Tsunade sat in her office late that night, staring at the report the doctor had given her on Naruto's blood-work. What her eyes were most fixated on were the highlighted areas, which showed the chemical makeup of the blood. The specialists had identified a chemical in the blood that had not previously been there. They had worked out the chemical equation and underlined it, right now Tsunade stared at that equation.
9 Fe + 3 O2 - 9 Fe2O3
'I've seen this equation before. I know it, but where?'
Tsunade reached over and picked up her bottle of sake and took a big drink from it as she continued to stare at the equation. She had been raking her brain for hours now, she knew without a doubt that she had seen this equation once before but she could not place the memory. It had been many years ago, she knew that. When she had been a young woman and she had seen it only briefly…but where and when?
The Slug Sannin leaned back in her chair and bit her thumbnail. Although she could not remember the exact thoughts that were related to this equation she could remember the feelings, staring at those letter and numbers sent chills through her body.
She sighed and took another drink of sake, she was going to be up for a very long night.
The first rays of sunlight entered through the window of Naruto's apartment, hitting Hinata directly in the face.
"Hmmm..." She said with a frown as she drew the blanket closer over her face, close to returning to the realm of dreams once again. Then suddenly her eyes snapped open and she sat up on the futon, looking around as she did.
She was still in Naruto's apartment. She had spent the night here. And right at that moment, the only thing she was wearing was a pair of panties.
"But where is…?" She asked then she saw him.
Naruto was lying on the floor, stiff as a board and sound asleep, bare-chested with a blanket covering everything below his stomach. Hinata leaned closer and stared at Naruto's sleeping face. He looked so peaceful, defenseless, and handsome like this.
Hinata smiled, and summoning bravery she didn't know she had, she silently crawled out of his bed and knelt down beside him without bothering to retrieve her clothes. Her fingers gently traced over his whisker-like birthmarks, causing him to smile slightly in his sleep, as she thought back to last night.
(Flashback)
At that moment, Hinata felt all of her dreams, wishes, and fantasies come true at a single moment. She felt something like electricity course through her body. The taste of Naruto's lips was like 'beef ramen' She was not surprised by this and could barely suppress a giggle. But her desire to make this kiss last as long as possible overpowered the urge, she slowly wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck.
The blonde boy didn't seem to mind this at all, and wrapped his own hands around her waist. He was beyond wondering why he was kissing Hinata, just happy that she was enjoying it. Had it been anyone else, his face would have been inside out right about now.
After a bit they had to break the kiss, and for a moment Naruto looked into Hinata's eyes. They were filled with emotions he could not identify, which was a good thing since the emotions that were easiest for him to recognize where the ones that wished him ill. Hinata's eyes could only be described as positive, joyful, and it happened to please and scare Naruto at the same time.
Rather than press his luck trying to continue the kiss or ask her why she allowed him, Naruto simply hugged her, just grateful she wasn't trying to hurt him. She hugged back, grateful he wasn't being nervous or rejectful.
"Feel better now Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.
The blonde smiled. "I don't know, I'm a little... disoriented. I might get worse overnight without proper care." His tone wasn't even close to serious.
Hinata knew this and knew what it was he was really saying then, making her smile. "Well then, I can't leave you here alone if you might relapse. It's my duty to stay here all night and make sure you're healthy and happy. First step, giving you your medicine, and I think mouth-to-mouth administration is the best approach in your condition."
With that the kissing resumed, with neither one caring about any sense of accuracy in Hinata's addition to the personal joke.
(End Flashback)
'So I stayed the night at Naruto-kun's place.' Hinata thought to herself, feeling a strange sense of accomplishment. 'Father's going to be pissed if he hears of this, but so what? When isn't he pissed at hearing about me? Wait, did I really just use the word 'pissed'? That's not like me. But it's hardly inaccurate.'
Seeing he was still asleep, Hinata just looked at him happily. 'This reminds me of another time, where he talked about me while dreaming. He called me sexy and wished he could hold me.' A light blush appeared but disappeared almost as quickly. 'I did ask what he'd do if I let him, so...'
With boldness she didn't know she could ever have, she chose to lay down beside him and pulled the blanket up to cover them both. She wasn't tired, just enjoying the moment allowing her to cuddle up there with him.
'He's so warm, and smells nice. Masculine, and a little dirty, but he's a ninja not a model. He's not supposed to smell like roses.' She thought while listening to his heartbeat. 'And he's a great ninja at that. Too great for a girl like me, but I'm not giving him up. I can't believe I got this chance, but now that I have, I'm not letting anyone try to come between us.'
At the same time, Naruto was regaining consciousness but kept his eyes closed. 'So she got out of bed to be with me? And she's perfectly fine being in just her underwear here? Wow, that must mean she's got it bad for me. Why else would she do this? I know for a fact Hinata would never do this for just any guy. After all, she did say she's wanted to date only me.'
Rather than be confused, Naruto was overall flattered. He finally had a girl who expressed romantic interest in him without telling him in mixed signals. Ever since Sasuke got fangirls Naruto had wanted just one girl to look at him the same way, with praise and wonder and encouragement. Heck even a girl that told him 'Good job' would have been something to appreciate. And while Hinata had tried, her manner of expression tended to lose something in translation when Naruto heard it, if he heard it at all.
But there was nothing to mistranslate about a girl in her panties getting into a boy's arms of her own free will. If this didn't mean she was crazy about the whiskered blonde, then something was seriously wrong. And given all the mistrust and negativity Naruto had to deal with regularly, he really wanted to believe Hinata really was truthful when she called herself the one person in Konoha Naruto could always trust unconditionally.
'But how do I know for sure she really does like me and isn't just trying to lure me off-guard?' Naruto asked himself, careful to keep her convinced he was still asleep. 'I don't really know her that well, so I can't be sure what she ultimately wants. She might be under orders from Baa-chan or even her old man to kill me if I do anything threatening, especially now. Maybe I can test her, see what she'd do if it looked like she had the chance to hurt me.'
For starters, he moved his arm around her, trying to make it look completely natural. As a result he wasn't holding her much, just had his arm around her and hand atop her like she was just a big pillow. So far Hinata had no complaints, just hummed with satisfaction. After waiting a bit, Naruto let his hand get lower, and Hinata still did not complain.
'So far so good.' He thought to himself before going for the goal. His hand went lower and his arm went completely lax, the result being his hand brushing against Hinata's rear end without grabbing or cupping it, rather it just looked like his hand was just coincidentally atop the back of her hip without him aware of it.
After a moment Hinata started to move, making Naruto worry he had gone too far. She moved up to where her mouth was right by his ear.
"If you want to touch me, all you have to do is ask."
In a surprise move, the Hyuuga heiress quickly sat atop Naruto. The shock of it made Naruto forget he was faking sleep and open his eyes at her, to see her smiling with a blush, and her bountiful breasts completely unobscured for his viewing pleasure.
"Do you... like my body Naruto-kun?" She asked, trying to sound seductive but instead it sounded nervous, bashful. He had called her sexy, but she wanted to hear him say it directly.
"If I say yes, will you hurt me?" He asked.
Hinata was silent for a moment, then gently put her hand on his cheek. "Naruto-kun, I am many things, but I am certainly not Sakura. I am not like her, I am not like Ino, I'm not even like Kurenai-sensei. Please do not judge me as if I'm no different than any other woman out there."
"I'm not, but you still haven't really answered my question." He noted.
She smiled teasingly. "You never answered mine either. But no, I will not hurt you. If anything, I'd be flattered. I've been afraid for a long time my body wasn't the kind you found... appealing."
"Why would you think that?" Naruto asked.
Hinata lost her smile. "Well for starters, you kept going after Sakura."
"Only because I could understand her." Naruto interjecting, confusing the white-eyed girl above him. "No offense Hinata, but back then with all your stuttering and whispering, it was hard to hear anything you said to me. Sakura may not have been nice, but at least she was loud and clear."
"So you'd rather be with a girl who shouts 'I hate you' over a girl who whispers 'I love you'?" Hinata asked, then turned red and wide-eyed as she realized she had virtually and unintentionally just confessed to him.
"No way, what normal guy would?" Naruto said, not catching the slip and just seeing it as a mere analogy. "I just didn't have a lot of patience back then to listen to you better, and Ero-sennin told me during my trip that most of my pursuit of Sakura centered on one main thing, competition."
"Competition?" Hinata repeated, her blush receding.
Naruto nodded. "Yeah, he said that young boys are very competitive and always trying to prove themselves the best at something, or even everything. Including when it comes to getting girlfriends. He said I probably only wanted Sakura just because she was the hardest one to claim, the greatest challenge, and anyone who could take her away from Sasuke would have to be the best. I tried to deny it, but the fact is since I've been back, Sakura hasn't had the same appeal to me. The challenge is gone, there's nothing to prove, so I guess the old pervert was right."
"Well at least you're more mature now." Hinata told him, her smile slightly returning, and she glanced down. "Quite a bit so." She added, referencing his current erection which had been there for a bit.
"Umm... Hinata? I've been wondering something." Naruto started. "You asked me if I preferred a girl who shouts 'I hate you' over a girl who whispers 'I love you'." Hinata's blush returned. "I know you meant Sakura was the first girl, but... were you saying that you're the second one?"
Hinata looked away, not sure how to best answer him, but after a moment of doubt closed her eyes and steeled her nerves. 'Get a grip girl, you've already shown him everything you have to offer and let him do more than just look. Surely you can handle saying a few words, even if they are the most important ones you'll ever say.'
She looked at him with a firm but friendly look. "Yes Naruto-kun, I am the second one. I am the girl who whispers 'I love you' to you. I am the girl who wants to be the one you pursue. I am the girl who would do anything for you. And, I am the girl who danced in the moonlight by the waterfall all those years ago."
Naruto's eyes nearly fell out of his head. "That girl was you? For a bit I actually wondered if it was you, but I figured there was no way you'd do something like that."
"It was an impulse decision. To tell the truth, I needed some stress relief on that mission. It was my first one with you after all."
"Did I stress you out?" Naruto asked.
"Sort of, not the kind of stress you're thinking of. Truth is, I was horny."
"Horny? For me?" Naruto asked. "Well, that sure explains a lot. And it looks like you still are."
"Damn right I am." She blurted before she could stop herself. "But... I think it would be better to save anything for later, for a special occasion. I want my first time with you to be something worth remembering, not just something we did on impulse."
"No problem." Naruto told her. "How about when I get promoted?"
"That would be perfect. I'm sure it will be any day now."
Naruto smiled, then looked a bit surprised. "Wait, did we just promise what I think we did?"
Hinata too looked a bit surprised as the reality of what hey just said sank in, but she brought her smile back. "I think we just did. Want to change your mind?"
With a playful grin, Naruto brought her down and kissed her. "Not on your life."
Shizune arrived at her usual time that morning as she always did. She knew that she would have to have all the necessary reports, agendas, and papers ready for Tsunade by the time she arrived, which would normally not bee until the early afternoon.
The dark-haired woman scratched Tonton on the head, the little pig, who she was carrying in her arms oinked with satisfaction.
When Shizune slid open the door to the Hokage's office she was caught completely off guard. Tsunade was already at her desk, which was stacked high with files and mission reports; all of which looked fairly old, considering how yellowed some of them were.
"NO!" Tsunade yelled as she tossed a large booklet of papers to a corner where a small pile had formed. The female hokage seemed to have not even noticed Shizune's entrance.
Shizune meanwhile just stood there, her mouth slightly open, even little Tonton's head was turned to the side in puzzlement. Finally after several moments of silence Shizune finally spoke up. "Tsunade-sama?" She said tentatively.
Tsunade's head jerked up with such ferocity and force it looked like her neck might snap. "Shizune, there you are, what took you so long?"
Once again Shizune was struck with silence as she stared at her mistress.
Tsunade simply shook her head. "Never mind, bring me a pot of black coffee." She ordered as she flipped open another file and began to scan through it with here eyes.
"But…my lady…did…have you been here all night?" Shizune asked.
"Yes, there is something here… something in these reports. I am trying to find it." Tsunade said as she tossed the file into the pile with the others.
"Well what is it you are looking for?" Shizune asked.
"I don't know yet." Tsunade said plainly.
"Then how do you know what it is when you find it?" Shizune asked, her confusion growing.
"I just will." Tsunade said as she grabbed another file. "Now, please get me some coffee." She said as she returned to her reading.
Shizune stood there for a moment longer then nodded "Yes my lady." She said as she set Tonton down on the ground, the little piggy ran over to his little basket in the corner. Shizune exited the room and went to prepare the coffee. As she brewed the beverage her mind was racing a mile a minute. What could have been so important to put Tsunade into such a serious mood?
Once the coffee had been brewed Shizune poured it into a cup and placed it on a tray, along with a cup of creamer, along with a small plate of rice cakes, because she was certain that Tsunade was hungry.
She carried the tray back to the office and no sooner did she step through the door did Tsunade let out a whooping "AHA!" She said as she suddenly stood up!
The sudden sound caused Tonton to jump into the air and nearly made Shizune drop her tray. "What is it my lady?" Shizune asked as she steadied herself.
"I found it." Tsunade said as she held up and old file labeled 'Mission: Unit 137'. "Unit 137 was a covert biological warfare and Medical research group in Kiri that operated during the Second Ninja World War." Tsunade said as she sipped her coffee. Shizune sat on a chair in front of Tsunade's desk while Tonton chomped on the rice-cakes.
Shizune shook her head "I've never heard of them."
"Be thankful you haven't. They were responsible for some of the most notorious war crimes committed during the war. They undertook a large number lethal human experimentation projects, often using captured enemies as their test subjects."
"That's awful."
Tsunade nodded. "During the war, Kiri had taken a heavy toll. At the beginning they had been able to take a lot of ground in the Land of Lightning, but towards the middle of the war their lines were spread out to thin and they were running out of shinobi. Facing the idea of defeat, the Kiri government ordered Unit 137 to find a way to create super soldier."
"Super soldiers?"
"Shinobi that had the strength of 10 men, with heightened agility and reflexes, and unparalleled chakra reserves." Tsunade said as she leaned back in her chair. "Their hope was that just a few of these overpowered shinobi could turn the tide of the war in their favor."
Shizune leaned in, keen on hearing more of this tale.
"The Unit was stationed on a small island, completely isolated and given several hundred prisoners of war to conduct their experiments on, a large number of them were from Konoha."
Shizune nodded.
"Eventually Konoha learned of this Unit and that it was our shinobi they were conducting their experiments on; once the location of the island was learned the Hokage ordered a small but elite team to go and put and end to this Unit and rescue the shinobi."
"Which team?" Shizune asked.
"Jiraya, Orochimaru, and myself of course. We were just returning from a mission in the Land of Lightning when we got the orders. We spent three days on a fishing boat before we got to that island."
"What did you find when you got there?" Shizune asked, afraid of the answer.
Tsunade's face darkened when she spoke. "Hell on earth."
(Flashback)
Lightning flashed in the sky with a loud and powerful crack followed by the boom of thunder with such ferocity that it seemed to shake the earth as well as the sky. Rain did not merely pour, it seemed to be trying to attack the world below the clouds with a vengeance. The waves of the sea were as dark as ink, crashing against the rocky cliffs of the island, cliffs that were being scaled by three individuals, clutching tightly to the rocks as they climbed ever higher to the top of the cliff.
"Just for a record, this was a BULLSHIT idea!" Tsunade yelled, even the powerful gusts of sea spraying wind could not drown out her voice.
Orochimaru, taking a moment to wipe water from his eyes, nodded in agreement and glared daggers upward at Jiraiya. It was that fool who had suggested that they take this route, scaling these cliffs because at the top was where the compound was, where supposedly several dozen Konoha ninja were being held captive by Kiri.
Their mission was simple, search for and rescue any of their own and destroy any enemies. If they did not fall to their deaths on this cliff that is.
Jiraiya reached up and grabbed another hold when suddenly…
'BOOM!'
The entire cliff shook with a great deal of force from some kind of explosion that occurred at the top of the cliff, making Jiraiya lose his grip.
"AHHHHH!" He yelled as he fell headfirst towards the dark waters below, or so he would have if Tsunade had not grabbed his ankle at the last second, nearly losing her own grip as well.
Jiraiya let out a sigh of relief and craned his neck to look at the frowning Tsunade. "Thanks Hime." He said as he gave a thumbs up.
"BAKA!" Tsuande yelled, moving him closer to the cliff so he could get a grip again.
"Hey!" Orochimaru called to them both and pointed upward, where despite the rain, they could see a bright orange glow coming from the top of the cliffs. The glow of fire.
They proceeded to finish the climb with all haste possible, reaching the top and staring at the sight in front of them.
A three story complex building was burning, the bright flames surging and growing despite the heavy rain that tried to inhibit it. From within the building the three of them could hear explosions and various screams.
"Survivors!" Tsunade shouted as she tried to rush forward only to be stopped by Orochimaru, his face as cold and stone as ever.
"Too dangerous." He said as he gazed at the burning structure.
"What the hell are you talking about? We have to get in there!" Tsunade shouted, forcing her teammate to release her.
"To what purpose? Join them in becoming a pile of ash?" Orochimaru said as he turned his head and glared at Tsunade who glared back. "Look at that fire, it's this strong despite the storm. Anyone inside that inferno who's still alive won't survive long enough to get home to begin with. Why die with them?"
"Hey guys, look." Jiraiya said as he grabbed both their heads and turned them frontward.
Emerging from the smoke, they saw a single individual emerge. It was a young man, close to their own age, wearing a lab-coat with the Kiri symbol on the right sleeve. He was covered in dark soot, making a proper identification difficult, and despite coughing and hacking from all of the smoke he inhaled he was also laughing. In his arms he held a thick bundle of something.
The soot-covered man, presumably a scientist or doctor, stumbled towards the three shinobi, seemingly unaware that they were even there. "Ha... haha… we… we did it… we did it…" He said with a mad glee in his eyes.
Tsunade marched forward and grabbed the Kiri man by his neck and lifted him up. "What the hell happened here?" She demanded.
The man simply laughed.
(End Flashback)
"The next morning, the storm broke and the fire died, leaving much of the structure still standing. Everything on the ground floors was reduced to ash or charred beyond recognition. But what we found in the cellar…" Tsunade grimaced for a moment, finding it difficult to continue.
"What?" Shizune asked
"Bodies. Dozens of bodies mutilated. In ways so horrific that it was like something out of a horror movie. Or something we now expect from Orochimaru. The Kiri scientists had operated and experimented on all of their prisoners trying to perfect their super soldier serum. Most them did not survive the experimentation. But we guessed that one of them survived."
"You guess? But what about the scientist that had survived? Couldn't he have told you?"
Tsunade waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "He was useless, his mind was so shattered I doubt he even knew his name anymore. He babbled for a bit about something escaping but he kept breaking off then he just… seized up and died. I can only conclude it was due to something inside him poisoning him."
"Then how did you know so much?"
Tsunade held up the folder. "He had this very file on him, it was filled with all kinds of notes and records of what they had been doing." She opened it to a certain page and started reading aloud. "Those subjected to this that did not instantly die after the injection began to show signs of heightened aggression, reflexes, strength, and their chakra levels spiked. However, the subjects that could seem to handle such high levels of chakra suffered another side effect. Their metabolism spiked well beyond normal limits, rapidly deplenishing the nutrients within the cells and causing the body to overheat to the point where the subject literally burned from the inside out."
Tsunade closed the file and leaned back in her chair. "And as if that wasn't bad enough, I'm starting to think someone is resurrecting this work. And if that wasn't bad enough, I think Naruto's been exposed to it."
"What? What makes you say that?" Shizune asked.
"Back when he was in the hospital for treatment, his bloodwork showed a compound in his blood that our system couldn't identify. We assumed it was a drug or poison that his bloodline was overpowering or forcing dormant. Today we've got a sort of breakdown of this chemical and still don't know for sure what it is, but I fear this the same chemical used in this experiment. I'm trying to find anything on here that can prove or disprove it."
"But how could he have been exposed to it? If the scientist died, then…" Shizune paused for a moment and realized. "Orochimaru."
Tsunaded nodded. "As I said, the folder contained a lot of information about their experiments and some of the details on the serum. Although we only looked at it once before we handed it over to the Hokage, I always suspected that Orochimaru had an eidetic memory and only needed to see it that once."
"He kept a mental note of the records and tried to recreate the formula."
"That is what I am thinking. Although he possessed only limited data, a smart bastard like him probably worked out enough of the factors necessary to recreate it or at least one similar to it. And since then has been using the standard process of trial and error to perfect it." The blonde hokage said then angrily slammed her hand on her desk. "And I practically gave him Naruto as a test subject."
Shizune was hesitant to ask her next question. "If this thing in his blood is in fact connected to this, what does this mean for Naruto?"
Tsunade had to pause to find the best way to answer her apprentice. "There's no way of knowing for sure. I can only go off of from what is in this folder, which is useless since Orochimaru or whatever scientist he had in his employ created the serum centered around the base chemical of the original, no doubt altering and adding to it. Thus we cannot say for certain how this could be affecting Naruto. Unless I have the information on the exact serum that was used on Naruto, I have no idea about what I can do, other than tread carefully."
"Tread carefully?" Shizune repeated, confused.
Tsunade nodded, not looking happy with what she was about to confess. "He's not going to like it, but what I'll have to do is for his own good. If he gets out of control, especially after what the council saw him do, then Naruto will never know happiness again. I just hope I can get him to understand."
After finally getting out of bed and getting their clothes on, while avoiding any funny business, Naruto and Hinata were outside walking around. They weren't going anywhere specific, they just knew they had no desire to separate just yet. And they knew if they stayed inside too much longer they would have given in to the urge to get much much more comfortable with each other.
Hinata was holding Naruto's arm like a doting girlfriend, looking content to the public but inside she was beaming. After so long of only being able to dream about it, she had what she wanted right there in her arms and he wanted to be there. And he had kissed her, called her sexy, and had verbally promised to make love to her, something she honestly thought she'd have to wait until marriage for.
Her clan would be furious if they knew even half of this, but she couldn't care less about that. Her clan had never given a damn about her happiness, why should she care about their approval? Thoughts of wiping Hiashi's smug sense of 'I said so' right off his face made her feel oddly satisfied, and part of her wanted to see Naruto defend their right to be together and clobber the Hyuuga clan head, as a declaration of his love for her of course.
"Hey, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked. She didn't respond, but she looked to him to show he had her attention. "Isn't it a bit odd that most of our lives neither of us have really acted like perverts and here we are actually forcing ourselves to not be perverts?"
Hinata smiled. "Oh, I don't think so. We've both just been suppressing the urge for years and now that we have a chance to release it the urge just feels that much stronger because of it."
"I don't think I've been suppressing anything." Naruto commented.
"Oh I think you have been. You may have been a late bloomer, but I think you were just so afraid of being thought of as a pervert that you tried convincing yourself you had no urges to begin with."
"But... I never had any urges before." Naruto defended.
With a coy smirk, Hinata got close enough to him to press her breasts against his chest. "Got any urges now?"
Naruto's face became what their friends would jokingly refer to as a 'Hinata-level of red'. "I'm getting something that's for sure. I just don't understand why now."
Hinata giggled, finding his innocence adorable while flattered that she of all people is the one he's showing signs of physical attraction to. Not Sakura, Ino, or Tenten, but her, she was the one who made him horny. And if this morning was anything to go by, he didn't intend to suppress these urges much longer.
"Maybe because you know you can trust me more than some other girls." She pulled away before he could put his foot in his mouth. "Enough of that, we left the apartment to avoid funny business. Let's go do something we can freely enjoy."
Naruto nodded. "Any ideas?"
Hinata smiled, taking Naruto's hand and pulling him along, taking him somewhere he couldn't guess at.
Later that day at the Hokage tower Nauro was heading to Tsunade's office, awaiting some good news while Hinata was outside the tower, awaiting his time to fulfill his promise to her.
"What's up Baachan?" Naruto happily asked when entering Tsunade's office, already having a good idea what this meeting would be about.
Tsunade didn't look as happy as he was, but Naruto ignored that. "Naruto, something has been brought to my attention. Since I know the details of it will only confuse you, I'll tell you the only part you really need to know. Until a certain matter is resolved, you are ineligible for promotion."
Naruto's whole body jerked and his smile vanished to be replaced by sheer shock. "What? But you said-"
"I know what I said! But there's something wrong with you and it can be dangerous!" Tsunade was quick to interject, unfortunately saying a little too much in the process.
Now Naruto sported a small frown, not one of righteous fury but generic annoyance. "Something wrong with me? This village is still bitching about the Kyuubi? For Kami's sake what a bunch of babies!"
"Kyuubi's got nothing to do with this Naruto!" Tsunade proclaimed.
The blonde boy looked unconvinced, and folded his arms. "Then what the hell is it now Baachan? What excuse does this village have now for telling me I'm good enough to die for it but not good enough to reward for a job well done?"
'Should I tell him about what I found in his blood?' Tsunade asked herself, not wishing to go into specifics because she knew Naruto would not take it well in his bad mood. Finding out the torture he experienced was having a long term effect on him was bound to backfire unless she could calm him down first. "There are a couple of concerns at play, one I can tell you about regarding your tendency to get reckless and emotionally invested in a conflict-"
She was interrupted by Naruto slamming a palm on her desk and leaning his now furious face into hers, making her frightened by the sheer unexpectedness of it. "Are you fucking with me? You're using the same damn excuse you gave me three years ago?"
Too late did Tsunade realize that the words she just used were identical to the ones she gave him when she first became hokage and the issue of promoting Naruto then had come up. He had great talent and potential and could win in fights that even gave jounin trouble, yet the deciding factor against him was the fact he fought impulsively and it seemed most of his victories only happened because he took the fight personally, leading her and several others to wonder and doubt if he could be as strong in a situation he didn't take personally or had the emotional maturity to prevent taking everything personally.
"Naruto I-"
"You don't trust me. For all your kind words you're still convinced I'm some stupid kid who never grew up. Was that entire test just some way to measure my strength so this village can know how best to put me down?"
"That's not true!" Tsunade firmly stated, trying to stare him down now that the shock value had passed. "Naruto, are you even listening to yourself? You've been acting crazy, you aren't yourself."
"No, I was acting crazy before, when I was naïve enough to think you would actually keep your promise. You act like you care, but you are just like the rest of them. You see me as a monster."
"Naruto-"
"TO HELL WITH YOU! TO HELL WITH YOU AND THE REST OF THIS VILLAGE!" Naruto shouted and stormed out of the room, slamming the door loudly.
Leaving Tsunade standing there for a long moment, before she gently sat down in her chair and pressed a button on her intercom.
"Shizune, I need you to send a message to the ANBU, Uzumaki Naruto is to be put under surveillance."