Tsunade didn't think her return would cause such a commotion, it seemed everyone and their mother was standing outside the hospital room in the hallway. She had a feeling a few people would recognize her, but never would she have imagined what was awaiting her outside that door. She pushed those thoughts out of her mind as she continued her examinations on Naruto and Sasuke.

'A trauma induced coma from a severe psychological attack, his mind is completely unresponsive and the damage to his nervous system somewhat alarming…the Sharingan is really something.' Tsunade placed a single hand on the young Uchiha's forehead and an emerald green glow emitted around her hand. A few moments passed and Tsunade removed her hand. She turned around and was met with the anxious eyes of Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno. "He'll wake up soon."

The two young kunoichi breathed a collective sigh of relief. Sakura couldn't help a small tear dropping from the corner of her eye. She had spent the last week worrying herself to death about her heartthrob, her happiness soared that he was going to be alright. Now, to her other teammate…

"Is Naruto going to be alright, Lady Tsunade?"

That was the million ryo question. The legendary medic approached her godchild's bedside and looked over him. It was as if he was sound asleep and could be woken up by a small nudge. She wished it was that simple. She pulled back the covers and removed his shirt so that she could examine without interference. The two young girls in the room did what they could to hide their blushes, Naruto's physical features were…impressive for someone their age. Tsunade glided her hand over his bare chest and channeled her chakra.

'It's just like before…the disease-ridden cells are battling against the Kyuubi's healing factor. The cancer is killing cells just as fast as new healthy cells are created, he's basically in limbo until one force loses out. Everything's the same but the cells are reproducing much faster than before, whatever caused the cancer to come back supercharged it. All I have to do is isolate the cancerous cells and terminate them, that should do the trick.' She continued her investigation and suddenly felt a familiar spike from inside Naruto. 'Again…?'

Tsunade stopped her initial overlook and took off her green haori. Positioning herself over Naruto carefully, Tsunade placed both her hands over Naruto's heart and readied herself.

"Is it the same as before?" Jiraiya asked, moving to stand on the opposite side.

"From what I can tell, yes, but it's much stronger. The cancer is spreading at an alarming rate, it's going to take me some time to isolate the source."

"How much time?"

Tsunade looked at her teammate with a knowing look, telling Jiraiya pretty much everything he needed to know. The man sighed and turned to the others occupying the room. "Everyone out, let's give Tsunade the space she needs to work."

"Is he going to be okay?" Sakura hastily asked as Ino exited the room.

Tsunade smiled as best she could. "He will be."

Sakura nodded, letting the Sannin know she had faith in her. She followed her comrades out of the room, leaving only Jiraiya and Tsunade left in the room. She knew he wanted to stay but there couldn't be any distractions during this process. "That means you too, Jiraiya."

The man let a sigh of defeat slip, but he understood, Jiraiya nodded and followed the three kunoichi out and closed the door behind him. Tsunade waited a few moments before walking up to the door and locking it shut. She remained still at the door to hear if any of them were eavesdropping, they all had gone to the waiting room down the hall.

"You can come out now, it's safe."

A red glow emitted from Naruto's body and formed into a small creature that resembled a fox sat on Naruto's chest. By the time the morph had finished, scarlet red eyes glowed as bright as the setting sun and met Tsunade's gaze.

"I'm glad to see your senses aren't dulling, Sannin."

"The Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit…I won't lie, I hoped to never have to speak to you again."

The Kyuubi snickered. "The feeling's mutual, though I'll admit I prefer you over that perverted colleague of yours. That man infuriates me for leaving the boy in the village, it did not need to happen."

Tsunade agreed with a sigh. She had her own thoughts about the lies and events that led to Naruto being left in the village practically by himself, but she would get to those later. "I don't disagree. Moving on, do you know why the cancer came back?"

"I do."

"Is it you again?"

The phantom Kyuubi shook his head. "While I am the reason the disease exists, I am not directly the cause for the reemergence."

"Not directly the cause? What do you mean?"

"There were…unforeseen consequences." Tsunade remained quiet, letting the phantom beast know that she was awaiting the explanation. "The pervert came back about a month ago and swindled the boy into training with him outside the village, promising that he'd help fulfill the boy's dream of becoming the strongest."

"Fulfill it how exactly?" Tsunade had a gut feeling that this story was going in a direction she wasn't going to like.

"He taught Naruto his father's signature technique and led him to a legendary weapon that your grandfather sought out for his battle against that damn Madara Uchiha."

Tsunade was perplexed by the fact that her grandfather, the First Hokage, would seek out a weapon for that fight, her grandmother told her once that he was stronger than Madara and that nothing would change that. "What kind of weapon?"

"Tojin…born out of a falling star. Tojin's immense power is matched by none, only a Tailed Beast has the power match it if used correctly, but there's a tradeoff. Tojin plays on the animalistic, unhinged side of a person that thirsts for blood. And when that is paired up with my own feral, the thirst becomes uncontrollable only subsiding when satisfied. The strain to overpower the urge to kill was too much for the boy to handle, resulting in his current status."

Tsunade was surprised that such a weapon existed. How could something rival a bijū's power? Those beings were the strongest in all the world, how could an object match that kind of strength? And why the hell did Jiraiya want Naruto to have it? Everything just continued to raise more questions than answers. "So, this weapon is the cause for Naruto's condition?"

"As far as I've been able to tell, yes. I did not foresee Tojin having this effect on the boy. The long dormant cancer was reawakened."

Tsunade recalled her first encounter with the cancer. It was around eight years ago when Jiraiya first tracked her down after her sudden departure from Konoha. She had never seen him so scared, they had faced certain death together and he laughed through those times. After a lot of convincing and a promise of an undisclosed amount of money, Jiraiya reversed summoned them both to the home of the toad population, Mount Myōboku, where Tsunade found her godchild laid up in bed.

According to Jiraiya, he was teaching Naruto how to perform the standard clone technique. A simple jutsu that was eventually taught to academy students, Jiraiya thought he might as well give Naruto a bit of an edge on his future classmates. Apparently, the jutsu was not easy for the very young Naruto to learn and he became so frustrated that a small fraction of the Kyuubi's chakra leaked out. Jiraiya quickly subdued him before anything could happen, but Naruto collapsed and wouldn't wake up.

Tsunade's initial examination was that Naruto's body was just exhausted from the influx of the Nine-Tail's chakra, Jiraiya urged her to look deeper. When she did, Tsunade was pulled into Naruto's psyche and stood before the cage of the Kyuubi itself.

"Will it be back again?"

"So long as I remain inside the boy, he will always be at risk for the cancer to return. Naruto holds many curses because of me…something his father did not want."

Tsunade couldn't help a silent scoff. "I doubt Minato could've planned for the events of that night. He was good but not that good."

"…You'd be surprised. Regardless, whether or not the boy continues to use Tojin, the cancer will return throughout his life. You gave him fifty to sixty years last time. What about now?"

Tsunade didn't want to know it but the medical professional in her had subconsciously already figured out the math. "It'll be a miracle if he sees forty…I predict that continued use of that weapon will shorten his lifespan even further. And as far as I'm aware, there isn't a natural cure. However, there once was a tree whose leaves could cure any disease."

The fox was aware of this. "Tree Felling…that particular tree was cut down more than a hundred years ago. The odds of a single leaf from that tree still being around are nowhere in the realm of possibility."

"Trust me, I explored very lead I could about that."

"Hm. Can't hurt hope for a miracle I suppose."

Hope? What hope was there to have in a time like this? Naruto was fighting a lifelong losing battle against his own heart and Konoha was facing its worse crisis since the Kyuubi was let loose on the village itself, that's not even factoring in the looming threat of war from two longtime enemies whose motives are still unknown. And to top it all off, the wise and powerful leaders of Konoha want Tsunade to become the next Hokage. She did not want to inherit this headache.

The Kyuubi watched the tolerable Sannin with detail, reading her slight movements and noticing her posture. She was having doubts about everything, he could feel it clear as day. The beast would have been surprised if she didn't, if he was honest. "You need to become Hokage."

Tsunade wasn't sure if she heard that right. She had to let the words sink into her brain for a moment. "E-Excuse me?"

"You heard what I said. You need to become Hokage…for him." The phantom motioned his head towards the unconscious boy under him. "This boy needs someone here, in this village, that will protect him. That will be here for him."

"Jiraiya's back. He's Naruto's godfather. Why would he need me?"

"You're his godmother, the same responsibility. And I trust that perverted buffoon as much as I've seen him in the past six years."

"What about his jōnin sensei? Kakashi was Minato's student after all. And it seems that he has good friends. I don't think-"

"You're making excuses and missing the point." The bijū interrupted. "I've been with this boy since conception. I've heard every private thought, felt every emotion, and watched him cry his eyes out because the hate that is thrown upon him can be too much to bear for someone so young. He needs someone, inside these village walls, that will always have his back. What could stand in your way from wanting to stay here and take care of the boy?"

Now, this was an odd position for Tsunade. She never would've predicted that a bijū would try and convince her to become the Hokage. But now, that was the furthest thing from her mind. What was occupying her mind was the mini phantom Kyuubi's previous question.

Her mind flashed images of the two most precious people Tsunade will ever have. How she missed them both dearly. Dan and Nawaki. Her former fiancé and younger brother. Nawaki was the first to leave her. He was on a simple escort mission when his team fell under attack that quickly overwhelmed them, causing the team to retreat. Nawaki was the first to fall back and ran right into an explosive trap that had been set up by the enemy before the ambush. The body was so mangled and unrecognizable that Tsunade couldn't stomach the sight. Nawaki died the day after his twelfth birthday, the day after he had told his big sister about his dream to be a great Hokage like his grandfather before him.

Then it was her lover, Dan. Their love started in the wake of Nawaki's death when both pushed for every team that goes out on a mission to have a medical ninja accompany them. Their suggestion was taken into consideration but was not ultimately put into the system like Tsunade and Dan wanted. Instead, there was a team made of strictly medical ninja that was put on permanent standby in case of emergencies. The reason for the council's decision in this manner was because of the amount of time it took to train a shinobi in medical ninjutsu, something Tsunade knew very well. It was because of their advocating for the same legislation for their deceased siblings that Tsunade and Dan began dating to the point of a marriage proposal. However, Dan was fatally wounded during the Second Shinobi War. Tsunade had tried to save him but Dan had lost too much blood for any medical treatment to matter. He, too, had dreams of becoming Hokage.

But why did Tsunade's hesitation to be Hokage matter to the Kyuubi? This being of hate and malice was concerned for the well-being of a young boy. That fact alone raised suspicion. "Nawaki and Dan died with dreams of being Hokage. For a long time, I lost my way and thought I'd never use my medical ninjutsu again…until Naruto fell ill the first time. I kept having flashbacks when I tried to save Dan's life and I couldn't help but notice that Naruto looked so much like Nawaki. I put every ounce of energy I had into healing him. It felt like I was saving them. Over the last few years, I considered coming back to the village…maybe taking the hat from Sarutobi sensei, whenever he finally decided to give it up, and wearing it in Dan and Nawaki's honor."

"Then why the hesitation?"

"Because being Hokage…I clearly see that it changes a person. And I don't want to throw dirt on their legacies because of my inability to remain true to what I know I am and who Dan and Nawaki were."

"Then use the boy as your reference point to stay true to the path you want to be on. I can only do so much for him, I cannot heal a damaged soul."

Tsunade was shocked that the Kyuubi was not backing down, his continuous efforts to convince her to be here for Naruto was baffling. She had to know why. "Why do you care so much?" There had to be some ulterior motive that benefited him.

The beast was silent for a few moments. "I am keeping a promise of my own." The female Sannin wasn't expecting an answer like that and the Kyuubi didn't give her a chance to follow up on her confusion. "Isolate the cancerous cells and I will increase my efforts as well. Do your part for him and I will do mine. Farewell." The charka diminished back into Naruto's body and vanished from Tsunade's sight.

Tsunade let out a heavy sigh, this whole situation was becoming very complicated. She moved back over Naruto's body and began to funnel her healing chakra into him.

"A promise huh…I wonder what truly happened that night…"

-Outside in the waiting room-

Jiraiya turned away countless villagers who had come to the hospital because of the rumors that had been circulating during the past week about her return to become Hokage. How these rumors even started baffled the man. He told no one about where he was going and the council meetings with the Fire Daimyō were always confidential, not even the clan leaders knew what happened during those meetings.

It had been roughly an hour before Tsunade emerged from Naruto and Sasuke's room and entered the waiting room that was located at the end of the hall. All three of the occupants stood up immediately and awaited her words.

"Sasuke Uchiha is awake if you'd like to see him and Naruto should be awake in a few minutes."

Ino practically sprinted past the woman and Sakura was quick to follow but stopped in front of the Sannin, she bowed slightly as a show of respect and thanks. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade." She then sprinted down the hallway herself.

Tsunade smirked. "Such a polite girl."

Jiraiya had to agree. "She's got a good head on her shoulders, I see a lot of you in her."

"Enough of the flattery." Tsunade's smirk turned into an innocent smile. "C'mon, we're going to the gardens to have a talk."

Jiraiya raised his eyebrow in confusion. That smile was odd, Tsunade rarely smiled like that. "A talk? Now? You said he was going to wake up in a few minutes."

"Yeah, and it's not like he's going anywhere."

Jiraiya sighed. "Yeah, alright."

-In Naruto and Sasuke's hospital room-

Sasuke was experiencing the absolute worst headache of his life, he felt like he was hit in the head with over a thousand wooden objects then having his brain smacked with a hammer. Needless to say, he did not feel well, but that woman who was just in here did say the pain would subside in about an hour. She said the pain was a major side effects of the technique she used.

"I'm so glad your okay, Sasuke!" Ino squealed in delight as she turned the corner into the room. Sakura blew past her and wrapped the young Uchiha in a hasty embrace, tears streamed down her face.

"Sasuke…thank goodness you're okay."

The onyx-haired boy looked at the pinkette with tired eyes, unsure what to do. Seeing beyond his female teammate, he noticed his male teammate beginning to stir. Sasuke watched curiously as Sakura seemed to be oblivious to it.

Slowly opening his ocean blue eyes, Naruto winced to the sudden bright lights that hung overhead. The blindness subsided and the first thing he saw was his pink-haired teammate wrapping her delight arms around their male counterpart. Keeping his face in a neutral expression, Naruto pushed himself up into a seated position.

"Naruto, you're awake." Ino said, glad to see that he was okay.

Sakura gasped and unwrapped herself from around Sasuke to see her blonde teammate sitting upright in his bed, she quickly moved and brought him into a hug. "Naruto…I was so worried."

Naruto smacked his lips together, trying to get rid of the dryness in his mouth from the lack of liquids in his body. Speaking of liquids, he needed to relieve his bladder of some. Pushing himself even further, Naruto forced himself out of Sakura's embrace.

"Naruto, you need to rest."

"What day is it?"

Sakura was startled by Naruto's question; his tone was somewhat fierce for his physical state. "I-It's Thursday. You and Sasuke have been in the hospital for the past week."

Naruto smacked his mouth again. "Makes sense. Last thing I remember before my heart decided to jump off a building were those two guys trying to kidnap me. Which reminds me…" The blonde turned his to the bed parallel to his own. "…was that guy your older brother, Sasuke?"

"…Yes, that was Itachi." Sasuke clearly did not want to admit that, he was seething with anger. Both Sakura and Ino were shocked by this but seeing Sasuke's anger squashed any questions they wanted to ask.

That meant Itachi was apart of that organization. "Cool." Naruto said sarcastically. He slowly moved off the bed. "Is Baa-chan here?"

"B-Baa-chan?"

"Y'know, the woman who looks twenty but is really fifty? Worldly known as the strongest kunoichi and greatest healer. Ring any bells?"

Sakura's memory finally was jogged. "Oh! You mean Lady Tsunade! Yes, she's here, she was the one who healed you and Sasuke. I think she's down the hall healing Kakashi sensei right now."

"Kakashi?" Sasuke questioned. "What happened to him?"

"Same thing that happened to you. I guess he tried to fight your brother before running into you guys."

Naruto knew the second his heart was the problem that Tsunade would be the one who'd bring him out of the illness. He struggled momentarily to stand up but was able to do so before slowly making his way towards the bathroom.

"What are you doing, Naruto?" Ino questioned.

Naruto stopped and leaned against the door frame to look over his shoulder at the platinum blonde. "I've just spent the last week in bed without something to eat, a drink of water, or the ability to go to the bathroom. I'm gonna take a huge piss then go eat my weight in ramen at Ichiraku." Naruto disappeared behind a closed door.

Sakura turned around and noticed that Sasuke was eager to get out bed as well. Frankly, she didn't blame her teammates in the slightest. She thought about his bodily functions and concluded that he probably needed to relieve himself as well. "D-Do you need-"

"Don't even ask, Sakura."

Sakura knew that was coming. "Right…"

-With Jiraiya and Tsunade-

"Why did you wanna talk all the way out here?" Jiraiya was obviously anxious to see his godchild. Tsunade led him down the corridors to the hospitals beautiful garden courtyard on the first floor.

The medical expert was quick to turn on her heel and landed a strong punch to Jiraiya's jaw that threw him straight to the ground. The toad Sannin was caught off guard by the sudden strike not because Tsunade hit him, she had done that hundreds of times before, but because what he felt behind the strike. Tsunade was furious. That innocent smile made sense now.

"What the hell, Tsun-"

Tsunade fiercely grabbed Jiraiya by his collar and brought him in close. "You are not going to talk, you are going listen!"

Jiraiya racked his brain, trying to figure out what warranted this reaction. He remained silent.

"I had a little chat with the Kyuubi again and he told me a few things. I'm not mad that you taught Naruto an A-Rank jutsu and gave him a weapon that put him in the hospital, I'm mad that you let it get this far! The fact that the damn Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit, the beast that almost destroyed the village, has to tell me I need to be Hokage to keep him safe! That Naruto is a damaged soul! How could you leave him here all alone?!"

"I had no choice!"

"You always have a choice, Jiraiya! You knew that the villagers would react badly to him! He was just a child!"

"You think I didn't know that! I hate myself for leaving him here! But if I had tried to explain to him why he couldn't come with me, it would just make things that much harder for him to accept. He was just a kid, he wouldn't have understood."

"You don't give him enough credit."

"Yeah, I see my mistake now. You and the old man made me realize that."

"Sarutobi sensei?"

"I left Naruto here with him, didn't I? He obviously had some type of plan. And you had another talk with that thing? I'd love to be in on one of those."

"Well, considering the fact that the beast doesn't like you certainly plays a factor."

Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Figures. I don't like myself much these days either…"

Tsunade sighed objectively. "Jiraiya…"

"Look, I get it. I royally fucked up and I'm paying for it right now. I just thought that maybe if I could help him achieve his dream that he'd forgive me…maybe get back to how things used to be. But I've caused him nothing but pain and suffering since I've come back. Maybe he'd be better off without me. Maybe-"

Tsunade had enough of this self-loathing pity party that Jiraiya was going on with and decided to put an end to it, and there was only one way to do that. Tsunade slammed her lips into his and silenced him. Jiraiya instantly relaxed. A few moments passed before the two separated.

"You won't be the only one looking after him anymore. I'll be around too."

"You mean…"

Tsunade nodded and smiled warmly. "Yeah, I'm gonna become the next Hokage. You when unceremoniously screw up, like we all know you will, I will be here to pick up the pieces. We'll keep him safe together."

Jiraiya was unbelievably relieved that Tsunade was going to take up the mantle of Hokage, if she didn't then he'd have to step up and he really didn't want to do that. "You kissed me."

"It's the quickest way to shut you up. Works every time. You can go inform the council, I'm going to finish up here."

-With Naruto-

Five ramen courses down in record time. Naruto let out a loud blech as he practically licked the bowl clean of the broth. He let out a very pleased sigh, it had been a while since he had been able to sit down and enjoy his favorite dish of miso pork ramen and some shinachiku.

"Want another bowl?" Teuchi asked his most regular customer.

The young blonde shrugged in agreement. "Sure, why not?"

The man chuckled as he already prepped the ingredients. "Rumor has it that you were in the hospital. Everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Just got sick is all, no need to worry. I've always been quick to get back on my feet."

The elder man nodded. "That you have." He continued on with the order. Naruto watched with half interest as his mind wandered. Before he left the hospital, Sakura urged him greatly to stay and rest until he was cleared by a professional to leave, that professional being Tsunade. He waved the girl off, saying that he'd be fine and just needed out of the hospital for some fresh air as well as get some food in his system.

"I figured I'd find you here."

The spikey haired blonde didn't even have to turn around to know who had entered the ramen shop. "You were looking for me?" He remained neutral.

Jiraiya moved to sit on the stool next to his godson. He shook his head at Teuchi, telling the man that he did not want any food as he sat down. "You thought I'd leave you alone after another scare like that? It's like you don't even know me."

"There are times I wish I didn't."

The Sannin saw that one coming, but his spirits couldn't be brought down right now. He still had a sense of euphoria from that kiss. "I deserve that…Have you seen her yet?"

Naruto's expression faltered, and a frown was shown. "No…I haven't. She wasn't there when I woke up and I wasn't about to sit around and wait for her to show up."

Jiraiya chuckled. "Still hate hospitals, I see. It's good to see that not everything about you has changed."

"Yeah, I guess." Naruto nodded his head towards Teuchi, a sign of thanks, as another bowl of steaming ramen was set in front of him. He slurped down a few grabs before he spoke again. "So, I've heard a few passing rumors while I've been sitting here…is Baa-chan really becoming the next Hokage?"

Jiraiya really needed to figure out how word could spread so fast inside Konoha, it was as if every person had telepathy or something. "Yeah, Tsunade is gonna be the Fifth. I just informed the elders. It should be made official in the next day or two."

Naruto did what he could, but he could not stop the massive smile from forming on his face. He felt an overwhelming happiness burst inside of him that he could barely contain, it had been a long time that he felt something like this. With everything that had happened for the previous weeks and months, from the trials of his heart to his high physical demand of his own body, Naruto was excited to see what the future held for him now that Tsunade, his godmother, would be here with him.

Naruto's godfather was very pleased to see that old, familiar smile on the boy's face. "Do you wanna go see her?"

Without hesitation and full of excitement, Naruto furiously nodded his head and practically sprinted out of the establishment. "Yeah! Let's go!"

-With Tsunade-

"I must say, Kakashi, you are very strong willed. I didn't expect for you to wake up so easily." The blonde Sannin had just finished her examination of the jōnin and, with very little effort on her part, healed him from the same psychological damage that Sasuke suffered from. Then she was surprised further when the silver-haired man woke up almost instantly.

The man in question held a tired, borderline exhausted expression under his dark blue mask. "Considered your reputation, that means a great deal coming from you, Lady Tsunade."

"Well, you've certainly gotten stronger in the time I've been away. You certainly are worthy to be considered one of Konoha's top jōnin."

"While I appreciate the praise, Lady Tsunade, I'm curious is to why you're here. I doubt you returned home just to heal little, old me."

The beautiful woman nodded her head. "Not much gets passed you, Kakashi. Jiraiya and that female student of yours, Sakura, came and brought me back to be the next Hokage."

Kakashi figured that was reason. "Sakura? My first guess would've been Naruto to go with Lord Jiraiya."

"That's the other reason, your two other students were injured by those guys that attacked you."

Shock filled Kakashi's masked features. "Naruto and Sasuke?! Are they alright? What happened?!"

"Calm down, they're alright now. I healed them both before I came in here. Sasuke suffered from the same psychological trauma as you, he should be awake now."

Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief. "And what about Naruto?"

Tsunade turned serious. "Did you know he had a heart condition?" The silver-haired man shook his head. "It's more of cancer, honestly. Back when he was about four-years-old, Jiraiya found me and brought me to the Mount Myōboku to figure out what was wrong."

"Doesn't the Kyuubi give him an insane healing ability? Shouldn't that protect him from cancers and diseases? I don't think I've ever seen him get sick, or even sneeze, since Lord Third assigned me to watch over him."

"The healing ability does protect him a great deal. It also gives him heightened senses, a ridiculously high metabolism, and bunch of other crazy bodily abilities. But this type of cancer is caused by the Kyuubi itself. My guess has always been that his body partly can't handle the beast itself."

"Partly? What do you mean by that?"

"He's not a full-blooded Uzumaki like the two previous jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails. It makes sense because only an Uzumaki can handle a chakra signature of that size being sealed inside of them, as evident by the two other containers."

Kakashi nodded his head in understanding. "Is he cured?"

Tsunade bit the inside of her cheek. "At the moment, yes. But I thought the same time the first time around, too. Apparently, that new weapon of his caused the cancer to come back and continued use will shorten his lifespan."

Kakashi looked at the medical Sannin with a very confused look. "A weapon? What kind of weapon?"

Now it was Tsunade to be shocked and confused. "You didn't know? You're his sensei? I would've expected Jiraiya to tell you about this."

Kakashi shook his head. "No, he never said anything about a weapon. I've barely spoken to the man since his return."

Tsunade sighed. "Then we have a few things to catch you up on, but we'll wait for Jiraiya. He'll be able to fill in some of the holes I can't."

Kakashi nodded in agreement and turned his head to look out the window. There were a few moments of silence that passed in the room before the door opened and Naruto appeared in the door way. He froze the second he saw blonde woman.

"Baa-chan…"

Tsunade's normally stern facial expression turned soft when she saw her godchild. A large well of happiness and relief washed over her to see that he was awake and looked completely healthy. She smiled like a proud mother. "How ya doing, brat?"

Without saying another word, Naruto burst towards Tsunade and wrapped the woman in a massive hug. His head had buried itself in her massive cleavage but neither of them cared about that fact, both were just happy that they were together again. Jiraiya smiled just as proud and Kakashi looked on fondly with a smirk.

Beyond the happy reunion, the two remaining members of Team Seven stopped in front of the open door. Sakura was helping Sasuke walk down towards the cafeteria to get the recently woken up boy something to eat. While Sakura looked on with a cute, happy smile, Sasuke simply looked on.

There was something growing inside of Sasuke that he wasn't sure that he ever felt before. The second he laid his eyes on the scene before him, he had felt like he had been cheated out of something. Cheated out of the family that he used to have. There was always a sense of equal between him and Naruto, the fact someone else alone as him was always something that made Sasuke feel not so. But by the look of the scene before him, Naruto was no longer alone…but he was.

Sasuke Uchiha was jealous of Naruto Uzumaki…and he did not like it one bit.