CHAPTER UPDATED ON 16/02/2020.

Hello again. Sorry for the late and single update this week.

I was very busy with my Visa appointment and also didn't have my laptop with me. So writing and editing was very difficult. This chapter is also uploaded from my mobile.

Before starting, let's answer some reviews,

Sparta10 : Thank you for your review, I'm happy you find this interesting.

OfficerShadowcat : I'm really sorry if my Omake brought you any discomfort. I'll try to keep baby violence less. But do remember that they became ninjas at the age of 12 when they can be considered children. And they are supposed to kill at that age. The new Boruto maybe a lot mellowed in those terms. But while I cannot exactly understand your pain since I'm a guy, I try to.

And for that, I'm pausing the Omakes. They will be resumed after Naruto and his generation grow up. Which is 1 chapter far anyway. (Though I know it sound wrong but the fact that you could feel what I write is a great appreciation for me)

Again, this chapter is inspired by one of the starting chapters of Psycho G's Neo Yondaime Hokage.

"Speaking"

"YELLING"

"Bijuu/Summon speaking/ YELLING"

'Thinking'

'Bijuu/Summon Thinking'

Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto franchise.

Chapter 4: The Decision

Senju Household

Tsunade was on the bed in her room in her old family home mulling over her sensei's words. The house still brought old memories of her brother, grandfather and all her lost family. She had lost all of them in addition to lover Dan Kato to their service to this village. And now two more people were added to the list. She wanted to run away from all this, to stay away from all the pain even though she knew it was impossible. The offer of having a good medical-nin unit was very tempting but that was not what she was not thinking about anymore.

It was about the twins. She had a slight inkling of how their life would be if she refused and they are sent to the orphanage. They will be hated for what they carry. Scorned for what they didn't do. But she couldn't raise these children. Sure she dreamt of being with Dan and having children of their own. But that dream died with him. Jiraiya should be the one raising them. Though she also didn't want him anywhere near them. She knew why the old man didn't give the job to the Toad Hermit. He just wasn't cut out for it.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the door sliding open. She raised her head to look at the new arrival. A young girl of around 15 entered the room holding a tray with a steaming cup of tea. She had straight black hair and similarly coloured eyes.

On seeing the young girl her mind started another line of thinking. The girl was Shizune, Dan's niece. She had taken her under her wing before leaving the village and as the old man said, started imparting knowledge of medical ninjutsu to her. Like the house, looking at the young girl also used to stir the past bitter memories of her uncle, but she got over it. She was the last of which remained of her beloved Dan.

Her thinking was again interrupted by the same girl calling her name.

"Lady Tsunade? Are you alright?" asked the medic apprentice apparently the third time.

"Yes. Yes, I'm alright Shizune." Tsunade answered taking the cup of tea from the tray.

"So what was it that Lord Third wanted to talk about?" Shizune asked while setting the tray on the bedside table.

The only answer she got was some muttering from the elder blonde.

"Huh?"

"He wanted me to adopt some children. A set of twins." Tsunade answered louder this time.

"The Hokage wouldn't call for you so urgently only for that. Adoption of some random twins"

"You are right, they are not some random twins." the Sannin supplied.

Shizune waited for some further explanation but when she didn't get any she pressed, "So who are they?"

Tsunade knowing it was unavoidable answered with a sigh, "They are the Jinchuurikis of the Kyuubi."

Now even though Shizune was young, she knew what a Jinchuuriki was. But she also noticed the abnormality of the statement so she asked for clarification, "THEY are the Jinchuurikis of the Kyuubi? As in, they both are vessels of the same Tailed Beast? How is that possible?"

"The fourth used a jutsu to divide the tailed beast's chakra and sealed them inside each baby." The buxom blonde explained monotonously still caught in her thoughts.

"Okay, so they are Jinchuurikis. But why does he want you to adopt them? Why not someone else?" while she knew what a Jinchuuriki was, Shizune didn't exactly have any idea on how they were treated.

Tsunade finally looked at her apprentice and answered, "Jinchuurikis are never treated well in a village. In fact, they are hated for what they carry. They are seen as the monster itself. Many Jinchuuriki tend to go missing just because of that fact, or they become unstable and release the tailed beast. They are sometimes not even considered as humans giving literal meaning to the word human sacrifice. Sensei doesn't want that to happen to them. Also its not the only reason he is asking me to do this."

Shizune looked sad after hearing about the treatment or mistreatment of Jinchuurikis. She understood why anyone would become unstable. Lack of love or caring. Not being counted as a human while living among them would affect anyone's mentality. She didn't miss the last part though.

"So what is the other reason then?" Shizune asked expectedly.

With another sigh, Tsunade answered, "They are the children of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki."

Shizune's eyes went wide. 'So the Fourth Hokage sealed the Kyuubi into his own children.' She had heard about the Fourth Hokage and his wife's death through whispers in the village but this was news to her. She now knew how important the twins were. Just like her master, they were royalty to the village, being the children of Hokage. But if that was the case, why would the village mistreat them?

"Sensei doesn't plan on revealing their heritage. For their own safety from their father's enemies." Tsunade answered her apprentice's unasked question.

Silence fell upon them for a while. None of them spoke anything, still in their own thoughts. After sometime Tsunade continued, "He also offered me the position of Head of the Medical facility of the Village and agreed to assign at least one medic ninja in a Four-Man Cell."

Shizune brightened upon that revelation. She knew it was one of her master's wishes after her brother died. But was denied due to lack of manpower during the war.

Again the room became silent. This time it was broken by the younger Kunoichi, "So are you going to take the offer?" she asked again expectedly. She wanted her master to stop running away. Her uncle's death hit her hard too, but she was a Kunoichi, death even to those close to her was a part of her life. She was tired of constantly running while taking care of her master's obsession for gambling and the streak of bad luck. Not to mention running from the debtors and dragging her back to the inns after she got completely stumped on sake was an everyday chore to her now. Truthfully she wanted it to stop and settle in her home again. But the answer she got although expected but was not what she wanted.

"No," Tsunade answered in a single word bringing Shizune's dream of at last settling in the village crashing down. While she was downtrodden, she still asked quite calmly, "Why?"

"Why? I want nothing to do with this village anymore. It has done nothing but taken my loved ones away from me. I owe this village nothing neither do I owe anything to either Minato or Kushina. Truthfully, why should I care what happens to this village or those brats?" Tsunade ranted.

During her rant, Shizune was getting progressively angrier at her sensei. She would leave two innocent children to fend for themselves in a place where they will most definitely be hated because she didn't owe anything to them? Clearly, Tsunade's attitude towards gambling was also affecting her thought process. While Shizune was thinking this, Tsunade was still ranting about how she would just live a happy life outside the village, drink sake and gamble.

"Shut up," Shizune said in a quiet voice hiding all the anger she held towards her sensei's words.

"Hmm, what did you say Shizune?" Tsunade asked breaking from her rant.

"I said SHUT UP. You mean, you will just leave two innocent children to bear all the village's hatred themselves just because you don't owe anything to them or their parents? Just because this village reminds you of your brother or my uncle. Just how long are you going to run Lady Tsunade? You can't always run from everything. Even I know you are not the only one who lost a loved one to this village. I lost my uncle too. I know I agreed to accompany you on your journey. But I thought you would come back someday." Shizune yelled at her master angrily, tears pouring down her cheeks but still continued, "If you don't want to do it, then fine. Go. Run all you want. I'm staying here to look after them. I may not be much strong or old enough but I'll manage."

Tsunade was shocked. Her own apprentice was practically calling her a coward and leaving her to take care of two brats and save them from this ungrateful village. Anger filled her being towards her apprentice but before she could lash out on her, Shizune was already closing the door to her bedroom, leaving her alone to think about what her apprentice said. After cooling down from her anger of course.

Somewhere in an unknown location

Inside a dark room stood two figures, both concealed by cloaks. One figure was holding something that resembled a briefcase. It handed the briefcase to the other and spoke, "You know what to do. I want either one or preferably both the demons out of the village. After that, you can do whatever you wish with them but I suggest you kill them. I don't want either of them coming back."

"It will be done. But are they really all that important or dangerous that you are willing to pay this much just to get rid of two small brats?" The second figure asked.

"Don't be fooled by them. They have already taken control of the old fool of a Hokage, making him believe they are human. They are just demons." Answered the first figure with clear disgust in his voice. "Just make sure it doesn't come back to me."

"You dare question my abilities, Civilian. Don't think for even a second that you know anything about being a shinobi." The second figure stated angrily.

If the now known civilian was scared then he hid it well and just scoffed before starting to leave the place but not before saying, "Soon I will rid the village of these demons."

The second figure just shook his head and vanished.

Hokage's Office

It was late at night. The Third Hokage was walking towards his office to check up on his two young charges. Giving a nod to the two guards beside the door, he stuck in a key and quietly went inside his office.

He directly went towards the crib holding the twins and gazed upon the sleeping infants and smiled.

But it wasn't the grandfatherly smile he would normally give. Suddenly the Hokage was enveloped in a cloud of smoke and the figure inside it changed from the elderly kage to a young man with brown hair and brown eyes. He wore a standard jounin uniform with his forehead protector on his forehead. But the difference between his dressing and a normal Konoha jounin was obvious. It was not a Konoha jounin uniform nor the insignia on his slashed headband was of Konoha. It was of an enemy village.

It was of Iwagakure no Sato. The Village Hidden in Rocks.

Sometime later in the Hokage's office

Sarutobi Hiruzen was once again seen walking towards his office. The reinstated Hokage knew that the news of two new Jinchuuriki had somehow already started spreading but he couldn't do anything about it. They never outright came out and talked about it. They conveyed it by calling them demon or demon spawns. He just sighed at the stupidity of the villagers. Thus the reason for two guards outside his office where the last remnants of his successor laid sleeping. He walked up to the guards signalling them of his arrival but was immediately alarmed by their reaction. Instead of the normal small nod, they had shock written all over their faces.

"L-lord Third? B-but how?" One of the guards stammered out his question.

"What is the meaning of this?" the God of Shinobi asked with undeniable authority.

"W-we just saw you go inside the o-office awhile ago. But we didn't see you leave." answered the second guard.

With a shout of "WHAT" the old Hokage blasted through the door inside his office to see it completely empty. Completely. That meant even the twins were missing from their crib.

The Hokage looked at the crib, shaking with rage. 'Not even a full day old and kidnapped. You have to agree, Tsunade or they might not survive much longer.'

"Call every Shinobi above Genin rank. Seal the village gates. I want every shinobi searching for both of them. Do it now." The Hokage ordered getting a collective 'Hai' from the guards before they vanished.

'Jiraiya you better still be in the village. Or your godchildren will be in grave danger if they already aren't that is.'

Senju Household

Tsunade for the third time was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of shinobis outside. Looking out of the window she saw ninjas of all ranks running around, searching for something. Hopping out through her window on the roof she signalled an ANBU, who after seeing who she was, stopped and bowed to her.

"What is all this commotion?" the Sannin asked the bowing ANBU.

"Lady Tsunade, there has been a kidnapping from the Hokage's office. Young Naruto and Namiko both are missing from their place. Lord Third has called for a village-wide search for every shinobi above Genin rank." The ANBU answered.

Tsunade eyes went wide. She knew those two were in danger but to be kidnapped by who knows who on their second day of life. Her shock changed into worry and she leapt from the roof beginning her own search, leaving a shocked ANBU, who after a while came out of his trance and resumed his search.

Tsunade was racking her brain for any location the kidnapper might have taken them to. But as much as she tried, without any information on his motives or his identity, it was almost impossible.

The civilians and workers working on rebuilding were confused by this much shinobi activity. Even the shinobis were confused. They were ordered to locate two blond-haired babies with an unknown kidnapper. In this big village, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. That was not counting the headstart the kidnapper had.

Tsunade stopped on the roof of one of the intact buildings close to the portion of the wall destroyed during Kyuubi's attack. She saw the fox masked ninja who was asked to retrieve her, pass through the hole in the wall out of the village with something akin to a rucksack on his back.

She knew that ninja. And she saw him close to the Hokage tower just a few moments ago. And the fact that he didn't have anything with him at that time proved that the ninja who just left the village was an imposter.

She leapt off behind him to give a chase. He was not so far ahead, she could still see his white hair. But whoever this was, he was fast as Tsunade was not able to close the distance.

After some time in the chase, the imposter stopped in the middle of clearing followed by Tsunade but didn't turn around.

"Who are you? You are not ANBU. They were not ordered to wander this far from the village. Show yourself." Tsunade demanded.

The chuckling that followed surprised her. Then in a puff of smoke, his appearance changed to that of an Iwa shinobi from an ANBU operative.

"Impressive, Tsunade of the Sannin. I thought taking these brats from the Hokage's office would be harder. But it was quite easier than I thought. You people really are weakened from Kyuubi's attack. Though I never thought I would be caught while escaping." said the now revealed Iwa Shinobi.

During the whole conversation, Tsunade's mind was in full gear. 'How did Iwa know about the twins so fast? Scratch that how the hell did they know about them at all? Does he know about their heritage?' Keeping a calm face Tsunade asked, "Why did you kidnap them? What do you want with them?"

"You would want to know, wouldn't you? But guess what I'm not telling you. It would be against my code." the kidnapper answered, back still towards the blonde. He was no fool. He knew he had no chance of defeating one of the Sannin. But he also knew she wouldn't attack the kids.

"Hand them over. Or I'll take them from you." Tsunade demanded. But she knew he wouldn't do that. She also knew that she could not attack him while he had his back towards her or she could hurt the babies.

"You are in no position to demand anything, Sannin." The kidnapper answered while turning to his left to show the explosive tag on the side of his rucksack, "If you move from there I'll blow them to bits. I could have sold them to other villages to be used as weapons but my employer wanted them dead. Even If I can't sell them I can still finish my contract." The kidnapper admitted smugly.

'So he knows they are Jinchuurikis. And he is hired. It must have been someone from inside the village. The news can't possibly travel so fast. Damn the old man was right. They've already made enemies inside the village.'

She had to do something or else. Her thoughts were interrupted by the kidnapper's next words.

"Besides my village will reward me and welcome me back if I tell them that I killed the Yellow Flash's offsprings."

Tsunade was filled with dread now. This foreign ninja knew. And not any foreign ninja, an Iwa ninja. But she kept a bit of hope knowing that this kidnapper gave himself away as a missing-nin. That meant the village didn't know, and the information was limited to this lone shinobi. She thought of playing dumb for now so as not to give away any more information. She needed to know how he knew.

"What are you talking about?" she asked calmly.

"Oh come on. Don't give me that. Their appearance is a dead giveaway. Otherwise, why would you keep them in such a secure place? But eavesdropping on you did help a bit." confessed the Iwa ninja smugly.

Tsunade cursed herself for giving up such a piece of vital information, although unknowingly. She had to remedy that.

She saw that the arrogant kidnapper had now fully turned towards her and was looking at her with a smug look on his face. She smirked in her mind. She channelled chakra to her legs for a speed boost as she had only one chance to do this. She leapt forward in a burst of speed towards the kidnapper who was caught off guard by this sudden action and was swept off his feet by a low sweep from Tsunade. Before he could fall to the ground she tore off the rucksack from his shoulder and leapt away putting some distance between them.

She was about to breathe a sigh of relief but a hissing sound got her attention to the side of the bag where the exploding tag was about to go off. She tore off the tag and tried to throw it away but it being simple paper followed the laws of physics and didn't go much far. So in a desperate attempt to save the twins, she held the bag close and turned her back towards the tag just before it went off. Due to the close proximity of the tag the explosion sent her straight towards a tree. She was able to again turn herself just as she was about the hit the tree, hence able to save the twins from getting squashed.

During the exchange, the kidnapper was able to get into a crouching position to look at the Sannin but had to close his eyes to shield them from the light coming from the explosion.

Tsunade took the full brunt of the explosion and was about to pass out after hitting the tree but kept awake through sheer will. She saw the kidnapper stand up and start walking towards her through her blurry eyes. She wanted to stay awake but allowed herself to lose consciousness after seeing the kidnapper being knocked unconscious by someone, she couldn't recognise because of her dizziness but his voice was all too familiar to her.

"I see you made your decision Hime."

AN:

As I said no Omake for this and one more chapter. Killing baby Sasuke was getting boring anyway. It will better when he says something foolish and then die.

Also, the fight scene was short just like the one on the 1st chapter. I know. I think that the only one on one fight that lasted very long in cannon was Naruto vs Pain. Which was long because of the Talk-no-Jutsu shounen anime are famous for. That will not be the case here. Not always. There are some places where they are necessary. Otherwise, I will not bother with them. Obviously, traps and strategies will be explained. But in some other way. No one will stop the fight just to explain their strategy unless needed.

Hime - Princess

Okay. Tell me how it was. Till the next one.