A blonde woman with a diamond-shaped forehead mark looked up in shock:
"Jiraiya? What are you doing here?"
Jiraiya and Naruto approached her table, where a black-haired woman was holding a small pig.
"We just dropped in for a bite."
Naruto sat beside Jiraiya, looking at the two women.
"Tsunade... This is *the* last of the Sannin?"
Tsunade fixed her gaze on him.
"Who's this brat?"
"This is my new apprentice, Naruto Uzumaki."
Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Apprentice? When did this happen?"
Jiraiya flashed a wide grin.
Suddenly, Naruto stood up and pointed at Tsunade.
"You. Come back to Konoha with us!"
Tsunade was so stunned she couldn't speak. She didn't even blink.
Jiraiya rubbed his forehead.
"Kids these days... So full of heart..."
Naruto glared at Jiraiya.
"You shut up. I'm still mad at you."
"When will you stop being mad at me?"
"When I can return to my past state." Naruto turned back to Tsunade. "So, shall we go?"
Tsunade angrily flipped the table over.
"Do you know who you're talking to, kid? Do you think you can order me back there?"
Naruto didn't blink an eye.
"I'm the poor bastard who's stuck dragging you—the village's sorry-ass drunk—back home." Naruto kicked the chair aside. "You either come with us willingly, or I knock you out and drag you back."
Tsunade stormed off, pointing furiously at the door. Naruto quickly followed.
Jiraiya hastily stood up.
"C'mon, Shizune. This isn't going well."
---
Naruto stepped into the center of the street, facing off against Tsunade.
"If I get hurt, you got money to cover it? Or did you already gamble it all away?"
"Shut up, brat." Tsunade raised her index finger. "I only need one finger to deal with you."
Jiraiya and Shizune walked outside.
"Tsunade, don't be childish… Let's talk about this calmly."
Tsunade glared at Jiraiya.
"Shut up, Jiraiya. He asked for it."
Naruto also glared at Jiraiya.
"Yeah, shut up, Ero-Sennin. She needs to learn to face her problems instead of running off."
Tsunade roared at Naruto.
"Prove it!!!"
Naruto sneered slightly.
"I'll barely have to try."
When Jiraiya saw the look in Naruto's eyes, he involuntarily shivered.
"Um, Tsunade? You might need more than one finger."
Tsunade shouted again.
"I told you to shut up, Jiraiya!"
Naruto stared at her coldly.
"Looks like this hot-headed old hag still needs an attitude check… yelling at her old friends like that."
Tsunade charged toward him.
Naruto thought:
"A Sannin shouldn't be this slow… Guess she really did get old."
Tsunade swung a backhand strike, but Naruto dodged it easily. To Naruto's surprise, Tsunade finally took a punch to the ribs from him.
Shizune's jaw dropped in shock, accidentally squishing poor Tonton.
"Lord Jiraiya," she gasped. "How can a mere Genin be capable of this?"
Jiraiya shook his head.
"Being a Genin doesn't mean he has to fight like one."
Tsunade quickly healed herself and glared at Naruto.
"Brat! I still only need one finger!"
Naruto immediately formed several Shadow Clones.
The clones moved in a blur. When Tsunade turned her head, she saw Naruto forming a blue sphere of chakra and instantly recognized it.
With a single finger strike, she shattered his footing.
Tsunade looked toward Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya, what were you thinking? Teaching this brat that technique!"
Jiraiya grinned.
"Hey, Naruto! Don't embarrass her too much—she's going to be our next Hokage after all!"
Naruto emerged from the rubble.
"Really? Her? You're sure?"
As Tsunade watched, Naruto vanished in a puff of smoke.
Suddenly, she felt a breeze against her chest and looked down to see her shirt flapping open in the wind.
Naruto smirked devilishly, waving her belt in the air.
"Did you lose something?"
Jiraiya rushed over to Naruto, gripping his hand with sparkling eyes.
"Kid, that was amazing! You're my hero! I'm not worthy to train you—you should be training me!"
Tsunade lunged at Naruto, landing a direct hit that sent him crashing into a nearby wall, shattering it on impact.
Jiraiya and Shizune ran to where he landed while Tsunade clutched at her clothes.
Surprisingly, they found Naruto still conscious but unable to stand.
Naruto coughed up some blood.
"Heh...I win."
Tsunade stomped over and snatched her belt from his hand, tying it back on.
"What do you mean? Look at yourself, brat! You're a wreck!"
Naruto grinned through his bloody teeth.
"You still used more than one finger to beat me. You lost." He wobbled to his feet. "Game over. It's time we head back to Konoha."
Tsunade scoffed at him.
"Didn't I already tell you? I'm not going back. I've lost everything there!"
She turned to leave.
"Shizune! Let's go."
Jiraiya blocked her path.
"Tsunade. The elders have chosen you as our next Hokage. We've found you—we won't let you run away again."
Tsunade scoffed once more before turning around with a sly smile.
"Fine. Then let's make a wager."
She walked over to Naruto.
"That ninjutsu you just used. If you can master it completely within a week, I'll give you this necklace and return to Konoha with you. But if you fail, you give me all your money and abandon the mission."
Naruto stared at her, then grinned.
"Deal!"
Tsunade smiled and turned to walk away, with Shizune following behind.
Jiraiya helped Naruto to his feet and started walking him back to the inn.
"You okay, kid?"
Naruto clenched his teeth, trying hard to stay conscious.
"Yeah… Just need some rest."
"I'm serious, kid. You were my hero today!!! That amazing moment you gave me!!! I've been waiting fifteen years for that very moment!"
"Finally! I actually got to see it and didn't get beat up this time!" Jiraiya chuckled, his perverted grin spreading.
---
The next day, Naruto woke up to a knocking sound. He walked toward the door, opened it, and found Shizune standing outside.
"Shizune? What's wrong?"
She stepped inside, glancing at him. Her eyes flicked down to his scar-covered chest.
"You… you're okay… right? It's just… Lady Tsunade…"
Naruto sat down on the bed and stretched lazily.
"I'm fine. I've been through worse."
Shizune awkwardly rubbed her arm.
"I hope you don't think badly of Lady Tsunade. She's just in pain."
Naruto nodded.
"Because her brother and lover were killed. I know."
"How did you find out?"
He gave a lazy shrug.
"The old pervert told me."
"Well then, you must also know the necklace is cursed. Anyone who wears it besides Lady Tsunade will die."
Naruto stood up and headed for the door.
"Whatever. I'll win the bet and let her know it's time to head back to Konoha."
After Shizune left, Naruto walked out too.
He found Jiraiya leaning against a tree, wearing that smug grin again.
"Kid, you've got balls betting against Tsunade."
Naruto grinned broadly.
Jiraiya gave him a strange look.
"Listen, kid, you need to practice the Rasengan if you want to win this bet."
Naruto playfully glanced at Jiraiya.
"Oh, you mean this?"
A perfect blue sphere formed in Naruto's hand. He slammed it into the tree Jiraiya was leaning against, causing an explosion that rained wooden splinters over them.
Jiraiya stared in shock.
"You finished it already?"
Naruto grinned again.
"Hey, deception's part of the game too."
Jiraiya still looked confused.
"So why didn't you just show it to her last night?"
"I had a concussion from her beating me up last night. My head still throbs. After the bet, I couldn't focus enough to show her right."
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