted by Kushina stating the obvious.

"You don't, either."

Tsunade ignored that comment with an angry glare aimed at Kushina's back. "Even if he is an Uzumaki, isn't it strange that I've never heard of him? Nor has Mito ever mentioned someone like him."

"Moah, what's wrong with you?" Kushina threw up her arms, annoyed, and turned around, facing Tsunade. Cooking spoon raised, she began berating Tsunade. "Second-guessing everything he's Naruto-onii-chan, there's no ulterior motive, no secret plot for you to uncover, and if there was, what do you care? Obaa-san and I can handle it on our own. We, I don't need your meddling in our business Mrs. I'm not part of your family."

That shut her up hard. In order to not let this argument get even more out of hand, I harrumphed vocally. "Is it a bad time to ask for some of your deliciously smelling eggs?"

Kushina's response consisted of giving me a deadpan stare. "You can make yourself something to eat, Onii-chan." She pointed out emphasizing every single syllable of the Moniker she bestowed upon me.

"I'm hurt, still salty about losing to me." I quipped.

She insisted, "I'm not cooking for you," emphasizing her refusal with her signature glare.

"Are you sure about that? You know, I might be persuaded to invite you to eat another round of ramen for lunch. In the event I would just so happened to have stuffed myself with the delicious homemade cooking of my little hime beforehand - which I, of course, wouldn't be able to refuse, as I could never bear to see her disappointed or angry with me - I wouldn't be able to eat as much ramen as I did yesterday. So by cooking for me, you may just be able to improve your chances of winning against me considerably," I lectured her with mock seriousness.

Her left eyelid started twitching, "Are you suggesting that I can't win against you without cheating?"

"No, of course not," I said in mock dismay. "I'm saying it is your only chance at beating me."

She slammed her plate on the table. "I'm so gonna beat you, fair and square, and show you exactly who you dared to mess with, dattebane."

She declared enthusiastic until her verbal tic shone through and immediately used her hands to cover her mouth.

I smirked at her mostly for being successful to hear her say dattebane and less so for riling her up. "I believe it when I see it, Hime-chan." I singsonged my nickname for her.

She started grumbling under her breath something about cocky blondes, and it didn't escape me that she could have meant either one of us with this since Tsunade shared my hair color.

Which probably was the reason she felt like commenting. "I didn't know Mito-obaa-san lifted the ramen rule only allowing you to eat them every two days." Well, that would explain why my grand scheme to have her cook for me didn't work.

I gave Kushina an unimpressed stare. "Well played, little one, for now." I conceded.

I went to the cupboards and looked at the carefully labeled sealing scrolls I found in there to get an idea of what was possible to cook with the ingredients contained within. Ultimately, I decided to follow Kushina's example and put some eggs with an assortment of vegetables in a frying pan.

I hesitated a moment and turned to Tsunade and asked, "you want something, too?"

"No -" was her curt response.

"Suit yourself," I said and put the pan over the flame of the stove.

After a minute, it seemed she gathered her courage to address me directly.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" she asked with the bluntness of a sledgehammer.

"Woah, do you always start with the hard-to-answer questions right off the bat? I mean, you already saw me naked, and now you want to strip my soul, too. Isn't there some kind of order to those things? At least where I'm from, you usually have to invite the other person to a meal or two. Go stargazing, and then if both parties are willing, you get to touch and kiss, and somewhere way down the line, we get to naked bodies and the loaded question about the meaning of life." I mocked her.

"What makes you think I'd be interested. You are even dumber than my teammate," she said, outraged at my insinuation.

"Which teammate? Orochimaru or Jiraiya?" I asked with a half-turned head and raised eyebrows.

"How do you know that?" she asked with barely contained anger.

"Please," I shrugged. "As if it wouldn't be common knowledge exactly who the students of 3rd Hokage are."

"You still didn't answer my question." she doubled down.

"What gave you the impression I'd be willing to?" I wondered out loud. "Perhaps the way I tried to avoid the question and steer the topic away from myself to other things? Or was it my cheeky attitude..."

"I demand to..." she suddenly snapped as my mocking became too much for her to endure.

The atmosphere, which so far, I did my best to keep pleasant, shifted at her outbreak as I turned serious. The amusement was gone from my voice as I turned to face her. "You demand!?" I repeated after her. "With what right do you demand anything from me? Within the confines of another clan, a clan I just so happen to belong to?" I stressed, "The only thing you can do is to ask nicely in the hopes that I decide to divulge any information. Since I all but outright said I'm unwilling to, there is absolutely nothing you can do about it, is there?"

She gritted her teeth.

I sighed. "I know you aren't this obtrusive to satisfy your own curiosity. I assume it has something to do with you worrying about your grandmother and Kushina. Don't! There is absolutely no reason for that. Contrary to what you might believe or try to persuade yourself of. I'm not a stranger and certainly no threat to either one of them." I tried to mollify her, but a glance was her way was enough to make it clear I was unsuccessful in my attempt.

"Unfortunately, there is nothing else I can do in order to make you believe my motives are pure. So you have to make do with just my word. But rest assured, all relevant parties, including the Hokage, are informed about me and the reason for my presence. And to be frank, you neither belong to that circle nor is your security clearance anywhere near high enough to be allowed to know. Now, does this satisfy you any more than my previous answers, jōnin Senju Tsunade?"

"No, no it doesn't," she said.

"Didn't think it would, but that is all that you are gonna get. Feel free to stay around and try to learn more, shake something else loose, get me to comment on something, and puzzle me out. It's your time that you're wasting, after all." I challenged her.

She snorted. "I'll take you up on that then."

Well, that was too easy, as I suspected even her younger self couldn't decline a challenge. Someone really should make her aware of this character flaw lest someone less respectable takes advantage of that.

According to the smell, my eggs were finished. I grabbed a scroll labeled bread and unsealed a small loaf, and took it together with a plate filled with eggs to sit across from Kushina. I purposely allowed Tsunade to stay at my back. Thereby I was making a clear statement. That neither did I need to keep my eyes on her nor that I thought her a threat.

Kushina eyed me curiously, her mouth full, her chewing, momentarily interrupted as if she was seeing me for the first time. I wondered what that was about? giving Tsunade lip? Something I doubted happened often for various reasons, her being the student of the third, acting Senju clan head and an incredibly beautiful woman, or was it something else? Could it be it just now seeped in she didn't know me, but despite that, had been spending the night in the same house as myself?

I halted the loaded fork in my hand on the way into my mouth before it could reach it because there was still an unanswered question I needed to be answered. "So, why aren't you in the academy young lady? Still suffering from the consequences of challenging the great Naruto-sama?"

She swallowed the contents of her mouth without chewing them further, and after taking a huge gulp from her glass to wash it down and to keep herself from choking, she remarked. "Mito-obaa-san asked me to stay home today. She said something about our guest needing a guide or something. Apart from that, she also wanted to help me with this stupid Bunshin jutsu after she returns, which is required to pass the Konoha graduation. I only got this week left to get it down."

I nearly choked on my food. Well, she definitely was family...

"Is everything alright, onii-chan?" Kushina asked concerned.

"Yeah, the food just went into the wrong pipe. Say, is there a reason why didn't you learn the jutsu back in Uzushiogakure?" I questioned.

"In Uzushiogakure, we didn't have to learn such stupid jutsu," she said frustrated.

"Tss, stupid jutsu, perhaps you just aren't ready to become a shinobi," Tsunade remarked derogatory.

I could understand Tsunade's resentment given the situation. She was probably hoping for Kushina to fail. And in case she doesn't make the cut, it would result in Mito getting to live a little longer should the higher-ups declare Kushina as unfit to be a jinchūriki. But to attack her this harshly was a bit much.

"Well, There's nothing wrong with having problems learning the Bunshin no jutsu. First of all, it's a crap jutsu. Not even a genin would fall for it. I always wondered why it's even taught in the academy. Secondly, what all future greatest shinobi have in common is that they've never learned to perform this jutsu as a genin." I lectured, firmly convinced, in the truthfulness of my statement.

In the background, Tsunade snorted. "Yeah right, the best fail at an E-rank technique makes sense. All the shinobi, I know, had no problem with learning it."

Shrugging, I said, "well, that just shows how little you know, doesn't it?"

The slightly mocking undertone in that statement elicited a smirk from Kushina. "Since you are in a room with two shinobi, who both have trouble with this very jutsu. Both are or will be among the best shinobi you will ever meet. Right, Kushi-chan?"

"You can bet your life on it," Kushina told her.

"Good girl," I praised and gave her a pat on the head. That made her beam at me. "Now, let's eat up, so I can show you an even better jutsu, probably the same your obaa-san wanted to show you."

"Yes!" she screamed and started to bolt down her food.

"Woah slow down a little, you are aware you have to wait till I have finished too before we can start." at the comprehension she slowed down and resumed chewing.

It took her another three minutes to finish her meal, after which she started to harass me, making side remarks to eat faster and the like. It would have been hilarious to watch if I wouldn't have been the target of her antics. Of course, I could have made a Kage-Bunshin at any time to start instructing her, while my real self indulged in my breakfast. But similar to Tsunade's challenging nature Kushina was impatient to a staggering degree, as I was during my childhood.

Iruka must have had the patience of a saint to endure prolonged exposure to my extroverted and impatient self. A virtue I should adopt for myself. After all, I couldn't rightfully go around criticizing people without being aware of my own shortcomings. Although, I managed to rein them in, to a certain degree. My bad habits still flare up from time to time. So this was as much training for me as it was for her.

A short glance to the back confirmed Tsunade needed a tempering, too. The annoyance was clear to see. Which served to give this whole situation a different spin. Considering Kushina's dislike of Tsunade, she could be doing this whole routine to get rid of her.

To my regret, there was no way to find out for sure aside from directly asking her, and the chances to get a truthful answer were nonexistent.

When my plate was finally empty, I was practically dragged outside by Kushina. She led me at the seam of my Kimono through some backyard exit, and we left the house towards the direction of the lake, only to stop when we got close to the shore.

She then whirled around demanding. "Now show me this super-duper technique."

"Yeah, show us," Tsunade derisively added.

"You know, being stared at, like I am, by the two of you. Would suffice for a lesser man to get performance anxiety." I joked.

Kushina darted her head to the side in a questioning manner, not getting the reference. Not allowing her the time to formulate the question on the tip of her tongue, I put my fingers in a familiar position, and after molding a little chakra, another me popped up next to me.

I was a little put off by my performance since there was a huge white cloud accompanying my clone springing into existence. Hiding, both me and my clone from view for a few seconds. A clear sign of wasted chakra owed to my current lack of perfect chakra control. Something I was sure didn't escape Tsunade, Kushina, on the other hand, was staring dumbly at me.

"Onii-chan," she fumed. "Didn't you say, you'd teach me an awesome jutsu?"

"I did, and I'm about to." my shadow-clone responded.

She interrupted my clone. "Then why are you making a Bunshin?"

"You really need to learn to allow others to finish speaking," I chided playfully. "I was about to tell you. So listen up! First of all, this is not a regular Bunshin," she was about to protest, but the raised hand of the clone stilled her. "this jutsu is called Kage-Bunshin. It creates a real tangible doppelgänger of yourself, who even can use jutsu."

"Really?" she wondered and was already touching my real self, not the clone that just spoke to her.

"I'm the clone." my other self proclaimed.

Her eyes widened proclaiming, "no way!" And she ran over to him, to touch him in the same manner. "Awesome!"

"Exactly, as `I´ was saying. Secondly, by learning this jutsu you not only get some great utility in more than one way. It will also allow you to pass the Bunshin portion of the genin exam with flying colors. To..."

At this point, Tsunade decided to intercede. "You can't honestly be trying to teach the Kage-Bunshin to her. It is a B-rank kinjutsu for a very good reason. This jutsu is dangerous. The chakra requirements alone could kill her. Most chūnin don't have enough to perform this technique without risk for themselves."

"Well, Kushina isn't most. She is an Uzumaki." I said.

"What does that have to do with her learning the jutsu," Tsunade asked, not getting what I alluded to. I couldn't blame her; even though she was distantly related to the clan, she wouldn't have regular contact with the secluded inhabitants of Uzushiogakure. As a result, the knowledge might not be at the forefront of her mind.

I sighed. "Well, what are the Uzumaki known for besides being Masters of Fūinjutsu?" I questioned.

Her momentarily scrunching her face told me she got it, Kushina saw the need to speak it out. "Our near-endless endurance and high charka reserves."

"Exactly! People with high chakra reserves are known to have difficulties controlling what they have at their disposal.

In order for the average Uzumaki to be able to make a normal Bunshin, he or she would need chakra control on a level most jōnin don't possess. This problem is further complicated by the fact, that Konoha usually starts their shinobi on more difficult chakra control-exercises as a genin and beyond." I pointed out.

"As you can see," I addressed Kushina. "The village didn't provide you or anybody else with high-chakra reserves with the necessary tools to succeed at learning this technique, which in your case nearly could have prevented you from becoming a genin. Quite the outrage if you ask me. After all, you possess an incredible advantage over other shinobi, which would undoubtedly allow you to become an incredible ninjutsu specialist a few years down the line. But instead, you were nearly held back, might have even been labeled as a failure, because the teaching staff didn't consider you might have just too much and a too powerful chakra to perform a cantrip."

"So, I'm awesome because I can't do the normal Bushin?" She asked uncertainly.

"No, you are awesome because you are you, and you will be even more awesome with the Kage-Bunshin at your disposal. So let me explain how it is done," I said. "First, you need to mold chakra then disperse it equally throughout your body. Imagine it like a second skin you form around yourself, then when you got that far you make the cross handseal. And while you are performing the handseal accompanied by changes to your chakra this results in you have to imagine yourself separating into two equal parts."

"Huh, that doesn't sound too difficult." she mused.

"Well, most techniques don't when dumbed down to the essentials, but this technique didn't get ranked B for its chakra requirements." It was declared forbidden because of it. "It is not an easy technique to learn, so don't let yourself get discouraged if you don't get it immediately, understood," I told her.

"Yeah, Uzumaki Kushina doesn't give up, Onii-chan," she affirmed.

"Good, then get to work. If you manage to get a single functioning clone till lunch, I will personally persuade Mito to suspend her Ramen rule for today." I said.

"Yatta -" she cheered and went to work.

After I had confirmed she was on the right track by closely watching her chakra through my sensor abilities, I sat down upon a close-by rock and tried to enjoy the scenery. Tsunade stayed close by and mulled something over.

"You know, you could try to learn the jutsu yourself," I said to her, leaning back on my perch. "Instead of just standing around watching me, I mean, I'm flattered..."

"Don't get too full of yourself," she hissed back.

"So, you aren't interested?" I asked.

"In you, hell no!" she seethed.

"That was not what I meant," I tried to clarify. "The jutsu, Kage-Bunshin is a great tool, and I have yet to meet a Shinobi with the chakra required to use it who didn't benefit from knowing it in some fashion." I paused for a moment only to needle her while smirking by saying.

"Oh, I get it. You are scared Kushina, the according to you, talentless shinobi might take less time learning it than you. A quite substantiated fear, she would never let you live it down, and neither may I."

"You are out of your mind!" she glowered.

"Really? Am I? then you certainly won't have any trouble to convince me from the opposite." I looked at her. "How about a little bet?" I offered, "If Kushina wins, you will be the one not only paying for our ramen meal, but you will also persuade your grandmother to allow it."

"And should I win?" she questioned.

"I don't know; think of something," I told her. "It won't matter, because you won't win against Kushina,"

"You have got quite some confidence in the abilities of a child you just met," she scoffed.

"Might be, or perhaps I know something you don't. Who knows?" I shrugged, "so what about it? Do you accept the wager?"

"Yes, and should I win, you will answer all the questions I have." she declared

"Sure, sure," I played down the issue. "Not that it will come to that."

I was sure of that, at least because, for someone like Tsunade with her less potent chakra, an additional step in learning the jutsu was needed; increasing the density of the chakra spread throughout her body to create a hard shell being able to contain the rest.

She undoubtedly would figure it out. She was a smart woman, after all. But by the time she did, Kushina would be close or should already have succeeded in learning the jutsu. I couldn't suppress my smirk by thinking at a free Ichiraku ramen buffet.

"Hey, Kushina!" I shouted. "Tsunade said if you can learn the jutsu faster than, her she is paying for our ramen. So don't let me down, Hime."

She returned the brightest of smiles and redoubled her efforts. Tsunade was about to start when a hawk descended upon our position.

It landed in front of us carrying a note tied around its foot.

"It is a summon from the Hokage. The compound doesn't allow for ANBU to enter it," Tsunade said. Ah, that would explain it. I reached down to the bird and removed the message.

"Well, seems like you have to decide the winner without me. Don't cheat." I warned her. "Hime, the Hokage wants to talk to me. So when I return, I expect you to have won."

"You got it!" she exclaimed.

With that said, I started the march towards the Hokage tower. I noticed someone tailing me not long after I left the confines of the compound. Have I already aroused Danzō's suspicion, or is this someone sent by the Hokage, too bad, that without Kurama, I would have to ask to be sure either way. I refrained from doing so, Danzō will be dealt with, in due time and his position in the here and now is a lot weaker than it will be in the future, meaning his hands were tied.

The only thing he could do to annoy me would be to withdraw his saboteurs in Uzushiogakure since this might prevent the attack on Uzu. But a single Uzu shinobi for which he clearly had to suspect me of being shouldn't warrant such a step, to destroy their over years carefully made plans, Madara wouldn't stand for it. And why should they? I'm just one man, a potential asset to revive the Uzumaki clan in Konoha, and should I turn out to be a threat in any way, shape, or form or to be asking the wrong question I'm sure to find myself on a mission that will go horribly wrong.

So a nonentity, but that, of course, didn't mean he wasn't curious. Well, how goes the saying curiosity killed the cat.

This time around I didn't search for a chūnin to escort me to the Hokage. Instead, I went straight for his office.

Manning the front desk was the same auburn-haired woman I already knew from yesterday.

"Naruto-san, please proceed. The Hokage is awaiting your arrival," she said without any emotional inflection in her tone, pure unadulterated professionalism.

"Thank you, Miss?"

"Hatake, Kana Hatake?" I nearly tripped at hearing that. It couldn't be, right? On the other hand, it would make a lot of sense, Kakashi was born this year 15th September, last month. If his mother was in ANBU, she would be on leave, and reinstating her would take time, a few months, for her to get back into things, in which she could be tasked with being the Hokage secretary.

Small world, I honestly didn't think to run into her while not outright searching for her.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Oh no, I just thought the name Kana fit you." she didn't even twitch, not one for flattery this one. She opened the double doors, and I stepped inside.

The Hokage was sitting behind a new desk that outwardly wasn't any different than his last one, and if not for me knowing he destroyed his last one, I wouldn't have noticed.

"Hokage-sama, you wanted to see me." The doors closed behind me, and I barely made two steps in the room when he threw something my way, without dignifying me with a single glance my way. I caught it with little trouble and was staring at a Konoha headband within my hands.

"I will instate you as a jōnin effective immediately."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"Don't thank me," he glowered. "I'd have liked nothing more than to deny you, becoming part of my forces. But your benefactor, who not only made you part of her clan but also made a strong case in your favor and laid it out in no uncertain terms what not accepting you would ultimately come down to."

He looked up from the papers on his desk and fixated me with his piercing eyes as he continued to say. "So you see, I was given no other choice, with her mind already made up, and I've learned not to try to sway the opinion of an Uzumaki, Mito-sama in particular. And I don't need the headache of you running around accountable to none. So you better don't make me regret this."

"Didn't plan on it," I said with a smile. Easy discernable, I had no intention whatsoever to stay true to those words.

"I feared as much." he dryly commented, "Tomorrow ten o clock, there will be an obligatory meeting of all jōnin not on a mission or on guard duty. I expect you to be there."

"Of course, Hokage-sama."

"If there is nothing else, you are dismissed," I bowed and left his office.

It seemed like Mito was hard at work. I wondered what else she had done this morning. Suddenly my musings were interrupted when I sensed two identical presences from the Uzumaki compound, and I had to grin, imagining the face Tsunade is no doubt making this instant at being bested by a genin. Too bad I missed it.

Well, the important thing, after all, was to save some money and to humble Tsunade and get her to interact with Kushina.

I made my way back to the compound, my shadow still accompanying me. When I reached the lake, I saw three smug grinning Kushina standing around watching Tsunade's unsuccessful efforts to replicate Kushina's feat.

One of the Kushina took notice of my approach and beamed all over her face. "I won, Onii-chan! Do you see!"

"Yep, I do. Just as I told you."

Taking a closer look at Tsunade's progress showed me she was close and already figured out the additional step. And a second after I had that thought, two Tsunade were standing in the clearing. She was short of breath, not solely from creating this clone alone but all her failed attempts prior. She dispelled the clone not long after she created it.

I gave her my best I told you so, gaze. She just huffed and stalked away. I waited till she was about to leave hearing distance to proclaim.

"We eat at 12 o clock at Ichiraku Ramen, don't forget to bring your wallet," I shouted after her.

Her steps wavered a moment, but she continued her track without looking back. The three Kushina giggled, and the one closest to me High-fived me.

"So, since you got this jutsu down so fast, how about I teach you another one?" I asked her.

"Really?"

"Sure," I confirmed, "but only if you want me to."

"Of course, what will it be this time? An awesome Dragon of Doom jutsu or a Fire jutsu to burn them all." She became a dangerous glint in the corner of her eyes at mentioning fire. A little Pyromaniac, hmm good to know. It took a mental note to not teach her any fire-jutsu away from a huge water source.

"Well, not exactly. I thought of something a little more basic. How is your Henge?" I asked. Her mood turned sour, and her shoulders slouched.

"That bad? Hmm," Not really surprising the one they teach at the academy is also just a cantrip a weak illusion like the Bunshin that is put over the caster, which is why it is recommended to use this jutsu only to imitate people with similar and bigger build since it doesn't turn the parts of the body protruding from the illusion invisible.

"Well, it's not surprising," I remarked. "The Henge also requires far too little chakra for someone like you to get it right. I'll show you the improved variant."

Deep down, I knew that not every Shinobi academy in the elemental nations would have the same requirements. My run-in with Zabuza and his story about their final exam made that more than clear. The question was, what did they learn back in Uzu?

Fūinjutsu more than likely, no Bunshin the elemental ones require a basic understanding of one element, and not every affinity opens up that venue. So it would not make much sense to even try. Adding into this is the fact not everyone has a knack for elemental manipulation. There is a fair number of shinobi that got somewhere without a single elemental jutsu to their name. So trying to press them into a category might hamper their development.

So what else was there? I put answering the question on the back burner and put my focus back on my eager student.

"Here this is my version of the Henge, a real transformation," I said, and with a poof of smoke, I turned it a little fox kit.

Her three iterations were confused for a moment, surely questioning where I went until one of them looked down.

The first word I heard was "Kawai!" from three mouths simultaneously, and I knew I was in big trouble.

Authors Note:

Okay - The first part of the chapter was written with the purpose in mind to make it clear that in this Naruto story, things like electricity don't exist. Therefore Walkie-Talkies, fridges, and the like, we have seen throughout the Naruto canon in some instances, don't exist either.

So there either exists a seal replacement for those with the necessary funds to afford something like it. Or it is handled how it was done before electricity was a thing.

I despise inconsistent technology levels in a story I read... and those can result in some rather glaring plotholes... so I see no need to grandfather reason for such in this story.

Not sure about the slice of life part this chapter had – the purpose is mostly to serve as a counterweight to the heavy themes that were interspersed in Naruto's introspection and later chapters to not end up with a too dark story.

Regarding the Henge and Bunshin Kage-Bunshin facts in this chapter – most are explained on my profile page. I hope everybody who came so far in the story has already read.

The short version - Given how we see Naruto utilize his Henge with no other Ninja doing the same, like transforming into solid objects, I find it reasonable to assume they just couldn't.

Canon, of course, does not provide us with a great sample number of instances. Since Naruto is pretty much the only one we see using it.

But if we add everything together, we know about the setting -

The Uchiha, acting as a police force. There had to be given an official reason for their appointment to that position for one. Because they were being distinguished by this nomination. Second, they needed to be well suited for the task. That at least implied to me it had something to do with the Sharingan. Namely their ability to see through illusion and their photographic memory. Meaning everything but the most unorthodox disguise/Henge could slip past them.

In this Naruto's Henge is obviously included and makes it to the shortlist of such jutsu – not even Pain with his Rinnegan was able to see through Naruto being transformed into Rocks or into the Futon Rasengan Shuriken.

Furthermore, as we are shown, any other jutsu like the Akimichi subset or the ones of the Inuzuka, which make a solid transformation. Require shit ton of chakra – so I doubt Sakura or any civilian-born children would have an easy time performing the same jutsu we see Naruto use.

Last Edited: 29.08.2021