"Are you… Uzumaki Naruto?"
Tsunade finally stopped walking once they reached a quiet forest outside of Tantan Street. She turned, her sharp golden-brown eyes studying Naruto — then flicked briefly to Hinata before speaking again.
It sounded like a question, but the conviction in her tone made it clear she already knew the answer.
A boy so young, yet daring enough to confront her — one of the Legendary Sannin — in front of everyone? In all of Konoha, there was only one person who fit that description.
The twelve-year-old Jōnin who defeated the Kazekage and fought Raikage to a draw.
Uzumaki Naruto — the so-called "Monster of Konoha."
"What do you want with me?" Tsunade said flatly. "If this is about dragging me back to that village again, don't bother. The answer's still no."
Her tone was curt and dismissive. She'd had plenty of messengers over the years — all sent by Hiruzen, all pleading the same thing — and she'd refused every single one. She assumed this visit was no different.
Except this time, the messenger wasn't an old fool in uniform — it was him.
Naruto smiled faintly. "You're as sharp as ever, Tsunade-sama. Yes, I came to invite you back to the village."
"Then tell the old man to stop wasting time," Tsunade snapped. "I'm not going back."
Naruto's grin widened. "That's where you're mistaken. This invitation didn't come from the Third Hokage — it came from me. I'm here on my own mission, and since I heard you were in Tantan Street, I decided to come personally."
Tsunade blinked. "Not Hiruzen's orders? You're acting on your own? You've got some nerve, kid."
"Call it confidence," Naruto said calmly. "Even the Third Hokage doesn't control my decisions anymore."
That earned him a raised eyebrow. Tsunade's gaze sharpened. His tone wasn't disrespectful by accident — it carried weight. Power. Independence.
"What are you planning, then? Why invite me back to Konoha?"
Naruto's smile didn't waver. "To witness the ceremony where I, Uzumaki Naruto, take over as the Fifth Hokage."
The words hung in the air like a lightning strike.
Tsunade froze. Shizune's eyes went wide. Even Hinata's breath caught in her throat.
It was madness — bold, insane, and unbelievable.
The Third Hokage was still alive, still ruling, still leading the village through the Chūnin Exams — and yet here was Naruto, declaring his succession like it was already written.
Hinata's voice trembled. "N-Naruto-kun, what are you saying?"
Of course she knew his dream — to become Hokage one day — but hearing him say it now, in front of one of the Sannin, while the current Hokage still held power… it was reckless. Too direct. Too dangerous.
Tsunade's expression darkened. "Has something happened to Hiruzen?"
"No," Naruto said smoothly. "Lord Third is perfectly fine. In fact, he's the one who gave me this mission."
Tsunade frowned. "He's fine, yet you're already talking about replacing him? Do you even realize what you're saying?"
"Perfectly." Naruto's tone turned cool, deliberate. "Lord Third is old, Tsunade-sama. We both know it. After the Chūnin Exams, it's time for him to step down and rest. Isn't that reasonable?"
Tsunade's voice dropped to a growl. "You brat… are you trying to start a coup?"
She laughed bitterly. Not mocking — alarmed.
Anyone else saying this, she'd knock them unconscious and throw them into a cell. But this boy… this boy was different. The power rolling off him was real.
Naruto didn't flinch. "Don't misunderstand, Tsunade-sama. I'm not after power for power's sake. I'm preparing for what's coming. The Chūnin Exams won't go smoothly — there'll be trouble, chaos. I came here to bring you back to stabilize the village."
His voice softened, but his words were razor-sharp.
"With you — one of the Sannin — back in the village, Konoha will have a pillar to lean on. Third Hokage can rest easy. And when the smoke clears, the transition of power will be… natural."
Tsunade stared at him, stunned. She saw right through him — the boy wasn't stupid. Every sentence carried multiple layers: reassurance on the surface, and ambition beneath.
In her heart, she knew what this really was — not treason, but something just as dangerous. "Vision."
"Don't give me that innocent act," she said. "You're basically saying the village is about to explode, and you'll be the one left standing on top of the ashes."
Naruto shrugged lightly. "If I stand, it'll be because I protected it. I'm not the one plotting the collapse."
"Then who is?"
"Two people." Naruto's voice turned cold. "Shimura Danzō — the Third's 'old friend' — and your own classmate, Orochimaru. I suspect they'll make their move during the Exams."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed dangerously. "And where did you hear that?"
Naruto tilted his head. "Let's just say my network's bigger than you think. The whole ninja world's whispering about it. Everyone knows Konoha's Chūnin Exams will spark something big — even the other villages are watching. The only people pretending not to see it are the ones hoping it's true."
Tsunade was silent for a long moment. Shizune fidgeted nervously beside her. Even Hinata's hands were clenched at her sides — she didn't know what scared her more, the danger in Naruto's words or the certainty in his voice.
Naruto continued quietly, "It's going to happen, Tsunade-sama. The question is: when it does, will you be there to protect the village your grandfather built?"
Tsunade's eyes hardened. "You're really something, kid. You talk about the Will of Fire while setting yourself up as successor. Which is it — Hokage or hero?"
Naruto smiled faintly. "Why not both? When the dust settles, the old guard will have to take responsibility for the disaster they allowed. The Third Hokage's best ending will be stepping down with dignity — and someone has to take the seat after him."
He met her gaze without blinking. "So tell me, Tsunade-sama. Who better than me?"
Tsunade held his stare, her sharp intuition reading every unspoken word behind his confident grin. The raw conviction in his tone — it reminded her of another man.
Her grandfather, Senju Hashirama — the First Hokage — who once smiled the same way, full of impossible belief that he could shape the entire world.
For the first time in years, Tsunade didn't know whether to laugh… or salute.
-------------------------
For advanced chapters, visit patreon.com/Varnok