"Even if that old man steps down, kid, you think you'll be the next Hokage? Don't make me laugh. You're still too green!"
Tsunade's tone was sharp, but her heart stirred uneasily. The word Hokage always rubbed her raw — it carried too much blood, too much loss. To her, the title was a curse, not an honor. So many had died chasing it — her brother Nawaki, Dan, countless others.
But when Naruto spoke, it wasn't reverence she heard — it was confidence. He didn't see Hokage as a burden or a sacred title… he saw it as something he could take. Use.
That attitude set her teeth on edge.
"Tsunade-sama," Naruto said calmly, "you're the one being naïve. In this world, talk doesn't matter. Power does. Whoever has the biggest fist decides what's right."
He smiled slightly. "And my fist is very big. My strength is absolute. If I say I'll become Hokage — tell me, who in Konoha could really stop me? Who would even try?"
He took a step forward, his voice steady and arrogant. "The First Hokage founded the village through power. It was his strength that made people believe. Tell me, Tsunade-sama… am I wrong?"
Naruto's words hit like thunder — bold, unfiltered, fearless.
Tsunade froze, then burst into laughter — loud, full-bodied, almost manic.
What a cocky brat.
Strong. Arrogant. Overbearing. Unapologetically confident.
She hadn't seen that kind of fire in years.
For a moment, her mind flashed back — to her brother, to her lover, to the dream that had burned them both away. She'd spent so long drowning it in sake and dice that she'd forgotten what it felt like to believe.
And this boy — this loudmouthed, golden-haired punk — had just lit that fire again.
So that's it.
They didn't die chasing the title of Hokage — they died because they weren't strong enough.
If you're strong enough, nothing can take you down.
Tsunade's smile hardened into resolve. "Listen, kid. Even if the Third steps down, there's no reason you'd get the hat. The Fifth Hokage could just as easily be me!"
Naruto chuckled. "Tsunade-sama, I invited you back to be an elder, not to fight me for the chair. You want to be Hokage? Sorry — your strength's still a little lacking."
Her eyes narrowed. "What did you just say, brat?"
"The truth."
Tsunade's jaw tightened. "Fine then. Let's settle it with a bet. We'll fight for the title. If you beat me, I'll back you as Hokage with everything I've got. But if you lose… you stay a Jōnin and drop your fantasy. Deal?"
Naruto grinned. "Deal."
"It's settled!"
Hinata and Shizune both went pale.
Shizune nearly screamed. They're betting the Hokage's seat like it's pocket change!
But deep down, she saw something she hadn't seen in Tsunade for years — focus. Fire. Purpose.
She was alive again.
"Come on then, boy!" Tsunade barked.
"After you, Tsunade-sama," Naruto said, smiling calmly.
"You little punk, still underestimating me?!"
She vanished in a blur. Lightning-fast.
Their fists collided — thunder cracked through the air.
Each blow was faster, heavier, louder. The ground splintered, trees exploded into splinters. Tsunade's movements grew sharper with every strike — her body remembering old instincts, her strength roaring back to life.
She hadn't gone all-out in years. But now, the rust was burning off.
Every punch she threw shook the earth. Every counter Naruto made shattered the air.
Hinata and Shizune backed up until they were a hundred meters away, covering their faces against the shockwaves.
"Unbelievable…" Shizune muttered. "I've never seen her fight like this!"
Hinata's heart pounded. She could barely follow their movements. Even with her Byakugan, it felt like trying to track lightning.
Her fists tightened. I have to get stronger. I can't just stand beside Naruto and do nothing.
BOOM!
The ground erupted, dust billowing. Tsunade and Naruto stood apart, both unscathed.
Tsunade smirked. "What's the matter, boy? Holding back?"
Naruto smiled faintly. "Aren't you?"
Her eyes glinted. "I heard your ninjutsu was monstrous. Didn't realize your taijutsu was just as scary."
Naruto shrugged. "I don't get many chances to use it."
Invincible. Untouchable. And somehow — lonely.
"Fine," Tsunade said, cracking her knuckles. "If you can withstand my next punch, I'll admit defeat."
She closed her eyes and whispered —
"Byakugō no Jutsu… Release!"
The diamond mark on her forehead flared to life. Power flooded her body, wind screaming around her. Her chakra surged so violently the trees bent away from her.
Then she struck.
The air itself seemed to collapse under the weight of her fist. It was a mountain falling from the sky — the ground cratered before it even landed.
Naruto raised one hand and caught her punch.
One hand.
The shockwave flattened the grass in a mile-wide ring. Dust cleared.
Tsunade's eyes widened. Her arm trembled in his grip — and she realized he wasn't even trying.
"Cute," Naruto said with a grin.
Tsunade's chakra mark faded. Her face flushed, part embarrassment, part exhaustion.
"Damn kid…" she muttered, then let out a breath and smiled — genuinely, for once. "Fine. I lost."
She crossed her arms. "Let's head back to Konoha. I want to see with my own eyes how you plan to become Hokage."
Naruto smiled faintly and turned toward the road, Hinata following at his side.
Behind them, Shizune exhaled in relief. Tsunade tilted her head toward the sky, the wind catching her blonde hair.
For the first time in a long, long while…
she was looking forward.
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