NARUTO

Nox Noctis Ingredior

The Third Sannin

"Oh yeah baby… those are some nice curves… mmm…" Yukari whispered, licking her lips as she stared through the hole made in the wall of the side of the hot springs into the women's area. At the moment, she was enjoying the full and uncut endeavor 'researching' had to offer her, proving to all that her sexuality was just as much a moving target's as Mei's, Anko's and Ryoko's. "She's got a nice pair on her… oh yeah! That's a fine ass…"

"Excuse me, Lady Yukari," a voice interrupted her, causing the Uchiha to glance behind her from her crouching right next to the bamboo wall. Furrowing her brow, she locked her best glare onto the two Jonin standing behind her.

After regaining consciousness, Asuma and Kurenai followed the woman down to the hot springs in Konohagakure, and while trying to convince her to come to the Hokage tower with them to report to the Third Hokage, the woman, who was once a cold, calculative killer in battle, was proving to be as big a pervert as Jiraiya. Much to Kurenai's embarrassment at watching another woman peep on other women and Asuma's… well… disinterest, the pair stared at the woman oddly as she stared back.

"Listen, I hate to interrupt you while you're having such a good time, but it pains me to say to you that the Hidden Leaf is currently under red alert at the moment, and Lord Hokage is calling up every able bodied ninja in and around Konohagakure to help in the repairs after the invasion of the Hidden Sand and Sound. So… if you please, we could really use your help in these matters," Kurenai continued, clearing her throat.

"Well… I can understand you guys are busy and such, but come on…" Yukari muttered, turning back to the hot springs in front of her. "I rarely ever come to Konoha anymore… only on vacations. I think I deserve some kick backs for all the work I've been doing. Besides, I need inspiration for my next issue of Hot Spot. You can't distract an artist from her brainstorming hour…"

"Oh, you write those novels!" Asuma exclaimed, earning a glare from his girlfriend. Clearing his throat, he looked away, rubbing the back of his head. "I mean… I've never heard of that novel series in my life and its aspiring tale of a young woman trying to find love in a world that doesn't understand her wandering sexuality…"

"If we could just… move on," Kurenai grumbled, glaring back over at Yukari as her posterior moved from side to side as she admired the goddesses standing in the mists of the hot spring beyond the barrier dividing this world from the 'utopia'. "It may interest you that we are currently searching for a new Kage, as Hiruzen Sarutobi has decided it is time for him to retire. With the elders gone and Jiraiya declining the position, perhaps you could fill in for Tsunade until she arrives…"

"No can do! The Kage desk has an uncomfortable chair, and I don't like dealing with politics," Yukari sung, licking her lips as she watched two girls basically unfurl themselves in broad daylight. "Lady Tsunade is perfect for the role."

"No question. But Lady Yukari…"

"Unless you two are here to 'research' with me, scram!" Yukari waved her hand, but then turned to them with a lecherous grin. "But… if you two are interested…" She pointed towards two more peep holes next to her. "Ryoko-chan is in the hot springs, and she is a very attractive stretcher!"

Asuma and Kurenai glanced at each other, then back. They took a few minutes of silence to think about it before sighing at the same time and walking forward.

They had to keep an eye on her anyway.

"Fine…"

Elsewhere…

Jiraiya and his traveling troop of young shinobi stopped off at a local market town for the day to gather supplies and to catch their breath from the earlier events of the day. It was pretty lively area, booming with a celebrative air and echoing with the sounds of businessmen making wild pitches and people having a good time. It was almost like a carnival, but in truth was one of those outbound towns that offered more then just a good time, but also booze, women, food and treats. People of all ages were fawning about in the maze of stores, a sight that attracted the trios' attention.

"Wow… this place is so cool!" Tenten exclaimed, looking left and right at the stalls when they arrived at the bottom of the canyon in which it was situated in.

"Look at all that exotic food and clothing! This is going to be great!" Kin laughed, checking out some of the dresses and scarves hanging here and there, with Naruto smiling casually in between them, hands in his pockets as he himself marveled at the fair attractions.

"This is my treat to you three for a job well done today!" Jiraiya threw both his hands out and looked around, turning on his heel and grinning down at his company. "You guys go off and have some fun. I'll meet up with you in a couple of hours, so get whatever you want or need, and afterwards we can go find a hotel and crash, alright!"

"Right!"

Before the old man could mooch off of either of them, Tenten and Kin dragged Naruto to the stands furthest away, leaving the hermit to wander aimlessly in search of his own interests. His search quickly led him to a brothel, and there he would stay for the rest of the day!

The three youngsters spent all their time at the town together, browsing the various shops and stalls, buying stuff, cheating in… playing and winning games fair and square, and getting a bite to eat from their brisk window browsing. Since Naruto appreciated his friends' company a lot, he mostly hung with them, and commented them positively on the outfits they bought and tried on, and offered them his honest input. It earned him a lot of credit from the pair, whom promised to share with him something even more special later on.

As enthusiastic as he was by the idea, their flirting nearly knocked him into a new type of shock. However, he managed to hold his ground and return their show of affection with his own, and at the end of the day, after buying out the stalls, walked hand in hand to find their team leader.

It didn't take them long to track their guide down, as they followed on a trail of taverns and bars, till they eventually arrived at a particular one at the edge of the town, which had the easily recognizable, booming laughter of an obviously drunk Toad Sage echoing out of the bar.

Walking in with both Kin and Tenten having their arms wrapped around his, the three walked into a sight that, out of all the people they knew, could only be appreciated by Jiraiya himself. With a lady in hand, the white haired Sannin laughed outright drunkenly, before spotting the trio standing at the entrance. He saw that Naruto was wearing a new, red trench-coat with buckles zipping it up, Tenten was in a lovely, pink and green sundress, and Kin was wearing a light brown battle dress with a white scarf around her neck.

Identifying them in the first ten seconds, Jiraiya chuckled and waved them over. "Yo! My little bro and his lady friends! Come on over and have a drink!"

Not wanting to disappoint or ruin the man's good mood, the three strolled over and took a seat on beanbags across from them, with the hermit and his company smiling at them as they ordered some green tea and sake on the side. Naruto chose the brand from the menu provided, before turning his attention to his teacher.

Giving him a look over, the blonde shook his head with a smile. "The pimps would idolize you as their next God. But you, posing as an ideal role a model for a bunch of kids aspiring to be the next great elite Jonin and teacher? I'd quit now while I was ahead…"

"Well… what about you, brat?" Jiraiya chuckled, pointing to the two girls huddled up against him and rubbing their cheeks against his shoulders as he sat cross-legged like a super villain on a hot streak. "Does that reflect a good role model for children? By all accounts, I think the position you're in at present doesn't elicit any good intentions that are appropriate for someone of your age…"

"Touché…" Naruto grinned. Kin and Tenten giggled and nuzzled him even further, earning a laugh from Jiraiya as the waitress came round with their drinks.

"Live long and enjoy every minute of your youth, kid! It was one of the many first things I ever taught you!" the man boomed, taking a shot of his sake. This earned giggles from the girls that he embraced, and whom shuffled closer into his arms. After drinking his last glass, Jiraiya grinned and nudged the ladies in kind. "Oh, by the way girls, this is my apprentice Naruto Uzumaki and his company! He is one of the many shining examples of a potential leader, an exceptional student of mine who has followed all of my teachings to the latter."

"He is adorable," the woman on his right exclaimed.

"I think he's cute," the other replied, tilting her head at the boy in thought. "Friends of yours?"

"Girlfriends!" This time it was Tenten who spoke up, the girl picking up her tea, blowing on it and taking a sip. "About a couple of months and still going strong."

"Hold onto him girl, and don't let go!" The woman on Jiraiya's left said, picking up a glass and raising it towards her. "A man like that only comes around once in a lifetime!"

"Of course!"

The group enjoyed themselves greatly, as they talked, drank and laughed throughout the entire afternoon. By the time the sun set and Jiraiya had passed out from drinking too much, Naruto, Tenten and Kin bid goodbye to his lady friends, before carrying… or… dragging the hermit off to the nearest hotel. They booked out a small room on the edge of the village, and hunkered down in the four person apartment the moment they burst in and tossed Jiraiya's drunken butt on the nearest bed.

It took another whole day, but the traveling group finally made it to Tanzaku Gai, the last known location of the Slug Sannin Tsunade. The place, outside of its architecture and splendor, was better known for its various legal gambling institutes, as well as the high number of back rooms where more risky games were played, and weren't formally known to the public. It was the ideal place for the 'Legendary Sucker' to hang out, and Jiraiya had no doubt he would get his final clue at this town as to where his former teammate was currently hiding out.

Sources pointed them in this direction. However, when the four of them reached the outland town, the very first aspect of the village they noticed the moment it came into view was the bloom of smoke rising from the well known castle sitting at the top of the hill. The smoke, to them, was a sign of trouble, and as soon as they spotted it, the four of them sprinted down into the village, and straight towards the castle.

Rushing up the stairs, they arrived at a scene that could only mirror the damage that had been done to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, a sight that the two Genin and Jonin on the team didn't find comforting. The section of the castle they were standing in was reduced to rubble, with Jiraiya and Naruto immediately inspecting the ruins, Kin and Tenten covering their flanks, while also kicking at the stones lying around them.

"What the heck happened here?" Tenten asked.

"Obviously… a fight…" Kin knelt down and began brushing away some dust and dirt. "Two other ninja?"

"Maybe…" Jiraiya replied, running his hand over the rubble of a still standing section of wall, before it decided to collapse. He then picked up a chunk of stone, which cracked and turned to dust in his hand. "Chakra reverberation; there's a lot of residue all over the place…"

"This was Baa-chan's doing," Naruto stated, standing up, picking up another stone, which also turned to dust. "Only Tsunade's attacks could have this effect on a structure. The chakra that travels with the force of her strike ripples out, and can remain with the rubble and debris for some time. She must have been really pissed off to do this…"

Kin looked around, and spotted some other strange signs of trouble in the walls. Walking over, she ran her hand over small holes punched into the sides of the castle, and took a closer look. When she did, she saw light on the other side of the holes and raised an eyebrow. She jumped when Naruto suddenly placed his hand on her shoulder and gently nudged her aside, nodding to her in appreciation, to which she smiled back. He also took a closer look, and sniffed the air. Wiping his finger around the inside of one of the holes and rubbing the dust between his digits, he then licked it, tasting the residue left behind.

"Magnesium… with traces of spark and explosive powder… I think I know who else was here," Naruto replied, turning back to Jiraiya and Tenten. The brown haired girl also spotted something on the ground, and reached down to pick it up, rolling the metal casing in her hand.

"Strange… I've never seen this before…" She looked at the bottom of the cap. "Hmm… Nine…M…M… Parabellum… what the hell does that mean?"

"I'll take that…" Naruto plucked it from her fingers, and also analyzed it. "Not quite your domain… this technology is in a class above your own…"

"Care to elaborate?" Tenten folded her arms, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Ammunition from across the seas, for the Westerners' weapons," Naruto replied, slipping it into his pocket. "Fire arms… I've had close encounters with a lot of them while I was traveling with Ero-Sennin… I… sort of pissed off this guy called Lord Nelson when he came to visit…"

"Kisarabi," Jiraiya said, looking over at the blonde, who nodded his head in response.

"Apparently, she had a bit of a scuffle with Baa-chan…" Naruto said, kicking at a large stone lying at his feet and reducing it to gravel. "We're close…"

"Well then… let's go and look for our 'little princess'…" Jiraiya chuckled, and led them off the property.

An hour of searching the town, and the team came up empty handed. However, after ducking in and out of various taverns and such, Jiraiya eventually walked into one and got bingo. Sitting at the back of the room, hidden in their own booth, he spotted not only Tsunade, but also her assistant Shizune. The Sannin was busy getting drunk, and her extra hand was trying to prevent her from drinking too much. It was only at the Toad Sage's timely arrival that she did stop to concentrate n her former teammate that had just strolled in through the door.

"Tsunade?" Jiraiya exclaimed, pointing in her direction, and hurriedly walking over. The blonde haired woman looked up in surprise, red faced and sense of balance a bit staggered from all of her drinking.

"J-Jiraiya?" She blinked, shaking her head when her white haired, former teammate stole a seat in front of her, Shizune also looking at the man in slight shock. "W-what the heck are you doing here?"

"What? Can't an old friend drop by and say hello every couple of years?" the old pervert chuckled and kicked his feet up, ordering a drink from the waitress who walked on by. Naruto, Tenten and Kin joined them shortly afterwards, all of them getting a good look at the woman who was chosen to be their next Kage. For two thirds of the group it was their very first time.

Tsunade and Shizune spotted Naruto shortly afterwards at the little pig Tonton's exclamation. Naruto smiled and stepped forward, rubbing the pig on the head affectionately before grinning in the woman's direction.

"Baa-chan…"

"Brat… is that you?" Tsunade looked the boy up and down a couple of times before smirking. "Geez, the years have been good to you. How long has it been…?"

"Three… two and a half years… I lost count," Naruto pulled up two chairs and offered them to Kin and Tenten, before taking one of his own beside Shizune, who he then turned to. "Hello Shizune? Are you doing alright?"

"I'm fine, Naruto-kun," the woman replied with a smile, leaning over and giving him a quick peck on the cheek, ruffling his hair. "It's so good to see you're alive and healthy." She then took notice of the two girls sitting beside him and staring at the third and final Sannin they have been hearing so much about. "Who're your friends?"

"Oh… they're my teammates and girlfriends," Naruto grinned, and nearly laughed when the woman he considered an older sister gave him a dead-panned look.

"G-Girlfriends…?" He shrugged.

"So they say. This kind of stuff started happening to me about a year ago, it's weird. There are more girls back at the village too… a majority of which are currently living with me," the blonde chuckled, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "But it's fun. They're all great friends…"

"Not to mention Naruto is very clingy in his sleep!" Kin giggled and latched onto Naruto's arm, who just smiled vacantly at the girl next to him, before turning back to a still dead-panned Shizune. The woman chose at this point not to pry, as it would most likely lead into a discussion that would last until dawn, and she wasn't a fan of staying up too late when she didn't want to.

"Well… you've certainly wised up a lot since the day I stitched your leg back on," Tsunade chuckled, the blonde grinning and hopping on top of the chair he was sitting on, patting his thigh when he knelt down.

"Just a reminder to keep getting back up," Naruto said, smirking. "Since then, I've never rolled over or given up." Kin smiled at him when he hopped off of his chair and returned to a normal, socializing position. "What about you? How have you been?"

"Well… let's see," Tsunade leant back and looked up towards the ceiling. Despite her mind being in a sort of haze, she was still able to draw upon memories as if they were filed in a cabinet. "Since we last met, I changed my age and appearance at least five times, I lost fifty pounds, gained twenty, grew my hair to my knees, shaved it bald when I lost a bet, grew it back out, woke up naked in the middle of a town after an all-night rave, repaid three debts, and went into debt with them again overnight, won the Land of Kumo's Sake drinking contest against the Raikage, and at least sold Tonton twice to pay off a dinner bill."

The pig sitting beside Shizune 'oinked' in disapproval at that memory.

"So to sum it all up, your life has been one big, fucked up rollercoaster," Jiraiya nodded in understanding upon hearing what she had to say. "I've got to say Tsunade; you've reached a new low."

"What about you, you old goat?" the blonde asked, placing her hand on her cheek and propping her elbow up on the table, glaring across at the white haired pervert she knew so well. "In the time since I last met up with you, you must have hit rock bottom… yet…

"Again," Shizune concluded, smiling. Tonton oinked again, earning a giggle from Tenten across the table.

"Aw come on! You give me too little credit," Jiraiya leant onto the table and smiled across at his teammate. "How would or could I ever degrade myself or others around me to such degrees? Name one time I've ever done so!"

"How about the time you used me as a twenty-five ryo chip at that poker club we visited five years ago," Naruto glared up at the man he called his master. "How's that for one of your 'degrading' moments, Ero-Sennin?"

The man under his student's glare chuckled and shook his head, trying to throw any blame directed towards him off.

"Oh no… I can sink waa-yyyy lower then that!" Actually, he said this with great pride, and folded his arms, grinning widely. "If it helps, I made at least a hundred thousand ryo in one night!"

"Wow, that's not bad," Tenten said, looking quite impressed.

Shizune however, looked over at a rather crest-fallen Naruto. "You were used as a twenty-five ryo chip?"

The boy threw his arms up, almost knocking over the drink the waitress just put down, startling her. "I was still asleep! He burst into my room one night, picked me up without me knowing, and the next thing I knew, I was lying in my pajamas on an uncomfortable, green table, covered in poker chips in front of a whole crowd!" He sighed and slumped over, grabbing his drink and glaring up at it. "My most embarrassing moment in my life…"

"Geez, I already apologized like… a hundred times for that. Just let it go, kid," Jiraiya shot back, earning a disapproving stare from the blonde. In the meantime, Tenten and Kin were holding in laughter in the background, stifling smirks and looking like they were about to burst.

"I'm gonna find another table…" Naruto stood up and walked off with his tea, leaving Kin and Tenten to laugh their hearts out, Shizune giggling on the sidelines, Tsunade smirking, and Jiraiya grinning. "Nice to see you again, Baa-chan!"

"Like wise, brat!" The woman then threw an empty sake bottle at his head before he was out of sight, knocking him flying about ten feet at the force before face-planting the floor. "AND STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

"Damn… her aim is as good as ever…"

Later that night…

Naruto eventually returned from his timeout with newly gained vigor, and restarted an animated chat with Kin, Tenten and Shizune. Jiraiya spoke with Tsunade for a majority of the night to follow, which eventually led into a friendly poker game. The Slug Sannin decided to test her luck, but failed each and every time, even against Jiraiya's worst hands of the next few hours. This further proved the perverted hermit's theory that the woman, his former teammate and closest friend, had a constant, unending aura of bad luck.

He could practically see the green light wafting off of her like stench lines whenever she threw down her hand.

Eventually, after a round of more drinks and more talking, Jiraiya escorted, or rather carried a heavily drunk Tsunade back to her apartment and rented out a room for his team. Naruto, Tenten and Kin knew how to play the waiting game, and were letting the Toad Sannin deal with convincing his former teammate to return to the village and accept the role of Hokage.

The three of them hunkered down in their room, while Jiraiya spoke with Tsunade in the other. While Kin was playing around with a new weapon she was developing that produced sound, across the room, sitting on the floor with her legs crossed with a scroll deposited in front of her, Tenten was sharpening some of her own weapons in her collection, and Naruto was sitting on the window frame looking out and over the town. Though apparently caught up in their own little devices, their senses were on high alert, so it wasn't a surprise to them when there was a brief knock on the door, followed shortly by the reappearance of a familiar face.

Shizune poked her head in with a smile.

"Hey guys!"

"Hey, Shizune," Tenten exclaimed back, lowering one of her kunai and her cleaning cloth. Kin also grinned over at the young apprentice, while Naruto simply glanced over, then back towards the village.

"I'm… sorry… am I interrupting anything…" the woman asked timidly.

"No… not at all… just sharpening tools," the bun haired girl replied, tossing her knife in the air and catching it on her finger.

"Working on a few tune ups," Kin replied.

"Stargazing…" Naruto spoke up.

Shizune walked in, quietly closing the door behind her. Making her way over to one of the beds, she sat herself down and looked around at the small team. The expression on her face was one playing a vacant smile, indicating that she was in deep thought. Before the group could fully return to their tasks, the woman chose to interrupt them, fidgeting at the same time.

"I heard what happened to Konohagakure… Lady Tsunade and I both," the Sannin apprentice said, Tenten, Kin and Naruto looking over at her. She smiled nervously. "You don't need to be subtle about your purpose here. I can safely guess at this point that the four of you are here to convince Lady Tsunade to return to the Hidden Leaf…"

"When did you catch on?" Tenten asked, blinking in surprise.

"Well… I assumed from the three Genin wearing the Leaf headbands so far out of their home village accompanying Jiraiya means that either your team leader has developed a disturbing fetish, or you're here for my master," Shizune giggled, scratching her cheek with her finger. "It would have been better if only one of you had come for her…"

"It was ordered by the Hokage," Kin explained, giving Shizune a meek look. "Jiraiya was to be accompanied by a small recovery team in the search for Lady Tsunade of the Sannin, simply for his protection, as well as to test our newly appointed Jonin…"

Shizune blinked, and then looked over at Naruto, who smiled and shrugged back at her.

"I've got to get more points on my record," the blonde replied, before looking back up towards the night sky. The woman looked at him dumbfounded, and shakily pointed in his direction.

"Y-You're a Jonin…?"

"Anyway… how is Lady Tsunade taking it?" Tenten asked, looking up at Shizune. "Lord Jiraiya should have spilled the beans by now. So… is she willing to come back to Konohagakure or what?"

Shizune shrugged. "She's still thinking about it." The woman sighed, as did Kin and Tenten, who began rubbing their heads and noses in exhaustion.

"This might take longer then we thought…" Tenten mumbled.

"Well, until she makes up her mind, we're just going to have to sit tight for a while…" Kin stated, with her companion nodding in agreement. She then turned towards the window where Naruto was sitting. "You know her best Naruto-kun, what do you think she-…?"

The window was empty, the blonde no longer present. Shizune and Tenten also looked on in surprise, with Kin hopping to her feet and skipping over to the window, looking out over the streets. Making a peeved face, the raven haired girl sighed and turned back to the startled pair in the room behind her.

"I hate it when he does that…"

Perched on the Castle's Main Archway…

Tsunade was busy staring out over the town herself, finding a bit of comfort in the lights that were flickering brightly around the village. In spite of being dragged back to her apartment stone drunk, she was quick o recover and leave the moment Jiraiya left. After being asked to return to Konoha to fill in the role of Hokage on her former master's retirement, she was quite hesitant.

After everything she had been through while working and living in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, it wasn't surprising. She was still haunted by the memories of both her lover Dan and her younger brother Nawaki. Things didn't seem to sit right with her in Konohagakure anymore.

Clutching the necklace she wore around her neck, she brought her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them, letting out a sigh.

"What should I do?"

"Go home…"

A new voice startled the woman and she looked up towards the next level on the archway she was perched on, to see Naruto, his trench coat now flipped over to black, straw hat worn and mask over his face. Even with his disguise on the woman still knew on first glance exactly who it was, and her throttle of adrenaline slowly dropped.

The blonde Jonin looked down at her from behind the shadows of his mask, blue eyes unwavering and hands in his pockets.

"It's easier said then done, brat," Tsunade muttered, glaring back over towards the village down the hill. "There's too much pain over there… too much hatred, too much ignorance. Konoha is part of a world that I can't simply go back to. Come on, gaki… you must hate it more then me for all the 'good' it's done to you…"

"In all honesty Baa-chan…in spite of what you may think… I tolerate it," the blonde replied, lowering his head. "I used to express disinterest in the villagers who lived within those walls, and only desired to protect them above all else, hoping that one day I would be able to change their view on the world. I myself acted more coldly towards anything remotely sentimental or close to it. However… this past year has shown me that I can have more of a life in Konohagakure then I can anywhere else…"

"Tsk… what makes you say that?"

"Well… my friends of course," Naruto stated, looking out over the village. "Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan, Haru-chan, Ryoko-chan, Anko-sensei, Mia-tan, Isaribi-chan, Kin-chan…"

"All these people you're mentioning sound like… girls…" Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"Well… about ninety percent of the people crashing at my place are," Naruto mused. "I'm not going to count Haku… I'm still not sure where to place him… or her…"

"In any case, what reason do I have to go back? You tell me," Tsunade said in a demanding, yet calm voice. The masked Jonin shrugged his shoulders and looked around a bit more, trying to find a reason in which to convince the Sannin to return with them.

It wasn't going to be easy though. He had to be careful. When it came down to arguments, she was one of the most stubborn opponents he had ever crossed words with.

"Do you remember… all those years ago, when I asked you whether you had something or someone worth risking your life for?" Naruto asked, earning a rather befuddled look from the old woman, who glanced up at him curiously. "When I first asked you that question, you said to me without any lingering thought… absolutely nothing. Yet, despite your words, that very next day, you risked your own life to protect mine and said that I was someone else to you, someone worth protecting…"

Tsunade huffed and looked away, looking a bit put off. "So…?"

"When you killed that rogue ninja after I defended you from his lackeys… what was it that you were thinking about… or who?" Naruto asked, being a bit more persistent. "What drove you to risk your life for mine?"

The woman furrowed her brow and shut her eyes, thinking back to that time. Of course, she was dead drunk, and probably wouldn't have any proper recollection of that day so many years ago. However, after giving her five minutes, the patient Nightwalker was eventually rewarded with an answer from the Sannin.

"You… reminded me of them… of Dan and Nawaki… and what they stood for, what they believed, and what they wanted to become," Tsunade replied, biting her lower lip. "There was no way I was going to let your sacrifice for my sake go to waste."

"Then… why don't you take their beliefs with you, and become Hokage for our village," Naruto continued, looking back down at her. "Don't let their sacrifices or their dreams for the future go to waste. If you truly care for them, you would live for them… Kami knows that I would. Though attachments seem trivial for a ninja, I'll bet anything to anyone that what happens to us in the past molds us into whom we are today. But… we can't let bad memories and experiences consume us completely; it's our choices in life and our willpower that determines the future…"

"That's pretty deep, even for you," Tsunade chuckled, earning a shrug from the younger blonde standing up high.

"I'm not much of a talker, but when it comes to dealing with bad things like loneliness or loss, you may as well place that Kage hat on my head out of principle," Naruto replied, smiling down from behind his mask towards Tsunade. "I play the fool to hide a warrior's pain. It's one of the many masks I wear to conceal how I look on the outside, but at the same time, I never let it cloud my better judgment."

"Do your friends know about it? About your past I mean?"

"I believe they've all seen who I really am… and… surprisingly… they're not bothered by it," Naruto lowered his head a little. "They don't want to talk to me about it much, but they're just… happy that I'm around; just like I am to have them. However, the question here is not whether I am willing to give my life for those I care about, which I would without hesitation, but really, it is whether or not you are willing to protect the memories of those you love, as well as those still alive, Baa-chan…?"

There was a good, long pause for the next several minutes, leaving the pair in a deathly silence. Tsunade considered the boy's words, as they felt the wind whip at their hair and clothes, its hush being the only thing alive in the moments that went by. Looking down, the Sannin looked at the necklace she wore, with the faces of those who had previously worn it, fading into view, before vanishing a split second later. She clenched it around her hand and closed her eyes.

"My little brother… and Dan… they've gambled just as much as I have, and ended up losing everything," Tsunade murmured. "I've had my fair share of bad experiences… coping with death, dealing it out, fighting in wars… it's most certainly a record of life that can measure up to the standards of a Kage. But…I'm not sure… if I'm ready to gamble another person's life, if I was to safeguard it as the leader of the Village Hidden in the Leaves…"

"Then let me roll the dice for you…"

Tsunade jumped when Naruto suddenly appeared in front of her, his hand extended towards her.

"If you're that afraid to gamble another person's life for the sake of your own, then you can deal with mine," Naruto stated without hesitation. "If you trust your life with me, then I will trust mine with yours … unless… you're willing to bet all in…"

The woman blinked up at him, seeing him eye-smile from behind the holes in his mask.

"We're practically on the same table, so why fight it?"

It took the Sannin a minute or so to finally reach a decision, and so, with a smile on her face, the woman stood up under her own power, and removed the necklace from around her neck. Naruto blinked in surprise when she unexpectedly grabbed the mask on his face, and removed it, before leaning in and pressing her forehead against his, grinning in amusement.

"You shouldn't wear masks, brat," she giggled. "Otherwise girls won't be able to see that handsome face of yours or your kind heart…"

She took his hand in hers, and thrust the necklace into it, earning another surprised blink from him.

"Alright then… I'm betting all in," Tsunade continued, wrapping the boy's fingers around the necklace. "Just don't die…"

Naruto, feeling the weight of the necklace in his hand, grinned and looked back up at the woman. "Deal."

Tsunade chuckled and stepped back, rubbing her head as she looked out over the village, with Naruto pocketing the necklace, the woman handing his mask back.

"Ugh… I'm going to have grey hair by the end of this… I know it…"

"Come on, you don't look that bad…"

"No… hang on… sorry," Tsunade rubbed her brow, and then glanced over at the blonde. "What I mean by that is when I break the news to my old teammate that I'm cutting out on our deal."

"Wait… you're not referring to…?" Naruto did not like where this was going. When the blonde Sannin was referring to 'other' teammate outside of the old goat, whom she passionately named Jiraiya, meant only one person.

"Orochimaru and his lackeys confronted me here earlier today… saying that he will bring back Dan and Nawaki if I fixed his arm…" the woman explained, placing her hands on her hips as she looked down at him. "I got into a scuffle with one of his henchmen as a result…"

"That's an underhanded deal," Naruto frowned and folded his arms. "The Impure World Resurrection… what a stupid technique… did he mention when he was going to meet up with you?"

"By the end of the week, at the castle…"

"Good… then that gives us a week to prepare to kill him for good," Naruto exclaimed, slamming a fist into his open palm. "I feel like barbequed snake this Saturday, with a side of eggs…"

"Barbequed snake?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow at him.

"Trust me. It's actually quite delicious…"

TO BE CONTINUED…

Omake – Episode 4 - The Adventures of Mia Part 2

Naruto was busy enjoying a nice hot bath out in his springs, carpeted by the condensation, heat, and boiling in his lake of an outdoor tub. The blonde smiled as he rubbed his hair out with a wet cloth, a big smile plastered on his face.

"Whoo… mum and dad really put everything they had into building this place!" the blonde exclaimed, lying back against the rocks and looking up through the steam. "Oh well, home is home. Still, it makes me wonder… whether there was something else they were trying to accomplish with this…"

There was a splash in front of him, the young Jonin looking back down in surprise. He blinked when he saw something he never thought he would see before, not in several years. A poster girl posing for one of those nudist magazines that Ryoko usually bought, sitting right in front of him in all her glory. Of course, since she was lying down on what looked to be a bed didn't make the illusion of realism all that believable.

"Hmm… why is there a supermodel posing right in front of me?"

A split second later, the magazine that was being held in front of his face, lowered itself to reveal the familiar red hair and cheerful gaze of Mia. The Sage of Six Paths hummed happily as she flipped through the pages one at a time, enjoying the read.

"Naruto-kun! These girls all have really big boobs! They seem to be enjoying them and think they look good, but isn't it kind of uncomfortable having them so grotesquely large? I don't think they're real…"

Naruto, still in a bit of a haze, grabbed the magazine from her hand and flipped it over to the page she was looking at. It was a picture of two girls in passionate embrace, doing some rather risqué things. He shrugged his shoulders and tilted his head at the picture.

"Ergh… they're fake; D-cups like that aren't natural…"

"Hey! How about mine?" Mia exclaimed, cupping her own reasonably sized assets. "They're okay, aren't they?" Naruto chuckled and leaned back, tossing the magazine aside.

"Actually, they're great, I never took the time to think about it, bu-AAAARRRRRGGHHH!" Naruto leapt to his feet, staggering back, but stopping immediately when he hit the wall behind him, Mia watching him with that ever present smile. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE MIA? No… scratch that… HOW WAS I OUT OF IT ALL THIS TIME!"

Mia blinked. "I sensed it…"

"W-wha… huh? N-Never mind, just leave… please…" The next thing he got was a severe blood nose when the woman stood up out of the bath, flashing her super-model body to the blonde. Naruto shoved both his fingers up his nose to stop the faucet from pouring.

Clad in all her angelic glory, the woman waded over to him slowly, forcing him back against the wall surrounding the springs. The fact that they were both naked didn't help the blonde at all.

"Do you want to have sex, Naruto-kun?"

"Does… ugh… wha?" Naruto spluttered, his whole face turning red as the young woman wrapped her arms around him, and pressed his face into her well endowed chest.

"I feel something hot and burning… it's so… enticing," Mia exclaimed, before grinning down at the young boy childishly. "I've read the whole Icha Icha novel, so I promise you Naruto-sama, I will not screw up."

"T-That's not necessa… AAAHHH! W-WHERE ARE YOU PUTTING YOUR HANDS! MIA! HEY! NO! STOP!"

CENSORED…