A mature blonde woman leaned back lazily on the sofa, long golden hair flowing down her back like sunlight.
She crossed one leg over the other with effortless confidence, her posture relaxed yet commanding.
This was Tsunade Senju—one of the Legendary Sannin of the Leaf.
Her amber eyes watched Naruto carefully.
Though she appeared casual, there was sharp calculation behind her gaze.
Even after years of wandering the shinobi world, claiming she wanted nothing to do with Konoha, she had returned the moment she learned two things:
Danzo had moved against the Nine-Tails jinchūriki.
And the village's future was weakening.
If Konoha lost its jinchūriki again, the Cloud and Stone would not hesitate. The Land of Fire would become a battlefield once more.
Her grandfather had founded Konoha to end that cycle.
She would not allow it to collapse.
Tsunade folded her arms across her chest and studied the boy standing before her.
Blond hair.
Blue eyes.
The resemblance to Kushina… and Minato.
It irritated her how similar he looked to someone she once knew.
She pushed the thought aside.
"Brat," she said lazily, "do you know who I am?"
Naruto nodded calmly.
"One of the Legendary Sannin of the Leaf. Tsunade-sama."
No awe.
No excitement.
No hero worship.
Just a flat statement.
Tsunade's eyebrow twitched.
That wasn't the reaction she was used to.
Across the shinobi world, nobles and clan heads begged her to accept their children as apprentices. Even jōnin showed her respect.
But this kid?
Nothing.
She leaned forward slightly.
"Since you know who I am, shouldn't you at least pretend to be impressed?"
Naruto didn't smile.
"Should I be?"
Tsunade stared at him for a moment longer.
This wasn't arrogance.
It wasn't rebellion.
It was distance.
And that unsettled her more than open hostility would have.
She remembered Hiruzen's words.
Lonely.
Ostracized.
Watched like a weapon instead of treated like a child.
And then Danzo's interference last night.
A flicker of anger crossed her face.
That old fool.
She stood and walked closer, stopping directly in front of Naruto.
"Listen carefully," she said, her tone losing its teasing edge.
"If you follow me, no one in this village will treat you like a monster again."
Her voice softened slightly.
"I swear on the name of my grandfather—First Hokage, Senju Hashirama."
She looked down at him.
"Become my disciple."
Naruto met her gaze steadily.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then he asked quietly:
"Tsunade-sama… if I refuse, does that mean you won't help me?"
The question hit harder than any insult.
Tsunade's eyes widened slightly.
So that's what this is.
He doesn't trust offers.
He expects conditions.
She let out a slow breath.
"You've got it backward, brat."
Her voice turned firm.
"I'm not helping you because you'll become my disciple."
She crossed her arms again.
"I'm offering to take you as my disciple because I've already decided to help you."
A pause.
"And don't misunderstand me."
Her lips curved slightly.
"You're Kushina's kid. That alone is reason enough."
Naruto studied her expression.
There was no calculation now.
Only resolve.
For the first time since entering the room, the air between them shifted.
Tsunade placed a hand on his shoulder—not gently, not forcefully—just steady.
"You don't have to decide today."
"But from now on, if anyone from Root so much as looks at you wrong…"
Her eyes turned cold.
"They answer to me."
Silence lingered.
Outside the office, Shizune exhaled in relief.
Inside, something subtle changed.
Not a contract.
Not submission.
But the beginning of a bond neither of them had expected.