Was she hearing correctly? Did Jiraiya actually tell her that out of everybody else in the village, she was chosen as the Fifth Hokage? She didn't know how to respond to him, all she could do was stare at her feet,and try to avoid making eye contact with Jiraiya.
"I assume that you are aware of the fact that Orochimaru killed Sarutobi sensei." Jiraiya started, "The village is in a desperate need for a new Hokage, and the village council chose you." He said, "So what's your answer?"
She had a lot of thinking to do. A decision as life changing as this could not be made within a few moments, "I need time to think about this." She said, finally looking up at him.
"Don't take too long." Jiraiya said in a serious voice and turned away from her to walk off in the distance, back to his motel room.
Instead of following his mentor, Naruto stayed back to speak to Tsunade, "If I were chosen to become the Hokage, I wouldn't hesitate for a second before taking up the position. To become Hokage is my dream, and you're lucky that the village council holds you in such a high regard to actually choose you out of many to become the Hokage."
Naruto walked away from them to catch up with Jiraiya. Little did he know that he reminded Tsunade of someone she lost so many years ago.
"That boy." Tsunade started, "He reminds me of Nawaki."
"Your brother?" Shizune asked.
"Yes. They share the same dream of becoming the Hokage."
Never in her life did she see two people who were as similar as Naruto and Nawaki. They not only looked alike, but they shared the same life ambition. She didn't know him very well, but in that moment, Tsunade developed an appreciation for the boy who reminded her so much of her younger brother.
Tsunade and Shizune walked back to their motel room in silence. Both were preoccupied with their own thoughts to mumble a word to each other. Shizune wanted Tsunade to become the Hokage more than anything else, because that would simply mean their return to the village. However, Tsunade wasn't too sure about taking up the job. She was unsure of herself and how the villagers would receive her as their new leader. Surely they would scrutinize her because she abandoned the village. Of course she still loved the village, for that was her home, but could she actually be an effective Hokage?
Once they were in their room, they closed the door behind them, shutting out the rest of the world. Tsunade had a big decision to make and she didn't quite know what to do. Once again, she was confused. It seemed as if every time Jiraiya came around her, she became extremely confused.
"Lady Tsunade." Shizune started, "What are you going to do?"
"I have no idea Shizune." She sighed and sat on the bed before burying her face in her hands, "I'm not Hokage material."
"Don't say that Lady Tsunade." Shizune stammered, "You are one of the Sannin, the best medical ninja the world has ever seen, and a direct descendant of the First Hokage. You of all people should know that you are most definitely qualified to become the Hokage."
"Even so, what makes you think that the people of the Leaf Village will want me to be their Hokage? All I've ever done is abandon the village. Furthermore, if I become the Hokage, I'll be forced to see Jiraiya on a regular basis."
"Lady Tsunade, you can't allow that to stand in the way of you becoming what you're destined to be. Just keep a professional relationship with him. You don't have to have anything else with him."
Tsunade thought about it long and hard before giving Shizune a definite answer. She never thought of becoming Hokage herself, but perhaps this was truly her destiny. By becoming the leader of the Leaf Village, she would not only be honoring her brother, but she would be honoring each and every Hokage who came before her.
"Okay fine. I'll be the Hokage only because Nawaki would have wanted me to." She said.
A smile arose on Shizune's face, because this decision not only meant that they would have a better life, but it also meant that they would return to their homeland, "That's great Lady Tsunade."
They were finally going to go home. This was wonderful, but why didn't Tsunade look as if she were excited?
"Oh and Lady Tsunade, even though you don't have to have anything but a professional relationship with Master Jiraiya, you have to tell him about the baby."
"I can't." She said quickly.
"He is the father. You can't keep this from him. He has a right to know."
"I know that!" She shouted and then lowered her voice, "But he hates me now, and if I tell him about my miscarriage eighteen years after it happened, he would hate me even more."
"I understand your fears Lady Tsunade, but you still have to tell him."
"And I will, but not right now. I just need time."
Tsunade walked into the small dining hall of the motel to get some breakfast. It wasn't very crowded in there, with the exception of two people fighting over the last strip of bacon that was being offered. Other than them, it was just her. The food that she had to choose from wasn't anything to talk about. All that was available were scrambled eggs, a few slices of toast, and corn based cereal with milk. Nothing looked very appetizing, so she settled for the cereal. She poured herself a bowl, and was just about to have a seat at a table when she spotted none other than Jiraiya sitting by his lonesome at the table in the corner of the room.
Her first instinct was to walk as fast as she could out of the dining hall without being noticed, but then she remembered that she had to inform Jiraiya of her decision to become the next Hokage. After taking a deep, calming breath, she walked over to his table.
"Hi." She said.
He didn't look up at her nor offer any words. All he did was look down at his cereal, and put a spoonful of the soggy meal in his mouth.
Against her better judgement, she put her bowl down on the table, and took a seat directly in front of him.
"How's the cereal?" She asked.
"What do you want?" He snapped, finally looking up at her.
She was a bit taken back by his harshness towards her, but she tried her best not to let it phase her. Instead of trying to make idle conversation with him, she got straight to the point, "I've decided that I want to become the Hokage."
He looked at her and a hint of joy could be seen within his eyes. However, that didn't last for too long, for he quickly looked away and said, "We'll leave for the village later on today then."
"Ji-"
"You and Shizune can meet me and Naruto outside of the motel before sunset." He spoke as he picked up his bowl and got out of his seat. After he said what he needed to say, he walked away from her.
She watched as he discarded his bowl and stepped out of the dining hall to an undetermined destination. So this was what their relationship has come to. A hidden secret and hostility was all that existed between them and nothing more.
She was trying to start things off with him on a positive note by engaging him in friendly conversation, but he wouldn't have any of it. Instead, he practically forced her to get straight to the point of her being in his presence. She figured that she deserved his cold treatment, but never did she expect it to hurt that much. Suddenly, she didn't feel hungry anymore, so she too discarded her breakfast and retreated to the confinement and solitude of her motel room. There she would stay until it was time to head back to the place that she abandoned so many years ago because of the white haired man that now loathed her.
As she walked into the room, she saw Shizune preparing to leave. As much as she loved the company of her adopted daughter, she was relieved that she would have the room all to herself for the entire day. She just wanted to be alone in order to get the space she needed to really think about the situation she was in.
"Where are you going?" Tsunade asked.
"TonTon and I are just going to walk around the town to see the sights before we have to leave." She explained, "When are we leaving by the way?"
"Today, before sunset."
"So soon?"
"Yes." She said and then took a seat by the window, "I spoke to Jiraiya just a few minutes ago and told him about my decision, and he wants to leave for the village today. So you better take in the sights quickly because we're meeting Jiraiya and the boy outside the motel before sunset."
"Alright." She nodded her head, but then took notice of the sad look upon Tsunade's face, "Lady Tsunade, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Go have fun, I'll be alright." She lied.
"O-Okay." Shizune said. Still feeling as if something was bothering her mentor, Shizune figured that she wanted some privacy, so she headed out the door with her small pig in hand.
The truth was that Tsunade was anything but fine. She felt terrible that the friendship that she once had with Jiraiya dwindled down to nothing because of her. It was so terrible that Jiraiya didn't even want to be in the same room as her. It was truly as if he really did hate her.
As she sat there by the window, she not only thought about Jiraiya, but she thought about how her life was going to change the moment she stepped foot in The Leaf Village. There would be no more late nights slung over a slot machine, and there would definitely be no more drunken nights at the local bar. She would have to give up so much of the habits that she formed over the years. Now her time would be spent locked in an office doing paperwork, countless of meetings with the village council, and at the hospital directing the staff and also checking on patients. It would be a lot of work, but being the Hokage also had it's perks. She wouldn't be broke anymore, she would have a nice, stable home, and she wouldn't want for anything. She figured that she owed Shizune that kind of life that she was denied therefore, there was no way that she wouldn't take up the position of Hokage.
"A Hokage needs to be kind and wise, a strong leader." She said to herself, reciting the exact words that her grandfather spoke to her so long ago.
Her grandfather was the definition of all that a good Hokage should be. How could she even come close to his standards? She couldn't, and therefore, she wondered how the people of the village would feel about her becoming the Hokage. It was a big job, and was she up to it? Sure she was a skilled kunoichi, but could she actually be a leader?
"The well being of the village and the lives of everybody in it rest in my hands." She said softly while gazing down at her palms, "The Hokages before me were effective in every way possible. Am I capable of being effective too?" She wondered to herself, "And Jiraiya. What am I going to do about him?"
Her voice was now weak and almost inaudible. She had too much on her mind, so she crawled under the sheets of her motel twin bed, and closed her eyes, trying to allow sleep to claim her until it was time to head home.
Shizune was walking through the town, enjoying the sites and taking in the customs of the people who inhabited the area. She decided to take the opportunity to look around, for she knew that once she returned to the Leaf Village, she wouldn't have much time to travel around and see new places. Her entire life was filled with traveling, and even though in her childhood she wanted the stability of living in one area, she knew in her heart that she would miss moving around from village to village. Her childhood wasn't ordinary, and it was filled with a lot of adversity, but she wouldn't have changed it for anything in the world. It was difficult, but she was glad that she had Tsunade by her side every step of the way. Because of that, she vowed that she would be right beside Tsunade, helping her in whatever way she could when Tsunade becomes the Hokage.
She kept walking, until somehow she found herself in a grassy field just outside the town. It was filled with scurrying critters, chirping song birds, and fluttering butterflies. It was so tranquil out there that Shizune considered returning to the motel room just to gather Tsunade and take her to the field so that she could get the opportunity to relax and rid herself of any unwanted stress. However, the raven haired girl decided against it, for by the time she returned to the field with Tsunade, it would be time to head out of town and start their journey to the Leaf Village. She walked over to a nearby cherry blossom tree, and settled herself under the shade to unwind and take in the beauty of her surroundings. Once she was comfortable, she stuffed her hand into the bag that was draped around her slender frame and retrieved two rice cakes that she packed for her midday snack. She tossed one to TonTon and began to devour the other one. It was the perfect setting for the afternoon. However, the shrill sound of laughing interrupted her peaceful day.
In the distance, she spotted a blonde, spiky haired boy with two identical clones of himself. The boy could be no other than Naruto. She took this as an opportunity to talk to the boy and get to know him a little better. As she approached him, she could see that the boy was showing off his new jutsu to his clones. It was quite amazing how someone as young as himself could be in the capacity to master such a powerful jutsu.
"Hello Naruto." She said.
He turned around to see the raven haired woman with a gentle smile on her face, "Hi, ummm, what's your name again?"
A chuckle escaped Shizune's lips, "Shizune." She reminded him.
Naruto dismissed his clones and gave his undivided attention to Shizune, "So did Granny Tsunade agree to become the new Hokage?"
"As a matter of fact she did."
At first Naruto was disappointed, for he wanted to become the Hokage, but then his initial grief transformed into relief, "I wanted to become the Hokage, but at least now she can heal my friends."
"Trust me Naruto, Lady Tsunade will make a great Hokage."
Shizune knew that Tsunade would be a great Hokage, it was only for Tsunade to believe it.
"Can I ask you a question Shizune?"
"Sure."
"The Pervy Sage and Granny Tsunade, weren't they on the same team when they were kids?"
Shizune sighed, knowing where this was going, "They were."
"Then why do they seem to be so distant towards each other?" He asked, "It's weird. I'm close to the people on my team. Well, I am rivals with Sasuke, but I don't hate him. And Sakura, I would do anything for her."
Shizune sighed and took a seat where she stood, and motioned for Naruto to do the same, "Naruto." She began, "Their story is not mine to tell."
"Aww come on Shizune, tell me." He pleaded, but was getting nowhere with her.
"I shouldn't tell you, it's not right. I have too much respect for Lady Tsunade and Master Jiraiya to reveal the events that unfolded in their personal lives."
Naruto sighed deeply in disappointment, "Fine."
"We should be heading back now, it's almost time for us to head back to the village."
The two got up from their seated positions and walked towards the town together. Naruto was excited to return home to show his newly acquired skills to his peers, but he was most excited for Tsunade to heal his friends. Shizune on the other hand was just excited to return to the place of her birth. She has not stepped foot in her hometown for years for reasons beyond her control, but now she was finally being able to have the stable life that she always dreamed of having. Even though things were complicated in her master's personal life, deep down she knew that it would all get better with time. She only had to keep the faith.
Tsunade emerged out of her motel room with her belongings in hand, feeling nothing but nervousness ripping through her very being. It was time for her to return to the place she swore never to return to, and she wasn't quite sure if she was ready to go back. It was only when she saw Jiraiya walk out of his motel room did she feel a cold, nervous sweat drip down her back.
He didn't say one word to her, and neither did she say anything to him. They were standing side by side, but it was as if they were miles and miles apart.
"Where's Shizune?" He finally asked, breaking the deafening silence between them.
"Who knows." She muttered, "Where's the brat you brought along with you? Did you not tell him what time you were planning on leaving this dump?" She was trying her best to hide her uncertainty and nervousness. No matter what, she didn't want him to know just how scared she was.
"What's with the attitude?" He asked in a raised voice, "Didn't you tell your assistant what time we were going to leave?"
She didn't answer him, she just stormed off. He didn't want to go after her, but if he didn't then there was no telling if she would come back, and if she didn't come back, then he would be forced to become the next Hokage.
"Tsunade wait!" He called after her, but she didn't stop. She continued to walk off, pretending as if she didn't hear him at all.
He continued to follow her, calling after her every now and then, but she still didn't respond to him. She wasn't quite sure where she was going, but she was so upset, that all she wanted was to be as far away from Jiraiya as possible. Jiraiya had no idea why she was being so stubborn, but he was certain that they were running behind schedule, so he walked faster until he finally caught up to her, and when he did, he grabbed hold of her upper arm.
"Let go of me!" She demanded, but he did no such thing. Instead, he walked in the opposite direction back to their agreed meeting spot, dragging her along with him. Her anger only increased, for as long as she has been alive, nobody dragged her anywhere. She focused her chakra into her palm on the arm that he was not pulling until it glowed green. Without a thought, she slapped her glowing palm onto his hand. His entire arm grew limp, so against his will, he let his grasp on her arm go.
"You paralyzed my arm!" He shouted while holding onto his limp arm.
"Damn right I did." She said, "Next time don't fucking touch me." She spat and walked away from him.
"You can't leave! You're the Hokage remember!" He reminded her.
His words stopped her in her tracks. She knew that she couldn't simply run away. She agreed to become the Hokage, and so she had to go back to the village. The very sight of Jiraiya got her so worked up that she couldn't control her emotions. How did things get to be so complicated?
She sighed and walked over to Jiraiya. Her palm glowed once again, and he swore that she was about to paralyze his other arm, but instead, she placed it on his limp arm and healed him until he regained all the mobility in his arm that was once ripped from him.
He opened and closed his fist, and lifted his arm up and down to ensure that he could move his arm once again and then looked at Tsunade, "Thanks."
"Is this how it's going to be between you and me?" She asked in a small voice. She didn't want them to argue, neither did she want him to hate her, but there was little she could do to fix all the issues between them. Furthermore, she was withholding a secret from him that he deserved to know. They've passed the point where they could ease the tension between each other with words of apology. Now it was time for her to get used to the relationship that they now had, "You know what, don't answer that question."
He was about to say something, but then Shizune and Naruto walked up to them, ruining the opportunity he had to at least make the current situation a little better.
"There you two are." Shizune said in relief.
"Didn't you say to meet before sunset Pervy Sage?" Naruto asked with a straight face.
"Let's just go." He said, not wanting to talk any further. He just wanted to get home and never emerge out of his house. Avoiding Tsunade was his number one priority.
They walked out of the town without looking back. Jiraiya and Naruto walked up front, leading the way, while Tsunade and Shizune walked behind them, keeping a good distance between the two different parties.
"Is everything okay Lady Tsunade?" Shizune asked, taking notice of the fact that Tsunade has not uttered a word since they left the town, nor did she look up from the ground.
"Far from it." Tsunade replied and said nothing more.
"Is there anything I can do?" She asked, feeling the need to help her mentor in any way she could.
Tsunade just shook her head negatively. There was nothing anybody could do to fix the terrible storm that she created for herself. Everything regarding her situation with Jiraiya was her fault, and because of that, she could never be truly happy with herself. Not even the fact that she was chosen to be the most respected ninja in the village could cheer her up. It was just a horrible situation, and she had nobody to blame for that but herself.
This was a very, very late update, and I am so sorry!
I hope you guys haven't lost interest in this story, because I haven't. In fact, I've written down multiple scenarios for upcoming chapters, and I'm pretty excited about them. So continue to keep an eye out for new chapters, and keep the reviews coming. I want to know what you guys think.
Thanks for reading!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo