“The Rasengan?!”
Tsunade’s eyes snapped toward Jiraiya.
“Why did you teach such a dangerous technique to this brat?”
Very few shinobi in the village were capable of using the Rasengan.
Considering that Tsunade knew Naruto’s identity—and knew Jiraiya’s personality even better—there was no doubt in her mind that he had been the one to teach it to the boy.
Jiraiya innocently raised his remaining hand.
“You’ve got that wrong.
I wasn’t the one who taught Naruto the Rasengan.”
Tsunade’s expression changed slightly.
Without warning, she grabbed Jiraiya’s empty left sleeve and pulled it back.
The old wound beneath it had clearly healed long ago, but the sight of the severed limb caused her brows to draw tightly together.
“Who did this to you?”
Her voice became serious.
“Was it Orochimaru?”
In the eyes of the Legendary Sannin, perhaps only another shinobi of their own level could inflict such a severe injury upon one of them.
Jiraiya froze for a moment before pulling his arm away.
“We finally meet again after all these years, and all you do is interrogate me?”
He laughed heartily, dragged over a chair, and sat beside her.
Then he took the bottle, filled both his own cup and Tsunade’s, tapped them together—
And drained his in one gulp.
Tsunade continued frowning, though her hand unconsciously reached for her own cup.
“Hey!”
Naruto felt deeply wounded by being completely ignored.
He dispersed the Rasengan in his right hand and angrily pointed at Tsunade.
“Granny Tsunade, the Legendary Sucker who loses every bet she makes!
Do you have the guts to bet with me or not?”
His blue eyes burned with indignation.
“I’ll master the Fourth Hokage’s Flying Thunder God Technique within one week!”
“You’ve got enough courage to mock the Hokage, so don’t tell me you’re too scared to make a bet!”
Tsunade glanced at him with open contempt.
She emptied another cup of sake and could not even be bothered to explain that the Flying Thunder God had originally been developed by her grandfather’s younger brother, the Second Hokage.
“You learned the Rasengan, and now you think you’re something special?”
Her voice dripped with impatience.
“The Flying Thunder God?
Do you have any idea what kind of technique that is?”
She scoffed.
“This is exactly why I say that anyone who dreams of becoming Hokage is an idiot.”
Shizune sat across from them, wearing an unbearably awkward expression.
To be honest, however—
She was somewhat accustomed to scenes like this.
The Tsunade Naruto remembered most clearly was the woman who stood at the front whenever Konoha faced disaster.
She was the Hokage who had protected the village during Pain’s assault.
She was the medical ninja who had worked together with Katsuyu to save countless lives while everyone else stood at death’s door.
But the woman before him now—
Even though Naruto had prepared himself for this, anger still surged through his chest.
BANG!
Naruto slammed both palms against the table.
The sake bottles, cups, and plates of snacks all jumped from the impact.
“Becoming Hokage is my dream!”
His voice rang through the tavern.
“It’s the dream of both my lives!”
Naruto glared at Tsunade.
“I won’t let you insult the Hokage!”
Shizune’s lips twitched.
“Please calm down…”
“Stay out of this, Shizune-neechan.”
Naruto never took his eyes off Tsunade.
His gaze remained as firm and unwavering as ever.
Shizune blinked.
How does he know my name?
Naruto had a temper.
But did that mean Tsunade was easy to provoke? Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Her mood had already been terrible today, and she had drunk far more sake than she could count.
With a loud clack, she planted one foot on her chair, grabbed the bottle by its neck, and pointed it at Naruto.
“You.”
Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
“Come outside.”
Still holding the bottle, Tsunade strode out of the izakaya.
Jiraiya covered his face with his hand once more.
Naruto gave an angry snort.
“Fine by me.”
He cracked his knuckles and marched after her.
Shizune watched them leave, then turned anxiously toward Jiraiya.
“Jiraiya-sama… is it really safe to let those two go outside together?”
Naturally, she was not worried about Tsunade.
She was worried that the enraged Sannin might reduce Naruto’s small body to paste with a single punch.
Jiraiya merely smiled and followed them outside.
Shizune let out a troubled sigh, scooped Tonton into her arms, and hurried after him.
◇
Night had already fallen.
There were few pedestrians left on the street.
A cold wind swept between the buildings, carrying one or two yellowed leaves across the ground.
Tsunade stood in the middle of the road and tilted the bottle to her lips.
After taking another long drink, she looked disdainfully at the blond brat across from her.
“So you really followed me out.”
She lowered the bottle.
“Did mastering the Rasengan make you think you’re invincible?”
Naruto ignored her taunt.
Instead, he smiled.
“Is this a duel?”
“Hmph.”
Tsunade’s expression darkened.
“You’re nowhere near qualified to challenge me as an equal, brat.”
She was genuinely furious.
Were children these days truly this ignorant of their own limits?
Tsunade had already become famous throughout the shinobi world before Naruto had even been born.
And yet this was Minato’s son?
This was the student Jiraiya had raised?
Did the boy possess no sense of danger at all?
“Granny Tsunade, Konoha really needs you.”
Naruto’s expression turned serious.
“Orochimaru is going to join forces with Sunagakure and attack the village during the Chūnin Exams.”
“There will be a lot of casualties.”
His voice carried no deception.
“Grandpa Hokage is already old.
Konoha needs you to become the Fifth Hokage.”
Naruto looked directly into her eyes.
“You’ll become a great Hokage.”
He meant every word.
After all, the fact that Tsunade had served the village well as Hokage was something Naruto had already witnessed within his future memories.
“Orochimaru?”
Tsunade’s brows furrowed.
That bastard plans to attack Konoha?
The more she thought about it, the more it sounded exactly like something Orochimaru would do.
“Are Konoha’s medical ninja all completely useless?” she scoffed.
“The jinchūriki of the Sand will also be participating in the Chūnin Exams,” Naruto added.
Tsunade’s frown deepened.
Sunagakure was even deploying its jinchūriki?
Then the Sand truly intended to tear a large piece out of Konoha, regardless of the cost.
What in the world is going through Orochimaru’s head?
“Naruto is telling the truth.” This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Jiraiya finally spoke from the side.
“Tsunade, if Sunagakure’s jinchūriki loses control inside the village, the damage will be enormous.”
Tsunade’s expression shifted slightly.
However, she stubbornly turned away.
“Hmph.
That has nothing to do with me.”
She raised the bottle again.
“I left Konoha years ago.”
Today had already been unbearable.
The sensation of the wooden necklace resting against her chest only made her heart grow more restless.
“Are we fighting or not, you stupid brat?”
Tsunade threw the empty bottle onto the ground.
“If you’re not going to fight, then get lost!
Go back to Konoha and keep dreaming about becoming Hokage!”
“Tsunade-sama, he’s still only a child!”
Shizune finally gathered enough courage to intervene.
Although she knew perfectly well that, in her current state, Tsunade was beyond the persuasive abilities of any ordinary human being.
Naruto stood opposite Tsunade.
There was nothing behind him but the empty street and the cold night wind.
He placed one hand over his abdomen.
“To keep myself from dying one day in the future, I’ve trained without stopping since I was six years old.”
Naruto’s blue eyes remained fixed upon her.
“To protect everyone, I changed my bad habits.”
“I forced myself to study.”
“I worked harder every day.”
“All of it was for one reason.”
His hand tightened against his stomach.
“I have to become Hokage.”
“That dream carries the hopes of my father, my mother…”
Naruto paused.
“…and me.”
His voice became resolute.
“I will never let you belittle that dream, Fifth Hokage!”
A single golden flame rose slowly from the shoulder of his jacket.
“My ninja way is to keep moving straight ahead…”
More golden fire appeared around him.
“…and never give up!”
FWOOM—!
Golden chakra erupted into the night.
Naruto’s entire body became enveloped in dazzling light.
For an instant, it was as though a second sun had appeared in the middle of the darkened street.
Tsunade’s pupils contracted.
This was nothing like any of the possibilities she had imagined.
She had expected the reckless brat to throw kunai or shuriken.
Perhaps he would charge at her swinging his fists.
Or maybe he would rush forward with a Rasengan spinning in his palm.
But this—
What was this transformation?
As one of the greatest medical ninja in history, Tsunade possessed an exceptionally refined sensitivity toward even the slightest differences in chakra.
The chakra radiating from Naruto was filled with an astonishing vitality.
It was warm.
Vast.
Overflowing with life.
There was only one other person from whom Tsunade had ever felt chakra like this—
Her grandfather.
Senju Hashirama.
“The Nine-Tails?!”
Tsunade abruptly turned toward Jiraiya.
Her face was filled with disbelief.