After Koharu left the room, Tsunade was left alone with her former sensei. He didn't seem to notice her yet, which was more of an indicator for his declining situation than any diagnostic jutsu would have been.

Mission accomplished, Kakashi took his team and they went off to find their other genin they had to leave behind for this mission. Shizune went with them. Haruhi had said she would introduce her to Haku and Ino, and after Tsunade has reassured her she would be fine on her own, Shizune left with them to head towards the hospital. She would have to check over that Ino kid later, but for now, Shizune would.

"Can I help you, young lady?"

Tsunade train of thought sputtered out. In her pacing, her back had become turned to her former sensei-but even then, he should have been able to recognize her by her pigtails and clan insignia alone.

She turned to face him, and walked towards his desk. It took a minute, but Tsunade knew when he recognized her by the widening of his eyes. His pipe dropped from his mouth, and he spilled an ink bottle in his haste to stand up.

"Tsunade?" It was incredulous, disbelieving, and hopeful all rolled into one. She almost couldn't stand it, but the thought of Koharu catching her fleeing, and Haruhi's words made her stand her ground.

"Hello, Sensei. I'm back."

In a moment of lucidity, a tear rolled down his cheek as he recognized her. He had never looked older. His face was lined, his hands leathery and arms dotted with liver spots. The crows feet around his eyes were deep.

His eyes were filled with such hope and love that as he reached out to her she nearly cried.

Looking at him now, Tsunade could almost forgive him.

Almost.

But she could not forget.

"I'm glad you're here Tsuna. What brings you back home?"

To say goodbye.

"Well, I suppose I wanted to see you again."

His eyes danced with bittersweet mirth.

"To say goodbye, you mean?"

Her sensei could always see right through her.

"I know I'm not in the best of health. Sometimes I will have moments of coherence like now, but they are further and further apart. We have some things to say, while we still can, don't we?"

Tsunade chewed her lip and clenched her fist into the back of his robe.

"Tsunade, I never really apologized to you, did I."

"...No, you didn't. And even if you did, I'm not sure I could forgive you for that."

She had tried so hard to improve the world she was in. She had even been able to make some difference. But now, that was all rendered moot. Most Konoha citizens couldn't even begin to afford the healthcare system she set up, and the ones that could had to jump through hoops if they were rich or prestigious enough.

Sensei had allowed that to happen. Had done nothing to stop it even with Tsunade's pleading. When she tried to make it mandatory for there to be at least one medic nin on each team, she was shot down by the council of elders, and he hadn't backed her, even with her trial run during the war proving it would have saved lives-compensating for the fact that the medic nin wouldn't be as active in the field.

He had authorized the dangerous mission that had gotten her brother killed. Konoha's higher ups had hoped to use the Senju name to smooth over tensions during the beginning of the war, and hope the people were honored. They knew there was a certain degree of danger. Sensei knew that. But allowed the mission to go forth anyway.

He then stiffed her husband, Dan Kato. Dan was a civilian born and clanless, but with immense talent in ninjutsu and taijutsu. He would have made an excellent hokage. Sensei however made no secret that he preferred Minato as he was a part of his training lineage through Jiraiya. Tsunade knew Dan died because the mission he was sent on contained shaky intel. There were risks underplayed in the mission briefing that Hiruzen signed off on. And god, she didn't want to acknowledge it, but odds were Sensei sent Dan on that mission knowing that, in hopes Minato would succeed him instead, and Tsunade cannot forgive him for it.

The only good thing he had done for her in a long time was let her go.

And now she was back. Here. In Konoha, the epicenter of so much pain and suffering. Shinobi had never been kind, but the hidden village system was an organized sort of violence and war that had the warring states period blushing in envy.

"I think you know what you did, sensei."

He does, if the shame in his eyes is anything to go by.

"I am sorry."

"I know. But that isn't enough."

"I never wanted any of that to happen."

"And yet it did. Despite everything, despite you and all your power, it did."

"...Perhaps you can do better."

Tsunade bit her lip so hard she felt blood pool in her bottom lip, and before she might have been petrified, but after healing Kakashi when he took that hit for her, she swallowed it quickly and healed her lip.

"What? Take the hat and become as broken and defeated as you? You were a decent man, once sensei. Not good. Nobody can be both a good shinobi and a good person, but you were decent. I can't recognize you now from what you were. If I become hokage, will that happen to me? More than it already has?"

That was her worst fear. She had seen it happen to everyone around her. As she had grown up and Konoha reached its first few decades, it strayed farther and farther from its original goal. And everyone became corrupted with it.

At first it had been her grandfather, Hashirama. In her youth, he had been more hopeful, and kind. When she had been really young, she even had faint memories of Madara, the two of them laughing and joking.

But then Madara defected and attacked, and he became quieter. Colder. He snatched the bijuu away from their lives and traded them away to other villages. He made Mito share her fuinjutsu with them, even knowing he was condemning multiple beings to a lifetime of enslavement. He sent his own son, her father, out on a mission that he knew was a one way trip. And then perished in the first war himself. A part of Tsunade thinks it was intentional.

Her grand-uncle then became the second hokage, and he was even colder. The institution he built benefitted Konoha at the cost of its people. And its lower class children. The chunin exams he created rarely held stakes for clan kids, who could be promoted through other means, but civilian kids had to participate or they would almost never make it past genin. That wasn't even mentioning the treatment of the Uchiha.

Sensei himself became like that. From becoming the father she had lost to undermining her efforts to help and heal. The number of burn villages he made…

Tsunade knew that she was no spring flower herself. She had participated in war for Konoha. But she had also taken the oath of the medic-nin. She was a healer, first and foremost, no matter how many villages she could hypothetically level with her pinkie fingers. She had never accepted burn village missions, went out of her way to reduce casualties on both sides of the war, and fought for it to end sooner.

But as hokage, how many people would she order to make burn villages? Would she poison the waters of Kiri like the second hokage did? Part of the reason places like wave country became so destitute in the first place was due to most of their fish and food dying off. It made the country vulnerable to people like Gato.

As time went on and she stayed in Konoha, it was becoming harder and harder to avoid atrocities like that. Tsunade had run from Konoha not only because of her grief, but because she needed to protect what was left of herself and her morals.

In the privacy of her mind, Tsunade secretly thought Madara had a point.

"No. It won't happen."

She startled.

"You have always been different, Tsunade. Being a Kage is a curse, but you have always been unlucky. You know how to handle bad turns."

"By running away?"

He shifted.

"By meeting it with strength and compassion. You have done many things, but you have never lost who you really were at your center. We need someone as unwavering as you. You are a healer, and that is what we need now more than anything. Your morals are your strength. You will not compromise them for the corrupt and greedy. Not like I did."

She is speechless.

"We are at a turning point. I feel it in my bones. Either Konoha changes for the better in these coming years, or it and all the other hidden villages will fall from their own corruption, greed, and warfare. Konoha needs to be led into a new age of peace and growth, and I can think of no one better to do that than you."

And he was right. Tsunade had seen it on her travels across the elemental nations. Technology has advanced too much, knowledge and education has spread to the masses. They will not be so easily manipulated into the next war. The Daimyos were losing their power as people began to question the right to rule by blood. Many Damiyo's had been overthrown in smaller countries and it wasn't long before citizens in larger countries caught on. The lower classes were rising up, and either power and wealth were distributed equally, or the Damiyo's can dig in their heels and bring them back to the warring states era.

"And I am sorry. Truly, I am. You didn't deserve any of it, or how I treated you. I know nothing I say or do now can ever take back the hurt I in part caused you, but I want you to know, that whatever you decide to do now, I will always love you like my daughter, and be proud of you no matter what."

She took a breathe.

"...Alright. I'll do it. I'll become hokage."

The finality of it settled into the room.

"Thank you, Tsunade."

She snorted. The paused

"Sensei...can I check your head?" She wanted to see how far the disease had progressed.

He smiled at her, before his eyes become glassy.

"You can do what you want. Just don't be late for team training this afternoon."

Her hands glowed green as she carefully lifted his Hokage hat and placed them on his head.

She froze.

And then started swearing and cursing vehemently. Hands shaking, she ran the jutsu again, just in case she was wrong, but she is never wrong when it comes to matters like this.

Someone had cast a genjutsu on the Third Hokage.

It was years old, by the look of it. Probably three years considering the damage done to his cranial chakra pathways. Not many people knew it, considering how many genjutsu were short term and lasting less than a couple hours, but any genjutsu lasting longer than a day could cause damage to the brain. And while this damage wasn't the root cause of his dementia(that was genetics) she could tell at just a glance that it had accelerated it.

She broke it.

Nothing changed. The damage was already done.

What could have cast a genjutsu this strong, this long lasting? Not many had the skill, not since the Uchiha clan died.

Her eyes widened.

That was it! Only an advanced sharingan was powerful enough to cast this! But the Uchiha were massacred nearly 5 years ago, and that didn't match the estimated time stamp of the damage path, which was 3 years, max.

Kin-killer Itachi? No, he hadn't approached the Third recently. Kakashi would never, and Sasuke was too young.

Obito then?

It was possible. She needed to call Kurenai into her office and ask her opinion about Genjutsu techniques.

Until then, Tsunade resolved to keep this undercover. The Uchiha had always been a fraught topic in Konoha. This would only make it worse.

She stood up and left the room. Koharu was waiting outside.

"I accept the position as Hokage."

Koharu kept a carefully blank face as she nodded and moved towards the office.

"Just a minute, Koharu."

The elder paused.

"Are you familiar with the genin girl, Tenten? Hair up in two buns, weapons mistress, adept at Fuinjutsu?"

Recognition flashed across her face.

"Yes. You could say that." Was that referencing a situation Tsunade was unaware of?

"Good. Because from now on, you'll be tutoring her in Fuinjutsu."

Koharu's eyes bulged. Tsunade smirked. Koharu had received training from both Tobirama and Mito. She had trained Jiraiya and was Konoha's formost sealing master. It was a well kept secret.

Tsunade wasn't stupid. She knew what Tenten was doing due to her medical expertise, although it had taken her a second to figure it out. Her teammate was a Hyuga, and Tenten was trying to help him remove the seal. If Tenten was careful, she might even succeed.

Unlike Tsunade. She had petitioned once to have the seals removed before being knocked down. She might not be able to move boldly now as Hokage, but Tenten would be able to fly under the radar.

Koharu bowed stiffly, and closed the office door behind her.

She exhaled through her nose, angling her head upwards.

"Hey you. Come down from here."

There was a pause, before the ANBU swooped down from the rafters. He was wearing a mole mask, and clearly couldn't be older than 14.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. Would sensei have allowed someone so young during peace times? Just what was going on here?

"Find Kakashi Hatake and tell him he has a new mission and meet me at the mission desk. Dismissed."

The ANBU disappeared.

Tsunade sighed. Five minutes into the job and she needed a fucking drink.

Sakura gnawed on her fingernails as her parents and her waited in the room. Her father and her sat on the chairs, and her mother on the bed. The Medic was doing a chakra test today, to see how the signature was developing, and how strong it was.

The medic walked in, and after a brief introduction, began a series of hand seals that Sakura partially recognized.

She put her hand over Mebuki's now protruding stomach and frowned.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Her mom asked.

"No, nothing is wrong. The signature is alive an well, it's just...stronger than I was expecting. Much stronger."

"Oh...Well, that's good, right?" Sakura could see her parents faces fall. If children were born with a certain amount of chakra they would be drafted and expected to serve a period of years.

That wasn't right! No sign of the bloodline should appear until they were older!

"The baby is strong, and there seems to be no complications from a surface level. We can do another in depth scan later, but there is nothing urgent at the moment. Have a good day, Mrs Haruno. You're clear to go."

"Will our baby have to serve?" Kizashi murmured.

Mebuki didn't answer.

Sakura debated telling her parents about the bloodline, but the last thing they needed was more stress.

As they walked out of the room, Sakura startled as she caught sight of Tenten down the hall.

"I'll see you later!" She called to her parents, and she took off down the hall. As she got closer, it was apparent this was Tenten she was looking at.

"Tenten!"

"Sakura!"

They hugged, squealing at each other.

"Sakura, you will not believe the trip I just went on! I'm telling you everything later. But right now, your team is back around the corner and at the end of the second hallway. They'll fill you in in the meantime. I need to go find my team first."

Sakura nodded and said goodbye. She followed her instructions and ran into Naruto first.

She was so happy she couldn't even hear what he was saying as she hugged Haruhi sensei.

"-And then Haruhi sensei jumped over the side of the bridge, and did you know she could swim, Sakura-chan? Because we didn't know that! We all freaked out! Especially Kakashi-sensei! HAHA!"

Sakura giggled, and hugged Naruto and Sasuke back. She had missed them all.

"I didn't know you could swim, Haruhi-sensei. Can you teach us?"

We'll be like a mermaid!

Haruhi puffed up.

"I was planning on it. We can do that now that I'm back in Konoha. Also, how is your mother doing?"

Sakura paused.

"Oh! Her and the baby are fine. The baby's chakra is really strong for its development. She's due in two months."

Should she tell Haruhi sensei about the bloodline?

Haruhi-sensei can keep a secret! We should!

Sakura frowned. She would hold off, for now.

"That's great to hear, Sakura." Haruhi-sensei smiled. "Don't forget to let your parents know that we're all happy to help. Right boys?" She said, putting a hand on each of their shoulders. Haruhi-sensei looked over at Kakashi-sensei, still smiling, but Tenten noticed how tense that was. Kakashi-sensei seemed to be drifting off into his own world, and took a second to answer.

"I wouldn't mind-"

A masked ANBU appeared 10 feet down the hallway, and Kakashi-sensei's hand twitched for his Kunai, before relaxing.

"Ah. ANBU-san. How can we help."

"Tsunade-sama requires you at the mission desk, Hatake-sama."

Kakashi nodded, and the too small ANBU vanished.

"But you just got back!" Haruhi said, dismayed.

"I know. But we need to get to the bottom of this."

There seemed to be a hidden meaning, because the two boys looked down, and Haruhi-sensei nodded as he kissed her cheek and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Just what had happened on that mission?

Shizune took a deep breath as she stood outside Haku's and Ino's room. So much had changed in so little time. But Shizune wasn't complaining. She had spent most of her life wandering with Tsunade, and had seen more lands, people, and cultures along the way than almost any other.

She felt like it was high time to settle down, and call some place home for awhile.

"Come in." A soft voice rang from the room. Shizune blushed. Wasn't one of the girls a sensor?

She walked in the room, and it was only from a lifetime of treating injuries on the road that let her keep her composure.

Both girls were horrible scarred. Pieces of flesh missing from the face, and what tissue remained was scarred. Treatment was clear in the areas where the skin was knitted together better, but in Ino's case, the chakra network was too damaged to support anymore healing.

But what about Haku? She decided to introduce herself.

"Hello. My name is Shizune. Tsunade-sama is my teacher. I am her apprentice, and I'll be checking both of you over to see what treatments can be done. I need your permission first."

They exchanged looks and nodded.

"Let her go first." Ino said.

Shizune approached Haku, her hands wreathed in the grass green glow of the healing jutsu. She placed them on Haku's face.

Immediately she could tell the damage had been caused by a fire jutsu, and that the damage had been left untreated until much of it was too covered in scar tissue to fix. Not to mention, there was a cool feel in her chakra that Shizune had only felt a few times before in the refugees from Kiri. Could Haku be a Yuki? They normally had noble looking faces, but it was hard to tell with the scar tissue.

"I see this was left untreated for awhile?" Shizune asked instead.

"Yes. We were far out on a mission, and away from any medical treatment. And when I got to Konoha, I had to be...Vetted, before I could receive any healthcare."

Shizune pursed her lips. Konoha had never been great when it came to immigrants and refugees. It seems like they made Haku wait even longer before helping her.

"I see. Ino, I'll take a look at you now, if that's alright?"

Ino nodded.

"So, I heard you two help invent pepper spray?"

The two girls giggled, and pulled out their own.

"Yeah, we did!" Ino exclaimed. "It was a piece of cake separating the caspian from the peppers. And Haruhi-sensei figured out the rest with the bottle. Did she mention us to you?"

"She did. She had a glowing review of the two of you."

Shizune smiled, then frowned as she ran the diagnostic jutsu. She could tell where the bijuu chakra had sunk into the skin and chakra pathways. Even now, the corrosive chakra was eating away at the rest of the flesh.

"Is everything okay?"

"Oh yes. Just getting information. Why don't you girls tell me more about your poison making?"

As the girls launched into their explanation, Shizune became fonder and fonder of them. So proud, so strong, so smart, and eager to learn. They would be excellent students.

Wait.

Where had that come from?

"So, what do you think, Shizune-san? Can you help me?"

Shizune blinked.

Removing the trace remains of Bijuu chakra, especially from an area so delicate, would be difficult. Not to mention where to put the chakra afterwards. Then there was the matter of reconstructing the facial nerves and tissue. The chakra pathways needed to be stable enough in order to carry medical chakra, and right now they were raw, if not fully corroded away. But someone like Tsunade did have the skill and expertise to pull this off-even if it took months. Haku's face could also be treated like this, by bolstering her chakra pathways so new unscarred tissue could form.

Shizune relayed this information to the girls, who looked ecstatic.

"Tsunade-sama will be with you in a few days. Right now, she had some issues to deal with."

Would her sensei become Hokage? Only time will tell.

But if she did, Shizune knew there were two students waiting for her.

And what amazing poison mistresses they would make.

Danzo stood still as he waited for his agent to report. These past couple of weeks had been difficult. He had been so close to hokageship, just a few more days in office, and his position would have been cemented. Alas, Hiruzen had some life left in him, and usurped him once again.

Then against all odds, the mission to retrieve Tsunade was successful.

"Mole. Report."

The agent took off his mask to reveal his pale milky white face. His ink brushed hung limp at his side.

"Tsunade has agreed to take up the mantel-ship of Hokage"

Danzo cursed internally. He wouldn't be able to get away with activities like he had under Hiruzen.

But even then it was difficult, wasn't it?

After the Uchiha massacre, something changed in his friend turned nemesis. Hiruzen seemed to be rethinking his role as hokage, and started digging deeper in the underbelly of the village. He began to pick up the investigation into Danzo's activities where Fugaku Uchiha had left off. If that investigation was complete, Danzo and his compatriots would be executed.

But unlike with The Uchiha clan head, Danzo had already tried and failed to assassinate the Third Hokage once, and couldn't try it again.

So as a last resort, he used Shisui's sharingan on him. He had placed the Third Hokage under a genjutsu.

And now with Tsunade as Hokage, she could begin digging again, and Danzo wouldn't be able to use the genjutsu on her this time.

"Did she react strangely to the Third hokage."

A pause. Danzo's eyes narrowed.

"No, Lord Danzo. She only reacted as expected."

Good. That was good to hear. Danzo could keep his head down, wait for the opportunity, and strike.

But in the meantime, there were too many unknowns. Especially centered around team seven. Danzo needed a spy, around the same age as a genin.

"Agent mole! I have an assignment for you. You will be shedding the Root uniform, and will be joining the genin corps to serve with team seven."

Agent mole nodded. If he was surprised, he didn't show it.

"What will my name be?"

Danzo huffed.

"It doesn't matter. Pick one that makes you fit in."

He walked away. There was evidence he needed to cover up, children he needed to indoctrinate, and relief efforts to sabotage.

Sai smiled internally.

He already knew which name he was going to pick.

Gardengalaxy coming at you with one last update before I go back to college. I hope you enjoyed, because I'm gonna be on hiatus until the next break, baby!

This chapter was pretty plot heavy, ngl. What did you think of that? What plot point are you excited to see expanded upon? See you around!