I do not own Naruto
A few hours later, roadside hotel
"Ok boys, we're staying here for the night. We can start training after…"
Jiraiya stopped mid-sentence, his eyes caught by a magnificent raven haired woman walking across the hotel lobby. When she looked at him, he knew that was his moment.
"Hey boys?" he handed Naruto the key "Here's the room key. Go in there and practice fuinjutsu for a bit."
"Uh? Hey! What do you think you're doing, ero-sennin?!"
Before he could properly complain, Jiraiya had already dashed after the woman. The two boys looked at each other.
"So…wanna learn how to make arrays with exploding tags?" asked Naruto, uncertain.
Sasuke shrugged. "I'm out of Kibaku Fuda. Can't hurt to replenish my stocks."
Naruto nodded, leading the way to their room. "You know, I never ended up asking you about girls."
Sasuke raised his eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
"Well… I don't know, but last time it looked like you were sort of…enjoying Ino and Sakura-chan fighting over you."
Sasuke shrugged.
"Sooner or later I'll have to pick a wife. Maybe more if the rumors about the clan restoration act are true. I need to start looking for a good candidate."
"What's that clan restoration thing?"
Sasuke shrugged "Something I heard from Kiba. The last male member of a clan can have as many wives as he wants to repopulate their clan. I'm pretty sure it doesn't exist."
Naruto frowned. "Sounds like something ero-sennin would put in one of his books. Maybe that's where Kiba read about it."
Sasuke smirked. "Kiba reading porn…yeah, I can see that."
The two had just finished unsealing their fuinjutsu supplies when they heard a knock on the door.
"Dumped already, ero-sennin?" shouted Naruto, opening the door toward a man in a black trench coat with red clouds wearing a slashed Konoha hitai-ate and two sharingan eyes staring at him.
He instinctively tried to close the door, but the man forced it open, wrenching the handle out of Naruto's grip.
"Is this child the nine-tails jinchuriki?" asked a much taller man wearing the same trench coat, his blue skin and shark-like features carrying a massive sword on his back.
"Naruto-kun, you will come with us."
Sasuke noticed something was wrong when Naruto didn't say anything after opening the door. He silently got up, unsheathing his sword.
"Naruto, who's…" He froze for a split second. He was there. The murderer. The kinslayer. Itachi.
"It's been a while, Sasuke"
His voice wasn't cold, the tone casual, almost mockingly jovial. As if that monster was genuinely happy to see him.
"Today is a special day, isn't it? To see another sharingan user for the second time…"
"Itachi…I will kill you."
"You two look rather familiar…who's the little one?" asked the shark man, his sharpened teeth twisted in a grin.
"My younger brother." replied itachi with disinterest.
"Uh. I had heard you had eliminated your entire clan…You must have missed one."
"I have been chasing this moment since that day. I have lived hating you…"
His hands started to flow through hand signs.
Raiton: Raikoto no jutsu
His hands didn't stop, electricity dancing on his blades as he started the next sequence.
"...just so I could kill you!"
Katon: Engeki no jutsu
His blade was engulfed by flames, cracking behind the strains of two clashing elements as Sasuke dashed forward. Naruto jumped to the side, avoiding Sasuke's charge.
Sasuke's blade swung, leaving arcs of chakra through the air, more and more cracks on the blade for every second that passed. The shark man looked amused, observing the charging boy with the detached yet appreciative look that a master has towards a brilliant student.
Itachi dodged, weaving through the strikes, a few swings barely clipping his coat, leaving scorch marks upon the fabric. With a scream of rage, he plunged the sword towards Itachi's chest. He saw itachi raising a kunai to block the attack. He saw the chakra passing over the blade, fire licking at the exposed skin of his hand, lightning sparks biting at his flesh. He saw the blade of his sword impacting against Itachi's kunai, and he saw the blade shattering, the jutsu dissipating now that the sword was no longer. Itachi grabbed him by the neck, squeezing, and he slammed him against the wall, the strength of the impact emptying his lungs.
"Sasuke!" Shouted Naruto, drawing Ashina's swords, ready to jump in, only to be forced to block the strike of a massive sword covered in bandages.
"It's rude to interrupt a family reunion."
The blue swordsman pushed Naruto against the wall, his back resting against it while his hands were forced to keep up Ashina's blades to block the giant sword from biting into Naruto's body. How could that guy have so much strength in just one arm?
Itachi closed his eyes, the pattern of his eye morphing into the kaleidoscope of the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Tsukuyomi no jutsu
Sasuke tried to scream in agony, his lungs already empty, before his body slumped in Itachi's hands. He leaned forward to his brother's ear.
"Your power is lacking because your hatred is equally lacking."
Kuchiyose: Gamaguchi Shibari no jutsu
The walls of the hotel turned into flesh, Naruto and Sasuke being absorbed into their folds, freeing them from their enemy's grapple.
"Too bad for you… Itachi, Kisame…you are already within my stomach." proclaimed a confident Jiraiya, the raven haired woman slumped unconscious over his shoulder.
The swordsman smirked "So, that's a Sannin for you…I suppose thinking such a simple method could only stall for so long, after all…"
"You slumped to the point of using an innocent woman as your pawn…you really are after Naruto, after all."
"No wonder Kakashi knew about this…you were his source." mused Itachi.
"You'd be right. The orders from Akatsuki were simple: kidnap Naruto Uzumaki."
Jiraiya frowned "You won't get him. You two will die here, digested by Iwagama." he tapped the floor with his sandal and the walls began to shift, slowly closing in.
"Kisame, come!" shouted Itachi, jumping behind the corner, immediately followed by the shark swordsman.
The walls stopped squeezing, shaking in pain, before the justu shattered and the walls returned to normal. Jiraiya dashed around the corner, finding a broken wall burning with black flames, while Naruto had jumped toward Sasuke, catching the boy before he hit the ground.
"Sasuke! Wake up, teme!"
But Sasuke didn't respond, simply staring into nothingness. Naruto ran through all the checks Risu-sensei had taught them. Sasuke wasn't injured. He was breathing, his heart was still beating and his chakra levels were ok. He tried to dispel a genjutsu, but no matter what he did, nothing seemed to help the Uchiha snap out of his condition.
"Naruto?" The hand on his shoulder took his attention away from Sasuke and to what was happening around him. Jiraiya pointed at Gai. "He's going to take Sasuke to the village. You and I need to continue our mission. The woman we're after is actually a great healer, I'm sure she can help your friend get better."
Naruto nodded. "Let's hit the road, then! We can't afford to waste time here when Sasuke is in that condition!" he shouted with conviction.
Despite his wishes to tell Naruto to calm down and settle in for the night, Jiraiya knew he just couldn't. He nodded, packed up Sasuke's stuff and hit the road with Naruto.
Five days later, a bar in Tanzaku city
This new jutsu turned out to be far more complicated that what Naruto first imagined. Jiraiya had demonstrated its strength by leaving a giant hole into a rock, and Naruto recognized the jutsu as the same one the sage had used against the Ichibi, if only much smaller in size.
The pervert had praised the jutsu's versatility and Minato's genius for creating a jutsu that required only three one-handed seals in his base form, granting the wielder the ability to turn a simple punch into a deadly attack mid-swing.
The first stage of the exercise was simple: rotate the chakra to make a water balloon explode. On the third day, Naruto had found a way to cheat the technique by using two hands to rotate chakra in different directions.
Despite Jiraiya's claim that the first phase of training had passed, he told Naruto that such a shortcut removed the Rasengan's strongest advantage over similar jutsus. After a few minutes of pondering, Naruto had decided to continue practicing on the first phase, and so he did.
"We're eating dinner here." declared Jiraiya.
"Isn't that just a pub?" asked Naruto.
"Dumbass, information is easy to find in places like this one. Didn't Risu-san take you to one?"
"Risu-sensei says drinking at our age will just cause growth problems and doesn't let us enter one."
Jiraiya looked around the place, immediately spotting a blonde woman with a diamond-shaped mark on her forehead.
"Tsunade?!"
"Jiraiya? Why are you in a place like this?" asked the surprised Senju.
After introducing their students to the others, the two males sat down and ordered something to eat.
"Today must be a special day for both of my teammates to come looking for me." commented Tsunade, downing another glass of sake.
"You met with Orochimaru? What happened?"
Tsunade sent a glare towards her apprentice that didn't go unnoticed by Jiraiya. "Nothing much, just a little greeting."
Jiraiya looked unconvinced.
"Why did you come to see me?" she asked, changing the subject.
The sage sighed "I'll go straight to the point. Konoha has requested your presence to discuss your candidacy as the Godaime Hokage."
Naruto almost choked on his ramen.
"Sensei is…" Jiraiya started.
"...Orochimaru killed him. He said so himself."
"The hell? And you just let him go without a fight? He killed your sensei!" shouted Naruto, before turning to his sensei.
"How come the council elected Danzo as the Kazekage immediately but they haven't decided our next Hokage yet!?"
This time it was Tsunade's turn to choke on her drink.
"Danzo as Kazekage?!" she asked dumbfounded.
"Elected under the recommendation of the Wind Daimyo himself. Old war hawk surely knows how to play politics" commented Jiraiya with a snort, emptying his sake glass.
"However, Danzo's coronation has put us in a tough situation. Having Suna as a Konoha puppet state has left the other nations nervous and scrambling to increase their own power in the eventuality of a conflict. Kumo has taken a gamble and made an alliance with the Kiri rebels and Iwa has opened up talks with Takigakure. We need to elect a Hokage who's strong but who has no expansionist ambitions, someone who is far more likely to focus Konoha's effort on maintaining stability and increase both the economy and the living standards of the population, rather than amassing an army. A world-famous doctor like Tsunade-hime is the perfect candidate." He paused. "Your answer? Are you willing to accept?"
Tsunade looked down, a million thoughts cursing through her mind. Orochimaru's promise. The faces of Dan and Nawaki, their dreams of one day becoming Hokage and finally, the haunting memory of their deaths.
"Impossible. I decline" she said in a whisper.
Naruto frowned. He didn't like the fact this woman turned down the offer he had dreamed of receiving since he first saw Hokage-jiji walking the streets of the village, but he had to drag her back to the village to heal Sasuke.
"That's her decision and all, but isn't she the best medic in the world? Can she just come to the village and help Sasuke get out of his coma? She's still a Konoha ninja, right? She has to follow the orders of the council, right?"
"Jiraiya, this kid seems worse than your previous apprentice in terms of both looks and intelligence." commented Tsunade.
"Hey. listen up, you…" started Naruto, before being interrupted.
"Well, it's tough for anyone to measure up to Minato. He was exceptionally talented, smart, reliable… almost as handsome as me." commented Jiraiya with a chuckle.
"But even he died quickly." replied Tsunade in a contemplative tone
"He died for the village. Life is different from money, it can't be games away that easily." She chuckled. "Those fools."
Naruto clenched his teeth, his anger rising.
"My grandfather and my granduncle both focused too much on bringing peace to our home, but died before they could accomplish their dreams…" continued Tsunade.
"You changed a lot, Hime."
"I'm in my 50's, Jiraiya. Age changes people. I bet it was the same for Sarutobi-sensei."
Jiraiya's eyebrow twitched.
"Being Hokage is a death sentence. Only an idiot would willingly take the job."
Naruto jumped on his feet, hand cocked back ready to strike the woman when Jiraiya grabbed his arm and forced him back on his seat.
"Sit down Naruto." ordered Jiraiya.
"Hell no! I can't forgive anyone who badmouths the Yondaime and Sandaime-jiji! I don't care if she's a woman! I'm going to kick her ass!" shouted Naruto.
Tsunade leaned forward. "You've got guts, gaki. Let's take this outside."
Naruto followed the woman outside, the two standing in front of one another on an empty road.
"I'm one of the sannin, I don't need to get serious to fight with this little ninja boy. One finger should be enough." boasted Tsunade.
Naruto growled, unsheathing Ashina's blades and charging forward, blades swinging.
Tsunade dodged to the side of the first swing, and ducked under the second attack. As Naruto went for a stab, Tsunade hit his wrist, launching his arm upwards and forcing his grip to release the sword. Damn, the woman was strong.
As Naruto prepared for another slice with his remaining blade, Tsunade flicked him on the forehead, launching the boy tumbling down the street. He got up, ready to charge in again, before Ashina's sword fell from the sky, barely half a meter from his head and stabbing into the ground with a thunk, shortly followed by his hitai-ate.
"Hey kid! I'll ask you one thing before you pass out. Why do you get so worked up on the Hokages?" asked the blonde woman.
"Unlike someone like you, I will one day reach and grab onto that position. Because becoming Hokage is my dream." said Naruto with conviction.
He saw a flash of sadness over Tsunade's eyes. Recognizing his moment, Naruto swiftly unsealed his new weapon and swung it downward, charging it up with as much chakra as he could master.
Futon: Kamaitachi no jutsu
A torrent of wind swept the street, forcing Tsunade, her apprentice and thor pet pig to jump on a nearby rooftop for safety.
"Jiraiya! Have you taught him how to use a Kyodai Sensu?" demanded Tsunade.
"Actually, I've been teaching him the Rasengan. The Kyodai Sensu is something of a spoil of war he picked up during the Suna invasion."
Tsunade tsk'd. "That's just like you. Giving the boy a weapon he cannot properly use while teaching him a jutsu he has no hope of mastering. No wonder the kid has a head full of impossible dreams."
"Shut up you hag! I'll show you impossible! I'll complete the Rasengan before the week is over!"
Tsunade snorted, not even bothering to contain her amusement. "That's a bold claim, gaki. Are you sure you can stand by those words?"
"I won't take back my words. That is my nindo, my ninja way!"
Tsunade smiled "Well, well, well…I'll take you on that bet. If you can complete the Rasengan by the end of the week, I will acknowledge your ability to one day become Hokage and I'll give you this necklace." She said, showing him the gem around her neck.
"Tsunade-sama! You'd bet the Shodaime's necklace?!"
Naruto glared at the blonde. "If I win, you'll come back to the leaf and take the hat."
"Deal! But if you lose…" she tossed his wallet up in the air. When had she taken it? "...I'll be taking this."
"Deal!" shouted back Naruto. He already knew of a shortcut to complete the first phase, he just needed to find another cheat for the next two steps and master the technique in the future.
Tsunade nodded, turning around.
"Tsunade, can we have a drink together? It's been a long time… Shizune, how about you and Naruto go find us two rooms for the night?"
The black-haired woman nodded, then guided Naruto through towards the closest hotel.
"I'm sorry for what happened, but I don't want you to misunderstand Tsunade-sama. She wasn't like this before."
Naruto frowned, but kept listening to her story.
"To Tsunade-sama, that necklace is just as important as her own life. It's not something that should be carelessly bet on."
"How was I supposed to know that? She's the one who waged it!"
"That should tell you how strong her conviction is! She's sure that the road you're traveling upon will lead you to your death!" Shizune's expression turned grim "It's history repeating all over again. Just like her brother… just like uncle Dan… Tsunade-sama thinks the necklace is cursed to kill anyone wearing it except for herself, and only because she has no intention of becoming Hokage."
The two walked in silence to the hotel. Once in their room, Naruto unsealed a rubber ball. It was time to train and discover a cheat for the second phase.
A week later, Tanzaku city outskirt
Naruto woke up from the previous day's exhaustion. He had found out that drawing a symbol on his palm would help him concentrate the chakra's rotation enough for him to make the rubber ball explode, but the third phase was exponentially harder. He had thought of a cheat, but he had been far too tired to test out his theory. He'd have to wing it today while showing Tsunade his results. He cursed himself for not having thought of such a simple solution a few hours sooner.
He noticed Shizune sleeping on the floor and shook her awake.
"What day is today?!" she shouted.
"Uh… Monday? Why?" answered Naruto, confused.
Shizune looked at him, in shock. She had forgotten the boy was the Kyuubi jinchuriki.
"Where's the old hag? Today is the day of the bet!"
Shizune darted off towards the window.
"Naruto, stay inside!" she ordered, before being stopped by a kunai landing of the window frame. She looked down, noticing an extremely short-breath Jiraiya.
"Wait… Tsunade…put some drugs in my sake. I can't control my chakra, I can barely hold a kunai."
Naruto snorted "You lame ass! After all your bragging you end up in this state? Did you lose your mind after she showed a little bit of cleavage!?"
"Shut up! Tsunade is still the best Iryo Ninja in the world, of course she would make a drug to get me like that!"
Shizune frowned.
"Hey, Shizune… Don't you think it's about time you told us what she talked about with Orochimaru?" asked Jiraiya
Shizune got up. "We don't have much time. Follow me, I'll explain on the way."
Notes
And we're back on track
Itachi's meeting had very few changes on the scene, and I kinda skipped the Amaterasu. Y'all know it exists, so I can't say it's gonna be a surprise, but maybe the details on how it works will surprise you once I get to Shippuden
I made a small change to the Rasegan, which now requires 3 hand signs, but them being one-handed should make it essentially the same as canon. The hand signs are a requirement because like I mentioned in the past, CONSISTENCY within the established rules is very important to me. Also, in this setting Naruto has a wider arsenal of jutsu, so I had him focus on mastering the Rasengan the proper way instead of cheat it out by using a second hand. Not that it changes much in this arc since he's trying to cheat it out to win the bet
I tried to make Tsunade's opinion on the Hokage position be a form of denial, an idea she came up in her grief that she only keeps due to willfull ignorance and denial. Not sure if that came across, but I hope it'll make the shift from "i'll never be Hokage" to "I'll be Hokage" a bit more organic
New Jutsu
Tsukuyomi no jutsu: y'all know that one. Again, the -no jutsu is there for consistency's sake
Kuchiyose: Gamaguchi Shibari no jutsu: trap people into the stomach of a giant toad
Answering PM/Reviews
Misara is dead, sorry if that was a bit unclear
I did some research and it's a translation error/inaccuracy in the italian version (I'm italian btw): Ferrets are a type of Weasels, but the italian translation for weasel is not really used outside of scientific discourse, so the translator opted for using Ferret instead. I should have probably checked the english version tbh
We have no info on the stick whatsoever, we just know that Fukasaku uses it and he refers to it as "his staff". Called it the stick since it feel in character for Jiraiya to nickname it that, but apart from that... the stick is truly a mystery. I don't plan on making it a relic of the sage of six path (that'd be a bit excessive imo), but I still want it to be a bit more than just a random stick Fukasaku picked off from the ground. Funnily enough, we don't know much about chakra paper wood either, so... maybe I'll expand on chakra wood as well? I'll think about it and we'll see when it comes to it