"No! We ran into Orochimaru!" Kaito said, clearly annoyed.
"Orochimaru? Was he here to ask Lady Tsunade to heal his arms?" Shizune immediately pieced it together.
"That's right! The conversation already broke down, and Orochimaru was about to leave. But you know how Tsunade-sensei is. Once she found out he was the one who killed Hiruzen-sensei, there was no way she'd just let him walk away."
"She flew straight at Orochimaru and tried to attack him!"
Kaito sighed and shook his head. "Then that guy just bit his finger, summoned some blood, and Tsunade-sensei froze up instantly. You can guess what happened after that."
Shizune paused silently.
After being with Tsunade for so many years, and knowing her temper… yeah, that did sound exactly like something she'd do.
"By the way, Shizune-san," Kaito added, "you're aware the elders in Konoha want Tsunade-sensei to return as the next Hokage, right? Jiraiya has already arrived here in Tanzaku Town."
"What?" Shizune's eyes widened. "He's already here?"
Kaito nodded with a sly smile. "Yup. And Tsunade-sensei's hemophobia? I'll leave that for Jiraiya and Naruto to deal with. If the two of them can cure her fear of blood, I'll make sure she agrees to become the Fifth Hokage."
That grin of his made Shizune feel uneasy. Looks like Lord Jiraiya's in for a tough time…
Far off on the streets of Tanzaku Town, Jiraiya suddenly shivered. He scratched his nose and mumbled, "Weird… Did Tsunade already figure out I was coming? Is this her idea of a welcome?"
After a bit more wandering and grabbing food, Jiraiya finally brought Naruto to Tsunade's residence.
Knock knock knock!
Naruto eagerly knocked on the door.
"Coming!" A calm, clear voice responded from inside.
"Lord Jiraiya, welcome," Shizune greeted, completely unsurprised. "Please, come in."
Jiraiya blinked. No reaction at all?
He and Naruto followed her inside—only to find Kaito already seated comfortably, sipping tea.
"You again? What are you doing here?" Jiraiya asked, raising a brow.
"Kaito! You're here too?" Naruto lit up at the sight of him.
"Of course. I'm Tsunade-sensei's student. Why wouldn't I be here?" Kaito said casually, setting his teacup down.
"Well, let's not waste time. I assume you've already told Tsunade why we're here?" Jiraiya said, cutting straight to the point. "Has she agreed to become Hokage?"
"She's not out yet," he added with a frown. "That's strange—she doesn't even want to greet an old friend?"
Kaito poured tea for the two of them and then explained what had happened earlier with Orochimaru.
"I see…" Jiraiya fell silent for a long moment.
"In that case, we'll come back tomorrow," he finally said, rising from his seat.
"Well… it's not impossible to make Tsunade-sensei accept the Hokage position," Kaito said with a subtle smile.
Jiraiya's expression brightened immediately. "What's the condition?"
"You know about her hemophobia, right?" Kaito leaned back in his seat. "It's simple. If you and Naruto can help her overcome it, I'll make sure she returns to Konoha and accepts the role."
"Hemophobia, huh…" Jiraiya muttered, brow furrowed.
He knew the cause. Dan Kāto's death had left deep trauma. Tsunade had also failed to save her brother. As a medical ninja, that failure haunted her.
Helping her recover would be no easy task—it had to come from within.
Even so, Jiraiya voiced his doubts. "Honestly, that kind of trauma isn't something we can fix easily. It's all internal."
"Which is exactly why I thought of you, Jiraiya," Kaito said with a smirk. "After all, you don't want the next Hokage of Konoha to collapse in the middle of a battle just because someone starts bleeding, do you?"
He had a point. If Tsunade really became Hokage and this phobia persisted, it could put the entire village at risk during a crisis.
Jiraiya rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "…Do you have a plan?"
"There's one idea," Kaito said, glancing at Naruto. "Not a guaranteed fix, but worth trying."
He pointed at the confused blondie.
"For the next few days, just have Naruto spend time around Tsunade-sensei. Let him 'accidentally' injure himself—just minor stuff—so she gets used to the sight of blood again. Exposure therapy."
"Eh?! Why me?!" Naruto yelped, pointing to himself.
Kaito chuckled. "Because of your special chakra and physique, you heal fast. If I lose blood, I'm out for a week. You? You're back to normal in ten minutes."
"Besides," he added slyly, "helping the future Fifth Hokage is kind of a big deal. Just imagine telling Sakura about it—she might even be impressed."
Naruto blinked. "Really? You think she'll be moved?"
"Absolutely," Kaito nodded like a seasoned salesman.
"Alright! I'll do it!" Naruto cheered, already imagining himself bragging to Sakura.
Jiraiya slapped a hand over his face. Seriously? This is Minato's kid?
He glanced at Kaito, who was obviously pulling Naruto's strings with ease, and felt a weird pang in his chest.
Same age… why's there such a huge difference between them?
---
The Next Morning
Naruto stood in front of Tsunade's door with a determined grin.
Time to cure hemophobia!
He had already asked Kaito for directions to her room. Quietly, he pushed the door open.
Inside, Tsunade lay asleep, her long golden hair cascading across her pillow.
"Who are you?" she asked sharply, eyes snapping open. Her tone was serious and annoyed.
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto! The lecherous sage told me to come!" Naruto said a little too loudly.
That nickname and the Konoha forehead protector—yeah, it had to be Jiraiya's doing.
Tsunade sat up slightly. "So what did that pervert send you here for?"
Naruto didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stared at her, blinking.
"Wait, are you really in your fifties? You don't look a day over twenty!"
Tsunade raised a brow—but even she wasn't immune to praise. Especially about her looks.
Despite herself, she smiled slightly.
Naruto's favorability rating? Instantly boosted.
---
More Powerstones = More Chapter = Everyone's Happy.