Before this chapter starts, I just want to make some things clear, so I don't have anyone commenting "ErM AcTuAllY." Regarding Tsunade's Hemophobia, I'm changing it to a dislike of wars or senseless conflict specifically. She won't be much different from her anime self. With this change, Tsunade won't lock up and become useless at the sight of blood. That's all from me, hope you enjoy the chapter. The mentions of her dislike for wars and the such won't be explored upon in this chapter, but I just wanted to address it now.
- With Naruto -
Inside a hotel room, Naruto lay back on the bed, Jiraiya having been seduced by a woman as soon as they got into town.
Naruto's eyes opened as he heard the slight creaking of wood outside his room, but no footsteps.
'Ninja'
crossing his fingers, Naruto silently created three shadow clones, handing them each something.
*Knock, Knock
Naruto stilled for a moment before gesturing a clone to get it, matching the clone step for step as he slid outside the window and onto the roof.
"It seems you were right, Itachi."
Kisame smirked as he and Itachi dispelled their clones at the motel door.
Naruto turned sharply and pulled out a kunai, seeing two ninja in black cloaks with red cloud patterns on them.
"Who are you two? And what do you want?"
Itachi raised his right hand and pointed at Naruto with his index finger.
"Come with us, Naruto."
Naruto's eyes glazed over for a second, taking a couple of steps before a spike of chakra erupted from him and broke the genjutsu.
Naruto didn't miss a beat, seeing that these two were clearly here for him specifically and not his Godfather.
creating two clones, the two clones going through seals as Naruto flung six shuriken out and multiplying them into twelve just as the clone on his left finished Fire Release:Fire Ball Jutsu, and the one on the right finished Wind Style: Great Breakthrough. The fire expanded and obscured everyone's vision, roaring towards the two hunting him.
The two Akatsuki members jumped back, but the fireball wasn't really meant for them. Naruto just made it look like it was, controlling the ball of flame high into the air, where it exploded.
"Heh~ He's smart."
Kisame leaped forward, Samehada still wrapped in bandages and coming down at Naruto with crushing force.
Naruto leaped back, the tile roof caving in and being destroyed from that strike.
"You're fast too. I came at you with the speed of a Jonin."
Kisame was genuinely impressed, but he was done playing, knowing that the Toad Sage must have noticed that fireball, blitzing Naruto, and slamming Samehada into his gut.
*Poof
"Shadow clone?"
"He must have created another the moment the fireball blocked our line of sight."
Itachi leaped from the roof and landed in front of what seemed to be a regular villager, pinning him to the wall.
*Poof
"So, that's how it is."
Itachi observes the area before rejoining Kisame on the roof.
"So, he has created more clones and has had them act as these normal townspeople. But what if we don't care about casualties? We could kill some to drag him out."
Kisame spoke loudly, allowing any nearby clones to hear, including the ones still inside the hotel room, who heard him loud and clear.
Itachi didn't speak, and Kisame took this as the go-ahead, already forming seals to a water jutsu, smirking when he heard a whirling sound, turning and blocking a spinning blue ball of chakra with Samehada.
"That's too bad, Kid, Samehada eats chakra."
"Neat."
The led clone replied as he tossed a scroll alongside the other two; the scroll's glowing an ominous white before they exploded.
The explosion destroyed the clones that had tossed the scrolls and caved in the roof of the hotel, and the residents thankfully had run away when the fire jutsu exploded in the air earlier.
Standing on the roof next to the hotel, the two gazed down at the destruction, Kisame only having slight burns on his right arm, Samehada now free from its bandages as they were burned off by the explosion. Itachi, however, was unscathed, and seeing that this situation really wasn't to their advantage. It wasn't that Naruto was as strong as them, but the shadow clones and hit-and-run tactics favored Naruto with his reserves.
"Does anyone want to tell me why the hotel is destroyed?"
Jiraiya landed behind Kisame and Itachi, with an unusually serious expression on his face.
"Or do I have to get my answers another way?"
Seeing that his Godfather was here, Naruto stopped hiding amongst his clones and jumped up next to him and shamelessly jabbed a thumb at Kisame.
"He blew it up."
"Is that right?"
Jiraiya spared Naruto a searching glance, happy to see he wasn't hurt in any way.
"Well, it would seem you two need to stay with me; I'm not paying for those damages."
Jiraiya quickly weaved four seals and formed earthen walls that stretched around and over Kisame and Itachi in an instant before Jiraiya slammed his right hand into the ground.
"Ninja Art: Toad Mouth Trap!"
The wall of flesh tried to bind Itachi and Kisame, the two running away as the walls closed in.
Itachi focused, Mangekyo spinning, he could feel that the Amaterasu wouldn't burn through the chakra-enhanced walls fast enough before the flesh caught them. Pushing his eyes, Itachi winced in pain as a scarlet skeletal rib-cage enveloped him, a skeletal arm opening above Itachi with what appeared to be three tiny yellow magatama spinning.
"Stay behind me!"
Itachi shouted as he launched the magatama at the end of the flesh corridor. The wall exploded violently, reduced to nothing as they charged straight through it and ran away.
"Well, that was something."
Jiraiya walked to the destroyed wall and observed the damage.
"That attack was very well controlled, but to think they would just jump straight into that explosion."
Jiraiya muttered before turning away and walking back to Naruto.
"Come on, Kid, I have to go pay for the hotel you blew up."
Naruto laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head as he followed along.
- Time Skip -
After five weeks of looking for Tsunade, Jiraiya and Naruto found her alongside her apprentice, Shizune, and their pet pig Tonton, by accident, having walked into a place to get some food when Jiraiya and Tsunade locked eyes and exclaimed each other's names in shock.
"Just when I was beginning to think you vanished into thin air."
Jiraiya chuckled as he took a seat across from them without asking, Naruto joining after blinking in confusion. Naruto expected a woman who looked more aged, not one who looked to be in her mid-twenties.
The two Sanins talked for a bit, avoiding the topic that Jiraiya had been here to discuss long enough for Naruto to order some food and Tsunade another bottle of sake, despite Shizune's objections to another bottle.
"So, what is it that you want?"
Tsunade asked after the silence stretched into uncomfortable territory, even for the intoxicated woman.
Taking a sip from his own saucer of sake, Jiraiya let the warm liquid warm him before setting it down and getting it over with.
"Tsunade, Sensei has ordered me to bring you back to the village to become the Fifth Hokage."
Tsunade stopped from the swig she was about to take from the sake bottle, eyebrows raised for a moment before she downed the alcohol in the bottle in one go.
Naruto and Shizune were both surprised as well, but they kept their reactions subdued, waiting for her answer.
"Hokage? I have no interest in being the Hokage. Why don't you do it?"
Tsunade denied, wanting nothing to do with the position and its many responsibilities.
"You know I can't do that, Tsunade. Besides, could you imagine me as a Hokage?"
Tsunade deadpanned.
"Not really, it'd be a disaster. The Kunoichi would plan a coup in the first week."
Tsunade then glanced at Naruto, the blonde hair, the blue eyes.
"Another blonde-haired, blue-eyed student? How good is this one?"
Jiraiya smiled a bit.
"This is Naruto, and he's not as strong as Minato yet, of course, but he's much stronger than Minato was at this age. Given time, he'll surpass him."
Tsunade smirked, amused.
"You seem so certain, but are you sure you're not being biased?"
Jiraiya merely smiled back, unbothered by her teasing.
"You're the betting woman, propose a bet to him."
Tsunade's eyes shone at the word 'bet'; her intoxicated state, along with the mention of her other vice, made the ploy easy.
Naruto briefly glanced at the corner of his eye at Jiraiya, catching on to what he was doing.
Tsunade slapped the table, looking to Naruto with a smirk.
"Well, kid, what do you have to wager?"
Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll.
"In this scroll are the savings of my father, Minato Namikaze. I bet you that I can complete the Rasengan as he wished and add an element to it."
Tsunade looked floored, blinking a few times.
"You'd bet your father's earnings? What are you, kid? Genin? Chunin at most? This will be an easy bet."
"Oh?"
Naruto smiled.
"I'll even throw in my wallet if I lose, it has more than enough for you to gamble your heart out."
Tsunade smirked, feeling like she got him, but the stakes were already too far in her favor to make the experience enjoyable for her.
"And if I were to miraculously lose?"
"You come back to the village with us and become the Fifth Hokage."
Naruto smiled innocently, inwardly cackling like a madman as he purposefully showed the Rasengan in his right hand, but he slowed down how fast he could form it.
Seeing this, Tsunade's confidence soared, though she was impressed at how talented this kid was; maybe Jiraiya wasn't just blowing hot air after all.
"HA! You're on, kid. I'll even bet my necklace, too. If you can actually manage to add elemental chakra to the Rasengan in a week, I'll come back with you and hand over my family necklace."
Tsunade stood.
"Let's go, Shizune, I'm tired."
Shizune gave Jiraiya a quick bow and politely said goodbye to Naruto before hurrying to catch up to Tsunade as she power walked down the street.
Jiraiya's face morphed into a wide smirk, having fought to keep it neutral the whole time.
"You might have your Dad's hair, eyes, and talent, but that viciousness is all Kushina."
Jiraiya couldn't help but pity his teammate.
"So, do you think you can really do it in a week?"
Naruto nodded.
"It will be a challenge, but with shadow clones and my experience in wind, I should have it in less than five days."
"So what would you do the other five?"
Naruto hummed, thinking it over.
"Try to add a different element. Water, maybe."
- Chapter End -
Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I wanted to capture how much of a menace Naruto could be to anyone who can't perceive the difference between his shadow clones and his real body. Fighting a smart Naruto when he can send bomb squads at you unexpectedly is a bit scary for anyone who thinks he's easy prey.
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