Tsunade didn't answer Naruto's question right away. Instead, she looked at him curiously and asked, "What about you, Naruto? What do you think?"
Naruto didn't mind the deflection. He scratched the back of his head and said, "Granny Tsunade, you probably already know what happened when the Hidden Leaf was invaded not long ago, right?"
Tsunade nodded. "Yeah. Jiraiya already told me everything."
"When that happened, I asked the Third Hokage why the Sand and Sound Village wanted to attack Konoha," Naruto continued. "He told me it was because the ninja world's resources are limited. Big countries invade small ones for power and survival. Even the Sand Village, one of the Five Great Nations, wanted to take what belonged to the Leaf."
He clenched his fists. "And that's how every war in the ninja world starts. It's always the same thing. So I was thinking why don't we just unify the entire ninja world? If there was only one village, one leader, then no one would have to fight anymore."
Tsunade's heart skipped a beat. For a moment, she was speechless. That kind of thinking reminded her of someone Uchiha Madara.
Years ago, Madara had suddenly turned against the village and fought the First Hokage for three days and nights. Tsunade once asked her great-uncle why Madara betrayed Konoha. After a long silence, he had answered, "Because their beliefs were different."
The First Hokage dreamed of a world where people could understand each other, where true peace was possible.
But Madara believed peace was temporary that conflict would always return. The only way to end war forever was to unite the entire ninja world under one rule.
Naruto's voice cut through Tsunade's thoughts. "But the Third told me that kind of unification would cost countless innocent lives. Most ninja don't want to go to war, especially if it's not for their home. And he's right. The people of Konoha are living beings too. They have families, dreams. Why should they die for something so big and far away?"
Tsunade nodded silently. That was the truth. Not everyone could think on such a grand scale. Most people just wanted to protect their homes and loved ones.
For Konoha, which already stood in one of the most fertile lands and never lacked for missions or resources, there was no reason to start a war. The village had always followed the First Hokage's pacifist ideals.
Naruto continued, his eyes steady. "That's why I won't force anyone to fight for me. If the time ever comes, I'll shoulder it myself. When I'm strong enough strong enough to suppress the entire ninja world on my own then I'll do it."
Tsunade's brows furrowed. "But Naruto, even if you had that kind of strength, have you thought about how many people would die in the process? How much destruction it would cause?"
"Death can't be avoided," Naruto said calmly. "How many died in the First, Second, and Third Great Ninja Wars? Tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands? Every one of those wars was fought for temporary peace. Granny Tsunade, this wouldn't be just another war. It would be a revolution. And no revolution comes without blood. All I can promise is that I'll end it as quickly as possible with the least loss I can manage. Better short pain than endless suffering."
Tsunade stared at him, her chest tightening. This kid… what was with today's children?
Not only were they absurdly strong, but their minds were on a level she rarely saw even among Kage. Naruto wasn't just thinking like a Hokage. He was thinking like someone looking down on the entire world from above someone trying to reshape it.
He was still a teenager, yet he was already planning how to bring peace to the whole ninja world.
Had Konoha's education really become this terrifying?
But as much as she wanted to dismiss it, she couldn't. Because deep down, she knew Naruto was right.
She had lived through it all her grandfather's era of peace, the endless cycle of wars that followed. The First Hokage's death had triggered the First Great Ninja War. Then came the Second, the Third. Each about twenty years apart one generation growing up, only to die in the next round of bloodshed.
Was that really peace?
If peace existed, Nawaki and Dan wouldn't have died.
Her grandfather's ideals had been too naive. He believed in mutual understanding only because he was powerful enough to enforce peace by his very presence. To him, the world seemed simple something that could be held together by good intentions and strength.
But the moment he was gone, the illusion shattered.
His brother, the Second Hokage, didn't have the same overwhelming power, and war broke out immediately.
Madara's idea unifying the world through strength sounded brutal. Yet in a twisted way, it might be the only path that worked. Even her grandfather's so-called peace had been maintained the same way by sheer dominance.
She sighed softly. "Naruto… have you ever thought about what happens if you fail?"
Naruto shook his head without hesitation. "Then I'll just get stronger. If I fail, it only means I wasn't strong enough yet. I'll train harder and try again until I succeed."
Tsunade groaned, rubbing her temple. This kid was stubborn beyond belief.
Why was he so determined to unify the world?
Naruto didn't explain it aloud, but in his heart, he remembered a strange dream one where someone called him "Jerry." He didn't know what it meant, but it didn't sound like a compliment.
Tsunade clenched her teeth, her tone serious. "Listen, Naruto. Until you reach that level of strength, you must never speak of this idea to anyone. If the other villages hear that the Leaf intends to unify the world, they'll all join forces to destroy us."
"I understand," Naruto nodded. His blue eyes gleamed with sincerity. "So, Granny Tsunade, does that mean… you actually support me?"
Tsunade hesitated, then sighed. "Let's just say I'll keep an eye on you. I need to see whether you can really become strong enough to pull it off."
She would watch him carefully once she became Hokage.
After all, with his close bond to Sasuke, Tsunade knew the two boys were inseparable. Whatever Naruto decided to do, Sasuke would stand by him just like the First Hokage and Madara once did.
But maybe this time, things would be different. Maybe these two wouldn't end up as enemies. Maybe they'd truly change the world together.
For a fleeting moment, Tsunade could almost see it the entire ninja world united, standing under one banner.
And she smirked to herself. Would that make me the Queen of the Unified Nations?
Wait why did that sound kind of exciting?
She coughed lightly and changed the topic. "Naruto, have you thought about what comes after unification?"
Naruto blinked. "After? Oh, that's easy! I'll leave the thinking part to Shikamaru. He's the smart one. I'll do the fighting; he can handle the rules and politics. Long-term peace and all that."
"Shikamaru, huh?" Tsunade didn't know the name, but if Naruto trusted him, that was enough for her.
She would soon return to Konoha and take the Hokage's seat. And she'd need a loyal team around her. Jiraiya, Naruto, and Sasuke those three would be the foundation of her new leadership.
Tsunade had seen enough of political corruption to know one thing she would never be anyone's puppet.
And if the elders dared to challenge her authority… she smirked again, glancing at Naruto.
Then I'll just send Naruto to teach them some manners.
That thought made her chuckle out loud.
Naruto, confused, tilted his head. "Granny Tsunade? What's so funny?"
Tsunade only patted his spiky blond hair and laughed harder. "Nothing, nothing at all."
Though deep down, she already knew this boy was going to change everything.
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