A/N: Playing around with both poe . com and Microsoft Copilot can be blamed here.
But we're here, in the Retrieve Tsunade arc.
With any luck, I've satisfied you with this chapter.
…
[En route to Tanzaku Gai]
A leaf emblem with a spiral within, machine-tooled onto a steel plate.
Such a simple design, and yet it held so much meaning to those who wore it.
Naruto fingered the depressions of the crest on his hitai-ate. Nothing ornate about this one, just a standard steel plate flying the Konoha crest, riveted onto a dark blue bandana. He'd received it not too long after he'd graduated, just before going on this mission to retrieve a Hokage candidate. Contemplation was in his mind on what this meant now that he had a hitai-ate - by all legal definitions, he was a Konoha shinobi. The only thing that stopped him from traveling the world in order to familiarize himself with this Plane was the fact that he couldn't travel outside of his work as a shinobi.
It was due to this crest that the Shinobi of Konoha would risk life and limb to aid compatriots when they could. Case in point being that Gai-san had rushed all the way from Konoha to the inn they were at in order to back up Sasuke before it was too late - and Sasuke wasn't even one of his students. It was a lot like the camaraderie he'd experienced as a raid commander during the New Phyrexian Invasion…all of them had homes and bonds to fight for, and then their newfound bonds with their fellow fighters.
"Wear that with pride, you're a Konoha shinobi now," Jiraiya said above him.
Naruto huffed as he tied the headband around his neck like a gorget. "Just letting it sink in, I suppose. The very thought of being a Konoha Shinobi?"
"It really is an honor," Jiraiya replied, "Though you seem conflicted."
"You could say that," Naruto admitted, "I guess I've been displaced for so long, that I've gotten used to the idea that I might not stay longer than a couple weeks at most. I tell you, it ain't easy being a wanderer without a home for so long - it's hard to make meaningful connections in any of the places you go to unless they're nomads just like you. Even now, after a few months in Konoha, I still feel lost…and yet, the irony of it all is that I'm already home. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm still acclimating to the idea that I'm home and that it's time to start planting roots, you know what I'm saying?"
"Well, you just need to find yourself again. Find the kid who dreamt of being Hokage and showing everyone what you were made of."
Naruto chuckled sadly. "Easier said than done."
"He's still in there, just lost somewhere," Jiraiya assured, "It won't be that hard to find him again so long as you have a reason to be a Shinobi."
"While we're on the subject of reasons, I've a question: I've already met Zabuza, and I had a feeling he's gone rogue…and yet he still wears the crest of his village undefaced and with pride. But Kisame and Itachi? Their village crests were scratched out. Care to tell me why some Shinobi still fly their village's crests even though they've clearly turned their backs on their homes?"
"Although they've discarded their allegiances, they still haven't discarded their pride as Shinobi. That's something else you need to understand."
"On that note, we can agree," Naruto replied, nodding in assent, "Though I doubt you're just here to tell me about reasons to be a Shinobi."
"I think we both know that for all your schooling, you still don't understand a thing about this world you're supposed to call your home," Jiraiya replied, "The way you're going, you're not gonna survive a second. I'm pretty sure that fight you had with Kisame and Itachi should've given you a good idea of what sort of fights to expect from particularly challenging opponents around here. Let me tell you, Zabuza and Gaara were not exactly on their level either."
"I've had an inkling," Naruto admitted, nodding in assent, "I've fought them myself, after all. Probably one of the toughest fights I've ever had on this plane so far."
"I want you to tell me why I should teach you anything," Jiraiya replied, seriously, "Tell me why I should trust you at all."
"And that there is a problem, Jiraiya," Naruto reminded, "You seem to have done this spy network thing for so long that you've forgotten one key thing about trust: it starts with a leap of faith. You've already taken that leap when you chose to bring me along in the first place—I highly doubt you're gonna half-ass it and teach me nothing."
"That may be, but it's a matter of when," Jiraiya countered, "In this case, when you'll be ready to learn; for all your enthusiasm, you lack an understanding of why you should be learning these techniques. Up till now, you've relied on what you learned from other worlds, barely tapping into the potential of implementing Ninjutsu."
"Is it any wonder why I fall back on magic?" Naruto asked, "It's one of the tools I've relied on to help me survive my journey home. The only reliable teacher I've had so far on how to perform a Jutsu, aside from the library, was Konohamaru, and that's only at an introductory level. So what's it gonna take for you to teach me properly?"
Jiraiya was silent in thought as he pondered his next move. A minute was all he needed to find an idea. "How about this: learn this technique I'm going to show you, and I might consider teaching you more."
At this, Jiraiya placed his fingers together to form the "十" character before vanishing in a puff of smoke, and in his place stood two Jiraiya's looking down at him.
"Seems interesting, but what makes it different from the bog-standard Bunshin no Jutsu?" Naruto asked, somewhat befuddled.
"That's because you're looking at it superficially," said one Jiraiya.
"C'mon, try and figure out which of us is real," challenged the other.
Deciding to humor the old man, Naruto raised his hand, channeling mana to read their auras…much to his surprise, both of them were standing ng in a sea of Red, Green, and White mana. "Now that's really interesting, how can an illusion have an aura? Seriously, I can't tell you apart."
"This is no illusion," said Jiraiya, both touching him on the shoulder, "This is a clone made solid by redistributing chakra. Even a Jōnin would tire out from using this too much…but for you, your coils are huge, so you can handle it."
"Because of the fox?" Naruto asked matter-of-factly, surprising both Jiraiya's, "I've been in the multiverse for a long time, so I was bound to encounter it at some point; although it was completely by accident when I met it the first time."
Jiraiya smirked. "Nope, hell you haven't even begun to tap into the tailed beast's chakra - you don't even have all of it. You're just naturally born with a high chakra capacity." Silence was Naruto's answer as he contemplated what he'd just been told. "Anyway, while the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu is quite simple, you have the potential to utilize it in ways even I can't. Powerful as it is, it's not often used because of how it divides one's chakra between each Bunshin, and it eats up a lot of chakra to make even one…hence why it's considered a forbidden Jutsu."
Naruto wondered about the Jutsu he was being taught. "Now, there are, of course, going to be conditions. I want you to show me that you're not reliant on your magic to win your fights. Land a hit on me, and I might teach you more."
"Is it okay if I summoned one of my weapons for this?" Naruto asked.
At this, Jiraiya threw a blade at Naruto's feet. He was quick to note that it was a kunai, the same one that his opponent was brandishing. "You're a Shinobi now, this should be the only weapon you'll need."
Picking up the blade and giving it an experimental toss, Naruto shrugged before slipping into a stance. "If you insist, might as well brush up my knife-fighting skills."
Naruto charged Jiraiya, a light swipe with the tip to probe his opponent's defenses - to which his opponent responded with a backstep. He'd encountered the fighting style of the ninja from his time in Kamigawa's Neon Dynasty era...it was there that he learned the value of speed, cunning, and the ability to see a fight in three dimensions, doubly so when fighting opponents as quick as ninjas. Thus, he was able to see a counter by Jiraiya almost as soon as he saw his arm subtly reeling back - it was not so fast that it was deadly, but it was still quite fast. To which Naruto responded by ducking and then aiming to thrust his opponent; not so hard that he invested all his movements in that attack, but just fast enough to test if he was hitting an illusion with a double-thrust. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw Jiraiya disappear in a puff of smoke, and in his place was a log with two punctures gouged into it, and he was forced to do the same, performing a Kawarimi as he saw Jiraiya rushing at him with the intent to kick him. Naruto countered by thrusting at Jiraiya as soon as the smoke cleared, his kunai blade parried before ducking under a swipe and answering with his own.
"Your technique's not half bad, but it still won't mean much if you can't hit me…in fact, why don't I give you more targets to hit?"
Naruto stayed on the offensive, alternating between the three Jiraiya, each one dodging or parrying his blows; after successfully landing a hit, he found to his dismay that he had taken out a Kage Bunshin as it disappeared into smoke.
"C'mon! Start fighting like a Shinobi!"
Naruto's movements remained fluid, his movements remaining aggressive as he avoided attacks both direct and indirect. His footwork remained dance-like as he tried to strike another Jiraiya clone, but both remained mobile despite Naruto's attempts to take him down.
"Despite everything you've learned, you still don't understand what it is to be a Shinobi."
The remaining clone and Jiraiya threw down a smoke bomb, obscuring Naruto's view. A giant shuriken veered out of the smoke, which Naruto dodged.
"To be a Shinobi means to sacrifice. Sacrifice you know nothing about…sacrifices you have no idea were made to make sure this world works…sacrifices that your travels have blinded you to. You think you know what it takes to survive? Your travels have turned your eyes away from things you actually need to know in order to survive this place."
Naruto heard a sound behind him, as he turned to find that the shuriken was actually a Bunshin having used a Henge, taking advantage of the opening to slug Naruto across the face, sending him flying, his grip on the kunai loosening. The remaining Bunshin was dismissed by Jiraiya as he walked out of the smoke, a contemplative look on his face.
"Ol' Hiruzen knew of sacrifice all too well. You could even say that it's the reason he stood his ground instead of fleeing that day, to shoulder the responsibility of his choices even at the cost of his life."
"So what're you saying?" Naruto asked, grabbing the kunai, slipping into another fighting stance, "That I'm a failure? That I'm not worth your time?"
"Nothing of the sort," Jiraiya assured, "You've got potential, so I'm taking you in, but you really need to work on your foundational skills - your fighting style is too direct, not enough trickery and creativity without your magic backing you up. I'll give you this much though, you're not up to my level, but whoever taught you how to fight like that has got nothing to be ashamed of…you just need to have it work in tandem with your skills as a Shinobi. Up till now, you have not utilized any of the skills you've been taught…so maybe now's the time to brush up on that."
Naruto huffed in resignation. "So I've got to master this one Jutsu, right?"
"Show me you can handle it well, and then we'll talk about more advanced lessons."
…
[Elsewhere]
This world was in chaos.
Not overt chaos, more like a volcano that threatened to erupt very soon. And yet, there was still hope for it.
That aside, there was no taint of the Phyrexians in this world; not even an iota of their corruption had touched this place as in so many others, and the only question she had was why? Why was this Plane untouched by the war that claimed billions of lives within months?
Was it a matter of luck that the Phyrexians missed this place, or did they simply never get the chance?
Either way, with the new era of exploration going on in the multiverse in the wake of the Invasion, she would be remiss if she didn't at least learn something of this world.
She would return to her plane more well-traveled than before.
She would need a disguise, however…this was a world of only humans, and an angel stood out like a sore thumb. Luckily, her time in Ravnica gave her an idea of how to disguise herself…she only hoped that she seemed beneath notice.
…
[Tanzaku-gai]
There were festivities going on in the area as Naruto looked around, having a look at the events being held.
He and Jiraiya had separated, having split up to locate their quarry and agreeing to meet at the castle within half an hour. Senju Tsunade looked like a woman in her late thirties, perhaps even her forties due to a Genjutsu she put on herself to look younger than she actually was. That said, there were a number of consistencies he was to be on the vigil for; namely that Tsunade had a diamond tattooed in the middle of her forehead, was creamy blonde with chestnut eyes, and had a very generous bust. She wore a green haori with the "賭" character within a red circle on the back, and a gray, sleeveless kimono-style blouse with a dark, dirty-blue obi and pants.
She was also accompanied by a younger, raven-haired girl who answered to the name of Shizune, and she kept a pet pig wearing a red vest named Tonton.
To his understanding, Tanzaku-gai was a town dedicated largely to adult entertainment. Many of the businesses skirted around the gray area in legality such as gambling dens, as well as adult karaoke bars, and a number of bars. A few of the others wandered a little more into murkier waters, such as straight-up brothels, but nothing so bad that crimes happened in broad daylight with impunity - it was less order and more along the lines of chaos kept at a manageable level.
The closest approximation he could think of to this place he'd found in his odyssey in the multiverse was the red light district of Towashi on Kamigawa - he'd happened upon that area entirely by accident, but it was not too different from his surroundings.
Still, a number of the street vendors were innocent enough. Just a number of nick-nacks and souvenir shops to bring home as a memento of one's time in the town…some of which he noted in this place as well.
His senses drew him to a souvenir stand; as Naruto moved in closer, he found that they sold netsuke - tiny sculptures that would have been used as a button to suspend a small box known as an inrō from the wrappings of an obi sash. With kimonos being fewer in number outside of ceremonial events, netsuke were made more as charms than for their original function, and a number of them were actually well-made enough to be works of art in their own right.
It wasn't long until Naruto found exactly what drew him to this stand in particular; it was a ball-shaped netsuke carved into an intricate filigree lattice like clouds, a red string threaded through it before ending in a knot. Suspended from the other end of the string was a set of white, gold-tinted feathers. They were too large to be bird feathers, and they pulasted with a residual hint of power…he could very easily use it as a Mana catalyst for emergencies.
"You interested in buying that, kid?" asked the stand owner, an elderly man with tanned skin and the calloused hands of a heavy-duty craftsman.
"This is nice work," Naruto noted, "How much are you asking?"
"500 ryō." the stand owner replied.
"That's reasonable." Naruto agreed, handing the owner the requisite bills.
Inwardly, however, he refrained from telling the stand owner what he'd just sold; this it was nothing short of a steal. That said, there was a more important question on his mind…which was why he pulled out another 500 ryō from his pocket, waving them in front of the store owner. "This is yours if you tell me where you got those feathers."
The stand owner smiled deviously. "1,500 and I'll tell you about it."
Naruto sighed before fishing out an extra 1,000 ryō. "Here's 1,500 ryō," he said, waving the bills in front of the stand owner. But just as he was about to reach for the bills, Naruto pulled them away. "But if I'm paying another thousand, I want the truth…no lies, no funny business—just where you got them."
There was a momentary look of shock on the stand owner's face, before it changed to outright interest. "I found 'em in the forest not too far from town."
"In which direction?" Naruto asked.
"To the south of here. It was strange though, these didn't belong to any bird I know of. That being said, they looked so interesting that I figured I might as well use them to furnish that netsuke you bought. Looked good on it too."
His instincts were sharp enough to know that there was no deception in the shopkeeper; just an honest, if clever craftsman trying to sell his wares while trying to squeeze as much money as he could from any deal.
"And on that, we can agree." Naruto replied, handing the stand owner his money while contemplating his next move.
After looking at the sun, he found that it was time to make his way towards the meeting place.
It took him a good fifteen minutes to arrive, but he quickly found Jiraiya waiting for him.
"Any joy?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya nodded in the negative. "Looks like we're gonna have to call it a day for now."
He'd been telling Jiraiya that more travelers from the multiverse would be coming to Shinobu's door. He held the proof in his hands and there was nothing he could do to refute it - the only question was what to do now. On the one hand, he could tell his wayward mentor of his findings, but there was no telling what he might do with this knowledge; on the other, to withhold this information from Jiraiya would have damaged whatever trust he was trying to build.
So far, the old man had proven to be a straight-shooter, and had done nothing to dissuade Naruto to think he was bent. As he'd told him before, all trust started with a leap of faith…perhaps now was the time to turn that leap into a full-on plunge.
"Before we go, I've got something to show you," Naruto said, fishing out the netsuke from his pocket and handing it to Jiraiya.
The old man examined the feathers. "This netsuke looks nice, but I assume there's a reason you're showing me this?"
"It's not the netsuke so much, but the feathers," Naruto explained, "They don't belong to a bird."
"And you can tell this…how?"
"Same way I couldn't tell you apart from your Kage Bunshin," Naruto explained, "Much like how every living thing in this Plane gives off a chakra signature, so too does everything in the multiverse generate a mana signature. Don't ask me what the difference is in detail, I'm still figuring that out for myself…long story short, these feathers aren't giving off a chakra signature, but they are giving off a mana signature. It's residual, but it's still concentrated enough that I can use them for casting spells in an emergency. Though you don't seem surprised about what I'm telling you."
Indeed, Jiraiya had been silent throughout the whole confession.
"I've just received intel about missions being sent; some guy looking for a bird with beautiful golden feathers," Jiraiya admitted, "Not 'golden yellow', but white feathers that looked like they were lightly coated in gold dust. That being said, if those don't belong to a bird, then what do they belong to?"
"An angel." Naruto replied simply.
The skeptical look on Jiraiya's face said it all. "We've already had one interdimensional traveler aside from me showing up. An angel using an Omenpath to get here shouldn't be too far fetched."
"Either way, we're gonna have to tell the higher-ups about this," noted Jiraiya, "And we're definitely gonna have to tell Tsunade about this when we get her back. But now, it's late, so we're calling it a day; we're going to get some grub and some shut-eye, then we're gonna resume our search for Tsunade."
It'd been a good hour or so since they started their search the second they set foot in Tanzaku-gai, and it was already dusk. Naruto and Jiraiya made their way through the emptying streets to find a place where they could get sustenance, and perhaps a place to rest. Their trek through the streets of the town eventually led them to a tavern with an inn for accommodations.
"Looks like our prayers are answered, kid," Jiraiya stated, "We've got food and shelter."
"Hopefully the bar's gonna let me in," Naruto asked.
"As long as you're not ordering booze, I think you'll be fine."
After signing in for two separate rooms, the two of them decided to handle dinner before settling in. Upon walking into the bar, Naruto and Jiraiya were shocked to find the people they were looking for, sitting at a stall. A buxom blonde in green with a purple diamond on her forehead, accompanied by a raven-haired younger woman, and a pig in a red vest.
The woman in green stood up from her seat, her back ramrod straight as she shouted. "Jiraiya!?"
"Tsunade!?"
"What're you doing here?!" asked the equally shocked Tsunade.
"I was about to ask you the same thing!"
Naruto and Jiraiya were promptly invited to the same table by the tavern owner to prevent an even bigger commotion by the shouting match that would have ensued. Jiraiya got his own pitcher of piping hot saké, while Naruto was given a steaming cup of tea; both were given a plate of what Naruto recognized as yakitori.
The raven-haired woman who could only be Shizune seemed apprehensive as the two of them remained silent, while Tonton the pig munched on steamed edamame from a small bowl. Tsunade, however, favored her saucer of saké from the big, green bottle, barely taking a bite out of any of the yakitori sticks.
"Who'd have thought that after an hour or so of searching, we'd finally find you at a tavern." Jiraiya noted.
"Come off it, you knew you'd find me here eventually." Tsunade admonished, taking another swig of her saké.
"Straight to the point, as usual then?"
"You know it. Now what're you doing here this far out? I doubt there's any juicy gossip for you to listen to out here."
"I'll be very frank; Konoha needs you back."
Tsunade scoffed. "It must be bad if they're sending you to try and convince me to go back to that hellhole."
"And you'd be right about that, Sarutobi-sensei was killed by Orochimaru during the Chūnin Exams."
Shock was written all over Tsunade's face when she'd heard that bit of news. From this, Naruto had figured that the woman had been gone during the exams…and very likely that news of Orochimaru's assassination hadn't spread beyond Konoha.
"Who's the kid, Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked, finally taking notice of Naruto.
"Uzumaki Naruto." Replied the older man.
Hearing that name alone was enough to elicit no small amount of shock and surprise from both Tsunade and her apprentice Shizune. "The boy who was lost."
"And who has returned." Naruto finished.
A moment of silence was all it took for Tsunade to speak again. "Thought you'd be dead by now."
"I got better."
Tsunade huffed in frustration. "In any case, Jiraiya, you can forget about me coming to the village's rescue. It'll be a cold day in hell before I take up that position."
"You're the one I've heard so much about?" Naruto challenged, "That badass lady who was supposed to be the next Hokage?"
The smirk on Tsunade's face made it clear that she intended to goad him. Maybe he'd lose, but Konoha needed a Hokage. "Oh? And you think you have what it takes?"
"More than you, it seems." Naruto goaded back.
"Well now's your chance to prove it," Tsunade challenged, "Meet me at the back of the tavern, and we'll have a little spar."
All eyes were upon Naruto as they followed Tsunade out to the alleyway behind the tavern. Jiraiya sat on a box next to Shizune, with Tonton in her arms, while Naruto and Tsunade stared each other down.
"The rules of this spar are simple," began the older woman, "Land a hit on me, and I'll do whatever you want. Hell, I'll even be your lover if that's your thing. Anything's on the table - weapons, jutsu, whatever tickles your fancy…all I ask is that you come at me with the intent to kill."
Naruto pulled his hitai-ate from his neck, and tied it around his forehead before summoning his sword-spear into his hand.
Tsunade smirked. "You must be compensating for something if you're wielding a spear against me."
"I've trusted this sword-spear for most of my fights," Naruto retorted, twirling it skillfully around before leveling the tip at his opponent as he slipped into a stance. Not too loose, not too tight, just enough tension in his body to be able to adjust as the situation demanded. "Besides, one can never go wrong with a good polearm in most cases."
An amused snort was Tsunade's response. "We'll see about that. Show me what you've learned in the time you've been away."
Naruto began the fight by charging at Tsunade, starting with a swipe of his sword-spear that the Sannin dodged. No part of the sword-spear went unused as he danced with Tsunade…from the fist-sized gem, to the haft, to the blade, the reach of his polearm enabled him to keep his opponent under control, though trained eyes had told him that she was merely toying with him. Lessons from fighting Jiraiya, combined with his own combat experience, taught Naruto to keep adapting; to keep his head on a swivel, and to use deception judiciously…hence why he threw in a number of Kawarimi to avoid solid hits, and to create openings.
After dodging a thrust from his spear, Tsunade charged him with a fist clenched, intent on ending the match with a counter. Naruto channeled White mana from within, raised his hand quickly enough to open his palm at Tsunade, a spell he'd learned at New Capenna already on his mind.
"Boon of Safety!"
On command, an elongated trapezoidal shape was formed in front of his hand, coalescing into the shape of a tall shield about the size of a thick door. The timing of his spell was such that Tsunade was in the middle of a punch; as soon as her fist collided with the barrier, Tsunade was unbalanced for a moment as her blow was deflected; however, the force from her punch was more than enough to send him flying as well. The shield he'd conjured had shattered like glass, but it allowed Naruto a moment to get his sword-spear in a position to end the fight by threatening her with a thrust. Tsunade simply pushed aside the polearm with a hand on the shaft, her middle finger held in place by her thumb in her other hand positioned in front of his forehead.
A single flick was all it took to send Naruto flying, the grip on his sword-spear loosened as he was sent careening in the air, before breaking his fall in a roll. As he picked himself back up, he watched as Tsunade held his missing sword-spear.
"I guess in this case, a good polearm did you wrong," she taunted, admiring its balance as she gave it a deft, but experimental twirl, "That said, this is not a bad weapon. Balance is good, more like a naginata than a spear though, but the grip's comfy; I daresay, an onna-bugeisha might be proud to own this…if it were made hundreds of years ago!"
"Double or nothing," Naruto said, standing back up, "Konoha needs you to be her Hokage, and I'll be damned if we come back empty-handed and that asshat Danzō gets to sit in that office."
Tsunade shrugged, throwing the sword-spear away with no shortage of disrespect. "Well get ready to fail. I'm not letting you take me back to that hellhole, no matter how many of those strange Jutsu you sling at me."
It was at this moment that Naruto crossed his fingers to form the "十" character, covering himself in smoke before revealing himself. Much to the shock of all present, there was an entire army of Naruto's flooding the entire alleyway; each of them summoning a melee weapon in their hands. Swords, axes, daggers, hammers, even spears…all of which had yet to be put in his forge's gallery.
When the next round started, Tsunade was forced to deal with the chaos of an organized front, as his clones moved in concert with each other like a massive wolf pack. While most tried to attack her with the arsenal of weapons they each summoned, some cast spells, either manipulating Tsunade into the path of clone attackers or supporting their allies with a variety of spells.
"Gigantic Growth!"
"Angelsong!"
"Delayed Blast Fireball!"
As five minutes passed, Naruto's Kage Bunshin army dwindled, weapons of all shapes and sizes littering the floor as if a massacre had happened; many were dispelled at the hands of Tsunade, others vanished from casting spells for some reason. Naruto started the fight with thirty clones…only five clones remained, along with the real Naruto, who was wielding his war sword. Due to the way Naruto and his clones stretched out the fight, it had become a veritable cup-and-ball game for Tsunade as to which was the real one.
There was only one way to end the fight, but it involved using a jutsu he'd been trying to recreate from memory…but to very little success. Still, it was worth a shot…it probably wouldn't have been as powerful as how Jiraiya did it, but he had no other choice.
Tsunade looked around, seeing how quickly the numbers dwindled. "You might as well give up. You're not winning, and you're not making me go back to Konoha."
"I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve", replied one Naruto, tightening the grip on his axe.
"Like I said, I'll be damned if that asshat Danzō gets a shot at becoming Hokage." added another Naruto, leveling his spear at her.
Tsunade furrowed her brows. "It won't matter who you put in charge, there are no happy endings for anyone who lives in a Shinobi Village. But you won't get that through your thick skull."
"If there's anything I've learned in my travels, it's that there's no controlling the ending you get in the story of your life," replied the Naruto with the war sword, "The only say you have is in how you fill in the pages from the beginning to the end as you make your way to the final chapter to discover your true ending, whether it's happy or sad. And I know for a fact that my story remains unwritten!"
A Naruto wielding a hammer gathered Red mana from the environment, and fired off a bolt of lighting from his palm. "Lightning Strike!"
Tsunade narrowly dodged the bolt of lightning, and stabbed the ground with her index finger, opening a fissure in the ground, creeping its way to the hammer wielder, unbalancing him and leaving him open for Tsunade to smash a fist into his face. She was then quick to stop another Naruto from burying the head of his axe into her shoulder with a gut-punch, followed by dispelling the spear-wielder with a punch to the face. "Don't you try to lecture me. You're just another naive brat who thinks that just because they have special qualities, they'll change the world. Give up on the impossible and just leave this line of work."
"But at least I'm still writing my own story! I'm still living my life trying to discover my own ending!" Naruto countered, channeling White mana from within as he began his chant, "Erode with each passing gust! Saltblast!"
From his free hand, a jet of stark white salt surged towards Tsunade, forcing her to dodge, before coming at him with her fists clenched. The remaining two Kage Bunshin were dispelled when she grabbed one and threw him into the other. With his back to the wall, Naruto had a combo to help him buy time.
"Doublecast!"
"Boon of Safety!"
Upon casting the spell, a pair of door-sized trapezoidal shields of White mana were created as Tsunade neared Naruto with fists outstretched, the first punch shattering the first shield before slamming her fist into the second. While both were knocked back, Naruto still had ample time to attempt the Jutsu he'd been trying to recreate, shaping the chakra into a small sphere. With ample space between them, Naruto charged Tsunade with the ball of chakra in his free hand, intent upon ending the match. "Rasengan!"
Although she was taken by surprise, Tsunade quickly lifted her heel into the air and brought it down to the ground, unbalancing Naruto and driving the Rasengan to the ground, cratering the floor before dispersing. Before he could try anything else, Naruto grunted as Tsunade caught him in a headlock, brought her leg down to restrain him by the calf, then twisting his arm to loosen the grip on his sword. "Hmph, Jiraiya must be really half-assing his training if he taught you to perform a sloppy Rasengan."
Jiraiya walked towards the two of them wearing a frown. "That's because I didn't," he said, before looking at Naruto, "Kid, why the heck did you try recreating a Ninjutsu you saw only once? Unless you're someone like Kakashi, that's a good way to put yourself in harm's way."
"I didn't see any other way," Naruto replied, trying to break out of the clinch, "I guess you could chalk it up as a desperation move."
Tsunade took her foot off Naruto's hand. "There you go, you've just proved my point. You thought it would all come together for you, when you should have known better. To even manage the Rasengan takes a year. It's impossible for someone like you to learn it in a matter of a few days."
She stomped on the blade of Naruto's war sword, the double-edged blade shattering under her high heel as she ground it further with a twist of her foot. "Cut your losses, and find someone else."
Confident in her victory, she turned to leave in the other direction.
"Well what if he can do it?" Jiraiya asked.
Tsunade paused mid-step to look at Jiraiya, a look of annoyance sketched on her face. "What?"
Naruto, having picked up the handle of his destroyed war sword and was in the middle of using his skill in archaeomancy to repair it, paused in his field repairs to look back at Jiraiya with a dumbfounded expression on his face.
"I've got a new bet for you. If he can manage to learn the Rasengan properly in just 10 days, you'll come with us," Jiraiya challenged, "If he doesn't, I won't bother you ever again, and you get every bit of money we still have left."
Realization had hit Naruto harder than a rock thrown by a Riveteer into the window of a Maestro gallery. The use of the imperfect Rasengan was an error on his part, but it was an error that had the potential to buy them more time. He then turned to regard Tsunade with a searching expression as she mulled over the bet.
Tsunade scoffed before looking back at Naruto. "I've heard that you once wanted to become Hokage, so I'll tell you what you're in for: my grandfather, Senju Hashirama and his brother Tobirama both died in two subsequent wars; my teacher, Sarutobi Hiruzen died in battle with Orochimaru; even Namikaze Minato had died at the hands of the Kyūbi no Yoko. All of them brave, all of them selfless—all of them fools. So as you can see, the Hokage hat was a fool's errand from the very beginning, and anyone who wears it is doomed to die a most tragic death."
"That's not for you to say!" Naruto retorted curtly, earning all eyes in his direction as the passion roiled in his voice, "I'll admit, having disappeared for seven years realistically makes it very unlikely I'll ever become Hokage, despite a part of me still wishing that it could happen, no matter how slim the odds are. In the time I've been back, I only know stories about the four Hokage up to this point; but from what I've learned about them, they clearly gave it their all for the people they cared about. You may stomp on what remains of my dream and I won't argue with you, but I won't have you sullying their memory - these men who were true heroes in my book."
Tsunade stared at Naruto, her eyes boring into his soul…for a moment, he thought she'd seen a ghost, before she sighed. "No matter what you say, dreams will only be that - dreams. Better for you to learn that now before it kills you. You'll see, after all this bet is one you're not winning…but since I'm confident you're never gonna make it, I'm gonna sweeten the pot."
It was at this point that Tsunade pulled out a pendant from under her kimono-top to reveal a gemstone dangling from it, accompanied by a pair of silver charms flanking it…much to the shock of both Jiraiya and Shizune. From a distance, he noted that the smooth sides were signs that it had been cut into its stick-like shape, a hole drilled through it near the top to allow the string to pass through. Even before he scanned the thing's aura, Naruto felt power emanating from it…it had the potential to be used as a very powerful casting focus.
"That's actually a nice-looking stone you've got there," Naruto noted, "Whoever cut it had to have been a master at their craft. Though I think there's more to it than that."
"That's the Shodaime Hokage, Senju Hashirama's necklace," Jiraiya explained, "The value of the stone alone is such that if you sold it, you could use the proceeds to buy three mountains, each with a gold mine."
Naruto then looked at Jiraiya before turning to regard Tsunade, who returned the sentiment with a cocky smirk. "With that much history behind it, then it's no wonder that pendant has a lot of power in it."
"Simply put, if you win the bet, not only will I come back with you to become Hokage, I'll even throw in the pendant as a bonus," Tsunade challenged, "But I highly doubt you're gonna win. Let's go Shizune."
Without preamble, both Tsunade and Shizune departed down the alleyway.
Having kept his eyes on Tsunade, Naruto didn't realize that Jiraiya was now behind him, an unpleasant gaze directed at him. "Naruto, we have a lot to talk about."
"I wasn't lying when I said did it out of desperation," Naruto replied knowingly, as Shizune left with her sensei, "You probably already know that I've met Danzō...and I could tell from our meeting that he was the sort you definitely do not want as Hokage. I don't know who else could do the job, but one thing's for certain: the future won't bode well for Konoha if he gets put into power."
"Desperation doesn't excuse stupidity," Jiraiya admonished, before sighing, "Either way, you're gonna have to pull off a miracle. Luckily, we have one advantage."
"I know; we've got ten days, and a slight head start," Naruto acknowledged, resuming the field repairs on his war sword. Using the power of White magic to wind back the clock on the sword, the crushed fragments coalesced into the shape of the blade, to the point that even the wrought-iron runes were reverted to good condition.
"Oh I wasn't referring to that head start you think you have," Jiraiya said, a half-grin on his face before raising a thumb, "I'm referring to Tsunade's rotten luck at gambling!"
"Well let's hope that holds true," Naruto said, dispelling his weapons with a snap of his fingers, "That said, I've still got a long way to go if I'm going to win that bet."
"I admire your pluck, kid, but you're not gonna be able to do much as it is now," Jiraiya suggested, a little more firmly this time, "For now, we call it a day…your little desperation move bought us ten days to convince Tsunade, so you've earned the rest of the night off. But tomorrow, you're gonna work your ass off…and this time, I'm gonna keep a close eye on you as you do it. Tsunade wasn't kidding when she said it was both sloppy and dangerous. A Jutsu like Rasengan can easily go wrong if you just try using it without training and practice - you could even shred your hands to bits if it went wrong." He crossed his arms, looking at Naruto more seriously. "If we continue with this, you've gotta promise me you won't be reckless like that."
The old man had a point. After all, their execution aside, trying to recreate a spell was no different than trying to recreate a Jutsu. "You've got yourself a deal."
…
[Konoha]
Haku made her way back to Kitsunebi Forge.
The domicile she'd been to was indeed low-key, but it was not worth it given how many grubby hands she'd had feeling her up. It took a lot of effort to not slap those pigs around, thereby drawing attention to herself. She'd tried again at a few other places, and found no joy in them either.
A part of her wondered what the point was. She already had a home where she could lay low…and Naruto's forge would need security even after he'd closed it down, especially with all the high-quality weapons he hadn't managed to sell from his gallery. According to the agreement he had with the Hokage, while he was alive, none of his magic weapons was to leave his shop unless a customer or a client presented him with an authorized permit. Due to this, the forge most definitely needed security.
She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard an explosion, mixed in with the sound shattering glass.
As she rounded the corner, Haku saw a sight she hoped wasn't true…Naruto's seal had been broken, which meant that the forge was being robbed. The sight of tools on the floor told her that the thieves were particularly persistent, as they'd brought a few explosive seals with them to demolish the door, which filled her with no shortage of anger. Still, she knew a secret none of them knew.
She walked towards the opening, chakra gathered in the event things went horribly wrong.
"I'd leave now," she warned, getting the attention of the thieves, "That blast was pretty loud, which means Shinobi are on their way."
One of the thieves walked to the front, a confident smirk on his face. He was a heavyset man, balding as well, though he had the movements of a former sumo wrestler, possibly even a former yokozuna who got involved in crime. The lustful way he licked his lips, in addition to the hungry way he leered at her, gave Haku a possible idea as to why this man was no longer a professional sumo. "And what're you gonna do about it, girlie?"
"Not me," Haku replied curtly. She then whistled loudly, eliciting a pressurized hiss that resounded from inside the smithy.
The next word that came out of Haku's mouth sealed their fate. "Attack!"
The thieves all turned as the rhythmic, metallic sound of steel footsteps came from behind them, followed by low, menacing canine growls. Their fears were confirmed when two metallic forms pounced from the doorway, biting and clawing at two of the thieves, who struggled to break free from their attackers.
After evading a pair of heavy slaps from the yokozuna, the two metallic forms stood side-by-side with Haku, snarling and growling at the gang of thieves. Each took on the shape of a komainu, a mythological creature that resembled a cross between a dog and a lion, always made in pairs, and always used to guard sacred places…or in this case, they stood vigil over the door to Naruto's gallery. Whatever it was that Naruto did, waiting for either the command to attack, or for some fool to try and break into the gallery…a command that Naruto allowed Haku to have, as he trusted her enough to ensure the safety of his weapons.
According to Naruto, they were called "Komainu Battle Armor", a mechanical creature that he'd encountered in the Plane of Kamigawa, which could reconfigure themselves into a suit of armor, which explained why each of them had a hollowed-out, almost latticed appearance. She had no idea how they were made, nor was she aware of what they were truly capable of, only that they made for pretty good guard dogs, and that they could fit themselves on a possible wearer on command.
"Screw this! This ain't worth it, boss!" said one of the thieves, before they scattered.
The yokozuna looked around, and followed his underlings. "We ain't done with you yet, girlie! We'll knock over that gallery and take all those shiny weapons in there eventually!"
With no more threats to deal with, Haku clicked her tongue on her palate, getting the komainu pair's attention before affectionately petting them on the head. The next command she gave showed their evident discipline when she pointed back at their stands. "Sit!"
On command, the komainu each ran into the door, before sitting back down on their stands.
This was not the first time the forge would be targeted, and it would not be the last. Naruto had given her a place to stay, and she would not let a thief steal any of the weapons he'd made.
For now, she'd protect this place until Naruto came back…but until then, she was going to find more stories to tell Naruto of how she protected his forge.
…
[Tanzaku Gai]
It didn't take long for Naruto and Jiraiya to find their rooms…luckily, they were across from each other.
Naruto's accommodations were spartan, not too different from some of the more old-school inns he'd visited in Kamigawa, though it did have its own set of conveniences, such as electric lighting. Due to a more sparse population on this plane, it would indeed have tatamis, which would necessitate the use of futons. That said, the protocol of setting up a futon remained with him as he made his way towards the linen closet.
All was quiet as Naruto worked at setting up his futon until a knock at the door had brought him out of his thoughts. With a sigh of frustration, he walked towards the door to his room, expecting Jiraiya to continue chewing him out for his decision to use the imperfect Rasengan to try and win the bet the first time. What actually awaited him upon opening the door was Shizune, standing outside the portal with a grim expression, neither Tonton nor Tsunade in sight.
"May I come in?" she asked.
Naruto wordlessly stepped aside, politely allowing the older woman entrance before closing the door behind her. "So what brings you to see me, and without anyone's knowledge, to boot?"
"I've come to ask you to bow out of your bet with Tsunade-sama," Shizune said, simply.
"Cutting straight to the point, are we?" Naruto asked, half-amused, "Well if you're expecting me to follow through on that, you're too late; once I've set my mind to something, I'm gonna see it through to the end."
"I can see that, but before you continue, I have a story for you to hear." Shizune added.
That drew Naruto's attention. "What kind of story?"
It was there that Shizune began the tale of Senju Tsunade…her life as the Shodaime Hokage, Senju Hashirama's granddaughter. She was once a great kunoichi, trained under the Sandaime Hokage's guidance; she would eventually become great enough that she was able to earn the title of Sannin with her colleagues and teammates Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
Shizune would recount how Tsunade lost her brother Nawaki, and how she tried to convince her sensei to form a specialized corps of Iryō-nin to help Konoha to mitigate losses…an act brought upon by the loss of her brother. The Hokage, due to the lack of funding at the time, could not oblige her. Tsunade would find support in the form of Shizune's uncle, Katō Dan, a Jōnin of high caliber who shared in her desire for a corps of Iryō-nin when he lost his sister. The two would get close enough to become lovers, until tragedy struck…robbing Tsunade of yet another loved one.
In Tsunade's eyes, the pendant was as cursed as the dream for the Hokage hat…both Nawaki and Dan were gifted with the Senju Hashirama's necklace by Tsunade herself, both had dreams of becoming Hokage. Both also died in battle; Nawaki from running into an explosive trap in battle not too long after his birthday, Dan died during the Second Shinobi World War after claiming the lives of many enemy Shinobi. The latter, however, was far more devastating as Dan had died in Tsunade's arms while trying to rescue him, instilling in her a debilitating fear of blood.
"So as you can see, Naruto," Shizune concluded, "The necklace you are fighting for brings with it a curse…anyone who wears it with the dream of becoming Hokage will meet a tragic end."
"I'm not quitting," Naruto replied curtly.
Shizune looked at Naruto as though he'd sprouted another head, her mouth gaping like a fish gasping for air. "Haven't you heard a word I've said?"
"I have, and I'm still not quitting," Naruto answered confidently, Shizune watching him wordlessly as he sat up, "I understand the tragedies she's endured…they are sad, and I can see why she's reluctant to become Hokage because of it. But the way I see it, she thinks that her story ended when she lost her loved ones - when she stopped living because of her losses. I appreciate the warning, and the explanation, but I'm going to continue on with the bet come what may, not for the necklace or for the Hokage hat, but to show her that she still has a story to tell…that it's okay for her to live again so that she can find her true ending and have a real story to tell her loved ones."
Making his way to the door, Naruto and Shizune parted ways. Before making her way through the threshold, Shizune paused. "I've tried to warn you. But if you're sure you can break the curse, I won't stop you."
His time in Lorehold had taught him that life was a story - and so he would help this old woman find her muse to live again. For now, however, he had to rest so that he could prepare for the lesson to come; Jiraiya struck him as a taskmaster…not unlike Professor Cao. If that was the case, then he'd need all the rest he could get.
…
A/N: You can thank discussions with ravenking64 via Discord for aid in this chapter…so give him a round of applause and give his works a read.
Anyway, now we get another action-heavy chapter.
Hopefully it's still up to snuff.
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Vocabulary/Translations/Notes:
None yet
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Cards used:
Boon of Safety (White)—Instant
Put a shield counter on target creature. (If it would be dealt damage or destroyed, remove a shield counter from it instead)
Scry 1
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Giant Growth (Green)—Instant
Target creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
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Angelsong (1)(White)—Instant
Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn.
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Delayed Blast Fireball (1)(Red)(Red)—Instant
Delayed Blast Fireball deals 2 damage to each opponent and each creature they control. If this spell was cast from exile, it deals 5 damage to each opponent and each creature they control instead.
Foretell (4)(Red)(Red)
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Lightning Strike (1)(Red)—Instant
Lightning Strike deals 3 damage to any target.
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Doublecast (Red)(Red)—Sorcery
When you next cast an instant or sorcery spell this turn, copy that spell. You may choose new targets for the copy.
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Komainu Battle Armor (2)(Red)—Artifact Creature - Equipment Dog
Menace
Equipped creature gets +2/+2 and has menace.
Whenever Komainu Battle Armor or equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, goad each creature that player controls.
Reconfigure (4)