Sharingan No Naruto

Chapter 15: Broken Senju

"I-It was about time you woke up... g-granny" Oh no, not again, she couldn't let it happen again, she wouldn't let it happen again. The blood in her hands was bothering her, begging for her to look away, she tried to ignore it, blood wouldn't be much of a bother if she managed to keep it inside him.

But it was so hard, between his sudden spasms and that awful gurgling sound he made choking on his own blood "W-Why don't you get that look off your f-face, I'm n-not-" She had to force him to shut up as she kept working on his injuries, the bastard had gotten him good, he was only alive because of his amazingly strong life force but he wouldn't be if she didn't fix it soon.

"G-Granny?" She had to get it together, she stopped healing and focused on the blood again, it took over, it brought back memories and it stopped her from helping him but how? How is she supposed to stop his bleeding if she can't focus?!

ARGH!

With a strong kick to the face Tsunade was sent flying away from the now - once again - bleeding form of Naruto, courtesy of Konoha's newly found traitor and a big pain in the ass, she still couldn't focus on anything else but the boy she could see now laying on the floor motionless, eyes closed and body oozing with blood.

'HOW DID IT COME TO THIS?'

A week ago

Naruto and Jiraiya had left the village and resumed their travel not long after hitting a dead end, it was good that they now at least knew Tsunade had moved to a different place but still... The perverted Sannin couldn't help the feeling that it was him who was the issue, that it was because of him that she kept running away, he wanted so desperately to believe it because that would mean...

That would mean that he mattered to her.

"Cheer up Ero-sennin, we're going to find her in the next town and then I'll have her fix bushy brows and Neji." That comment got a chuckle out of him, in the short time that they've been getting to know each other Naruto has always been able to lighten up his mood at least a little, his unwavering faith on the outcome of their mission made him hopeful, if only he weren't so afraid that Naruto would be disappointed.

Yes Tsunade is without a question the best medic alive in the world but, she is no longer the person that earned such a title. She is still Tsunade Senju of course, just watered down into a version of her former self, a depressed and alcoholic one and even worse than that, scared of blood. How in the world is she going to heal someone in a situation as delicate as Lee's without the ability to see blood and not fall into a shock?

Jiraiya feared this might not only break Lee, but Naruto along with him. 'I better not get too distracted, wouldn't want the brat to notice something's wrong, at least not yet'

"Say Naruto... would you like to learn a new jutsu?" Nothing better to cheer yourself up than being swayed by Naruto's eagerness to learn, the boy had matured and grown a lot but he would still get all excited about learning new stuff, his jumping around made it even more interesting, besides, it's about time he learns the jutsu, it is his father legacy after all.

Naruto - of course - said yes and watched as Jiraiya seemed to be looking for something in the scroll he carried around, he knew that to be the place where Jiraiya stored most of his things so he could only imagine what super awesome tool the toad sage would be using to teach him that new jutsu. What he ended up receiving left him a bit... underwhelmed.

With a deadpan and very confused expression on his face Naruto said "What am I supposed to do with this Ero-sensei?" and Jiraiya could only chuckle, he was still being called names but appreciated the distinction when he taught something to the blond Uzumaki.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself brat, this" He said pointing to a balloon filled with water that both him and Naruto held in one of their hands, "is only the first step to learning this new jutsu, the technique I'm going to teach you is the highest form of Chakra's shape manipulation and is fairly hard to learn, that's why you need to do so in steps, watch this."

Jiraiya got closer to Naruto and extended his arm with the water balloon in it, at first it didn't seem like he was doing anything but the water in the balloon suddenly started moving inside, stretching and putting pressure in all of its form until it couldn't hold any longer and popped, spraying Jiraiya's hand with water. "The first thing you need to do is make the balloon pop by using only your chakra, the way you accomplish this is by making the water inside swirl in all directions."

Without giving any further instruction Jiraiya tossed Naruto a little scroll containing many of the water balloons sealed inside and decided to keep on watching as Naruto tried and tried to pop the balloons, he realized his protégé's frustration was very very amusing to him.

It's a good thing, he figures, being able to watch as Naruto tried and tried without giving up for hours turning into a day. In all reality the blond doesn't exactly need this jutsu, Kakashi had made it a point to teach him the Chidori which is by no means a bad jutsu, he actually went with the Raikiri version for that matter, as far as the sannin knows the jutsu is pretty much the same thing, the only thing that changed between each version of it was Kakashi himself.

The point is, Naruto already has a jutsu of the same nature as the one he is currently being taught, said nature being very close range. Main difference is this technique is not really an assassination technique, it's deadly if the user wants it to be of course, most jutsu are, that's not what's important though. Naruto's own father - his student - was the one to develop this jutsu, it's the boy's birthright.

"YES!" Jiraiya had been so lost in thought he lost track of time, had Naruto not yelled he probably would still be thinking about him. He looked to his newest apprentice and found him doing an excited dance with a popped balloon and a wet hand. The little brat had managed to pop the balloon in just a day and a half.

Impressive.

"Excellent work Naruto, you're doing far better than I did when I learned this technique, you should be proud." The little guy wasn't sure how to respond to that, Jiraiya is normally not the kind of teacher that goes for positive reinforcement, that's not to say he is aggressive or diminishing at all, he just isn't this... kind.

"We're close to Tanzaku Gai Naruto, I'm going to put a pause on your training until we find Tsunade, keep on practicing the balloon pop for the time being, we'll move to phase 2 once we have made contact with her." Not exactly something he would like but understandable given the situation, he is on a mission after all and a very important one at that, he knows his sensory skills will play an important role in locating her.

Soon after that both of them entered the town and started exploring, to Naruto it feels weird. He can't feel any chakra signature that's remarkably big or simply noticeable but there is something in the air, a presence of sorts; one that he's felt before, he just can't pinpoint exactly what it is...

There's something he does know about it though, it makes him angry.

Jiraiya picked up on Naruto's mood change almost immediately it made him weary, he wouldn't dream of something happening to Tsunade or anyone in the town for that matter but he can't shake Naruto's expression off of his mind, he is after all a great sensor and the Toad-sage had learned to trust his abilities which only leads to question, what got him this spooked? "Talk to me Naruto, what's wrong?"

"I'm not sure, there's something awful in the air," He closed his eyes and knelt down to place a finger on the ground, to Jiraiya it was still amazing that the little brat uses his sensing abilities in the same way the Nidaime did and is not even aware of it, Naruto took a deep breath and let his chakra flow through the soil, concentrating on every little thing he could feel, his chakra created some sort of sonar that bounced on every little thing it touched and came back to him, this is the most efficient way to track in his opinion, being a natural sensor allowed him to feel things around him without the need of little more than concentration but this took his sensing to a different level.

The Gama-Sannin watched patiently as the blonde tried to pinpoint whatever it was that interrupted his inner peace, he wished he could help him really but his sensing abilities are nothing to be considered impressive, like most trained shinobi Jiraiya had trained in the ability to sense danger around him but it doesn't compare to the things a natural born sensor can do.

"Jiraiya-sensei!" That can't be good, Naruto only calls him by his name if they're seriously training or when he's worried, they're most definitely not training right now. "I-It feels just like when Jiji d-died!" He hurriedly took off in the direction where he felt that, completely ignoring his sensei's orders and questions, whatever it is that feels that way must be related to the man that killed his grandfather.

The perverted shinobi had little options other than to run behind his student and follow him to wherever he felt that, Jiraiya isn't stupid and is perfectly aware of what it means for the air to feel that way, but why is he here? Why now? What is he looking for? There's only one thing that he could hope to achieve and he's not excited about it.

Tsunade had just become even more important.

What they found when they got there is pretty much nothing, there was a significant crater on the ground and holes on the walls which Jiraiya can easily connect to Tsunade, there was also the big Castle that was supposed to be surrounded by said walls.

It's still there of course, just not in the way Jiraiya remembers it. "Tanzaku's people are not going to like this; the castle was their main tourist attraction... Can you feel anything else?"

The young shinobi shook his head no "No, not a chakra signature at least, there's energy still here though, it feels a lot like Neji when the mark activated." Naruto never really met Orochimaru himself, he'd been able to feel the effects of the curse mark on Neji's shoulder and was of course there when Hiruzen passed, he can remember how everything felt that day.

"We need to find her Naruto and we need to do it now, we'll sweep the town as many times as needed today until we find her okay? Orochimaru is here and he's most definitely looking for her, they had a confrontation here," He's finding it hard to not look at the castle that got turned into ruins, it looks like someone dropped a summon on it and it definitely wasn't Tsunade, if there was a confrontation though, it means that whatever Orochimaru wants Tsunade is not exactly on board, that's a good thing. "Let's get going."

Search they did, for a long while and they weren't able to find her at all, Naruto is a good sensor but Tsunade is the staple for what Chakra control means, having a control of one's own energy in the same way she does means she can hide her signature so well that only the best of sensors would be able to pick on it, Naruto sadly isn't quite on that level just yet, another thing the young Uzumaki can start training on.

They decided to take a little rest from their search and went into the first thing that looked like a restaurant they could see, it smelled awful but food is food and they were both too tired to care, Jiraiya also needed a drink so it's a good thing the restaurant was also a bar. They both made their way into the establishment and the first thing he saw as soon as he entered definitely wasn't expected.

"TSUNADE?!"

"JIRAIYA?"

Naruto didn't know what to expect, in his mind, she looked like any other woman, he of course noticed the size, he's a teenager, of course he's going to notice; and he also noticed she's quite pretty, a little too young looking for someone the age of Jiraiya perhaps. There just isn't anything about her looks that screams danger to him, then again' shinobi are supposed to be pretty stealthy, he made his way toward her table with Jiraiya -moth still agape - in tow.

"Both of my teammates paying me a visit on the same day? How lucky of me." Her tone nothing short of dismissive, he doesn't like it, he also doesn't like the way she seems to disregard Jiraiya entirely, sure, his newest teacher/godfather/newly acquired family can be a little eccentric and exasperating but he's also proven to be smart and a very capable shinobi, he deserves at least a little respect. "Why are you here Jiraiya?"

"Straight to the point as always hime, it's good to see some things don't change... before I answer your question tell me," The toad sage's tone seemed to change out of nowhere and it unnerved his charge for some reason, something about that seriousness doesn't fit well with the Jiraiya he's grown used to in the slightest "what does Orochimaru want with you?"

"He offered me something in exchange of a favor, nothing you should be too concerned with," She knew the comment would in fact be concerning as she said it but she also didn't particularly care, she didn't owe an explanation to anyone, especially not Jiraiya, "so what are you doing here? And who's the kid?"

"The kid is Uzumaki Naruto, he's their child." He almost sounded proud as he said that, and for some reason, being introduced as their son also made him feel proud, in a weird way, for him it never stopped being weird. Naruto went from being a no-name orphan to being the orphan of Namikaze Minato, Konoha's Kiroi Senko and Yondaime Hokage as well as Uzumaki Kushina, Konoha's Red Death and most proficient Fuinjutsu Master after Uzumaki Mito; being aware of his legacy and all that he has to live up to is overwhelming.

"It's nice to meet you both." It was only after he greeted her that Jiraiya actually noticed Shizune also there, now a full grown adult, it just made him realize how long it truly was the last time they met each other.

"As for the reason we're here," Started off Jiraiya after Naruto finished politely introducing himself to everyone, including the pig they had with them. Hiruzen definitely had something to do with the kid's manners. "I'm going straight to the point, after sensei's passing Konoha's elder and clan heads have decided you are to be our new Hokage, congratulations."

.

.

.

WHAT?

"Are you kidding Jiraiya?" It didn't look like it and Jiraiya's shooking head made it perfectly clear, it was now obvious to her he finally lost his mind. "Absolutely not, I won't go back to the village and I definitely won't be the new Hokage." Wel, he couldn't say he wasn't expecting that answer but he was holding on to hope that she might be more reasonable.

"Hime, with sensei's passing the village needs a strong leader, I'm not fit for the position and Kakashi is not ready for it yet, you are our only option." Naruto would eventually become a great Hokage and he could only count the days to see it happen, but for now, she'd have to come through.

"The Hokage is a fool's job, it's no wonder they all die as young as they do and even if Sarutobi Sensei died old, it could've been avoided if he had just given up the hat, I won't go back to the village and I won't take the hat!."

"Tsunade you-"

"What did you say about the past Hokage?" The air around them became heavier and Naruto's voice dropped to a surprisingly low level, Jiraiya didn't know whether to be proud or weary, maybe bringing him along to meet Tsunade hadn't been a great idea after all.

"What do you care brat? You better start learning how to respect your superiors and watch your tone when you address me," Yeah that wasn't good, Tsunade and Naruto were getting in each other's faces and it definitely wouldn't end right. "If I say the Hokage are fools then they are."

Jiraiya didn't think Tsunade would ever be this broken, stooping so low as to mock her sensei and ancestors as well as his own student, Naruto's father and grandfather in all but blood, oh right, that's who they are to Naruto. "How dare you call them fools, you old hag? You are nothing compared to them."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING OLD STUPID BRAT?!"

"YOU YOU OLD HAG!"

Jiraiya didn't see this coming, thinking about it he realizes he should've expected this development but it never even crossed his mind when he decided to bring Naruto along, Tsunade didn't seem to have any filter or regard for the young shinobi, she knew who he was, even if she had thought him dead. While she might not be aware of the relationship he developed with the sandaime she knew about his heritage, but the way he said things, the way he continued to argue with her about his beliefs of the position and the people who had it before her irked her.

It brought back bad memories, and she's terrible at reacting to those.

"THE YONDAIME GAVE HIS LIFE FOR NOTHING AND THE OLD MAN DID TOO! THEY SACRIFICED EVERYTHING FOR THAT STUPID VILLAGE AND GOT NOTHING IN RETURN! WHAT GOOD ARE THEY NOW HUH?! THEY'RE JUST A COUPLE FACES CARVED IN STONE, THEY BOTH DIED LIKE FOOLS! THEY ALL DID!" A pin drop would make a million times more sound than the impassive silence that followed that statement, Shizune and Jiraiya could only watch with a dumbfounded expression mixed with a look of disbelief at her, the reply that followed? Even more.

"YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A USELESS, STUPID UNGRATEFUL WOMAN! I've read all about you Tsunade," That came out very dark, Jiraiya didn't like where this was going, and he definitely didn't like Naruto's chakra becoming visible, he had seen him angry before, but never like this. "you are a joke, a disgusting alcoholic with terrible luck that spends her days shaming the name of the village's founding clan! MY FATHER sacrificed his life to save the village and Jiji, my grandfather did it too!"

His chakra only became wilder and more out of control as he kept on going, to people like Shizune and even Tsunade who are only viewing someone's chakra being this color for the first time, it's almost mesmerizing, if only she wasn't being chewed up by it.

"These people gave their all to save us and what have you done?! I know what you lost, Jiji told me all about it but guess what, you are not the only person to have lost someone! I HAD NO ONE!" That made Jiraiya wince. "If Jiji hadn't taken me in I still wouldn't have anyone, my father and Jiji were heroes and so were the Nidaime and Shodai but you... YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A FAILURE, YOU'RE JUST SOME IMBECILE THAT WAS NEVER ABLE TO MOVE ON-"

"Naruto!"

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PERVERT WANTS WITH YOU THE VILLAGE WILL ONLY BENEFIT WITHOUT SOMEONE LIKE YOU IN IT-"

"Naruto calm down!"

"YOU SIT HERE AND DARE TO TRASH TALK MY FATHER AND SARUTOBI-JIJI AFTER THEY GAVE THEIR LIVES TO SAVE EVERYONE WHILE THE ONLY THING YOU DO IS DROWN YOUR PROBLEMS WITH ALCOHOL!"

"Naruto stop it!"

"UNGRATEFUL! SELFISH BIT-"

"NARUTO!"

He lost it, he lost all semblance of control in a matter of seconds and he just couldn't comprehend why, why did he allow himself to become so worked up by her? Enough so that his chakra started swirling around him and his sharingan eye came to life, blue eye now almost nearing... purple? What is it with Naruto and everything about him turning purple?

"B-Breath Naruto, c-calm down." The voice of his sensei suddenly brought him back to reality, not nearly enough to calm down but enough to become aware of his surroundings once more, only then was he able to see his master being far from okay, it would seem in his anger Naruto lost more control than he thought himself capable of.

Tsunade looked terrified, her body trembled and any form of coherent sentence died in her mouth. She kept on pointing in front of her but looking to her side, taking in the newest state of both her student and old friend, it isn't pretty. Naruto activated his Kongo Fusa; this being the first time he uses the chains without actively trying to and they had allocated themselves in a rather unorthodox place, Shizune's left arm and Jiraiya's right one along with his leg and left shoulder.

"Jiraiya-sensei I-I didn't mean to I swear I-"

"It's okay Naruto, I know; Just breath okay? Calm down." Sure, he was not particularly thrilled about being quite literally impaled by Naruto and it sure hurts a lot, but he understands, the boy has been keeping a lot of his emotions bottled up and in check for the sake of this mission, he had interrupted his grief when he stopped by his house to recruit him just minutes after he met with Enma.

Naruto can't be blamed for this.

Tears started welling up on Naruto's eyes, he just couldn't believe he would do such a thing, how can he explain that a single person managed to get to him this way? What kind of ninja is he? He kept on cursing his own weakness as the chains receded back into him, his remaining eye turning blue again while his implanted sharingan receded into the onyx orb that once belonged to his closest friend.

He disappeared shortly after that, not being strong enough nor willing to address Jiraiya after his display, he used the Shunshin he had created with the help of Sakura to disappear from view leaving only an afterimage of himself that lasted just a second.

The room was filled with silence shortly after that, Jiraiya had secretly put on a privacy seal the moment Tsunade and Naruto's argument became heated which had allowed the whole ordeal go unnoticed by the customers on the restaurant, the staff will most definitely encounter blood when they go and pick up their plates but it wouldn't be that big of a deal, it just meant he'd have to pay more.

"Let me help you Jiraiya-sama." Shizune started patching herself up the moment the chain had left her body, it hurt of course but it wasn't anything a medic of her expertise wouldn't be able to fix, if anything she was just surprised it would come to this. "Will he be okay?"

The toad-sage let the powerful and magnificent healing chakra run through him as Shizune worked on stopping his bleeding and closing up his wounds, it never ceased to amaze him. "He'll be fine, it's better that he's left alone for a moment though, Sarutobi-sensei was the only family he had for most of his life and they both loved each other dearly, he should be at home grieving and I still brought him along on this mission."

To a certain extent Jiraiya thought this to be his fault, but not too much, while he would've liked Naruto to grieve in peace, the boy is a Shinobi and as such is expected to do what it's right for the village when the village needs it, he swore loyalty to the village and its Hokage the moment he put on the hitai-ate.

Standing back up as soon as Shizune finished on him, Jiraiya put some money on the table and undid the seal. "Thanks Shizune, I will meet you both later at the hotel, make sure she snaps out of it okay? I will have a very serious conversation with her as soon as she does."

In his eyes for the first time Tsunade looked pathetic, sitting there with her eyes still focused on the blood stains that were left on the couch while her mouth opened and closed as she tried to form words that simply refused to come out, he couldn't help but scoff at her, he had been sympathetic to her for a long time, but seeing her in this state after all the things she said.

He could only feel pity.

He disappeared not long after that and followed after Naruto, he will let the boy vent his frustrations alone, Kami knows he needs to, but that doesn't mean he won't watch him from a distance and make sure he's okay, someone has to be there for him when he needs it and he would die before he lets himself ignore the Uzumaki's well-being once more.

For Hiruzen, for Minato and most importantly, for himself.

"STUPID STUPID STUPID!"

Over in a clearing not too far away from Tanzaku Naruto kept on berating himself while he threw fist after fist to the ground, each one stronger than the last if the big dent that formed where he hit was any indication.

He still couldn't stop himself from feeling guilty, he had hurt a person who's only becoming more dear to him the more time they spend together, and he even hurt someone he had just met just because he couldn't keep himself in check, it's just, the things she said, she infuriated him.

"You know Naruto-kun, your mother had a very short temper when she was younger, she would have the same look of defeat I see on your face right now." The Hokage found Naruto's frustration a little amusing to say the least, in a way doing this was therapeutic to him, he had enjoyed helping Kushina turn into the master of fuinjutsu she was when she died a lot, even if she could be a little harsh around the edges.

"She worked a lot on her character to be able to get a better control of her emotions and even as an adult her old personality would show up from time to time." Sure, Naruto isn't really being that explosive right now and he would most likely never be, that doesn't mean however he shouldn't learn how to deal with his frustrations.

"What should I do Jiji? I feel like I'm not learning anything anymore, this all feels so hard for me, it's like I'm reading a different language."

"You need to lay back a little, give your mind some time to adapt and process what you learned, do something else that allows your mind to become relaxed and susceptible to reason," He rubbed the boys hair and stood up from the couch as he made his way back to the desk, ready to resume his duties as the leader for the day.

"We'll finish today's lesson here, go and have a moment for yourself okay? Vent a little and let your frustrations out in a healthy matter, you and Sakura-chan both learned how to play instruments as per Tsutsuji's instruction correct?" He asked without taking his eyes off that damned paperwork."Why don't you do that?"

Naruto smiled softly at the memory of his grandfather, Hiruzen always had a way of helping him.

"Thank you Jiji..." He said in a soft whisper as he sat on the ground and reached to a seal that was hidden in his clothes, he took a deep breath and applied a little chakra to it in a very specific way, revealing its content in a plume of smoke that was swiftly taken away by the wind.

"It's not much I'll admit but I know you'll put it to great use," He smiled and motioned Naruto to inch a bit closer to him and Konohamaru as they shared a quiet dinner in celebration of Naruto's most recent fuinjutsu accomplishment, in reality, Hiruzen was just looking for an excuse to give the boy the gift he had gotten him, much to Konohamaru's jealousy, not like he wasn't just given a new toy by the same man a few days ago but still.

"Thank you Jiji, this is..." Breathtaking, Naruto unsealed the most beautiful guitar he had ever seen out of the scroll that he received as a gift, the body was of a beautiful onyx color with dark orange bindings and an equally dark neck. What stood out the most to him was the beautiful Uzumaki swirl made out of a blinding silver lining that was engraved near the strings, he couldn't help but caress it and be reminded of the mother that he never knew, a little tear escaped his eye as he looked at it. "This is the best I could've asked for"

"Nonsense my boy, now, why don't you play me that song again? I quite liked it."

"I still think it's weird you like that song so much jiji, it's very sad"

"Oh just indulge this old man a little, I just think it suits your voice very much, even if it's a little on the sadder side"

'Anything for you Jiji.'

Naruto started playing the strings shortly after his trip down memory lane, these days everything reminds him of the Sandaime and this particular song only helps bring back those memories, it's painful for him but at the same time he never wants to let go of those memories, that's what keeps him close to him, that's in a way what keeps him alive.

The melody filled the forest shortly after, Naruto closed his eyes and concentrated as he started reciting the words from memory, truth be told, the song didn't mean anything to him other than his grandfather liking it very much, it wasn't really important what the song was but what it meant.

At least in his mind.

Hiruzen at the time discovered the boy to be a very decent singer, in pretty much the same way the white haired pervert watching from a tree far away from him is finding out right now, this is something after all that Naruto hadn't bothered disclosing to him or showing for that matter, he has to say the kid is quite talented in every sense of the word.

'He'll be fine' he thought, he always is Jiraiya just has to make sure someone's there to guide him through everything he's been going through as of late but seeing there, sitting down playing a guitar, singing a song he had never heard before and probably meant something very different to him than what the song's lyrics actually talk about.

That almost made him flinch, almost, not as much as Naruto's voice calling out to him though. "Enjoy the show, pervert?"

He smirked. "Who would've known you had a little talent hidden behind all that recklessness?" The flinch back wasn't exactly what he was waiting for as an answer but it probably was to be expected after what had happened. "Are you all calmed down now?"

"Yes, I'm sorry I exploded like that I- I just didn't want her to speak like that about them and then I- I just couldn't y'know?"

Jiraiya gave Naruto one of those weird warm smiles of his, not the one that's always plastered on his face that kinda almost looks like a smirk, he gave him the one that showed he cared, the one that showed that he understood and above all else, he isn't angry at him. "I know Naruto, it's okay, I'm okay, Shizune is okay, nothing serious happened. Go get some sleep, why don't you? We can talk about whatever our plan is going to be tomorrow, Shizune already got us a room in one of the town's Inns, just track her down."

"What about you Ero-sennin?" Oh there it is again, and here Jiraiya thought he'd go by without hearing the nickname for a while, no point in fighting it now he figures.

"I'll be off to have a very serious conversation."

He did in fact not have that conversation, at least not that night, when Jiraiya found her she was passed out at some bar downtown so he decided not to bother her, instead he went back to the hotel and got some sleep.

The following days he had helped Naruto with his training, he explained to him the second phase of the jutsu and the blonde manage to accomplish in a single day once again, he was now down to the third and hardest step and had been trying for a few days now, but he knew it would only be a matter of time for him to completely learn the jutsu.

After he left Naruto alone for his own devices he decided to look for her once more, a week had passed since their first encounter and he hadn't been able to talk to her, luckily for him, she wasn't difficult to find this time around.

"So... I didn't think I would be watching you get grilled by a little brat and then accidentally traumatized by the same brat." Finding her had been extremely easy, he knew her to be having a rough time but someone of her caliber should be able to hide if she so wishes to, then again, she very well could just not bother hiding from him "Finding Sake good enough to make you forget some things?"

She didn't even bother to make a retort to Jiraiya's very obvious jab, something completely different occupied her mind at the moment. "Is he really their son Jiraiya?"

"Straight to the point as always" He took a seat next to her. "Yes, he takes a lot more after Kushina but you can still see little oblivious Minato in him from time to time, it used to be painful to look at him."

"But you know... I ended up realizing it didn't have to be, he reminds me so much of them and it used to kill me but I realized it doesn't have to be like that, as long as he's here then they're not really dead, they'll always live inside of him, one way or the other." He allowed himself a sad smile before returning to his ever present goofy smile and persona. "But enough about me, will you be Hokage now?"

Tsunade started chuckling at his expense once more, it was weird for her seeing him of all people being serious, calm and collected, but he still managed to bring out the idiot in him, he always did. "You already know the answer to your question Jiraiya."

That doesn't mean he has to like it, and he certainly doesn't. "Oh well, can't hurt to ask no?"

They both fell in silence shortly after and each of them mused in their own thoughts, there was no wey Naruto and he would return to the village without her, Jiraiya the Gallant, Konoha's great Toad Sage and best selling author would not be locking himself in an office any time soon.

"Will you at least tell me what Orochimaru wants with you?"

"I figured he wouldn't have escaped you of all people."

"You made it easy for me to figure it out, that way of getting angry of yours always leaves a mark."

She cursed herself at that, she wasn't planning on having both of her teammates look for her at the same time and both of them for very different things, but the snake wanted something relatively easy to accomplish and offered much in return, Jiraiya's proposition? Not so much.

She knew of course, playing with Orochimaru meant playing with the devil and you don't play with the devil. But she had made up her mind now, and nothing could stop her, that's why she had lured Jiraiya into the bar.

"Whatever it is that he wants with me is my business Jiraiya, no need for you to meddle in."

He sighed and took another sip of his cup of sake "Listen Tsunade, I don't know what Orochimaru wants but I hope you understand what you're doing, if you do anything to betray Konoha, not even my love for you will be enough to stop me from killing you on the spot, this will be your one and only warning."

She knew it to be true, heck, anyone would believe Jiraiya if he addressed you in that way, she felt sorry about doing what she did to her teammate and knew she would be hunted if things went south but in the end, it had to be done. That's why she didn't even bat an eye when Jiraiya fell unconscious on the booth.

She would do what must be done and wouldn't allow anyone to interfere.

"It's not like you to summon me so late, Naruto, what's up?"

"I'm sorry Gamakichi I couldn't sleep and wanted to speak with someone that wasn't Jiraiya-sensei, I hope you don't mind."

The toad and blond duo had truly become friends in the last weeks, even Eiji had made his way into their friendship circle but Naruto appreciated the small size of his toad companion when it came to wanting a private and unnoticeable conversation.

"Some things happened today and I was feeling like- What are you doing here so late?"

Oh curse her luck, it was just like her to run into the last person she wanted to run into while going into her little escapade, well, she was planning on having a word with him about what happened after all, this might as well be the best time for it.

"Nothing in particular, I just needed some fresh air, same as you I would guess."

Naruto, with Gamakichi now hidden in his clothes, answered perhaps a little faster than normal. "Listen I- How do I put this?... I didn't mean all that stuff earlier y'know? I was just angry and lost control for a bit and I didn't even know I could do that y'know? It just sort of happened and then I hurt Ero-sennin and Shizune-san but I really didn't mean to. I also didn't know you were afraid of blood which is weird y'know? But no offense it's just I never knew that was a thing and I didn't mean to scare you but you were being rude and I didn't like it but Jiji said I should always be diligent and I wasn't cuz I kinda forget sometimes 'ttebayo!"

He was kinda hoping for her to get mad at him again but surprisingly enough, she started laughing, and it didn't look like she was laughing at him, it was more of a heartfelt laughter complimented by the longing way she started looking at him, like she wasn't looking at him at all. "You're a lot like your mother Naruto, more than you will ever know."

"Oh... You knew my mother? That's awesome!"

"You can say your mother and I used to be close"

They both shared a warm smile to one another, she was surprised of course to see how forgiving the boy seemed to be, she knew she had crossed a line when things went down and didn't really blame Naruto for any of the things he said.

None of them were unprovoked after all.

"Listen Naruto, I said things, very untasteful things to you. It's true I hold no love for the position but I loved sensei like a father and I respected your father greatly," Naruto seemed surprised about the familiarity in which she spoke of his parents but being a friend of Jiraiya, it probably made sense. "Minato turned out fine despite being trained by that gigantic pervert after all."

Naruto snorted. "I'm sorry about the things I said to you too, I had never lost control like that before, it's just... things have been hard for me lately."

At some point during the night Naruto decided to unsummon Gamakichi, sending him off with an apology for wasting his time, much to Tsunade's surprise, in all honesty she didn't expect the both of them to end up having a conversation as long and lighthearted as the one they were having. Naruto, after all, never wasted an opportunity to find out more about his parents; especially about his mother, she was the one people talked about the least.

He was impressed at learning that while Tsunade had not been in charge of Kushina's Genin team, she had been crucial in her training, having taught her for years in a way not so different to the way he is being trained by Jiraiya now. "I am the world's best medic, but being a medic ninja isn't all I know how to do and that's what you should aspire to become, a well rounded shinobi."

The conversation between them became amicable very quickly, both of them now having moved to the rooftop of a nearby building, watching the stars as they talked. "Can I ask you a question, Naruto?"

He nodded.

"How did you get the Sharingan?" She knew of course this could be a sensitive topic for him but she needed to know, she needed to know exactly what kind of person she was dealing with, it would help her make a decision.

"My team and I went on a C-rank mission we were not ready for.." Tsunade listened intently at Naruto's tale without making any comment, leaving Naruto to explain himself without interruption, she heard the way Naruto talked about himself and knew that while it was an experience he had moved past from it had made a great impact in his personality, it was pretty obvious for her that he greatly blamed himself. "I was so pathetic I couldn't do anything to protect myself so he had to do it for me, when Gato betrayed Zabuza he had his men rain fire on us, I was quick enough to avoid any lethal injury besides losing my eye but Sasuke wasn't so lucky."

Tears fell down his face freely as he told his story, he had long since stopped looking at her, choosing to stare at his own shaking hands. "Sasuke asked Kakashi to implant his Sharingan into me and promised he would watch the future with me, he died after that, he bled to death in my arms and I couldn't do a thing to stop it, so I trained and trained, I thought that if I became strong I would stop it from happening again but Jiji... he died in my arms too and there wasn't a damn thing I could do to save him... I was weak."

He was so young and had gone through so much, it made her feel a little ashamed about herself. She understood however Naruto to a certain degree, she had felt the same way before of course but she knew him to be wrong in blaming himself so she couldn't help but ask herself.

'Am I wrong too?'

"Jiraiya-sensei told me a bit of what happened to you but wouldn't go into details, said it wasn't up to him to discuss," She had learned Naruto was serious if she started referring to Jiraiya with respect and not with his perverted moniker so she knew the next question would be hard to answer. "What happened to you? What made you like this?"

She sighed, this conversation had extended well past the time she had expected but she couldn't say it didn't feel good to talk about the things that tormented her, it had come to be almost therapeutic for her. "My little brother, Nawaki, died when he was around your age in a way not so different than your friend Sasuke, a C-Rank mission gone wrong with shinobi involved where there shouldn't have been any; my lover, Dan, bled out to death in my arms despite my best efforts to save him I watched him die with a smile on his face as he told me he loved me."

A lone tear adorned her face, glistening in the moonlight as she spoke with such sadness it made Naruto understand that she had also gone through awful things. "I gave both of them my necklace just days before their demise, when they both told me they wanted to be Hokage, that position ruins lives, Naruto, you need to understand that."

He could understand her plight to a certain extent, she was wrong and there's no denying that but, there was a semblance of reason in the things she said even if he couldn't agree with them. "Do you really think the position or the necklace is cursed to ruin the life of the person that has it?" He asked, curiosity taking over his voice.

"Yes"

"You're wrong but I can kinda understand where you're coming from." He said as he stared back at the sky. "Do you know what it means to be a Shinobi?"

"Tsunade, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, please come sit with me for a moment. There's something I want to talk to you about."

The three young shinobi made their way to their sensei fast and all sat down in front of him, the four of them being the only people in the clearing they used as a training ground and had managed to become home away from home for them.

"Do you know what it means to be a Shinobi?"

All three of them gave their own answers to that question, each of them different and correct in a way, though it wasn't the answer Hiruzen was looking for, it did give Hiruzen a bit of insight on the mindset of his students, he just couldn't be any more proud. "A shinobi is one who endures."

"What does that mean, Sensei?" Asked Tsunade.

"Being a shinobi means enduring for one's sake, to fight everyday for the good of your village knowing it could be your last day. It means to protect, to fight for those whom we hold dear and give our lives for what we love if it means keeping it safe. And finally, it means to be burdened, it means to carry on despite what you lost, to protect the dreams of those we lost and hope to make the path to achieve them."

He was pleased to find out all three of his students were deep in thought about his words, it meant he made the right choice in choosing them to carry on his legacy. "You are Genin now, all three of you, so it's important for you to know it. These are difficult times and things for you will only get harder, I trust you'll keep my words to heart my students. The will of fire burns brightly within you."

"A shinobi is one who endures."

"I'm glad Jiji always taught the same thing" Naruto had a fond smile on his face, at the memory of his late grandfather. "He was a great man 'ttebayo."

"Yes, yes he was."

"Listen, I know you've been through awful things and I can understand that, but talking about the past Hokage in the way you do... It's insulting to Nawaki and Dan, if you want to honor them, come back to the village, protect their dreams and honor them by becoming the Hokage." His face burned with determination and she swore she could see them both smiling down at her on his back as he said.

"I'll be Hokage one day but I'm not ready yet, so we need you to take care of things in the meantime, I swear I'll take that hat from you in no time and I won't die till I'm made Hokage, that's a promise and I never go back on my word 'ttebayo!" It was just so unfair to her, the way a little brat was able to turn her mind around in such a way as much as she tries to resist him.

"I understand you're hurt and traumatized with the things that happened to you, I have my own share of trauma to deal with but I know that as long as I have people willing to help me by my side I'll be alright." He smiled at her and she could swear that both Dan and Nawaki stood there with them. "Come back even if you don't want to be Hokage I'm sure they wouldn't want you to be this way for them."

"I also kinda need the world's best medic to look at two of my friends, well, a friend and a not so friendly guy but still, hehe." He rubbed his neck in a sheepish way that was exactly what she needed to make up her mind, she would do what's right, to honor Nawaki, Dan and her sensei.

She still had something to do, and she would do it alone, it was her responsibility after all. The night was almost over, both her and Naruto having spent hours talking to each other, but she still had time.

Out of nowhere and using a speed worthy of her title as the most powerful Kunoichi to have ever lived Tsunade disappeared from Naruto's line of sight and repositioned herself on his back, he barely noticed and didn't have time to do anything before she gave him a swift chop to the neck and sent him into the realm of unconsciousness.

She picked him up and took him to his room in the Inn Shizune had gotten for them and left the area quickly, speeding towards the agreed location with Orochimaru, it was a little far from the city they were in so she had to rush, it would do her good though, traveling at high speeds would help her unrust a little.

She would need to be in top condition for what's to come.

'I can't believe she could trick me like this... Again, my head hurts so bad' Jiraiya carried himself to the hotel. Well, he dragged himself through the streets and managed to jump into the window of the room he knew to be Naruto's and his, only to find Shizune desperately waking Naruto up.

"Naruto-kun wake up! We have to find Jiraiya-sama and go after Tsunade-sama, I'm afraid she went to meet Orochimaru and is going to do something terrible!"

"No need to find me S-Shizune, where is T-Tsunade?" Jiraiya made his way into the room, panting and barely able to stand, with Naruto who immediately stood up and went to his side, helping him and serving as his support.

"Orochimaru offered to bring back Nawaki and Dan-ojisan if she healed his arms! He asked her to meet him on the outskirts of town today, I'm sorry I didn't tell you Jiraiya-sama she asked me not to say a word and I didn't think she would actually do it." She looked at the floor in regret, truly there was not a moment where she even stopped to consider the possibility of actually making such a stupid decision.

She underestimated Tsunade's pain.

"It doesn't matter now Shizune, let's focus on finding her first. Naruto!"

"On it sensei!"

In soldier like fashion Naruto jumped out the window and landed on the road outside the building, quickly falling to his knees and putting a finger on the ground with eyes closed, extending his senses as far as possible for him. He had spent enough time with her last night to be able to recognize her signature, no matter how suppressed it was.

And find it he did, deceptively small and getting away real fast, he pretty much was able to find her just before she left his sensing range giving them enough time to run after them, he had to create two Kage Bunshin to carry the barely able to walk Sannin to be able to keep up to speed with them, Tsunade was still just close enough for him to feel her so they would make it to her and Orochimaru, of that he had no doubt.

"How kind of you to join us, Tsunade, I appreciate your cooperation."

"Let's just get this over with Orochimaru I don't want to be near you any more than necessary" She spat the name of the treacherous Sannin with venom, to think she had once called someone like him a friend.

"You hurt me Tsunade-hime, I thought we were on good terms after our meeting the other day" He mocked her but still made his way to her and allowed easy access to his useless arms.

Tsunade started a basic chakra scan on his arms to determine the nature of his injuries and she had to admit. Sarutobi got him good, there was no real reason for his arms to be in the way they were but they still were falling apart. Nothing she didn't think she couldn't fix.

Too bad she wasn't planning on healing anything.

She was just about to start treating his arms but apparently, Orochimaru's assistant was able to detect the corrosive nature in Tsunade's fake healing chakra, impressive to say the least, it's the first time someone ever manages to catch up on it before it's too late, that would mean things would only get harder from this point onwards.

The silver-haired assistant of Orochimaru threw a kunai her way making her jump away landing a few meters away from them with a pissed off look on her face.

"She wasn't trying to heal you Orochimaru-sama, a little contact with her chakra and your arms would be laying on the floor."

Though on the outside Orochimaru only smirked and prepared for his next move as he thanked his loyal assistant, on the inside he was seething. 'Damn worthless woman!, If this body can't be fixed I will have to switch before planned.

"I have to admit I'm hurt Tsunade-hime, I didn't think you were stupid enough to go up against me, I guess it can't be helped, you've always been too stubborn for your own good, but I beg you to reconsider, will you truly let go of the opportunity to see Nawaki and Dan once more?" In any other scenario, Orochimaru wouldn't have tried to reason with her, but he really didn't think himself capable of going against an enraged Tsunade, at least not by himself.

Tsunade looked to the ground and tightened her fists, hiding the tears that welled up in her face. "If only that was true," she said, bringing a hand to her heart. "I just wish this feeling would disappear but I know it won't... no matter how much I selfishly want to see them again I won't let you do to them what you did to my grandfather and Tobirama-ojisan"

Ku Ku Ku Ku. "So you've heard of my exploits back in Konoha huh? I truly hoped it wouldn't come to this but it seems we've reached a dead end so you leave me no choice but to do this the hard way"

Both former teammates stared at each other as a gust of wind blew past them, Tsunade wiped the tears off her face and strengthened her resolve, Orochimaru will pay for his transgressions and she would make sure of it.

The gambling Sannin rushed at both Orochimaru and his assistant at very high speeds and leapt to the air right in front of them, falling back to the ground with an ax kick that promised severe injury if they didn't jump away from the impact, and they did. Both Kabuto and Orochimaru landed on a tree branch not too far from the place where they stood, watching how Tsunade's kick left a gigantic crater on the ground testament of the strength of the blond kunoichi.

She once again jumped after them, destroying the tree branch where they stood as they both jumped away, which only infuriated her more. The three of them started playing a game of Cat and Mouse in which Tsunade would strike dangerously close to them and they would keep jumping away, tiring each other out in the process.

Well Kabuto and Tsunade at least, Orochimaru was only really jumping away and wasn't being directly targeted by her with the silver haired nin occupying her mind at the moment. After one particularly devastating hit to the ground however, Kabuto stopped running away, looking at her from the rock he landed on, panting.

Tsunade was ashamed to admit she felt tired, after this whole thing was over she would subject herself to some needed conditioning, not even her age should be an excuse to how little it took for her to become winded.

"That strength of yours is truly impressive," He said, panting. "I have to do something about it." Kabuto fished a food pill from the pouch on his back, instantly feeling his reserves fill up a little, he then took a deep breath and started going through a fast sequence of hand seals.

"This ought to be enough"

Tsunade looked impressed as she tried to regain her breath from her place in the ground, the constant mocking of her former teammate doing nothing but further aggravate her, she was starting to think that maybe, just maybe it was a bit stupid that she was doing this without Jiraiya, then again this wasn't always the plan. 'Isn't that right, Naruto?' She asked herself.

"It's amazing to see that you know some Iryo-Ninjutsu brat, I can always show a bit of respect to people with the control for it, to think I'd see the Chakra Scalpel be used against me of all people" She was after all the pinnacle of medicine in all five great nations, if anyone knew how to counter such a technique it would be her, though she has to admit, she had never seen it used in battle before.

At least not efficiently.

They both once again rushed at each other and exchanged blow after blow, she was highly frustrated that this punk was able to go toe to toe against her, especially the fact that he was slowly gaining ground against her. "You won't be able to dodge my attacks forever!"

But he didn't need to dodge forever, he only needed a slight slip from her part and as soon as he saw it, he took advantage of it. Kabuto tapped her on her left arm and right leg once and leapt away, watching as Tsunade collapsed on her knees and looked at him, enraged.

"That way you won't be able to unleash that monstrous strength of yours anymore, Tsunade-sama, you are beaten." He said, smirking as he pushed his glasses up with one finger.

"Don't get so full of yourself brat!" She managed to stand up once again and rushed at him once more, surprisingly capable of keeping his offensive and launching more kicks and punches at him, these however were a lot more sloppy and lacked strength, enough for him to strike her with an open palm to the chest. He tried to jump away but was cut off by her and received a hard punch to the stomach that made him fall to the ground breathless.

'Stupid brat, he's managed to put me in this estate, have I really become this pathetic? I won't allow it to continue, I won't be beaten to the ground!' She stood up with her will now renewed and started applying healing chakra to the damaged parts. It was some serious damage and she cursed herself for allowing him to hit her like this, still; such things were nothing to her, she could fix this and more.

Kabuto watched in fear as Tsunade stood up and healed herself without much Issue before starting a slow walk toward him, he tried to stand up to face her once more but found that he couldn't, no, he could move, just not in the way he planned to.

"Finding it hard to move?" She asked teasingly.

"What did you do to me?!"

"I sent a small amount of Raiton chakra through your body the last time I hit you, nothing much of course, just enough to shock your nervous system and rearrange it in a way, I'm sure someone with your capabilities should be able to figure it out in no time but," Her smirked turned into an angry glare as a shit ton of chakra made it to her fist. "I WON'T LET YOU!"

She delivered a punch to the jaw of Kabuto so strong that it lifted him off the ground and sent him flying towards the forest near them at blinding speed, the only thing that could be heard before he went flying was the loud shattering of his jaw. She hit the bone so hard it sounded almost like glass.

"That's one thing taken care of, now where were we, Rochi?" She used the nickname that had been given to him by their other teammate, though it was once used with affection, now its only use was mocking the traitor, and she knew he had very few options right now.

"I have to admit Tsunade, I was expecting a very different outcome from this encounter with us, it would seem the smartest thing to do right now is running away, but I don't feel like you're going to allow that. Am I right?" He was indeed running out of options, the safest bet for him right now was waiting for Kabuto to recover, because he would recover, if he knew something about his assistant is that he's always been extremely hard to kill.

True to his master's words Kabuto slowly but surely stood up as he managed to heal himself from the tremendous blow he had been a victim of, that had hurt him a lot. And the Sannin didn't look any worse than he did, he actually dared to think he looked way worse, it's a miracle he hadn't let out a single drop of blood from that hit, then again.

That was most likely intentional.

Orochimaru had to bite back a curse as he was forced to evade and duck under multiple punches and kicks from Tsunade, she didn't waste any second to once again go on the offensive and it was proving to be way too easy...

AGH! A strong kick to the back of her head sent her skidding to the ground only to be abruptly stopped by a boulder she crashed into, looking up she found Kabuto once again smirking down at her, he looked like shit but there was no evidence of any serious damage done to him.

"You're as annoying as your master brat, it doesn't matter, I will bring you to the ground as many times as I need to!" In response Kabuto fished a Kunai out of his holster but he wouldn't be able to use it on time, she was already up and just about to deliver another overcharged fist on his face.

Only thing wrong is, she was stopped just before she managed to kill him.

In a bold move she didn't even think would cross his mind Kabuto cut open his own hand and splashed blood all across her face, rendering her useless. She collapsed to the ground a babbling mess, she swiped her right hand through her face and looked at it to find it covered in Kabuto's blood.

She had been beaten.

"Look at you, the world's best medic defeated by the sight of just a little bit of blood, pathetic!" He started beating her in the ground, delivering a flurry of kicks aimed for her head and stomach, truly it wasn't like him to be this aggressive and unstable in a fight, but he had reached his limit. Kabuto considered himself to be an elite shinobi and Tsunade had made short work of him the moment the fight started.

It infuriated him.

"We offered you an opportunity to work with us but you let it go to waste. It's a pity Orochimaru-sama will have to work on a different method to recover but I will end you right now!-

Raiton: Dendou Hari Hirogari no Jutsu! Dozens of needles made of pure lightning flew at Kabuto making him jump away in retreat, landing right beside his master. Moments later Naruto with Jiraiya and Shizune on his tail landed right in front of Tsunade, all three of them standing in a protective manner.

"I'm glad to see you took my words to heart hime, though it was really stupid of you to come here without me" Said Jiraiya as he stepped forward. "Doesn't matter though, I can take over from where you left things, Shizune!" He called, getting the young medic's attention. "Take her away and patch her up, this punk ass over here did a number on her." Shizune nodded, taking the older woman in her arms and jumping away to start treating her wounds.

"Think you can handle this guy on yourself, Naruto? Orochimaru is going to require all of my attention" If he were in good condition, an armless Orochimaru and his assistant would be a piece of cake to take care of by himself, that said. Tsunade carried some very strong drugs with her and he still felt the effects, his body was numb and his chakra felt... wonky.

One of the most important lessons Kakashi ever imparted on him was to never underestimate an opponent and Naruto wanting to make his sensei and older brother figure proud never does so he knew he had to be careful around Kabuto, if he managed to survive whatever it was that one of the Sannin did to him he wouldn't be easy to beat. "I think I can take him on my own Ero-sennin, go and take care of that bastard."

Orochimaru and Jiraiya started their confrontation which was purposely led away from Naruto by the latter, if both Master and assistant were unable to work together then it would be a lot easier for the still weakened Jiraiya and Naruto.

"Do you really think you stand a chance against me? I'll admit you're good for a Genin but I'm a Jonin on the same level as Kakashi, you better think this through."

Naruto stared at him in silence, making Kabuto think he was able to get into his head only to realize how wrong he was when the boy burst out laughing at him. "You? On the same level as Kakashi? HAHAHAHAHA!" His eyebrow started twitching at the display and he had to resist the urge to yell at him, today he was being disrespected a lot. "I'll admit that you must be good if you were able to survive being pummeled by granny over there, but she is hella rusty and afraid of blood, even I would be able to beat her like that. Kakashi nii-san would beat your ass so hard you'd forget your name"

He wholeheartedly believed that and he kinda wished Kakashi and Sakura tagged along for the mission as well, they would destroy him if they worked together, teamwork is kinda their thing after all. "But don't worry about that, Kakashi trained me enough to be able to whoop your ass, I do have one question though, were you ever loyal to Konoha?"

"Why would I have ever been loyal to such a place? If you're asking if I was ever a shinobi of the village, I guess you could say I was but that is a different story, one I have no interest in telling you"

That's all the answer Naruto needed, he took a deep breath and looked straight at him, allowing his onyx eye to become the Sharingan, this guy was the personal assistant of the man that had taken his grandfather's life, he would make him pay.

Quickly, the young Uzumaki grabbed both short staffs from their holster on his back and rushed at the silver haired traitor. They both started trading blow after blow and Naruto found himself having some difficulty in fighting him, he was kinda hoping he wouldn't be good at Taijutsu and wasn't thrilled about his real ability, though it wasn't something that he couldn't overcome.

Jumping back, Naruto made the tips of his staffs cackle with electricity and summoned two Kage Bunshin to aid him, all three rushed at the offensive once more, this time far more aggressive and faster than the first time Naruto had tried. One of his Kage Bunshin attempted a swing at Kabuto's leg using his own but his opponent reacted accordingly and sidestepped the attack before stomping on his leg hard, making it twist in the opposite direction and dispelling the clone.

The moment of distraction proved to be a mistake however when the real Naruto hit his jaw with an electrified staff that was followed by a flying kick from his clone that sent him flying away from the force of the impact. Kabuto landed a few yards away from where Shizune and Tsunade were, so the older of the two had a clear view of the way in which Naruto followed after him and continued his assault, having a clear advantage over the other.

Kabuto was seething from the inside, this brat was having it way too easy and there wasn't much he couldn't do to defend himself despite the occasional parry. If it was any other time, he would already be taking Naruto down without much issue, well, perhaps some issues. But as it is now, having near empty chakra reserves every move he made had to be planned to perfection.

Naruto had trained excessively with Kakashi to learn how to use the Sharingan in battle in the best way possible, while he knew how to copy jutsu and had no quarrels in using the ability that made his older brother famous he didn't favor it as much. What he focused on instead was using the Sharingan to memorize attack patterns and learn how to use them against his opponents, so every move his opponent made could potentially be used against them.

Naruto wasn't pulling any of his big moves because he knew that making Kabuto tire himself out would be just as effective, especially if combined with the aid of his clones and electrically enhanced weapons. In his mind, that was the type of elegant solution his grandfather always talked about.

"I can see that if it comes to a battle of attrition I won't be able to beat you, Naruto-kun," A smirk that had no place in the face of a person that was being continuously kicked around the place was plastered in Kabuto as he stopped moving to address a seemingly confused Naruto. "perhaps using a different method!"

He went for the cheap shot and dissolved into a pile of mud, showing he had at some point replaced himself with an Iwa Bunshin, all the way back to Shizune and Tsunade a whole appeared on the ground from which Kabuto emerged, chakra scalpels already on his hands as he hastily aimed for both ladies throats. "DIE!"

Shizune started going through a quick set of hand seals that she knew she wouldn't be able to finish in time at the same time she tried to maneuver Tsunade out of harm's way so at least one of them would be saved. She needn't have worried though, Naruto had taken care of it before it even happened.

From the same whole Kabuto emerged a golden chain made of pure chakra came rushing at their would be assassin and tied itself around him tightly, stopping both of his arms just before they made it to their necks, funnily enough, the chain also tied itself around his neck with the kunai like tip pointed right at his forehead.

"It's over now, you almost have no chakra and are already tired, granny was able to beat you up real good before I even got here." And he was very thankful for that, he didn't think this would be anywhere near as easy if she hadn't been able to leave him in his current tired state, if only she wasn't so afraid of blood, then she would've already kill-

"NARUTO WATCH OUT!"

Shizune's warning came in late, he wasn't able to turn around on time to see Kabuto jump out as his captured form once again turned into a puddle of mud, he had lost, he had underestimated how cunning his opponent could be and paid the price, the silver haired ninja's kunai sliced his throat clean making him instantly drop to the ground a bleeding mess. Anything after that became hazy.

He could faintly perceive how Shizune tried to help him but was rendered useless by another mud clone using chakra scalpels on her tendons. He thought he could hear Kabuto laughing but couldn't focus much, his blood loss was fast and his consciousness was starting to fade.

Tsunade started crawling towards him, the fear of blood very much still present but slowly being driven away by a desire to help the boy that was able to change her mind in just one night. "I-It was about time you woke up... g-granny" Oh no, not again, she couldn't let it happen again, she wouldn't let it happen again. The blood in her hands was bothering her, begging for her to look away, she tried to ignore it, blood wouldn't be much of a bother if she managed to keep it inside him.

But it was so hard, between his sudden spasms and that awful gurgling sound he made choking on his own blood "W-Why don't you get that look off your f-face, I'm n-not-" She had to force him to shut up as she kept working on his injuries, the bastard had gotten him good, he was only alive because of his amazingly strong life force but he wouldn't be if she didn't fix it soon.

'Don't you dare die on me Dan!'

Dan?

"G-Granny?" She had to get it together, she stopped healing and focused on the blood again, it took over, it brought back memories and it stopped her from helping him but how? How is she supposed to stop his bleeding if she can't focus?!

ARGH!

With a strong kick to the face Tsunade was sent flying away from the now - once again - bleeding form of Naruto, courtesy of Konoha's newly found traitor and a big pain in the ass, she still couldn't focus on anything else but the boy she could see now laying on the floor motionless, eyes closed and body oozing with blood.

'HOW DID IT COME TO THIS?'

Almost as an answer to her silent question, Jiraiya flew over her head, having been tossed by the Snake with a particularly strong kick and crashing very loudly in the soil only for him to stand up back again and launch himself at his treacherous opponent once again. 'It's all my fault' she realized, she had let herself become so afraid of blood she would block the instant she saw as much as a drop of the red liquid, but then; she became so rusty a no name push-over was able to trash her in the ground because she couldn't for the love of God stand up and do something about it.

'Why?'

'Why Dan? Why is it so hard?'

'WHY AM I SO WEAK?'

She was doing so well, she had been able to kick his ass and made Orochimaru avoid fighting her, so why? Why is it that after everything she's tried she's still losing? Is it because she drugged Jiraiya so bad he's now having a hard time fighting someone that can't use their arms?

'Why can't I be like them?'

Time stood still for her, in her eyes Kabuto who had not stopped kicking her and throwing around the place suddenly stopped moving, everything stopped for her as memories started rushing through her brain, images of her past the constant reminder of her failures started playing back in her mind but this time... this time it was different.

There wasn't the usual images of blood and death but of sacrifice, she could remember her battle against Hanzo; she could see herself following Sarutobi-sensei into battle as they fought to free a settlement of the Fire Country from Iwa during one of the wars; she could remember fighting alongside her lover and even her own Genin team's first mission outside the village.

But most importantly, she could see them only this time, it wasn't images of their deaths, it was their dreams, their smiles, their voices. The things she loved most about them, the things she should be fighting to protect because that's what they would've wanted.

It's what they would've done.

"It's time to wake up, Tsunade-neechan"

That's right, Nawaki was right, she just wasn't ready to understand it yet but it was finally time, time to snap out of it. Time started flowing again and the next time Kabuto tried kicking her she didn't allow it. She grabbed Kabuto's leg with her hand and looked up at him with rage as she tightened her grip, reeling in the cracking sound of his shin.

She stood up almost immediately after without loosing up her grip only to quite literally throw Kabuto yards away and through many boulders. She had been disrespected but she won't take any of that anymore. The next thing she did was kneel next to Naruto, the blood no longer bothered her but it was clear to her that he had long since lost consciousness and she could barely feel the faintest of pulses on his arm.

Her hands started glowing green and the wound around his neck started closing but it wasn't enough, the blood loss was too severe and the damage was only making things worse, only a miracle would save him now but thankfully, Tsunade was famous for making miracles happen. The diamond on her forehead started glowing a beautiful pink that slowly turned into black markings around her face, she quickly willed those to extend through her arms as fast as possible and into Naruto's body with a very specific thought in mind.

'Ninpō: Sōzō Saisei!' Naruto's neck was quickly surrounded by the black markings and assisted by Tsunade's constant usage of her healing technique the injury he sustained closed almost immediately, without losing a beat, Tsunade tapped a seal hidden on her wrist and unsealed from it a plasma pill she forced down his throat.

It would take some time to restore Naruto's blood levels without an infusion, but the plasma pills and his Uzumaki lineage would have to be enough and she knew for a fact that it would. He just needed time but it probably wouldn't be much if she got Shizune to aid him. She quickly went to find her after allowing the seal on her forehead to become a blue diamond again.

After healing the damage done to her she made sure to send her over to Naruto and made sure he recovers as fast as possible, she knew Shizune would be able to take care of things for her, there wasn't anyone besides her and maybe Kabuto that was better at medicine than Shizune, she'd have Naruto up and running in no time.

She had other things to attend to.

Jiraiya wasn't having a good time, he had been able to see the whole of Naruto's battle from where he was and couldn't be any prouder at his godson. His fighting skill is impressive for someone so young even if he had allowed himself to become distracted enough to be beaten by the slippery bastard Orochimaru made his assistant.

He would have loved to help, he was actually close enough at one point when he landed near them but the snake Sannin couldn't be left alone, so that's where we find him now. Still fighting and having trouble performing even the most basic of his jutsu. The damn bastard was able to give him a fight despite only being able to use his legs, sword and that disturbing long neck of his.

He grew worried by the sudden lack of sound from the place where he knew his newest apprentice and old friend to be at, but found that Shizune was working on healing the boy, he looked like he was breathing which could only be good news.

But why wasn't Tsunade with them?

The woman in question appeared mid air in a Shunshin carrying Kabuto by the leg which - judging by the sickly purple color and the way it bent in the wrong direction - seemed to be just a little broken, what was most impressive though was the blood in her hands and clothes and how unbothered she looked by it, if looks were to be believed the slug Sannin was back in the game and looked mad. "OROCHIMARU!"

Getting the traitor's attention Tsunade threw the unconscious Kabuto at him incredibly hard, making him jump away to avoid being hit by the limp form of his aid. Looking back at the place where he landed Orochimaru watched as he flickered between consciousness and unconsciousness 'He only needs a little time but he'll be alright'.

"What in the world did you give to me Tsunade?!" After she made her way to Jiraiya that was the first question brought up by the Sannin, she actually had the decency to look sheepishly at the ground ashamed of her actions, she had a very different plan in mind when she drugged him.

Looking at her face Jiraiya sighed. "It doesn't matter, just give me whatever I need to brush off the effects."

Now that was another issue he probably wasn't going to like very much. "I didn't make an antidote for it Jiraiya, it's not lethal in any way, you just need to let it wear off."

"BUT I'M HIGH AS FUCK!"

Orochimaru was mad, this wasn't going the way he planned to and he couldn't even escape without help so he would have to keep fighting them until Kabuto wakes up, but fighting a drugged Sannin was very different from fighting one in good condition, especially if said Sannin happened to be very mad at him.

Tsunade smirked in amusement as she looked at her teammate for a moment but went back to looking serious and ready to whoop ass. "Just stop crying and sit down for a moment pervert, I'll take care of this"

"Look at you trying so hard to defend a village you abandoned years ago, do you really wish to die like this?" He was bluffing of course, he knew he could give her a good fight if it came to it but as she was right now, it just wouldn't be possible to kill her, that didn't mean he wouldn't try.

"I am Senju Tsunade the heir of the Senju clan and the Godaime Hokage!" A smile made its way into Jiraiya's face hearing that she had finally gotten things straight. "I've been neglecting my responsibilities for far too long but it's over now, and the first thing I'll do is destroy you, so in the name of the Sandaime Hokage I swear to you Orochimaru you will fall!"

Not one to waste her words she rushed at Orochimaru and started a Taijutsu bout that she was dominating without question. At some point the snake like shinobi had tried to strangle her using his tongue and while successful at first, as soon as she managed to untangle herself she started using it as a way to bring him close to her and sent him flying only to bring him closer once again, she was actually enjoying herself now.

Jiraiya couldn't stop his perverted giggle as he looked at the scene from afar. After composing himself he gave a quick glance to his left and found that Shizune was no longer doing anything to Naruto and only looked at him with a soft satisfied smile, that brought peace to his mind.

It would seem he only needed to wake up.

'Hello?'

Nothing, no answer but the powerful echo carrying his word seemingly all over the place. But what is this place? Why is there echo but no walls? And most importantly, why is it dark? Why can't he see?

'Am I dead?' He was afraid of the answer, as a Shinobi, death is something he had made peace with long ago; he knew he would die eventually and wasn't particularly scared about it, it was losing people he had a problem with.

But he was starting to get scared, is this what dying will be like? Being alone in the dark with no one but his thoughts? It couldn't be right? If it is then it means his Jiji is alone, and his parents, and Sasuke. If he really is dead then he has to do something.

"Quite noble of you to think of others while being in such a situation yourself," A voice suddenly filled his ears, it was weird, it didn't sound like it was coming from the dark but it also didn't sound like it was coming from his mind. "To answer your question, you're not dead but you almost were."

'Where am I?'

"Uhmm" The voice made a thinking noise that for some reason made him feel reassured. "I guess you could say we're inside your mind in a way."

'We're inside my mind? Then why can't I see anything? And Why are you here?'

"That I don't know, maybe it's because you almost died or perhaps you're just not ready to see yet, who knows?" The answer completely evaded the last questioned asked by Naruto and judging by the tone of the voice, it was very intentional.

The voice was so... calming he knew it wasn't his own voice from the get go, it was feminine like a woman's so he knew there was no way he was talking to himself, but he also couldn't think of anyone with that voice so who could be talking to him?

'What does that even mean? Not ready to see what?'

"You've grown so much Naruto... I'm so proud of you," For some reason, hearing that from the voice felt incredibly good, almost something he yearned for. "I would love to keep talking with you but it seems it's about time you wake up."

A very bright light took over the place, he went from it being so dark to it being so bright he couldn't open his eyes and he slowly felt himself waking up, but he couldn't not yet. 'Wait! Why are you here? Who are you?!

"We'll meet again Naruto-kun, don't worry about it for now."

Naruto woke up soon after and the voice was left alone, she didn't think this would be the way she'd be released and to be honest she wasn't satisfied, so she decided she'd stick around a little while longer, she started chuckling as she faded away with a thought on her mind directed to Naruto. 'You're so much like your father it's almost unfair..."

.

.

.

"I guess it can't be helped dattebane"

Out of nowhere a kunai was thrown at Tsunade who was able to catch it in her hand, letting go of Orochimaru and looking very pissed at her attacker. "Why is it that you refuse to stay down?!"

Kabuto was starting to enrage her so much she was actually thinking of using a kunai to rip his head off from his body and see if he would stand up from that.

The glasses wearing shinobi looked like shit but still had the nerve to smirk at her as he started going through a set of hand seals, she wasn't able to identify the jutsu though, as a deceptively fast blond kid appeared behind him with a sphere made out of pure chakra in his hand...

A WHAT?

Naruto, much to Jiraiya, Tsunade and Kabuto's surprise appeared behind the enemy shinobi with what would become one his signature jutsu and one he had particularly trained hard to learn, it would be satisfying to re-arrange his organs using a technique created by his father. 'Rasengan!'

The sphere made of pure chakra was just about to hit Kabuto but he was saved in the nick of time by his master who used his tongue to get him out of harm's way as fast as possible. Frustrated Naruto was about to try again but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder from Tsunade. "This is something I and the pervert have to take care of Naruto, stand back for a moment; there's an old friend of mine I'd like to see again."

While confusion filled Naruto's face, Orochimaru and Jiraiya caught the meaning of Tsunade's words almost instantly, the way she bit her thumb and smeared blood on the palm of her hand being all the evidence of smoke they needed.

Orochimaru ordered Kabuto to uncover the tattoo he had made on his arms and smear some of his blood on it as Jiraiya bit his own finger and did the same as Tsunade. All three of them doing the same set of hand seals at the same time.

KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU!

A gigantic cloud of chakra smoke filled the clearing and when it was blown away by the wind, it revealed Orochimaru and Kabuto standing on top of a giant purple snake with black lining all over its body and 4 horns on its head, it was Manda the head of the snake clan.

Tsunade and Naruto, stood atop a giant slug that had blue strips along its body and two optic tentacles with a slight gray tint and it also had two sensory tentacles on each side of its mouth, her name is Katsuyu. Jiraiya... Jiraiya was just standing next to Gamakichi. "Yo Naruto, how's it going?"

"Are you for real Ero-sennin?!" Naruto jumped off the head of Katsuyu and landed next to the self-proclaimed super pervert, yelling at him and ignoring the indignant cries of 'What did you want me to do you stupid brag? She drugged me!' He shot a glare up at Tsunade who only smirked back at him.

Naruto sighed as picked his toad friend up and placed it on his regular spot on top of his head before biting his finger and smearing blood on the palm of his head. Thanks to Shizune he was feeling as good as new, he didn't really spend that much chakra so it wasn't hard to recover his full strength and his battle with the Ichibi had made his reserves grow after the way he exhausted himself.

So he was now fully confident he would be able to summon him without passing out. He quickly focused the right amount of Chakra needed and went through a set of hand seals that ended with his palm on the ground and yelling. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Another giant cloud of smoke erupted and when it cleared it revealed a giant red toad wearing a Haori and carrying a Katana as well as a pipe on his mouth. "It's nice to see you awake for the first time gaki."

Naruto let out a satisfied sigh before addressing the toad for the first time, he had sent messages to him before through his toad friends before and had gotten replies back so this wouldn't be their first time talking, but the first talking in person. "I'm sorry it took so long for me to be able to summon you Boss, I only wish it weren't in these circumstances."

Orochimaru was seething, that stupid brat had managed to summon Gamabunta! It would be hard enough for him and Manda to fight Katsuyu and Tsunade, but Jiraiya and Gamabunta too?

Similar thoughts went through his summon's head who wasn't in any way pleased about his situation.

The fight between giants started slowly after, Manda had slithered its way to Katsuyu rather fast and tied itself around its body with the idea of getting rid of the weakest link first but the slug divided its body into many different slugs that reformed just a few meters away and spit acid on the snake who got away but not in time to avoid burning some of his skin with the acid.

Gamabunta made his move right after and landed with his sword aimed for the head of the snake, Manda was able to react accordingly and dodged the impact making the giant sword stab nothing but the ground. He tried to capitalize on its advantage but the toad jumped away while shooting a blast of water at him to prevent him from pursuing him.

The fight kept on going for a while without any one of them getting any ground. Gamabunta and Jiraiya had tried a collaboration jutsu as soon as the white haired sannin gained back control over his chakra but Manda brushed it off by getting rid of his skin while Kabuto and Orochimaru jumped away from the attack.

Just when the snake was about to make his next move, he was impaled by Gamabunta's sword, only it wasn't Gamabunta that did it but Tsunade and her monstrous strength.

"It looks like you've been beaten Orochimaru!" Yelled Jiraiya from atop of Gamabunta's head.

Manda was not going to allow anymore disrespect coming down on him, so he dispelled himself not without giving out a final threat. "If you value your lives you better hope we never cross paths again Orochimaru!"

He was screwed there was just no other way around it. Tsunade had almost single handedly taken care of each and every single strategy he could think of, even Kabuto had been utterly humiliated by the woman on more than one occasion, if it was any other person they would probably already be dead.

He signaled Kabuto to begin their escape and watched as his assistant performed a quick set of hand seals that ended with him melting into the ground followed by him disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Naruto had felt the use of a very impressive Shunshin that took them both really far, they hadn't really gotten out of his sensing range just yet but he could feel that after a quick pause they started moving at incredibly high speeds, most likely on top of another of Orochimaru's snakes, there would be no catching the two of them today.

"I don't think you'll be needing me anymore today Tsunade-sama, I'll be going back to the forest now." Tsunade nodded at her old friend and companion as she dispelled herself, allowing that part of her consciousness to return to the full being at the Shikkōtsu forest.

"I'm glad you are finally able to summon me without passing out Gaki," Said Gamabunta, getting the blond's attention. "You are now officially my new henchman but do try and not summon me often, if you need help stick to Gamaken, he is rather fond of you."

He dispelled himself shortly after, ignoring the indignant cries of Jiraiya at not being addressed with that level of respect by him, ever.

After their summoned friend went back home, Tsunade made her way toward Naruto and stared down at him, this moment wouldn't repeat itself any time soon but she knew it to be very important, she had to thank him for helping her wake up in one way or the other.

She knelt down to be at eye level with him and smiled softly at him, she decided then and there that no matter how annoying she thought he could be, she would always take care of him. "Your mother would be so proud of you if she could see you right now Naruto."

He blushed and found himself fidgeting at the way he was being addressed by the legendary shinobi. They made peace last night when they talked things through but she never got this sentimental with him, he couldn't say he didn't like it though, in a way it felt a lot like the way Hiruzen would talk to him but in a more motherly way.

Not that he would know what that sounded like.

Tsunade took off her necklace and placed it around his neck, Shizune gasped at the gesture having heard all about the supposed curse that lurked around the prestigious jewel, but Naruto and now Tsunade knew it to be nothing but dumb ideas fabricated by the mind of a broken woman.

To both of them it meant something different, it meant that Tsunade was finally letting go of the ghosts she desperately clung to, it meant that she passed on their dreams and hopes to the new generation, it meant that she would always protect those ideals.

"You will be an excellent Hokage one day Naruto and an even better man." She took off his Hitai-ate and gave him a soft and tender kiss on his forehead. "For now I will hold the hat for you, but you better make sure to take it from me as soon as possible."

Naruto nodded his head as fast as he could, making the people around him chuckle softly. It was at that moment that he knew, Tsunade was always going to be important for him, despite the rocky start to their relationship he would make her a part of his family even if she didn't want to.

"So what now Tsunade-hime?" Asked Jiraiya, interrupting his thoughts.

"Now we go back home."

AN: Dayum!

It's been a while since the last update hasn't it? It took time to write this chapter and to be honest I wasn't too thrilled about writing it, not that I don't want to continue with the story or anything, it's just this part of the story has been done so many times. Still it was important for me to do it because it introduces a character to the story I really want to make justice to.

Senju Tsunade

By far the best female character in the series and my personal favorite, I want to write an incredible Tsunade that stays true to the original character while being even more badass, that's why some of her lines in this chapter were taken off directly from the series. I also want to make her relationship with Naruto more maternal in nature. With my version of him being more mature and developed it'd be easier for them to get along better than the original. I will also make it a point for them not to be antagonistic to each other in the same way they are in canon but keeping their banters with each other because those are real funny. So yes I did buff Tsunade and I will do it even more in later chapters, you don't know the things I have planned for her.

That also explains why Jiraiya was incapacitated for most of this chapter, I wanted it to be solely Tsunade's moments, he'll get his later.

Now talking about Kabuto, I didn't make it a big deal of Naruto discovering him to be a traitor cause if you remember my Chunin Exams, he kinda already suspected him. I also made Naruto lose to him which he would've done either way just not in the same way he did in canon, he underestimated him and it had consequences, that's something he'll be reflecting on in later installments as well. If I make it so Naruto wins every single time, there will be no real growth to his character ever.

Do try and leave a comment no matter your opinion, criticism in any form helps me grow a lot so I appreciate your comments. To those of you that normally comment on my chapters, thank you.

I'm sorry it took this long to update but this chapter alone is longer than some fics I've read so I think it's not so bad. Next chapter hopefully won't take too long. Until then.

Be safe!

Glossary:

Raiton: Dendou Hari Hirogari no Jutsu: Lightning Release: Electric Needle Spread

Ninpō: Sōzō Saisei: Ninja Art: Mitotic Regeneration