The gambling hall hummed with energy — laughter, the clatter of dice, the sharp scent of sake and sweat. But all that background noise seemed to fade as Naruto stood before Tsunade.
She sat with effortless authority, the weight of her presence filling the space. Her golden hair framed a face that might've been beautiful if not for the bitterness carved behind her smile. The woman who had once been the pride of the Leaf now looked like someone who'd abandoned more than just her home.
"So," she said, her voice smooth but edged. "You're the one Jiraiya dragged along this time."
Naruto crossed his arms. "Name's Naruto Uzumaki. And we're here because Konoha needs you."
Tsunade's laugh was low, humorless. "Needs me? Konoha hasn't needed me for years. They didn't need me when my brother died. They didn't need me when Dan died. So tell me, brat — why now?"
Naruto opened his mouth, but Jiraiya cut in, tone steady. "Because the Hokage is dead. Orochimaru killed Hiruzen. And the council wants you back in the seat you were always meant to have."
The laughter stopped cold.
Tsunade's eyes hardened. For a long, tense moment, only the creak of her sake cup being set down broke the silence.
"Old man Sarutobi…" she whispered. "That fool finally got himself killed."
She looked down, and something unreadable flickered in her gaze — sorrow, maybe, or guilt. Then she smiled, brittle and sharp. "Serves him right. Living that long just to die cleaning up his student's mess."
Naruto's hands clenched. "Don't talk about the Third like that."
Her gaze snapped to him, a predator's focus. "What did you just say?"
Naruto didn't flinch. "You heard me. He believed in people — even when no one else did. He believed in the village. That's something worth respecting."
Tsunade's smirk returned, crueler now. "Respect? Belief? You sound just like those fools who died chasing dreams that only got them killed."
Naruto's teeth ground together. "Better to die chasing something than rot running from it."
That earned a soft, dangerous chuckle. "Big words from a brat who doesn't know what real loss feels like."
Naruto's voice came out steady, though his heart hammered in his chest. "I do know what it's like. To be hated. To be alone. To have everyone treat you like you're nothing. But I made a promise to myself — that I'll become Hokage. Not just to prove them wrong, but to protect everyone who can't protect themselves."
Tsunade leaned forward, eyes glinting. "Hokage? You?"
She stood, her presence filling the hall like thunderclouds. "That title is a death sentence for idiots who think ideals matter. My grandfather, my lover, my brother — all of them died for that same dream. Hokage, huh? You might as well call it the title for fools."
Naruto's breath caught, fury and pain flaring in equal measure.
"Then I guess I'll be the biggest fool of them all," he said. "Because one day, I'm gonna wear that hat — and make sure no one has to feel what you felt."
The room went silent. Even Jiraiya's smirk faded into quiet respect.
Tsunade regarded Naruto for a long, long time, then let out a slow sigh. "You really are his student, aren't you?"
Naruto frowned. "Whose?"
Her lips curved slightly. "The old man's… and Jiraiya's. Both hopeless idealists."
Outside the hall, the night whispered with movement.
From a nearby rooftop, two figures watched — cloaked in black and gray. The moonlight revealed pale skin, snake-like eyes, and a smile that oozed malice.
Orochimaru.
Beside him stood Kabuto, eyes glinting behind his glasses. "She doesn't seem very… enthusiastic about the offer," he noted.
Orochimaru's chuckle was a hiss. "She will be. Grief always leaves a gap — and I know exactly how to fill it."
Kabuto's gaze flicked toward the window where Tsunade's silhouette glowed against the lantern light. "And the boy?"
The snake's grin widened. "Ah… Naruto Uzumaki. The vessel of the Nine-Tails. A fascinating subject — though he's developing faster than expected. Jiraiya's influence, no doubt. And that strange mimicry ability he's awakened… such potential."
Kabuto's voice held curiosity. "Should I eliminate him?"
Orochimaru's tone turned to silk. "No. Not yet. Let the child grow. Power gained too quickly spoils the flavor of fear. Besides…" His eyes slitted with interest. "Watching him challenge Tsunade will be quite entertaining."
Later, as the night deepened, Jiraiya and Naruto sat across from Tsunade in a quieter tavern. The mood had softened, but only slightly.
Jiraiya filled her in on everything — the invasion, Danzo's interference, the instability in the village. Tsunade listened, silent, swirling sake in her glass.
When Jiraiya mentioned Root's attack on Naruto, something flickered behind her eyes. "Danzo is still playing at control, I see," she muttered. "He won't stop until he has a Hokage he can puppeteer."
Naruto leaned forward. "That's why we need you. You're the only one strong enough to shut him down."
Tsunade raised a brow. "And what makes you think I'd lift a finger for a village that let men like him thrive?"
Naruto's voice was quiet but unshaken. "Because no one else can fix it. Not if you don't."
That silenced her again.
The next morning, Tsunade walked the empty streets alone, her hangover dulled by the weight of thought. She stopped beneath the shade of an old tree — and froze.
Two figures waited there.
Orochimaru's voice slithered through the air. "It's been too long, Tsunade."
Her hand twitched toward her weapon instantly. "You've got guts showing your face here."
"Now, now," he purred. "No need for hostility. I didn't come to fight. I came to offer you… a miracle."
Kabuto stepped forward, holding out a scroll. "We can bring them back. Nawaki. Dan. Both of them."
For a moment — just a moment — Tsunade's composure cracked. Her breath hitched. Her eyes glistened before she masked it again.
Orochimaru smiled wider. "All I ask in return is simple. Heal my arms. Restore what Sarutobi destroyed."
Silence. Then a whisper: "You want me to heal you? The man who murdered my sensei?"
Orochimaru's grin only deepened. "Yes. And in exchange… I'll return what you lost."
He turned, his cloak fluttering like a serpent's tail. "You have one week. After that, the offer dies — as will your chance to see them again."
When she returned to the inn, Naruto and Jiraiya waited. She didn't tell them what had happened — not yet — but Naruto could feel something had changed in her.
He stood, meeting her gaze. "Whatever it is you're thinking of doing, don't. Orochimaru can't be trusted."
Her expression was unreadable. "You think you know anything about pain, boy? You think you understand what I've lost?"
Naruto's answer was soft but unwavering. "I don't have to understand. I just know that if you give up, then all the people who believed in you lose, too."
Tsunade looked away, jaw tight. For a moment, she saw her brother's grin — Dan's gentle smile — reflected in that stubborn, blazing gaze of his.
"…You really are a fool," she said quietly.
Naruto smiled faintly. "Guess that makes two of us."
Outside, the wind stirred the dust of the road ahead. The pieces were moving — Tsunade's heart at war with itself, Orochimaru waiting in the shadows, and Naruto's dream burning brighter in the dark.
The week would decide everything.