I haven't updated in awhile because I'm focusing more on our group project for class and since there's only two of us we need to do a lot of work. But it looks like we're okay now, so I can go back to update schedule like I'd planned. Another thing I forgot to mention is that when Kurama takes over Naruto's body he can see through Naruto because he's using his own eyes, also Naruto can see when he's in Kurama Mode, too. I also didn't know Tora was a girl until I saw the official wiki page and saw Tora's gender. Sorry, Tora.

Hiruzen discusses some things with Kagura and Haruto that may bring news he wasn't expecting. Jiraiya, Naruto, and Hinata talk about the Akatsuki and their possible motive. Meanwhile, Tsunade and her young apprentice run into someone they weren't expecting.

Hiruzen didn't know what to think about the two standing before him. Their pale white eyes reminded him so much of the Hyūga clan, only these two were not part of the clan. No—they were part of a clan that he had long thought belong in a legend...

The Ōtsutsuki clan.

There was a time when Tobirama-sensei once told him about the clan that was the origin of the Senju, Uchiha, Uzumaki, Hyūga, and Kaguya clan. The only reason Tobirama-sensei knew of such information is through Kagami Uchiha of all people. It was supposed to be a clan secret, but Kagami trusted Tobirama-sensei enough to give him such information.

Kagami...

He was also a candidate for Sandaime Hokage, but turned it down from what he understood and said that Hiruzen—him, would be a better Hokage. He had his doubts about that, especially what with Naruto had to go through during his childhood. Speaking of said boy, he wondered how the encounter between him and Tsunade will go? Not too bad he hoped.

But that wasn't important right now, right now he needed to worry about the two children standing before him. As he was just coming into his office, after having finished a meeting with the Council, these two appeared in his office out of nowhere. Just as he was about to call for the ANBU, he was stopped from doing so when these two claimed to be the ones that helped Team 7 in the Forest of Death. His old eyes bore into their young ones and sensed they meant him no harm, but he wanted to know what they were doing here and why show themselves now?

"Kagura and Haruto, is it?" He started the conversation first.

Kagura grinned, "That's right, old man!"

His eyebrow twitched, 'Old man...?'

"Kagura, manners." Haruto chided.

"Eh~?" She complained.

Haruto stepped forward, "Sorry for intruding on you while you have your hands full Sarutobi Hiruzen, but we felt it was important to inform you about something that might be far more important in the near future."

Something important?

"What do you mean?"

"The Uzumaki clan..." Haruto replied, "Naruto is not the only Uzumaki out there."

Hiruzen's eyes were as wide as dinner plates. Naruto isn't the last of his clan? If that's so then where are they?

"How do you know this to be true?" He questioned.

"My sister and I have been searching for a long time for the "Chosen Uzumaki." While finding the scattered Uzumaki's across the Elemental Nations, we determined that none of them were the chosen he were looking for. But soon enough, as we kept searching we then sensed the chosen's presence from far away and followed him all the way here to Konoha," Haruto explained, "I'm sure you already know who I am referring to, yes?"

Hiruzen knew exactly who they were talking about...

Naruto.

"The information we are about to give you must be kept yourself, however if you so wish to pass it along to others you trust then you may do." Haruto continued.

Whatever information he was about to learn was important enough for the two of them to come to him personally and confide their trust in them. He will not break that trust.

"I understand."

He would make sure to keep this information himself and only share it with others he trusted not to tell anyone else. But before any sort of information could be told to him, the door to his office room slammed open by another Chunin.

"Hokage-sama! Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki had infiltrated the village, and its been confirmed they were after Naruto Uzumaki!" The Chunin reported.

'So its begun...' He thought before his eyes widened, "What?"

"Its not only that, sir! Sasuke Uchiha heard that Itachi was here and went after him!" The man continued.

Hiruzen stood up from his chair, "Send someone to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha immediately!"

"Sir! Maito Gai has already gone after Sasuke Uchiha!" The Chunin said.

"Good," Hiruzen breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you for your report, you may take your leave."

"Sir!"

As the man left, Hiruzen looked back over at the two siblings who said nothing, "I'm sorry about that."

"Its fine. Do you still wish to know the information we posses?" Haruto asked.

"Yes."

While he was still worried about Sasuke, he was confident Gai will bring the boy back, and hopefully in good shape.

Naruto, Hinata, and Jiraiya were facing Gai as he had the unconscious Sasuke on his back. Gai volunteered to take Sasuke back to Konoha, not that there was any other option. Naruto was a little worried about Sasuke's mental state after what went down with Itachi. Hopefully Tsunade Senju will be able to do something about his current state, and heal Lee, too.

"Gai, we'll leave Sasuke to you." Jiraiya said.

"Right." Gai then spotted the look on Naruto's face and grinned, "Don't despair, Naruto! Sasuke will be just fine!" He did his signature pose.

Naruto couldn't see the pose obviously, but Gai's enthusiasm managed to cheer him up a little bit, especially since he was so angry earlier.

He couldn't suppress the smile that appeared, "Thank you, Gai-sensei."

Hinata also gave the man a smile, "Please have a safe trip back to Konoha."

"I will! By the way, before I forget there's something I wanted to give you Naruto," Gai said as he reached into his pocket with his other hand, "Lee got stronger with this."

That interested Naruto a little bit, "Really? What is it?"

Gai revealed a green jumpsuit that made both Hinata and Jiraiya cringe at the sight, but not Naruto.

"Its a green jumpsuit! Its breathable, retains moisture, and offers complete freedom of movement, all in one sweet package!" Gai described the green fashion disaster in his hand.

Naruto chuckled nervously as made a mental image of what the green jumpsuit looked like and didn't have the heart to tell the man that he had no use for such a thing.

"Don't even think about trying to accept it!" Kurama yelled at him.

Asura chuckled uncomfortably.

"I'm starting to think Bee's rapping isn't so bad after all..." Gyūki said dryly.

"Such a thing as that is considered fashionable?" Matatabi said with a confused tone.

Gai wasn't done yet, "If you wear this while you train, you'll notice a difference immediately! They really grow on ya! Before long, you'll be wanting to wear them all the time like Lee!"

Hinata was as pale as a sheet at the very thought of seeing Naruto wear such a monstrosity. Shaking her head she grabbed Naruto's arm, "I'm sure Naruto-kun appreciates the offer Gai-sensei, but I'm afraid he has no interest!"

Jiraiya gave her a mental thumbs up, 'No way in hell I'll let the kid be seen wearing that ugly thing!'

After more shenanigans, Gai waved them goodbye as he headed back to the village with Sasuke. With Gai gone they headed off towards their destination, but Naruto was in deep thought about what transpired earlier.

"Our orders from the organization are to secure Naruto Uzumaki, and we will have him."

"I know that he's the one you're really after."

'An organization that's after me...but why?' He stopped walking as there was an uncomfortable feeling inside of him.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata stopped, too.

Jiraiya also stopped.

"Itachi and his partner Kisame," Naruto started, "They said they were given orders by their organization to secure me, but just what organization are they a part of?"

Hinata was concerned and wanted to know, too and gave Jiraiya a pleading look, "Please, Jiraiya-sama! Why are Itachi and Kisame after Naruto-kun?! He deserves to know!"

Jiraiya unable to say 'no' to such a pleading and innocent eyes like Hinata sighed and decided that Naruto did have a right to know, since more than likely they will come after him again.

"The organization Itachi and Kisame are a part of is called the "Akatsuki." Also, they're not really after you..." he says to Naruto, "What they really want...is the Kyūbi that's sealed inside of you."

Naruto, out of pure reflex touched his stomach. So they weren't really after him, but Kurama? Why?

"Why...? Do they want to use him for something?" Naruto was in fear not just for himself, but for Kurama, too.

"As for what they would want with the Kyūbi...well, I honestly can't say because I don't quite know myself. And with him sealed inside of you, they, might be thinking of somehow wanting that power for themselves, bending it to their will." Jiraiya explained.

Hinata gave Naruto a worried look as he didn't say anything for a few minutes. His hair shadowing his eyes as he thought about what Jiraiya told him.

"I'll admit, its a bitter pill to swallow, knowing that those two will be after you now but tha—"

"Like hell they will." Naruto's hard voice cut him off.

Jiraiya felt his body stiffen as Naruto lifted his head, revealing a hardened expression that caught him off guard. It was a look that hardened Shinobi would have, not a Genin.

"I won't let them use him for whatever they have in mind. As I am right now, I'm no where near their level, but if they come after me again...I'll crush them!" He vowed.

Hinata's heart pounded as the fierce look on his face made her want to get stronger, too.

"In the meantime, let's focus on finding Tsunade Senju. We can worry about the Akatsuki some other time." Naruto's tone suddenly went from hard to normal with a flip of a switch.

Jiraiya had to smile at Naruto's sudden mood swings. He knew deep down the kid was still worried about the Akatsuki, but didn't want to think about it right now. Right now all that matters is the mission.

Ishida would consider himself to be a decent medic, but not a prodigy. That title was reserved for Tsunade Senju, who he had a lot of respect for. She was also the reason he decided to become a medic instead, not because he was trying to copy her, but because her amazing medical skills inspired him to be what he truly wanted.

The only reason he became a Shinobi in the first place was because his parents forced him into it. Always telling him that being a Shinobi held more ground than a 'mere medic.' Not wanting to disappoint them at the time, he became a Shinobi, but hated every minute of it. It wasn't until he got the chance to witness Tsunade Senju perform amazing capabilities with her medical knowledge that allowed him to break free from his parents shackles and become a Medic Ninja instead.

Of course, his parents had disowned him and needed a new place to live, but thankfully Sandaime-sama helped him with that by helping him get a new place. He hadn't spoken to them since they left the village not wanting to stay in the same place as their embarrassment of a son. He didn't know where they were and quite honestly, didn't really care. The years had gone and before he knew it, he was already a full grown adult, and still a medic. He hadn't even thought about his parents, the fools probably had another child in hopes to be more obedient than the embarrassment.

Either that or they ended up dead somewhere.

But enough about that, it wasn't important right now. Right now, he was going over Kakashi Hatake's still form and determined that he was indeed in a Genjutsu coma. It rarely happens, but when it does the effects are not pleasant. There might even be some side effects that effect the mental state of those who are put into Genjutsu coma's. Unfortunately, this was beyond him, and the reason he says this is because the one who put him in the Genjutsu in the first place was Itachi Uchiha—aka the "Clan Killer."

No one had seen Itachi since that fateful day where he just decided to slaughter his entire clan, save for his little brother. Now all of a sudden he comes back, and not only puts Kakashi in this sorry state, but is after Naruto. Luckily, the other Jounin believe that the boy was no longer within the village and should be safe.

Hopefully.

He rubbed his temples, trying to prevent a headache from coming on, "What could possibly happen now, I wonder..."

BAM!

"Ishida-sensei!" Gai busted his door open with a yell.

The man's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, 'Of all people...'

"What is it, Gai?" He faced the man with annoyed scowl, only for it to be wiped off his face as he saw the unconscious Sasuke Uchiha on his back.

"What happened?!" He took the boy from the man and placed him on the empty bed in the room he was in.

Gai gave him a serious look, "Itachi Uchiha got to him before I could...I was too late."

"Itachi?!"

"Yes, he went after Naruto, but luckily Jiraiya-sama was there. Unfortunately, Itachi used the same Genjutsu on Sasuke just like he did with Kakashi." Gai reported.

Ishida frowned, "Another Genjutsu coma case...unfortunately there's nothing I can do about it."

Gai grinned, "Don't worry, for Naruto, Hinata, and Jiraiya-sama are on a mission to find Tsunade-sama and bring her back to Konoha so she can heal Lee, Sasuke, and Kakashi!"

Ishida couldn't help but feel a little excited at the news, "Tsunade-sama...they're going to bring her back to Konoha?"

"That's right!"

Ishida gave a relieved sigh, "That is good news."

"Oh, by the way," Gai was rummaging in his pocket before bringing out what appeared to be a letter, "A mail ninja gave this to me while I was outside the hospital."

Ishida blinked before taking it, "A letter?" Who could it be from?

"Were you not expecting it?" Gai questioned.

"Not at all." Ishida saw who the sender was and thought for a second he was under a Genjutsu.

To: Ishida

From: Mother and Father

Well...this is a surprise.

He hadn't heard from them in years and now all of a sudden they send him a letter out of the blue? Is this a trick?

"Huh, it's from my parents." He said dismissively.

"That's wonderful news!" Gai grinned, giving a thumbs up.

Ishida gave him a dry look, 'Only you would think that, Gai.' He really wasn't expecting much when he opened the letter, but as he began to read through it that opinion changed.

Ishida,

Its been so long. We know this letter is not enough to make up for how we treated you, but we wanted to let you know. Writing this letter to you made us both very nervous for we're very sure you probably won't even read it, but if you decide to then please allow us to make some sort of amends.

When you said that you wanted to become a Medical Ninja, we thought the idea was absurd for everyone in our family had become Shinobi's and we wanted that family tradition to continue. We were overjoyed when you became a Shinobi, and thought you tossed that ridiculous idea of being a Medical Ninja out of your head...but we were wrong. You suddenly decided to quit, and when asked why you brought up being a Medical Ninja again. Hearing this angered us greatly, but more so your father, who had high expectations for you. Both of us were so angry at you that we decided to disown you because you couldn't follow our tradition. We tossed you aside as though you were leftovers that were no longer needed.

Three weeks later, me and your father left Konoha because we were unable to bear the shame of the fact that our son decided to disgrace us by becoming a Medial Ninja. We settled down in Tetsu no Kuni (Land of Iron) where your father decided to become a blacksmith, and I decided to teach at a school there. We though that if we did this, you would see reason and seek us out to once again deny trying to become a Medical Ninja...but you didn't. If anything it had the opposite effect. You didn't send us a letter nor did you didn't try to seek us out. It was then that we realized you were serious and that you had disowned us as well.

We were still waiting to hear from you, but we were once again saddened that you decided not to do so. For years we kept waiting, only to finally come to the conclusion that you wouldn't want anything to do with us again. Simply saying, "sorry" will not be enough for tossing you away and then expecting you to come crawling back to us and be a 'good little boy.'

Its time I got to the real reason we decided to write and send you this letter is because we are coming to visit Konoha because your father has not been feeling very well. I'm afraid that it might be serious. He said in his own words, "As soon as we get there...I want to see him...I want to see my son..." though you might not believe that, I assure you he said this from his own mouth. Ishida...I know we don't deserve it, but if you could find it in your heart to somehow forgive us, we promise not to waste your forgiveness.

With love,

Mother and Father.

He didn't know that he was crumpling the letter in his hands until he finished reading the letter.

"Haaa..." That's not what he wanted to say, but the words wouldn't come out. Folding up the letter he put it in his coat pocket and faced the window, his back towards Gai.

"Ishida-sensei...are you alright?" Gai asked carefully.

Ishida still had his back towards Gai as he took a deep breath, so as to keep his tears from showing. Forgiveness is not easy. Forgiving those who have wronged you for so long is not easy, and it is very hard to do. But sometimes you have to do it, not for them...but for yourself. So you can heal and not be consumed with hatred and bitterness like those who have had the same feelings towards you. To ask again if he was okay, that was easy to answer...

He finally faced Gai with fresh tears streaming down his face, "Yeah...I am..."

It has been a long time coming, but now...

Now...he can finally let the past go, and start moving forward...

Finally...

Naruto, Hinata, and Jiraiya were walking down the road when Naruto decided to ask Jiraiya something.

"Tsunade was on the same Team as you and Orochimaru, correct?" Naruto asked.

"That's right."

"That also means she's around the same age as you two." Naruto hadn't really thought about it until now.

Jiraiya grinned, "She is, but don't let her appearance fool you! She's a very beautiful woman!"

Naruto fought the urge to sigh, while Hinata gave a nervous chuckle.

"I wonder what she's like?" Hinata wondered.

"I'm curious to know what she's like, too. Since she was on the same team as Jiraiya and Orochimaru that means she had to put up with both of them." Naruto concluded.

"That's true." Hinata agreed.

Jiraiya felt as though a ton of brick landed on him, "Hey, you two..."

"Jiraiya-sama, who was your Sensei when you three were still a team?" Hinata questioned.

"That would be Sarutobi Hiruzen," Jiraiya answered, "We were known as Team Hiruzen, but I guess you could say we were the original Team 7."

"Like Naruto-kun and his team!" Hinata gasped.

"Yep, you got it! I wouldn't be surprised if Team 7 became the new Densetsu no Sannin (Legendary Sannin)!" Jiraiya said in a joking tone, but deep down he was actually very serious.

Naruto thought about the current state of his team and honestly had his doubts, what with Sasuke's arrogant nature and Sakura's fangirlism, but it seems that after the Chunin Exams she had mellowed out. He was skeptical, but who knows...anything is possible.

"Now as for her personality, I'd say that she's a little unpleasant. Besides that, she's a diehard gambler and her face is known far and wide for it." Jiraiya listed off.

"From the way you said her title back at that outpost place we were at, it sounds like to me she's no good at it since you called her the Legendary Sitting Duck." Naruto pointed out.

Jiraiya barked with laughter, "Picked that up, did ya? Trust me when I say when she's legendary for her title, she is really legendary for it. But as a Legendary Sitting Duck as she may be, I doubt we'll find her right away."

"I had no idea that she was famous for her bad gambling." Hinata never would have imagined her to be the gambling type either.

"Why do you think you won't be able to find her right away?" Naruto asked.

"She hates growing old so much she's probably used some special Jutsu to change her appearance. She's 50 years old, but no doubt she looks like she did when she was 20..." he described.

"Eh?" Hinata said.

Naruto had a different reaction though, 'Using a jutsu that makes you look young. Bet Jiji would want to know that one.'

"And not just that, recently I heard that she transforms into her teens or 30s or 40s, whatever the situation calls for to escape moneylenders." He continued.

"If Shikamaru were here he would describe her as a 'troublesome woman." Naruto joked.

Hinata giggled because that's exactly what Shikamaru would say.

Shikamaru sneezed somewhere in Konoha.

"Tsunade has always loved to gamble more than anything, but she has terrible luck and no skill. She was always being played for the Sitting Duck and the name stuck. Then she was always borrowing money and skipping out on her debts, too..." Jiraiya crossed his arms hand shook his in in reminisce, "Ah, it brings back memories."

So one Sannin is a S-rank criminal, the other is a perverted hermit, while the last is gambler with no gambling skills to speak of. The Legendary Sannin, indeed...

"So, do you have a plan for finding her?" Naruto questioned.

"Not exactly, we might have a little work ahead of us, but I'm sure you and I will come us with something." Jiraiya said.

"Oh, joy." Naruto said sarcastically.

"Don't be discouraged, Naruto-kun. I'm sure we'll be able to find her." Hinata said optimistically.

"If you say so, Hinata."

Jiraiya gave the boy a look, "So you believe her words over mine, huh?"

"Its Hinata." Naruto said as thought hat explained everything.

The white haired man's eyebrow twitched, 'I shouldn't even be surprised.' These two were very close after all, "Anyway, if we wanna find Tsunade we first need to gather information."

"Gather information?" Hinata questioned as they came to a stop at a town.

"Starting here should be good." Jiraiya grinned.

They made their way towards the town and Naruto could hear all sorts of happy voices. Was there a special event going on?

"Its a festival!" Hinata said happily.

Naruto smiled, "A festival, that explains it."

"This is down time! Rest up here and have some fun before we set out again. It'll be just the two of you." Jiraiya said to them.

Hinata blushed as she thought about, 'Me and Naruto-kun all alone! On a date!'

"Sounds great, you ready to have some fun, Hinata?" Naruto asked.

"Absolutely!" Hinata said eagerly.

Naruto took something out of his pocket, revealing to be a wallet that was full of money, "There are a lot of things here you can try."

"Mm!" Hinata nodded.

"Whoa! That's a fat wallet!" Jiraiya grinned.

"That's because I've been saving it from my missions." Naruto said, "Let's go, Hinata."

"Yes!"

"Stop right there, Naruto!" Jiraiya stopped them from leaving.

"What is it?" Naruto frowned.

"I'm going to hold onto your wallet for you." Just as Jiraiya was about to reach for it, Hinata slapped his hand away harshly, taking the man by surprise.

Naruto heard the loud slapping sound and turned his attention to her, "Hinata?"

Hinata meanwhile stared at Jiraiya, "Jiraiya-sama...I'm sure someone like you has his own money to spend it on whatever he wishes. There's no need to take Naruto's money."

Jiraiya stared down at the girl, 'Is it my imagination...or is this girl leaking KI at me?' He shook his head at the thought, "Well, you see the thing is..." the big man found himself face to face with Hinata as her Byakugan was active as she gave the man a scary look that made even him shiver.

"Naruto-kun wants to spend his money on our date...it belongs to him and only him..." her glare intensified, scaring the full grown man, "This is the only chance we have to go out on a date without anyone bothering us, so...please don't interfere, Jiraiya-sama...!"

If he wasn't scared before he was now.

'How in the hell can the most docile and sweetest Genin in Konoha turn out to be the most terrifying?!' He thought as he could have sworn he saw his life flash before his very eyes.

"R-Right...you two go on and enjoy tour date..." He said with a nervous smile.

Hinata beamed and released him before grabbing Naruto's hand, "This way, Naruto-kun!"

"Sure..." Naruto let him self be dragged away from Jiraiya by Hinata, 'I could have sworn I sensed some KI leaking from her earlier...guess I imagined it.'

Jiraiya watched them leave, feeling as though Hinata Hyūga may not be a defenseless little bunny as people might believe her to be.

'Naruto, you've chosen a good one!' Jiraiya nodded in approval.

The two Genin were enjoying themselves as Hinata tired out the booths with Naruto paying for it, like he said he would. There was a fish scooping booth and Hinata insisted that Naruto try it with her. He agreed to do it with her and found it surprisingly fun. The vender was astounded when the boy managed to actually catch a fish. For the rest of the day the two of them kept going to different venders before finally getting something to eat.

"This was fun, wasn't it?" Naruto asked.

"I don't think I've ever had this much fun! Today was amazing!" She smiled.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." He said.

Hinata finished eating before a thought came to her, "Do you think we should go and find Jiraiya-sama?"

"Might as well, we are still on a mission." Naruto said as he finished eating.

Having finished off their food they went to go search for Jiraiya. Ultimately, Naruto found the man's chakra signature, as well as some giggling that made his eyebrow twitch. Walking inside to where they heard the giggling, Hinata gave the man an unimpressed look.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself, Jiraiya-sama." Hinata said dryly as she eyed the women he was with.

"Oh, hey...you guys finished with your date already?" He said nervously.

"You know...its times like this that I'm really glad I can't see." Naruto commented.

"Adulterer." Hinata said.

"Huh?"

"Womanizer." Hinata continued

"Now hold on—"

"Lecher." Hinata kept going.

"H-Hinata-san...?"

"Philanderer, deceiver, playboy, libertine, wanton—" Hinata would have kept going but Naruto stopped her.

"Hinata, I think he gets it." Naruto said.

At this point, the two women who were with Jiraiya had moved away from the man as Hinata and Naruto confronted him.

"Let me guess, you were planning on using my money to play around with women all day, weren't you?" Naruto guessed.

"Well...not exactly..." Jiraiya said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Jiraiya-sama." Hinata said sweetly.

"Yes...?" Jiraiya's eye's were now focused on the Hyūga girl.

Hinata had a dark aura around her as she still had on a sweet smile, "While I understand you are Naruto-kun's teacher for this mission...I will not allow such activities to continue, and should Naruto-kun be forced to get involved in such activities of yours..." she trailed off.

"Wait, wait, wait! There's no need to try and threaten me! I was gathering information!" Jiraiya waved his hands in front of him in order to calm her down.

Naruto raised a brow, "Information? About Tsunade?"

"That's right, see working women are the best people to get information from because their clients spill their guts to them all the time, especially when intoxicated." He explained.

That...made sense in a way. Working girls are good at keeping information their clients give them a secret because of client privileges. But if you were to pay them a good sum of money, then they would be willing to give you information.

He couldn't even argue with that kind of logic.

"Hinata, I know you don't like it, but he has a point." Naruto said.

Hinata turned down the scary and sighed, "If Naruto-kun says so, then I guess its okay."

'Good lord, just get married already.' Jiraiya thought with an eye twitch.

"Anyway, Hinata would you like to keep having some fun?" Naruto asked.

She shook her head, "The sun is starting to set, we should find a place to rest."

"I'll take care of that," Jiraiya said, standing up, "I didn't get much information anyway, may tomorrow."

Tomorrow is another day.

Naruto was the first one to wake up. As he left his shared room with Jiraya, a white cat with brown spots, brown tail, and yellow eyes stopped in front of his door. He couldn't see the cat obviously, but he heard it meow.

"Meow!"

With a smile he bent down and scratched underneath its chin, earning a purr.

"Good morning."

"Meow~"

"Hey, leave him alone, Shu!" A lady walking down the stairs stopped to scold the cat.

"No, its okay. He's not bothering me at all." Naruto assured her.

The woman smiled, "Well, alright then." She went down the stairs as he kept petting the cat. Another door opened, revealing Hinata emerging from her single room.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun." Hinata greeted.

"Morning, how did you sleep?"

"I slept well," she then saw the cat, "Whose cat is this?"

"Don't know, but his name is Shu."

Hinata rubbed the cat's head, "Hello, Shu."

"Meow~"

"Is Jiraiya-sama awake yet?"

A loud snore was her answer.

"Judging by that noise I'm gonna say, no." Naruto said.

Shu crept towards the sleeping man and proceeded to scratch his face, thus successfully waking him up.

"Yeow!" Jiraiya yelled with a startled yell as he rubbed his face, "What in the—"

"Meow!"

Looking down, he spotted a cat was responsible for scratching his face. He then looked back up towards the door and spotted Naruto and Hinata laughing at him.

"Oh, I see...so you two are behind this." Jiraiya said with an accusing tone.

Naruto gave him an innocent look, "Why, whatever do you mean?"

Hinata just kept giggling.

Shu went back over towards the two, rubbing up against Naruto's legs happily.

"Sending a cat to wake me up now, are you?"

"Once again, I have no idea what you're talking about." Naruto said innocently.

Hinata rubbed Shu's head, "Good boy."

"Meow~"

Jiraiya slumped forward, 'These kids are going to be the death of me.'

After doing their morning routine, Naruto and Hinata decided to go outside and just simply relax with their little companion Shu, while Jiraiya went to go find more information about Tsunade.

Naruto and Hinata walked around town for a little while, still being followed by the cute cat, Shu. Shu decided to hitch a ride on Naruto's head, so the cat wouldn't get lost. Hinata found it to be adorable.

"He seems to be quite attached to you." Hinata smiled.

"Reminds me of Tora." He said.

"Tora, as in Shijimi-sama's cat?" Hinata's team had to capture to cat, too. They had a hard time trying to catch it because Akamaru kept growling at Tora, and Tora didn't take too kindly to Akamaru, either. The only reason they finally managed to catch Tora was because of her actually, Tora sensed she was harmless and just went up to her. Now that she thought about it, Kurenai-sensei did tell them they had the second best time in capturing Tora. Guess Naruto's team had the best record.

"How did you capture Tora?" Hinata asked.

Naruto huffed at the memory, "Tora just came up to me and rubbed up against my leg. Wasn't even scared of me, just scared of her owner."

"Shijimi-sama does hug that cat too much." Hinata remembered feeling sorry for the cat when the woman nearly hugged the cat to death.

"That she does."

Somewhere in Otogakure, Orochimaru was in his throne room as he waited for Kabuto to give him the news on Kimimaro's condition. During the Invasion, Kimimaro ran into those two mysterious individuals that he did while in the Forest of Death. He fought them and couldn't land a single blow on them. To make things worse, his condition got worse when the failed invasion was over.

Kimimaro was supposed to be his new vessel, but in his condition that won't happen. He tried going after Itachi Uchiha first, but he had underestimated the boy, so the next best thing would be to go after the little brother—Sasuke Uchiha. Due to the boy's hatred of Itachi and lust for revenge, he was the perfect candidate. He licked his lips in anticipation at the thought of Naruto Uzumaki, the vessel for the Kyūbi. Despite his disability, his kekkei genkai was something he wanted so badly, but he sensed the boy had something else he was hiding. What it was, he wanted it...

"You appear to be in a better mood." Kabuto commented as he walked towards Orochimaru.

"Kabuto, how is Kimimaro's condition?" Orochimaru got straight to the point.

Kabuto gave his report, "Not good I'm afraid. At this rate, Kimimaro won't last for every long."

Orochimaru figured.

"Tell me, have you found her location?"

"Yes...she seems to be at a place called Tanzaku Town." Kabuto informed.

Orochimaru smirked, "Tanzaku Town...I see."

"But she is a member of the Legendary Sannin much like yourself. It won't be that simple." Kabuto reminded.

Orochimaru merely laughed, "That may be true, however you forget that I too am one of the Legendary Sannin."

Should it come to a fight, Kabuto made a mental note to get the hell out of dodge.

The sun was going down, and Naruto, Hinata, and their furry companion were on their way back to their Inn. As they were close to the building, Jiraiya appeared with a shit eating grin on his face.

"Good news?" Hinata asked.

"That's right! Tsunade was indeed in Tanzaku Town just as I figured she'd be. One of the men at the bar I just got back from told me that she paid him a visit to try and earn some extra money to pay off her debt, only..." Jiraiya trailed off.

"She lost." Naruto guessed.

"Bingo. She's still in Tanzaku Town, so we need to hurry before she goes on the move again." He said.

Both Genin nodded.

Unknown to them they weren't the only ones searching for Tsunade.

Ironically in Tanzaku Town, Tsunade was at a pachinko place and got all lucky 7's. While that was good news for Shizune, it only spelled bad news for Tsunade.

'I got 3-7's? I never get this lucky...I've got a bad feeling about this.'

Tsunade got up suddenly, confusing Shizune as she followed after her mistress.

"Tsunade-sama, is there something wrong?" Shizune asked as they were walking outside.

Tsunade stopped and looked around, "This town..."

"Huh?"

"Something's not right here," Tsunade frowned, "Hurry up, we're leaving."

"But this is a tourist resort, we should stay around for a little while longer and see the castle." Shizune complained.

"Then we're going to hurry up and see it so we can leave." Tsunade said in an uncaring manner as she walked away.

"But...Lady Tsunade." Shizune walked after her.

The two women did indeed find the castle, with Tsunade wanting to get out of the place as quickly as possible, Shizune was loving it.

"Wow! Tanzaku Castle sure does have a commanding presence! It's worth being designated as the cultural heritage." Shizune smiled as she stared up at the large castle.

"Don't dally...we're going to hurry up and leave this town." Tsunade told her as she walked away again.

Shizune ran after her, "Tsunade-sama, please look at it more carefully...it doesn't cost anything just to look."

Both women stopped walking as Shizune stared at her mistress.

"Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade stared up at the castle, 'What is this chill?' just as she said that, the castle began to crumble. Tsunade just looked on with a calm expression. As the smoke cleared, it revealed Orochimaru, Kabuto and Kimimaro, standing upon a brown snake.

Both women gasped.

"That's..." Shizune began to say, but couldn't finish as she was still staring in disbelief at who was in front of her.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed, "Orochimaru..."

Orochimaru laughed as he looked down at her, "I've finally found you...Tsunade."

'Damn, so that's what that chill I felt earlier was.' Orochimaru did always have a way in making someone squirm with just his mere presence.

Orochimaru dispelled the snake and jumped down along with Kabuto and Kimimaro as the five of them had a face off. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Shizune was in position to attack if either men made a move.

Ultimately, it was Tsunade who broke the tension, "Long time no see...Orochimaru."

"Indeed. I've been looking for you." Orochimaru said.

"What do you want with me after such a long time? Surely it wasn't to catch up on old times." Tsunade questioned.

"I was hoping to ask you for a favor, actually..." He confessed.

Tsunade continued to stare at him as she saw his condition. He looks the same as she last remembered. Something that struck as odd to her.

"Tsunade-sama, we have a request that we're hoping you will comply with." Kabuto spoke this time.

"Find someone else. Its been a long time since I've last treated someone anyway." She declined.

"I'm afraid that won't do..." Kabuto pressed on, "For you see, our companion here is in a terrible state that I'm afraid will keep deteriorating."

Tsunade eyed the man, standing next to Kabuto. At first glance, the male appeared to be healthy, but years as a medic told her otherwise. She could see a little sweat forming down the side of his face, telling her that he was in pain, but trying to mask it.

"As much as it loathes me to say this, but my medical skills are not enough to help him any longer, which is why we have sought you out. You are a medical genius, therefore...only you can help him." Kabuto explained.

"I see..." she eyed Orochimaru, "So where did you pick this boy up? Gotta say, I didn't think you were interested in the same sex. I will admit though, he is quite the beautiful looking type."

Orochimaru chuckled, "You humor with your jokes."

Tsunade's frown was still in place, "Out with it. What have you gotten yourself into for you to come to me with such a request?"

"Nothing really, except trying to kill the Sandaime Hokage and failing at it miserably." Orochimaru admitted.

Tsunade snorted, "Did you truly believe you could kill that old man?"

"In my experience, anything that lives must soon decay over time," he gave her a smirk, "But I guess you don't really need me to tell you that, now do you?"

Shizune gasped as she knew he was stepping on a landmine and gave Tsunade a glance.

"After all...you did leave the two most dearest loved ones of yours to march off to their deaths." He grinned.

Tsunade's frown became a furious scowl. If looks could kill, Orochimaru would be dead right now.

'Let the two most dearest loved ones die?' Kabuto gave Orochimaru a side glance, 'I see what he's trying to do...he truly does think of the most despicable things. A truly dangerous game.'

Shizune leveled Orochimaru with a glare as the man chuckled.

"Such a shame they had to die in such a terrible way..." He smirked.

Shizune's eyes grew cold as she lifted her sleeve, revealing needles, "Scum!" With a wrist-mounted device, she got ready to fire off some needles. As she stood before Tsunade, she didn't hesitate to set them off.

Both Kabuto and Kimimaro stood before Orochimaru, protecting him. Kabuto held one in his hand and saw something drip from the needle.

"Poisoned needles..." Kabuto said.

Seeing that didn't work, Shizune ran towards them, with Kabuto noticing how fast she was.

'Fast!'

"Move!" She yelled as she yanked out a scapal.

"I won't let you!" Kabuto went on the attack while Kimimaro shielded Orochimaru.

"Shizune, calm down!" Tsunade's voice snapped the woman out of her bloodlust. The tip of her scalpel just edges from Kabuto's neck.

Kabuto was sweating a little, 'Her attendant...she's strong.' Slowly, the two of them removed their weapons from each other, before Shizune jumped back and stood before Tsunade.

Tsunade gave the snake Sannin a cold look before smiling, "Orochimaru, your personality's been like this for a long time. Even you know the type of girl I am, so stop fooling with me, okay?" She said with a sweet smile.

Orochimaru had the brains to know he was pushing it. If the sweat pouring down his face was any indication.

Tsunade opened her eyes before proceeding to smash the wall behind her with just a single punch.

Kabuto and Kimimaro stared at the display, both feeling slight fear.

Tsunade lifted her head, glaring at him, "Or maybe I should just kill you where you stand, you son of a bitch!"

Kabuto stared at her display of strength, 'She's so powerful...and truly terrifying. No doubt she's single.' He was smart enough not to say the last part out loud.

"Please remain calm, Tsunade-sama! We haven't come all this way to fight!" Kabuto assured her, "We're here to negotiate with you."

"Negotiate?" She frowned.

"Yes."

"Trying to make me laugh now, are you?!" She yelled, "I've told you once already, get the hell out of my sight!"

"I'm afraid we can't do that." Kabuto protested.

"Last chance." She warned. Her tone sounding low and dangerous.

"You are the only one who can cure Kimimaro's illness!" Kabuto said.

"I'm being nice by giving you a warning." She was starting to get really angry.

"We're not asking simply out of the goodness of our hearts. We are not asking you to help us for free. Let's make a deal." Kabuto kept on insisting.

Tsunade had officially lost all patience with them, "I'll count down to five. You better be smart and leave before I get to five."

"Please calm down, this could benefit both parties." Kabuto tried again.

"Five..."

Kabuto saw that she wasn't kidding.

"Four..."

Orochimaru knew it, too.

"Three..."

"Two..."

"One..."

As she finished, Shizune moved to attack.

"I'm offering to bring your dear brother and beloved back to life." Orochimaru offered, shocking everyone there.

"With the forbidden Jutsu that I have developed." He said.

The wind blew as he said those words. It was as if getting an offer from the devil himself.

Jiraiya, Naruto, and Hinata took to the rooftops as they finally arrived in Tanzaku Town. Jiraiya and Hinata noticed the destroyed castle and told Naruto who couldn't see it.

Jiraiya frowned, "Can't say for sure as to whether this was Tsunade's work or not."

"She's strong enough to bring a castle like this down...?" Hinata was amazed and terrified.

"Yep, you got it." Jiraiya confirmed.

Naruto's ears twitched as he turned his head to the right, "Screams...and running."

Jiraiya and Hinata looked in the direction and sure enough, people were running and screaming.

"Hey, you what's going on?" Jiraiya yelled down at a man.

"You need to run away, too! There's a monster back there!" The man yelled.

Naruto sweat dropped, "Monster..."

Hinata gave an awkward smile, "Does he mean, Tsunade-sama...?"

"Meow." Shu yawned. The cat liked him so much that it decided to tag along with him.

"What kind of monster? What do you mean?" Jiraiya questioned.

"A huge snake appeared and crushed the castle!"

Naruto frowned, "A huge snake..."

"It couldn't be." Hinata was hoping she was wrong.

"Let's go, you two!" Jiraiya ran where everyone was running from with Naruto and Hinata in toe. Looks like Orochimaru is here, too. Question is why?

As soon as they got to the location of the ruined castle however, there was no one there.

"Damn, we just missed them." Jiraiya cursed.

Hinata was scanning the area, "It doesn't look like a fight took place here."

"Why is Orochimaru here? What does he want?" Naruto had a bad feeling about this.

"Good question." Jiraiya was sure he didn't want to know the answer.

Location: Tanzaku Town, Nighttime

Jiraiya sighed as they were walking around

"Let's go find a place to eat before finding a place to rest for the night," Jiraiya said, "But first thing in the morning, we get up early to search for Tsunade."

"Right." Hinata nodded.

Naruto blinked however as he walked inside a place sensing someone inside.

"Naruto-kun?"

Jiraiya was just as confused as Naruto made a beeline for a place that served drinks.

'Why did he go in here? More importantly, why does he look like he's searching for something?' Jiraiya wondered.

Naruto didn't quite understand it himself as he was lead to someone from within the place he walked into. His senses kept telling him to go forward, so he listened and did. Suddenly he stopped, reaching his hand out to touch something before making contact with someone's hair. He could sense the person flinch before lifting their head up quickly. He could feel the person staring at him, and there was someone else with her, too. This chakra signature he was getting from her...it was the same as Jiraiya's and Orochimaru's. Then this person must be.

"Tsunade Senju.." he said.

Tsunade stared wide eyed at the boy as if she had seen a ghost, while Shizune was frozen still in her spot next to her mistress.

'Who is this boy...?' Shizune thought.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata came and in and saw he had his hand placed on a blonde woman's head.

"Hinata..." he turned his head in her direction as he took his hand off of Tsunade's head.

Jiraiya also walked in and was flabbergasted when he saw Tsunade, 'He found her?! Just like that?!'

"Jiraiya?!" Tsunade stood up from her table, "What the...why the hell are you here?! And who are these kids?!"

Jiraiya didn't answer her and instead sat down at the table and faced her, "Finally...do you know how long we've been searching for you?"

Hinata sat in the middle, while Naruto sat next to her. Shu jumped off his head and landed in his lap before curling up in a ball. There was a tense silence as Jiraiya and Tsunade stared at each other, meanwhile Shizune and Hinata looked uncomfortable. Naruto was calm, opting to simply rub Shu's back as the cat purred in content. Even as the food come, no one at the table talked as they preferred to eat their meal instead.

Tsunade downed some sake before finally talking, "Its like a reunion...old faces just showing up out of nowhere."

"Orochimaru..." Jiraiya said.

Shizune gasped as the pink pig finished eating and went over towards Naruto.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Nothing, really. Just exchanged some greetings, that's all." She said.

Naruto sensed her emotions. Turmoil...Heartache...Pain...Longing.

'These are her emotions I'm feeling.' He said as he petted the pink pig.

"Well then...why have you been looking for me?" Tsunade asked.

Jiraiya became serious, "I'll cut right to the chase. Tsunade Senju, Konogakure has chosen you to become the Godaime Hokage."

Hinata and Shizune's mouths were a gap, Naruto had no reaction as he opted to just listen and see how this goes.

Tsunade's reaction was just as big, as her eyes widened at the announcement.

'The Godaime Hokage...when you stop and think about it, she's probably more better for the role any anyone else right now. I have a feeling Jiraya was asked, but declined and suggested her.' Naruto thought.

"Old man Sarutobi chose you as his successor." Jiraiya told her.

'The Sandaime chose her himself?!' Shizune thought.

"Orochimaru told me how he tried to kill the old man, but failed miserably. Its rare for Orochimaru to admit defeat, let alone tell it to others." Tsunade said casually.

'So the snake told her himself.' Naruto thought.

Hinata frowned at the mention of Orochimaru.

"By the way, Jiraiya..." Tsunade suddenly eyed Hinata and Naruto, making the girl flinch in place, "What's up with you traveling with two kids, one of them being a Hyūga no less."

Naruto sensed Hinata's uncomfortableness and grabbed her hand, making her calm down a little. Shizune saw this and squealed inwardly.

'How adorable~!'

"This is Hinata Hyūga, Hisashi's oldest daughter...this boy is Naruto Uzumaki, my apprentice." Jiraiya introduced.

Hinata, Shizune, and Tsunade gave wide eyed looks for different reasons.

'Naruto Uzumaki...?' Tsunade questioned.

'Does that mean he's Kushina-san's son?! Then is he also...' Shizune thought.

'Apprentice?! He wants Naruto-kun to be his apprentice?!' Hinata was happy for Naruto, but also worried because Jiraiya had some...less than desirable habits.

Naruto meanwhile just took a sip from his cup before finally talking, "If I may ask a question, Tsunade-sama?"

"Hey, how come she gets to be called by an honorable title?!" Jiraiya yelled comically.

Tsunade raised a brow at him but responded, "What is it, kid?"

"You were on the same team as Jiraiya and Orochimaru back when you still lived in Konoha, yes?" He inquired.

"Yeah..." Tsunade wasn't sure where he was going with this.

Naruto said nothing for a few minutes before bowing his head slightly, "You have my sincere condolences."

Jiraya gave a comical look as did Shizune, but Hinata nodded her head in agreement while Tsunade busted out laughing.

Hinata decided to add her two cents, "Tsunade-sama, as we travelled with Jiraiya-sama I've come to see his...habits."

"Oh...you don't say..." Tsunade eyed Jiraiya out of the corner of her eye.

"Yes," Hinata said, "While I acknowledge Jiraiya-sama for his skills...I don't want his bad habits rubbing off on Naruto-kun!"

"Wha?!" Jiraiya let out another comedic sound.

Shizune meanwhile tried not to laugh.

Tsunade gave Jiraiya a flat look, "Seriously, you still can't control that habit of yours?"

"Like you can talk, Tsunade! You wanna talk about habits then lets talk about your losing streak, you sitting duck!" Jiraiya shot back.

"Excuse me?!" Tsunade yelled.

Shizune sweat-dropped, 'He's not wrong, though...'

"More importantly, what's with you making a blind kid your apprentice anyway?" Tsunade scoffed, "Are you that desperate?"

Jiraiya gave her a slight glare, Hinata's eyes became cold, while Naruto did a mental eye roll. He had gotten so used to people underestimating him due to his blindness that he'd just stopped caring.

Shizune gave her a horrified look, "Tsunade-sama!"

"And another thing, me as Hokage? What kind of sick joke is that? Sarutobi must be losing his mind if he thinks I'd ever consider taking on the position! Maybe Orochimaru poisoned his mind! Its a fools job!" Tsunade ranted.

Naruto closed his eyes in order to calm down before he spoke once again.

"Then that makes your grandfather and granduncle fools then, doesn't it?"

It was dead silent at the table as Naruto said those words. Jiraiya wasn't expecting him to say that, Hinata was wide eyed, and Shizune was so shocked that she couldn't produce any words.

Tsunade, who was drunk when the conversation started now sobered up as Naruto's words registered in her ears, as she glared at the blonde child.

"What did you just say?" She said in a deadly tone.

Naruto raised a brow, "I'm pretty sure I didn't stutter. Or has your age somehow effected your hearing?"

This time, both Jiraya and Shizune gaped in shock, 'Is he crazy?!'

Tsunade slammed her sake cup on the table, "You've got a lot of nerve kid..."

Naruto was still calm, "You said it yourself. The job of a Hokage is but a foolish one, meaning that Hashirama and Tobirama Senju were fools to take the position that led to their deaths. They were foolish because they decided to take on the position and try to protect the village as well as those who live there, including you. In other words..." he turned to her with a leveled look, "They were fools and died as fools. Is that not what you meant?"

Hinata sensed what Naruto was trying to do and kept quiet, watching Tsunade carefully to see what she would do.

Shizune and Jiraiya were mentally freaking out, also watching to see how the woman would respond. She did not disappoint.

Slamming her hands down on the table she stood over the boy, "What the hell would some stupid blind brat like you know, huh?! How could someone like you know what pain is?! A stupid kid like you going about life without a care in the world wouldn't know the first thing about what I'm going through!"

Jiraiya had to glare at her for insulting Naruto about his blindness and Hinata looked ready to strike the woman right there, but Shizune felt herself disappointed by her mistress.

The air around the table suddenly became heavy and laced with hate as Naruto lifted his head and spoke, "Would you like to say that again...Senju?"

Shu hissed at Kurama, while Tonton cowered in fear.

Jiraiya stiffened in place as he heard the inhuman voice, 'Is that...?'

Hinata felt this presence and knew it well, 'The Kyūbi...'

Shizune felt fear grip her heart, 'What is this...?'

Tsunade sensed something was off with the boy and wisely kept quiet.

Naruto opened his eyes, revealing not pale blue eyes, but red irises with black slits for pupils. This confirmed that Kurama had taken over, with his red piercing eyes staring at Tsunade with hate. He wasn't planning on getting involved, but when the Senju woman started insulting Naruto he decided to take over forcibly and confront the woman himself.

Asura sighed as he knew this would happen, "This will not end well..."

Gyūki gave him a flat look, "Like that wasn't already obvious."

Matatabi sighed softly, "He won't admit it, but he has a soft spot for the boy."

Kurama was ignoring them as he kept his gaze on Tsunade, relishing in the woman's slight fear of him. Now, he could go on a long rant and tell the woman off like he planned, but decided to take a picture from Naruto's book when talking to fools, but decided to add his own flare to it.

"You are a coward." Kurama stated bluntly.

Tsunade blinked, but said nothing.

"For someone who hails from the same blood as Hashirama Senju, you are nothing more but a disappointment. Indeed you have gone through pain as do other humans, but so has Naruto. You have lost loved ones, Naruto has lost his parents by my hands when I was in a rampage." Kurama said.

Jiraiya was astounded to say the least. The Kyūbi was actually calm when speaking to Tsunade.

'I never would have imagined the Kyūbi to speak calmly.' Jiraiya thought, as he made no move to intervene...not yet anyway.

"There is a difference between you and Naruto. You mock his blindness, then allow me to share with you that his blindness was caused by a foolish human who caused his blindness on purpose because they were blinded by hatred." Kurama sneered.

Shizune covered her mouth with both hands, "How awful..."

"Naruto does not allow his lack of sight to make him weak and disturb his everyday life. He has accomplished more than you have, you Senju-brat," Kurama continued, "He has gone up against Zabuza Momochi—one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and survived, who also now resides within Konoha. Went up against a brat from Iwagakure who tried to kill him and won without getting a single scratch on him, fought against Sunagakure's Jinchūriki and defeated the brat."

Shizune was impressed, "He did all that...by himself?"

"Naruto is no longer alone. He fought against that Gaara-brat with help, but in the end defeated the boy and understands his pain because of how they are seen by their own kind," Kurama kept his gaze on Tsunade, "He was looked upon with scorn for most of his childhood, and not once did he run away. He kept his head held high, because he made bonds with those who reached out to him, yet you Senju, deny any attempt to create new bonds and lash out like a child. That is the difference between you two, and that is why you are a coward. Naruto understands pain better than anyone, if you think he doesn't understand the pain you are going through then you must truly be a fool." With those words, Kurama went back into Naruto's mind and Naruto was back in control. The blonde stood up from his seat as he grabbed his cane.

"Like my friend said, I know pain...better than anyone. I won't go as far as to call you a coward like my friend did, but I will say that you shouldn't hold onto the pain in your heart," Naruto said to her, "Since you don't seem to keen on becoming the Godaime Hokage, how about we have a little bet?"

Shizune and Jiraiya blinked, "Huh...?"

Hinata was also confused.

Tsunade just looked at him, "A bet...?"

Naruto gave her one of his famous mischievous smiles, "I'm going to give you a riddle that you have to solve within the time limit, which is five days. I bet that you won't be able to solve it within the five days I've given you. If you can't solve it, then you will have to come back with us to Konoha to become the Godaime Hokage. However, if you do solve it, then we will leave you alone. Do we have a deal?"

Hinata looked over at Tsunade, 'Jiraiya-sama told us that Tsunade-sama has horrible luck when it comes to gambling, and this is no different. This is a gamble between the two of them.'

Jiraiya and Shizune looked over at the women who sighed and sat down.

"Fine...its a bet." She said in a hollow tone.

Naruto's smile stayed on his face, "Then...here's the riddle. I am something that loves, believes, cherishes, and fights to protect. What am I?"

Shizune had question marks floating around her head, Jiraiya had to hide the grin on his face as he knew the answer to the riddle. Hinata was thinking about it, and Tsunade looked confused and annoyed.

"What the hell kind of riddle is that?!" She yelled.

Naruto didn't relent and simply smiled, "Its your riddle. Good luck." He left the table and headed for the exit with Shu the cat and Hinata following right after, but not before Hinata gave the woman a cold glare as she departed the eating establishment.

Jiraiya sighed as he put his cup down, "Looks like I underestimated my student's mischievousness."

"Mischievous? Is that what that was just now?" Shizune questioned.

Jiraiya chuckled, "Oh, no. He was serious about the riddle, but you could see a hint of mischievousness in his eyes...he believes Tsunade won't be able to win this bet, even though its and easy riddle."

Shizune was about to comment until Tsunade slammed her hand on the table, "Damn brat...so you think I can't solve it, do you...? WE'LL JUST SEE ABOUT THAT!"

Naruto chuckled as he walked down the street with Hinata, and Shu, who was on his head again.

Hinata guessed why he was chuckling and sighed in amusement, "You really are mischievous, Naruto-kun."

"Why, whatever do you mean, Hinata-chan?" Naruto said, sounding smug.

She sighed, "I mean that riddle you gave Tsunade-sama."

"I didn't give her a hard one," he defended, "I gave her an easy riddle, and besides you and Jiraiya figured it out instantly."

Hinata had nothing to say to that.

"Do you think she'll be able to solve the deadline you gave her?" She asked.

Naruto hummed in thought, "That depends on her. I think that maybe she'll think about it before finally coming up with an answer."

"I see, but I was really surprised earlier when the Kyūbi suddenly took over and started telling off Tsunade-sama."

"Kurama was just being overprotective." Naruto said with a smile.

Hinata smiled, "I'm just glad the two of you get along so well."

"Me, too." Naruto smiled as he heard Kurama give out a soft snort as he was listening in on their conversation.

"Oh." Hinata stopped suddenly, getting Naruto's attention.

"What's wrong?" He asked, stopping right next to her.

"A gambling place..." Hinata stared at the building with a sign that was lit up.

Naruto had a thought before humming with interest as he suddenly had a thought. Tsunade had bad luck when it came to gambling, in fact...her ability to gamble period is pretty much nonexistent. So maybe...

"I kinda wanna try it..." he said suddenly.

"Try what?"

He smirked, "Gambling. I'll send in a Kage Bunshin and have it gamble while you go in there and observe. If they cheat you'll be able to tell with your Byakugan."

Hinata sweat-dropped nervously, 'Naruto-kun wants to gamble?!' Judging by that smirk on his face she already got her answer as she knew he wouldn't change his mind.

Hopefully he won't become like Tsunade.

She really hoped he wouldn't.

Jiraiya openly gaped as he stared at the two suitcases that were filled with money. The Toad Sage had found the two Genin and saw they were carrying two suitcases, but he had no idea what they were until they found an Inn to stay in and they opened said suitcases. His jaw dropped as he saw the stacks of money that had a golden glow to them.

"Where...? How...?" He couldn't even process words.

Naruto who was petting Shu, who was napping on his lap responded, "I wanted to try my hand out in the gambling department and discovered...I'm not that bad at it."

Hinata then added her own two cents, "Naruto-kun asked me to go inside the gambling establishment with his Kage Bunshin to observe those within the place to see if they were cheating. Some were, but Naruto-kun still managed to beat everyone at the table. They then asked us to leave because Naruto was winning too much."

"Kind of insulting," Naruto pouted, "I was having a lot of fun, too."

Hinata smiled with a shake of her head before eyeing Jiraiya, "What do you think you're doing, Jiraiya-sama?" She asked nicely as the man flinched. His hand that was reaching for one of the suitcases, hovering in mid air.

"Er, well..." Jiraiya gave the girl a nervous grin as he rubbed the back of his head.

"You weren't perhaps trying to take the money Naruto won, were you?" The sweet tone of her voice did not match her eyes at all.

Jiraiya waved his hands in front of him, "Of course not! I'd never take my apprentices money!"

"I should hope not. But if you did try to steal it..." Hinata activated her Byakugan, "Then I must show Jiraya-sama how those of the Hyūga clan deal with thieves."

How in the hell is it possible that this sweet girl could be the most terrifying Genin of her generation?! And with that smile of her's no less!

Naruto chuckled at Jiraiya's fear of Hinata while he was still petting Shu, "Maybe I'll go to another gambling place tomorrow. I might end up winning again, right?" He said to Shu.

"Meow~"

While in another room that was a little further away from Naruto, Hinata, and Jiraiya. Tsunade and her apprentice were in their own room, with Tsunade scowling as she thought of a certain Naruto Uzumaki and his damn riddle. Just what the hell kind of riddle was that anyway?

Shizune gave her master a worried look as the blonde woman scowled, probably thinking about the riddle Naruto gave her. If she were the old Tsunade she'd solve the riddle just like that, but the sad fact was...this was not the old confident Tsunade Senju. Due to the pain of loss, she had become a mere shell of her former self. Always drinking and losing at gambling, which was nothing new, but its gotten worse over the years. Then there was the drinking. Now that has gotten worse, much worse than the gambling. Looking at her now, she could see some of the fire her master once had return a little, probably because of the riddle Naruto has given her to solve. A frown appeared on her facial features as she remembered Orochimaru's offer.

"I can bring your beloved and little brother back to life." He smirked.

Tsunade's eyes widened as did Shizune's as he said this.

"I have a special jutsu that's capable of bringing them back from the dead," Orochimaru continued, "Cure Kimimaro, and I will bring them back."

Shizune gave the man a hateful glare as he tried to prey on her mistresses state of mind for his own ambition. In her heart and mind, she knew that bringing back the dead fully alive was not possible. And yet...

As she gave her mistress a side glance, she saw the blonde woman actually consider the offer.

"I will give you time to think about my offer. Don't keep me waiting, Tsunade."

The disgusting man left after saying those parting words. It made Shizune cringe as she remembered his tone, almost as though he were sure that her lady would accept his offer without a second thought.

Unfortunately, given her state of mind...

There's a possibility she might take him up on his offer.

With a worried heart, she laid down on her futon and tried to sleep, hoping that her mistress wouldn't fall for Orochimaru's lie.

'Maybe that boy can help with her broken heart.'

The next day, Naruto woke up and heard some interesting noises coming from the room. First there was Jiraiya's creepy laugh, then he heard the man let out a painful sound before finally a thumping noise ended the noises all together.

Yawning from his futon, he sensed both Hinata and Shu were awake and decided to greet them.

"Morning, Hinata-chan, Shu." He greeted.

There was some rustling before Hinata responded back to him, "Good morning, Naruto-kun."

At the sound of her cheerful tone he raised one of his brows in slight suspicion. Hinata only does that when she was a little angry or felt some sense of accomplishment. He didn't detect any anger from her, only pride—another thing he probably should have noticed is Jiraiya's sudden silence.

"Hinata-chan, where's Jiraiya?" Naruto asked as he tried to keep his tone curious, instead of cautious.

"Jiraiya-sama was already up before us, but managed to hurt himself in a clumsy way and now he's unconscious." Hinata explained (lied).

He could tell she was lying because her chakra shifted a little in a way that told him that she was being truthful. He distinctly remembers hearing a painful grunt coming from the man before he fell to the ground completely limp. Instead of calling her out on her lie, he shook his head and stood up.

"I'm gonna go wash up, then we can head out to town and have some fun, how does that sound?" Naruto said with a smile.

"I would love to!"

Meanwhile Jiraiya still lay on the floor groaning painfully.

Well, whatever.

The two preteens left the Inn to explore and see what else the place had to offer. They didn't go back to the place where Naruto earned his winnings because he was banned, not that he really cared because he didn't.

"Do you think she's solved the riddle yet?" Hinata asked out of curiosity.

Naruto only thought about it for a second before replying, "Nope. If anything, she might be stewing right now due to her anger."

Hinata could see that.

"Ah, there you two are!"

Both teens stopped walking as they heard Shizune's voice coming from behind them. Naruto could sense the woman's chakra signature and knew immediately it was Shizune who called out to them.

"Yes, can we help you?" Naruto asked politely.

Shizune looked nervous as she stood there, but Hinata and Naruto waited patiently for her to speak. The woman wouldn't have stopped to talk to them if it wasn't important.

"If you two aren't busy right now...I'd like to talk to you about Tsunade-sama." She said.

So it was about Tsunade. Judging by her nervousness, the subject was something that she knew she shouldn't be sharing with them, but wanted to anyway.

"We're not busy, Shizune-san. Is there something about Tsunade you'd like to tell us about?" Naruto asked kindly.

"Yes...I want to tell you about my lady...and the pain that still resides in her heart." Shizune expressed.

Both teens nodded.

With Tsunade and Jiraiya

"That damn brat!" Tsunade exclaimed, slamming a sake bottle down on the table.

Jiraiya sighed inwardly as he set his sake bottle down gently, "You can say that as much as you like, but it won't change the fact that you'll lose this bet if you can't solve the riddle."

"Shut up, Jiraiya! That little brat has some nerve!" She chugged down another bottle, her cheeks slightly pink.

The white haired man couldn't help but give her a look of pity. Once a woman with so much promise and a strong heart, has now been reduced to a bitter alcoholic, lashing out at anything and anyone.

"You know...when the kid found out you were a relative of his, he was looking forward to seeing just what kind of person you are." Jiraiya confessed, taking a sip from his bottle.

Tsunade didn't say anything and simply looked at him.

"Remember that by marriage the Uzumaki and Senju are related by blood, that makes you the kid's cousin or aunt, depending on how he wants to call you." Jiraiya said as she stared at his bottle.

Tsunade still didn't say a word.

"What the Kyūbi told you about Naruto's hardships is true," Jiraiya continued, "Minato and Kushina both died on the day of his birth, leaving him as an orphan. On top of that, the treatment of the villagers only added to his pain, and then...his blindness being caused by that sow back at the orphanage where he was staying when she was still breathing." His tone became hard as he remembered the story of Naruto's blindness the Sandaime told him.

That got a response from Tsunade, "What the hell did that woman do to cause his blindness in the first place?"

Jiraiya finished from his bottle before responding, "The head matron of the orphanage doused some chemical in his eyes when he was just a kid."

Tsunade gave him a "Tell me you're joking" look, but unfortunately, Jiraiya was serious.

"How in the hell could Sarutobi allow that?!" She yelled angrily.

"He's an old man now, Tsunade. And trust me when I tell you that he didn't let the woman off, in fact he had her executed when he found out from one of the workers at the orphanage who rushed him to the hospital where Ishida took care of him." Jiraiya explained calmly, but it was not too long ago that he felt the very same anger as Tsunade did.

"What else has the kid gone through?" Tsunade asked.

"Aside from being mocked by the villagers for his blindness and among others things that I won't get into." He said.

Tsunade let out a bitter chuckle, "What a shit storm Konoha has become. I bet grandfather and granduncle are really proud of the kind of village its become."

"Can't argue with you on that one," he agreed, "The reason I'm telling you this is because I want you to know that you're not the only one who's lost people they care about. Naruto lost both his parents the day he was born, I've lost my student and Kushina who I've come to see as my niece, Sarutobi-sensei lost his wife...and you lost Dan and Nawaki."

Tsunade said nothing as she stared down at her drink. The pain of losing Dan and Nawaki was still there, a wound deep within her heart that just won't heal. As much as she wanted to lash out at Jiraiya, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Because she knew deep down the man was right, and that's what pissed her off the most. How in the hell is it possible that the man she had known since childhood could grow up to be someone with philosophical view of the world. In that moment she realized that perhaps she didn't know Jiraiya as well as she thought. All she had were childhood memories of him being a goofball with no talent to speak of, only for him to grow up into a powerful shinobi and even turned down the position of Hokage twice.

Eyeing him out of the corner of her eye, she wondered how in the hell could she had been so blind not to see he had changed so much from when he was younger and in his youth?

Jiraiya gulped the last of his drink before standing up from his seat, "I've said what I've had to say...what you do from here is up to you now, Hime." Placing the money on the table, he had his back to her, "One more thing, no matter what Orochimaru went to see you for, don't do it. Dan and Nawaki would never forgive you if you did something stupid." With those parting words, he left her there at the bar to think about his words.

She let out a huff, "Damn..."

Back With Naruto, Hinata, and Shizune

Shizune brought them to an eatery place where they could talk without worrying about being found by either Tsunade or Jiraiya. Naruto and Hinata had no problem with it, and besides they were starting to get hungry anyway. Shu was sleeping on Naruto's lap, while Tonton was by Shizune's side.

"What about Tsunade-sama did you want to talk to us about, Shizune-san?" Hinata asked.

Shizune waited to explain so she could get her nerves under control. Once she feels she's calmed down enough, she began to speak.

"Please...don't hate Tsunade-sama." She pleaded.

Naruto blinked, having not expected her to start off with a request. He didn't hate Tsunade, just curious to now why she's the way she is.

"I don't hate her, Shizune-san. She's in pain and I understand that, but why is it that she's in so much pain?" Naruto asked.

Shizune breathed a sigh of relief when he said he didn't hate her and decided to tell the story of Tsunade Senju.

"As you've probably already know, Tsunade-sama is a gifted medical ninja and was widely respected by everyone in Konoha," Shizune started, "She's saved countless lives during the war...but she's lost just as much."

Hinata bowed her head, while Naruto closed his eyes. The Second Shinobi World War was a topic they had discussed in the Academy as part of History class. Like the first war, it involved shinobi from major shinobi villages and countries. The conflict was between Konohagakure, lead by the Sandaime Hokage, Sunagakure, which was probably led by the Sandaime Kazekage, Amegakure, lead by Hanzō of the Salamander, Iwagakure, lead by the Sandaime Tsuchikage. From what Naruto remembers, the majority of the fighting took place in the minor villages like Amegakure, which according to Iruka-sensei were devastated because of it. There were countless lives lost because of the war, and yet humans just can't seem to help themselves and cause another over something trivial.

"The first person she lost was her younger brother Nawaki Senju. He was killed in an explosive trap that...mutilated him beyond recognition." Shizune said in a small tone.

Hinata looked down sadly.

Naruto was silent.

"While that had devastated her, she was able to push forward when she met Dan Katō, my uncle. They got along well with each other to the point where they became lovers and he told her his dream of becoming Hokage, like her brother Nawaki told her before he passed." She said.

'So they wanted to become Hokage, huh?' Naruto thought that was interesting.

"My uncle was a good shinobi who fought with her during The Second Shinobi World War. During the battle he was fatally wounded and Tsunade-sama was the one that tried to save his life...but unfortunately...she couldn't." Her voice trembled as she said this.

Hinata felt sorry for Shizune because she had lost her uncle and Tsunade had lost her lover.

Naruto was still quiet.

"It was his death that finally broke her," Shizune managed to force herself to continue, "She took me on as her apprentice before leaving the village, vowing never to return. In her mind, she believes the village is at fault for causing her so much grief, and still thinks that even now."

"Given how things went in her life its not hard to see why she would think that." Naruto finally spoke, "I'll admit, if I were in her shoes I'd probably do the same thing, especially with what I had to go through going up." He unconsciously touched his eyes.

Hinata gripped her pants while Shizune gave him a sad look.

"But to see her lower herself like this is even more disappointing," He said, snapping the two females out of their own personal thoughts, "If she keeps running away like this, it'll only make her pain fester even more than it already has. Me and her are relatives, and while I may not know her as well as you do, but she can't go on like this, that's why I gave her that riddle. If it can spark something in her, then she'll be able to heal."

Hinata smiled at him. This was so like Naruto to try and help others in his own way.

Shizune didn't expect someone so young to talk like an adult, but given what happened to him in his childhood it was to be expected. He might be the one to stop Tsunade-sama if she actually agrees to Orochimaru's proposal. With her resolve firmly in place she decided to tell them.

"There's something else I need to tell you, something I might need your help with." Shizune said to them.

"What is it?" Hinata asked.

The black haired woman's facial expression displayed utter hatred as she spoke again, "Orochimaru showed up with two men, one was wearing glasses while the other had green eyes and long white hair. That man gave Tsunade-sama a proposal, saying that if she were to heal the man Kimimaro then he'll bring my brother and uncle back to life."

"What?!" Hinata gasped.

Naruto's eyes narrowed, 'I'm guessing one of the guys is Kabuto, while the other is that guy that stopped from going after Gaara and his siblings during the invasion. Kimimaro Kaguya.'

"You think that given Tsunade's vulnerable state of mind she'll actually consider going through with his proposal." Naruto said it as a statement instead of a question.

"I do...I want to believe she wouldn't even consider such a thing, but..." it was understandable to be a little doubtful, but there was still some flicker of hope that the blonde haired woman wouldn't give in to the temptation.

"Keep an eye on her, and if it looks like she might do it, well..." he wanted to say do your best to stop her, but Tsunade was hailed as the strongest kunoichi of her generation for a reason.

"I will! There's no way I'll allow Tsunade-sama to fall so low as to make a deal with that snake!" She growled.

Hinata had a lot of respect for Shizune at that moment. She was such a strong woman.

Naruto hoped Tsunade wouldn't be that foolish to actually make a deal with Orochimaru of all people, but its just a case of wait and see for now.

After that conversation with Shizune, four days had passed and Tsunade had come no closer to solving the riddle, even though it was really to solve. This proves the woman was distracted about something else. This was enough for Shizune to start observing Tsunade very closely, meanwhile Jiraiya was checking his spy network while Naruto and Hinata were hitting the casino hotspots. Turns out that Naruto is the total opposite of Tsunade when it comes to gambling. The boy had luck on his side while Tsunade had bad luck, this made Jiraiya bust out laughing at the irony that a Senju was beaten at luck when it was said they always had good luck on their side, only for Naruto—an Uzumaki to have more luck than her. Tomorrow would be the fifth day, and Tsunade still hasn't come to Naruto about whether she's solved the riddle or not, unfortunately they couldn't wait any longer and would have to drag her back by force. With the "they" being Jiraiya, since he's the one who will have to carry her all the way back. The very thought made the man weep a little, but Naruto had a vicious smirk on his face, while Hinata smiled at the man's plight.

The next day came quickly.

Hinata found out from Jiraiya what room Shizune and Tsunade was headed her way there. As she approached, she saw Shizune passed out on the floor and ran right towards her without hesitation.

"Shizune-san, wake up! Shizune-san!" Hinata shook the woman's shoulder in order to wake her up.

The downed woman let out a groan as she slowly opened her eyes. Clearing the fog from her eyes, she was now looking up at Hinata who gave her a worried look. She then shot up out of the girl's arms, only to use the wall as a way to keep her from falling flat on her face.

"We have to go...we have to stop her..." Shizune said as she regained her balance.

"Who do you mean, Shizune-san?" Hinata questioned.

Shizune turned her head in Hinata's direction quickly, "Tsunade-sama! She went to meet Orochimaru!"

Hinata's eyes widened as she helped Shizune leave the hallway to find Naruto and Jiraiya. Both females could only hope Tsunade wouldn't bring her loved ones back to life at the cost of her humanity.

Tsunade wondered how in the hell did she even think to consider bringing her loved ones back to life by taking Orochimaru up on his offer at the cost of sacrificing another human being. Nawaki and Dan would be so disappointed in her, even that Naruto kid would never let her live it down. So when she knocked Shizune out to go meet up with Orochimaru after he sent one of his snake summons to tell her the location of where they were, she arrived and flat out refused to heal Kimimaro and take the snake up on his offer to bring her little brother and lover back to life. While true she would give anything to see them again, but not at the cost of sacrificing her humanity. As soon as she refused to heal Kimimaro a punched to the face was what Orochimaru got as she emphasized her point and had to dodge as the two brats with him both attacked her at the same time and nearly got her. She's been out of the game for a long time because of her grief because she would have flatten these two the second they attacked her. But then again, the brat with the glasses was something else with those chakra induced hands which he called "Chakura no Mesu (Chakra Scalpel)." It looked deadly that's for sure, but her Chakra Enhanced Fist was just as dangerous. Then there was that Kimimaro brat who just so happens to be the last member of his clan—the Kaguya clan, where they protrude their bones from their bodies and fight with them out and about.

And to make things worse, Orochimaru had recovered from her punch and was added to the mix. Great, just great.

Orochimaru chuckled, "It looks as though you are at a disadvantage, Tsunade."

Tsunade took off her green jacket and got ready to fight, "Don't get ahead of yourself, Orochimaru."

Orochimaru merely smirked, "Kimimaro."

With that call, the last member of the Kaguya clan charged at the woman, with the bone of his arm sticking out, ready to stab her, only for it to be blocked by a blade that belonged to none other than, Naruto Uzumaki.

Tsunade's eyes widened, "You-!"

Naruto didn't respond to her as he pushed Kimimaro away from her. The man did a back flip as he landed back next to Orochimaru's left side.

Tsunade noticed that Naruto had something around his eyes that looked like a black blindfold of some kind.

"How did you know...?"

"Shizune told us what you were planning to do," he answered, "After Hinata found her unconscious in the hallway, the two of them came to get us and here we are."

"We?"

Her question was answered as a toad landed in front of Naruto and Tsunade with Shizune and Hinata standing on it on either side of him. Shizune hopped off the frog first, with Hinata following right behind her.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune ran towards the woman, enveloping her in a hug that nearly sent her tumbling down.

Tsunade gave the raven haired woman an apologetic smile as she rubbed her head, "I'm sorry, Shizune."

"I'm so glad...so glad you didn't go along with it." Shizune lifted her head up to look at the woman.

Tsunade gave her a smirk, a smirk that reminded Shizune of the old days when the woman was confident and went into battle with that confidence.

"Like hell I would! Those two would never forgive me if I did!" She said, "Besides, I still have a bet to win against that brat!"

The smile on Shizune's face looked to be plastered on her face as she celebrated the return of her mistress.

'Welcome back, Tsunade-sama!' Shizune welcomed inwardly.

Jiraiya meanwhile glared at Orochimaru as the toad he was standing on dispelled, "Looks like Tsunade rejected you, Orochimaru."

Orochimaru chuckled, "If I recall she rejected you many times in the past, Jiraiya. How nice it is to see you again, and you've brought Naruto-kun with you as well."

Naruto had his hand on his blade as Hinata got in a fighting stance as she stood next him, glaring at the Snake Sannin with her Byakugan focused on the snake man.

"In case you forgot, Naruto rejected you, too and has no interest in joining your little club." Jiraiya frowned.

"What?" Shizune wondered why Orochimaru would be after Naruto.

"He wants to me to join him, and almost put a Curse Mark on me." Naruto explained.

Tsunade glared at the snake, "Like what you did to Anko."

'Anko? The women who was the proctor for the second part of the Chunin Exams? She has one, too?' Hinata thought.

"I was quite surprised when Anko survived and didn't follow after her teammates in the after life." The man smirked.

'Sick son of a bitch!' Tsunade and Jiraiya growled inwardly.

If there was a face of evil in the world, it would definitely be Orochimaru. This man had no morals, and no respect for human life, it was as if he wasn't human himself.

Which is probably true.

"Since Tsunade has no interest in going along with your little deal then you gift as well hit the road, while I'm still being nice and letting you leave here alive." Jiraiya threatened.

"True, but that doesn't mean I have any intention of leaving here without taking something back with me." Orochimaru's eyes were Naruto as he said those words.

Jiraiya wasted no time in charging at the man, sending a punch right at his face, only for Orochimaru to block it with is arm. The aftershock threatened to almost knock everyone over, but they stayed standing by some miracle.

"You just wasted your chance!" Jiraiya glared.

"We'll see about that." Orochimaru smirked.

As those two clashed, the rest decided to engage in combat with each other themselves. Hinata was still shocked to see Kabuto here, but since he was working with Orochimaru there was no need to ask about why he was here. She didn't know who the man next to him was though.

Kabuto adjusted his glasses as he smiled, "Its been awhile hasn't it, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto didn't find the sentiment all that amusing, "I'd prefer if we never meet again."

"Oh, come now, why so cold?" Kabuto said, still smiling.

Shizune got ready to fight, "I think I speak for everyone when I say that you've said enough." An outstretched arm blocked her from attacking the smiling man before them.

"Shizune, you and me will handle this brat while Naruto and Hinata handle the other one." Tsunade told her.

Shizune already had out her poison needles as she glared at Kabuto.

"Kabuto's sneaky, so watch yourself." Naruto warned. That earned him a pat on the head, something he wasn't expecting.

"Thanks for the concern kid, but I'm sneaky myself." She smirked.

Naruto felt a change in Tsunade compared to when he first met her. She was slowly starting to get her spark back, and he had to admit that it was a welcomed change.

'Guess the bet was unnecessary.' He thought.

"You two handle the other guy, and be careful," Tsunade warned, "This guy is the last living member of the Kaguya clan. He's able to manipulate his bone structure, its a kekkei genkai called Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse)."

"I know. We've met before, but never fought. Now's the right time I suppose." Naruto said as he unsheathed his blade. He didn't get to fight the guy last time, but things were different now.

Tsunade cracked her knuckles as she stood next to her apprentice, "Let's do this, Shizune!"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama!" Shizune had her needles out.

"You ready for this, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked.

"I'm ready!"

Naruto & Hinata vs. Kimimaro

"It would appear our paths have crossed once again." Kimimaro commented.

"Looks that way." Naruto said.

Kimimaro actually removed one of his upper arm bones and created a short, bone-hilted bone sword. Hinata's eyes widened at the display, this proved that Tsunade was right when she said his kekkei genkai allows him to manipulate his bone structure. Actually seeing it is quite terrifying and unsettling.

"Tsubaki no Mai (Dance of the Camellia)."

That was the only warning Naruto got before he pushed Hinata out of the way to block the bone sword from Kimimaro. The man didn't stop though as he kept attacking chaotically and continuously.

Hinata's eyes widened as she tried to follow his movements with her Byakugan, but found out she was unable to.

'His movements are hard to follow because of how chaotic and unpredictable they are! I've never seen a Taijutsu like this before! Naruto-kun is able to keep up with his movements, but for how long?!' She thought.

Naruto was just as surprised with Kimimaro's chaotic moves. It really does feel as though this were a chaotic dance and he's just barely keeping up with it. He blocked another strike before pushing the man away from him. This guy's skills are Jounin rank. Holding back is not an option at this point, he'll have to attack and see if Hinata can find an opening, it'll be hard with this guy.

'No choice then.' Naruto took up a stance as his senses were focused on Kimimaro. If this guy was gonna go all out against them, then he would respond in kind.

Hinata saw Naruto's stance as a sign that he wasn't going to hold back and that she should be prepared. She wasn't as fast as this man, but she can try.

Kimimaro was intrigued by the sudden change in the boy's stance, "Interesting stance, but what do you plan to do?"

He got his answer when there was a silver flash and he had to bring his bone sword up quickly to prevent himself from having his gut sliced open. This sudden quick movement took him off guard slightly, having not expected this boy to suddenly be this quick.

"Gin Senkō (Silver Flash)."

Naruto had been working on many different techniques, and this one was the most hardest for him to get just right. He finally perfected it when he was training for the second part of the Chunin Exams, but he didn't have to use it at all until today.

Kimimaro meanwhile was thinking about something else, 'This technique feels the same as my Tsubaki no Mai (Dance of the Camellia).' He moved away quickly to avoid a Jūken strike from Hinata, but had to block again because Naruto was right on him. As he was pushed away again Hinata was about to try and hit him once more, but he had something else in mind. Several of his bonds pop out at once that made Hinata jump back.

"Karamatsu no Mai (Dance of the Larch)."

Hinata frowned, "His bones are all over his body now. They're acting as some sort of guard."

"You are correct," Kimimaro confirmed her observation, "They act as guards against close quarters combat. You will not win."

Naruto grinned, "Don't get arrogant."

Tsunade & Shizune vs. Kabuto

Tsunade slammed a chakra encased fist into the ground, creating cracks in the ground as dust covered them.

Kabuto crossed his arms in front of his face in order to keep the dust from getting in his eyes.

Shizune used the dust as the perfect distraction, "Ninpō: Dokugiri (Ninja Art: Poison Fog)." Ejecting purple poison from her mouth, she created a fog that overcame the dust and nearly encased Kabuto had henot jumped away in time.

'That was close. I wasn't expecting this woman to be so advanced when it came to poisons, but considering who her master is, it really shouldn't be surprising.' His eyes widened as Tsunade came out of the mist and got him right in the back. He then felt a static shock that made his body seize up, 'What is this...?!' Falling to the ground in a crouch, he felt all of the nerves in his body not acting as he wanted.

Luckily Tsunade explained what was going on.

"Since you look confused allow me to tell you what I just did you brat. The jutsu I just used is called, "Ranshinshō (Nervous System Rupture)," what I did was create an electric field using my chakra. While I did this, the electricity poured into your nervous system, rearranging your body's signal." She explained.

Kabuto's body was able to move, but like she said the signals weren't acting right. He tried to move his left leg, only for his right arm to move instead, making him grit his teeth.

'Its like she said, my nerves are shot and aren't acting as I want them to!' He thought in frustration, but didn't think about it for very long as he was kicked in the back by Tsunade and sent hurling away, rolling on the ground a few times. With a grunt he managed to sit up, 'Indeed this is a very effective jutsu that's useful against targets who rely on movement, but...' concentrating, he tried moving his body again, but this time it relied on him relearning the connection between his brain and limbs. Normally this would difficult for a normal person to do, but Kabuto wasn't ordinary as he was a prodigy when it comes to the medical field, just like Tsunade. He managed to stand up and reactivate his chakra scalpel with a slight smirk.

"That was a nice little trick, why don't I show you some of my own?" With that he disappeared and reappeared behind Shizune and aimed for her legs, rendering her mobile, "I've cut the muscle tissue and tendons on your ankles, you won't be moving fro awhile."

She turned her head to glare at him.

Kabuto disappeared again as Tsunade almost punched him from behind.

"Annoying brat," Tsunade clicked her tongue, "Hang back, Shizune. I've got this."

Shizune bowed her head, "Yes, ma'am."

Tsunade was going to knock that annoying smirk off of Kabuto's face.

Naruto & Hinata vs. Kimimaro

After hearing Kimimaro's statement about his new bone guard, he decided to use that same wind jutsu he used against N to see if he could break that guard of his.

"Looks like its time to stop playing around," He said, "Fūton: Shinkūjin (Wind Style: Vacuum Blade)!" Like before, he exhaled wind infused chakra onto the blade, "Let's see how well that bone guard of yours holds up against my wind blade."

Kimimaro brought both arms together, "Yes...lets."

"Back me up, Hinata?"

"I will, my taijutsu might not be able to do much, but I still want to fight by your side." She said to him.

"Thank you."

Kimimaro rushed at them and Naruto responded in kind as Kimimaro's bones clashed with Naruto's wind blade. The sound of bone against blade could be heard as the two clashed, trying to dominate over the other. Hinata would occasionally come in and help like she promised she would.

"Gin Senkō (Silver Flash)!" Naruto's wind blade would have cut Kimimaro's chest had it not been protected by his bone shield. Instead, all it did was push Kimimaro back a little. When the man regained his footing, Hinata got him right in the face that sent him to the ground before he got right back up and jumped back.

Kimimaro looked down at himself and saw that there was no damage, but he felt his bones tingle at the sensation. Now that was a first.

"I understand now, while Orochimaru-sama sees you as an ideal vessel, aside from the Uchiha." He said.

Naruto pointed his blade at him, "Don't say something so disgusting. I've told you before, there's no way in hell I'd just let that snake do whatever he wants."

Hinata gave him a hard glare, "Orochimaru won't touch a hair on his head!"

Kurama laughed, "I really like this girl! She's perfect for you!"

"I know." Naruto responded back mentally.

Hinata was the one to initiate to attack first.

"Hakke Kūshō (Eight Trigrams Air Palm)!" Hinata released a high-speed air palm right at Kimimaro, sending him skidding back.

Naruto appeared right above him, making his eyes widen, "Kaze Senkō (Wind Flash)!" Swinging his sword down, he cut the right half of Kimimaro's face, getting one of his eyes as blood flowed from the socket.

"Gugh!" Kimimaro grabbed this injured eye and took a few steps back, his bone guard retreating back inside of him as he was in too much pain to concentrate to keep them out.

Hinata saw this as her chance, and took it, "Jūkenhō: Hakke Rokujūyon Shō (Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms)!"

"Ni Shō (Two Palms)!"

"Yon Shō (Four Palms)!"

"Hachi Shō (Eight Palms)!"

"Jūroku Shō (Sixteen Palms)!"

"Sanjūni Shō (Thirty-Two Palms)!"

"Rokujūyon Shō (Sixty-Four Palms)!"

With the final palm strike the white haired man was sent flying backwards as he rolled around on the ground, but he refused to fall as he slowly stood up, panting as he did so.

"He's still standing?!" She gasped.

"Doesn't surprise me." Naruto said, standing next to her.

Kimimaro panted a little as his injured eye had stopped bleeding, but he couldn't open it.

"I...refuse to fall to you...for I am another chosen of Orochimaru-sama!" He declared.

Hinata's eyes widened, "Another...chosen..."

"He must mean that Orochimaru wants him to be his vessel, too." Naruto guessed.

"You may have injured me, however...!" He covered his mouth as started coughing. As he hunched over from the constant coughs, Hinata noticed blood coming out of his mouth as he was hunched over.

"He's spitting up blood..." Hinata said.

"Even with a body like that, he's still strong." Naruto commented before his senses alerted him to danger. Grabbing Hinata, he got them both out of the way as Kabuto almost got them. Landing at a safe distance, he felt Tsunade appear next to them.

"I told you Kabuto's a slippery one." Naruto teased slightly.

"Oh, shut up." Tsunade grumbled.

Hinata smiled at the woman.

"Where's Shizune-san?" Naruto asked.

Tsunade's face became serious as she watched Kabuto heal Kimimaro's eye, "Kabuto got her with his Chakra Scalpel, but she'll be okay." Case in point when she motioned that Shizune was right next to her the whole time they've been talking and gave them a smile.

"Looks like Kimimaro will have to sit this fight out." Naruto said.

Tsunade looked over at the two Sound shinobi, "Orochimaru said he was ill, but from the looks of it, its only gotten worse."

"There's nothing you can do?" Hinata asked.

"Whatever sort of illness Kimimaro has, its probably spread to the point where its too late for me to do anything, except prolong his suffering." Tsunade explained solemnly.

Shizune grit her teeth, "Me may be a henchmen of Orochimaru's, but..."

Kabuto placed Kimimaro on a rock to rest before turning to face them with one of his confident smiles, "Well, since Kimimaro seems to be out of the fight, it looks like it'll be just me against the three of you. Do try not to hurt me too badly."

Tsunade cracked her knuckles, "Arrogant brat."

"Yeah, but he's got the skills to back it up." Naruto reminded.

"Don't remind me." She said.

Hinata got ready to counter an attack Kabuto might throw at them.

Kabuto appears behind Tsunade suddenly, 'Chakura Kaibōtō: Zan (Chakra Dissection Blade: Three)!'

Hinata countered his attack, "Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō (Protecting Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms)!" Hinata shaped her chakra into thin sharp blades that prevented Kabuto from attacking Tsunade and making him back off at the same time.

Kabuto looked at his chakra induced hands and saw that one of his fingers got cut, but it was nothing serious.

Tsunade meanwhile gave Hinata an impressed look, 'I've never seen any other Hyūga use a technique like that. A personal creation?'

Kabuto wasn't so impressed, 'What a troublesome Hyūga.'

"Mokuton: Mokusatsu Shibari no Jutsu (Wood Style: Silent Strangle Jutsu)!"

As he was distracted for a short while, it was all Naruto needed to wrap him up in bindings, but of course Kabuto got out of them, using his Chakra Scalpel.

Tsunade and Shizune's eyes widened as Naruto displayed the Shodaime's kekkei genkai right before their eyes.

"Tsunade-sama, isn't that..." Shizune trailed off.

Tsunade thought her eyes were deceiving her, but they weren't. This boy has the very same kekkei genkai as her grandfather.

"Naruto, you..."

Naruto chuckled, "Sorry, guess I should have mentioned this at some point, but do you think you could wait to ask questions once we've dealt with him?"

Oh, she had questions alright, and a lot of them, but he's right. Now's not the time to be asking questions.

"I think I can do that." Tsunade smirked as she rushed towards the brat, aiming a fist to his face, only for Kabuto to almost touch her arm with his scalpel, but he was hit in his side by Hinata who had snuck up on him.

Dog → Horse → Bird: "Fūton: Toppa (Wind Release: Breakthrough)!" Naruto expels a gust of wind, hurling it at Kabuto that sent the man flying away fro a bit before he regained his footing.

Kabuto grit is teeth, 'Well this is starting to get annoying. And with Kimimaro out of the fight, that means I'll have to stop holding back.' He stood up from his crouch with a smirk, "Looks like the three of you will be more trouble than I originally thought. And since that's the case, I guess I should stop holding back now."

'What the hell is he about to do now?' Naruto knew Kabuto was more sneaky than Orochimaru and had to be on his guard.

"Kinjite: Shikon no Jutsu (Forbidden Technique: Dead Soul Jutsu)." He summoned two corpses in his image, making Hinata and Tsunade's eyes widen as the two clones headed for Naruto and Hinata.

Hinata prevented the clone from hitting her with its chakra scalpel, 'This jutsu...did he learn this from Orochimaru, or did he create it himself?'

Naruto jumped back and made sure the clone didn't touch him, 'Since he couldn't take on all of us, he decided to use this jutsu. Its effective, even if the name of it sounds despicable.'

Tsunade was stuck with the real one and wasn't holding back either. As much as she didn't want to give the brat credit, she had to because the brat was good when it comes to medical ninjutsu.

"You know, for someone who is widely praised for her medical knowledge, its quite a disappointment to see you have a problem with seeing blood." Kabuto taunted.

Tsunade's eyebrow twitched, but didn't rise to the bait and just kept trying to hit the annoying creep.

"I wonder what your loved ones would think if they saw you now, they'd probably be disappointed." He kept trying to get a reaction out of her.

"Shut up!" She yelled, aiming at his face, but that's what Kabuto wanted because he paralyzed her arm then got her leg and simply smirked down at her as she was rendered immobile.

"Look at you now, a shell of what was once the greatest medical ninja in history," he brought his chakra induced hand up, "Such a shame really."

Tsunade did something he didn't expect, she chuckled, "You know, if those two could see me right now they'd probably be disappointed. But you know what? I'm not so washed up just yet, and besides...the kid will remind me of what it is I now need to do. Oh, and by the way...you should be more aware of your surroundings."

Kabuto's eyes widened as she sensed a presence behind him and saw it was Naruto. He turned around quickly, but couldn't react fast enough.

"Rasengan (Spiralling Sphere)!" Naruto slammed the blue swirling ball right into his gut that sent him flying and doing a lot of damage to his middle.

Naruto sighed as he bent down before Tsunade, "You okay?"

"Yeah, just paralyzed but it'll wear off soon." She assured him.

The male blonde smiled, "Kabuto's wrong."

Tsunade looked confused.

"What he said about you being a shell of your former self," he clarified, "That might have been true, but look at you now. If your loved ones saw you now, they would be proud of you, not disappointed."

Tsunade smiled as she saw Naruto morph into her brother and then Dan. This boy...he really is special.

"Naruto."

"Yes?"

"When this mess is all over, we'll go back to Konoha."

This took him by surprise, but he smiled anyway, "Right!"

"By the way, what happened to those clones Kabuto created?" She questioned.

"Oh, I got rid of mine with my sword and Hinata...well there's a reason I really like her." He smiled.

"Really..." Tsunade kinda figured there was something going on between the two.

"Naruto-kun! Tsunade-sama!" Hinata and Shizune called out to the two as they ran towards them.

"Shizune, you can move now."

"Yes, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Naruto saved me."

"Are you okay, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.

"I'm okay, how about you?"

"I don't have any injuries." Hinata assured him.

"Good."

A groan got their attention, "Such a heartwarming scene. I find it too much for my tastes." Kabuto got up and the three females noticed his stomach was steaming, and while there was a nasty bruise, they saw it looked healed.

"Its healed?" Shizune stared in astonishment.

"But...how?" Hinata wondered.

Kabuto smirked, but it was forced as he was still in pain, "Its a Medical ninjutsu that I created. In'yu Shōmetsu (Cellular Activation). It works by anticipating the spot where the enemy will strike, and pre-emptively applies medical treatment to it, reducing the damage to a minimum. By concentrating chakra to the area, I can begin the cell recreation process. In fact, its because of this technique that Orochimaru-sama keeps me around, it also helps that I use it on test subjects for a longer period than normal."

Naruto frowned, "That's nothing to brag about."

BOOM

Jiraiya and Orochimaru landed near them. Now that they paid attention they saw the destruction to the area and saw these two haven't landed a hard blow on each other yet.

Orochimaru saw that Kabuto and Kimimaro's condition and chuckled, "Quite the look, Kabuto."

"Indeed, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto responded.

Jiraiya got sick of this, "Let's end this now!" He said, doing some hand signs.

Orochimaru did the same.

Tsunade recognized those signs, "Shizune!"

"Right!"

All three stopped and said in unison.

Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Jutsu)!

Three giant animals were summoned:

Gamabunta with Jiraiya standing on his head.

Manda with Orochimaru standing on his head.

Katsuyu with Tsunade on her head. Tsunade checked her limbs and found out she could move and stood up.

"Jiraya, you summoned me again?!" Gamabunta yelled.

"Its been awhile since you've summoned me, Tsunade." Katsuyu said happily.

"Orochimaru, I warned you to never summon me again." Manda sneered.

Hinata stared up in absolute awe, "Amazing..."

"It is, isn't it?" Shizune agreed, "The Three legendary Summons belonging to the Legendary Sannin—The Toad Boss Gamabunta, Katsuyu, and Manda."

This was one of the times Naruto wished he could see, but he'll just have to deal with it.

"Hm? Kabuto's not down here with us anymore." Naruto noticed.

Shizune and Hinata noticed his absence, "He must be up there with Orochimaru! You two stay down here while I support Tsunade-sama!" She went to join her mistress.

"Guess we'll just stay down here and let them fight," Naruto said, "This is now a fight between Sannin, this is not a fight we should try to get involved in."

Hinata stared up at the three ninja plus their apprentices, "You're right."

"Let's do this, Gamabunta!" Jiraiya said.

Gamabunta scoffed, "So long as I get to humiliate Manda I'm game."

"Alright!" Jiraiya said using hand signs, Snake → Ram → Monkey → Boar → Horse → Tiger: "Katon: Gamayu Endan (Fire Style: Toad Flame Bomb)!" Jiraiya shoots fire from his mouth, while Gamabunta had shot a jet of oil from his mouth before Jiraiya spewed out his flames. The flames just barely missed Manda.

"Zesshi Nensan (Acid Slime)!" Katsuyu caught Manda off guard by getting him with the acid.

"Nice work Katsuyu!" Tsunade complimented.

Orochimaru opened his mouth suddenly, taking his sword out before wrapping it around Tsunade's neck, dragging her towards him.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune cried, about to help her, but found she had to defend herself from Kabuto, while Katsuyu was being strangled by Manda, as the snake wrapped himself around her.

Gamabunta cut Manda's tail off to get him to let go and it worked.

Tsunade meanwhile kicked Orochimaru in the face before he could try to stab her. After she did that, she laced her fist full of chakra before walking over to him slowly.

"As much as I'd like to say this was a nice little reunion, I can't say that!" She then punched him hard in the face sending flying right off Manda. Landing on the ground, she just stood there and glared at the snake.

"Orochimaru-sama!" Kabuto arrived next to him with Kimimaro in toe. The guy must've woken up at some point.

Orochimaru stood up, and as he lifted his head up, Tsunade and Jiraiya noticed his face started to peel.

"What...?" Tsunade stared in disbelief.

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed in disgust, 'Using someone else's body in such a way. You really have fallen, just like Sensei said.'

Orochimaru smiled as she looked at them, "It would appear this reunion will have to end. How I wish this could continue a little bit longer, I'm afraid its time for me to take my leave," he then looked over at Naruto, "I do hope we get to meet again, Naruto-kun."

Naruto felt another shiver down his spine at his words, but said nothing.

Orochimaru left along with Kabuto and Kimimaro with those haunting words that promised another meeting.

Naruto let out a sigh, "He's gone."

Hinata was grateful for that. Gamabunta and Katsuyu dispelled as Manda had dispelled earlier when his tail was cut off. Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shizune walked over to the two.

"You two did pretty good against that Kimimaro guy." Jiraiya complimented.

"His kekkei genkai was something else that's for sure." Naruto said honestly.

"It makes those who are experts at close quarters combat have difficulty trying to fight him," Hinata admitted, "I admit...I'd rather not fight him again."

"Same here. I got lucky when I cut his face, doubt it'll happen again though." Naruto said.

Tsunade rubbed his head, "You really are a modest kid. Too bad Jiraiya couldn't be more like you."

"Hey!" Jiraiya squawked.

"I shudder to think just what kind of person you used to be at my age." Naruto made a face as he said this.

"Oh, I'll tell you about that. I've got a lot of stories to tell you actually." Tsunade grinned viciously.

"What the hell, Tsunade?!" Jiraiya yelled.

"I don't mind hearing about them, but in exchange I'll tell you about how Hinata scared him a few times." Naruto grinned right back.

Tsunade barked out a laugh, "She seriously scared him?! You've gotta tell me how she did it!"

Hinata blushed a little as Shizune smiled, patting her on the shoulder.

"No respect..." Jiraiya grumbled.

The four of them just laughed at him.

The next day, Tsunade had her things packed and ready to head back to Konoha with Jiraiya and the kids. Shizune couldn't stop smiling as her mistress was now back to her old self.

'Naruto-kun...truly, thank you.' Shizune thanked.

"Let's go Shizune!" Tsunade said with a grin.

"Yes!"

The two women headed outside, seeing Jiraiya and the kids were already outside waiting for them, along with the white cat that was on Naruto's head.

"Ready to go, now?" Jiraiya questioned.

"Almost." Tsunade went over to Naruto and placed something around his neck, "This is now yours, kid."

Shizune and Jiraiya's eyes widened, "That's..."

Naruto curiously touched the stone, "What is this?"

"Its the Shodaime's necklace," Tsunade said, "This necklace is made os a special crystal gem, for a long time now I believed it to be cursed because of the deaths of Nawaki and Dan, who both wore it before they died. But now...I'm entrusting it to you."

Naruto didn't know what to say, but if she had this much faith in him...then he would make sure not to lose or make sure it got stolen.

"I'll take care of it." He promised.

She smiled, "I know you will."

"Oh, and since we're giving things to each other," Naruto took something out of his pocket and gave to Tsunade. It was a piece of paper.

"What's this?" Tsunade looked at the paper and her eyes grew wide at what she saw, "WHAAAAT?!"

"What is it, Tsunade-sama?!" Shizune looked at the paper herself and couldn't believe it, "This...this...this is..."

Jiraiya raised a brow, "What are the two of you freaking out about?"

Shizune answered him, "This says here that some of Tsunade-sama's debt has been paid off!"

Jiraiya blinked before his eyes traveled to Naruto, "...So that's what you did to some of the money you won two days ago."

"The money he won?" Tsunade and Shizune both looked at Naruto for an explanation.

"I found out that I have a lot of luck when it comes to gambling, so I went to one place and they kicked me out because I was winning too much, so I went to another place and another place, with the very same thing happening." Naruto explained.

"After he won from the last place we went to, these shady looking men approached us," Hinata continued, "Naruto mentioned Tsunade-sama's name and they got really quiet before explaining they were debt collectors. Naruto-kun gave some of the money he won over to them to pay off some of money she owed them, they were so surprised they bowed and thanked us over and over again."

"They then gave me that piece of paper to show your current balance and thanked me again. I still have some money left though, so its fine." He said casually.

It got quiet for a minuted before Tsunade hugged Naruto out of nowhere, "You're a god-send!"

"Thank you so much, Naruto-kun!" Shizune cried happily.

Jiraiya sighed, "Kids too kind for his own good."

"That's part of his charm, Jiraiya-sama." Hinata smiled.

Tsunade had her arm around his shoulder as they walked off, "I've got some more debts I need paid off, there's this group at that one time I went to."

Naruto gave her a dry look before chuckling, "I don't mind paying it off, provided you lay off gambling for awhile."

"Deal."

"Just like that?!" Shizune and Jiraya exclaimed.

"Hey, the kid's paying my debt off willingly! If all I have to do is stop gambling for awhile then I can handle it!" Tsunade said to them.

Shizune and Jiraiya both gave her disbelieving looks.

"I give it a week." Jiraiya said.

"Three days." Shizune said.

Hinata giggled.

"You two...!"

"I say two days." Kurama said.

"Well I say a day." Matatabi said.

"24 hours." Gyūki said.

Asura simply sighed.

Naruto chuckled a little before smiling at the prospect of finally heading back to Konoha so he can tend to his plants again, but he did want to check up on someone first though.

"By the way, you never did solve the riddle within the time limit." Naruto reminded her.

Tsunade grinned, "Guess not, but I know the answer though."

"Oh?" Naruto inquired in amusement.

Tsunade looked up at the clear blue sky, "Its the will...The Will of Fire."

Next Time: Return of the Senju