A/N: Yo!

I know it's been a while, but I had to take a lot of time to rethink how I'm going to go about writing this story. I made a pretty bad mistake with the Aizen thing and crippling Naruto so soon into this story was a bad idea. I went back into chapter 9 and changed Aizen to Orochimaru, so that's one thing fixed. I'm just going to work with Naruto's injury, since it's too late to fix that. Needless to say, I'm going to be real careful with this story in the future.

So this chapter is where stuff really goes down in the arc. Last chapter was more or less a transitionary chapter mean't to bridge the Wave arc to this arc. I should also mention that Tsunade's personality is a little different from her canon counterpart. In canon, she was honestly dangerously close to being traitorous. In this story, she's just jaded from her losses and is on an indefinite leave of absence. She is still fiercely loyal to the village, despite everything that happened. So she isn't completely in a "fuck the village" mindset.

I do hope you all enjoy, because there's gonna be some big events happening!

And thanks to everyone who follows and/or favorites Rebirth of the Ōtsutsuki, since it just hit 1K follows! That story is next on my list.

[Opening Theme: Chu-Bura by Kellun]

[Disclaimer: I own diddly squat.]

[Arc 3: The Slug Princess]

[Chapter 10: Reality Check!]

[The Next Day]

The sun slowly rose over the horizon, dyeing the skies a beautiful shade of orange. It was an hour that most people were still asleep, but Naruto and Akito stood outside of the hotel ready to leave. "You got everything?" Naruto asked the child as he rummaged through his backpack.

"Looks like everything's in order. How long will it take us to get to that Tsunade lady?"

Naruto smiled and knelt down, his back facing Akito. "Tanzaku Town isn't that far away, but we'll get there quicker if we travel through the tree line. Since you can't travel as a ninja yet, I'll give you a ride. Hop on."

After picking up the boy, Naruto bent his knees slightly, preparing to jump away. However, the sound of clacking stopped him. "Forget something, Pervy Sage?"

"Don't call me that you damned brat!" Jiraiya growled with a glower aimed at the Uchiha. "I've just decided to accompany the two of you. You'll need some help talking to her."

Naruto looked mildly surprised, figuring that the Sannin would rather stay and peep at women, but he smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Jiraiya. I appreciate it."

"Besides," Jiraiya laughed jovially "It's been forever since I've seen her glorious titties!"

'And there goes what little respect of him I've gained.' The Uchiha thought with a deadpan expression.

"Hey dad." Akito spoke out, causing his father to turn his head. "What are titties?"

"Jiraiya, you're lucky I need you alive, motherfucker."

[Meanwhile/Tanzaku Town/Tanzaku Castle]

Tsunade and Shizune sauntered down the dirt road around the famed castle, taking in the sight. Well, in Tsunade's case, staggered. 'If there's one good thing about being here this time of the year, there aren't tourists clogging up the road.' The Slug Princess thought, ignoring the excited babbling of her dear apprentice.

Suddenly, the two came to a stop. "Lady Tsunade, do you feel it?" Shizune spoke, her voice a serious whisper.

"What brings you here, Orochimaru? Surely it isn't a friendly visit, you never were the type for such things." Tsunade called out as a sinister chuckle rang through the air.

Orochimaru rose up from the ground, clad in the standard Akatsuki uniform alongside Itachi, who simply remained quiet. "You wound me, Tsunade. Can't I check in on my old friend without another motive?"

Tsunade's honey-brown eyes narrowed upon seeing the uniform and barked "Cut the shit you snake bastard, what do you want?"

"As blunt and uncouth as ever, I see. We just want to offer you a place in Akatsuki, my dear. We are always recruiting and we do need a healer such as yourself. Leader wouldn't object to having your little apprentice join you too." The fallen Konoha ninja said with a twisted grin.

"Lady Tsunade, surely you won't-" Shizune began to yell in alarm before her master obliterated a nearby wall with a single punch.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" The Senju questioned in a deadly whisper. "Despite all that it has taken from me, do you truly think that I would join an organization that would harm Konohagakure? I am many things, but traitor isn't one of them. You better leave before I kill you and that little Uchiha brat."

Orochimaru didn't look intimidated however, but instead allowed his grin to grow wider. As his former comrade began to march towards him, he replied "Even if your reward for joining is Dan and Nawaki's return to life?"

Tsunade came to a halt, her body beginning to quiver upon hearing those words. "W-what?"

"I recently mastered a certain Jutsu that'll allow me to bring them back to life. Two living human sacrifices that has matching physical statutes to your loved ones are all I'll need to preform it. I'll meet you again in three days in this town's outskirts. You should think it over, but don't take too long." The snake-like ninja chortled as the two Akatsuki members began to sink back into the ground. "This is a limited offer, it shall be offered only once. I am the only one who can bring your lovers back to life, remember that."

The two traveling healers stood still and quiet for a minute after Orochimaru and Itachi vanished, the shock overwhelming their minds. "Master, do you think he meant it?" Shizune asked.

Tsunade closed her eyes and turned around, walking back towards the town. "Shizune, just shut up about it. I want a drink."

[Two Hours Later/Tanzaku Town]

Naruto sighed in frustration as he walked into an ordinary restaurant with Jiraiya and Akito. They've been in town for an hour and visited every bar and casino, all of which said Tsunade had already hit them and left. "That woman works fast doesn't she?" He asked Jiraiya, who nodded.

"Yeah, she loses almost instantly no matter what game she plays. The only time she doesn't lose is when she makes a bet on her own life. There's a reason why she's known as The Legendary Sucker." The Sannin trailed off as he noticed a blonde-haired woman sitting at a booth. "Tsunade?!"

The Senju peeked up and her mouth gaped in surprise. "Jiraiya?! What are you doing here?!"

The group sat down at her booth and Jiraiya gestured over to Naruto, who waved his hand pleasantly. "I'm just here to help him find you. He has a question to ask."

Tsunade looked at him and her eyes widened ever so slightly. 'I heard that he had returned, but I never believed it. Naruto Uchiha...'

"So, you are Hashirama's granddaughter? I hear your healing prowess is unmatched." Naruto asked in his 'business' tone of voice.

"What of it? I'm retired." She replied in a bored and slightly drunken slur.

Naruto merely held up the stub that used to be his right arm. "As you can see, I am a bit wounded. I got into a fight with Itachi Uchiha and I lost an arm. If there's anyone who can make a new organic arm for me, it's you. So name your price, and I'll pay it so long as you fix me up."

Tsunade stared at Naruto for a few moments before Akito mumbled "What makes this lady so famous anyways? I never heard of her."

"Brat, just shut up. I could swat you away with a chakra-infused breath if I wanted to." She replied to the boy, who growled indignantly. "And Naruto, what exactly made you risk such an injury?"

"Well, to be honest, I completely underestimated Itachi's skill with his Mangekyō Sharingan and my arrogance cost me. As for the reason I fought him? His little club tried to recruit me and I turned them down rather harshly. They threatened someone I care for and the village I've come to love."

Tsunade snorted. "Why would you care for Konoha so much? I get that you were responsible for the idea of villages, but the first whispers of your return happened just a couple months ago."

Naruto looked down with a melancholic expression. "When I regained consciousness, I soon discovered that many decades have passed since I had last been awake. In one fell swoop, I had lost everything I had ever held dear. My brothers, my parents, my clan... all of it is gone. I guess that void in my heart had been filled with new people and places. I decided I would honor Hashirama and Madara's dream. I would become Hokage and finish what they started, and become so strong that nobody will harm my loved ones." He spoke with a fierce resolve shining in his onyx eyes, making Jiraiya and Shizune smile while Akito looked at him with admiration.

Tsunade, however, was far more cynical. "Hokage? How foolish. That position is a death trap, a fool's job. Money is one thing, but your life is far more finite and shouldn't be gambled so easily." She scoffed. "Every Hokage except Sarutobi-sensei has died sacrificing themselves for the village. Fools, all of them."

Suddenly, a massive killing intent exploded out of Naruto, suffocating everyone in the immediate vicinity of the restaurant. His eyes morphed into a rageful Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, and a hateful expression appeared on his face and for a brief moment, drenched in cold sweat, Tsunade truly felt like her death was near. "You...ignorant little bitch. You better watch your mouth before I make you eat dirt, Senju!" Naruto growled as he slammed one fist into the table, causing it to shatter as easily as glass.

Regaining her composure, thanks to her decades of experience as a combat veteran, she smirked challengingly and stood up from her seat. "Those are fighting words, Uchiha. Let's take this outside."

Jiraiya and Shizune both sighed in unison while the other two ninja walked out into the street, ignoring the looks of fear by the civilians. "Jiraiya, watch Akito while I teach Tsunade some respect." Naruto ordered in an angered tone of voice.

"Fine, just try not to destroy the place." The Toad Sage muttered while pulling the young boy close.

Akito merely cheered for Naruto. "Come on dad, kick her ass!"

Tsunade grinned. "That boy is going to be disappointed after I beat you into the ground. Say, let's make a bet."

"And what's that?" The Uchiha asked while tossing his cloak to the side.

"If you manage to beat me, I'll not only try to make you a new arm, but I'll also come back home permanently and give you guys some juicy intel that I just received today. Hell, I'll get on my knees and apologize for what I said earlier. Of course, that'll never happen. I've got decades of experience on you kid, but I'm wondering if you can back up your words." Tsunade offered, having full confidence in her strength and experience as a Sannin.

Naruto closed his eyes contemplatively, then in the span of a mere second, he had already moved behind his opponent with a vicious smile. "Then shall we dance, Senju?" He whispered in her ear before swiftly kicking her in the jaw, which sent her tumbling across the dirt.

Getting up with a growl, Tsunade wiped her mouth, not even noticing the blood on her hand, and slammed her fist into the ground. "Don't get too cocky, I'm not a Sannin for nothing!" She roared while grabbing a large boulder and throwing it at Naruto with no visible effort.

"Oh? She certainly is skilled with the Chakra Enhanced Strength Jutsu." He commented while lightning covered his fist. 'Lightning Dragon: Breakdown Fist!' He thought while punching forward, causing a large fist-shape bolt of electricity to lurch forward and shatter the boulder in midair.

"What the hell? She murmured before finding a fist planted in her stomach.

Naruto followed up with several more powerful lightning-enhanced blows to the stomach and ended it with a strong kick to the ribs, throwing her through a nearby construction site, causing it to collapse.

"Wow, dad's so strong..." Akito murmured, seeing the elder Uchiha give chase to his opponent.

Jiraiya couldn't help but agree. 'This is nothing like what Kakashi was telling me about him during his fight with Itachi. Naruto is wiping the floor with Tsunade, not even giving her a chance to counter his blows. Could it be that his humiliation made him stronger?'

[Construction site]

"You're good, Uchiha. Too good..." Tsunade praised between tired huffs. Her clothing was heavily damaged with cuts and bruises littering her body. And much to her surprise, she doesn't feel even the slightest bit of fear towards her own blood. "Why... Why does being Hokage matter to you so much?"

"I've told you already. I don't want Hashirama and Madara's dream to be wasted. The villages, despite their faults, are far closer to peace than anything that ever existed in the Clan Wars. I know that if I can be Hokage, then I can work towards peace on a systematic level. All of the ninja who gave their lives for Konoha believed in their home and leader, and I refuse to let their deaths be in vain." Naruto answered with a determined grin. "For the sake of everything I love, I will become the Hokage, that is my dream!"

Tsunade quietly gasped as she heard those words. Those dreadful words that were dangerously similar to those spoken by her own loved ones and for a fleeting moment, she saw their ghosts smiling down upon the young Uchiha before her. It was at that moment that she understood why they died, as well as how they chose to live.

She had finally found her answer. Almost.

"You got guts, Naruto, but that isn't enough. Hokage are men of action, if nothing else. If words can't convince someone, they let their actions do the talking. Let's finish this off, one last move to decide it." Tsunade spoke firmly, her fist glowing with chakra and black markings appearing on her whole body.

Naruto smirked and a few small scales appeared on his face while crimson flames swirled to life on his own fist. As if hearing the chiming of a bell that only they were listening to, they leapt forward, their ideals packed into their blazing fists and at the same time, they slammed those same fists into each other, fire touching cheek and fist uppercutting jaw.

'SAGE ART: FIRE DRAGON KING'S DEMOLITION FIST!'

'STRENGTH OF A HUNDRED: EMPYREAN!'

Naruto suddenly found himself in a whole new world of pain as Tsunade's technique sent him spiraling into the air in the blink of an eye. 'I can already feel some broken bones in my face...'

Tsunade, however, was flung through the town's protective outer wall and many trees in the outside forest by a massive torrent of crimson flames, causing third degree burns in addition to the broken bones that came from the various hard impacts she felt along the way. When she finally came to a stop, slamming her back against a large boulder, she quickly applied extra chakra to her Yin Seal, healing her wounds. However, what she saw once she looked forward had made her jaw drop.

Stretching from her feet all the way back to the demolished construction site was a massive trench of molten rock and bits of melted steel. "If I hadn't been using my Yin Seal, that would've killed me..." She murmured in shock while looking upwards, seeing a black sphere of energy slowly descending to the ground next to her.

Naruto, clad in the skeletal ribcage Susano'o, landed next to the beaten Sannin with a satisfied, painful smile. "You know, we could've kept fighting without the whole 'standoff' thing, right?" He said while dispelling his Jutsu.

Tsunade chuckled while placing a glowing green palm next to his face, healing him of his injuries. "Not really. We would've completely wrecked the town if we kept going. You got one hell of a punch, Naruto. You would've melted me if I hadn't had my healing technique."

"And if you hadn't pulled your punch, it would've blown my head off." He countered back.

Tsunade sighed and looked up to the blue skies. "I'm sorry I insulted your dream, kid. You know what they say about warriors of great power, we can understand each other through our fists. And I saw your resolve, which quite frankly, brought back memories of people I tried so hard to forget. People that have long since been dead."

"And I felt how you were so immersed in sorrow years in the making. I can relate to that, but you gotta make new precious people to fill the void. That's how I escaped my darkness. I know my family is watching me, and I want to give them something good to look at. Don't you?"

Tsunade laughed as she stood up and flung an arm around Naruto's shoulder. "I guess so. You win this bet kid." Suddenly, she pinched a nerve in his neck, causing him to go limp in her arms. "Let's get you to a hotel, I have an operation to preform.

[A Day Later/Hotel]

Jiraiya whimpered as he entered the hotel room that the group rented out. While Naruto and Tsunade played around, the Toad Sage got stuck with the bills from their destruction. Needless to say, obliterating a good portion of the red light district and a section of the town's wall was very expensive. "Little bastard owes me. Tsunade, how's it going?" He called out to his comrade, who was mixing together a myriad of chemicals and ingredients together with a mortar and pestle.

"Good, just have one more ingredient to add and then I'll be ready to construct the arm." She spoke while removing her famous crystal necklace, which had once belonged to Hashirama. Unbeknownst to anyone else, the crystal was actually a vile of Hashirama's blood, in the event that it's rightful owner had an emergency that required the healing power living in his DNA. Unscrewing the cap at the bottom of the necklace, she poured the blood into the bowl and began to mix everything together.

"Blood? Tsunade, is that Lord First's?"

"Yes." She answered resolutely. "In times past, members of my clan have attempted to create organic limbs for our crippled kin, but they were always rejected from the patients' body. If we want any great chance of this succeeding, we need grandfather's blood. Besides, I'm placing a bet on Naruto."

"A bet?" Jiraiya asked.

Tsunade grinned as her hands began to glow blue, making the ingredients float in the air. "Naruto is an Uchiha, and who was the last person who we believe to have possessed DNA from both his clan and the Senju?"

Jiraiya hummed in thought and realization. "The Sage of the Six Paths! He was rumored to have been the ancestor of both Uchiha and Senju. You're telling me..."

"I have a theory that if we give this kid strong Senju DNA, there's a very real possibility he may eventually become as strong as the Great Sage with time. Maybe, just maybe, his Sharingan could evolve into a Rinnegan. It isn't impossible, we've seen one ourselves long ago." The Senju theorized as the ingredients finally formed a lightly tanned arm matching Naruto's left arm.

Akito tugged on the green sleeve of Tsunade's cloak and asked "Is dad gonna be okay?"

"Of course, brat. I'm the greatest healer in the world after all!" She replied confidently while attaching the prosthetic to the Uchiha's stump with the Mystical Palm Jutsu. After she was finished, she placed the empty necklace around the young man's neck. 'Just one more time, I'll believe in this dream of yours. Nawaki, Dan...this young man carries your will and I believe that he'll make sure you didn't die for nothing.' She thought with a fond smirk.

"So, what was the intel you were talking about?" Jiraiya asked in a serious tone of voice.

Tsunade turned around and frowned. "Well, I had a reunion with our other teammate the a while ago."

[Nearby Forest overlooking Tanzaku Town]

A figure looked over in the direction of the hotel from a treetop. He was a rather young man who wore a tattered black cloak with a high collar lined with black fur and a white mask that had two thin slits for his eyes and a purple fang painted on the forehead, the only notable physical feature of the man being his pale, almost dead white hair. The young masked man cackled as black and blue flames swirled around his hands, radiating pure malevolence. "Finally found you. Our reunion is finally at hand, traitor." He spoke out in a high-pitched, almost childlike voice that did little to hide it's insidious nature.

And behind the mask, crimson eyes with slitted pupils opened and a certain degree of bloodlust filled the land.

[To Be Continued]

[Omake: What Lies In a Woman's Heart Part II]

The Chūnin Exams really are tough.

We passed the first test, the lesson being that we should never give up information when things get rough. To endure. Naturally, I aced it!

Now we're stuck in the Forest of Death and camping out for the night. Tomorrow, we're going to look for the Heaven scroll, which we need to get to the next part.

I wonder how Naruto-kun's doing? I hope he got that Tsunade lady to help him.

I miss him a lot. Especially after what Hokage-jiji told me the other day.

I never understood it, but I do now. I told him that I felt weird around Naruto, that I wanted to see him happy and to just stay with him no matter what. Jiji told me that is what it means to love another person, and that it is far more powerful than any Jutsu.

I hope I can understand it better once Naruto comes home.

Until then, I'm gonna keep doing my best in these exams and make him proud, dattebane!

And Sakura just yelled at me for giggling too loud, but I didn't know what I was doing!

She really likes to piss me off sometimes-ttebane!

[Ending Theme: Styx Helix by Myth & Roid]

And that's it folks!

Hope you all enjoyed it, cause things are only going to heat up from here!

Next chapter will probably be around on Thursday or Friday.

See you next time!

And Empyrean, in Christian literature, is the highest point of Heaven and it's where God resides.

[Next Chapter: Deadlocks and Rematches]

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