Naruto: Journal of Hope
After the second half of the Chunin Exams Naruto is passed over by Kakashi to train Sasuke. Angry, he storms out and runs far away to an almost forgotten place. There he stumbles across a journal, written by his mother and holding the secrets of his lineage. Inspired by his parents' love, hope and dreams, he decides to become the Ninja his parents believed he could be.
Chapter XVIII: The Bet of a Lifetime
It was the next day when Naruto and Jiraiya were about to set off to find Tsunade at a place called Tanzaku-Street, a supposed gambling area where the former Sannin was currently residing. Unfortunately for them, Tsunade was also being tracked down by her other former teammate and the instigator of the Sand/Sound Invasion. Orochimaru and his accomplice Kabuto. While they had her location, Jiraiya and Naruto were close behind following the breadcrumbs she left behind…
And by breadcrumbs, we mean gambling debts… a lot of them.
At this point, it was a race against time to see who could reach the former Shinobi before the other. But while on the road Jiraiya began to teach Naruto one of the most powerful jutsu the Fourth Hokage had ever created. The Rasengan. A Jutsu that was said to be the epitome of Chakra Shape Transformation. It took Minato three years to create and master the Jutsu, even in its incomplete state. And now in only a week, thanks to the Shadow Clone Jutsu, Naruto has mastered two of the three stages.
"But now it's time to master the final step," Jiraiya said as they stood outside the town. "Now, given what you've learned, tell me what you think the final step will be?" he asked as Naruto pondered, recalling everything he knew so far about the Rasengan.
"Well…the first stage was learning how to rotate my chakra, the second was increasing the power…so I think this one is about containing it and then releasing it?" he asked as Jiraiya nodded.
"Spot on, you are starting to pick things up more. You take the first two stages and combine them to reach the third step. Now this one requires using one of the Water Balloons from the First Step - Minus the Water inside." He held up one of the balloons as Naruto stared at it. "Now right now it doesn't look like much, but inside it looks more like this…" he held up his other hand as the Rasengan took shape. "Notice how the balloon doesn't even twitch? That's because I've created a small 'Wall' between the Spinning Chakra and the Balloon out of my Chakra. This maintains the speed and power of the Jutsu until I inevitably release it," he explained as Naruto raised a brow.
"So out of curiosity, what happens if I don't do that?" Naruto had to ask.
"Well, take a look…" Jiraiya said as he only created the spinning chakra and maxed out the power. It carved a spiral shape into the tree. "Does a bit of damage, but not by much. Now watch what happens when I create the wall…" he created another Rasengan and slammed it into the tree. The Rasengan began to grind and burrow through the wood easily and essentially carved a large hole in the tree. "See the difference? The Power is more contained and focused and delivers far more damage," he said as Naruto stared in awe.
"Whoa…so without this 'Wall' the Chakra just disperses and loses the concentrated power. But when it's contained it doesn't. So I have to repeat what I did in the second stage, but learn to contain the power without actually popping the balloon…man my dad was a real genius wasn't he?" he asked as the Toad Sage nodded.
"That he was,"
"Just glad he went with the name mum suggested and not his," he said as Jiraiya laughed.
"Like I said your father was a genius with the Shinobi Arts, but he sucked when it came to naming stuff…" he looked over to his godson as he smiled. "But if he was here right now, I'm sure he'd be proud of how far you've mastered his technique," he said as Naruto nodded. "Okay, we should get moving. Luckily with this step, we can continue the training while on the move, if we're lucky you'll have mastered this stage by the time we reach Tsunade," he said as Naruto nodded and took a balloon.
"So far this hasn't been easy, so I guess this step won't be a walk in the park," Naruto said as he got ready to attempt the third stage.
"Not making clones this time?" Jiraiya asked as Naruto shook his head.
"Not right now, we need to keep moving so creating and maintaining my Clones would just waste my Chakra and Stamina. I mean yeah I've got a lot of Stamina and Chakra, but even I have my limits and probably shouldn't do that on the move. Not to mention walking with several clones of myself would be kind of conspicuous don't you think? Once we stop, I can go back to using the method again. Besides, I'd just end up getting a headache from all that info and we don't know if we'll get attacked on the road, so I kind of need to focus," he said as Jiraiya nodded.
"Fair assessment. I doubt anyone would try to pick a fight with me around. But idiots will always be idiots and they'll pick a fight with anyone, regardless of appearances. But don't worry, we should be fine. Now let's get a move on, we're burning daylight," he said as Naruto nodded and got back to his training.
He grabbed both ends of the Balloon as he channelled his Chakra into the Balloon. He imagined spinning the Chakra rapidly like before, focusing on the centre of the sphere and increasing the power like before. He felt that familiar sensation as the power reached its peak. Now he just had to contain it and make sure the balloon didn't pop. However, despite the refresher lessons he made his clones practice, the Power was too much to control and the balloon popped.
"Knew it," Naruto said as he shook his hand as it stung slightly from the Chakra burst. "This step is a lot harder than the last one. I spent all that time trying to make the rubber ball pop, and now I've got to achieve that same level but not make the thin balloon pop," he stared at his hand as he for a moment imagined his father having the same trouble long ago. "But if Dad could figure it out, then so can I!" he said with determination as the pair continued.
Later - Tanazuka Street Gates
After a few hours on the road, and several exploding balloons later, they made it to the gambling town, where all sorts of tourists and gamblers could be seen wandering the streets. The information had led them to believe that Tsunade was somewhere in this village.
"So we're looking for a notoriously bad gambler in a town especially designed for gambling, and who changes her appearance to hide from her debt collectors…talk about finding a needle in a haystack," Naruto commented as he started to get a better grasp on the Rasengan. The ball not exploding as much, merely wiggling or deflating if added too much or not enough.
"She's here, I can feel it. That and the latest sighting of her was in this town. So she can't be that far off. In the meantime, how is the third stage of your Rasengan training coming?" he asked as Naruto held the balloon as it squirmed slightly but didn't explode.
"Getting there, I reckon it'd take me a week to get it down without the clones. Half that time when I use the trick again later," Naruto reported as he was somewhat proud of his progress.
"Good, if your parents were here I'm sure they'd be beaming with pride," Jiraiya encouraged the boy as Naruto smiled. "Now let's get a move on,"
The pair wandered around the village as they started to search the local gambling dens. Eventually, they found a small den that could provide them with answers. Naruto decided to take a small break from his training and used the opportunity to get a better idea of what it was like to gather information on a target. During his training, he started to realize there was more to being a Shinobi than just flashy Jutsu and fighting. There were other aspects he needed to improve on, recalling the main point of the written test during the Chunin Exams was to gather intelligence and information from your opponent. He realized how stupid he had been, and momentarily remembered how kind Hinata was to share her answers. Something that made him smile. But he knew now he couldn't rely on others to always do the intelligence gathering for him. He needed to be better, and that's what he was going to do.
"You want information on the Legendary Sucker? She was here but she lost as usual. She did say that she was going to win back her losses at 'that' place," the gambler hinted cryptically at Jiraiya while Naruto stared at him.
"And let me guess, you won't tell me unless I win it right?" Jiraiya asked as the man nodded.
"I don't get it, why don't you just buy the information from him?" Naruto asked as he was still confused about this whole information gathering.
"There are many methods to gain intel, my dear apprentice, some ways are more effective than others," Jiraiya said as Naruto stared blankly.
"...it's also cheaper isn't it?" he asked as the man chuckled with a nod.
"Yep! The best information is free information!" he said as Naruto rolled his eyes, before turning back to the gambler. "Okay, I'll play for the info. But it better be good, I don't like being fooled." Jiraiya said as he sat down.
"Not so fast," the man said as Jiraiya blinked. "I want to make it more interesting, I'll play for the information, but your student there has to do it," he said as he looked at Naruto like he was fresh meat.
"Huh? Why do I have to play and isn't it illegal for me to play?" he asked as the man grinned.
"You want to learn the ropes, kid, this is how you do it. Besides, it's not real, it's just a 'friendly game', nothing illegal about that. Unless of course, you're a scaredy cat?" the gambler grinned as Naruto felt a blood vessel on his head twitch. He may not be the same Naruto who acted impulsively, but he still didn't like being called a scaredy cat. He looked at Jiraya who nodded as the Uzumaki sighed.
"Okay," Naruto said as he sat down in front of the man. "How do you play?" he asked as Jiraiya was tempted to stop him. But he figured this was an interesting way to teach Naruto the ins and outs of espionage.
'Also I kind of want to test this kid's luck, especially after the last time' Jiraiya pondered as the man shook the dice.
"So here's how it goes, I roll the dice and slam down this cup. Before I reveal the dice you have to say whether it's 'Cho' for an Even Number or 'Han' for an Odd Number. The correct guess wins. If you win, I will give you the intel for free. If I win, you and the old man have to fork over 100,000 Ryo," the man said as Naruto gulped slightly. That was a lot of Ramen money he'd be flushing down the drain. But he needed that information if he wanted to get his friends better.
The Gambler smirked as he looked at Naruto. He could tell the kid had no idea what he was doing and just nodded along. It would be as simple as taking candy from a baby…
Multiple Rolls of the Dice Later
The men of the gambler's den were left in tears and regret as they slumped in misery. It was mathematically impossible for one brat to win every single time. They tried their best to beat him, upping the ante, trying to rig the dice, anything they could think of but he just kept winning. Eventually, all they were left with was their socks and underwear while Naruto walked out with a fat lot of cash and the information they needed. It wasn't like they could go to the authorities to dob him in, they'd shut them down for allowing a minor to gamble. Not to mention they'd be laughed out of town for losing to a kid. The men sat in silence as they tried to make sense of it all.
"...I think I'm going to give up gambling…go back home and work the rice fields with my dad…" one of them said as he was left with nothing.
"...Me too…"
"That was brutal…" Jiraiya said as he and Naruto walked down the street. Another suitcase of cash was safely sealed away in Naruto's scroll as he won over 1 Million Ryo* (around 7000 USD), Naruto shrugged.
"I kept telling them I just wanted the info, not my fault those guys sucked at playing. But why did they have to bet their clothes? That was just weird," Naruto absentmindedly said as Jiraiya stared at the boy.
'This kid is seriously Tsunade's complete opposite. He's got insanely good luck with gambling, while she has infamously bad luck…makes me think that if he ever did lose it would mean something bad is about to happen,' Jiraiya thought to himself.
They made it to the last reported sighting of her, where once again Naruto's luck was impeccable as he picked up a random coin and slotted into the machine and won a ton of cash for his frog wallet. It was smaller than the prizes Naruto had won earlier, but still rather impressive.
'Tsunade is going to have a field day when she finds out about this,' he thought before he returned his attention to the task at hand. 'Still, she couldn't be too far. She was at that den only a short while ago. Need to get a better view, this is a castle town. The Castle should provide the best view,' he thought. "Oi Naruto, we're going to make a quick stop at the castle, Tsunade is here, but I need a better view,"
"...Is that really what you're going to do, or are you just going to perv again?"
"First: ...there are no Hotsprings anywhere near here. Second: I'm being serious. Tsunade is in this town and I need a bird's eye view to find her. Now there should be a Castle here where I spot her, so we'll take a detour here while you continue working on the Rasengan" the perverted hermit explained as they made it to the castle district. Only they noticed one problem…
"Uh, Pervy-Sage…where's the castle?" Naruto looked up to where the Tanazuka Castle should be, however it was nowhere to be seen.
"That's not right. Come on," Jiraiya spoke seriously as they hopped up onto the walls, instantly noticing the destroyed ruins of Castle.
"Whoa, what happened here?" Naruto asked as he looked at the castle. "Almost looks like an earthquake happened," he then noticed someone running. "Hey, what happened here?" he asked as the man looked at them, scared out of his mind.
"Y-you have to get out of here! A monster just destroyed the castle!" the man yelled as he was terrified.
"What did it look like?" Jiraiya inquired, already having a gut feeling about who was responsible.
"It looked like a giant snake!" the man said as Jiraiya's eyes narrowed, while Naruto's widened.
"Hey, weren't giant snakes used in the invasion? Aren't they the summons of that Orochimaru guy?" Naruto asked as Jiraiya nodded. "But why is he here?"
"More than likely he's looking for Tsunade too. After what the old man did to his arms I reckon he thinks she might be the key to healing them. I doubt she could heal that kind of damage, but we can't take that risk. Come on, we need to get moving," he told his young apprentice as Naruto nodded.
Orochimaru, was the man responsible for the invasion, for tricking the sand to betray the leaf, killing so many people and putting the old man in a wheelchair. He was dangerous, that much he knew from the clones. But whatever the Old Man did to him must've been serious enough if he was looking for his former teammate. Which made Naruto wonder about the possibility that he found her first. And if he did, would she help him despite everything he had done to Konoha? He didn't know, he knew parts of Tsunade's past, but didn't know her himself. He just hoped that they would find her first. They had to, his friends were counting on him.
And he wasn't going to let them down.
Later in the Evening - At a Local Bar
Tsunade stared into the liquid of her Sake glass, as she recalled the rather interesting conversation she had with her former teammate. Orochimaru, a man she once considered a friend, had come to her for aid. It seemed that he had lost the ability to use his arms, more than likely during his failed attempt to destroy Konoha. She wasn't uninformed, she too had heard of the invasion that had befallen her former home. Knew that currently, the Third Hokage was alive but unable to fulfill his duties as Hokage. Seems the old man had one last trick up his sleeve. But now the Snake Bastard was incapable of simply healing himself, it seemed he required her help. She almost chuckled at that, in all the years she knew him, he never asked anyone for help.
She was fully intent on denying his request, she was done with anything related to the village and her former teammates. Besides, if he got himself into that situation, he should be able to figure it out himself. But then he offered to bring back the two most important people she had ever lost in her life.
Her little brother Nawaki and her Lover Dan.
She hesitated at the moment, they were the most people in her life. They had both given their lives for the village, in the dream of being the Hokage. Yet all it got them was an early grave, leaving her with nothing but misery and a fear of blood. She did ponder the offer, tempted by the idea of having them back to life. But she knew full well that once she did, Orochimaru would simply try to destroy the Village again. He even admitted it, the smug bastard.
But…would it truly be so wrong?
She had suffered so much, lost both of them to Wars that achieved little to nothing in the grand scheme of things and left her with nothing but misery. She had cut her ties to the village long ago, who cared what happened to it? It was her Grandfather's dream for a village, not hers.
'But then…' she held the necklace that hung around her neck as she thought about them. 'What would you two think of me, if I went along with it?' she thought before she decided to drown herself in more liquor. "Hey! More beer here!" she yelled while Shizune stared at her mentor with worry.
She too was thinking about before, meeting Orochimaru and the offer he made. To bring Nawaki and her Uncle back from the dead. She missed her uncle and knew how much of an effect his death had on Tsunade. But had she fallen that far? Would she willingly aid an enemy of her old home just for the chance to have them back? At this point not even Shizune knew.
"We've checked all over the place and she isn't here. Maybe she skipped town?" they suddenly heard as they looked up.
"She's here someone where," Tsunade flinched at the familiar voice. Two people she hadn't seen in years were suddenly popping up in the span of a few hours. Her luck truly was terrible. "We'll just check out this spot and then…" said as he entered the establishment, he tailed off as they both stared at each other. "...Hey! Hime! It's been a while!" he shouted as Tsunade groaned.
"Just my luck…" she groaned as Jiraiya and some kid plopped themselves down in the seat.
"How are you doing Tsunade, what's it been? Ten, twenty years since we last spoke?" Jiraiya said as Tsunade downed her cup.
"Somewhere around that time…" she said as Naruto stared at her.
'This is her? The Greatest Medical Ninja in the world…she's…not what I imagined…I thought she was supposed to be like 50 years old,' he thought as his gaze wandered at her 'Youthful' appearance. 'But Pervy-Sage did say she changes her appearances a lot…don't say that out loud,' he quickly told himself as he looked over to Shizune. 'So who is she then, her apprentice?' he pondered as he watched the two in silence and ordered some food.
"...I had a rather interesting meeting today…" Tsunade took a sip of her Sake as she sighed in contentment. "Before you, I had a nice little reunion with our old friend…" Jiraiya poured her another cup before drinking his own.
"Orochimaru…" he said as Naruto peered from the corner of his eye while eating his food and listening in on the conversation. "How is he doing, after the little scrap he got into with me and the Old Man,"
"He mentioned something like that…I'm more surprised the Old Man is still alive. Could've sworn the last time those two would face each other only one of them would walk away alive," Tsunade commented as she sipped her drink.
"It was a tough one, but the old man had one last trick up his sleeve. It cost him though, he has to retire for a second time. This time it will more than likely be his last," Jiraiya informed her as she nodded.
"He should've retired years ago. That seat brings nothing but misery…" she said as Naruto raised a brow. "But regardless, why are you here? I doubt there's anything I can do to heal the old man,"
"...Well, to put it bluntly, the Village has decided that you will become the Fifth Hokage," Shizune and Naruto's eyes widened as he had to force the food down his throat. "With the Third no longer able to protect the village, we need you to come back, what do you say?"
Naruto was more than a little stumped at this. He knew they had to find this Tsunade person to help heal the more critically injured, like Sasuke, Lee and Kakashi. But had no idea that part of this mission was to also ask her to become Hokage. If he was his past self he'd have probably said something to put his foot in his mouth. But after his confrontation with Itachi and his training to not blow his top, he had to look at this from a logical sense. From what he knew from Pervy Sage this person was just as strong as him and was the granddaughter of the First Hokage. She had all the qualifications to become Hokage, while he was still just a genin. Plus more than likely this decision was made by the higher-ups, something he'd have no say in the matter. He decided to keep his mouth shut and see how she'd respond.
"...No…I refuse…" she said as Naruto snapped his head to her.
"What!? What do you mean you refuse!?" that lasted longer than expected, as Tsunade turned to him and stared.
"...Who the heck is this kid anyway Jiraiya? Don't tell me after all this time you finally had an illegitimate child and have to take responsibility for it," she said as Naruto's eyes twitched.
'Why you!' he thought as he gripped his fist.
"His name is Naruto Uzumaki, he's my apprentice," he said as Tsunade's eyes widened slightly in familiarity with the surname of the Lost Clan. The Clan of her Grandmother, the Clan of Kushina Uzumaki.
'Uzumaki…so he's the current Nine Tails Jinchuriki… Now that I think about it, he looks a lot like Minato. Did Kushina and Minato finally get together after I left?' she pondered as she briefly recalled Kushina and Minato back in her youth before leaving the village. The Day Kushina nearly lost control of the Nine-Tails and injured Minato, who managed to stabilize her seal. Looks like she finally admitted her feelings and claimed Minato for herself.
"...Apprentice? No offense but this one looks a lot worse than your last one. At least he had the common sense not to interrupt when grown-ups are talking," she returned to her drink as Naruto growled but ultimately said nothing. "Good boy, let the grown-up stalk."
"Well I'll admit he's no Fourth Hokage, but it's hard to compare anyone after him. He had talent, potential, smarts and he was handsome like me!" he laughed at that one as Naruto glared a little. "But the kid here is full of surprises. He's progressing a lot faster than Anticipated. I'm having to put in more effort to train him. The kid is a wild card," Jiraiya slightly boasted as Naruto smiled a bit.
"Yet despite all that promise and potential, the Fourth Hokage still Died…" she cut in as Naruto turned to her. "He had all that talent and he still ended up dying for his Village. If you want my opinion…he was a fool," she said as Naruto began to glare. "Life isn't like Money, to risk it so easily and lose is a fool's errand." Naruto began to grip his fist as his chopsticks snapped.
'The hell is she saying…she did not just call my dad a fool…' Naruto thought angrily to himself as he glared at her.
"Both my Grandfather and Granduncle, the First and Second Hokage, tried to bring peace to our homelands but ended up dying for it. They risked their lives on a fruitless endeavour that can never be achieved." she lamented as Jiraiya stared at her.
"You've changed a lot…I figured you had these thoughts in your mind. But saying them all out loud…" commented as she smirked at him.
"Well, what can I say? I am in my 50's after all. I've seen plenty to change my mind, and as they say 'time changes everything'. Even the Old man. True he managed to survive his latest battle, but from what I heard he'll never stand on his own two feet again. He was once considered the 'God of Shinobi', the second man to ever achieve that title since the First Hokage. But now he has to spend the rest of his days in a chair and shitting in a bag…he would've been better off dying against Orochimaru. Now instead of being remembered as a 'Great Hokage', he'll end up dying as a frail old man too weak to even get out of bed." Naruto was becoming enraged as his chopsticks snapped.
"If you ask me…anyone who takes that seat…deserves the title of fool…" At this point, Naruto had enough as he slammed his hands down on the table and stood up.
"You have no right to say that, you old hag!" Naruto shouted as he glared at her.
"Naruto! This is a bar, don't cause a scene," Jiraiya said as he placed a hand on his shoulder as Naruto snapped at him.
"No! I don't care what you say she's been through! I'm not going to let her talk crap about the Hokages like that!" he snapped his attention back to Tsunade as he glared. "The old man did everything he could to keep Konoha safe! He fought, bled and sacrificed everything he had to save the village! A Village he was proud to serve, no one will ever forget that! And don't you dare say becoming Hokage is a fool's title! The Fourth Hokage was ten times braver than you ever could be! He sacrificed himself to make sure the village was safe, even when he didn't have to! Honestly, I think the village is stupid for wanting someone like you to be Hokage! A washed-up drunk wasting her skills away in dive bars and gambling slots can never be Hokage!" Naruto yelled as he glared at her passive face. "I came out here looking for someone to help my friends, and all we found was some washed-up old lady who can't even win a game of cards against a paper bag!" Tsunade's brow twitched as she glared at the boy.
"You sure know how to run your mouth, don't you brat? Why does the title of Hokage matter so much for you anyway? It's just a title, any old fool can take its place," she said as Naruto stared directly into her eyes.
"I'll tell you why lady, because one day I'm going to become Hokage!" he shouted and for a brief moment, she saw Nawaki and Dan behind him as her eyes widened before they settled into a glare.
"...I take it back… this one is an even bigger fool than all the others…" She stood up and looked him dead in the face. "You have a lot of nerve saying that stuff in front of me…why don't we take this outside?" she said as Naruto glared and shook his head.
"...Don't think I'm an idiot. I know you're just as strong as Pervy-Sage here," she chuckled a little at the same nickname Kishina called him, as Jiraiya sighed. "I can't beat you… not right now anyway. And despite my feelings about you being chosen as Hokage…I can't let them get in the way of my friends getting the help they need…so…what will it take for you to come back?" he asked as she raised a brow.
"Are you trying to bargain with me to come back? That's a first, there might be some brains in that spikey-headed head of yours after all," she said as Naruto ground his teeth and sat down. "What do you honestly have to offer?" she asked as Naruto summoned the briefcases he had and popped them open.
"You like money right? How about this?" he asked as her eyes bugged out of their head. Shizune's too as she had never seen that amount of money, at least as long as she had been travelling with Tsunade, in her entire life.
"...H-how does a kid like you have money like this!?" she asked as her hand shook towards it and she held one of them. They weren't fake notes, they were real.
"I won them, those games you played were super easy to me," he said nonchalantly as she snapped her head to him and then to Jiraiya as he nodded.
"It's true, for some reason this kid has got an insane amount of luck. The last people that tried to swindle us were left with nothing but their shorts," he said as he mentally smirked.
"...W-well it's…very tempting…" she said as she 'sneakily' pocketed one of the stacks of bills down her shirt. Before closing the briefcase, "But if you honestly think buying my loyalty with money is the way to go, then you're an idiot…"
'You just took one of the stacks and shoved it down your shirt…' they all thought as Naruto sealed them back up.
"So try again kid," she said as Naruto glared.
"...Alright…you like to gamble right? How about a bet, I win you come back. You win, we leave and find someone else," he said as she laughed.
"Nice try kid, but since you know about me you know I'm terrible with gambling it wouldn't be a fair game…but I do like a challenge…tell me, what has this old pervert taught you so far?" she asked as Naruto grinned.
"Well, I've started on learning the Rasengan," he said with a smirk as she raised a brow.
"The Rasengan? That's a brazen claim. It took the Fourth Hokage 3 years to create and master that jutsu, a kid like you would need at least half his life to even understand a fraction of the jutsu,"
"Well, I bet I can master it in three days. Three Days and that's all I need," he said as she stared at the boy. She was well aware of her bad luck when it came to gambling. But she had a feeling that Orochimaru's presence would shift her luck, which was a bad thing.
"...Cocky little brat aren't you? Very well, but let's make it more interesting. I'll give you a week to master it, just because I don't believe a runt like you can manage it. If I win, you leave me alone and I keep all those winnings you made,"
"Fine, I don't care about the money anyway," he said nonchalantly as she felt a blood vessel pop on her head. Good luck was wasted on the idiots.
"...Anyway…if you win I'll come back to the village and become Hokage. And as a bonus, I'll give you this," she held up the necklace from around her neck as Naruto felt a sudden stirring from within him.
It was almost…familiar.
"Lady Tsunade! Not your necklace! That's been in your family for years!" Shizune shouted as Naruto shook off the strange feeling and turned to Jiraiya for an explanation.
"What's the deal about that Necklace?" he asked as Jiraiya stared at that 'cursed' item.
"That Necklace has been in the Senju Family since the First Hokage, the Ore it's made of can buy you three mountains. Honestly, I'm surprised she hasn't sold it off already…but then again…" he trailed off remembering the last owners of the Necklaces and the significance it held.
"But Lady Tsunade that necklace is - !" Shizune said before Tsunade cut her off.
"It's fine, it's not like he can master something like the Rasnegan. Besides, it's just a hunk of rock. We have more pressing matters anyway…let's go…'' Tsunade said as Shizune solemnly nodded as they both got up from their seats and left the restaurant.
"Hold up," Jiraiya stopped her as she looked back. "Why don't we get a drink and catch up, it has been a while hasn't it?" he asked as Tsunade stared at them before nodding. "Excellent, Naruto, you and Shizune go find us a Hotel. I need to catch up with Tsunade," he told the two as Naruto and Shizune shared a glance before nodding.
A Short While Later
After Naruto and Shizune went off to find a Hotel, the Toad and Slug Ninja's soon found themselves at a small stand. A Sake bottle was in between them as they sat in silence. A lot of time had passed since they last saw each other.
"It's been years, but you're still as beautiful as the day I met you," Jiraiya broke the ice as Tsunade chuckled.
"And you're still the same idiotic pervert from our days as Genin. You know I still won't accept a date from you," she told him as he chuckled.
"Not like I'm interested anymore. It's been years and you're a 50-year-old woman, after all, my taste in women is a lot more refined," he said as she glared at him.
"What did you say!?" she held up her fist in anger.
"Nothing!" he quickly held up his hands as she scoffed and went back to her drink. "Still, I'm surprised you kept that Necklace after so long. Could've sworn you'd have bet it away years ago…then again…it's the only memento you have of those two. Dan and Nawaki…" Tsunade remained silent as she stared into her drink.
"...Don't think I don't know what you were planning," she said as he raised a brow. "Naruto…he reminds me a lot of Nawaki and Dan…that is a cheap move trying to use him as leverage to get me to come back," she said as Jiraiya chuckled
"The thought never crossed my mind…" he lied as he sipped from his drink. "Besides…I have faith in him to win the bet. Not just because he has really good luck, but I've seen him push himself harder than anyone else. So I know he'll do it," he said as he smiled softly
"I guess we'll find out in a week…but I have to know, did he seriously win all the money?" she asked as he laughed a little.
"Oh yeah he did, first time at an illegal gambling den he stumbled upon looking for you, and another at this dice bar we found trying to get info,"
"Tch! Kids got all the luck…" she said as Jiraiya sighed.
"Maybe…or maybe the universe is trying to balance out all the bad stuff that's happened to him…life he's lived has been rough, and recently he's learned some things that have changed his perspective. So, let's just say your little comment about the Hokages dug a little deeper into him than it would've beforehand," he told her as she raised a brow before shaking her head. The message translated to her in clarity. Naruto knew about his parents, but the truth needed to stay secret. Secrets she could respect at least.
"I see…" she said as she sipped her drink. "Not that it will change anything, being Hokage is still a fool's errand. Better they find someone else," she said as Jiraiya avoided eye contact with her.
"...Maybe…but I guess Orochimaru must've offered up something pretty important for you to not take the offer," her eyes widened slightly at this, but she schooled her features.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said as she downed her cup.
"I could see it from Shizune's face, plus you gave him a week to master the Rasengan. Which means you're buying time to make your decision. He must've told you something juicy if you are willing to gamble your necklace on a childish bet. Look I don't know what he offered you, but I want you to at least be cautious. You know as well as I do that anything he says will be laced with poison. His offer might be sweet but it will come at a terrible cost…" he warned her as she ignored his gaze and focused on the necklace in her hand.
"...But if you do consider his offer there's one thing I want to make clear…" he held up the glass to his lips as he stared off into the distance. "The Hokage of the past protected the people of the Village and reigned in the terrible times that would've otherwise destroyed it. They protected the Ideal of Konoha by betting their lives on that Dream your Grandfather started. You of all people should understand that…but if you intend to betray the Leaf…" he looked back at her as he glared into her soul with the utmost seriousness.
"I will not hesitate to kill you," his words held no hesitation, only truth, and she could see that as plain as day.
"...I told you before…the village has nothing to do with me," she told him as he shook his head.
"...Only someone who's experienced the death of the people close to them and say that without feeling anything is nothing more than a butcher. But I know you are not like that. Deep down you still care for the village, especially after that time-"
"Stop lecturing me already!" she cut him off as she glared and stood up. "Bringing the kid doesn't change anything, no matter how much he reminds me of 'them', so stop wasting your breath…" she told him coldly as she walked out of the bar.
"...Well that could've gone better…" he said to himself as he finished off his drink. 'Let's just hope the seeds of doubt have crawled in…because we need her back…but what have you promised her, Orochimaru?' he stared at the retreating thought as he questioned what his former teammate had planned.
Meanwhile - Hotel Room
Naruto stared up at the moon as he held in his palm another of the water balloons, as he was determined to master the Rasengan before the week was up. Sure, he estimated that with the clones he could have it down in three days. But, during the conversation, he had a feeling that there was more going on than they let on. The Pervy-Sage probably knew something else was about to go down and this Tsunade was in the middle of it. He didn't know what was about to happen, but he figured he needed to be ready for it.
"Still…why did they have to pick her of all people to become Hokage? She doesn't care about it, even disrespected them. Why give it to someone who has no appreciation for it?" he asked himself as he was about to return to his training when he heard a knock on his door. Before he would've just opened it, but after that incident with Itachi he had to be more cautious.
"Who is it?" he asked while Slipping a Kunai out of his holster.
"It's me, Shizune…Tsunade's apprentice, may I come in?" she asks as Naruto sighs in relief and opens the door.
"Sure, come on in," he said as he entered the room. "What do you need? Cause I was about to do some training before bed," Shizune sighed as she sat down on the mat.
"Listen, Naruto…there's something I think you should know about Tsunade and that necklace she's wagering. You have to understand she was never like this. She used to be very caring and loved the village with all her heart. Especially her Brother Nawaki and her Lover Dan…but then the Second Great War happened, and she…" she trailed off as Naruto figured out the rest.
"She lost them both, right?" he asked as she nodded. "Pervy sage told me about that…what were they like?" he asked as Shizune chuckled.
"From what I heard, her brother was a lot like you. Stubborn, determined, shouting to the world that he would become Hokage, he deeply loved the Village," she said as she recalled the times her master talked about her little brother in her drunken stupor. "Uncle Dan was calmer and he too had a great love for the village,"
"Uncle?"
"Yes, he was my Uncle. It was thanks to his support that Lady Tsunade's initiative to have Medical Ninja assigned to teams was approved. It helped save countless lives…however…" She recalled the day Tsunade came back from the mission, her face hollow and empty from watching the man she loved die despite her best efforts to save him. "She lost Nawaki while he was on a mission and then Uncle Dan during a mission she was a part of. She tried to save him but it was too late…and it's scarred her ever since…" she explained as Naruto sighed.
"...Look, I get she's been through some stuff and I'm sorry about that. But she's not the only one who's lost people. I only just learned about my parents, and they both died during the Nine-Tails attack when I was born. They gave their lives for the Village and that makes me want to keep going on, to honour their memory. And when she talked about the Hokages like that, it's not just something I can ignore." he told her as she nodded. "But I'm guessing there's more to it, isn't there? Something about the Necklace?" he asked as she nodded.
"That Necklace she wears…it was worn by both of them just before they died," she told him as he raised a brow. "That necklace is cursed and doesn't seem to acknowledge anyone but Tsunade. Both Nawaki and my Uncle died while wearing it. I know it's stupid to believe in superstitions but it's the Truth. Anyone who wears that Necklace, other than Lady Tsundae…will die…" she told him as he stared at her. "So I'm asking you not to win this bet, you're still young and have so much more to live for," she asked him as the boy stared before his eyes settled into a glare and he stood up and walked to the door.
"Naruto?"
"I'm going to train…" he said as her eyes widened.
"But why!? After all, I just told you why would you still want to win this stupid bet!?" she screeched at him as he gripped his fist.
"Because I don't care if this damn thing is cursed, I don't back down from anything! And like it or not the Village needs a Hokage, even if it's her. So I'm going to prove both of you wrong and win this bet! Because one day I'm going to become Hokage! And I'm not going to let something as stupid as a curse get in my way!" he shouted before slamming the door shut and leaving the woman staring in disbelief.
The way he spoke with such dedication and conviction, shook something within her. Something she hadn't felt since leaving the village all those years ago.
Hope?
Little did he know that Tsunade was listening in from outside the hotel as she curled herself up and allowed the memories of her two loved ones to play out in her mind.
Later that Night - Deserted Location near the Town
Naruto held the balloon in his palm as he focused on creating the wall around the Jutsu. Around him were fifty other clones of himself as they too got to work on mastering this technique. It was a lot harder than the last two stages, but thanks to the clones and his Chakra COntrol improving, it was coming along smoothly.
"Although at this stage…" Naruto grunted as he held the ball in his hands, this time trying to create a Rasengan without the Balloon. "I think I can only do this with two hands…" he said as he held the spinning ball of Chakra in his hands. He looked up to the tree as he yelled and thrust his palm into the wood.
"Rasengan!" he shouted as the sphere of Chakra began to grind its way into the wood, but started to lose power a quarter of the way in.
"Damn it…hey! I think I need more power on that one!" he said as one of the clones dispelled and he felt the information rushed into him. "Okay…let's try that…'' he started creating another Rasgengan as the Jutsu came to life, it was more stable than last time as he thrust the Jutsu into the tree and got in further than before. But the Jutsu then lost control and exploded, throwing him back and skidding across the ground.
"Ow!" he shouted as he landed on a boulder. He groaned as he got back up and shook his hand that had slight burns on it. "Okay…too much that time…you guys got that!?" he shouted to the clones who nodded and started to adjust their control. "Yeah…I think I can get this down in three days…"
"Well that's good to hear," he heard the familiar voice of Jiraiya as the Toad Sage walked up behind him. "Seeing you master this Jutsu in far less time than your old man and I did is quite astonishing, makes me a little jealous," the Toad Sage said as Naruto nodded while swiping the sweat off his brow.
"Yeah, well…not everyone has the same Chakra levels as I do or can use the Clones as I can…Kiba was right…this is kind of a hack…" he told the pervy sage as he got ready to start again. "Hey…do you think mum would've been able to do this? If she was like me then…maybe she would have mastered it faster than both of you,"
"It's a good question, but one I can't answer. Wasn't in the village much to know if she ever mastered it, and the Clone Trick is something no one has ever considered, until recently. The only reason it works on you is because of how much of a Chakra and Stamina Freak you are, in a good way." he quickly addressed as Naruto nodded.
"No offence taken…so…I'm guessing you're here about something else? If it's to stop this bet, forget it. Shizune already tried to stop me, and I don't care if that Necklace is cursed. I'm winning this bet and getting her to come back…" he said as he began to train again.
"No, I wasn't and I should've figured she'd try something like that. I just need you to not tell her when you master this technique," he asked as Naruto paused and looked back at the pervert.
"...I'm guessing you have a reason for this?" Naruto asked as the man nodded.
"You've probably already guessed that something is bothering Tsunade. She should've skipped town by now, but she's staying. So that means something is keeping her here and I think you've worked that out already,"
"...Orochimaru, right? He offered her something, didn't he?" he asked as he started to piece it all together. If he was his old self he'd have never caught on. But now that he was thinking things through more carefully and analyzing the situation. "But what could he offer her in return?"
"That I do not know. But from the guess of it, she has a week to decide. So, until then I want you to keep mastering this Jutsu, but I want you to make it look like it's taking a Week instead of three days," Jiraiya asked as Naruto raised a brow.
"Why do I have to make it look like it's taking me longer to master it? Wouldn't it be better if I just master it and show her?"
"It would, but I get the feeling she's working things out. Weighing her choices and debating whether or not she'll follow through with it. I don't want to believe she'll betray the village, but I have to be prepared for that possibility…" he told him as Naruto narrowed his gaze.
"...You're going to…kill her?" he asked as the man stared silently. "But I thought she was your old teammate, your friend, why would you want to kill her? Don't we need her?" he asked as the toad Sage sighed.
"It's not that I want to, but it's what I might have to do if she betrays the leaf. It's happened before, those we once thought of as friends betraying the leaf for their selfish gain. You've experienced it from Mizuki, remember?" Jiraiya asked as Naruto remembered the former teacher who tricked him into stealing the Scroll of Sealing. The feeling of betrayal from someone he thought of as a mentor stung him deeply that day.
"I read the incident report, and from what we can tell he was planning to sell those secrets to our enemy. If he had succeeded, there's no telling what kind of damage he could've caused. My point is if someone you once considered a friend turns on everything you believe in. You have to be prepared to do what needs to be done to keep the ones you love safe…so like it or not, she should return with us as a friend…rather than fall into the hands of the enemy…do you understand?" he asked as Naruto was silent.
"...I guess…" he said as Jiraiya nodded and started to walk away. "But something tells me she won't…" he looked back as Jiraiya raised a brow. "Shizune told me that both Nawaki and Dan love the village. If she turned against the Village…I don't think she'd ever be able to live with herself," he said as he returned to his training, while Jiraiya stared at the boy before he smirked.
"Well kid…" he said as he turned around and walked away. "Let's hope that luck of yours pays off," he said as he looked up to the moon.
'Because I get the feeling we're going to need all the luck we can get…'
And Scene. Well here is the long-awaited Chapter of Naruto: Journal of Hope. I'm so sorry for the long wait, I've been busy. Working during the Holidays is a nightmare, and I had little time or energy to update. Plus I've been rereading some of the comments and found myself agreeing with some of it. Yes, sometimes my story rehashes the manga and show, but I am only using it to work towards changes I want to make. Massive changes are coming, so please be patient.
Also, it should be noted in the official Minato One Shot Manga, that Tsunade was in the village around the time Kushina lost control of the Nine-Tails and Minato stabilised her seal. It's canonical. Minato fought in both the 2nd and 3rd Ninja Wars. He only became famous in the Third for his Ninjutsu the Flying Raijin. So clearly it was before Dan died.
For example, the Fight that should've happened. Naruto is no longer oblivious to some of the things going on around him. He's taking notes, he's listening in, and he's able to gauge the strength between himself and someone of Tsunade's calibre. So he has to use his brain a bit more to convince her to come back to the village. For that reason some of the stories have to follow that way because that's unfortunately how it plays out, Orochimaru gave Tsunade a week to decide, so Naruto has to make it look like he's taking a week to master the Rasengan. This will give him the advantage of being more prepared for when she turns on Orochimaru and not having wasted his Chakra the night before.
Now the bet, I was having difficulty initially trying to write this part out. In the Manga, it takes him a week to make the Shortcut to the final stage, a stage he sticks to till close to the end of the Manga. But thanks to the Clone trick it accelerated the time frame, which made it difficult to write. So, I had to come up with the excuse that Naruto has to 'pretend' to take his time mastering the Rasengan, to find out if she will betray the leaf or not. (She won't obviously), but it's also his determination that sways her in the end. And that's essential for her Character.
Also, the Rasengan is an extremely difficult Jutsu to master, taking Minato Three years and Jiraiya three months to master it. The final stage is the hardest stage controlling both power and speed at the same time, Naruto himself says it was like looking in both directions at the same time. I've managed to shorten it down to three days but even with Naruto's improved Chakra Control, it will take him a while to do it one-handed. Plus he gets busy and distracted afterwards with missions that he wouldn't find the time to train as much, especially with the shortage of manpower. So please keep that in mind.
Also in regards to Kabuto and his fight with Kakashi and Gai. Don't forget he is essentially a Jonin-level Ninja, he was only pretending to be a Chunin during the Exams to spy on the Leaf. He was trained by Root and had Sound Jonin with him during the invasion. He's also an experienced Medical ninja, so he's not an easy foe to take down, especially when he's not alone. The only reason he lost to Naruto was his overconfidence and Nruto's unpredictability. So please keep that in mind. And don't worry, the battle itself won't play out exactly like in the manga/show, so I hope you will all be pleasantly surprised. So with that out of the Way, stay tuned for the next chapter in…
Chapter XIX: Battle of the Three