The morning sun rose gently over the trees east of the town. A light mist hung over the forest, cool and quiet. Kakashi stood alone in the empty clearing, hands in his pockets. He looked calm, but his eyes were sharp. He knew Tsunade wouldn't go easy on him.
Soon, she arrived. Tsunade stepped out of the trees, serious and focused.
"You came," she said.
"I said I would," Kakashi replied with a small smile.
"This won't be just a spar," Tsunade said. "Show me your will to become Hokage."
"Alright then."
Kakashi gave a simple nod.
The moment the words left his mouth, Tsunade charged forward with speed. Her fist smashed the ground, sending rocks and dust flying. Kakashi jumped back calmly.
He didn't rush in. Instead, he formed hand signs quickly.
"Water Style: Water Bullet Barrage!"
Dozens of fast-moving water bullets shot toward her. Tsunade dodged them, but her face twitched in annoyance.
"You're going to fight me from a distance?" she yelled.
Kakashi didn't answer. He made more signs.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame!"
A stream of fire twisted through the air toward her. Tsunade blocked it with her chakra-covered arms but had to step back.
She growled. "Come fight me properly!"
But Kakashi didn't. He kept dodging her punches, using long-range attacks to keep her busy. Tsunade was strong and fast, but she was starting to get irritated.
"You're being a coward!" she shouted. Irritated that she couldn't touch him at all.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. "No. I'm fighting smart." What a joke! He knows that Tsunade's physical strength is very strong and he couldn't possibly overpower her in Taijutsu.
She charged again, trying to pin him down. Just then, Kakashi moved and the seal under his eyes lit up. He pulled it up, revealing his sealed Sharingan.
A glow passed through the air. The seal cracked and for the first time ever, Kakashi's Mangekyo Sharingan awakened. This was the first time he used the Mangekyo on someone, but he had to as the illusion of Three-tomoe Sharingan couldn't do anything to Tsunade.
Tsunade froze.
Before she could react, Kakashi looked her in the eyes.
The world around her shifted.
Suddenly, Tsunade found herself in a strange vision. Kakashi stood beside her, smiling warmly. They were holding hands… they were a couple.
Then she saw him lying in a pool of blood. She rushed to heal him but failed. Again and again, the scene repeated. Kakashi dying, Tsunade failing. Her hands shook. Her fear grew. The blood, the screams, the loss…
Until one final time, she managed to heal him. Her hands stopped trembling. She didn't freeze. The fear vanished.
And Kakashi lived.
Tsunade gasped.
The illusion ended.
Back in the real world, Tsunade's legs gave out. She collapsed forward, right into Kakashi's arms.
He held her gently, expecting a punch or a yell.
But all he heard… was a soft sob.
"You're cruel," she whispered, her voice cracking. "Kakashi, that was cruel…"
Kakashi didn't speak. Instead, he bit his finger and held it out.
A drop of blood ran down.
Tsunade stared at it.
Her eyes didn't widen. Her body didn't freeze from fear.
Instead, she snorted and pinched his waist hard. "Idiot."
"I guess… you're over your fear now." Kakashi smiled in relief.
Tsunade stayed in his arms a moment longer. Her mind replayed everything she saw in the illusion. The pain, the failure… and the final success. Her cheeks had a faint blush now thinking of the things they did in illusion.
She thought of her brother Nawaki. His dream of becoming Hokage. The way she had pushed it away for so long. She had lost so much… but maybe, just maybe, it was time to stop running.
Her eyes slowly lifted to Kakashi's face. He looked calm, steady. He had faced so much loss, but he never gave up.
Tsunade placed a hand on his chest.
"I see now," she said softly. "You're serious."
Kakashi nodded. "I am."
Tsunade took a deep breath. Her voice was calm now, almost gentle. "Then I'll bet on you, Kakashi. For my brother's dream. And maybe… for my own."
As she stepped back from his arms, something in her had changed.
She was no longer the same woman hiding from the past.
Tsunade looked at Kakashi with new eyes. Bright, steady, and full of hope.
The sun was already going down when Tsunade and Kakashi left the open forest field. They walked side by side, quiet for a moment, just listening to the wind in the trees.
"So," Kakashi said with a smirk, "was I too cruel earlier?"
"You were lucky I didn't break your pretty face." Tsunade looked at him from the corner of her eye.
"So you admit it. You think I'm handsome." Kakashi said with a cocky smirk on his face.
Tsunade snorted. "You wish."
"Come on," Kakashi said, his voice soft but teasing. "You looked at me like you were checking out a fancy meal."
"I was looking at you like someone about to punch a little brat," she said, smirking.
They both laughed. The tension between them had faded, replaced with something lighter something playful.
"You know, Tsunade… I don't want to be the Fifth Hokage." Kakashi said as he looked up at the sky.
"Then why did you go on about your dreams?" She blinked and asked in confusion.
"I want to be the Sixth," Kakashi said calmly. "Because I want you to be the Fifth."
"Me?" Tsunade slowed down and pointed to herself.
"Yes, you. No one except you is more suitable to be the fifth Hokage." He said. He didn't want to become Hokage so fast. He wants to wait and take the mantle like in the original.