I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

To ToriAndHolly, thank you for making me smile so much. I very much appreciate your kind (and funny) comments.

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"It's been a while... Tsunade."

His voice sounded low and gravelly, in a certain way that Naruko recognized as him trying to hold back his emotions. She instinctively moved closer to him, her hand reaching up to grasp his sleeve. She wasn't exactly sure who she was trying to comfort — herself or him. This wasn't what Naruko had in mind when she imagined meeting the famed Slug Princess Tsunade Senju, and to be frank, the amount of negativity radiating from the drunken woman was making her dizzy. Her glabella and nasion was throbbing dully in tandem, so she squeezed her eyes shut in an effort to soothe the ache. Naruko stepped behind her godfather — as if the physical barrier of his body could do anything — and leaned her forehead against his broad back. The pressure helped ease the pain, if only a little.

Jiraiya blinked as he looked behind him at the suddenly-silent teenager. "Naruko?" he prodded, gently, only receiving a sharp intake of breath at the quiet query. He frowned, concerned at the uncharacteristic behaviour. He reached down and untied her forehead protector before slipping his hand between her forehead and his back, feeling her forehead for any warmth. No fever.

"Sensory overload," Naruko finally managed to whimper out, and Jiraiya instantly understood. He almost kicked himself for not thinking of it earlier; if the Kyuubi jinchuuriki had the ability to sense negative emotions, then of course it would extend to the point of hypersensitivity. It was just their luck they caught Tsunade in one of those moods.

"Sorry," Jiraiya murmured, taking her hand and leading her over to sit on the chair. "I know it's a little too close for comfort, but you might get used to it. You can go outside if you want."

Naruko shook her head with a strained smile, and pulled out her sketchpad. Jiraiya sighed — he wasn't sure if he should be proud at her resilience or exasperated at her stubbornness and the way she just didn't know when to quit. He ignored Tsunade and Shizune's curious stares as he sat down next to Naruko and lifted his arm when she shifted so she was leaning against his chest with his arm wrapped loosely around her.

The blonde pulled out a scroll and unsealed a golden bowl — cooked brown rice topped with air-fried tofu, chopped cabbage, grated carrots, sauteed veggies, and some gravy on top. At the black-haired woman's wide-eyed look, Naruko unsealed another bowl and offered it to her with a smile. Shizune accepted it with a tentative smile.

"Damn," Jiraiya smirked, "figures you'd have a whole homemade meal for yourself when I come into a pub." He reached over to the small white sake jug and poured both himself and Tsunade a drink.

Tsunade didn't hesitate to upend the small cup, even with the prominent flush spreading across her cheeks. "It's like a reunion... all the old faces coming back at the same time," she murmured.

Jiraiya simply poured her another drink, and then swallowed his own. "You mean Orochimaru." It was a statement, not a question. "So what happened?" 

Jiraiya didn't miss the sharp look exchanged between master and apprentice before Tsunade answered, "Oh, nothing much. We said hello, and that's about it." She reached into her shirt and pulled out a deck of cards and began to shuffle them, her speed increasing as the seconds ticked by.

The Toad Sannin narrowed his eyes; so that was how she wanted to play it. He removed his arm from around Naruko, and the girl sat up and sealed away her sketchpad, seemingly catching on to the serious atmosphere.

"Well then," Tsunade started as she set down the shuffled deck between the two Sannin, "why have you been looking for me?"

Jiraiya took half and half, reshuffling it. "I'll cut right to the chase." He placed it back down onto the table, holding his teammate's gaze. "Tsunade, Hiruzen-sensei wishes for you to become the Fifth Hokage."

Tsunade's hand stopped short of the deck of cards. Naruko titled her head slightly in surprise; why did she look so... frozen with fear? Did she despise Konoha, or the position itself? A quick look at both the pig and the other woman showed they were just as surprised, and wary. What happened to them to cause such unease?

"When one gives their all to someone, and they get nothing but rejection in return, it is to be expected that they turn cold and bitter towards those they had given their all to."

Naruko frowned at the cryptic fox, but didn't get a chance to inquire his specific choice of words when Tsunade took the deck, tossing out cards to both herself and Jiraiya. The woman said nothing at first, and then after Jiraiya picked up his set of cards, she finally spoke. "I was told the Third Hokage was killed, by Orochimaru himself."

"So is that what he believes?" Jiraiya seemed more amused than anything. "No — thanks to the Fourth Raikage and Mizukage's efforts, Hiruzen-sensei is still alive... but he will never use chakra again. But we're getting off track." Jiraiya replaced two sixes and an eight for two kings and an ace. "Both Hiruzen-sensei and the village have made their decision to choose you as their Fifth Hokage. What is your answer? Do you accept it, Tsunade?"

Tsunade closed her eyes as she remembered Orochimaru's words: "This time around, I'm going to grind Konoha into dust." Her mind brought forth the smiling faces of the two most precious people in her life that she had loved and lost — her lover Dan Katō, and her little brother Nawaki Senju. And of course, that led to a memory of Orochimaru's bargain: "I'm offering to bring your dear little brother and your beloved back to life..."

Naruko grimaced at the amount of pain and conflict that suddenly flared up around Tsunade. 'What's going on, Kurama? I'm usually never this hypersensitive.'

"Yes, right, about that," Kurama chuckled nervously. "Apparently the time has come when our bond has strengthened to the point where the side affects of being my jinchuuriki start to evolve. It'll have worthwhile results, I assure you, and we'll be more... in tune, so to speak. This also means we can start working on Bijuu Mode a lot sooner than I anticipated. But the one downside is that it's going to go more than a little out of control for a... while."

'How long?' Naruko asked warily. 'And what do you mean by 'the time has come'?'

"...puberty."

Naruko fought to keep from face-faulting; as it was, her eye was violently twitching. '...oh hell no. You mean I have to deal with this until I'm sixteen?'

"Hey, this is your body, not mine. And to be fair, Fuu and Gaara are going through this, too. All three of you are the same age, after all... give or take a few months."

'Small comforts.' Naruko listened as Kurama snorted in amusement, and then turned back into the conversation happening around her.

"Well? I'm waiting," Jiraiya said quietly. "What do you say?"

Tsunade threw her set of cards down. "Impossible. I decline." She looked up at Jiraiya, who was smirking at her.

"You know, that's kinda funny. That rings a bell. I remember you saying those exact words the first and only time I asked you out."

"Can you please just not be a womanizer for one conversation?" Naruko pleaded. "I get that she is your former teammate and probably used to your antics, but you're still embarrassing me and I don't appreciate it." She ignored Jiraiya's offended look and the black-haired woman's muffled giggles, and turned to Tsunade. The Slug Sannin was looking back at her with faint amusement and curiosity. "Look, if you don't want to be the Fifth Hokage then fine — I'm sure you must have some valid reason... but could you at least return to the village for a bit? There are three people, two of whom are very important to me, who desperately need your help."

Tsunade stared silently at the girl who had been quiet up until now. Her piercing azure-blue eyes seemed to see directly into her, but there was a faint calculative expression that she didn't like one bit. "Who's the brat, Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya chuckled. "This is Naruko Uzumaki."

Tsunade's eyes widened. 'This kid is the Kyuubi's...?'

Naruko gave a small nod. Tsunade blinked; had she read her mind? She focused her attention back to Jiraiya, "She's less obnoxious than I thought the Uzumaki are known to be."

"Naruko here was raised by Kakashi Hatake," Jiraiya said simply. Naruko held back a smirk; of course that was what he thought. Of course, those who were aware of their unlikely sibling-like bond also assumed the same. How far they were from the truth...

"Hmm, that explains it," Tsunade mused. She then returned her attention to Naruko, "I refuse to step foot in that accursed village ever again, gaki. Don't try to persuade me. You will fail."

A smirk spread across said gaki's whiskered face. "Challenge accepted."

"Naruko, no," Jiraiya groaned. "That wasn't a challenge. Look, she knows she can't refuse. There was no one who contributed more to Konoha's victory in the Great War. She combines unrivaled skills as a warrior with the ability to heal others. What's more, she is the granddaughter of the very first Hokage, so in heritage and abilities, she is the clear — and only — choice to be the Fifth Hokage. And once she accepts her destiny — which she will — then she'll have to come back with us to the village."

Naruko cocked an eyebrow. "So... you're essentially blackmailing her with her background to get her back into the village. Uncool, Pervy Sage."

"I can't tell if she's like your last apprentice or not," Tsunade commented. "She's smart-mouthed and cocky, but quiet when she wants to be. I bet she has a temper to match her mouth."

"Well, to be fair, it'd be hard for anyone to measure up to that standard," Jiraiya said calmly with a little amusement. "The Fourth Hokage showed all the signs of becoming the greatest ninja in generations — brimming with talent and natural ability, brilliant, popular and to top it off, nearly as handsome as his teacher."

"Oh sure," Tsunade said dryly, "but all that didn't save him from dying young. Throwing his life away, all for the sake of the village. Money's one thing, a life's another."

Jiraiya shot a sharp look at Naruko when her teacup cracked from where it was cupped between her hands. 'Uh-oh...'

Tsunade scoffed quietly. "To risk your life against all odds? That's a sucker's bet. My grandfather and his successor, they were also willing to die to defend that damned village. Well, they're both dead alright. And the village is no safer than it ever was. Playing at Hokage... count me out. It's a fool's game."

The three adults looked up when the table shook from the force of Naruko slamming her hands on the table. "Alright, look here, hag — it's 11:00 PM and I'm a flaming ball of frustrated rage with tea—"

"An adorable one, as per usual," Jiraiya coughed into his fist.

"—and I have a damned migraine because of you and your cynicism-pessimism hybrid attitude. So if you're going to be a stubborn old bat then why don't we take it outside?" Naruko glared at the Sannin.

Tsunade blinked at the abrupt change in behaviour. "Do you know who I am?"

"I have so many sarcastic replies and insults that I can't even begin to choose one," Naruko said flatly.

"Well, you've got guts, if nothing else," Tsunade conceded as she stood up. "Alright, I accept."

Naruko swiftly turned and walked out of the pub, Jiraiya right beside her. "Have you finally gone mental, polliwog? You know what it means that she's a Legendary Sannin, right?" the Toad Sage hissed at her. "Please tell me you at least have some sort of half-formed strategy."

Naruko smirked at him, her hand in the storage seal on the right side of her obi. "No... more like taking advantage of a strong shinobi as a chance to experiment..."

Jiraiya pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Well, for your sake, I hope it works."

"Have some faith, Pervy Sage," Naruko patted his arm and went to stand opposite Tsunade, a few meters being all that stood between them in the empty, lamp-lit street.

"A Legendary Sannin against a shrimpy Genin?" A sardonic smile came across Tsunade's alcohol-flushed face. "I ought to be ashamed of myself." Tsunade lifted her index finger and held it out to the girl. "You see this? One finger. It's all I'm going to need to take you down," she informed with a mocking edge to her tone. Naruko shot a sharp look at her godfather, seeing his eyes narrow at his old teammate. Tsunade remained oblivious as her finger curled in the universal beckoning sign. "Well? What are you waiting for, shrimp?"

Naruko narrowed her eyes and, with her left hand, brought out four shuriken held between her fingers. Her right hand curled around a circular object in her seal. With one swift movement, she threw the shuriken at Tsunade's head — as expected, the blonde woman dodged them expertly, not at all fazed by the weaponry assault. Naruko ran at the Sannin, pulling out a regular kunai to draw Tsunade's attention away from her withdrawing right hand. Once Naruko was within close range, Tsunade hooked her finger through the kunai ring and swung upwards.

Metal hit metal as Naruko's hitai-ate flew through the air, and the Genin's eyes widened when she saw Tsunade's curled finger right in front of her face. The Sannin flicked out her index finger, sending Naruko flying back a second before a flare of embers burst in Tsunade's face. Her eyes widened and she staggered back a step, waving her hands to push away the embers that, while scalding hot, lasted only a second.

"Oh sweet lanta," Naruko's strained voice came from behind Tsunade; the three shinobi turned at the same time to see Naruko standing beside a familiar-looking tokuchū kunai embedded in the ground. She was doubled over with her hands on her knees, whiskered face pale and twisted into a grimace. She stood up and glared at Tsunade, hands on her hips. "First of all: that was just plain mean, knocking off my hitai-ate. Secondly: you strongly remind me of my teammate with your freakish strength. I think I'm going to have a bruise from that flick alone. And third: Pervy Sage, how much chakra did my otou-san have to do this consecutively and for long distance? I can't have travelled more than five meters and I'm drained — which should be impossible for me to feel, considering my condition."

'What?' Tsunade's eyes were wide. 'That jutsu... it's...'

"Was that... Hiraishin?" Jiraiya blinked rapidly.

"No, it was just me spontaneously self-combusting in that baa-chan's face," Naruko sarcastically quipped, herself and Jiraiya rolling their eyes in tandem for two different reasons. "Yes, I think I have it figured out. And I don't actually know why flames — or embers, really — came out during the execution. But I'm not sure if I'm doing it wrong or if I have the formula wrong, because since otou-san used it so many times in a row over such long distances, it really shouldn't take up this much chakra."

'Unbelievable...' Tsunade's gaze flickered from her old teammate — he had the audacity to look proud — before settling on the grimacing Genin. 'I never expected the Fourth Hokage's jutsu... still, it's not the real thing. At least, not coming from this shrimpy Genin.'

"Maybe you need more practice?" Jiraiya suggested with a shrug. "I doubt your formula is wrong so I'd say chakra quantity — maybe you're putting in too much — or you could just need practice teleporting that particular way. This is, after all, the first space-time ninjutsu you've ever worked with. I'm impressed you've come this far."

"So am I," Tsunade spoke up, curiously eyeing the Genin with a new light. "But shrimp, tell me... what makes you so touchy about Hokage?"

Naruko sighed, crossing her arms over her obi and cocking her hip slightly. "My name is Naruko Uzumaki-Namikaze. I am the only daughter of the Red Hot Habanero Kushina Uzumaki, and the Yellow Flash Minato Namikaze." Her eyes hardened and her arms tightened over her abdomen. "My father did not throw his life away. He sacrificed it to protect the village he loved. I myself, am a sacrifice... a byproduct of his sacrifice, so to speak. Earlier, you said Konoha was no safer than it ever was... well, I have no objections to that — the villagers were, and still are, hardly kind to me, let alone civil. But being what I am, I know that it's my duty to protect my designated village. Despite what Pervy Sage says, you have a choice. I never had that luxury. I am a weapon, a tool to be manipulated to suit the village's needs." A sardonic smile lifted her lips. "It is my destiny to be this way until the day I die."

Tsunade blinked at her. "You know."

"Of course, I know," Naruko rolled her eyes, "it's hard not to when the fuzzball won't shut up."

Jiraiya choked on the tea that he had swiped from one of Naruko's scrolls. He cleared his throat and covered his smile with a hand, still finding himself endlessly amused at the relationship his goddaughter and the surprisingly-non-murderous Bijuu had.

"But it'd be a sad life if I succumbed to being the ace up a village's sleeve," Naruko mused. "So as Neji Hyuuga is so fond of saying, I'm resisting my destiny. I know I'm not a weapon. I'm a human, the same as you. And every human has to have at least one precious person to them... you can't just shut everyone out. You have to have someone hold onto, someone to love, someone. That's the reason I'm here now. Maybe it's not along the same lines as Pervy Sage's, but I'm here to ask you to help my friends."

"Oh my Kami, the Talk no Jutsu strikes again," Jiraiya muttered under his breath. Louder, he said to the two females, "But you realize she's gonna have to take up the hat eventually."

Naruko snapped her fingers in his direction twice. "No, the adults are talking. You, shut up."

Jiraiya looked mildly offended while Shizune ducked her head in an effort to hide her laughter.

Naruko rolled her eyes and turned back to Tsunade. "Regardless of what you or anyone else may think of me, regardless of what they may think of the Hokage position, and regardless of who my parents were, there is one thing you should remember about me, Naruko Uzumaki." The teenage girl smirked as she tossed the tokuchū kunai up into the air and caught it in a reverse-grip in one swift movement, a determined gleam in her azure-blue eyes that both Sannin recognized to be the famed Will of Fire. 

"To be Hokage — that is my dream."

Tsunade's eyes widened as a soft gasp slipped from her lips.

"That girl..." Shizune murmured, her own eyes wide as she stared at the jinchuuriki.

"My dream is to be the greatest Hokage Konoha ever had" — Naruko had made that up the day of the Team 7 introductions. But as she got to know her village and the people who lived in it, she found herself caring for the village of her origins. Perhaps the more ignorant of the village's population — such as civilians and the older, bitter shinobi — were not appreciated, but Naruko had been pleasantly surprised time and time again when her team and even the other rookies readily came to her defense against the hostile treatment. Every one of the rookies — including Hinata, and recently Team 9 — had gotten so angry on her behalf at least twice that Naruko had to drag them away before they had dealt any permanent damage — more often than not it was Sasuke, Sakura and now Neji and Tenten. Despite the occasional consequences, it made Naruko smile just thinking about the fact that she now had people who cared about her to the extent of standing up for her in public. She had even made friends with civilian children from the younger generation when babysitting with her team. Their innocence and open-mindedness had been a shock to Naruko at first, since she was so used to children running away from her at first sight; it was almost refreshing to see one run straight to her instead. Striving to be Hokage was a facade of the past, but now it was reality.

Tsunade lowered her head, an indecipherable emotion in her whiskey-brown eyes. After a brief moment of silence, she turned her gaze on her fellow Sannin. "Jiraiya, did you teach the shrimp the Hiraishin?"

"I would like to say that I did, since I'm her teacher, but this time it's a solid no," Jiraiya raised his hands in a surrendering gesture, "that's all Naruko. I just lectured her on the background theory and her father's fūinjutsu journal, and from there she figured everything out for herself. So if you want to yell at someone for being reckless, yell at polliwog over there," Jiraiya was quick to point at his goddaughter, who mockingly-glared at him.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes and turned back to Naruko, who was watching her calmly. "What's the point of learning that jutsu? My great-uncle was the one who invented it, and your father was the one who evolved it. But no one else has been able to come close to recreating or even simply using the jutsu to the extent they did. You'll never master it, so why start?"

"It's true I'm not my father," Naruko said calmly, "but I believe in myself, because he did... I know he did, because he gave me a burden he trusted no one else with. But in this state, you wouldn't understand. But maybe someday..." Naruko shook her head and the sadness disappeared from her eyes, a now-familiar determination replacing it. "Give me three days, and I'll have that jutsu down to the point where I can execute it flawlessly."

"Watch what you say, shrimp," Tsunade warned her. "I might just hold you to it."

"I said it, and I never go back on my word," Naruko shot back. "That's my ninja way. Anyone who knows me, knows that."

"Well then... care to make a bet on it, then?" Tsunade drawled out, though Naruko didn't miss the careful undertone. "I'll give you one week. If you can master that jutsu by then, I'll admit I'm wrong and that you're worthy of becoming Hokage. I'll even throw in my necklace," she pointed at the teal-coloured jewel resting on her bosom.

"Tsunade-sama, no!" Shizune cried at once.

"I'm not really into jewelry..." Naruko sweatdropped. Why would Tsunade think she wanted such a thing? Sure she was a girl, but she was a kunoichi, and kunoichi didn't exactly have a necessity for jewelry — not unless it had a specific purpose or sentiment.

"You numbskull," Kurama sighed, "that's the necklace of the First Hokage himself. There are only two like it in the world. That little thing is worth three gold mines."

'Really?' Naruko rubbed the back of her neck. "Fine — baa-chan, you have yourself a bet."

"Don't call me that, shrimp."

"I'll stop once you quit calling me "shrimp"."

"Not a chance."

"Then you have your answer."

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"Stupid piece of... of... abominable shit goblin," Naruko muttered under her breath as she flipped to another page of her sketchpad.

Jiraiya glanced up with a raised eyebrow at his goddaughter, bemused at her unusual insult. A quick glance at the clock showed she had been working on the "stupid piece of abominable shit goblin" for three hours. Enough was enough, he decided with no small amount of amusement, and meandered over to sit down beside her, reaching over to ruffle her hair. "Alright, what's up with you and that sketchpad, polliwog?"

Naruko sighed and flipped over her previous pages, showing him half-finished sketches of seals. A talisman depicted a very familiar juinjutsu was tacked on the side. "I'm trying to find a way to unseal the Hyuuga branch family juinjutsu, the Caged Bird Seal. But the thing I forgot is that this seal not only seals the Byakugan upon the Hyuuga's death, but it also targets the wearer's brain cells at the main family's will. Right now I could theoretically use Version 13," she flipped back to show him a sketch next to a blank talisman, "but the erosion of the seal suggests that there is an extremely high likelihood of the process being a painful one." Naruko sighed and switched to her new, blank page.

Jiraiya watched as she tapped her pencil impatiently on the blank page, her brow furrowed in thought. "You know, Minato tried to do the same thing," he said quietly. Naruko's head snapped towards him as the tapping abruptly ceased. The Toad Sage smiled a little ruefully. "I believe he was halfway done... and then he just stopped."

Naruko's brow furrowed even further. "Why would he do that?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "As Hokage, the Hyuuga clan wouldn't've threatened him, so the only reason I can think of is that he either realized it was impossible, or Hiashi Hyuuga — who was the one to request Minato to find a removal method — asked him to stop."

Naruko blinked. "Hiashi? The Hyuuga clan head?" She sat back at Jiraiya's nod, a contemplative look entering her eyes. "I was under the impression Hiashi-san supported the use of the Caged Bird Seal... it certainly sounded like he used it more than once." Naruko reached out for a scroll and unsealed her father's journal, flipping to the very end, to where there was a sketch that bore half of the Caged Bird Seal on the right, and indecipherable squiggles with annotations on the left. It looked as if Minato had sketched out the juinjutsu, erased half of it, and sketched his own thing beside it. 'So that's what this was...'

"But you forget," Jiraiya said softly, "even if he did use it, his own little brother was in the branch family. And I know for a fact that Hiashi never wanted a body double; he was ready to give up his life to the demands of Kumo, but the Hyuuga elders suggested offering Hizashi instead due to his having been branded with the Caged Bird Seal. He protested, but Hizashi went of his own will... said he was defying his destiny."

Before Naruko could inquire further as to what Jiraiya was implying, there was a knock on the door. Goddaughter and godfather exchanged looks, clearly remembering the last time someone had knocked on their hotel door. Jiraiya gestured for her to stand by the window in case she had to make a quick getaway, and cautiously approached the door. Naruko's tense posture relaxed when Jiraiya stepped aside to allow the familiar figure of the black-haired woman — Shizune — into their room.

"I know it's late," Shizune said apologetically, "but I need to talk with Naruko." She looked up as the blonde walked over silently, reaching up to tug Jiraiya's sleeve. Jiraiya held the blonde's gaze for a moment before giving a curt nod and stepping into the bathroom; a moment later, the running water could be heard signifying he was taking a shower.

"What did you need to talk about?" Naruko asked as politely as she could. "I would like to get a good night's rest so I can start training tomorrow."

"That's just it," Shizune said, almost fretfully, "I wanted to talk to you before you get too invested in this. It's about the necklace, and Tsunade-sama." Naruko remained silent, a silent query in her eyes that Shizune took as both acknowledgement and a gesture to continue. "You see, Tsunade-sama wasn't always this way — she was kind, dedicated to the village. But... she's changed. Ever since... that day."

"What day was that?" Naruko asked softly, sensing this was a touchy subject for Shizune as well.

Shizune looked up, her onyx eyes hard. "The day she lost all she had," she answered ominously. "Dreams, hopes — everything. She had nothing left after that. Except the necklace and all of its memories." Her face softened with grief and distress. "Please understand, that necklace is more precious than life for her. It's not simply a piece of jewelry to be gambled away on a silly bet." And so Shizune told the girl about the story behind the wearers of the necklace — of Tsunade's little brother Nawaki who died a day after his birthday, and of her uncle Dan Katō, who Tsunade had loved but was unable to save.

'So that's what you meant, Kurama, when you said that it's only natural for someone to turn cold and bitter towards those they had given their all to and received nothing but rejection in return.' Naruko sighed. "I think I do understand, if only a little... after all, I also don't have anything, but I can't compare since I never had anything to begin with." Naruko paused, 'Well, as far as you and everyone else know.' She looked up again. "But it seems I'm the one who's sorry — a bet is a bet. Besides, it was her idea, not mine."

"If you think this is something you can wear like a trophy—" Shizune cut herself off. "This isn't just any sort of necklace!"

"That thought never crossed my mind," Naruko answered calmly. "The only thing I wish to do is prove her wrong — I am not my father, but I will be better. I am worthy of the title of Hokage, and I know that because I am willing to work for it. Nothing in my life has ever been handed to me on a silver platter, and I don't expect the position to come easily, either. I could care less about the necklace, no matter who it belonged to or how much it may be worth... but your Tsunade-sama threw it into the bargain. So when I prove her wrong, I also intend to collect it."

"It won't accept anyone else as its wearer," Shizune warned her. "Only on Tsunade-sama does it remain safe. When anyone else puts it on, they die."

"I won't die," Naruko answered. "Not until I become Hokage."

"Naruko Uzumaki..." Shizune closed her eyes. "You are one of a kind."

A small smile lifted Naruko's lip. "I know."

The two females talked for a while more, this time on lighter matters, before Shizune finally took her leave. Seeing as Jiraiya was one of the few men who took three-hour showers, Naruko wrote him a note and left the room via window. There was someone she had to see.

It was easy to find her — after all, negativity surrounded her like a blanket. She was sitting atop a torii gate, her arms wrapped around her legs and her face buried in her knees. She didn't look up when Naruko landed lightly beside her curled up form, though her crying quietened until it had disappeared altogether.

"What are you doing here."

Naruko leaned against the the torii gate's pillar on the opposite side, pointedly keeping her eyes on the star-filled sky above them. "You know, some nights I wish I could just go back in time. Not to change anything, but just to feel a couple things a few more times." Her companion remained silent, and Naruko internally sighed. "Shizune told me... about the necklace, and what it does to your loved ones. I can't say I understand your pain, because I had nothing to begin with." Naruko paused. "Well, that's not true... but it's an S-ranked secret so I can't tell you yet. Maybe someday, though."

Tsunade scoffed wetly. "I'm a Sannin. There's no secret too high-ranked for me."

"Maybe," Naruko conceded, "but not this one." Silence fell over them, before the younger spoke up again. "People change for two main reasons: their hearts have been broken or their eyes have been opened. I don't understand what it feels like to lose everything in the magnitude that you have. But I do understand what it feels like to lose everything important to you while you can do nothing about it." She barely registered Tsunade's head lifting slightly at her words. "It's the kind of helpless feeling that you never want to feel again, and will do everything in your power so you don't have to... right?"

Tsunade remained silent, but Naruko was pleased to note the negativity had dulled to the usual levels. Well, usual for this woman haunted by her past.

"There's no point," Tsunade said dully, also turning her gaze to the stars.

"If you keep running away, there isn't," Naruko agreed. "But you can't start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the old one. Don't be afraid to start over, because this time you aren't starting from scratch — you're starting from experience. And besides... as a wise woman once told me, you can close your eyes to things you don't want to see, but you can't close your heart to things you don't want to feel. It's easy to part ways with people forever, that much is true, especially in our specific line of work. And that's why, when you find someone you want to keep around, you do something about it. Some people say that to be the perfect shinobi, you cannot have attachments. I call bullshit. No one can vow to be perfect. In the end, all we can do is promise to love each other with everything we've got..." 

Naruko's eyes drifted over to Tsunade, who was looking contemplatively at the sky without actually seeing its glittering beauty.

"...because love's the best thing we humans do."

Tsunade's blank eyes moved over to rest on Naruko, who was watching her calmly. "And just how did you get to that conclusion, shrimp?"

Naruko shrugged. "I realized at a young age that there's no point in living in heartache over what we can't change. Instead, we should strive to live in a way that will make all our sacrifices — and that of those who came before us — worth it. And never let your heart become numb. No matter how much pain you're going through, the solution should never be to turn numb. If you become numb just to avoid the pain, then you won't be able to feel happiness either. So feel the pain and resist the temptation to avoid it."

"You speak as if you went through this yourself."

"Maybe I did... maybe I didn't. All will be revealed when you discover the S-ranked secret."

Tsunade scoffed, and Naruko was happy to detect some humour in her tone. "There it is — that imp in you. I thought it was strange you were being so serious."

Naruko half-smirked half-smiled at her. "It doesn't hurt to laugh, you know. Laughing doesn't make bad things worse anymore than crying makes them better. It doesn't mean that you don't care, or that you've forgotten — it just means you're human. That you're letting go and moving on. And when you do that, you'll realize that letting go of suffering is not letting go entirely; you do not need to recall the bad to remember the good."

"Okay, that's enough of the lecture already," Tsunade finally snapped, but there was no real heat behind it. It was surprising, but Naruko didn't question the temperamental blonde.

The jinchuuriki returned her gaze to the stars. "One last thing: given your reputation as gambler, I would be lying if I said I wasn't surprised you hadn't gambled your necklace away already. But if that necklace is all you have of those you loved... you can keep it, if you want. After all, this bet was never about anything but proving you wrong."

Having said her piece, although she admittedly took a long route for it, Naruko closed her eyes and let herself drown in the echo of one of her fondest memories:

"Blue B loved you, never doubt that. Sometimes, for life to continue, sacrifices have to be made — this is the way of the world. And as shinobi, we take lives to save lives. You'll understand when you're older. But for now, live your life and always remember, but don't let it consume you. Can you remember that for me, Naru?"

"Yes..."

"That's a no, then. Alright, come here — let me tell you the story of how the sun loved the moon so much, he died every night, just to let her breathe..."

《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》

Naruko's eye twitched. 'One day. Not even — one hour. I just wanted one hour where I could be uninterrupted and work on my jutsu. Is that really too much to ask?'

"Apparently, yes. A pity, too. You were so close to getting it."

Naruko scoffed. 'Right. Close. If travelling three more meters without passing out is "close" to mastering the Hiraishin. I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong.'

"Well we can't wallow over that now... you better focus on the fishy Kabuto-guy."

Kurama almost laughed when his jinchuuriki sighed again. 'I have half a mind to just sit down exactly where I am. This whole retrieval thing is a drama show blown way out of proportion.' Her eyes slid to the left as she heard her godfather shout in panic at how Tsunade's drug wouldn't be leaving his system for another few minutes. The blonde blinked curiously as Kabuto dipped his fingers in the blood from the slice in his palm — apparently blood was the legendary Tsunade Senju's weakness — and slid them down Orochimaru's discoloured arm. At the same time, both Jiraiya and Kabuto finished weaving an identical sequence and slammed their hands down on the ground; "Summoning Jutsu!"

And that was where the similarities ended — where Kabuto was able to summon two towering brown snakes, Jiraiya's summon on the other hand... ended up as a very familiar and very small orange toad.

"What's up?" Gamakichi called happily with a smile.

"What the—!" Jiraiya's eyes almost fell out of his sockets. "Why are you here? Where the hell is your father?"

Naruko pinched the bridge of her nose. "Do the words "chakra-suppressing drug" mean nothing to you, Pervy Sage?"

"Shut it, polliwog."

Orochimaru's quiet condescending laugh drew their attention back to him. "Well Jiraiya... still playing the fool, I see. You always were ridiculous, but this time you've outdone yourself. Clearly our Tsunade has gotten to you somehow."

"Your jutsu did require a sacrifice," Kabuto told Orochimaru, standing up beside him. "Perhaps she was thinking ahead — drugging him somehow to suppress his power."

"To think she would make a sacrifice of Jiraiya..." Orochimaru's lips curled up into a cruel smirk. "Well, just as ruthless as ever, aren't you Tsunade?" Orochimaru gave one of his eerie chuckles again. "You're as big a disgrace as the day we met," he stated almost nostalgically, though there was an obvious edge of mocking to his words.

'Okay, that's it — it really pisses me off when someone other than me mocks Pervy Sage,' Naruko glared at the two Oto ninja. She raised her thumb to her mouth, "Gamakichi!" Familiar with their impromptu combined summoning technique, the young toad leapt onto her head as Naruko bit down on her thumb and wove the now-familiar hand sign sequence, edging her chakra with just the right amount of Kurama's to make the process easier. "Summoning Jutsu!"

Orochimaru's eyes widened a little as he took a half-step back, and even Jiraiya and Shizune had a look of surprise at the large plume of smoke. "Th-This is..."

Naruko couldn't help the smirk that spread across her face when she suddenly found herself level with Orochimaru and Kabuto, once more standing atop the Chief Toad Gamabunta's head. "Déjà vu, huh 'Bunta?" Naruko remarked flippantly.

"Oh, it's you again," Gamabunta deadpanned. "What sort of trouble did you get yourself into this time? Another Bijuu?"

"No," Jiraiya answered as he leapt up to join his apprentice on Gamabunta's head, automatically reaching out to ruffle Naruko's hair. "She summoned you for me. Good job, polliwog."

Naruko beamed up at him. "Let me know if you want me to summon Kurama," she said as she took Gamakichi in her arms and jumped down Gamabunta's back, using it as a slide to get back down to the ground. Jiraiya couldn't help smiling as her childish giggles floated up to him, but then his smile fell as he turned to face his turncoat former teammate.

"Let's begin," Orochimaru hissed as the snake darted forward. "I want you to leave Jiraiya to me. The rest are yours to play with as you will." There was a crash as the two snakes hit the ground in tandem, creating a large dust cloud.

Naruko was forced to turn her attention away from her godfather when she saw Kabuto going straight for Shizune. The dark-haired woman slid back her right kimono sleeve to reveal a metal contraption strapped to her forearm that shot out what appeared to be senbon needles. Naruko mentally filed that away for Sakura.

Kabuto was leaned to the side to dodge the projectiles as his hand lit up with blue chakra and rushing forward to hit Shizune in the center of her chest. With a grunt, she flew off her feet but also spewed some purple fog from her mouth.

"Poison, better move," Kurama said at once, prompting Naruko to flip out of the range of the billowing fog. "One breath of that and you're a dead man. Uh, girl..."

Shizune's startled cry drew Naruko's attention to the glowing hands that held both of Shizune's ankles. Being a medical ninja, Naruko had no idea what Kabuto did, but figured it was bad since Shizune instantly fell to her knees as Kabuto dispelled the Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu.

"M-My leg tendons..."

'Okay, time to be like Orochimaru and experiment on people,' Naruko's fingers inched into her pouch. '...I am never using that comparison again.' Taking a deep breath, Naruko sent her chakra to reach out for the kunai she had secretly slipped into Shizune's kimono earlier, and Hiraishin'd over to the Oto ninja. 

'Shit that's too much chakra spent,' Naruko winced as she slapped the sealing tag onto Kabuto's neck with her left hand and formed a one-handed Ram sign with her right. While at first the seal appeared to have failed, once Kabuto attempted to turn around to face her, he instantly froze up in an unnaturally rigid way. 

Glaring at the girl who was looking at him curiously — she was curious, of all things! — Kabuto reached behind him to take off the tag. The amount of effort needed to do so was not worth it as he instantly gave a screech of pain. Since he was apparently-paralyzed, it took him a while to get his fingers out of range from the talisman, and once they were, both shinobi could see his fingers were slightly burnt.

Naruko frowned and narrowed her eyes, observing the effects carefully. "Dang," she sighed, "it didn't work."

"What was it supposed to do?" Kabuto cried indignantly. He could already feel his limbs tingling and becoming numb. Was it some low-grade poison?

Naruko sighed. "I invented a seal that paralyzes you with Lightning added to it. I've been trying to remove the Lightning element from it so once I get the base, I can work in other elements. But it's not working. So the seal was supposed to paralyze you, but apparently only zaps you if you try to remove it. Which means there's still Lightning in there. Damn," she cursed, clearly irritated it didn't work.

"And injects poison," Kabuto grumbled under his breath.

Naruko's eyebrows shot to her hairline and she suddenly seemed to light up. "It does? What kind of poison? Painful or painless? When I say painless, I mean does it numb you? Did you feel it right away, or is it gradual? Can you tell what rank it might be?"

Kabuto stared at the blonde. "You don't even know how it works?" he spluttered in disbelief.

Naruko rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Um, you're actually the first person I've tried it on... guess that kind of makes you a test subject, huh? Sorry about that." She cleared her throat, adopting a more serious facial expression as she slid into an unfamiliar taijutsu stance. "But I'm really not, now that I think about it..."

Kabuto growled and sent some chakra to his fingers, forming a chakra scalpel. Naruko waited for him to cut off the tag — what fun was there in fighting a paralyzed man, after all? — and then ran at him as she threw multiple tokuchū kunai at the white-haired shinobi. One managed to scratch his cheek, distracting him for a moment as Naruko slammed her knee into his torso and knocked him off his feet. It seemed his reflexes were affected by the unintentional poison.

Attempting to turn his fall into a backflip failed as Kabuto felt his wrist being grabbed before it was pinned to the ground with a shuriken embedded into the earth through his glove's cloth. He instantly sliced off his glove with a chakra scalpel in time to dodge an incoming tendril of purple flames. Kabuto rolled to his feet to see Naruko standing a few feet away from him, the purple fire coiling around her body like a living manifestation. Naruko wasn't even touching it, a mere inch between the flames and her palms, but she controlled the whip of fire with fluid arm movements almost like a Tai Chi dance.

Kabuto was forced to move constantly in order to avoid being hit; despite it obviously being fire, it moved like water. He ended up being struck five times by it, and each time he managed to slice through it by hacking at the whip with his chakra scalpel. The only reason it worked was because of how frantic he was becoming — it held a strong force behind each lash, and the flames would attach to his clothing. He quickly deduced it wasn't harmful fire and so wouldn't burn him, but it was fire, after all...

"Water Style: Water Bullet!"

Naruko smirked as her whip lashed right through the bullet, neutralizing it as the water fell to the ground with a splash. Her blue eyes widened as she drew her right palm backwards and then rotated both her wrists as she lifted her arms up. The fire rushed back to her and formed a small circular shield that protected her from the follow-up Wind jutsu. 

With a wave of her hand, the purple flames reverted back into a coiling whip floating around her body. "In case you haven't already deduced this for yourself, the fire I use isn't normal," Naruko said nonchalantly, "this fire is purple, which means it has sticking properties. You can't put it out with water or wind. Normal fire is wild and unpredictable, but this is tame and tranquil... almost like water, which I find beautifully ironic. Sticky flames is one of the easiest to control." Mentally, Naruko added happily, 'And it's conveniently used with Kurama's chakra, which means I don't have to use mine at all.' The Uzumaki couldn't help laughing at Kurama's over-exaggerated sigh.

Kabuto gritted his teeth; he had no idea how to handle something like this. Hell, he wasn't even aware Fire could have different properties, let alone that there was someone who could utilize it with such effortless efficiency. But Orochimaru had trusted him with these three... two were out of commission already, but this one — this little girl —was proving to be quite the troublesome opponent. And not in a good, challenging way. Apparently, his only option was to go for the Slug Sannin and finish what he started.

In a desperate move, Kabuto used his Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu in attempt to take her out the same way he had taken Shizune out. Unfortunately for him, that specific Earth jutsu was one of Naruko's brother-figure's favourites, and she was well-versed in it. But unfortunately for her, she hadn't been at all prepared for the massive snake that shot up out of the ground instead of Kabuto.

'A snake. I forgot about a massive freakin' snake. Who does that?' Naruko backed away a step as said snake opened its massive jaws. "Gamakichi!" she shouted, as she turned to run, hoping to lead it away from Tsunade and Shizune — it wasn't going to be a clean cut battle. Naruko felt the familiar weight of the toad landing on her head, and skidded to a stop. Predictably, the massive brown snake had followed her, apparently intent on devouring her for lunch. Naruko shuddered at an impromptu flashback from Team 7's confrontation with Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, but quickly shook it off. 

"Please tell me you've learnt some attacks by now," she pleaded with the toad sitting atop her head.

"Haven't learnt it, but I've seen it plenty of times," Gamakichi answered. "It seems easy enough and we're pretty well synchronized, so we could try it out."

"Better than nothing," Naruko decided. "Tell me what to do."

From a few feet away, the two out of three Sannin facing off against each other paused in their battle when they saw a sudden flare of fire. "Fire Style: Toad Oil Flame Bullet," Jiraiya murmured in surprise, recognizing the cooperation ninjutsu. "Gamabunta, did you teach Gamakichi that?"

"No," Gamabunta answered, equally surprised. "I guess he must've seen it and decided to try it out with the girl."

Jiraiya shook his head with a smile, "She's more like her father than she will ever know."

"That apprentice of yours is quite talented," Orochimaru commented. "It's a shame I didn't mark her instead of the Uchiha. She even has a unique Fire Style that I have never seen before..."

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed. "You're not getting within twenty feet of my goddaughter. Gamabunta!"

"Toad Oil Bullet!"

"Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"

Naruko's face dropped of emotion when she saw an even larger cloud of fire originating from the Toad Sannin and the Toad Chief. "You copycat show-off," she muttered, even as she reached up to pet her summon. She nodded in satisfaction at the large burn on the snake summon's scales; it hadn't done a lot of damage, but enough that it injured the reptile — Naruko had held it down with her sticky whip while Gamakichi hopped down to her shoulder so he was in better range for her Fire Style: Flame Bullet and prepared for his first full-scale Toad Oil Bullet. Of course, since it was their first try at this jutsu, Naruko hadn't been expecting much, but seeing as it was enough to burn the snake's scales, she was pretty happy with their efforts.

"Stay back! Get away from me!"

Naruko's head jerked over to where Kabuto was standing over a trembling Tsunade. 'Kurama, do check if there's something wrong with my memory, please, because I seem to be forgetting a lot of very important things and it's quite concerning.'

Kurama chuckled deeply, "You got it, Kit."

"Please, get ahold of yourself, Tsunade-sama," Kabuto answered the Sannin coldly, spitting out her name like it was a disease. "Else the name of the Sannin, of which Orochimaru-sama is also called, will weep."

Naruko saw red when Kabuto started kicking Tsunade, and she started to run. She better than anyone what what it was like to be kicked when you were down, to be someone's punching bag for their misdirected hurt and anger.  And that was something Naruko simply couldn't just stand by and watch. Just like she couldn't stand by and watch Sasuke fall into a darkness he might not recover from, or watch the villagers — civilian and shinobi — abuse each other because of some unresolved turmoil. 'Better me than their loved ones,' she had always reminded herself. "Having a big heart is a great thing, but it can also be your biggest weakness that some will abuse," Roshi had once told her. But still, Naruko tried to understand the villagers; it wasn't her fault, or theirs. 

But what she saw now was something entirely different. Kabuto had no reason to hurt Tsunade, Orochimaru hadn't even ordered him to. The only reason he did so was because he wanted to. It made it impossible for her to not do something; it wasn't the way her mother had raised her, the way her grandfather taught her. It wasn't the person she was.

《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》

"What are you three doing? Pretending to be meditating like monks? Don't tell me you've been binging Avatar: The Last Airbender again?"

"Okaa-san told us to guess what the most important thing about being a shinobi is. We already guessed the number of jutsu you possess, and the amount of experience, and even booksmarts. But it's none of those."

"Hmm, I see."

"Can you tell us, Yagu-nii?"

"Sorry kiddo, not with something like this. Just don't overthink it, alright? And whatever you do, don't give up."

"Of course not! That's my nindo way!"

"Attagirl, Naru-chan."

《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》

'I get it... The most important thing about being a shinobi isn't the number of jutsu you have or the amount of experience... I can't believe I had the answer all along...'

Naruko sent out her chakra, reaching for the formula she knew by heart. She felt the despair, the hopelessness, the pain, the hurt, all originating from the Slug Sannin. Naruko hurt with her. She felt the now-familiar spark ignite as something clicked into place. Grasping hold of the figurative chakra thread, this time instead of coating it with chakra and pulling it toward herself, she sent a mere sliver along it and let it pull her.

'It's the resolve to never give up...'

Fist hit metal with enough force to draw blood.

'...am I right, okaa-san?'

Kabuto's eyes widened, and Naruko could hear the soft gasp from behind her. She felt her hitai-ate trembling in tandem with Kabuto's fist. "Enough already," Naruko growled under her breath, a somewhat-transparent sphere of blue forming in her right hand. She moved at the same time Kabuto did; she launched the Rasengan at him while the Oto ninja gripped her outer thigh with his chakra scalpel.

Naruko let out a grunt as she skidded to the ground, the jutsu dissipating. 'Shit... Kurama?'

"You have got to be more careful, Kit," Kurama scolded, "or I will find a way to inject you with cockroach DNA just so I can be sure you won't dig yourself an early grave."

'Right...' Naruko almost sweatdropped at the Bijuu. Noticing that Kabuto was already running to Tsunade with a kunai in hand — seriously, why did he keep running away from her? — in a move that was slowly becoming second nature, Naruko let the chakra pull her towards the famed Slug Sannin.

Tsunade's eyes widened when she saw a burst of embers erupt in front of her eyes, and a blonde girl stood protectively in front of her. There was a slight slouch in her stance, and Tsunade's eyes widened even further when she took in her somewhat-battered profile before her attention was drawn to the sunlight bouncing off an incoming kunai. 

"Enough... don't protect me, Naruko! Stop it! Just get away, run!" 

And Naruko obeyed — but not in the way Tsunade wanted her to. She ran straight at Kabuto, a tokuchū kunai between her teeth. She wasn't even weaving any signs, and was simply running at him, as if that would do anything.

"Look out!"

Naruko narrowed her eyes and threw the kunai at Kabuto, who predictably shifted his head to the side to dodge the obvious attack. In the half-minute his eyes shifted to look at the uniquely-designed kunai, Naruko instantly formed a Rasengan in her palm. When Kabuto turned back to look at her, she burst into embers right in his face, causing him to cry out and stumble at the hot cinders marking his face.

"Wha—" Kabuto twisted his body around, but it did him little good as he was, for lack of better terminology, drilled into the ground as a Rasengan made contact with his torso. From survival instinct alone, a chakra scalpel formed in his hand and he instantly pressed it to the girl's chest.

Naruko Hiraishin'd to a kunai she had thrown earlier, her breathing a little harsher than it should be. 'For all the trouble this jutsu gave me earlier, it's becoming almost natural now.'

"So you figured out what's wrong with it?"

'I should've realized it sooner — of course such a jutsu, especially a signature one used countless times consecutively, would be tailored to take up as little chakra as possible. Otherwise it would be a hindrance to use and more of a last resort than anything else.' Naruko shook her head with a wry smile. 'Lord Second was a genius for creating it, but otou-san was a genius for recreating it with a wider opportunity range.'

"Yes, they both were... and it's a shame your father's genius didn't pass down to you at all, you idiot!" Kurama suddenly roared. "Your moronic ass got too close to Kabuto — who, need I remind you, is a medical ninja — and now he's done some real bad damage to your heart!"

'My... what?'

"Your heart! You know, the one organ in your body that keeps you alive? Oh, and look at that you just passed out. Just fan-bloody-tastic. You know, if all my fur ends up grey, I truly would not be surprised in the least. And I'd know exactly who to blame!" The Bijuu suddenly paused in his tirade. "Why am I ranting to you? You're unconscious. Kami-dammit Kit, stop rubbing off on me! I do not appreciate it!" Kurama paused again. "Well, I think I'm going to let that Slug Princess take over since I'm rendered just about useless right now. Also I am just so incredibly done with your shit... why am I still talking?"

Said Slug Princess had been staring at Naruko's doubled-over form in shock as she tried to take in the aftermath of Naruko's strategic move. 'She actually mastered the Hiraishin... in one week!' It was short-lived, however, when she saw Naruko fall backwards. Without thinking, Tsunade ran over to the girl, dropping to her knees beside the Genin as she tried to assess the damage.

Seeing movement from her peripheral vision, Tsunade narrowed her honey-brown eyes as she saw Kabuto stagger to his feet. "You... how can you be standing after that?"

"I focused my chakra on the point of impact," Kabuto answered, though his breathing was still laboured. "The minute she hit me, I started healing myself. It wasn't just for my medical skills or knowledge of jutsu that I was recruited, but for my regenerative powers. No matter how great the injury, I can repair and re-energize any damaged cells." And as he spoke, the burns and torn muscles were already knitting themselves back together as they disappeared from sight, new skin already replacing the old, shredded layer until there was nary a mark left on his torso. The only thing that told of his encounter with a Rasengan would be the tear in his clothing. "Can you see now why Orochimaru-sama values me so highly?"

Kabuto staggered a step towards the two blondes. 'But there is a limit,' he admitted to himself. 'I'm almost out of chakra...' Kabuto's eyes widened as he suddenly hacked up blood, falling to his knees before his upper body followed suit. 'And now... I haven't enough chakra left. I never thought... even with my healing powers... the damage was too great.'

Seeing that Kabuto was no longer an immediate threat, Tsunade paid him no attention and laid her ear on Naruko's chest. After a moment of listening, Tsunade's eyes shot open with alarm as she quickly sat up, not even noticing when her green haori slipped off her shoulders. 'Her heart is failing.' Sending chakra to her fingertips, Tsunade carefully sliced through the black obi so she could open up the orange kimono. She gently laid her hands over the fishnet shirt; 'The muscles surrounding her heart have been torn to shreds. When did that happen...? Wait, of course. That moment, just when Naruko made contact... Kabuto must've struck at her heart!'

Utilizing the same toned-down chakra scalpel, Tsunade sliced a line down the fishnet shirt so the only covering left was the bindings around Naruko's chest. Tsunade ignored them — and the seal that signified she was a jinchuuriki — as she placed her hands directly over Naruko's heart, allowing the green healing chakra to flare to life around her hands.

"It's all over... for Naruko," Kabuto's weak voice rasped almost mockingly. "I... cut... her heart's chakra network which restores the strength... through the Kyuubi's chakra... with the last of my strength... in order to eliminate the possibility that she would heal with her own power. There's no way she can recover... even with you."

"Shut up!" Tsunade snapped. "I'll kill you later."

Kabuto blinked in surprise, but couldn't find the strength to answer. Not that he found it wise to, even if he had the strength. Tsunade was different... not exactly stronger, but just different. But he knew she was definitely angry, as well. Surely it wasn't just because he injured that girl? Sure she was the jinchuuriki, but was it enough to provoke such a strong murderous desire from one of the Sannin towards him? Jiraiya, he would understand, since he was Naruko's godfather. But Tsunade...?

Said Sannin's eyes widened. 'She's stopped breathing!' In her mind's eye, she saw Naruko's face briefly be superimposed by that of her younger brother. 'Dammit... dammit, dammit!' She didn't notice when the tears fell, nor did she particularly care. All she cared about was the girl dying — Jiraiya's goddaughter, Kakashi's sister, Minato's legacy, Kushina's daughter. The girl who had the same dream as her own little brother and her lover. The girl who had protected her at the cost of her own life. She hadn't given up... so neither would Tsunade.

'Don't die... don't die! Don't die!'

Her eyes widened and a soft gasp slipped past her lips when she saw a small tanned hand reach up and shakily grasp at her necklace.

Naruko opened one eye, her lips curving up ever-so-slightly. "The bet... I won it." Her azure blue eyes slid closed and her hand fell. Tsunade grabbed it before it hit the ground.

"I-Impossible..." Kabuto stuttered, his eyes trained on Naruko's chest which steadily rose and fell with every breath.

"Hokage... is your dream, huh?" Tsunade murmured, still cradling Naruko's small hand between both of her own. 'For the last time... just one more time...' She gently cupped Naruko's head and lifted it off the ground, slipping the thin black thread around the younger blonde's neck. 'I want to bet on you.' Tsunade's eyes stayed fixed on the teal-coloured jewel resting on Naruko's chest. It looked... right, somehow.

She was drawn out of her thoughts when she both heard a crash — it was Jiraiya — and saw her dark-haired teammate flying towards her, a sword protruding from a smaller snake's jaws that emerged from within his open mouth. 'He's aiming for this child!' Tsunade's body moved almost on instinct as she haphazardly pulled Naruko behind her a split second before feeling the metal slide through her chest.

There was a moment of stunned silence before Orochimaru jerked back, swallowing the sword, snake and returning his elongated tongue to normal length before snapping his jaws shut. The rogue Sannin looked down at his former teammate almost pityingly. "Tsunade... you're the only one I wasn't going to kill. If that child is allowed to live, it means more trouble in the future than you and your friends could ever imagine. Don't get in my way."

"No, you listen to me," Tsunade ground out through gritted teeth, hands gripping at the grass so hard it nearly tore them out by the roots. "This child... this is the child I swear I will protect, even with my last breath."

"And you do you plan to do that?" Orochimaru queried, a mocking sneer curling his lip. "Look at you — your body is shivering like a leaf in the wind. Besides, why would you — one of the Sannin — risk your life to save a lowly Genin?"

Tsunade spat out a glob of blood before raising her head to meet the Snake Sannin's gaze, her brown eyes dark with anger and hatred. "By saving her, I'm saving my home — Konohagakure!"

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "You really think you're saving the village?"

Tsunade shifted her head to look at the blonde lying on the grass behind her. Naruko was still unconscious, sleep causing her whiskered face to appear younger than her thirteen years, and the necklace was lying in plain sight on her chest. Tsunade's eyes softened. "You see, this girl... this lowly little Genin has been chosen by fate to be Hokage someday."

Orochimaru chuckled condescendingly. "What nonsense. Even if it is true, what of it? Who cares about the Hokage? Only a fool would want that job."

Tsunade's eyes widened as she realized how similar Orochimaru's words were to her very own a week ago; "Playing at Hokage is a fool's game." Shizune's words, when she tried to convince her not to take up Orochimaru's admittedly-enticing offer, echoed not long after; "Think of my uncle and your brother. It would be a betrayal of them... a betrayal of yourself. Have you forgotten all your dreams?" In her mind's eye, Tsunade saw the previous Hokage — Grandfather, Great-Uncle, Hiruzen-sensei, Minato — as she recalled a late-night conversation with Jiraiya; "Remember the Hokage that have come before and all they have accomplished for Konoha. They were willing to gamble everything — even their lives — to make sure the village survived and prospered through troubled times." Glancing back to Naruko's prone form, the same proclamation she had heard from three very different, but no less important, people reverberated in her mind; "To be Hokage is my dream."

Tsunade closed her eyes; a week ago, Jiraiya had asked what her answer was. She had been so sure of her answer back then, but all it took was one girl... one Genin... to make her change her mind.

"From now on, I'm gambling everything, too." Tsunade forced herself to stand up, meeting her rogue teammate's gaze with an unforeseen ferocity and passion that had Orochimaru taking an unconscious step back. "I'm putting my life on the line."

Orochimaru plastered his signature sneer on his face to cover up his shock at the Slug Princess' abrupt change in demeanor. "Well, if you're really willing to throw your life away for the sake of one insignificant brat, then I'm happy to accommodate you!" Orochimaru threw back his head as a familiar blade protruded from his mouth — "A gross fellow as always, puking stuff out of his mouth," Kurama sighed boredly, resting his cheek on his paw — and lunged forward, slicing a deep laceration down Tsunade's front and effectively moving her out of his way.

Orochimaru slowly paced towards Naruko. "Now, all that's left... is Naruko herself." Swinging his sword down, Orochimaru was unprepared for the massive jaws that clamped around the blade. His eyes widened when he saw a medium-sized fox standing protectively in front of Tsunade, his fanged teeth bared at the Snake Sannin while he growled dangerously, challenging him to take a step closer. A closer look revealed that Tsunade had thrown herself on top of Naruko to protect her, and now this fox was protecting the two females behind him.

Jiraiya, who had regained consciousness just in time to see Tsunade knocked off her feet, sighed in relief when he saw who had come to his goddaughter's rescue. "That fox... I swear he can be more of a helicopter parent than anyone I know." He suddenly blanched, "And he's gonna rip me apart for saying that out loud..."

"The Kyuubi..." Orochimaru stared in surprise. He had not known that Bijuu could be summoned outside of their jinchuuriki.

Kurama growled at him; who did he think he was, attacking his Kit? He opened his jaws wide, red eyes gleaming with satisfaction when he saw Orochimaru's eyes widen in fear at the gathering of negative and positive energy between his jaws. 'That's right, you snake, run before I dissolve your puny existence into atoms.'

"Kurama, no matter how little chakra you put into it, you're gonna wipe us all out!" Jiraiya's loud shout had the Bijuu snapping his jaws shut.

Kurama sighed in disappointment; 'Why must the hermit have a point? Oh well... guess it will just have to be physical.' Smirking gleefully as he watched the smirk drop from Orochimaru's pasty face and be replaced with an expression of horror, Kurama grew in size as he pounced on the Sannin. Picking up the slimy man in his jaws, Kurama shook him back and forth like a dog's toy before hurtling him a considerable distance away. Kurama bared his teeth his Orochimaru's direction before spitting and hacking — 'I really shouldn't be surprised that a snake like him would taste slimy and disgusting...' — as he shrank back to fox-cub size.

Jiraiya rolled his eyes at the Kyuubi's easy work of Orochimaru, heaving to his feet and walking over to the fox, reaching out to stroke his bunny-length ears. "Good job, Kurama," he praised; a flat look was all he got in return.

"I'm not a dog," he stated a-matter-of-factly before frowning. "And who said you could stop scratching my ears?"

Jiraiya sweatdropped. "O-Oh... sorry." He resumed scratching the strangely-floppy ears as Bijuu and Sannin slowly made their way over to where Shizune was kneeling by Tsunade and Naruko. "So I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say nothing less than a son of a sealed death god could get up after that, am I right, Kurama?"

At Jiraiya's voice, the two women turned. Jiraiya was surprised that their reactions to seeing an eight-tailed fox walking towards them was far less than any normal person. But then again, they were shinobi... and it was Tsunade. 

"So that's the Kyuubi?" Tsunade looked at him curiously.

"Yeah, his name is Kurama— ow!" Jiraiya glared at the fox who had whacked his head with one of his ridiculously-long tails. "What's the big idea?"

"I can introduce myself, thank you very much." Kurama took a step closer, lowering his head so he would not appear to be too much of a threat. "As the hermit said, my name is Kurama, and yes, I am the Kyuubi. Thank you for taking care of my kit."

"Uh... you're welcome?" Tsunade phrased it as a question rather than a statement, clearly more than a little nonplussed at the fact that the supposedly-murderous Kyuubi was thanking her for healing his jinchuuriki. Jiraiya snorted, and received a familiar glare from his busty teammate in both warning and reprimand.

Kurama trotted between Tsunade and Shizune, leaning down to lick his jinchuuriki's cheek. Said jinchuuriki groaned, pushing his face away. "Gross... and you're the one who keeps insisting you aren't a dog, Kurama..." Naruko opened her eyes and, with the aid of her Bijuu, propped herself up on her elbows. She barely had time to gather her wits about her when a blur of orange flew at her chest, forcing her to bring up her arms to catch it.

"Naruko!"

"Hey Gamakichi," Naruko giggled, hugging him back. "I thought you went back with 'Bunta."

"No, Pop and I are still here," Gamakichi answered, "and besides that, you scared me!"

"Sorry," Naruko giggled again. "Oh, ouch, not a good idea." She lifted the toad off her chest and stared down at it blankly. "I think someone gave me a heart attack. Either that or they had a tiny truck ram directly into my heart a good five thousand times."

"No," Tsunade couldn't help but smile a little, "Kabuto severed the chakra network around your heart so the Kyuubi's chakra couldn't heal you. I managed to get to you in time."

"Huh," Naruko smiled, "guess I owe you one then, huh baa-chan?"

Tsunade's fist gently landed on top of Naruko's head. "Quit calling me that, shrimp."

"Not until you stop calling me "shrimp"."

"In your dreams, shrimp."

"Then you'll always be Tsunade-baa-chan to me."

"Hmph, and so I see you still don't—" One moment Tsunade was beside Naruko, and the next she was blocking Orochimaru's sword with her bare arm.

Jiraiya blinked. "Well... apparently my former teammate is a son of a sealed death god." He got a dope-slap from his goddaughter for the deadpanned remark, despite her not understanding the reference since she had still been unconscious at the time of his initial remark.

"Do not take another step towards that child," Tsunade snarled, the diamond on her forehead glowing purple as darker patterns inked themselves across her face and down her arms. "As the Fifth Hokage of Konohagakure..." Tsunade lashed out with a chakra-enhanced kick, sending the Snake Sannin flying, "I forbid it!"

Naruko turned to Jiraiya and Shizune with her fingers up in a "victory" sign. "I knew she'd come around," the blonde sing-songed. Jiraiya barked out a laugh as Shizune reached out to pat her head with a smile. Naruko smiled back, and then tilted her head inquiringly at Kurama, 'Can you actually do that? Forbid someone to take another step towards me? Seems a little extravagant...' In silent response, Kurama rolled his eyes and told Naruko to shut up and watch the show like a good spectator, lest he "knock her out for her own good".

'Tsunade's trembling... has stopped? I see... she has gotten over the curse of haemophobia.' The infamous Konoha rogue narrowed his eyes at the whiskered blonde who was watching curiously as two Sannin faced off against each other. 'Don't tell me this is all because of that brat? Because of her ridiculous notion that she needs to protect that jinchuuriki?' With an internal shake of his head, Orochimaru forced himself to his knees and called, "What are you saying you'll do, after all this time? You can't fight with that wound, even if you have conquered your fear of blood."

In response, Tsunade held up her hands in the Tiger hand sign.

"W-Wait! I'll treat that wound, don't release your seal!" Shizune cried in a panic.

Tsunade ignored her apprentice and proceeded with releasing her secret seal, her blonde tails lifting from the chakra aura she was radiating as a soft red glow illuminated her figure. "Ninja Art: Mitotic Regeneration." The inked patterns on her face disappeared as steam started to rise from her forcibly-closed wounds, until the only thing that indicated she had been injured was the bloodstains on her grey kimono blouse.

"It looks like I'm not the only one who develops new jutsu," Orochimaru remarked. "So, hime, care to say what this new jutsu of yours is?"

"For many years, I have stored chakra in my forehead," Tsunade answered. "The mass of chakra stimulated a variety of proteins. The number of times my cell divides speeds to a dizzying rate... the cells rebuild and all the organs and body systems are revitalized. It's not the ability to restore but the ability to reincarnate. That means I won't die... from battles."

"But the number of times a person's cells divide in their lifetime is fixed," Kurama mused, "so if that speeds up, wouldn't it essentially shorten her life?"

"All good things come with a price," Shizune answered, her onyx eyes fixed on her Master.

"You know," Jiraiya stretched out on the grass, "had things gone differently, you might've had a front-row seat to a reenactment of the legendary Three-Way Deadlock between Manda, Katsuyu and Gamabunta. Manda is Orochimaru's head summon and Katsuyu is Tsunade's. But the way Tsunade-hime is right now, I think she's ready to take him on by herself, and truth to be told, I'm a little wary of getting between the predator and her prey."

"Wuss," Naruko snickered. She didn't manage to dodge Jiraiya's answering swat at the back of her head.

Orochimaru shot out his extensive tongue, wrapping it around Tsunade's neck. "Well, I can kill you by wringing your neck. Even though you say you won't die in battle, you won't have a choice if I rip your neck off... right, Tsunade?"

"How is he speaking if his tongue is out of his mouth and wrapped around something?" Naruko raised an eyebrow before poking out her tongue and trying to speak. It essentially sounded like she had a stroke.

"Naruko Uzumaki, asking all the right questions since 1990," Kurama guffawed. (1)

Tsunade was visibly struggling against the surprising strength of the slimy muscle that was tightening around her neck, but then again, she wasn't known as the strongest kunoichi alive for nothing. Sliding her right hand between her neck and the tongue, Tsunade started to push while her left hand pulled. "It's about time we put an end to this!" Tsunade declared as she yanked on Orochimaru's tongue so he was flying off his feet and towards her.

"R-Ridiculous!" Orochimaru choked out — "You know what's ridiculous? Your tongue," Naruko muttered — just before Tsunade's fist crashed into his cheek and shattering his jaw. She didn't let go of his tongue as she swung him up and around like a windmill before finally releasing his elongated tongue. Launching off the ground, Tsunade's fists greeted Orochimaru's face multiple times over before slamming her foot into the side of his torso and sending him careening down to the ground.

Tsunade landed on Gamabunta, who had yet to disappear back to Mount Myōboku, and caught Orochimaru's tongue as it flailed uselessly behind his descending body. "Take this!" she roared, but both hers and Orochimaru's eyes widened when her fist missed the latter's face and froze in place, twitching and spasming.

"Tsunade-sama... she's at her limit," Shizune whispered in horror, eyes wide.

'This guy...' Tsunade's eyebrows were slanted down with a righteous fury even as she fought for breath, 'I've hurled him around this much, and yet he's still...'

Orochimaru's mouth lifted into a cruel smile as his tongue contracted. "So this is as far as you can go," he mused.

Tsunade bared her gritted teeth at him. "Shut up!" she snarled, yanking him up and crashing her first into his torso, sending him flying for what had to be the twentieth time within the hour. She launched off Gamabunta's head, her fists and feet flying at his pasty-white face and chest with a relentless fury. With a loud battle cry, Tsunade smashed her fist into Orochimaru's cheek. At first, it seemed she had knocked him out, but with an alarmed shout from Kabuto, Orochimaru's eyes snapped open and he flipped to land neatly on his snake summon's head.

"I won't let you get away!" Tsunade shouted as she chased her former teammate. "You'll stay with me until the end!" Launching herself into the air, Tsunade flipped over Orochimaru's head and started attacking him with chakra-enforced kicks and punches. Some Orochimaru dodged, and some he didn't. The ones he did dodge showcased Tsunade's strength through the craters and fissures of varying sizes and depth in the ground.

Jiraiya sweatdropped while Shizune sighed and placed her head in her hands. Naruko blinked as her face dropped of all expression, and she slowly hugged Kurama closer to her, "For an old lady, she's terrifying." Kurama chortled in agreement before shrinking in size so he could nimbly climb up her shoulders and wind himself around her neck like a furry scarf, poking out his tongue to lick Naruko's whiskers. The blonde squealed in surprise, laughing quietly as she pushed his furry face away so she could rub her cheek dry of the saliva.

Orochimaru shot out his tongue and wrapped around Tsunade's torso, pinning her arms behind her back this time, and launched his sword simultaneously. Tsunade stopped her rapid descent by slamming both her feet around the sword and turning Orochimaru's dirty move on himself by using the blade as a kick-off point. Seeing as they were still airborne, it was easy for Tsunade to knock Orochimaru off balance by merely swinging around and releasing the blade. Such a tactic also succeeded in loosening the tongue's vice-like grip, freeing Tsunade and returning to normal length within Orochimaru's mouth.

The Snake Sannin barely had time to move before he was on the end of another bone-shattering punch. Tsunade did not stop in her relentless assault until she executed an uppercut in tandem with a kick to Orochimaru's ribcage, forcing him to skid back a considerable distance in a cat-like crouch. Taking a brief moment to regain her breath, Tsunade slowly paced towards Orochimaru as her right hand lit up with blue chakra in a familiar shape — the chakra scalpel. Tsunade fisted her open hand as her chakra flared beyond the required amount for the original medic-intended purposes.

"It's over!" she growled at him. That was Orochimaru's only warning before her fist flew straight into his open mouth and propelling him into the air. The Snake Sannin was swatted from the air courtesy of Gamabunta's massive webbed foot.

"That's it," Jiraiya murmured quietly, "it's over." He stood up to go over to his teammates — one was at her limit, and the other needed to be taken into custody — when he was suddenly yanked back by jaws clamping around his forearm and hurtling him behind the Kyuubi. And just in time, as a weak Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique was fired in Tsunade and Orochimaru's general direction. 

Kurama launched himself at the Slug Sannin, growing until he was large enough to scoop up the woman on his back before breathing out a breath of fire to vaporize the Water jutsu. Kabuto was a proficient Water user, apparently, because Kurama had to hold his returning fire longer than he initially calculated. The resulting amount of steam from the jutsu clash allowed Kurama to make a quick and clean getaway; considering his cargo, it was better to be safe than sorry.

And as it was with the life of shinobi, once the steam cleared, both Kabuto and Orochimaru were gone. But for the moment, none of the three shinobi cared as Tsunade just about fell off the fox's back.

"Side effects of the jutsu are starting," Tsunade grimaced as Naruko took Kurama off to the side so Shizune would have space to do her work.

"Heh... I see you still suck at wagers, hime," Jiraiya remarked light-heartedly as he noticed the glint of a familiar teal-coloured jewel resting on Naruko's chest.

"Shut it, Jiraiya. I know when I'm wrong, I don't need you to rub it in."

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"So you're going to be the Fifth Hokage, starting from when we step foot inside Konoha," Naruko mused. The four shinobi were sitting in the same booth in the same pub that Jiraiya and Naruko had first met Tsunade and Shizune. 

"You seem a little... unsatisfied, Naruko?" Jiraiya raised an eyebrow.

The blonde looked thoughtful for a moment before sighing. "Well, not that I'm not grateful for her saving my life, but... compared to Jiji, she's a little rough-natured, loose with money, catty, and is a fifty-year-old woman who transforms herself into a younger appearance. So you'll have to forgive me if I find myself worrying if she can do the job properly," Naruko said lightly as she leaned back on the booth seat, oblivious to Tsunade's growing irk marks.

"T-Tsunade-sama, would you like to order something?" Shizune asked hurriedly, trying to settle her master's ire.

"I mean, is it really okay for the person who is going to become the Hokage to be lying straight to everyone's faces, I wonder...?"

Tsunade slammed her hand on the table and leaned over to shout in Naruko's face, "Go outside, shrimp!"

Naruko opened her eyes to smirk at Tsunade, ignoring Shizune's alarmed exclamation. Jiraiya simply sighed in resignation; must his goddaughter intentionally antagonize his teammate just so they could have a rematch when she could simply ask like a normal person? Despite Jiraiya's annoyance, he soon found himself in the same situation a week ago, with himself and Naruko standing opposite Tsunade and Shizune outside the pub.

"Despite how I look, I'm going to be the Fifth Hokage," Tsunade sighed with a half-smile. "I shouldn't take this shrimpy brat of a foe seriously..." Just like she did a week ago, she held up her right index finger. "This one is enough."

"I'm not a shrimp," Naruko stated, crossing her arms under her chest with annoyance painted on her whiskered face. "I may be like this now, but I'm going to be Hokage someday. Just you wait."

The Slug Princess unconsciously smiled softly at her.

At the soft "buhi" from Tonton, the impromptu spar started — Naruko threw a kunai at Tsunade, who quickly caught it by instinctive reflex. Her eyes widened and she threw it to the fence just as Naruko Hiraishin'd to it; the blonde was left crouching sideways on the fence, sticking to it with chakra — "You look like a little spider," Jiraiya snickered — and hurled two more tokuchū kunai at Tsunade's head; she ducked. Taking advantage of her opponent's crouched position, Naruko Hiraishin'd to one of the kunai behind the Slug Sannin and attempted to kick her exposed back. Tsunade easily evaded by rolling to the side and went to flick her forehead when Naruko quickly flashed to the kunai still embedded in the fence. Tsunade slammed her finger onto the ground, creating a fissure that forced Naruko off her little fence.

Naruko flipped midair and blindly flashed to the closest tokuchū kunai, which just happened to be behind Tsunade's left leg. She was unprepared for the finger that hooked under her hitai-ate and flung it off her forehead. Naruko's eyes widened as she saw a curled finger heading towards her faster than she could respond to; she squeezed her eyes shut and braced for impact.

But instead, she felt a hand tilt her chin up, and then soft lips were pressing themselves on her bare forehead.

Naruko's eyes shot open in surprise.

Pulling back, Tsunade smiled down at her. "Not bad," she admitted, "you're pretty fast."

"But not fast enough," Naruko answered with a sigh, though a smile was pulling at her lips.

"Keep that up and you'll grow up to be the second Yellow Flash," Tsunade told her. "And... I have no doubt you'll also grow up to be a fine Hokage. So don't die on me until then, ne?"

"Until I become Hokage, I won't die," Naruko promised. 'Besides... I'm scared at the mere thought of what okaa-san and jiji and all my older brothers would do if I crossed over too early.'

"Me too," Kurama answered at once, "I'm completely, utterly and genuinely terrified." And it appeared he really was, because Naruko could her a wary edge to his words.

"Well," Jiraiya clapped his hands once as he walked over to the blonde duo, "shall we go home now? To our hometown, Konohagakure!"

Tsunade smiled at her teammate in agreement before her whiskey-brown eyes drifted back to Naruko, who was smiling brightly at her godfather, and down to the First's necklace she was wearing with pride. 'Do you see her, Nawaki, Dan? Rest in peace, you two... for your dream lives on... in her.'

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(1) As I justified in Chapter 9: Chuunin Exams, I believe the Uchiha Massacre occurred in 1997 when Sasuke was 7, which means the Rookie 9 and their generation were born around 1990 (and consequentially this means Team 9 was born in 1989)